Post by EmperorMyric on Jun 8, 2023 10:58:55 GMT
Askandar System: Askan City Catacombs
Askan had been built on top of the ancient tunnels, machinery, and cores of Elwar. Its surface city was just the tip of an iceberg that stretched all the way into the mantle, expansive and the inhospitable to most life, it was the domain of Elwar and his constructs as well as civilian shelters and research facilities closer to the surface. As the commotion erupted above around the systems star it was only a matter of time until the disruption was detected here.
It came swiftly, whole platoons of Synopticon forces appearing with a blinding flash and flurry of String.
They moved swiftly, silently and with total purpose, but Elwar was waiting for them.
In the dark corridors underneath Askan the horrifying screaming which had induced terror into so many upon Elwars mad awakening had returned, the eerie blue glow of his constructs filling corridors as gunfire came in return without hesitation. Synopticon soldiers shot down canine and sphere like constructs as the huge gorilla like golems battered aside men and women before being taken down by Liminal Watchmen or summoned phase troopers.
The labs which contained the psionic research were not far away. Hundreds of rooms full of sensitive psionic equipment, purchased from across the galaxy, prototypes, mandalas, information stacks, one off machines and dedicated cores all sat at risk, and the Synopticon knew it. Their ability to trace things through the psion was second to none.
“Fan out, focus fire the larger constructs, don’t let them flank us. Save our heavy hitters for later, keep the momentum” Eleika sent the message through the Liminus, gesturing with her Scythe as they entered a larger room full of equipment. Her men began setting charges immediately as she inspected the dead remains of several constructs. She was impressed at the technological level that Elwar had achieved. But it was a threat.
She turned as more constructs entered the room, the face of one of the massive golems shifting, it spoke to her.
”Your objective is not a moral one. Forces of the Synopticon, it was a mistake to come here, and it is a mistake to carry out your agenda against the nations of this galaxy” Her men didn’t hesitate to open fire, her own hand letting out a barrage of Solarite string to cut the construct apart, it did not even attempt to fight back.
“You would do well to let this happen ancient one. We have no quarrel with you, our mission merely demands this take place” The face dissipated even as it spoke in response.
”I have protected this galaxy for aeons. I do not care for personal agenda. Your existence is a threat, I will extinguish it personally” Eleika sneered and shook her head as the construct died.
--
”To all forces assisting, I am truly grateful, however more enemy forces have been detected on Askandar itself. They are going for my laboratories I will need assistance there, land in Askans city limits and deploy sub surface. It will be close quarters combat but I will do everything I can to assist”
Deralith had observed the assault force of the Synopticon reach the first storage rooms of the research tracts, both through the facilities internal cameras and the sensors feed of Elwars constructs. They had advanced quickly, too fast for it to be mere chance, they knew where they were heading, though that was to be expected.
They seemed to be intent on destroying their research, their words though were rather curious. 'We have no quarrel with you', was it a delusion or mere lack of knowledge? Perhaps, deliberate misinformation, misinformation for who, them or their enemies?
Deralith shook his head, now was not the time to ponder. They would have to slow their advance, save what there was to save, make sacrifices if necessary until the main forces arrived. Fortunately, they were still in the outer sectors where they had stored the less important assets, it would be a race against time to keep them from the core assets.
Fortunately, the Panopticon were not the only ones with tricks up their sleeve. He pressed the proverbial red button in his mind and the first trap sprung shut.
---
One moment, the troops were setting explosives, the next, the room proverbially exploded into chaos.
The Bulkheads came down and several of the massive containers in the room shot their walls outwards like projectiles, immediately followed by an inhumane mechanical screeching, loud and sharp enough that it would've pulverised a normal humans intestines by mere proximity, out of each of the breached containers came a group of sleek, grey humanoid machines, each armed with integrated kinetic pulse rifles, starting to fire into the mass of Synopticon soldiers, apparently trying to use the element of surprise to pick off mediums and watchmen, as atop of them another kind of machines hurled themselves against the walls and from there into the backlines of the synopticons troops with an unnatural speed and agility.
---
Deralith observed, gauged and estimated the results. The Hunter-Killer frames which had hurled themselves into the mass, repurposed standard frames with improved movement capabilities, had been armed with neuron spears one of the various experimental weapons they had thought up to deal with the psions, a weapon encompassed with a field of nanites and micrites, delivering a mixture of strong psychodelic neurotoxins, it was crude almost and likely wouldn't have any major affects on the panopticons more deranged constructs, though that didn't matter so long as they had any notable effects for what little time they had to prepare them.
He was well aware that this little trick would likely not hold the Synopticon soldiers for long, though he had confidence it would at least slow them down for a moment, buying time for other assets to be moved into position, both ahead of and behind them. He watched the sensors closely to see where they would go so he could try to extrapolate their course of action and coordinate potential reinforcements in case they somehow managed to cut out the sensor grid.
"Drop in T-minus five."
The announcement echoed through the cavernous holds of the Imperial corvette; it had been sent to the area originally as an observing force, but the assault had come during its transit. All of the forces aboard had prepared for a rapid drop, with the three-kilometer mothership performing an atmospheric "dip," disgorging its complement as it passed over the city and perhaps coming back later, but there was no purpose in lingering.
Vehicles, troops, and gear had been loaded onto dropships and transport aircraft, who would permit more granular landing selection than the gargant that wouldn't be able to touch down outside of a two-hour drive away from the target site. No materials were spared for the limited complement - The vast majority were Void Arms "marines," normally exoskeleton-equipped and railgun-toting in the interest of greater ammo economy - but at any opportunity, this kit had been augmented or even replaced with boarding gear, from shotguns to HEAT hammers to assault claymores and machine guns entrapped in full-compensation contraptions.
"Atmospheric breach underway."
The rocking began slowly as the corvette angled its belly against the air of the world, increasing gradually from being akin to a smooth payment, to a gravel road, to a cliffside joyride, to running in an avalanche.
"Descent underway. Opening hangars."
The bay doors cracked open below the sub-craft, their exterior composite panels red hot from the thermosphere breach that had occured not seconds before. Engines ignited as long MR-series dropships and stockier assault gunships alike were loosed like munitions from a dive bomber, plumes of fire streaking towards the city.
As the delta-shaped silhouette of the Tarantula rocketed off into distant skies, the half-dozen subcraft took up any real estate they could within proximity to secure elevators down. The scenery had changed in the years since the empire assisted in exploring the world, and anything including highways, landfills, parks, or dry retention ponds were to be considered alongside official landing zones in the quick-response landing protocols. Of course, not all of these were present on Askandar, and Elwar's preparations had made it a little simpler to identify and occupy landing sites - especially with the adaptable landing gear that the landing aircraft used to facilitate landings on exoplanets and asteroids.
As soon as the craft touched down, ramps dropped - vehicles' tie-downs explosively separating from the bay walls as engines revved and sent the force, somewhat larger than a standard company, racing for lift platforms to the areas that Elwar had designated for reinforcement.
"Elwar!" A strong voice called into a radio handset, "This is Royal Guard Astrozj Malai! Ready to assist at will!"
Indeed, the company was far from standard; considering the original mission of observation, the empire had the intent to showcase its variety in force, and none would be more appropriate to present it than one of the Royal Guards who had been arriving in-galaxy for some time now. While still not psionically inclined, perhaps the abilites of one would prove useful against the Synopticon.
City of Askan: Askandar
Klaxons blared through the sprawling metropolis that sat on top of the huge tunnel network as people headed for shelters directed by constructs and local security forces. Areas were cleared in public parks, large open spaces and more designated for forces to drop into, regroup and deploy down below. Whole parks watched as landing forces rapidly combat dropped in, making their way towards colossal service elevators that brought freight and more up and down to the various lower levels.
Not since the Shadow invasion had Askan been under attack, and while the population was safe for now, Elwar would take no changes at all.
As various units from countless nations now descended into the depths Elwar responded to them each, thanking them for their assistance and directing them to precisely where the foe was. Detailed floor plans painted a labyrinth of huge warehouse sized rooms, corridors, testing chambers and more. And the enemy was already spreading out at speed, it would be one hell of a containment operation.
--
There was no hesitation from the Synopticon soldiers as the hunter killer frames revealed themselves, some managed to pull pistols as they were thrown backwards, unloading whole clips into the machines. Some even detonated the explosives they were planting, destroying themselves and their enemy instantly to deny the element of surprise.
While the neuron spears had little effect on the absent soldiers the neurotoxins and stranger weapons did their jobs. Cutting down individuals or making them slump over as their bodies succumbed from the effects. Their response was precision and effective fire however, forming firing walls while some moved forwards, pulling long energy swords from their belts and holding them in close combat, heedless of whether their comrades shot them down or not. Still the surprise had haulted them for now as the machines laid into the vanguard.
Eleika scowled, outstretching her hand she felt the nearest machine which instantly turned its attention to her, within a moment she had crushed it into a sphere the size of her hand. Quickly summoning a Solarite string she let it float up into the air, connecting to seemingly nothing before a phase trooper flickered into existence.
Its speed and power were put to good use as it targeted the Hunter Killer frames.
“Advance. Detonate when clear”
They were a little late, but late was always better than never, at least in Lancar's point of view, especially when encountering something so strange, yet familiar.
Psychomancer Lancar, the leading Magtek of his entourage of like-minded individuals, could barely contain his own excitement, or according to some other individuals, his genuine hatred. As a psychomancer, a minor obsession with the arcane and psychic arts was not uncommon, and in fact, was expected. Lancar, however, could be considered something of an extremist in that regard.
Within the hangar bay of the Switchblade corvette that broke off from the main force, he gained a hop to his step as he made his way to a dropship, one of several, held in a readied state as the corvette rapidly approached the planet.
His entourage was small; two other Psychomancers, two Cryomancers of the Magistri Calor, and two Remmancers of the Magistri Rerum. A strange collection, yet one that was geared for a very specific goal in mind; the suppression and neutralization of the psyker. Battle-Magteks was one way outsiders might refer to them; the term sounded weird to him, yet it fit their purpose here nonetheless.
They were not alone, of course, and a simple glance to another dropship was all he needed to confirm that he was listened to. The response to his request was a mixed company, designed around countering psykers, magic and other abominations related to them, nicknamed "Psychohunters". Reapers, Stormtroopers and Hunter-Killers were gathered, some checking their equipment, others patiently waiting in silence, and others still having a rather heated conversation about something, he could not tell what.
The Reapers, special forces specialized for direct intervention and overall destruction, were what stood out to him; their builds were tall and strong, their armored forms somewhat exaggerated on the upper torso, and completely synthetic, as they were effectively converts, no more than a brain and spinal cord. Synthetic muscle supported electric motors in their limbs, giving them a strangely organic, yet still robotic look, especially with gravity-based CQC weapons installed in their forearms. One of them looked at Lancar for just a moment, four eyes giving the Psychomancer a blank stare before it went back to looking over its neutron rifle, its combi-battleaxe laid beside the reaper.
In any case, he could recognize anti-psyker weaponry when he saw them; strange and blocky 'null rifles' with no barrels, specialized electromagnetic dart guns, ultrasonic devices, and individual null fields. They were to fight against psykers, and if what he was told about the Army of the Panopticon was correct, they will need all the advantages they could get.
The Switchblade made speed, engulfed in a sheath of burning plasma as it entered the atmosphere, intending to quite literally drop and dash its passengers. The moment the plasma abated, its hangar doors opened, and it disgorged several sleek two-engine dropships, usually designed for stealth operations, alongside two other, larger dropships, carrying Nosferatu crawler tanks on their bellies. As soon as they reached the ground, vehicles revved their drives and sped forward, followed by the crawler tanks, speeding for the lifts pointed to for new-arrivals.
"To Elwar and any allies in the vicinity, this is Psychomancer Lancar of the Huron Technocracy. I've heard there is a psyker problem, and am here to assist with some friends of mine. Psychohunters at your service!"
The Hunter-Killer frames did what was within their capabilities which seemed to be more than Deralith initially expected, however their consequent destruction by the phase troopers was less unexpected. All frames and constructs in the room were eliminated, some of the beacons were still standing, though likely only because they did not have much effect if one was not in immediate vicinity.
He took notes of the leaders psionic capabilities and prepared the next strike. This room was lost, it was time to abandon it. The next order came, the bone-melting screeching of the remaining beacons in the boxes was suddenly cut short as they discharged the remainder of their microfusion batteries in fulminant arcs of electricity licking for everything in the vicinity just before detonating in an equally as imposing fireball, raining plasma and armour shrapnel on their surroundings.
The bulkheads were still closed though that likely wouldn't remain that way for long. Overall, the attack had bought them some time and even more importantly, intel on the attacking groups capabilities, which had been all he could ask for. More assets were moved into position as digital alarms started metaphorically blaring. The entity the Panopticon had brought reached the Athaneums hull and tried to access it. Far sooner than he would've liked. He looked at the potential paths of the Lab group and then his assets in the facility, unfortunately, the Athaneum had been too large to even attempt placing any significant amount of Network assets in it.
He looked at the central column of the Labs and its contents. Perhaps there was another way to interfere.
"This is Askandar Defense coordination centre to all allied forces on the surface, we will be guiding you through the facilities and slow the enemies progress as good as we can, please try to avoid any unnecessary damage to the facilities as you make your way through. Some areas are trapped so it is advised to follow guidance."
As the transmission was still being played a rather large crate opened up in central column with a hiss and a sleek looking Frame stepped out, flexing it's fingers as it observed its hands. It nodded, tore open one of the nearby boxes and took out several intricately decorated and strange looking spears. Evidently, raw materials was not the only research materials they had ordered.
A moment of quantum decoherence, the Frame and and two groups of the specialist frames disappeared.
The Deralith in the coordination centre nodded to himself as his other self disappeared and the first bulkhead fell, the first things the AotS soldiers were met with as it did were two hypervelocity railgun shells coming down the corridor, large enough they could've been fired from a naval ship.
Elwar Space, Askan
Hylat the Lesser
Malachüt,
Though it pains me to admit and is, I must say, even indicative of your station, you were correct. Psions thrive within this domain. Their practitioners run rampant. None understand the word of the Southern Watcher. Yet still you speak so highly of this plane. Why is it you are unperturbed?
She opened her eyes when the dropship caught the well of Askandar. It was a subtle hint told by the vessel's sensors more than anything - a hint she understood, sought, and awaited.
"Be landing soon, nam-Grazhnichelnar," Korzha nam-Glachyn said.
"That is true," Hylat agreed. "And I see no reason to alter our expectations." She eyed the various Pords of her command council. The message from the Askandar Defense Coordination Council repeated in her thoughts. She had advised them of her arrival, and was directed to an area not far from the landing site of the Huron. Now, the world below promised close quarters battle, and somehow, this was refreshing - certainly a respite from holding against automatons on a barren, albeit sacred, rock. She adjusted her comms channel and the myriad holograms of her squad leaders faded into being alongside the Pords of her council.
"We are moments away from making landfall," she said. "What you have heard is accurate. Your melazhenstazh are undetermined. Updated deployment information is being sent to you now. Amaruq guides you."
By their reactions she knew they understood, and with such clarification given, she closed the comms channel. The dropship made reality of her words a few seconds later; it settled into the soft ground of a public park and came to a halt. Hylat stood, then stepped towards the exit.
There are no paths to where we are now. To here, we are arrived through the uncharted. I will not declare here devoid of the sanguinary so pervasive across the stars. Not yet. But this must be proven to me.
Silence stood by the dropship door near a hefty spear whose totemic shaft of intricately carved beasts culminated in a long blade dripping not with snow, like so many others, but the shimmering hues of an aurora. Notably, however, a claaang! reverberated when Hylat snatched it from its holder - metal against metal - as although seemingly carved from a single ivory horn, it was indeed far hardier.
She glanced over it satisfied, then exited the machine.
"They are close," nam-Glachyn said.
Hylat ignored his hologram - the Chelnar was near enough for her to see him physically; he stood some distance away near his aide and a flotilla of black spheres. Order infantry, also in heavy power armour hidden beneath gold-trimmed anoraks, double-checked their weapons as they rushed to secure the area. Many held ENS rifles - infantry grade entropic lances: disintegration rifles known for leaving trails of snow in their wake - along with a mixture of melee weapons of varying size, while the hovering form of a Chyochalenkamtet IFV loomed in a shadow cast by distant spires.
"You have two minutes to acclimatize on the surface. We move below after," Hylat said. After a ruminative pause, she switched her channel to those of the command council. "These two lifts will suffice for our operations. nam-Glachyn, you will move as our main force. Uzhaq and Malyn supporting. Jlonyzh, you have reserve. Vanachaq and Häzhel with me, we will take the detection and area denial units. I need not remind you many of these pathways are narrow. Unless you wish to be without what dampeners and stabilizers we have, exercise prudence with your machines."
The platoon-leads responded silently with nods. One by one, their forms then faded from Hylat's view. Thus questionless, they turned their attention to their charges, assigned lifts, and made ready to descend into the cavernous heart of the city.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
As the ships started offloading troops, the soldiers blitzed outwards following their platoon leaders to the sub-levels and into the labs while their commanding officer responded to the Askandar Defense Coordination Center.
"ADCC, ADCC, this is company commander captain Silas speaking, captain Silas speaking. Instructions received, proceeding according to the plan. Keep us posted, over."
The tall, scarred man was a veteran from Aedleshaven, having survived both the nuclear bombardment and psychic projections from echotian special forces, he was tasked with keeping things orderly and ensuring all available help was given to Elwar and his allies.
Commanding 250 soldiers who all had first hand experience in close quarters combat, a result of constant gang warfare and turmoil at home, he was determined to prove himself here and save as many lives as he could- both of his men and the aliens.
'This is where we hold them.' He thought as he followed the last squad towards their path into the labs. 'This is where we show everyone what we are made out of.'
He had little information to go off of when it came to capabilities of AOTS forces, but he knew what AOTP in general was capable of; they all did. Equipped with better plasma weapons for close quarters combat, a variety of grenades and superheated blades that every officer was carrying in case it came to melee made them feel a bit more confident, as it was some of the top quality gear they had seen among their forces.
No matter the plans of politicians or armchair generals, they simply had to help make them bleed at least a little bit.
They all feared they would be their next target when this is all done otherwise.
The Shemesh Shevath vessel appeared disabled, every reading of its energy output was closer to the levels seen in the vastness of space, rather than in a ship which had recently emerged from a subspace dive. No sign of active engines, shielding or scanners could be seen via mundane sources of detection. However to those that saw the universe through the Arcane, the cruiser was the centrepoint of a vortex of mana. With each passing moment the vortex was shrinking, and the effects bled through further into mundane reality, manifesting as rays of light or wisps of fire.
Runes across the stone surface of the cruiser shone with the same light as the ship itself restructured. The side facing planetside opened up bit by bit, sections sinking or extending outwards. The transformation completed in the same moment the vortex had shrunk into a glowing sphere, hovering above the hull, before it sunk into the ship.
Those listening to the aether would hear the last incantations in a ritual, before the Ayur deployed planetside.
{Cut}
{Void}
{Step}
The magical energy gathered within the ship was directed towards Askandar, for a few brief minutes it became a channel, a tunnel through which the Ayur appeared on the surface. Arkiyonai stepped out first, their Heart Glyphs glowing with the infusion of magic, their frames covered in warding runes and protections. At this point the link between the world and the ship was chaotic, a hasty attempt at passing would leave one stranded between realms, or worse. It was the duty of the first Wayfarers to reinforce the connection, so that the rest would pass safely. The mages surrounded the wound in reality, covering it in a vast ritual circle of chalk and powdered bone.
The rest of the Ayur followed through the stable portal. Blessed-Light-Unclouded-By-Defeat stepping out first. It's glyph was a blazing star on the battlefield, so potent, yet so temporary. It would burn out days after the end of this conflict, if the Ayur lived to see it to completion. Like every Lokhem of its force, the frame of its body was blessed and reinforced with defensive wardings. The Lonire Hkavera spared no expenses when it came to arming the detachment, an entire order of Glyphmasters had its duties diverted just to supplying them with wargear, such was the importance of this battle.
Blessed-Light adressed its kindred
{"See upon this world. See the glory of Kokhav Yeled which shall now spill onto such an infidel place. [...] "}
While the zealous Lokhem dispensed its religious ramblings, the Arkiyonai squad leaders gathered their attached troops and relayed their deployment orders. The force would split, to ensure that no friendly-fire from mass concentrations of spells could come to pass. Their superiors had given orders to cooperate with any local forces, or those aligned with their cause.
Ready your Glyph-blades, check your Prismatic Crystals, remember the spells and incantations molded in your Glyph. There shall be no retreat once we pass underneath the surface.}
Upon one of the great elevators that led deep into the crust, the Imperial company stood scanning about themselves - optics helping to cover empty spaces between their own number to, hopefully, counter any surprise attack. A couple of armed vehicles, though only with machine-guns, sat in the formation, prepared to facilitate rapid transit along any more distant access corridors.
"ADC, Carnaithian contingent is well on the way already," Malai responded on the same network. "Requesting information on where you want us and how to get there."
The infrastructure here had definitely been made more human-friendly ever since Elwar had "warmed up" to the wider galaxy. Though, perhaps it wasn't his constructs that had done the most damage to the coalition that landed here...
The bulkhead lasted approximately 17 seconds before it was reduced to a molten mess, the soldiers leaping from it and sprinting down the corridor. Two phase troopers went first, neither being affected as the hypervelocity railgun rounds went straight through them. The three soldiers behind however were turned into little more than jelly as the overpressure flattened them against the walls. Readying their enigmatic chakrams the Phase troopers charged the frame, followed by more covering fire from several troopers who had managed to avoid being killed by using split offs in the corridor.
A rumble in the depths signified the detonation of explosives, in one of the lab rooms. Still at least the reinforcements were now arriving.
The two massive lift concourse rooms were designed to accommodate up to 20 vehicles at a time each along with heavy supplies. No slow pulley system was used, only an advanced magnetically accelerated Dawnstone capsule that raced up and down slowly with almost perfect smoothness. Elwar worked the lifts as efficiently as he could, allowing first the Carnaithian contingent down to deploy, swiftly followed by the Huron, Pords, Maalakians and Shemesh. The latter he was most intrigued about, Elwar had never truly understood magic but the use of it would assuredly come in handy here. He had not engaged with the Huron before or the Maalakians but he was happy they were here to assist. They needed every able fighter they could find.
”This is Elwar, I am highlighting enemy positions on the positional map. We must keep the data cores intact as well as much of the facility as we can manage. Every bit of damage degrades the psionic research conducted here, research directly tied to defeating these evil creatures”
As Deralith held the forces back at the top Elwar deployed more constructs into the other corridors and areas, directing Carnaith and Huron to the rooms just below where the Network was making a stand to hold the corridor and protect the labs there. The rooms containing a myriad of very intricate sampling systems which had been procured from many psionic races as well as physical samples and records from the various studies and individuals worked on here. The sample stacks were high, providing NLOS cover but they provided no physical defence against gunfire, the computer terminals not providing much better either.
For the Pords and Maalakians they were directed to one of the large open spaces where specialised materials were kept. Blocks of Nightstone, Dawnstone and even Aurastone was present. Elwar emphasised the need to keep the Synopticon forces away from the Aurastone at all costs, its sheer weight dictated they had no way to easily transport it out of the line of fire on such short notice. At least the blocks of Kolleronic materials provided easy and very dense cover against attacks and therefor a nice defensive position from which even vehicles could support from.
The Shemesh were given to the defence of the main testing areas, several ‘pits’ where experiments were conducted from within reinforced sections and observed from above. While the pits themselves were not important the sheer number of sensors and finely tuned equipment here would take months if not a few years to replace if it was destroyed. Elwars own constructs reinforced here and across the whole line where needed.
The Synopticon probed the other areas at first, throwing smoke and flash grenades like conventional forces as two-man teams of troopers scouted rooms and corridors to check for enemy strength. Screaming constructs from Elwar met them with precision lasers and sheer muscle in close combat where able, but the QAI was not immune to the psionic affects now and Liminal Watchmen even began to break his connection, turning some constructs wholly over to the Synopticon side.
As the reinforcements got into position this would effectively be the first line of defence.
The Columen drop pods fell into the planetary gravity well, resisting the heat from entering atmosphere at great speeds with ease, the glow of boosters fired in the air, to make the fall not break the pods or the ground below them. They held both lethal and non-lethal weaponry, knowing the risk of these folks being here Soon, drones, droids and heavy droids moved their way under the planet, looking for the other group here, the Synopticon.
Several units linked up with allied forces, other probing different areas to try and flank the Synopticon. Units moved in pack formations, with heavy droids doing the main line of defense for the units. As they found their way around with the help of Elwar, Lillian observed the amount of research Elwar had here. The materials, the samples, the data of it all, all on psionics. She was quite confused, not knowing what to think with these sort of materials. These seemed extremely important to something, but she had no clue on how they worked.
One thing was for certain, though, her interest in psionics was now awakened by this incident.
Droids and drones began fire on the Synopticon forces, first with high voltage taze munitions, others with gas munitions, and even particle EMPs, as to inhibit their tech, with very little success. The heavy droids began to fire with particle lance fire, on non-lethal areas of the opponents bodies. This act hurt Lillian, but she knew that forces like these were not to be underestimated, but still hoped to incapacitate and maybe even capture some of these forces. Meanwhile other units moved to try and flank the enemy positions, holding tight formations.
The AI was confused when some Elwar constructs began to attack allied forces, but Gladius was forced to disable the constructs forcefully, not attacking the non-aggressive ones.
This was a high stress situation, but this was also the way Lillian got into psionics.
Deralith observed the other units deploy from the control centre, their assistance was welcome, they likely knew little of what they were actually defending here though it was probably better that way, even if they were unlikely to be captured, given the Synopticons intent here.
The intercomms sprung to life again, this time it was the other voice again.
"Attention all allied forces, first room has been breached and destroyed, Synopticon forces are likely to spread out to cover the entire facility. Be wary of psions and do not assume enemy soldiers dead after receiving sufficient damage to kill a normal living being."
There was a brief pause, when Deralith assessed the positions and calculated potential outcomes of individual encounters with what little data he had on the enemy and allies.
"Group Shemesh, you will have to hold the line without third party assistance but Elwar will be reinforcing you, if absolutely necessary you can fall back into the testing chambers but it would be preferable not to."
They had in fact installed psionic counter measures in the testing chambers in case something went wrong and the data they would receive from an engagement there would be invaluable, however, it would more than likely also be the last data they would receive from these sensors.
The Shemesh, having esoteric powers of their own, were probably the most likely to have a countermeasure to the Synopticons own capabilities, so if they were lucky they may not even have to retreat.
"Groups Pordish, Malaak, Carnaith and Huron, there will be an opportunity to flank enemy troops in the corridor between you but be aware of secondary entrances to your operations area, Group Lilian, we would advise reinforcing Group Pordish and Malaak, the Synopticon must not be allowed to the Aurastone reserves under any circumstances. If more reinforcements arrive we will be directing them to Group Shemesh, Huron and Carnaith."
---
Sounds of gunfire, the screeching of metal, smoke filled the corridor vented out in moments, the tearing of flesh and splattering of blood on the opposing side.
As the Synopticon made their advance the massive frame which had fired the projectiles made its retreat, Deralith was aware of the Phase troopers capabilities and had no desire to let them near his assets.
There was a loud bang and a gravitic pulse rolling through the corridor then retro thrusters fired as the Machine sped backwards at full speed leaving behind the attackers, a lower set of arms wielding what seemed to be a mix between shot- and machine guns saturating the corridor with suppression fire that likely could've put entire fireteams to shame, assault frames with what seemed to be ballistic shields and more hunter killer frames advanced to take the massive frames place, using retractable obstacles usually meant to stop vehicles and side rooms in the corridor as cover, yet still already suffering the first casualties from the counterfire of the Synopticons side.
At the end of the corridor more frames stood, armed with command rifles to designate priority targets as well as pulsed lasers and gravitic particle weapons, providing cover fire for the advance.
All of this, of course, was of very limited use against the phase troopers special abilities, however, it was not a moment later that the air suddenly seemed to change.
---
Deralith looked over the consoles, observing the Synopticons attempts at advancing in his own corridors and gave the next command. Generators powered up with a hum, Ancerium was energised, radiation shields activated.
"Attention to all allied forces, the facility is now under interdiction."
Now there was only left to hope it would actually do something.
Lower Levels of Askan
nam-Glachyn's Platoon
Reverberations echoed through the corridors from the explosions and battles nearing. nam-Glachyn paid them little heed; he moved swiftly, if incomparably, to those bequeathed of godclip, and though he trusted Elwar's direction, he knew both Uzhaq and Malyn were ahead by just enough to make blindly encountering enemies improbable.
Two aurastone slabs towered in his path flanked by recognizable dawnstone and duskstone blocks. He slowed his gravbike and banked around them: it drifted to a stop alongside the squad lead Trychaaq Byzhal.
"We're getting endless feedback on the domain sensors," Byzhal complained. "There's plenty of them. Out there and they're coming."
nam-Glachyn nodded. The positions assumed by Byzhal's squad sat in his thoughts, like the interdiction news had, shaking loose many considerations thus far absent. A smaller aurastone block loomed to their side and he glanced at it briefly. "Tasi, nam-Byzhal," he appraised, "zhamolkalmyzh bynkalmyzhskyk."
Byzhal agreed. "Molkalmyzhskaya, molkalmyzhmoq," he said: at this land; for this land. A silent moment passed, then he asked: "Is it just us and the Malaakians here?"
"For now," nam-Glachyn said. His tactical feed shifted with the ringing of new detonations. He peered towards the distant wall of the chamber from whence the rumbling came. "Uzhaq and Malyn in contact," he said.
Beyond the distant wall, ahead of nam-Glachyn's force, Synopticon feelers met Uzhaq's skirmishers. At such range, the weak outer edges of Hylat's psionic dampening fields melded with the passive stabilization effects of the few Mylchar Arrays present and the Network interdiction now online to give a strange weight to the air - a noticeable aura revelatory of the Pordic deployments.
And within this, Synopticon duos breached chambers and moved through corridors. Order skirmishers traded fire against them both physical and mental; the torcs of their armour glowed as they mustered pelagic and winter energies in defense alongside swiftly-engaging sentries (automated charcoal-tinged spheres) - but still, some fell to small arms while other succumbed deep in their psyches as the puppeted nature of their enemy became apparent - their minds shattered upon endless glaciers now melting, lost, while fighting to sever enemy connections through their own projective abilities.
"Their main assaults must be soon," nam-Glachyn said. His ruminations were upon the probable locales of Synopticon assault and he made mental notes to direct two of his lighter squads to be mobile and cognizant of the flanks.
Byzhal blinked and held the gesture. "With that cadence," he inhaled and agreed, "very soon."
The Shemesh Shevath detachment proceeds to their assigned positions without pause, though not without some curosity, mainly through the Lokhem. Most have had their manifestation just days before this deployment, and their knowledge of the universe amounted only to what was ingrained via memetic means. The technology of other species was vile, without the touch of divinity or magic, but it was a source of curosity. If given the opportunity many would have stopped just to observe the advanced creations of Elwar, perhaps in a different time their sucessors might.
Blessed-Light reached the testing chamber first, just in time for the communication from Deralith to reach It's Glyph.
"Group Shemesh, you will have to hold the line without third party assistance but Elwar will be reinforcing you [...]"
The Heart-Glyph of the Lokhem warleader took on an angry red hue as annoyance filled the Ayur, though it quickly dissapated. Everyone under Its command knew that expecting assistance from Others was a folly.
{"Prepare the ritual circles. Consider this unholy space a domain of our own. We shall protect it until our essence returns to Kokhav Yelled, or until the Master of this place considers it lost. Whatever comes first"}
The Arkiyonai that followed behind the more nimble Warrior Ayur went to their arcane duties, other than Glyph blades and focus staves each carried pouches and bags of occult reactants. In the hands of those who dealt with magical forces, materials as simple as chalk or powdered bone became tools for manipulating the basest laws of reality. A proper hexagrammatic ward gave protection, a scrying circle gave sight beyond sight, an emblazened skull turned into a focus for deadly spells.
{"And do it quickly"}
Unfortunately, there was no time or space for a proper ritual. That much became clear when the first Synopticon forces engaged the Elwar constructs, slowly reducing them to broken shells one by one. The Shemesh intervened before all of the machine-dolls were destroyed. Though their knowledge of this Galaxy was limited, previous realities had possesed forces simmilar to these "psions" and the Ayur came prepared. While the Majority of the mages worked on finishing the most basic ritual of protection, those with expertise in creations of Constructs focused on weaving as many as possible.
Unrolling great scrolls of inscribed papyrus the Arkiyonai pulled from within hundreds of small glyphs and runes and sent them through the corridor towards the assailants. Each Mitar was inscribed with a minor spell of destruction. Some burst into azure fire, some detonated in blasts of lighting, some simply rammed themselves through targets like arrows. Any heavier armor would withstand their assault, but the hope was that the confusion could allow some of Elwar's creations to escape back to Shemesh lines.
While the Arkiyonai tended to the Arcane, the Lokhem engaged in a conventional conflict. Those with prismatic rifles sent out beams of mana-attuned energies, each striking with an unpredictable, but deadly effect. Warriors geared for meele combat struck out to counter any greater Synopticon rush, fighting with Glyph blades and warded shields. Each blow powered by their zeal and sheer devotion to their duty.
Yet even such faith was not always enough, soon enough the first Heart-Glyphs were extinguished, and the divinity of the Ayur returned to Kokhav Yeled. Without their magical energies the armored frames of the fallen collapsed, scattering magic-infused alloys and materials on the floor as if they were little more than garbage.
The Imperials rushed into their assigned area at combat pace, engineers deploying microsurvey drones to establish lanes of control for the chamber and analyze its structure. The miniscule trirotors rapidly completed their tasking and returned to their operators before shield-bearing breachers could even sweep the hostile-facing side of the room.
"Minimal cover, thorough concealment. Auditory reports of flash-and-clear operations ongoing in the facility, all forces change to edge-detecting indirect optics. Marking support pillars and optimal gunnery positions."
The men moved almost like machines, datalinks and combat medicines honing the focus of the already-determined marines. Eight, thirteen, twenty, and fifty-millimeter barrels quickly established sightlines on the hostile approaches, fireteams taking turns replacing their explosive rounds with flechette canisters. The reserve forces weren't left to idle and await tasking - they were set up as sentries in the middle and back lines of the defense, shoulder-mounted stacked munitions on rear defense as they swept patrol paths between server stacks and computers.
"Per announcement, overkill is encouraged!" A sergeant shouted from the force, receiving affirmatory shouts in return.
Malai had taken a squad of marines with him to observe the potential flanking route, brandishing his revolver and dual-ended Kanabo at the front of the smaller force.
With as much speed as could be managed, the Psychohunter company rushed to their assigned area, eager to face off against their oncoming foes. A quick scan of their surroundings, and the corridors that made up their assigned area told them what they already assumed was true; plenty of places for ambush, and plenty of places to hide. The soldiers were already picking places to set up ambush and killzones as the magteks spread out, with Lancar in the forefront with a Remmancer.
Lancar was positively thrilled, hiding a miniscule sense of nervousness with a wide smile that, to some in his unit, made him look slightly unhinged. So much knowledge that could be learned, so much progress towards countering the psyker was all here, quite literally within reach, within the very halls and rooms he was supposed to defend. A part of him may have even pondered what might happen if he took a look himself, perhaps picking up a sample or two. Such thoughts, however, were pushed aside; he was about to get direct experience with psykers from another galaxy, much more worthwhile than dealing with the consequences of thievery.
A sensory alert, from his personal micro-TDR unit alerted him of strange energy being used vaguely nearby, from where he assumed the Shemesh were located, if he knew his location well enough. It was both strikingly familiar and unfamiliar; similar to what he has seen in his home galaxy, yet still widely different. Interdiction made it difficult for his TDR to detect much more, other than what he assumed was psionics further down the corridors, though what it saw made him nervous. He could not tell what was happening, and he did not care. It was an inconvenience, one that Lancar did not like, but one that could be worked around.
"Psychohunters, be advised; adjust TDR units for close-range engagement. Allied forces are using magic. Filter it out. Psykers and phasers only." He ordered, his machine accent smooth and silky, hiding any aggression and nervousness he may have had during that moment. The latter part about 'phasers' was redundant, given interdiction was up, yet it was still important to signify.
Positions were picked out momentarily, and defenses were built up as fast as could be with machine-like efficiency. Approach vectors were covered by null guns, ultrasonic devices and pulse repeaters; stormtroopers and reapers, armed with dart guns, loaded with armor-piercing darts made of various one-off materials, hid in concealed positions throughout the front and middle defenses, awaiting the signs of a psyker. In reserve, further behind their lines and in less cramped space, two Nosferatus waited alongside some of their smaller hunter-killer cousins, forming the rear line of defense.
Meanwhile, a cryomancer went to the flanking route, escorted by a section of brutes and a squad of reapers, brandishing his signature cryomancer staff, both it and his cloaked body bristling with weird technologies, inert only for the moment.
They were about to experience psykers in another galaxy, and they had no idea what was going to happen.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
"You heard the AIs, watch your fire and double tap everything. Move along on the double, we are late to the party."
The QRF made their way into the specialised materials storage as sounds of gunfire echoed throught the facility. The situation looked grim to him, but this was a fight they could survive if they worked together with others.
Hopefully Pords could do better than their allies during the battle for Lyne did.
Forward scouts have cleared the areas room by room, making sure no nasty surprises were waiting on them as the main force advanced deeper in, until finally they joined in with the Pords to defend the massive Aurastone reserves.
The soldiers themselves weren't quite sure what was it that they were defending, but they trusted whoever was coordinating the defense effort that they were here for a pretty darn good reason.
As a provisional headquarters were being made in the room before the main storage facility and crates of medical supplies and hard hitting weaponry were making their way towards it, the malaakian commander contacted the pordish commander, who he knew was nam-Glachyn due to intelligence sharing directed to all allied forces;
"Platoon commander nam-Glachyn, this is Malaakian commanding officer Silas speaking. We will concentrate on fortifying this place, if your scouts could buy us more time we could mine the hallway and install more cover."
Already small portable shields were deployed and machinegun emplacements fortified as a team of engineers made their way towards what would be the enemy's main point of entry, ready to install remotely detonated mines.
As the Huron Psychohunters and Carnaithian combat forces hunkered down and prepared positions in the sample room both potential entrances and exits were covered with firepower. The room shook slightly, bits of loose rock and sand coming from cracks in the ceiling. Apart from the further off sound of gunfire and vehicles getting into position in the storage areas behind them all was quiet, deathly quiet.
Until one of Elwars heavy constructs was flung through the northern entrance at speed, smashing through several sample holding racks which cascaded in smashing glass the Dawnstone construct was sliced up, mauled and was failing to get up, eventually falling limp. Behind it came a hulking creature, an Abyssal Golem. Its dark muscular frame rippled with strength as it surveyed the room, quickly sending pulses of psychometric force into the defenders to try and sap their will and instil horrible hallucinations. It came forwards fast, obviously what had destroyed the construct so quickly, but it did not come alone. Acting as a bulwark for the overwatch fire the Synopticon troopers came forward laying down suppressing covering fire with their large calibre weapons. A liminal Watchman came behind the group, golden strings emanating from his eyes, and held in both hands with a maniacal grin across his face. In the southern corridor things were far more cramped as a gunfight erupted with the Marines, however this quickly escalated, as two-phase troopers, both glitching in and out of reality like they were fighting the interdiction, charged at speed towards them.
For the Maalakians and Pords the forward skirmishers brought time, time to set up positions and ensure the enemy would be met properly. As the Synopticon traded blows with the Pords it became apparent their use of psionic dampening. And so they changed tactics, Watchmen and Mediums hung back instead trading places with more conventional Synopticon troopers who deployed crew served heavy weapons. These weapons were multitude, some sprayed vast volumes of plasma fire down corridors while others fired bolts of immensely energized highly radioactive Ancerium to scald, irradiate and gravimetrically disrupt the enemy. Still as the skirmishing subsided the real attack came quickly following.
Grenades from both southern entrances into the large room signified the assault. Some launched over were smart munitions, fired high into the rafters they locked targets from above before exploding with a directed HEAT explosive. While others chucked close were flashbangs as well as concealing smoke and countermeasure grenades to obscure their advance. Synopticon troopers rapidly moved up, taking cover behind blocks of dense Nightstone, setting up several crews served weapons with which to try and contest the Pords and Maalakians.
For the Shemesh the Synopticon fought hard, but also cautiously. The Army of the Panopticon, and by extension, the Synopticon, had never fought magically imbued forces before. They had of course encountered and engaged magical entities, but never direct conventional forces. This was as much a learning and intelligence experience as it was a conventional fight, and the enemy was keen to learn as much as possible. As Elwars constructs withdrew to the Shemesh it did not take long for the Synopticon to claim its first kills and lose its first forces to the magical arts. But strangely, the Synopticon quickly moved from cautious hit and run strikes to full on rush. Whole squads of Synopticon troopers supported by Phase troopers attacked Lokhem almost heedless of worry or casualties. It was a tactic, they wanted to see how the Shemesh attacked, how they responded. Knowledge was power as the Watchmen observed the spells and rituals from behind testing arrays that they used to strike the Synopticon down.
Given the ferocity of the assault however Elwar directly contacted Lilian ”Reinforce the south area, the testing bays and help the Shemesh hold the line combat is fierce there do not fight to incapacitate. You wont find any mercy here not from these creatures”
The fighting was fierce and vicious between the enemy elements and Deraliths own combat elements. The Phase troopers seemed to stop for a moment as the interdiction systems went up, but they didn’t wholly unphase. They seemed glitched, part in part out of reality, almost like a Union Skia. Still, while some shots passed through them as before others impacted to effect, blowing off limbs or killing them outright.
It was then the huge form of an Abyssal Golem filled the corridor behind the troopers, its entire chest cavity opening its up to reveal a glowing pulsating ball of golden light. Rounds impacted it, but also seemed to bend around it into the corridor walls before the Solarite Lancer fired. The ball projectile raced down the corridor, before exploding not in a conventional burst but sending entire clouds of Solarite string in all directions, slicing through the facility walls and surrounding rock like they were not even present. One of Elwars heavy constructs simply fell apart as the Dawnstone was sawn through thousands of times over.
It seemed every time they fought this foe they had something new, some impossible new monstrosity to deal with.
Lower Levels of Askan
nam-Glachyn's Platoon
Their contest came with gunfire broken by the withdrawal of skirmishers through the perimeter. Some came with singed anoraks hanging sullenly from armour battered and worn, others appeared entirely unbothered, and still more returned slumped over their gravbikes. Time proved again her reliability as the greatest of allies, and nam-Glachyn felt each leaden-stepping minute as they reluctantly passed. His mind sat on the tactical feeds and the nearing abominations.
"We have some time," he responded to Silas. "Our defenses will augment your own."
He reviewed the layout of the chamber while kneeling in the shadow of a dawnstone slab positioned where he could discern Chyochalenkamtet IFVs hidden behind aurastone and dawnstone alike while automated sentries and even blacker Array redirection probes hovered nearby. They anchored his line and he was content with their placement. Another minute passed, then three more.
Detonations thundered along the line.
"They're at the Malaakian minefields," Byzhal yelled over comms, "here they come!"
Plumes of flame surged into being above a few of the great slabs as defenders opened up against ordnance cresting them, though the crimson showers of grenades going off too quickly to be stopped still flared angrily to deluge those below.
Sentries crested themselves to engage Synopticon forces moving to shelter on the far side of the slabs and were met by a hail of fire; the spherical constructs rotated in and out of the hammering as they floated above and around the glistening stones to avoid the worst of the fusillade, but even still they were imperfect. Notably, however, they were not alone in engaging from the higher angles as the Array rifle fireteams from nam-Glachyn's two heavy support squads joined them in arcing fire down from above; they fought from the center of the Pordish defenses.
"Byzhal, you have heavy weapons moving in your area," nam-Glachyn said. He grabbed his weapon and turned to his aide. "Tactical feed updates are slowing," he said. "There's a lot of interference."
His aide nodded. There would be far more if not for the presence of the heavy detection suites further back and the lesser efforts of squad-level automatonists; their contributions grew noticeably in response to the smoke and countermeasures brought by the Synopticon and served to fortify the information available. Nevertheless, Synopticon troopers advancing swiftly and precisely soon brought crew served weapons to the front and found not only their Pordish counterparts (automachine cannon duos pairing splash with penetration), but even starting-stopping vehicle fire peppering exposed infantrymen.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
As precious seconds bought by nam-Glachyn's skirmishers passed, the engineers finished placing the minefields just as the skirmishing forces retreated into the relative safety. With everyone geared up as much as they could be given the time, and secondary line of defences being installed in the eastern corridor it was time to face the dreaded enemy.
"Hold on...."
A second passed.
"Just a bit more..-"
Followed by another, and sounds of numerous footsteps approaching as first Synopticon troops opened fire, slinging plasma down the corridor and into the room.
"Detonate."
A chain of explosions erupted as the mines activated, sending a blast of shrapnel and shockwave towards the enemy in hopes of surprising them and slowing them down to help out with the all important race of slinging more plasma downrange faster than the enemy could.
What sounded like old cannons firing was welcomed as a momentary relief before the bloody struggle that ensued.
Emplaced guns fired into the fray, joining Pordish automachine cannons and aimed mainly at the enemy infantry that would try to go towards the flanks. They had hoped to create a killbox and hold down the two choke points from where they could stop the enemy from advancing further- but no such plan survives first contact with the enemy.
What little bit of friendly armour they brought along was placed back, overwatching the hallways they would be using in case things go south in a hurry. They would be useful in this situation, but their size and bulk made it unpractical to bring in, as they would slow down any retreat they would have to make.
While the crew served weapons focused on suppressing the enemy and area denial, Malaakians equipped with anti-material rifles were trying to find a decent elevated position from which they could start taking shots at the crew weapons directly- it was risky, but it was their best shot.
Northern Corridor; Exalted Network
The screeching of metal raced through the corridor as the Solarite strings tore through Network frames, walls and cover alike with concerningly little resistance, leaving white hot scars on the material. Metal and dirt rained into the corridor as several pieces of the walls and ceiling were cut loose from the attack, although the shields of some of the Network frames had used showed some resistance, repelling some of the strings with gravitic counter-pulses, the sheer volume had overwhelmed and effectively cleared the front row, leaving space halfway into the corridor for the Panopticon to advance.
Deralith watched on in the Command Centre and saved the recording as well as whatever other data he could pick up from the attack, though it was a setback in their defence he could still learn from it, whatever it was they utilised, it seemed to equal to superheated razor wire.
Another announcement came through the allied comms, once more from the Command Centre.
"Attention, Black Golem Forms seem to have effective crowd clearing capabilities, mark as priority target when encountered."
Perhaps it was time to bring out some of their own prototypes.
Seconds after the attack, before the dust even began to settle or the Announcement finished playing, a ghostly blue light emanated from the dusty veil, only a brief moment before a series of beams of blue light shot through the cloud with a high pitched crack, boiling the atmosphere in the corridor through the friction alone, aimed at the very same Abyssal Golem that had just fired its Solarite Lancer, regardless of what stood in the way, however, what had been fired was no simple plasma cannon or laser, it had been an experimental duskstone particle weapon, wielded by the Collossus who had moved to the back row earlier.
Though having been dealt a significant strike, the Network was far from being defeated or giving up, auto-frames equipped with pulse-laser weapons began to move up into the corridor already firing their weapons again using the facilities surveillance and their own sensors whilst using the rubble as cover, whatever ground the Panopticon had gained it would be ground that was hard bought.
Blessed-Light -Unclouded-By-Defeat observed as the last of the remaining Elewar puppets fell back into the rough defensive lines formed by It's forces. Though they were creations untouched by the divine, the Ayur were assigned the defence of this place, and all of those that called it home. Blessed-Light would tolerate them, as long as they proved their worth.
{'The dolls have left the area. Kindred-in-Glyph, hold back no longer'}
The order spread through the connection linking every being with a spark of Kokhav Yeled's essence, and the Ayur reacted in harmony. Each of the Arkiyonai unleashed their prepared ritual.
{Cut.Void.Protection}
The forms of Lokhem whoose meele duels had taken them the furthest from friendly lines appeared to shatter, as if each was a plane of glass given three-dimmensional shape and mobility. Each piece of "space" broken through the ritual slowed it's descent and clung to the armor of the Ayur. Projectils from Synopticon rifles were lost inside each reflection, lost within a myriad of mirror realms and pocket spaces. Until the sheer mass of energy beams and ancerium blasts overwhelmed even these stolen pieces of reality, and crushed the Lokhem underneath. Such shields however were enough for the meele brawlers to stem the rush of the Army. Atleast long enough for the rest to fire back.
For every Ayur whoose glyph was returned to the Godling, the Lokhem responded with prismatic beams of pure mana. Some transmuted the flesh of caught foes into kaleidoscopic crystals, some consumed it in black fire, that would burn as long as mana flowed, some conjured tendrils of unspeakable forces at the point of impact, ripping those caught in range. The Watchmen were right to be curious and observant, the Shemesh had more tricks up their sleeve than even they themselves knew, doubly so for the Lokhem born just mere hours ago.
Though the rush of rush of Synapticon infantry was for now kept at bay, through their methods of arcane observation, the Arkiyonai had seen the other creations used by their foes. These wouldn't be stopped by a mere Glyph-blade or prismatic beam. The Shemesh needed something heavier, a bulwark to stand behind. One of the mages tasked with the creation of constructs informed Blessed-Light just of that, and though the Lokhem warleader had pledged to leave this site intact. The Ayur allowed the formation of a Damar construct.
The Carnaithian marines and Synopticon troops were almost equals; Muted emotions and response, weight-bearing exo frames, powerful armament - both serving for grander ideals. The difference was in preparation and application. One an unstoppable force, the other an immovable object. An immovable object honed against and meant to win against better-equipped and more numerous foes on fronts all around the galaxies.
Losses were inherent. Medical personnel dove and slid to casualties, Hitting them with multiapplicators where needed or redeploying if their compatriots had died, dual PDW buses on their shoulders showering flechettes and fifty caliber handgun slugs into enemies who dared to peek the support personnel. Riflemen fired steady bursts from railguns, penetrating hostile concealment. Grenadiers lobbed fifty millimeter shells behind it and into the approaching halls, breaking up dense clusters. Machine gunners hosed through entire rows of cover, co-ordinated through unified HUD to suppress the routes of hostile reinforcement.
The phase troopers were a problem, though.
Their stuttering movement was jarring as they struck through whole fireteams, beelining for the tactically-significant machine gunners. Their guarding fellows brandished machete and HEAT hammer, one swinging at a panopticon elite only for him to disappear and his hammer to detonate against a pillar as the trooper cut him down.
A sudden uptick in fire from the side hall marked the return of the attempted flanking party; the internal communication network had made it obvious that, for now, Malai would have to stay with the Marines to help defend against alien threats, and his fireteam offered a surprise angle of fire as he rushed to counter the phase troopers.
Sprinting into the pair of melee combatants, he spun his kanabo about his arms in a momentum-building maneuver, feinting a swing at the first stuttering form, before using its energy to carry his weight away from where he was expected. His bauble - a spiraling form the size of a locket on a long bead bracelet on his forearm - began to glow with its embedded Ilumix fuel as he gestured at his former location, where the stuttering form of the phase trooper appeared for a split second. Without a hint of hesitation, he closed his fist, crushing a meter-wide area around the trooper's chest with his initiate power over gravity.
Lancar realized this may not be as easy as he once thought.
Psionics were not a new thing to the Psychohunters, as per their name. They were as well equipped against the psyker and psionic influence as they could possibly be on such a small scale, and were trained to resist psychic influence if all their technological defenses were rendered moot. In their home galaxy, this would have made the likes of the Psychohunters a formidable force, the bane of psykers, nearly immune to psychic influence unless carefully played out.
They were not in their home galaxy anymore. The psionic influences now bestowed upon the front defenses were a new one. Their psionic defenses were not fine-tuned, their training having not quite readied them for the golem's influence. Stormtroopers manning positions flinched, the assault forcing them into their minds for just a moment before training kicked in, bringing them back. Even Lancar was hearing whispers, something that has not happened to him in a long time.
Then the entrance was set alight, blue beams of pulse fire bursting forth like a torrent. Casualties started mounting slowly as they resisted the suppression, bullets bouncing off personal grav shields with a sharp crack, while others found their mark in the blank helms and cybernetic bodies of stormtroopers. The source of the psychic assault was determined quickly, and without words, null guns and ultrasonic weapons concentrated on the golem, in an attempt to stop its assault.
"Remmancer, do something about that abomination! Do not let it get close!" Lancar shouted, stepping back as he observed the psionics unfolding before him. The remmancer, charging a gravitic device on his left arm, swung it in a punch-like gesture, releasing a strong kinetic wave, rippling the air around it as it travelled towards the golem, its intended target.
Amidst all of this chaos, some Psychohunters equipped with dart guns waited silently, observing the battle through the eyes of other Huron soldiers. They saw the Liminal Watchman, its splendor both haunting and reassuring to them. They have found their target, yet they could not engage, not yet. Other supporting elements were already busy, preoccupied with the golem. Just a little more time.
In the flanking route, the cryomancer and his team silently prepared for intervention, creeping forward slowly as the firefight unraveled before them. The reapers double-checked their neutron rifles and combi-battleaxes, whilst some of the Brutes brandished their combi-repeaters, and others still grasped their oversized battleaxes. Anticipation filled the atmosphere around them, yet they did not dare intervene, not yet. They were not about to charge into a killzone set up by their own allies impromptu, nor did they intend on hindering them in their fight. Through the internal communication network, the cryomancer sent a message intended for the marines in the corridor in front of them, a notification that they were ready to intervene when the time was right. Just a few more moments, a little more time, and surely, a window might open.
"Clear copy Elwar, I hope the damage is minimal."
The droids seemingly changed in "mood", clicking their weapons and readying themselves for the inevitable. The pounding metal of the feet of the droids filled the microphones on them, making their way as quickly as possible to the designated spot. The movement from Elwar constructs made them weary, but the movements also made Lillian, and by extension Gladius, know what they had to do. The gunshots, firefights and battle made it both difficult and easier to know general enemy and friendly positions.
Inhale...
Exhale
"Full force, deadly force"
Lillian began to fire upon the Synopticon, particle weaponry firing on all cylinders, heavy droids making the defensive wall against the monsters that laid before them. Quickly Lillian learned of the other aspect of the galaxy she had failed to consider due to her universe: Magic. She was astounded by the power those people held, energy she had never seen before.
Mana
Gladius quickly began to try and give cover to their mortal allies, bringing to safety any who was injured in the firefight, being near suicidal with their attempts, ignoring the shots, even if they seemed overwhelming. As droids fell, new ones would take their place, but the reserves wouldn't hold up for long.
Lillians biggest strengths, Speed, efficiency and lack of physical pain were being pegged by her near suicidal attempts to help others in need. In the end, she would lose alot, but others would lose less.
The phase trooper seemed to twitch as its chest cavity was crushed. No blood emerged only brilliant light as it dissipated, and its strings disappeared. A hail of gunfire came in response as the Synopticon soldiers attempted to press through the fire in the corridor and take advantage of the occupied Carnaithians in close combat, they did not notice the Huronite forces waiting to intervene as they brandished their energy weapons, several soldiers going down to fire. But it was a watchman who came from behind the charge who extended his arms, tendrils of gold seeking to connect to engaged Carnaithian soldiers and induce psionic mental assaults so they may wrest control of them to fight against their allies.
The golem smashed through established cover and sample wracks, like a raging bull it aimed to get into the centre of the Carnaith and Huron defensives and cause as much havoc as possible. Pulse fire and 50mm rounds pummelled its flesh, setting it on fire and blowing chunks out of its part organic part synthetic muscles, but it kept coming uncaring for the damage. It reached out with clawed hands, each containing a grinding shard filled mouth as it attempted to pull in and devour soldiers, but the Remmancer blow came hard and fast. Being hit by the force of a tank impact the golem staggered, trying to right itself a moment with its left arm totally crushed. A sudden barrage of 50mm grenades caused it to lose balance and tip over, struggling to right itself as the Synopticon troops tried to use the commotion to advance, soldiers being gunned down by overwatch as several tossed grenades into the room, both explosive and flash bangs.
The enemy forces fanned out in the materials room, using the smoke and blindness to take up plenty of positions as the Maalakians and Pords opened fire, the IFV being highly effective, airburst rounds scything down Synopticon soldiers in groups. The killbox was working and the enemy attack seemed to faulter until their crew served weapons fully set up then the return fire was just as fierce. Arcing fire from both sides, taking advantage of the high roof, inflicted plenty of casualties, but the IFV was proving a problem even as teams from both forces attempted to find good, elevated positions on top of various piles of materials. Despite the psionic dampening one of the Mediums came forward, holding what seemed to be a whole spool of Solarite string in his hand. With a overdramatic throwing motion he sent multiple threads of string towards the Pordish IFV, hoping to cripple or destroy it even as a renewed effort to suppress the defenders was made. Both sides were still testing the other and setting up, this room was sure to become a bloodbath in due time.
The Synopticon troopers mindlessly died as they fought against the Shemesh, they died in painful horrific ways, each one totally unique to the one before as the sheer possibilities of the arcane worked on their bodies. And yet they never faltered, guided by those who still had a soul the knowledge they gained was interesting indeed. It was made even more prevalent as Artificialis droids now flooded into the testing areas, backing up the magic-based foes and forming a bulwark, slaughtering those isolated soldiers who were left. The main large corridor where the Synopticon forces had attacked from now seemed to darken, unnaturally as a single Phasic Medium stood observing, before withdrawing into the darkness.
Nothing came, had the Synopticon withdrawn to the south in the testing areas?
To the north the Synopticon exploited the damaged caused by the Lancer, rushing forward and destroying the few crippled frames and constructs that remained or still fought. The corridor hissed with steam and molten rock just for the sheer amount of vapourised segments alone, but the return fire beam on the Lancer was enough to make the foe temporarily dig in. The shot impacted the Lancer in the chest, blowing its weapon out and causing it to stagger before falling to the ground. Both watchmen next to it while untouched by the beam cried out in anger, rushing forward into the room to escape the fallout of Duskstone particles.
It seemed this particular weapon would prove to be quick effective.
As the Synopticon soldiers rushed in and the Watchman extended his grasp, the fight at the line of engagement devolved into a melee. Soldier's responses to the mental assault ranged from breakdowns to betrayal to their stimulant harnesses shutting down their conscious actions and forcing them into a false-instinct pose akin to a psych ward harness as their exoskeletons pivoted away and attempted to carry them out of danger. Machetes, knives, and HEAThammers joined the existing gunfire as explosives detonated along the line, delayed-view optics and noise-canceling headsets muffling the effect of the stun grenades but not nullifying them.
Even as the golem fell meters away from him, Malai couldn't let his attention falter as the other Phase trooper continued to duel him. It wasn't tracing his steps like the first one did, so the trick wouldn't work again. He watched carefully as he danced with the ethereal foe, taking notes of how it moved in response to him. He feigned a lapse in attention, marking the Watchman for all machine guns. As the support weapons began to gout their individual thousand rounds a minute through the soft cover of the chamber, he spun and dragged his kanabo upwards through the space he expected the trooper to appear - hoping to tear his torso apart from inside as it reentered the natural plane.
Registering the Abyssal golem fall to the duskstone beam, the Network collossus immediately moved back into cover, as Deralith in the command center nodded in approval.
Although the last frames in the corridor has been little resistance to the army, the duskstone beam was extraordinarily effective, but they wouldn't be able to use it too often, given it easily overheated in its prototype state. due to the high particle weight and density.
As the Panopticon forces tried to advance the Command frame of the local group, having tracked the priority targets, locked onto the two medium trying to advance to get out of the duskstone fallout zone, immediately two of the Hunterframes in the back raised their weapons, firing a burst of concentrated high power gravitic pulses to try to take down the two mediums before they were able to get out of the fallout zone, even in the unlikely case some synopticon troopers tried to take the shot in their stead, given the pulses were near-invisible, there was still a good chance the particle pulse would just bleed through and kill them anyways.
Deralith pondered for a moment, observing the various battlefields within the facility, as suddenly part of the southern corridors went dark and then sensor feed broke off. There was a frown and a feeling of discontent, he didn't know what the Synopticon was up to down there, but it certainly wasn't good.
"Attention groups Shemesh and Lillian, we have lost sensor feed of the corridors ahead of you, confirm and report, we advise executing caution and preparing for a renewed assault."
He returned his attention to his own front, if they wanted to hold the room, they would have to mount a counter attack, though their assets were limited so he couldn't send in more frames he may need in case of later defense or Prince forbid if they had to abandon the room. Preparations had to be made.
With renewed orders, most of the more conventional frames began focusing their fire on the advancing frontline of the Synopticon, trying to delay their advance into the actual room as much as possible, as some of the others began setting charges in the room, reorganising the defense and preparing less immediate assets to be moved out of the room. Amidst chaos however, the Collossus rose once more, two weapon pods on the back readied and then, with a orchestra of hissing, released a volley of smart missiles, traveling down the path of the duskstone fallout and fanning out across its length, trying to deal as much damage as possible before the enemy could exploit its powers again.
The moment that the Artificialis droids moved into the combat space, Blessed-Light pulsed a glyph of retreat to the Lokhem engaged in the thickest of duels. Underneath the covering fire of the rest of the troopers, and the magical shields of their Arkiyonai brothers the brawlers retreated to the defensive lines. Many had their forms damaged by the Synopticon forces, some had bled out so much of their divine essence the only action left to them was to surrender their mana to other Lokhem so that it might not return to Yeled too soon.
The Arkiyonai mages previously assigned to the creation of arcane shielding could feel the presence of the Phasic Medium, not directly, but through the sheer overwhelming presence of its power. If their magic-forged forms could shudder, some would be shaking with anxiety.
The message was from Deralith intercepted by one of the few Ayur wielding a "mundane" tranmission beacon, allowing them to communicate with those less inclined to arcane means. The Lokhem responded, transmitting memetic information across the bandwidth and in the meanwhile relaying the knowledge to the rest of it's kindred.
{Group.Shemesh.Threat.Understanding.Positive}
Blessed-Light had It's fears confirmed and turned to the mages.
{'We breathe with relief and ease, our foe falters. Forge the connections. Meld the fabric of this chamber through our threads of arcana. Do it quick Arkiyonai, they will come back soon. I feel it like an occlusion in my Heart-Glyph}
The Glyphsmith with haste. To an outside observer, one without any inkling of arcane knowledge, the Ayur mage was acting like a lunatic. Moving between walls and bulkheads, scribbling spiralling runes and misshapen symbols on the nearest bulkhead. Some runes were geometric, made out of hexagrammatic wards and angles of significance, other sigils had no apparent rhyme or reason, looking more like chicken scratch than anything of note. Each had been inscribed onto the plating with pure pyromantic effort, each glowing with an almost blinding azure light.
The Arkiyonai motioned for everyone to step back and began to pull. At first gripping nothing but the air with great effort, before slowly starting to tug at strings and threads that seemingly formed out of thin air. With each pulse of magic woven through these strands, the shape emerging from the bulkhead became clearer until a vast humanoid body emerged. Breaking out of the defensive structure like an insect emerging from some steely cocoon. The armour of the Damar construct sizzled for a few moments as defensive runes emerged on each piece.
With the last of his gathered-up mana, the mage tugged on the last remaining thread and pulled a Glyph blade the size of a man, which Its creation quickly picked up, before heading to the frontline, ready for the next Synopticon assault
Lower Levels of Askan
nam-Glachyn's Platoon
Handfuls of colourless beams jogged downrange against exposed infantry and those behind looser concealment and cover from the primary lance nodes of Trychaaq Byzhal's squad IFV. The machine hovered inches off the hard floor in the shadow of a slab that anchored their position.
Return fire skittered along nearby and Byzhal added his own into the mix. He fire a few short bursts from kneeling, then looked back to his fireteam leads.
"Chornaaq," he said, "bring the gac around to this opening."
The Pord obliged and moved up to the indicated area and silently redeployed his weapon; heavy belts of machinecannon ammunition rattled in their distinct metallic style from their drooping perch across his shoulders. After double-checking the feed and firing mode indicators he opened up again - satisfied - as the squad automatonists adjusted in sync.
A salvo of grenades paraded towards them (hanging, seemingly, upon the air itself) spurring sentries into action; the thrown devices yielded to the fusillade risen to greet them: their debris pattered against a nightstone slab in a crimson shower of metal and fortune.
Sensing an opening as the grenade innards splattered, a Medium rose with Solarite strings in hand - exposing himself for no more than the briefest of instances to hurl his deadly package - and was gone swifter than his arrival.
"Incoming," exploded Byzhal's comms. He turned towards his IFV; of all the squads present, why his? One of the bow demi-ablation drive nozzles flared with gravitic energy, a mighty shove or would-have-been without its opposite flaring to counteract - towards the incoming strings...
Which arrived then, not center-mass as aimed, but clattering-whipping-burning along the side of the vehicle; they sank through the entropic barriers and into the hull below with flashing sparks and flames coughing-ballooning a choking cloud of detritus into the chamber.
The IFV listed - wallowing from the strike - and upon perhaps the third tick of a watch chraaaanged! onto the unforgiving surface below, immobile but still armed. Three spherical sentries took station near the machine to defend; their movement lessened the defensive fire thrown forth along another section of the line that began, nigh immediately, to bow.
Byzhal hoped the others were doing better, but he knew the likelihood of this - despite the sentry complements adjusting with the battleflow - as his thoughts manifested elsewhere through nam-Glachyn's actions: rather than shore where the defensive fire grew weaker, the two squads of the platoon's mobile reserve advanced from their stations near the northern passageways supported by the PD barges of the area denial squad. High angles and rafters glittered ablaze from their fire, nominally used against aerial threats, manned or unmanned, ordnance, or otherwise, yet here they fell upon those seeking lofty perches or escape from the open.
"Now that's a lightshow if I have ever seen one."
Lillian observed the calming sector, but was always ready to fight. Magic was something that she never had, something that seemed so extraordinary that it could never happen, but now she was in front of a real mage, performing real magic with real mana. The battle, meanwhile losing her a lot of resources, also have her vital knowledge of how the galaxy worked, and what she had at her disposal. One of the heavy droids would suddenly pause and look at the Shemesh, weapon down.
"Nice lightshow. I am Lillian, and if you can understand me, we need to co-ordinate this attack. I will work as cover, don't be afraid to grab one of the droids as a shield, it will work with you. The area has gone silent, my drones are doing a small sonar and bioscan of the corridors and our sector in general. Be ready for anything."
Heavy droids would make a bulkhead for the corridor, acting as shields for the rest of them. Small pulses could be felt as sonar and bioscans would be used to try and find enemy positions. The more heavily damaged but still fuctioning droids would make up the front of the unit, giving better cover at lower cost.
When the Golem fell over, priority targets changed.
"Don't let up your fire on that abomination! Remmancer, keep it down!"
The Remmancer nodded, and pointed his staff towards the downed golem, concentrating gravitic force in an attempt to keep it down as grenades where thrown onto it.
The chaos and noise of Lancar's surroundings have become near deafening and blinding with detonating grenades, gunfire and the screams of the wounded and dying, yet to the psychomancer, it was surprisingly silent as he temporarily delved into thought. The Synopticon soldiers were relentless, even suicidal, and coordinated to an unusual degree in his eyes. Drugs were out of the question, and even zealousness does not remove one's self-preservation. He tried to piece things together, yet variables were missing.
The Watchman. He remembered its presence, its maniacal grin, the solarite strings grasped in its hands. He knew exactly what it was; a psyker, if nothing else, but perhaps there was more to it being present than just support. Mind control via telepathy was a theory, which was definitely not outside of reason. The theory disgusted him, but now, he knew his target, if for no reason other than it being a damned psyker.
Lancar took a moment to pick out where the watchman was. It did not take long, though the moment he found his target, it was silently marked as a priority, automatically shifting some fire towards it. He did not know what it was capable of, but he would soon know regardless. Null guns and dart guns were brought to bare on the watchman as some stormtroopers, weapons at the ready since the battle began, leaned out of their positions and engaged, a storm of specialized semi-armor piercing darts being unleashed as the psychomancer slowly got himself into another position, closer and closer to the front.
At the flanking route, the cryomancer observed the rapidly-deteriorating situation. With a small nod, it was decided now was the time to intervene. A reaper released a pair of microdrones, which flew down the rest of the corridor and peaked around the corner, towards the Synopticon forces. Once the drones were in position, the group began their intervention.
The brutes with their combi-battleaxes were the first to enter the fray, using their size and speed as a battering ram in the initial assault on the synopticon frontline, creating the opening for the rest of the cryomancer's team. Reapers followed close behind, neutron rifles running hot, the cryomancer himself among them, staff and other technologies on his body now active, the energy coursing through making him look like parts of his body were glowing. His first victim was a synopticon soldier that survived the initial onslaught, as a bolt of plasma slammed into its face.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
No matter how many shots were sent their way, the Synopticon troops kept pushing forwards, unphased and unfeeling. Despite Malaakian’s good work slowing down the enemy advance, they could not delay the inevitable- enemy crew weapons were set up and the casualties finally started mounting on the friendly side as well.
Shredding through cover and supressing the fireteams, soldiers had to be pulled from most exposed positions, chucking antipersonnel grenades on their way down from rapidly deteriorating positions above the enemy as they fell back towards the better covered ground level positions.
Silas looked over as he heard Byzhal’s IFV shake before dropping to the ground, seemingly immobilized.
That would create problems, he counted on the Pordish vehicle staying mobile for a bit longer, but now he had no choice but to bring in his own vehicle, as he could not allow Synopticon troopers to use this temporary advantage in suppressive fire to escape the killbox- even for a moment.
“Garo, bring forward the Ortak, hold back the Rustiks- They won’t fit.”
In the hallway behind them the heavily armored APCs started going even further back, followed by the first evacuated wounded soldiers to make way for the Ortak armored car- a speedy and maneuverable platform for a dual 30mm autocannon made its way towards the frontline at speed, narrowly avoiding the immobile IFVand swirling out of the way into dense cover. The autocannon quickly opened fire into the enemy positions.
The Golem strained against the gravitic forces placed upon it by the Remmancer, concentrated fire pouring into it until finally it stopped straining and its bloated destroyed body died.
It was a victory, even as Malai's attack hit home, his timing perfect to tear the Phase trooper in two the Watchman went down, his psionic barriers unable to stop the Huron Null rounds as they shredded him. The attack instantly faltered in the sample room, the Synopticon soldiers on the disadvantage died to counter fire, their heavy bullet sponge and support striker killed. They could counterattack, it could be done, but a squad of Synopticon soldiers dashed into the room, four of them carried a large object, it looked like some kind of distended pulsing tumour. They ran in, heedless of fire, and threw the massive lump of flesh, it didnt go far, impacting the floor and splitting open with stinking disgusting fluids. But there was a sigh in the air, like a soul escaping its body upon death. The tumour also looked like its innards had been brain matter...
The sound of playing children and the ocean lapping at the shore filled the room, drowning out all other sounds as golden flickers appeared in the air above the now dead mound.
In the corridor the situation devolved into a bloodbath, with Carnaithians both falling, withdrawing and holding the line the Huron reinforcements held, meeting the foe with their own furious assault. Soldiers died on both sides as melee weapons rose and fell, splitting armour and flesh. But a golden glow down the corridor signalled something new, a bright flare was all that signalled the Solarite beam weapon opening fire, threatening to engulf all within the corridor.
The forces assaulting the materials room seemed to be emboldened by the crippling of one of the IFVs, soldiers went down on both sides as the moment anyone was exposed they cam under heavy guided fire. Still the Synopticon were not breaking through, something which was benefitting the allied forces greatly. But from out of the smoke and fire through the corridors where the enemy had come ten crying children rushed past, running towards the Pords and Maalakians, some of the Synopticon soldiers attempted to grab them, as if to pull them back or capture them. It was strange, Elwar had not said any children were here...
For the Shemesh and Lilian however the expected psionic assault would not come. Rather something much more conventional.
Through the corridor, obscured by unnatural clinging darkness ran an abyssal golem, its form was covered with objects. But it wasn't until it got closer than Lilian could see what they were. Tactical nuclear warheads. It was a suicide berzerker.
To the north the two Mediums were easily blown apart, their powers ineffective as the Duskstone choked them. Still one of the Synopticon soldiers set off his own grenades, filling the corridor with fire but dispersing the Duskstone particulates. As the missiles streaked down they impacted the air where the molten corridor now sat, another wave this time of three Watchman came running, strings emanated off them cutting through solid rock and more as they unleashed them forward trying to punch through to the next room.
Deralith observed the charge in his section, strings lurching forward cutting down the front row of defenders, cleaving through cover, the more advanced frames boosting out of the firing line, though some still caught, the Collossus losing one of it's main arms before it escaped, grabbing the prototype weapon with the other, the piece dropping to the floor with a loud metallic clang a metallic growl following, almost like scream, sparks and nanoliquids flowing out of the stump, just below the shoulders, before it self-sealed.
The attack had put yet another dent in the defense, they had no more effective way to defend against the string weapons currently than shooting the wielders down before they could approach. Gravitic particle bolts came down the corridor in return in an attempt to stop the advance, as the Network frames began retreating into the room. More concerning than the room itself was that if they lost it they would have to split, as one way branched off not only to the storage area but also into the back of the Huron and Carnaith detachments.
Yet... Something felt off. Though the scythemen were formidable enemies, that they were all that came after all which they had repelled before...
Were they becoming desperate? Had they exhausted the Panopticons reserves for the attack?
...or was it a trap?
Deraliths musings were cut short the moment the sensors notified him of the anomalous radiation readings in the south, what at first glance seemed like another of the golems, had several fission warheads strapped to it on closer inspection, the signatures coming off of them left no doubt to their legitimacy, if those would go off, everyone in the facility would die.
Calculations raced as to what he could do to counteract it, although these facilities were built to withstand orbital bombardment, even they, with bulkheads and all, were not made to survive an internal nuclear blast. His own frame was too far off from the battlefield now and even if they killed the golem there was still a chance they were remotely detonated.
The Shemesh. The Shemesh had arrived by transporting themselves down into the facility. He would have to turn the interdiction off, it would put everyone at risk but less so than being vaporised.
A new announcement came over the internal comms, this time, directed at everyone.
"Attention all present defenders, brace for intensified combat, interdiction will have to be temporarily deactivated!"
With no delay another one played though this one directed at the Shemesh alone.
"Group Shemesh, aggressor is equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, eject from the facility immediately and transport them back to space!"
The moment that the darkness-clad figure began rushing onwards, Blessed-Light felt nothing but worry in their Glyph, to the Lokhem champion the tactic made no sense, a suicidal assault of a single soul, one that would be stopped before it even reached their lines. The group leader raised Their hand and was about to motion to it's troops to open fire with Rays of purifying magical fire, inevetably causing a cataclysmic detonation.
A compulsion from one of the Mages stopped the doomed order, the darkness was displayed and the tactical nukes became visible, each a death sentence for the entire force gathered here. The remaining Arcanists communed through telepathic links, messages exchanged faster than the speed of thought. Yet not even their collective brainstorm could come up with anything that would save them from atomic disintegration. Nevertheless, they had to try.
The Arkiyonai began their chants, burning through mana at an explosive rate to break through the limits of their spells. They were prepared to crush the berserker Golem in a telekinetic hold so immense it would suffocate the detonation, atleast that is what they hoped to achieve.
The message from Deralith came just in time for the Arcanists to change their plan. Without the choking hold of interdiction the Shemeshi contacted their vessel in orbit and prepared for a teleport link. In the meanwhile one of Lillian's frames was covered in a focusing glyph and thrown through telekinesis at the charging nuke, the moment the machine met the berserker the ship in orbit moved the two into a teleportation corridor. The detonation would be contained, though for the remainder of the battle the Shemeshi couldn't their Teleport gates.
Hylat the lesser
Little about the current stalemate pleased Hylat. Though her forces held for the moment, Synopticon infantry were pushing inexorably forward. They fought well, and she resented them for it. Of course, she didn't need the additional reason. it just happened to contribute; every death was on their head, as was every stretch of chamber thus far ceded.
A Pord lay dead not far from her.
A draaaang! echoed from where the end of her spear met the cold hard surface and then sang out again as she drove it down a second time: a strange notice caught her attention; not two seconds later, nam-Glachyn came on over comms -
"Very odd what we've got here," he said, "but we seem to have children, human children, running towards our line."
Hylat raised a brow. "I needn't tell you to deny their entry," she said. "It is probably trickery and illusions. Clear your mind and look at them again."
"I thi-"
Attention all present defenders, brace for intensified combat, interdiction will have to be temporarily deactivated!
The urgency registered immediately for Hylat. She cued the higher-order detection unit: "Vanachaq! Rein interdiction to our locality," she ordered.
Vanachaq gave an inquisitive nod; he also was privy to the message. "We can calibrate to allow them through. Less risky than reducing our coverage."
"We don't have time to calibrate that. Reduce the range. We will adjust."
Vanachaq nodded again. Even behind the edges of the line the fight was taxing and he looked as weary as he felt. "Tasinehdao. I'll have the barges reduce range to just our troops," he said.
The Pordish interdiction dimmed and flickered to a nearly imperceptible state - halting just at the edges of the lead infantry squads - in response to the order.
Among the myriad detection suites and tactical readouts, however, the ambiguous and fuzzy returns jumped in clarity as the Natyl and Mylchar Arrays, unbound by interdiction, peered with heightened precision.
Yet in the very same moment, before any actions based on the updated information manifested, the lead Pordish infantry began to react to the rushing children. Most assumed them to be illusions - following the same logic as Hylat - and directed their mental energies towards fortification and warding such effects, but a handful of the more aggressive among the Chünezhnar, including one holding a man-sized battle axe in one hand while directing a cloud of drones and probes over his shoulders, stepped forward to engage.
Burdened by no timidity, unlike his peers, he called upon the depths of the pelagic and winter energies which rose within him; his armour glowed blue-white beneath his anorak as his mind focused upon the incoming beings as he set himself to the task of banishing the manifestations to a prison of unyielding cold.
Shouts of orders to cover and movement out of the way were shouted and screamed over comms within the corridor flank, with frag and high-explosive grenades being thrown at soldier's feet and into the hallway as the squads who had been in melee moments ago turned in unison to run back towards their allies to the north. That room, however, had yet to discover what they were in for - all machine-guns within the formation had turned their attention on the mass of flesh upon the ground, tearing into it as any unoccupied grenade launchers from the Carnaithian contingent attempted to stem the tide from the westernmost hallway with concentrated explosive saturation.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
For a moment, the amount of fire lessened from Malaakian side as sounds of children playing and screaming about grew louder, and the children themselves made an appearance.
Could it have been real? What were the Synopticon troopers doing?
Was this some sort of a ruse, a ploy to pull one over them and exploit their overextension or hesitation?
It was impossible to tell, but from the briefing they had received beforehand, malaakians only had one immediate conclusion:
"Kill the demons, open fire!"
The turret of the Ortak Armoured car swung around to the closest perceieved hostile and opened up while everyone else stayed firing at the synopticon troopers, fearing that they may be suicide bombers or some disguised hellish monsters- they were expecting everything, and the more they fought, the more fearful they became.
When the nuclear armed suicide bomber made its way into Lillian's vision, her immediate instinct was to protect as best she could. Her droids quickly sprung into action, trying to not hit and trigger the nuclear warheads. Absolute panic filled Lillian in that moment, unsure as to how to handle the situation that threatened to kill everyone in the labs.
As the Shemesh made their chants and rituals, Lillian let them use the frame with no resistance, trusting the ally behind her. Even as the frame was thrown, Lillian helped them by making the droids actively try and grab the suicide bomber as best it could. Even then, Lillian feared the worst as she tried her best to defend.
Lancar was running. He did not remember exactly why he was running, until he looked back towards the front, particularly at what he was very quickly starting to assume to be a very potent psychic weapon of some kind. That, or something much, much worse. He could not tell in his frantic state of mind, even with his TDR working without interdiction.
He could hear the waves, the children playing on the beach, as if he were standing there on the beaches themselves. It terrified him, beyond his own belief. He has never, in his own experience, witnessed something like this, and neither has the rest of his psychohunters; he could not see their faces, however their body language, ever so slight hesitation, were subtle hints of shock.
He looked at the Remmancer, who was already mid-sprint. He was close to the mound of flesh, trying to get away.
"Remmancer, get out of there!" He shouted, more reflexively than intently. He then pointed at the mound of flesh, more for his sake than for his forces. "I want null guns concentrated on that fucking thing now! Cleanse that manifesting aberration from reality!" With his orders, a pair of null guns quickly re-oriented, concentrated null-beams directed at the mound the vague hope that they do anything against what was clearly manifesting itself in the room.
At the flanking route, the situation managed to be less panicked. They had no awareness of what the golden glow at the other end of the corridor was, though for the moment, no one in the Cryomancers force felt like remaining in the corridor to find out.
"Fighting retreat, back the way we came." He ordered, Huron forces now executing a fighting retreat North, soldiers and hunter-killers alike, once in melee only a moment before, moving as fast as they could.
The fetid remains of the flesh blob which had been splattered all over the floor was now more or less torn up into unrecognisable burnt flesh. But the air shimmered above where it had died. The storm of fire had practically killed any Synopticon forces which had entered the room, the last of those who had ran into the room being torn apart by several grenade detonations simultaneously. Still where the strange thing had died reality unravelled slightly Golden strings snaked from the unusual haze on reality, seeking out any living thing nearby and trying to drag them into a stupor of dreams.
But the strange pitch black claws that seemed to grab the haze from within and tear it open revealed a serpentine creature with many glowing golden eyes. To the Carnaithians, there was no mistaking it. It was some kind of horribly corrupted Skia.
Still the Null beams hit the hazy opening and caused it to ripple wildly, the Skia thing screaming with such high pitch intensity that glass shattered within the room and uncovered eardrums would burst. It was working.
As the Carnaithian and Huron forces retreated in the corridor to the north the beam of Solarite lashed down the corridor in a concentrated line before unravelling like a violently flung bunch of string. The threads went through the solid ground, walls and floor, slicing the terrain and any soldiers apart in a violent slicing storm of death. With the corridor clear and the Solarite dissipating a renewed Synopticon push came, spearhead by another Abyssal Golem leading the way and acting as mobile cover.
Several of the children were reduced to little more than frozen entities as the Pords and Malaakians saw the children as little more than Panopticon creations. More were gunned down single rounds wiping out their small frames. But they were right, those children that got close seemed to have haunted and distended faces, augmentations clear on their skulls or under their hair. The Children were living psionic mines, and as they got close, they detonated.
The psionic scream was enough to at point blank snuff out a mandala, at range it was enough to induce crippling emotional and mental pain on the target, to overwhelm and incapacitate. Proof of the Panopticons disgusting use of anything, even children. The detonation of the psionic mines was followed by a renewed assault from the Synopticon soldiers who did not seem to be affected by their own weapons.
The suicidal charge however thankfully was averted. The quick thinking of the defenders saw the suicide bomber and the Lilian construct teleported away; a detonation was reported in the upper atmosphere of Askandar itself as the tactical nukes harmlessly exploded away from the contained space. Their plan had been foiled. But the interdiction was down.
Uncoiling as if from the very air itself, hideous monsters dropped to the ground in the labs, behind and in the forces now fighting. Their slender humanoid forms and massive claws made them almost look like further works on phase troopers, they were fast and aggressive with the bulk concentration being on the Shemesh and Lilians forces who now also faced a renewed frontal assault from the Synopticon.
Angry, fearful, and determined shouts and screams alike erupted throughout the storage room as every Imperial gun still active turned to the wronged Skia, even as visors and gunsights fractured; munitions buses were swapped out for canister models automatically, and shoulder pods and OICW components alike turned the air around the creature into a plagued cloud of lead locusts, information transfer system doing its best to provide an accurate position on the enemy even as it phased into the ranks of the Carnaithian infantry.
In the hallway, Royal guard Malai had redeployed as the situation in the storage room recovered - only to arrive as solarite string carved deep, deep chasms into the concrete and explode two of his soldiers into nondescript gore. He sprinted through it regardless, fully expecting the aggression of the Panopticon - and looked down the hall to see the Golem bearing down on him, soldiers in tow.
He looked down at the kanabo in his hands and sighed before lifting it like a spear, his bauble glowing with energy as he made a running pitch, unleashing the energy in his hands as the melee weapon violenty broke the sound barrier in the closed space and rocketed down its length.
Claws met steel, metallic screeching filling the room as the metal armour of the collossus was rent apart by psionic forces, sparks and nanoliquids spraying across the surroundings. The machine stumbled forward, legs adjusting to compensate for the impact.
Deralith cursed in the command room.
"All defending forces, situation has been solved, interdiction will be back online. Beware of renewed assault. Huron retreating from central storage access crossing,w e would advise moving some forces back to central storage access to prevent breakthrough."
They attracted more enemies, synopticon forces seemed to be able to serve as beacon for others, they would not be able to afford another drop of the intirdiction.
The announcement came just in time, as the four metre tall machine swung around at it's waist, damaged, but not defeated yet, the remaining arm coming around with the speed and precision that came with the artificial construct, delivering a massive blow amplified by a gravitic pulse, whilst firing the shrapnel guns on it's lower arms for suppression.
At the same time, four executor frames dropped from the ceiling of the elevator platform, originally meant to ambush the synopticon once they entered the room proper they now had new enemies, large, lanky frames, flexible and agile, with precision blades sheathed in plasma and hardlight, two additional tentacle like arms on each shoulder, getting ready to engage the other two monstrosities, as the remaining normal frames slowly started retreating back towards the storage areas perpetual fire from gravitic pulse and laser rifles trying to stem to tide from the western corridor. Slowly they were exposing the way to the other elevator room, though there was another batch of machine frames there and the bulkheads were still closed the question was if they would be able to hold after what happened here.
He did have another 'present' prepared there, if it would be enough time would tell.
Hylat the Lesser
Their detonations screamed across the line in twisted choral symphonies that poured against those nearest and rained upon those more distant.
The Pordish line buckled and reformed inward towards alternative positions as anorak-clad infantry fell to the conflagration alongside their heartier brethren who could reject the grave. If not for raising heightened mental defenses upon encountering the children, and their dampening fields, the entire line may very well have withered away.
Malachüt. Would you keep your thoughts as they are if you were here to witness this? These psions here? Should we prevail, I must see your opinions. Surely they cannot remain?
Or perhaps they can?
But how could they remain?
"I don't know how much longer we can hold out," nam-Glachyn's hologram complained. "My force has been halved."
Hylat nodded. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't entirely wrong, either. "We must," she replied. "You know what it will mean if the Synopticon seizes this chamber and the stones herein."
nam-Glachyn's frown endured. "I know."
"For now, ju-"
A shiver overtook Hylat the Lesser; her tactical feed updated: that cannot be correct, she mused, not from those angles.
Vanachaq came onto the comms line, then, with urgency drafted upon the folds of his jowls. "They are behind us! They're coming out of the walls - beyond our interdiction!"
Instinctively, Hylat's gaze shot rearward, though logically nothing could be seen from such distance.
Amaruq, I have failed to recognize your guidance. Should I have seen your path, we would not be upon this course now. "Vanachaq, I have no reserves to send you. Their assaults are renewing everywhere else as well. This is my fault. I will plug the gaps with my command unit. Hold until we arrive."
"Namengrazhniskaya, nam-Hylat Grazhnichelnar." Vanachaq bowed.
Three abominations faded into view as she neared the rear lines and the ghastly humanoids. She caught notice of a few dismembered Pords alongside nearly unrecognizable corpses of Synopticon troopers all still and silent near a disabled Natyl and Mylchar barge - the obvious originator of the macabre scene.
Gunfire and automated weaponry chattered with enough weight and cadence to indicate the status of the battlefield, but the malformed troopers, grotesquely paired with claws and aggression, were clear preferers of close in battle.
Hylat dismounted her gravbike, readied her weapon, and the others with her followed her lead.
"Don't let them through!"
An abomination sprinted forward in a blur - narrowly avoiding the beamfire of a nearby probe - and crashed into melee range. Auroras pulsed from the blade of Hylat's spear: first as a beam that burrowed through the humanoid's shoulder, and then (as it neared unbothered by the strike) as a simpler aura sheathing its weapon...
Elsewhere, claws against metal screeched out some distance down the line. Two Pords crumpled into bloody piles under the boot of a trooper; the humanoid tore strands of blue and gold fabric from the recesses of their claw while eyeing a third Pord. Despite his shredded anorak - torn beyond recognition revealing the gray power armour normally hidden beneath - the third reached for his weapon as the agile assailant charged.
The brief sigh of relief Lillian had from the nuke being dealt with was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of monsters on their front and in their lines. The droids quickly tried to regroup and take care of the monsters before they overwhelmed the Shemesh and her. However, a large portion of her force was utterly torn apart. Thankfully, some of them were able to self destruct and take some of the monsters with them.
The remaining heavy troopers regrouped and began firing mercilessly upon the invaders, round after round of particle lance fire showering the foe. The regular droids picked up as many of the wounded Shemesh as they could before retreating behind the heavy droids and providing covering fire. Slowly but surely, her forces were pushed back. Step by step, centimeter by centimeter. But she made sure they would pay for every meter they gained.
"We are under heavy assault! We have lost a lot of forces and we are required to retreat to a more defendable position. Any spare forces please help our flank. Location is being broadcasted!"
Lillian knew she wasn't enough to defeat the monsters, but she would damn try to keep them at bay. It was her duty to protect, it was her duty to destroy the monsters.
As soon as the new monsters appeared and the Synopticon assault began its momentum broke.
Tearing into the allied lines for bit a few moments the new appearances dissapeared as quickly as they came. The Synopticon soldiers holding position to lay down rearguard covering fire. Pulling back slowly as energy spikes were detected in enemy held regions of the underground facility.
Word came quickly of the Panopticons defeat on the Megastructure, it seemed now that their forces here had ceased their attack.
"All forces push them back and drive them out!" Elwars order was clear as the remaining forces swept forward, cutting down soldiers as they withdrew.
Within a few minutes of the counter attack a bright golden flash emanated across the facility, filling corridors and rooms as golden string connected to living and dead Synopticon assets linking them all together. In a bright white light that blinded optical sensors it quickly dissipated, leaving nothing behind, no trace of their attackers bodies or the forces still present, even some of the kolleronic resource stacks were gone. The enemy had simply left.
"I am detecting no trace of enemy forces on this planet or in system" Elwars voice came across the command line.
They had won.
The battle had been immensely hard fought, with much of the facility either outright destroyed or damaged. While the data had been kept mostly intact the systems built with trial and error had been heavily damaged. With the Athaeneum also critically damaged Elwars capacity was much reduced.
"I thank you for the assistance all. We have won here, I suggest we take stock of our situation, and move on from there" Despite the victory, there was clear solemness in Elwars tone.
It was a win, but it felt like a hollow one.
Askan had been built on top of the ancient tunnels, machinery, and cores of Elwar. Its surface city was just the tip of an iceberg that stretched all the way into the mantle, expansive and the inhospitable to most life, it was the domain of Elwar and his constructs as well as civilian shelters and research facilities closer to the surface. As the commotion erupted above around the systems star it was only a matter of time until the disruption was detected here.
It came swiftly, whole platoons of Synopticon forces appearing with a blinding flash and flurry of String.
They moved swiftly, silently and with total purpose, but Elwar was waiting for them.
In the dark corridors underneath Askan the horrifying screaming which had induced terror into so many upon Elwars mad awakening had returned, the eerie blue glow of his constructs filling corridors as gunfire came in return without hesitation. Synopticon soldiers shot down canine and sphere like constructs as the huge gorilla like golems battered aside men and women before being taken down by Liminal Watchmen or summoned phase troopers.
The labs which contained the psionic research were not far away. Hundreds of rooms full of sensitive psionic equipment, purchased from across the galaxy, prototypes, mandalas, information stacks, one off machines and dedicated cores all sat at risk, and the Synopticon knew it. Their ability to trace things through the psion was second to none.
“Fan out, focus fire the larger constructs, don’t let them flank us. Save our heavy hitters for later, keep the momentum” Eleika sent the message through the Liminus, gesturing with her Scythe as they entered a larger room full of equipment. Her men began setting charges immediately as she inspected the dead remains of several constructs. She was impressed at the technological level that Elwar had achieved. But it was a threat.
She turned as more constructs entered the room, the face of one of the massive golems shifting, it spoke to her.
”Your objective is not a moral one. Forces of the Synopticon, it was a mistake to come here, and it is a mistake to carry out your agenda against the nations of this galaxy” Her men didn’t hesitate to open fire, her own hand letting out a barrage of Solarite string to cut the construct apart, it did not even attempt to fight back.
“You would do well to let this happen ancient one. We have no quarrel with you, our mission merely demands this take place” The face dissipated even as it spoke in response.
”I have protected this galaxy for aeons. I do not care for personal agenda. Your existence is a threat, I will extinguish it personally” Eleika sneered and shook her head as the construct died.
--
”To all forces assisting, I am truly grateful, however more enemy forces have been detected on Askandar itself. They are going for my laboratories I will need assistance there, land in Askans city limits and deploy sub surface. It will be close quarters combat but I will do everything I can to assist”
Deralith had observed the assault force of the Synopticon reach the first storage rooms of the research tracts, both through the facilities internal cameras and the sensors feed of Elwars constructs. They had advanced quickly, too fast for it to be mere chance, they knew where they were heading, though that was to be expected.
They seemed to be intent on destroying their research, their words though were rather curious. 'We have no quarrel with you', was it a delusion or mere lack of knowledge? Perhaps, deliberate misinformation, misinformation for who, them or their enemies?
Deralith shook his head, now was not the time to ponder. They would have to slow their advance, save what there was to save, make sacrifices if necessary until the main forces arrived. Fortunately, they were still in the outer sectors where they had stored the less important assets, it would be a race against time to keep them from the core assets.
Fortunately, the Panopticon were not the only ones with tricks up their sleeve. He pressed the proverbial red button in his mind and the first trap sprung shut.
---
One moment, the troops were setting explosives, the next, the room proverbially exploded into chaos.
The Bulkheads came down and several of the massive containers in the room shot their walls outwards like projectiles, immediately followed by an inhumane mechanical screeching, loud and sharp enough that it would've pulverised a normal humans intestines by mere proximity, out of each of the breached containers came a group of sleek, grey humanoid machines, each armed with integrated kinetic pulse rifles, starting to fire into the mass of Synopticon soldiers, apparently trying to use the element of surprise to pick off mediums and watchmen, as atop of them another kind of machines hurled themselves against the walls and from there into the backlines of the synopticons troops with an unnatural speed and agility.
---
Deralith observed, gauged and estimated the results. The Hunter-Killer frames which had hurled themselves into the mass, repurposed standard frames with improved movement capabilities, had been armed with neuron spears one of the various experimental weapons they had thought up to deal with the psions, a weapon encompassed with a field of nanites and micrites, delivering a mixture of strong psychodelic neurotoxins, it was crude almost and likely wouldn't have any major affects on the panopticons more deranged constructs, though that didn't matter so long as they had any notable effects for what little time they had to prepare them.
He was well aware that this little trick would likely not hold the Synopticon soldiers for long, though he had confidence it would at least slow them down for a moment, buying time for other assets to be moved into position, both ahead of and behind them. He watched the sensors closely to see where they would go so he could try to extrapolate their course of action and coordinate potential reinforcements in case they somehow managed to cut out the sensor grid.
"Drop in T-minus five."
The announcement echoed through the cavernous holds of the Imperial corvette; it had been sent to the area originally as an observing force, but the assault had come during its transit. All of the forces aboard had prepared for a rapid drop, with the three-kilometer mothership performing an atmospheric "dip," disgorging its complement as it passed over the city and perhaps coming back later, but there was no purpose in lingering.
Vehicles, troops, and gear had been loaded onto dropships and transport aircraft, who would permit more granular landing selection than the gargant that wouldn't be able to touch down outside of a two-hour drive away from the target site. No materials were spared for the limited complement - The vast majority were Void Arms "marines," normally exoskeleton-equipped and railgun-toting in the interest of greater ammo economy - but at any opportunity, this kit had been augmented or even replaced with boarding gear, from shotguns to HEAT hammers to assault claymores and machine guns entrapped in full-compensation contraptions.
"Atmospheric breach underway."
The rocking began slowly as the corvette angled its belly against the air of the world, increasing gradually from being akin to a smooth payment, to a gravel road, to a cliffside joyride, to running in an avalanche.
"Descent underway. Opening hangars."
The bay doors cracked open below the sub-craft, their exterior composite panels red hot from the thermosphere breach that had occured not seconds before. Engines ignited as long MR-series dropships and stockier assault gunships alike were loosed like munitions from a dive bomber, plumes of fire streaking towards the city.
As the delta-shaped silhouette of the Tarantula rocketed off into distant skies, the half-dozen subcraft took up any real estate they could within proximity to secure elevators down. The scenery had changed in the years since the empire assisted in exploring the world, and anything including highways, landfills, parks, or dry retention ponds were to be considered alongside official landing zones in the quick-response landing protocols. Of course, not all of these were present on Askandar, and Elwar's preparations had made it a little simpler to identify and occupy landing sites - especially with the adaptable landing gear that the landing aircraft used to facilitate landings on exoplanets and asteroids.
As soon as the craft touched down, ramps dropped - vehicles' tie-downs explosively separating from the bay walls as engines revved and sent the force, somewhat larger than a standard company, racing for lift platforms to the areas that Elwar had designated for reinforcement.
"Elwar!" A strong voice called into a radio handset, "This is Royal Guard Astrozj Malai! Ready to assist at will!"
Indeed, the company was far from standard; considering the original mission of observation, the empire had the intent to showcase its variety in force, and none would be more appropriate to present it than one of the Royal Guards who had been arriving in-galaxy for some time now. While still not psionically inclined, perhaps the abilites of one would prove useful against the Synopticon.
City of Askan: Askandar
Klaxons blared through the sprawling metropolis that sat on top of the huge tunnel network as people headed for shelters directed by constructs and local security forces. Areas were cleared in public parks, large open spaces and more designated for forces to drop into, regroup and deploy down below. Whole parks watched as landing forces rapidly combat dropped in, making their way towards colossal service elevators that brought freight and more up and down to the various lower levels.
Not since the Shadow invasion had Askan been under attack, and while the population was safe for now, Elwar would take no changes at all.
As various units from countless nations now descended into the depths Elwar responded to them each, thanking them for their assistance and directing them to precisely where the foe was. Detailed floor plans painted a labyrinth of huge warehouse sized rooms, corridors, testing chambers and more. And the enemy was already spreading out at speed, it would be one hell of a containment operation.
--
There was no hesitation from the Synopticon soldiers as the hunter killer frames revealed themselves, some managed to pull pistols as they were thrown backwards, unloading whole clips into the machines. Some even detonated the explosives they were planting, destroying themselves and their enemy instantly to deny the element of surprise.
While the neuron spears had little effect on the absent soldiers the neurotoxins and stranger weapons did their jobs. Cutting down individuals or making them slump over as their bodies succumbed from the effects. Their response was precision and effective fire however, forming firing walls while some moved forwards, pulling long energy swords from their belts and holding them in close combat, heedless of whether their comrades shot them down or not. Still the surprise had haulted them for now as the machines laid into the vanguard.
Eleika scowled, outstretching her hand she felt the nearest machine which instantly turned its attention to her, within a moment she had crushed it into a sphere the size of her hand. Quickly summoning a Solarite string she let it float up into the air, connecting to seemingly nothing before a phase trooper flickered into existence.
Its speed and power were put to good use as it targeted the Hunter Killer frames.
“Advance. Detonate when clear”
They were a little late, but late was always better than never, at least in Lancar's point of view, especially when encountering something so strange, yet familiar.
Psychomancer Lancar, the leading Magtek of his entourage of like-minded individuals, could barely contain his own excitement, or according to some other individuals, his genuine hatred. As a psychomancer, a minor obsession with the arcane and psychic arts was not uncommon, and in fact, was expected. Lancar, however, could be considered something of an extremist in that regard.
Within the hangar bay of the Switchblade corvette that broke off from the main force, he gained a hop to his step as he made his way to a dropship, one of several, held in a readied state as the corvette rapidly approached the planet.
His entourage was small; two other Psychomancers, two Cryomancers of the Magistri Calor, and two Remmancers of the Magistri Rerum. A strange collection, yet one that was geared for a very specific goal in mind; the suppression and neutralization of the psyker. Battle-Magteks was one way outsiders might refer to them; the term sounded weird to him, yet it fit their purpose here nonetheless.
They were not alone, of course, and a simple glance to another dropship was all he needed to confirm that he was listened to. The response to his request was a mixed company, designed around countering psykers, magic and other abominations related to them, nicknamed "Psychohunters". Reapers, Stormtroopers and Hunter-Killers were gathered, some checking their equipment, others patiently waiting in silence, and others still having a rather heated conversation about something, he could not tell what.
The Reapers, special forces specialized for direct intervention and overall destruction, were what stood out to him; their builds were tall and strong, their armored forms somewhat exaggerated on the upper torso, and completely synthetic, as they were effectively converts, no more than a brain and spinal cord. Synthetic muscle supported electric motors in their limbs, giving them a strangely organic, yet still robotic look, especially with gravity-based CQC weapons installed in their forearms. One of them looked at Lancar for just a moment, four eyes giving the Psychomancer a blank stare before it went back to looking over its neutron rifle, its combi-battleaxe laid beside the reaper.
In any case, he could recognize anti-psyker weaponry when he saw them; strange and blocky 'null rifles' with no barrels, specialized electromagnetic dart guns, ultrasonic devices, and individual null fields. They were to fight against psykers, and if what he was told about the Army of the Panopticon was correct, they will need all the advantages they could get.
The Switchblade made speed, engulfed in a sheath of burning plasma as it entered the atmosphere, intending to quite literally drop and dash its passengers. The moment the plasma abated, its hangar doors opened, and it disgorged several sleek two-engine dropships, usually designed for stealth operations, alongside two other, larger dropships, carrying Nosferatu crawler tanks on their bellies. As soon as they reached the ground, vehicles revved their drives and sped forward, followed by the crawler tanks, speeding for the lifts pointed to for new-arrivals.
"To Elwar and any allies in the vicinity, this is Psychomancer Lancar of the Huron Technocracy. I've heard there is a psyker problem, and am here to assist with some friends of mine. Psychohunters at your service!"
The Hunter-Killer frames did what was within their capabilities which seemed to be more than Deralith initially expected, however their consequent destruction by the phase troopers was less unexpected. All frames and constructs in the room were eliminated, some of the beacons were still standing, though likely only because they did not have much effect if one was not in immediate vicinity.
He took notes of the leaders psionic capabilities and prepared the next strike. This room was lost, it was time to abandon it. The next order came, the bone-melting screeching of the remaining beacons in the boxes was suddenly cut short as they discharged the remainder of their microfusion batteries in fulminant arcs of electricity licking for everything in the vicinity just before detonating in an equally as imposing fireball, raining plasma and armour shrapnel on their surroundings.
The bulkheads were still closed though that likely wouldn't remain that way for long. Overall, the attack had bought them some time and even more importantly, intel on the attacking groups capabilities, which had been all he could ask for. More assets were moved into position as digital alarms started metaphorically blaring. The entity the Panopticon had brought reached the Athaneums hull and tried to access it. Far sooner than he would've liked. He looked at the potential paths of the Lab group and then his assets in the facility, unfortunately, the Athaneum had been too large to even attempt placing any significant amount of Network assets in it.
He looked at the central column of the Labs and its contents. Perhaps there was another way to interfere.
"This is Askandar Defense coordination centre to all allied forces on the surface, we will be guiding you through the facilities and slow the enemies progress as good as we can, please try to avoid any unnecessary damage to the facilities as you make your way through. Some areas are trapped so it is advised to follow guidance."
As the transmission was still being played a rather large crate opened up in central column with a hiss and a sleek looking Frame stepped out, flexing it's fingers as it observed its hands. It nodded, tore open one of the nearby boxes and took out several intricately decorated and strange looking spears. Evidently, raw materials was not the only research materials they had ordered.
A moment of quantum decoherence, the Frame and and two groups of the specialist frames disappeared.
The Deralith in the coordination centre nodded to himself as his other self disappeared and the first bulkhead fell, the first things the AotS soldiers were met with as it did were two hypervelocity railgun shells coming down the corridor, large enough they could've been fired from a naval ship.
Elwar Space, Askan
Hylat the Lesser
Malachüt,
Though it pains me to admit and is, I must say, even indicative of your station, you were correct. Psions thrive within this domain. Their practitioners run rampant. None understand the word of the Southern Watcher. Yet still you speak so highly of this plane. Why is it you are unperturbed?
She opened her eyes when the dropship caught the well of Askandar. It was a subtle hint told by the vessel's sensors more than anything - a hint she understood, sought, and awaited.
"Be landing soon, nam-Grazhnichelnar," Korzha nam-Glachyn said.
"That is true," Hylat agreed. "And I see no reason to alter our expectations." She eyed the various Pords of her command council. The message from the Askandar Defense Coordination Council repeated in her thoughts. She had advised them of her arrival, and was directed to an area not far from the landing site of the Huron. Now, the world below promised close quarters battle, and somehow, this was refreshing - certainly a respite from holding against automatons on a barren, albeit sacred, rock. She adjusted her comms channel and the myriad holograms of her squad leaders faded into being alongside the Pords of her council.
"We are moments away from making landfall," she said. "What you have heard is accurate. Your melazhenstazh are undetermined. Updated deployment information is being sent to you now. Amaruq guides you."
By their reactions she knew they understood, and with such clarification given, she closed the comms channel. The dropship made reality of her words a few seconds later; it settled into the soft ground of a public park and came to a halt. Hylat stood, then stepped towards the exit.
There are no paths to where we are now. To here, we are arrived through the uncharted. I will not declare here devoid of the sanguinary so pervasive across the stars. Not yet. But this must be proven to me.
Silence stood by the dropship door near a hefty spear whose totemic shaft of intricately carved beasts culminated in a long blade dripping not with snow, like so many others, but the shimmering hues of an aurora. Notably, however, a claaang! reverberated when Hylat snatched it from its holder - metal against metal - as although seemingly carved from a single ivory horn, it was indeed far hardier.
She glanced over it satisfied, then exited the machine.
"They are close," nam-Glachyn said.
Hylat ignored his hologram - the Chelnar was near enough for her to see him physically; he stood some distance away near his aide and a flotilla of black spheres. Order infantry, also in heavy power armour hidden beneath gold-trimmed anoraks, double-checked their weapons as they rushed to secure the area. Many held ENS rifles - infantry grade entropic lances: disintegration rifles known for leaving trails of snow in their wake - along with a mixture of melee weapons of varying size, while the hovering form of a Chyochalenkamtet IFV loomed in a shadow cast by distant spires.
"You have two minutes to acclimatize on the surface. We move below after," Hylat said. After a ruminative pause, she switched her channel to those of the command council. "These two lifts will suffice for our operations. nam-Glachyn, you will move as our main force. Uzhaq and Malyn supporting. Jlonyzh, you have reserve. Vanachaq and Häzhel with me, we will take the detection and area denial units. I need not remind you many of these pathways are narrow. Unless you wish to be without what dampeners and stabilizers we have, exercise prudence with your machines."
The platoon-leads responded silently with nods. One by one, their forms then faded from Hylat's view. Thus questionless, they turned their attention to their charges, assigned lifts, and made ready to descend into the cavernous heart of the city.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
As the ships started offloading troops, the soldiers blitzed outwards following their platoon leaders to the sub-levels and into the labs while their commanding officer responded to the Askandar Defense Coordination Center.
"ADCC, ADCC, this is company commander captain Silas speaking, captain Silas speaking. Instructions received, proceeding according to the plan. Keep us posted, over."
The tall, scarred man was a veteran from Aedleshaven, having survived both the nuclear bombardment and psychic projections from echotian special forces, he was tasked with keeping things orderly and ensuring all available help was given to Elwar and his allies.
Commanding 250 soldiers who all had first hand experience in close quarters combat, a result of constant gang warfare and turmoil at home, he was determined to prove himself here and save as many lives as he could- both of his men and the aliens.
'This is where we hold them.' He thought as he followed the last squad towards their path into the labs. 'This is where we show everyone what we are made out of.'
He had little information to go off of when it came to capabilities of AOTS forces, but he knew what AOTP in general was capable of; they all did. Equipped with better plasma weapons for close quarters combat, a variety of grenades and superheated blades that every officer was carrying in case it came to melee made them feel a bit more confident, as it was some of the top quality gear they had seen among their forces.
No matter the plans of politicians or armchair generals, they simply had to help make them bleed at least a little bit.
They all feared they would be their next target when this is all done otherwise.
The Shemesh Shevath vessel appeared disabled, every reading of its energy output was closer to the levels seen in the vastness of space, rather than in a ship which had recently emerged from a subspace dive. No sign of active engines, shielding or scanners could be seen via mundane sources of detection. However to those that saw the universe through the Arcane, the cruiser was the centrepoint of a vortex of mana. With each passing moment the vortex was shrinking, and the effects bled through further into mundane reality, manifesting as rays of light or wisps of fire.
Runes across the stone surface of the cruiser shone with the same light as the ship itself restructured. The side facing planetside opened up bit by bit, sections sinking or extending outwards. The transformation completed in the same moment the vortex had shrunk into a glowing sphere, hovering above the hull, before it sunk into the ship.
Those listening to the aether would hear the last incantations in a ritual, before the Ayur deployed planetside.
{Cut}
{Void}
{Step}
The magical energy gathered within the ship was directed towards Askandar, for a few brief minutes it became a channel, a tunnel through which the Ayur appeared on the surface. Arkiyonai stepped out first, their Heart Glyphs glowing with the infusion of magic, their frames covered in warding runes and protections. At this point the link between the world and the ship was chaotic, a hasty attempt at passing would leave one stranded between realms, or worse. It was the duty of the first Wayfarers to reinforce the connection, so that the rest would pass safely. The mages surrounded the wound in reality, covering it in a vast ritual circle of chalk and powdered bone.
The rest of the Ayur followed through the stable portal. Blessed-Light-Unclouded-By-Defeat stepping out first. It's glyph was a blazing star on the battlefield, so potent, yet so temporary. It would burn out days after the end of this conflict, if the Ayur lived to see it to completion. Like every Lokhem of its force, the frame of its body was blessed and reinforced with defensive wardings. The Lonire Hkavera spared no expenses when it came to arming the detachment, an entire order of Glyphmasters had its duties diverted just to supplying them with wargear, such was the importance of this battle.
Blessed-Light adressed its kindred
{"See upon this world. See the glory of Kokhav Yeled which shall now spill onto such an infidel place. [...] "}
While the zealous Lokhem dispensed its religious ramblings, the Arkiyonai squad leaders gathered their attached troops and relayed their deployment orders. The force would split, to ensure that no friendly-fire from mass concentrations of spells could come to pass. Their superiors had given orders to cooperate with any local forces, or those aligned with their cause.
Ready your Glyph-blades, check your Prismatic Crystals, remember the spells and incantations molded in your Glyph. There shall be no retreat once we pass underneath the surface.}
Upon one of the great elevators that led deep into the crust, the Imperial company stood scanning about themselves - optics helping to cover empty spaces between their own number to, hopefully, counter any surprise attack. A couple of armed vehicles, though only with machine-guns, sat in the formation, prepared to facilitate rapid transit along any more distant access corridors.
"ADC, Carnaithian contingent is well on the way already," Malai responded on the same network. "Requesting information on where you want us and how to get there."
The infrastructure here had definitely been made more human-friendly ever since Elwar had "warmed up" to the wider galaxy. Though, perhaps it wasn't his constructs that had done the most damage to the coalition that landed here...
The bulkhead lasted approximately 17 seconds before it was reduced to a molten mess, the soldiers leaping from it and sprinting down the corridor. Two phase troopers went first, neither being affected as the hypervelocity railgun rounds went straight through them. The three soldiers behind however were turned into little more than jelly as the overpressure flattened them against the walls. Readying their enigmatic chakrams the Phase troopers charged the frame, followed by more covering fire from several troopers who had managed to avoid being killed by using split offs in the corridor.
A rumble in the depths signified the detonation of explosives, in one of the lab rooms. Still at least the reinforcements were now arriving.
The two massive lift concourse rooms were designed to accommodate up to 20 vehicles at a time each along with heavy supplies. No slow pulley system was used, only an advanced magnetically accelerated Dawnstone capsule that raced up and down slowly with almost perfect smoothness. Elwar worked the lifts as efficiently as he could, allowing first the Carnaithian contingent down to deploy, swiftly followed by the Huron, Pords, Maalakians and Shemesh. The latter he was most intrigued about, Elwar had never truly understood magic but the use of it would assuredly come in handy here. He had not engaged with the Huron before or the Maalakians but he was happy they were here to assist. They needed every able fighter they could find.
”This is Elwar, I am highlighting enemy positions on the positional map. We must keep the data cores intact as well as much of the facility as we can manage. Every bit of damage degrades the psionic research conducted here, research directly tied to defeating these evil creatures”
As Deralith held the forces back at the top Elwar deployed more constructs into the other corridors and areas, directing Carnaith and Huron to the rooms just below where the Network was making a stand to hold the corridor and protect the labs there. The rooms containing a myriad of very intricate sampling systems which had been procured from many psionic races as well as physical samples and records from the various studies and individuals worked on here. The sample stacks were high, providing NLOS cover but they provided no physical defence against gunfire, the computer terminals not providing much better either.
For the Pords and Maalakians they were directed to one of the large open spaces where specialised materials were kept. Blocks of Nightstone, Dawnstone and even Aurastone was present. Elwar emphasised the need to keep the Synopticon forces away from the Aurastone at all costs, its sheer weight dictated they had no way to easily transport it out of the line of fire on such short notice. At least the blocks of Kolleronic materials provided easy and very dense cover against attacks and therefor a nice defensive position from which even vehicles could support from.
The Shemesh were given to the defence of the main testing areas, several ‘pits’ where experiments were conducted from within reinforced sections and observed from above. While the pits themselves were not important the sheer number of sensors and finely tuned equipment here would take months if not a few years to replace if it was destroyed. Elwars own constructs reinforced here and across the whole line where needed.
The Synopticon probed the other areas at first, throwing smoke and flash grenades like conventional forces as two-man teams of troopers scouted rooms and corridors to check for enemy strength. Screaming constructs from Elwar met them with precision lasers and sheer muscle in close combat where able, but the QAI was not immune to the psionic affects now and Liminal Watchmen even began to break his connection, turning some constructs wholly over to the Synopticon side.
As the reinforcements got into position this would effectively be the first line of defence.
The Columen drop pods fell into the planetary gravity well, resisting the heat from entering atmosphere at great speeds with ease, the glow of boosters fired in the air, to make the fall not break the pods or the ground below them. They held both lethal and non-lethal weaponry, knowing the risk of these folks being here Soon, drones, droids and heavy droids moved their way under the planet, looking for the other group here, the Synopticon.
Several units linked up with allied forces, other probing different areas to try and flank the Synopticon. Units moved in pack formations, with heavy droids doing the main line of defense for the units. As they found their way around with the help of Elwar, Lillian observed the amount of research Elwar had here. The materials, the samples, the data of it all, all on psionics. She was quite confused, not knowing what to think with these sort of materials. These seemed extremely important to something, but she had no clue on how they worked.
One thing was for certain, though, her interest in psionics was now awakened by this incident.
Droids and drones began fire on the Synopticon forces, first with high voltage taze munitions, others with gas munitions, and even particle EMPs, as to inhibit their tech, with very little success. The heavy droids began to fire with particle lance fire, on non-lethal areas of the opponents bodies. This act hurt Lillian, but she knew that forces like these were not to be underestimated, but still hoped to incapacitate and maybe even capture some of these forces. Meanwhile other units moved to try and flank the enemy positions, holding tight formations.
The AI was confused when some Elwar constructs began to attack allied forces, but Gladius was forced to disable the constructs forcefully, not attacking the non-aggressive ones.
This was a high stress situation, but this was also the way Lillian got into psionics.
Deralith observed the other units deploy from the control centre, their assistance was welcome, they likely knew little of what they were actually defending here though it was probably better that way, even if they were unlikely to be captured, given the Synopticons intent here.
The intercomms sprung to life again, this time it was the other voice again.
"Attention all allied forces, first room has been breached and destroyed, Synopticon forces are likely to spread out to cover the entire facility. Be wary of psions and do not assume enemy soldiers dead after receiving sufficient damage to kill a normal living being."
There was a brief pause, when Deralith assessed the positions and calculated potential outcomes of individual encounters with what little data he had on the enemy and allies.
"Group Shemesh, you will have to hold the line without third party assistance but Elwar will be reinforcing you, if absolutely necessary you can fall back into the testing chambers but it would be preferable not to."
They had in fact installed psionic counter measures in the testing chambers in case something went wrong and the data they would receive from an engagement there would be invaluable, however, it would more than likely also be the last data they would receive from these sensors.
The Shemesh, having esoteric powers of their own, were probably the most likely to have a countermeasure to the Synopticons own capabilities, so if they were lucky they may not even have to retreat.
"Groups Pordish, Malaak, Carnaith and Huron, there will be an opportunity to flank enemy troops in the corridor between you but be aware of secondary entrances to your operations area, Group Lilian, we would advise reinforcing Group Pordish and Malaak, the Synopticon must not be allowed to the Aurastone reserves under any circumstances. If more reinforcements arrive we will be directing them to Group Shemesh, Huron and Carnaith."
---
Sounds of gunfire, the screeching of metal, smoke filled the corridor vented out in moments, the tearing of flesh and splattering of blood on the opposing side.
As the Synopticon made their advance the massive frame which had fired the projectiles made its retreat, Deralith was aware of the Phase troopers capabilities and had no desire to let them near his assets.
There was a loud bang and a gravitic pulse rolling through the corridor then retro thrusters fired as the Machine sped backwards at full speed leaving behind the attackers, a lower set of arms wielding what seemed to be a mix between shot- and machine guns saturating the corridor with suppression fire that likely could've put entire fireteams to shame, assault frames with what seemed to be ballistic shields and more hunter killer frames advanced to take the massive frames place, using retractable obstacles usually meant to stop vehicles and side rooms in the corridor as cover, yet still already suffering the first casualties from the counterfire of the Synopticons side.
At the end of the corridor more frames stood, armed with command rifles to designate priority targets as well as pulsed lasers and gravitic particle weapons, providing cover fire for the advance.
All of this, of course, was of very limited use against the phase troopers special abilities, however, it was not a moment later that the air suddenly seemed to change.
---
Deralith looked over the consoles, observing the Synopticons attempts at advancing in his own corridors and gave the next command. Generators powered up with a hum, Ancerium was energised, radiation shields activated.
"Attention to all allied forces, the facility is now under interdiction."
Now there was only left to hope it would actually do something.
Lower Levels of Askan
nam-Glachyn's Platoon
Reverberations echoed through the corridors from the explosions and battles nearing. nam-Glachyn paid them little heed; he moved swiftly, if incomparably, to those bequeathed of godclip, and though he trusted Elwar's direction, he knew both Uzhaq and Malyn were ahead by just enough to make blindly encountering enemies improbable.
Two aurastone slabs towered in his path flanked by recognizable dawnstone and duskstone blocks. He slowed his gravbike and banked around them: it drifted to a stop alongside the squad lead Trychaaq Byzhal.
"We're getting endless feedback on the domain sensors," Byzhal complained. "There's plenty of them. Out there and they're coming."
nam-Glachyn nodded. The positions assumed by Byzhal's squad sat in his thoughts, like the interdiction news had, shaking loose many considerations thus far absent. A smaller aurastone block loomed to their side and he glanced at it briefly. "Tasi, nam-Byzhal," he appraised, "zhamolkalmyzh bynkalmyzhskyk."
Byzhal agreed. "Molkalmyzhskaya, molkalmyzhmoq," he said: at this land; for this land. A silent moment passed, then he asked: "Is it just us and the Malaakians here?"
"For now," nam-Glachyn said. His tactical feed shifted with the ringing of new detonations. He peered towards the distant wall of the chamber from whence the rumbling came. "Uzhaq and Malyn in contact," he said.
Beyond the distant wall, ahead of nam-Glachyn's force, Synopticon feelers met Uzhaq's skirmishers. At such range, the weak outer edges of Hylat's psionic dampening fields melded with the passive stabilization effects of the few Mylchar Arrays present and the Network interdiction now online to give a strange weight to the air - a noticeable aura revelatory of the Pordic deployments.
And within this, Synopticon duos breached chambers and moved through corridors. Order skirmishers traded fire against them both physical and mental; the torcs of their armour glowed as they mustered pelagic and winter energies in defense alongside swiftly-engaging sentries (automated charcoal-tinged spheres) - but still, some fell to small arms while other succumbed deep in their psyches as the puppeted nature of their enemy became apparent - their minds shattered upon endless glaciers now melting, lost, while fighting to sever enemy connections through their own projective abilities.
"Their main assaults must be soon," nam-Glachyn said. His ruminations were upon the probable locales of Synopticon assault and he made mental notes to direct two of his lighter squads to be mobile and cognizant of the flanks.
Byzhal blinked and held the gesture. "With that cadence," he inhaled and agreed, "very soon."
The Shemesh Shevath detachment proceeds to their assigned positions without pause, though not without some curosity, mainly through the Lokhem. Most have had their manifestation just days before this deployment, and their knowledge of the universe amounted only to what was ingrained via memetic means. The technology of other species was vile, without the touch of divinity or magic, but it was a source of curosity. If given the opportunity many would have stopped just to observe the advanced creations of Elwar, perhaps in a different time their sucessors might.
Blessed-Light reached the testing chamber first, just in time for the communication from Deralith to reach It's Glyph.
"Group Shemesh, you will have to hold the line without third party assistance but Elwar will be reinforcing you [...]"
The Heart-Glyph of the Lokhem warleader took on an angry red hue as annoyance filled the Ayur, though it quickly dissapated. Everyone under Its command knew that expecting assistance from Others was a folly.
{"Prepare the ritual circles. Consider this unholy space a domain of our own. We shall protect it until our essence returns to Kokhav Yelled, or until the Master of this place considers it lost. Whatever comes first"}
The Arkiyonai that followed behind the more nimble Warrior Ayur went to their arcane duties, other than Glyph blades and focus staves each carried pouches and bags of occult reactants. In the hands of those who dealt with magical forces, materials as simple as chalk or powdered bone became tools for manipulating the basest laws of reality. A proper hexagrammatic ward gave protection, a scrying circle gave sight beyond sight, an emblazened skull turned into a focus for deadly spells.
{"And do it quickly"}
Unfortunately, there was no time or space for a proper ritual. That much became clear when the first Synopticon forces engaged the Elwar constructs, slowly reducing them to broken shells one by one. The Shemesh intervened before all of the machine-dolls were destroyed. Though their knowledge of this Galaxy was limited, previous realities had possesed forces simmilar to these "psions" and the Ayur came prepared. While the Majority of the mages worked on finishing the most basic ritual of protection, those with expertise in creations of Constructs focused on weaving as many as possible.
Unrolling great scrolls of inscribed papyrus the Arkiyonai pulled from within hundreds of small glyphs and runes and sent them through the corridor towards the assailants. Each Mitar was inscribed with a minor spell of destruction. Some burst into azure fire, some detonated in blasts of lighting, some simply rammed themselves through targets like arrows. Any heavier armor would withstand their assault, but the hope was that the confusion could allow some of Elwar's creations to escape back to Shemesh lines.
While the Arkiyonai tended to the Arcane, the Lokhem engaged in a conventional conflict. Those with prismatic rifles sent out beams of mana-attuned energies, each striking with an unpredictable, but deadly effect. Warriors geared for meele combat struck out to counter any greater Synopticon rush, fighting with Glyph blades and warded shields. Each blow powered by their zeal and sheer devotion to their duty.
Yet even such faith was not always enough, soon enough the first Heart-Glyphs were extinguished, and the divinity of the Ayur returned to Kokhav Yeled. Without their magical energies the armored frames of the fallen collapsed, scattering magic-infused alloys and materials on the floor as if they were little more than garbage.
The Imperials rushed into their assigned area at combat pace, engineers deploying microsurvey drones to establish lanes of control for the chamber and analyze its structure. The miniscule trirotors rapidly completed their tasking and returned to their operators before shield-bearing breachers could even sweep the hostile-facing side of the room.
"Minimal cover, thorough concealment. Auditory reports of flash-and-clear operations ongoing in the facility, all forces change to edge-detecting indirect optics. Marking support pillars and optimal gunnery positions."
The men moved almost like machines, datalinks and combat medicines honing the focus of the already-determined marines. Eight, thirteen, twenty, and fifty-millimeter barrels quickly established sightlines on the hostile approaches, fireteams taking turns replacing their explosive rounds with flechette canisters. The reserve forces weren't left to idle and await tasking - they were set up as sentries in the middle and back lines of the defense, shoulder-mounted stacked munitions on rear defense as they swept patrol paths between server stacks and computers.
"Per announcement, overkill is encouraged!" A sergeant shouted from the force, receiving affirmatory shouts in return.
Malai had taken a squad of marines with him to observe the potential flanking route, brandishing his revolver and dual-ended Kanabo at the front of the smaller force.
With as much speed as could be managed, the Psychohunter company rushed to their assigned area, eager to face off against their oncoming foes. A quick scan of their surroundings, and the corridors that made up their assigned area told them what they already assumed was true; plenty of places for ambush, and plenty of places to hide. The soldiers were already picking places to set up ambush and killzones as the magteks spread out, with Lancar in the forefront with a Remmancer.
Lancar was positively thrilled, hiding a miniscule sense of nervousness with a wide smile that, to some in his unit, made him look slightly unhinged. So much knowledge that could be learned, so much progress towards countering the psyker was all here, quite literally within reach, within the very halls and rooms he was supposed to defend. A part of him may have even pondered what might happen if he took a look himself, perhaps picking up a sample or two. Such thoughts, however, were pushed aside; he was about to get direct experience with psykers from another galaxy, much more worthwhile than dealing with the consequences of thievery.
A sensory alert, from his personal micro-TDR unit alerted him of strange energy being used vaguely nearby, from where he assumed the Shemesh were located, if he knew his location well enough. It was both strikingly familiar and unfamiliar; similar to what he has seen in his home galaxy, yet still widely different. Interdiction made it difficult for his TDR to detect much more, other than what he assumed was psionics further down the corridors, though what it saw made him nervous. He could not tell what was happening, and he did not care. It was an inconvenience, one that Lancar did not like, but one that could be worked around.
"Psychohunters, be advised; adjust TDR units for close-range engagement. Allied forces are using magic. Filter it out. Psykers and phasers only." He ordered, his machine accent smooth and silky, hiding any aggression and nervousness he may have had during that moment. The latter part about 'phasers' was redundant, given interdiction was up, yet it was still important to signify.
Positions were picked out momentarily, and defenses were built up as fast as could be with machine-like efficiency. Approach vectors were covered by null guns, ultrasonic devices and pulse repeaters; stormtroopers and reapers, armed with dart guns, loaded with armor-piercing darts made of various one-off materials, hid in concealed positions throughout the front and middle defenses, awaiting the signs of a psyker. In reserve, further behind their lines and in less cramped space, two Nosferatus waited alongside some of their smaller hunter-killer cousins, forming the rear line of defense.
Meanwhile, a cryomancer went to the flanking route, escorted by a section of brutes and a squad of reapers, brandishing his signature cryomancer staff, both it and his cloaked body bristling with weird technologies, inert only for the moment.
They were about to experience psykers in another galaxy, and they had no idea what was going to happen.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
"You heard the AIs, watch your fire and double tap everything. Move along on the double, we are late to the party."
The QRF made their way into the specialised materials storage as sounds of gunfire echoed throught the facility. The situation looked grim to him, but this was a fight they could survive if they worked together with others.
Hopefully Pords could do better than their allies during the battle for Lyne did.
Forward scouts have cleared the areas room by room, making sure no nasty surprises were waiting on them as the main force advanced deeper in, until finally they joined in with the Pords to defend the massive Aurastone reserves.
The soldiers themselves weren't quite sure what was it that they were defending, but they trusted whoever was coordinating the defense effort that they were here for a pretty darn good reason.
As a provisional headquarters were being made in the room before the main storage facility and crates of medical supplies and hard hitting weaponry were making their way towards it, the malaakian commander contacted the pordish commander, who he knew was nam-Glachyn due to intelligence sharing directed to all allied forces;
"Platoon commander nam-Glachyn, this is Malaakian commanding officer Silas speaking. We will concentrate on fortifying this place, if your scouts could buy us more time we could mine the hallway and install more cover."
Already small portable shields were deployed and machinegun emplacements fortified as a team of engineers made their way towards what would be the enemy's main point of entry, ready to install remotely detonated mines.
As the Huron Psychohunters and Carnaithian combat forces hunkered down and prepared positions in the sample room both potential entrances and exits were covered with firepower. The room shook slightly, bits of loose rock and sand coming from cracks in the ceiling. Apart from the further off sound of gunfire and vehicles getting into position in the storage areas behind them all was quiet, deathly quiet.
Until one of Elwars heavy constructs was flung through the northern entrance at speed, smashing through several sample holding racks which cascaded in smashing glass the Dawnstone construct was sliced up, mauled and was failing to get up, eventually falling limp. Behind it came a hulking creature, an Abyssal Golem. Its dark muscular frame rippled with strength as it surveyed the room, quickly sending pulses of psychometric force into the defenders to try and sap their will and instil horrible hallucinations. It came forwards fast, obviously what had destroyed the construct so quickly, but it did not come alone. Acting as a bulwark for the overwatch fire the Synopticon troopers came forward laying down suppressing covering fire with their large calibre weapons. A liminal Watchman came behind the group, golden strings emanating from his eyes, and held in both hands with a maniacal grin across his face. In the southern corridor things were far more cramped as a gunfight erupted with the Marines, however this quickly escalated, as two-phase troopers, both glitching in and out of reality like they were fighting the interdiction, charged at speed towards them.
For the Maalakians and Pords the forward skirmishers brought time, time to set up positions and ensure the enemy would be met properly. As the Synopticon traded blows with the Pords it became apparent their use of psionic dampening. And so they changed tactics, Watchmen and Mediums hung back instead trading places with more conventional Synopticon troopers who deployed crew served heavy weapons. These weapons were multitude, some sprayed vast volumes of plasma fire down corridors while others fired bolts of immensely energized highly radioactive Ancerium to scald, irradiate and gravimetrically disrupt the enemy. Still as the skirmishing subsided the real attack came quickly following.
Grenades from both southern entrances into the large room signified the assault. Some launched over were smart munitions, fired high into the rafters they locked targets from above before exploding with a directed HEAT explosive. While others chucked close were flashbangs as well as concealing smoke and countermeasure grenades to obscure their advance. Synopticon troopers rapidly moved up, taking cover behind blocks of dense Nightstone, setting up several crews served weapons with which to try and contest the Pords and Maalakians.
For the Shemesh the Synopticon fought hard, but also cautiously. The Army of the Panopticon, and by extension, the Synopticon, had never fought magically imbued forces before. They had of course encountered and engaged magical entities, but never direct conventional forces. This was as much a learning and intelligence experience as it was a conventional fight, and the enemy was keen to learn as much as possible. As Elwars constructs withdrew to the Shemesh it did not take long for the Synopticon to claim its first kills and lose its first forces to the magical arts. But strangely, the Synopticon quickly moved from cautious hit and run strikes to full on rush. Whole squads of Synopticon troopers supported by Phase troopers attacked Lokhem almost heedless of worry or casualties. It was a tactic, they wanted to see how the Shemesh attacked, how they responded. Knowledge was power as the Watchmen observed the spells and rituals from behind testing arrays that they used to strike the Synopticon down.
Given the ferocity of the assault however Elwar directly contacted Lilian ”Reinforce the south area, the testing bays and help the Shemesh hold the line combat is fierce there do not fight to incapacitate. You wont find any mercy here not from these creatures”
The fighting was fierce and vicious between the enemy elements and Deraliths own combat elements. The Phase troopers seemed to stop for a moment as the interdiction systems went up, but they didn’t wholly unphase. They seemed glitched, part in part out of reality, almost like a Union Skia. Still, while some shots passed through them as before others impacted to effect, blowing off limbs or killing them outright.
It was then the huge form of an Abyssal Golem filled the corridor behind the troopers, its entire chest cavity opening its up to reveal a glowing pulsating ball of golden light. Rounds impacted it, but also seemed to bend around it into the corridor walls before the Solarite Lancer fired. The ball projectile raced down the corridor, before exploding not in a conventional burst but sending entire clouds of Solarite string in all directions, slicing through the facility walls and surrounding rock like they were not even present. One of Elwars heavy constructs simply fell apart as the Dawnstone was sawn through thousands of times over.
It seemed every time they fought this foe they had something new, some impossible new monstrosity to deal with.
Lower Levels of Askan
nam-Glachyn's Platoon
Their contest came with gunfire broken by the withdrawal of skirmishers through the perimeter. Some came with singed anoraks hanging sullenly from armour battered and worn, others appeared entirely unbothered, and still more returned slumped over their gravbikes. Time proved again her reliability as the greatest of allies, and nam-Glachyn felt each leaden-stepping minute as they reluctantly passed. His mind sat on the tactical feeds and the nearing abominations.
"We have some time," he responded to Silas. "Our defenses will augment your own."
He reviewed the layout of the chamber while kneeling in the shadow of a dawnstone slab positioned where he could discern Chyochalenkamtet IFVs hidden behind aurastone and dawnstone alike while automated sentries and even blacker Array redirection probes hovered nearby. They anchored his line and he was content with their placement. Another minute passed, then three more.
Detonations thundered along the line.
"They're at the Malaakian minefields," Byzhal yelled over comms, "here they come!"
Plumes of flame surged into being above a few of the great slabs as defenders opened up against ordnance cresting them, though the crimson showers of grenades going off too quickly to be stopped still flared angrily to deluge those below.
Sentries crested themselves to engage Synopticon forces moving to shelter on the far side of the slabs and were met by a hail of fire; the spherical constructs rotated in and out of the hammering as they floated above and around the glistening stones to avoid the worst of the fusillade, but even still they were imperfect. Notably, however, they were not alone in engaging from the higher angles as the Array rifle fireteams from nam-Glachyn's two heavy support squads joined them in arcing fire down from above; they fought from the center of the Pordish defenses.
"Byzhal, you have heavy weapons moving in your area," nam-Glachyn said. He grabbed his weapon and turned to his aide. "Tactical feed updates are slowing," he said. "There's a lot of interference."
His aide nodded. There would be far more if not for the presence of the heavy detection suites further back and the lesser efforts of squad-level automatonists; their contributions grew noticeably in response to the smoke and countermeasures brought by the Synopticon and served to fortify the information available. Nevertheless, Synopticon troopers advancing swiftly and precisely soon brought crew served weapons to the front and found not only their Pordish counterparts (automachine cannon duos pairing splash with penetration), but even starting-stopping vehicle fire peppering exposed infantrymen.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
As precious seconds bought by nam-Glachyn's skirmishers passed, the engineers finished placing the minefields just as the skirmishing forces retreated into the relative safety. With everyone geared up as much as they could be given the time, and secondary line of defences being installed in the eastern corridor it was time to face the dreaded enemy.
"Hold on...."
A second passed.
"Just a bit more..-"
Followed by another, and sounds of numerous footsteps approaching as first Synopticon troops opened fire, slinging plasma down the corridor and into the room.
"Detonate."
A chain of explosions erupted as the mines activated, sending a blast of shrapnel and shockwave towards the enemy in hopes of surprising them and slowing them down to help out with the all important race of slinging more plasma downrange faster than the enemy could.
What sounded like old cannons firing was welcomed as a momentary relief before the bloody struggle that ensued.
Emplaced guns fired into the fray, joining Pordish automachine cannons and aimed mainly at the enemy infantry that would try to go towards the flanks. They had hoped to create a killbox and hold down the two choke points from where they could stop the enemy from advancing further- but no such plan survives first contact with the enemy.
What little bit of friendly armour they brought along was placed back, overwatching the hallways they would be using in case things go south in a hurry. They would be useful in this situation, but their size and bulk made it unpractical to bring in, as they would slow down any retreat they would have to make.
While the crew served weapons focused on suppressing the enemy and area denial, Malaakians equipped with anti-material rifles were trying to find a decent elevated position from which they could start taking shots at the crew weapons directly- it was risky, but it was their best shot.
Northern Corridor; Exalted Network
The screeching of metal raced through the corridor as the Solarite strings tore through Network frames, walls and cover alike with concerningly little resistance, leaving white hot scars on the material. Metal and dirt rained into the corridor as several pieces of the walls and ceiling were cut loose from the attack, although the shields of some of the Network frames had used showed some resistance, repelling some of the strings with gravitic counter-pulses, the sheer volume had overwhelmed and effectively cleared the front row, leaving space halfway into the corridor for the Panopticon to advance.
Deralith watched on in the Command Centre and saved the recording as well as whatever other data he could pick up from the attack, though it was a setback in their defence he could still learn from it, whatever it was they utilised, it seemed to equal to superheated razor wire.
Another announcement came through the allied comms, once more from the Command Centre.
"Attention, Black Golem Forms seem to have effective crowd clearing capabilities, mark as priority target when encountered."
Perhaps it was time to bring out some of their own prototypes.
Seconds after the attack, before the dust even began to settle or the Announcement finished playing, a ghostly blue light emanated from the dusty veil, only a brief moment before a series of beams of blue light shot through the cloud with a high pitched crack, boiling the atmosphere in the corridor through the friction alone, aimed at the very same Abyssal Golem that had just fired its Solarite Lancer, regardless of what stood in the way, however, what had been fired was no simple plasma cannon or laser, it had been an experimental duskstone particle weapon, wielded by the Collossus who had moved to the back row earlier.
Though having been dealt a significant strike, the Network was far from being defeated or giving up, auto-frames equipped with pulse-laser weapons began to move up into the corridor already firing their weapons again using the facilities surveillance and their own sensors whilst using the rubble as cover, whatever ground the Panopticon had gained it would be ground that was hard bought.
Blessed-Light -Unclouded-By-Defeat observed as the last of the remaining Elewar puppets fell back into the rough defensive lines formed by It's forces. Though they were creations untouched by the divine, the Ayur were assigned the defence of this place, and all of those that called it home. Blessed-Light would tolerate them, as long as they proved their worth.
{'The dolls have left the area. Kindred-in-Glyph, hold back no longer'}
The order spread through the connection linking every being with a spark of Kokhav Yeled's essence, and the Ayur reacted in harmony. Each of the Arkiyonai unleashed their prepared ritual.
{Cut.Void.Protection}
The forms of Lokhem whoose meele duels had taken them the furthest from friendly lines appeared to shatter, as if each was a plane of glass given three-dimmensional shape and mobility. Each piece of "space" broken through the ritual slowed it's descent and clung to the armor of the Ayur. Projectils from Synopticon rifles were lost inside each reflection, lost within a myriad of mirror realms and pocket spaces. Until the sheer mass of energy beams and ancerium blasts overwhelmed even these stolen pieces of reality, and crushed the Lokhem underneath. Such shields however were enough for the meele brawlers to stem the rush of the Army. Atleast long enough for the rest to fire back.
For every Ayur whoose glyph was returned to the Godling, the Lokhem responded with prismatic beams of pure mana. Some transmuted the flesh of caught foes into kaleidoscopic crystals, some consumed it in black fire, that would burn as long as mana flowed, some conjured tendrils of unspeakable forces at the point of impact, ripping those caught in range. The Watchmen were right to be curious and observant, the Shemesh had more tricks up their sleeve than even they themselves knew, doubly so for the Lokhem born just mere hours ago.
Though the rush of rush of Synapticon infantry was for now kept at bay, through their methods of arcane observation, the Arkiyonai had seen the other creations used by their foes. These wouldn't be stopped by a mere Glyph-blade or prismatic beam. The Shemesh needed something heavier, a bulwark to stand behind. One of the mages tasked with the creation of constructs informed Blessed-Light just of that, and though the Lokhem warleader had pledged to leave this site intact. The Ayur allowed the formation of a Damar construct.
The Carnaithian marines and Synopticon troops were almost equals; Muted emotions and response, weight-bearing exo frames, powerful armament - both serving for grander ideals. The difference was in preparation and application. One an unstoppable force, the other an immovable object. An immovable object honed against and meant to win against better-equipped and more numerous foes on fronts all around the galaxies.
Losses were inherent. Medical personnel dove and slid to casualties, Hitting them with multiapplicators where needed or redeploying if their compatriots had died, dual PDW buses on their shoulders showering flechettes and fifty caliber handgun slugs into enemies who dared to peek the support personnel. Riflemen fired steady bursts from railguns, penetrating hostile concealment. Grenadiers lobbed fifty millimeter shells behind it and into the approaching halls, breaking up dense clusters. Machine gunners hosed through entire rows of cover, co-ordinated through unified HUD to suppress the routes of hostile reinforcement.
The phase troopers were a problem, though.
Their stuttering movement was jarring as they struck through whole fireteams, beelining for the tactically-significant machine gunners. Their guarding fellows brandished machete and HEAT hammer, one swinging at a panopticon elite only for him to disappear and his hammer to detonate against a pillar as the trooper cut him down.
A sudden uptick in fire from the side hall marked the return of the attempted flanking party; the internal communication network had made it obvious that, for now, Malai would have to stay with the Marines to help defend against alien threats, and his fireteam offered a surprise angle of fire as he rushed to counter the phase troopers.
Sprinting into the pair of melee combatants, he spun his kanabo about his arms in a momentum-building maneuver, feinting a swing at the first stuttering form, before using its energy to carry his weight away from where he was expected. His bauble - a spiraling form the size of a locket on a long bead bracelet on his forearm - began to glow with its embedded Ilumix fuel as he gestured at his former location, where the stuttering form of the phase trooper appeared for a split second. Without a hint of hesitation, he closed his fist, crushing a meter-wide area around the trooper's chest with his initiate power over gravity.
Lancar realized this may not be as easy as he once thought.
Psionics were not a new thing to the Psychohunters, as per their name. They were as well equipped against the psyker and psionic influence as they could possibly be on such a small scale, and were trained to resist psychic influence if all their technological defenses were rendered moot. In their home galaxy, this would have made the likes of the Psychohunters a formidable force, the bane of psykers, nearly immune to psychic influence unless carefully played out.
They were not in their home galaxy anymore. The psionic influences now bestowed upon the front defenses were a new one. Their psionic defenses were not fine-tuned, their training having not quite readied them for the golem's influence. Stormtroopers manning positions flinched, the assault forcing them into their minds for just a moment before training kicked in, bringing them back. Even Lancar was hearing whispers, something that has not happened to him in a long time.
Then the entrance was set alight, blue beams of pulse fire bursting forth like a torrent. Casualties started mounting slowly as they resisted the suppression, bullets bouncing off personal grav shields with a sharp crack, while others found their mark in the blank helms and cybernetic bodies of stormtroopers. The source of the psychic assault was determined quickly, and without words, null guns and ultrasonic weapons concentrated on the golem, in an attempt to stop its assault.
"Remmancer, do something about that abomination! Do not let it get close!" Lancar shouted, stepping back as he observed the psionics unfolding before him. The remmancer, charging a gravitic device on his left arm, swung it in a punch-like gesture, releasing a strong kinetic wave, rippling the air around it as it travelled towards the golem, its intended target.
Amidst all of this chaos, some Psychohunters equipped with dart guns waited silently, observing the battle through the eyes of other Huron soldiers. They saw the Liminal Watchman, its splendor both haunting and reassuring to them. They have found their target, yet they could not engage, not yet. Other supporting elements were already busy, preoccupied with the golem. Just a little more time.
In the flanking route, the cryomancer and his team silently prepared for intervention, creeping forward slowly as the firefight unraveled before them. The reapers double-checked their neutron rifles and combi-battleaxes, whilst some of the Brutes brandished their combi-repeaters, and others still grasped their oversized battleaxes. Anticipation filled the atmosphere around them, yet they did not dare intervene, not yet. They were not about to charge into a killzone set up by their own allies impromptu, nor did they intend on hindering them in their fight. Through the internal communication network, the cryomancer sent a message intended for the marines in the corridor in front of them, a notification that they were ready to intervene when the time was right. Just a few more moments, a little more time, and surely, a window might open.
"Clear copy Elwar, I hope the damage is minimal."
The droids seemingly changed in "mood", clicking their weapons and readying themselves for the inevitable. The pounding metal of the feet of the droids filled the microphones on them, making their way as quickly as possible to the designated spot. The movement from Elwar constructs made them weary, but the movements also made Lillian, and by extension Gladius, know what they had to do. The gunshots, firefights and battle made it both difficult and easier to know general enemy and friendly positions.
Inhale...
Exhale
"Full force, deadly force"
Lillian began to fire upon the Synopticon, particle weaponry firing on all cylinders, heavy droids making the defensive wall against the monsters that laid before them. Quickly Lillian learned of the other aspect of the galaxy she had failed to consider due to her universe: Magic. She was astounded by the power those people held, energy she had never seen before.
Mana
Gladius quickly began to try and give cover to their mortal allies, bringing to safety any who was injured in the firefight, being near suicidal with their attempts, ignoring the shots, even if they seemed overwhelming. As droids fell, new ones would take their place, but the reserves wouldn't hold up for long.
Lillians biggest strengths, Speed, efficiency and lack of physical pain were being pegged by her near suicidal attempts to help others in need. In the end, she would lose alot, but others would lose less.
The phase trooper seemed to twitch as its chest cavity was crushed. No blood emerged only brilliant light as it dissipated, and its strings disappeared. A hail of gunfire came in response as the Synopticon soldiers attempted to press through the fire in the corridor and take advantage of the occupied Carnaithians in close combat, they did not notice the Huronite forces waiting to intervene as they brandished their energy weapons, several soldiers going down to fire. But it was a watchman who came from behind the charge who extended his arms, tendrils of gold seeking to connect to engaged Carnaithian soldiers and induce psionic mental assaults so they may wrest control of them to fight against their allies.
The golem smashed through established cover and sample wracks, like a raging bull it aimed to get into the centre of the Carnaith and Huron defensives and cause as much havoc as possible. Pulse fire and 50mm rounds pummelled its flesh, setting it on fire and blowing chunks out of its part organic part synthetic muscles, but it kept coming uncaring for the damage. It reached out with clawed hands, each containing a grinding shard filled mouth as it attempted to pull in and devour soldiers, but the Remmancer blow came hard and fast. Being hit by the force of a tank impact the golem staggered, trying to right itself a moment with its left arm totally crushed. A sudden barrage of 50mm grenades caused it to lose balance and tip over, struggling to right itself as the Synopticon troops tried to use the commotion to advance, soldiers being gunned down by overwatch as several tossed grenades into the room, both explosive and flash bangs.
The enemy forces fanned out in the materials room, using the smoke and blindness to take up plenty of positions as the Maalakians and Pords opened fire, the IFV being highly effective, airburst rounds scything down Synopticon soldiers in groups. The killbox was working and the enemy attack seemed to faulter until their crew served weapons fully set up then the return fire was just as fierce. Arcing fire from both sides, taking advantage of the high roof, inflicted plenty of casualties, but the IFV was proving a problem even as teams from both forces attempted to find good, elevated positions on top of various piles of materials. Despite the psionic dampening one of the Mediums came forward, holding what seemed to be a whole spool of Solarite string in his hand. With a overdramatic throwing motion he sent multiple threads of string towards the Pordish IFV, hoping to cripple or destroy it even as a renewed effort to suppress the defenders was made. Both sides were still testing the other and setting up, this room was sure to become a bloodbath in due time.
The Synopticon troopers mindlessly died as they fought against the Shemesh, they died in painful horrific ways, each one totally unique to the one before as the sheer possibilities of the arcane worked on their bodies. And yet they never faltered, guided by those who still had a soul the knowledge they gained was interesting indeed. It was made even more prevalent as Artificialis droids now flooded into the testing areas, backing up the magic-based foes and forming a bulwark, slaughtering those isolated soldiers who were left. The main large corridor where the Synopticon forces had attacked from now seemed to darken, unnaturally as a single Phasic Medium stood observing, before withdrawing into the darkness.
Nothing came, had the Synopticon withdrawn to the south in the testing areas?
To the north the Synopticon exploited the damaged caused by the Lancer, rushing forward and destroying the few crippled frames and constructs that remained or still fought. The corridor hissed with steam and molten rock just for the sheer amount of vapourised segments alone, but the return fire beam on the Lancer was enough to make the foe temporarily dig in. The shot impacted the Lancer in the chest, blowing its weapon out and causing it to stagger before falling to the ground. Both watchmen next to it while untouched by the beam cried out in anger, rushing forward into the room to escape the fallout of Duskstone particles.
It seemed this particular weapon would prove to be quick effective.
As the Synopticon soldiers rushed in and the Watchman extended his grasp, the fight at the line of engagement devolved into a melee. Soldier's responses to the mental assault ranged from breakdowns to betrayal to their stimulant harnesses shutting down their conscious actions and forcing them into a false-instinct pose akin to a psych ward harness as their exoskeletons pivoted away and attempted to carry them out of danger. Machetes, knives, and HEAThammers joined the existing gunfire as explosives detonated along the line, delayed-view optics and noise-canceling headsets muffling the effect of the stun grenades but not nullifying them.
Even as the golem fell meters away from him, Malai couldn't let his attention falter as the other Phase trooper continued to duel him. It wasn't tracing his steps like the first one did, so the trick wouldn't work again. He watched carefully as he danced with the ethereal foe, taking notes of how it moved in response to him. He feigned a lapse in attention, marking the Watchman for all machine guns. As the support weapons began to gout their individual thousand rounds a minute through the soft cover of the chamber, he spun and dragged his kanabo upwards through the space he expected the trooper to appear - hoping to tear his torso apart from inside as it reentered the natural plane.
Registering the Abyssal golem fall to the duskstone beam, the Network collossus immediately moved back into cover, as Deralith in the command center nodded in approval.
Although the last frames in the corridor has been little resistance to the army, the duskstone beam was extraordinarily effective, but they wouldn't be able to use it too often, given it easily overheated in its prototype state. due to the high particle weight and density.
As the Panopticon forces tried to advance the Command frame of the local group, having tracked the priority targets, locked onto the two medium trying to advance to get out of the duskstone fallout zone, immediately two of the Hunterframes in the back raised their weapons, firing a burst of concentrated high power gravitic pulses to try to take down the two mediums before they were able to get out of the fallout zone, even in the unlikely case some synopticon troopers tried to take the shot in their stead, given the pulses were near-invisible, there was still a good chance the particle pulse would just bleed through and kill them anyways.
Deralith pondered for a moment, observing the various battlefields within the facility, as suddenly part of the southern corridors went dark and then sensor feed broke off. There was a frown and a feeling of discontent, he didn't know what the Synopticon was up to down there, but it certainly wasn't good.
"Attention groups Shemesh and Lillian, we have lost sensor feed of the corridors ahead of you, confirm and report, we advise executing caution and preparing for a renewed assault."
He returned his attention to his own front, if they wanted to hold the room, they would have to mount a counter attack, though their assets were limited so he couldn't send in more frames he may need in case of later defense or Prince forbid if they had to abandon the room. Preparations had to be made.
With renewed orders, most of the more conventional frames began focusing their fire on the advancing frontline of the Synopticon, trying to delay their advance into the actual room as much as possible, as some of the others began setting charges in the room, reorganising the defense and preparing less immediate assets to be moved out of the room. Amidst chaos however, the Collossus rose once more, two weapon pods on the back readied and then, with a orchestra of hissing, released a volley of smart missiles, traveling down the path of the duskstone fallout and fanning out across its length, trying to deal as much damage as possible before the enemy could exploit its powers again.
The moment that the Artificialis droids moved into the combat space, Blessed-Light pulsed a glyph of retreat to the Lokhem engaged in the thickest of duels. Underneath the covering fire of the rest of the troopers, and the magical shields of their Arkiyonai brothers the brawlers retreated to the defensive lines. Many had their forms damaged by the Synopticon forces, some had bled out so much of their divine essence the only action left to them was to surrender their mana to other Lokhem so that it might not return to Yeled too soon.
The Arkiyonai mages previously assigned to the creation of arcane shielding could feel the presence of the Phasic Medium, not directly, but through the sheer overwhelming presence of its power. If their magic-forged forms could shudder, some would be shaking with anxiety.
The message was from Deralith intercepted by one of the few Ayur wielding a "mundane" tranmission beacon, allowing them to communicate with those less inclined to arcane means. The Lokhem responded, transmitting memetic information across the bandwidth and in the meanwhile relaying the knowledge to the rest of it's kindred.
{Group.Shemesh.Threat.Understanding.Positive}
Blessed-Light had It's fears confirmed and turned to the mages.
{'We breathe with relief and ease, our foe falters. Forge the connections. Meld the fabric of this chamber through our threads of arcana. Do it quick Arkiyonai, they will come back soon. I feel it like an occlusion in my Heart-Glyph}
The Glyphsmith with haste. To an outside observer, one without any inkling of arcane knowledge, the Ayur mage was acting like a lunatic. Moving between walls and bulkheads, scribbling spiralling runes and misshapen symbols on the nearest bulkhead. Some runes were geometric, made out of hexagrammatic wards and angles of significance, other sigils had no apparent rhyme or reason, looking more like chicken scratch than anything of note. Each had been inscribed onto the plating with pure pyromantic effort, each glowing with an almost blinding azure light.
The Arkiyonai motioned for everyone to step back and began to pull. At first gripping nothing but the air with great effort, before slowly starting to tug at strings and threads that seemingly formed out of thin air. With each pulse of magic woven through these strands, the shape emerging from the bulkhead became clearer until a vast humanoid body emerged. Breaking out of the defensive structure like an insect emerging from some steely cocoon. The armour of the Damar construct sizzled for a few moments as defensive runes emerged on each piece.
With the last of his gathered-up mana, the mage tugged on the last remaining thread and pulled a Glyph blade the size of a man, which Its creation quickly picked up, before heading to the frontline, ready for the next Synopticon assault
Lower Levels of Askan
nam-Glachyn's Platoon
Handfuls of colourless beams jogged downrange against exposed infantry and those behind looser concealment and cover from the primary lance nodes of Trychaaq Byzhal's squad IFV. The machine hovered inches off the hard floor in the shadow of a slab that anchored their position.
Return fire skittered along nearby and Byzhal added his own into the mix. He fire a few short bursts from kneeling, then looked back to his fireteam leads.
"Chornaaq," he said, "bring the gac around to this opening."
The Pord obliged and moved up to the indicated area and silently redeployed his weapon; heavy belts of machinecannon ammunition rattled in their distinct metallic style from their drooping perch across his shoulders. After double-checking the feed and firing mode indicators he opened up again - satisfied - as the squad automatonists adjusted in sync.
A salvo of grenades paraded towards them (hanging, seemingly, upon the air itself) spurring sentries into action; the thrown devices yielded to the fusillade risen to greet them: their debris pattered against a nightstone slab in a crimson shower of metal and fortune.
Sensing an opening as the grenade innards splattered, a Medium rose with Solarite strings in hand - exposing himself for no more than the briefest of instances to hurl his deadly package - and was gone swifter than his arrival.
"Incoming," exploded Byzhal's comms. He turned towards his IFV; of all the squads present, why his? One of the bow demi-ablation drive nozzles flared with gravitic energy, a mighty shove or would-have-been without its opposite flaring to counteract - towards the incoming strings...
Which arrived then, not center-mass as aimed, but clattering-whipping-burning along the side of the vehicle; they sank through the entropic barriers and into the hull below with flashing sparks and flames coughing-ballooning a choking cloud of detritus into the chamber.
The IFV listed - wallowing from the strike - and upon perhaps the third tick of a watch chraaaanged! onto the unforgiving surface below, immobile but still armed. Three spherical sentries took station near the machine to defend; their movement lessened the defensive fire thrown forth along another section of the line that began, nigh immediately, to bow.
Byzhal hoped the others were doing better, but he knew the likelihood of this - despite the sentry complements adjusting with the battleflow - as his thoughts manifested elsewhere through nam-Glachyn's actions: rather than shore where the defensive fire grew weaker, the two squads of the platoon's mobile reserve advanced from their stations near the northern passageways supported by the PD barges of the area denial squad. High angles and rafters glittered ablaze from their fire, nominally used against aerial threats, manned or unmanned, ordnance, or otherwise, yet here they fell upon those seeking lofty perches or escape from the open.
"Now that's a lightshow if I have ever seen one."
Lillian observed the calming sector, but was always ready to fight. Magic was something that she never had, something that seemed so extraordinary that it could never happen, but now she was in front of a real mage, performing real magic with real mana. The battle, meanwhile losing her a lot of resources, also have her vital knowledge of how the galaxy worked, and what she had at her disposal. One of the heavy droids would suddenly pause and look at the Shemesh, weapon down.
"Nice lightshow. I am Lillian, and if you can understand me, we need to co-ordinate this attack. I will work as cover, don't be afraid to grab one of the droids as a shield, it will work with you. The area has gone silent, my drones are doing a small sonar and bioscan of the corridors and our sector in general. Be ready for anything."
Heavy droids would make a bulkhead for the corridor, acting as shields for the rest of them. Small pulses could be felt as sonar and bioscans would be used to try and find enemy positions. The more heavily damaged but still fuctioning droids would make up the front of the unit, giving better cover at lower cost.
When the Golem fell over, priority targets changed.
"Don't let up your fire on that abomination! Remmancer, keep it down!"
The Remmancer nodded, and pointed his staff towards the downed golem, concentrating gravitic force in an attempt to keep it down as grenades where thrown onto it.
The chaos and noise of Lancar's surroundings have become near deafening and blinding with detonating grenades, gunfire and the screams of the wounded and dying, yet to the psychomancer, it was surprisingly silent as he temporarily delved into thought. The Synopticon soldiers were relentless, even suicidal, and coordinated to an unusual degree in his eyes. Drugs were out of the question, and even zealousness does not remove one's self-preservation. He tried to piece things together, yet variables were missing.
The Watchman. He remembered its presence, its maniacal grin, the solarite strings grasped in its hands. He knew exactly what it was; a psyker, if nothing else, but perhaps there was more to it being present than just support. Mind control via telepathy was a theory, which was definitely not outside of reason. The theory disgusted him, but now, he knew his target, if for no reason other than it being a damned psyker.
Lancar took a moment to pick out where the watchman was. It did not take long, though the moment he found his target, it was silently marked as a priority, automatically shifting some fire towards it. He did not know what it was capable of, but he would soon know regardless. Null guns and dart guns were brought to bare on the watchman as some stormtroopers, weapons at the ready since the battle began, leaned out of their positions and engaged, a storm of specialized semi-armor piercing darts being unleashed as the psychomancer slowly got himself into another position, closer and closer to the front.
At the flanking route, the cryomancer observed the rapidly-deteriorating situation. With a small nod, it was decided now was the time to intervene. A reaper released a pair of microdrones, which flew down the rest of the corridor and peaked around the corner, towards the Synopticon forces. Once the drones were in position, the group began their intervention.
The brutes with their combi-battleaxes were the first to enter the fray, using their size and speed as a battering ram in the initial assault on the synopticon frontline, creating the opening for the rest of the cryomancer's team. Reapers followed close behind, neutron rifles running hot, the cryomancer himself among them, staff and other technologies on his body now active, the energy coursing through making him look like parts of his body were glowing. His first victim was a synopticon soldier that survived the initial onslaught, as a bolt of plasma slammed into its face.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
No matter how many shots were sent their way, the Synopticon troops kept pushing forwards, unphased and unfeeling. Despite Malaakian’s good work slowing down the enemy advance, they could not delay the inevitable- enemy crew weapons were set up and the casualties finally started mounting on the friendly side as well.
Shredding through cover and supressing the fireteams, soldiers had to be pulled from most exposed positions, chucking antipersonnel grenades on their way down from rapidly deteriorating positions above the enemy as they fell back towards the better covered ground level positions.
Silas looked over as he heard Byzhal’s IFV shake before dropping to the ground, seemingly immobilized.
That would create problems, he counted on the Pordish vehicle staying mobile for a bit longer, but now he had no choice but to bring in his own vehicle, as he could not allow Synopticon troopers to use this temporary advantage in suppressive fire to escape the killbox- even for a moment.
“Garo, bring forward the Ortak, hold back the Rustiks- They won’t fit.”
In the hallway behind them the heavily armored APCs started going even further back, followed by the first evacuated wounded soldiers to make way for the Ortak armored car- a speedy and maneuverable platform for a dual 30mm autocannon made its way towards the frontline at speed, narrowly avoiding the immobile IFVand swirling out of the way into dense cover. The autocannon quickly opened fire into the enemy positions.
The Golem strained against the gravitic forces placed upon it by the Remmancer, concentrated fire pouring into it until finally it stopped straining and its bloated destroyed body died.
It was a victory, even as Malai's attack hit home, his timing perfect to tear the Phase trooper in two the Watchman went down, his psionic barriers unable to stop the Huron Null rounds as they shredded him. The attack instantly faltered in the sample room, the Synopticon soldiers on the disadvantage died to counter fire, their heavy bullet sponge and support striker killed. They could counterattack, it could be done, but a squad of Synopticon soldiers dashed into the room, four of them carried a large object, it looked like some kind of distended pulsing tumour. They ran in, heedless of fire, and threw the massive lump of flesh, it didnt go far, impacting the floor and splitting open with stinking disgusting fluids. But there was a sigh in the air, like a soul escaping its body upon death. The tumour also looked like its innards had been brain matter...
The sound of playing children and the ocean lapping at the shore filled the room, drowning out all other sounds as golden flickers appeared in the air above the now dead mound.
In the corridor the situation devolved into a bloodbath, with Carnaithians both falling, withdrawing and holding the line the Huron reinforcements held, meeting the foe with their own furious assault. Soldiers died on both sides as melee weapons rose and fell, splitting armour and flesh. But a golden glow down the corridor signalled something new, a bright flare was all that signalled the Solarite beam weapon opening fire, threatening to engulf all within the corridor.
The forces assaulting the materials room seemed to be emboldened by the crippling of one of the IFVs, soldiers went down on both sides as the moment anyone was exposed they cam under heavy guided fire. Still the Synopticon were not breaking through, something which was benefitting the allied forces greatly. But from out of the smoke and fire through the corridors where the enemy had come ten crying children rushed past, running towards the Pords and Maalakians, some of the Synopticon soldiers attempted to grab them, as if to pull them back or capture them. It was strange, Elwar had not said any children were here...
For the Shemesh and Lilian however the expected psionic assault would not come. Rather something much more conventional.
Through the corridor, obscured by unnatural clinging darkness ran an abyssal golem, its form was covered with objects. But it wasn't until it got closer than Lilian could see what they were. Tactical nuclear warheads. It was a suicide berzerker.
To the north the two Mediums were easily blown apart, their powers ineffective as the Duskstone choked them. Still one of the Synopticon soldiers set off his own grenades, filling the corridor with fire but dispersing the Duskstone particulates. As the missiles streaked down they impacted the air where the molten corridor now sat, another wave this time of three Watchman came running, strings emanated off them cutting through solid rock and more as they unleashed them forward trying to punch through to the next room.
Deralith observed the charge in his section, strings lurching forward cutting down the front row of defenders, cleaving through cover, the more advanced frames boosting out of the firing line, though some still caught, the Collossus losing one of it's main arms before it escaped, grabbing the prototype weapon with the other, the piece dropping to the floor with a loud metallic clang a metallic growl following, almost like scream, sparks and nanoliquids flowing out of the stump, just below the shoulders, before it self-sealed.
The attack had put yet another dent in the defense, they had no more effective way to defend against the string weapons currently than shooting the wielders down before they could approach. Gravitic particle bolts came down the corridor in return in an attempt to stop the advance, as the Network frames began retreating into the room. More concerning than the room itself was that if they lost it they would have to split, as one way branched off not only to the storage area but also into the back of the Huron and Carnaith detachments.
Yet... Something felt off. Though the scythemen were formidable enemies, that they were all that came after all which they had repelled before...
Were they becoming desperate? Had they exhausted the Panopticons reserves for the attack?
...or was it a trap?
Deraliths musings were cut short the moment the sensors notified him of the anomalous radiation readings in the south, what at first glance seemed like another of the golems, had several fission warheads strapped to it on closer inspection, the signatures coming off of them left no doubt to their legitimacy, if those would go off, everyone in the facility would die.
Calculations raced as to what he could do to counteract it, although these facilities were built to withstand orbital bombardment, even they, with bulkheads and all, were not made to survive an internal nuclear blast. His own frame was too far off from the battlefield now and even if they killed the golem there was still a chance they were remotely detonated.
The Shemesh. The Shemesh had arrived by transporting themselves down into the facility. He would have to turn the interdiction off, it would put everyone at risk but less so than being vaporised.
A new announcement came over the internal comms, this time, directed at everyone.
"Attention all present defenders, brace for intensified combat, interdiction will have to be temporarily deactivated!"
With no delay another one played though this one directed at the Shemesh alone.
"Group Shemesh, aggressor is equipped with multiple nuclear warheads, eject from the facility immediately and transport them back to space!"
The moment that the darkness-clad figure began rushing onwards, Blessed-Light felt nothing but worry in their Glyph, to the Lokhem champion the tactic made no sense, a suicidal assault of a single soul, one that would be stopped before it even reached their lines. The group leader raised Their hand and was about to motion to it's troops to open fire with Rays of purifying magical fire, inevetably causing a cataclysmic detonation.
A compulsion from one of the Mages stopped the doomed order, the darkness was displayed and the tactical nukes became visible, each a death sentence for the entire force gathered here. The remaining Arcanists communed through telepathic links, messages exchanged faster than the speed of thought. Yet not even their collective brainstorm could come up with anything that would save them from atomic disintegration. Nevertheless, they had to try.
The Arkiyonai began their chants, burning through mana at an explosive rate to break through the limits of their spells. They were prepared to crush the berserker Golem in a telekinetic hold so immense it would suffocate the detonation, atleast that is what they hoped to achieve.
The message from Deralith came just in time for the Arcanists to change their plan. Without the choking hold of interdiction the Shemeshi contacted their vessel in orbit and prepared for a teleport link. In the meanwhile one of Lillian's frames was covered in a focusing glyph and thrown through telekinesis at the charging nuke, the moment the machine met the berserker the ship in orbit moved the two into a teleportation corridor. The detonation would be contained, though for the remainder of the battle the Shemeshi couldn't their Teleport gates.
Hylat the lesser
Little about the current stalemate pleased Hylat. Though her forces held for the moment, Synopticon infantry were pushing inexorably forward. They fought well, and she resented them for it. Of course, she didn't need the additional reason. it just happened to contribute; every death was on their head, as was every stretch of chamber thus far ceded.
A Pord lay dead not far from her.
A draaaang! echoed from where the end of her spear met the cold hard surface and then sang out again as she drove it down a second time: a strange notice caught her attention; not two seconds later, nam-Glachyn came on over comms -
"Very odd what we've got here," he said, "but we seem to have children, human children, running towards our line."
Hylat raised a brow. "I needn't tell you to deny their entry," she said. "It is probably trickery and illusions. Clear your mind and look at them again."
"I thi-"
Attention all present defenders, brace for intensified combat, interdiction will have to be temporarily deactivated!
The urgency registered immediately for Hylat. She cued the higher-order detection unit: "Vanachaq! Rein interdiction to our locality," she ordered.
Vanachaq gave an inquisitive nod; he also was privy to the message. "We can calibrate to allow them through. Less risky than reducing our coverage."
"We don't have time to calibrate that. Reduce the range. We will adjust."
Vanachaq nodded again. Even behind the edges of the line the fight was taxing and he looked as weary as he felt. "Tasinehdao. I'll have the barges reduce range to just our troops," he said.
The Pordish interdiction dimmed and flickered to a nearly imperceptible state - halting just at the edges of the lead infantry squads - in response to the order.
Among the myriad detection suites and tactical readouts, however, the ambiguous and fuzzy returns jumped in clarity as the Natyl and Mylchar Arrays, unbound by interdiction, peered with heightened precision.
Yet in the very same moment, before any actions based on the updated information manifested, the lead Pordish infantry began to react to the rushing children. Most assumed them to be illusions - following the same logic as Hylat - and directed their mental energies towards fortification and warding such effects, but a handful of the more aggressive among the Chünezhnar, including one holding a man-sized battle axe in one hand while directing a cloud of drones and probes over his shoulders, stepped forward to engage.
Burdened by no timidity, unlike his peers, he called upon the depths of the pelagic and winter energies which rose within him; his armour glowed blue-white beneath his anorak as his mind focused upon the incoming beings as he set himself to the task of banishing the manifestations to a prison of unyielding cold.
Shouts of orders to cover and movement out of the way were shouted and screamed over comms within the corridor flank, with frag and high-explosive grenades being thrown at soldier's feet and into the hallway as the squads who had been in melee moments ago turned in unison to run back towards their allies to the north. That room, however, had yet to discover what they were in for - all machine-guns within the formation had turned their attention on the mass of flesh upon the ground, tearing into it as any unoccupied grenade launchers from the Carnaithian contingent attempted to stem the tide from the westernmost hallway with concentrated explosive saturation.
Malaakian Loyalist QRF
For a moment, the amount of fire lessened from Malaakian side as sounds of children playing and screaming about grew louder, and the children themselves made an appearance.
Could it have been real? What were the Synopticon troopers doing?
Was this some sort of a ruse, a ploy to pull one over them and exploit their overextension or hesitation?
It was impossible to tell, but from the briefing they had received beforehand, malaakians only had one immediate conclusion:
"Kill the demons, open fire!"
The turret of the Ortak Armoured car swung around to the closest perceieved hostile and opened up while everyone else stayed firing at the synopticon troopers, fearing that they may be suicide bombers or some disguised hellish monsters- they were expecting everything, and the more they fought, the more fearful they became.
When the nuclear armed suicide bomber made its way into Lillian's vision, her immediate instinct was to protect as best she could. Her droids quickly sprung into action, trying to not hit and trigger the nuclear warheads. Absolute panic filled Lillian in that moment, unsure as to how to handle the situation that threatened to kill everyone in the labs.
As the Shemesh made their chants and rituals, Lillian let them use the frame with no resistance, trusting the ally behind her. Even as the frame was thrown, Lillian helped them by making the droids actively try and grab the suicide bomber as best it could. Even then, Lillian feared the worst as she tried her best to defend.
Lancar was running. He did not remember exactly why he was running, until he looked back towards the front, particularly at what he was very quickly starting to assume to be a very potent psychic weapon of some kind. That, or something much, much worse. He could not tell in his frantic state of mind, even with his TDR working without interdiction.
He could hear the waves, the children playing on the beach, as if he were standing there on the beaches themselves. It terrified him, beyond his own belief. He has never, in his own experience, witnessed something like this, and neither has the rest of his psychohunters; he could not see their faces, however their body language, ever so slight hesitation, were subtle hints of shock.
He looked at the Remmancer, who was already mid-sprint. He was close to the mound of flesh, trying to get away.
"Remmancer, get out of there!" He shouted, more reflexively than intently. He then pointed at the mound of flesh, more for his sake than for his forces. "I want null guns concentrated on that fucking thing now! Cleanse that manifesting aberration from reality!" With his orders, a pair of null guns quickly re-oriented, concentrated null-beams directed at the mound the vague hope that they do anything against what was clearly manifesting itself in the room.
At the flanking route, the situation managed to be less panicked. They had no awareness of what the golden glow at the other end of the corridor was, though for the moment, no one in the Cryomancers force felt like remaining in the corridor to find out.
"Fighting retreat, back the way we came." He ordered, Huron forces now executing a fighting retreat North, soldiers and hunter-killers alike, once in melee only a moment before, moving as fast as they could.
The fetid remains of the flesh blob which had been splattered all over the floor was now more or less torn up into unrecognisable burnt flesh. But the air shimmered above where it had died. The storm of fire had practically killed any Synopticon forces which had entered the room, the last of those who had ran into the room being torn apart by several grenade detonations simultaneously. Still where the strange thing had died reality unravelled slightly Golden strings snaked from the unusual haze on reality, seeking out any living thing nearby and trying to drag them into a stupor of dreams.
But the strange pitch black claws that seemed to grab the haze from within and tear it open revealed a serpentine creature with many glowing golden eyes. To the Carnaithians, there was no mistaking it. It was some kind of horribly corrupted Skia.
Still the Null beams hit the hazy opening and caused it to ripple wildly, the Skia thing screaming with such high pitch intensity that glass shattered within the room and uncovered eardrums would burst. It was working.
As the Carnaithian and Huron forces retreated in the corridor to the north the beam of Solarite lashed down the corridor in a concentrated line before unravelling like a violently flung bunch of string. The threads went through the solid ground, walls and floor, slicing the terrain and any soldiers apart in a violent slicing storm of death. With the corridor clear and the Solarite dissipating a renewed Synopticon push came, spearhead by another Abyssal Golem leading the way and acting as mobile cover.
Several of the children were reduced to little more than frozen entities as the Pords and Malaakians saw the children as little more than Panopticon creations. More were gunned down single rounds wiping out their small frames. But they were right, those children that got close seemed to have haunted and distended faces, augmentations clear on their skulls or under their hair. The Children were living psionic mines, and as they got close, they detonated.
The psionic scream was enough to at point blank snuff out a mandala, at range it was enough to induce crippling emotional and mental pain on the target, to overwhelm and incapacitate. Proof of the Panopticons disgusting use of anything, even children. The detonation of the psionic mines was followed by a renewed assault from the Synopticon soldiers who did not seem to be affected by their own weapons.
The suicidal charge however thankfully was averted. The quick thinking of the defenders saw the suicide bomber and the Lilian construct teleported away; a detonation was reported in the upper atmosphere of Askandar itself as the tactical nukes harmlessly exploded away from the contained space. Their plan had been foiled. But the interdiction was down.
Uncoiling as if from the very air itself, hideous monsters dropped to the ground in the labs, behind and in the forces now fighting. Their slender humanoid forms and massive claws made them almost look like further works on phase troopers, they were fast and aggressive with the bulk concentration being on the Shemesh and Lilians forces who now also faced a renewed frontal assault from the Synopticon.
Angry, fearful, and determined shouts and screams alike erupted throughout the storage room as every Imperial gun still active turned to the wronged Skia, even as visors and gunsights fractured; munitions buses were swapped out for canister models automatically, and shoulder pods and OICW components alike turned the air around the creature into a plagued cloud of lead locusts, information transfer system doing its best to provide an accurate position on the enemy even as it phased into the ranks of the Carnaithian infantry.
In the hallway, Royal guard Malai had redeployed as the situation in the storage room recovered - only to arrive as solarite string carved deep, deep chasms into the concrete and explode two of his soldiers into nondescript gore. He sprinted through it regardless, fully expecting the aggression of the Panopticon - and looked down the hall to see the Golem bearing down on him, soldiers in tow.
He looked down at the kanabo in his hands and sighed before lifting it like a spear, his bauble glowing with energy as he made a running pitch, unleashing the energy in his hands as the melee weapon violenty broke the sound barrier in the closed space and rocketed down its length.
Claws met steel, metallic screeching filling the room as the metal armour of the collossus was rent apart by psionic forces, sparks and nanoliquids spraying across the surroundings. The machine stumbled forward, legs adjusting to compensate for the impact.
Deralith cursed in the command room.
"All defending forces, situation has been solved, interdiction will be back online. Beware of renewed assault. Huron retreating from central storage access crossing,w e would advise moving some forces back to central storage access to prevent breakthrough."
They attracted more enemies, synopticon forces seemed to be able to serve as beacon for others, they would not be able to afford another drop of the intirdiction.
The announcement came just in time, as the four metre tall machine swung around at it's waist, damaged, but not defeated yet, the remaining arm coming around with the speed and precision that came with the artificial construct, delivering a massive blow amplified by a gravitic pulse, whilst firing the shrapnel guns on it's lower arms for suppression.
At the same time, four executor frames dropped from the ceiling of the elevator platform, originally meant to ambush the synopticon once they entered the room proper they now had new enemies, large, lanky frames, flexible and agile, with precision blades sheathed in plasma and hardlight, two additional tentacle like arms on each shoulder, getting ready to engage the other two monstrosities, as the remaining normal frames slowly started retreating back towards the storage areas perpetual fire from gravitic pulse and laser rifles trying to stem to tide from the western corridor. Slowly they were exposing the way to the other elevator room, though there was another batch of machine frames there and the bulkheads were still closed the question was if they would be able to hold after what happened here.
He did have another 'present' prepared there, if it would be enough time would tell.
Hylat the Lesser
Their detonations screamed across the line in twisted choral symphonies that poured against those nearest and rained upon those more distant.
The Pordish line buckled and reformed inward towards alternative positions as anorak-clad infantry fell to the conflagration alongside their heartier brethren who could reject the grave. If not for raising heightened mental defenses upon encountering the children, and their dampening fields, the entire line may very well have withered away.
Malachüt. Would you keep your thoughts as they are if you were here to witness this? These psions here? Should we prevail, I must see your opinions. Surely they cannot remain?
Or perhaps they can?
But how could they remain?
"I don't know how much longer we can hold out," nam-Glachyn's hologram complained. "My force has been halved."
Hylat nodded. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't entirely wrong, either. "We must," she replied. "You know what it will mean if the Synopticon seizes this chamber and the stones herein."
nam-Glachyn's frown endured. "I know."
"For now, ju-"
A shiver overtook Hylat the Lesser; her tactical feed updated: that cannot be correct, she mused, not from those angles.
Vanachaq came onto the comms line, then, with urgency drafted upon the folds of his jowls. "They are behind us! They're coming out of the walls - beyond our interdiction!"
Instinctively, Hylat's gaze shot rearward, though logically nothing could be seen from such distance.
Amaruq, I have failed to recognize your guidance. Should I have seen your path, we would not be upon this course now. "Vanachaq, I have no reserves to send you. Their assaults are renewing everywhere else as well. This is my fault. I will plug the gaps with my command unit. Hold until we arrive."
"Namengrazhniskaya, nam-Hylat Grazhnichelnar." Vanachaq bowed.
Three abominations faded into view as she neared the rear lines and the ghastly humanoids. She caught notice of a few dismembered Pords alongside nearly unrecognizable corpses of Synopticon troopers all still and silent near a disabled Natyl and Mylchar barge - the obvious originator of the macabre scene.
Gunfire and automated weaponry chattered with enough weight and cadence to indicate the status of the battlefield, but the malformed troopers, grotesquely paired with claws and aggression, were clear preferers of close in battle.
Hylat dismounted her gravbike, readied her weapon, and the others with her followed her lead.
"Don't let them through!"
An abomination sprinted forward in a blur - narrowly avoiding the beamfire of a nearby probe - and crashed into melee range. Auroras pulsed from the blade of Hylat's spear: first as a beam that burrowed through the humanoid's shoulder, and then (as it neared unbothered by the strike) as a simpler aura sheathing its weapon...
Elsewhere, claws against metal screeched out some distance down the line. Two Pords crumpled into bloody piles under the boot of a trooper; the humanoid tore strands of blue and gold fabric from the recesses of their claw while eyeing a third Pord. Despite his shredded anorak - torn beyond recognition revealing the gray power armour normally hidden beneath - the third reached for his weapon as the agile assailant charged.
The brief sigh of relief Lillian had from the nuke being dealt with was abruptly interrupted by the appearance of monsters on their front and in their lines. The droids quickly tried to regroup and take care of the monsters before they overwhelmed the Shemesh and her. However, a large portion of her force was utterly torn apart. Thankfully, some of them were able to self destruct and take some of the monsters with them.
The remaining heavy troopers regrouped and began firing mercilessly upon the invaders, round after round of particle lance fire showering the foe. The regular droids picked up as many of the wounded Shemesh as they could before retreating behind the heavy droids and providing covering fire. Slowly but surely, her forces were pushed back. Step by step, centimeter by centimeter. But she made sure they would pay for every meter they gained.
"We are under heavy assault! We have lost a lot of forces and we are required to retreat to a more defendable position. Any spare forces please help our flank. Location is being broadcasted!"
Lillian knew she wasn't enough to defeat the monsters, but she would damn try to keep them at bay. It was her duty to protect, it was her duty to destroy the monsters.
As soon as the new monsters appeared and the Synopticon assault began its momentum broke.
Tearing into the allied lines for bit a few moments the new appearances dissapeared as quickly as they came. The Synopticon soldiers holding position to lay down rearguard covering fire. Pulling back slowly as energy spikes were detected in enemy held regions of the underground facility.
Word came quickly of the Panopticons defeat on the Megastructure, it seemed now that their forces here had ceased their attack.
"All forces push them back and drive them out!" Elwars order was clear as the remaining forces swept forward, cutting down soldiers as they withdrew.
Within a few minutes of the counter attack a bright golden flash emanated across the facility, filling corridors and rooms as golden string connected to living and dead Synopticon assets linking them all together. In a bright white light that blinded optical sensors it quickly dissipated, leaving nothing behind, no trace of their attackers bodies or the forces still present, even some of the kolleronic resource stacks were gone. The enemy had simply left.
"I am detecting no trace of enemy forces on this planet or in system" Elwars voice came across the command line.
They had won.
The battle had been immensely hard fought, with much of the facility either outright destroyed or damaged. While the data had been kept mostly intact the systems built with trial and error had been heavily damaged. With the Athaeneum also critically damaged Elwars capacity was much reduced.
"I thank you for the assistance all. We have won here, I suggest we take stock of our situation, and move on from there" Despite the victory, there was clear solemness in Elwars tone.
It was a win, but it felt like a hollow one.