Book 3: Chapter 156: Into the Abyss (1)

Book 3: Chapter 156: Into the Abyss (1)

USD: 2 Days Since Comm Failure

Location: Nu Crateris, Outer System, Hades Interior, Near Alpha Site

The arrival of reinforcements, directed by Heeler, couldn't have come at a better time. As the drone gunships joined the fray against the flash-bags, the pressure on the SR Hot Pursuit vanished. Each drone was armed with a single railgun, and they soared into action blasting away at the incoming organics.

Their heavy hitting weapons blasted holes in flash-bags easily detonating them from afar. They continued to spread through the tunnel and explosions worked their way up and down the moon's interior.

From his seat on the bridge, Lavigne listened intently as Daniel and Morrison discussed the situation.

"How far away do we need to be for it to be safe to destroy the exploders?" Daniel asked Morrison.

Morrison checked some readouts before responding. "At least 6 kilometers, when we were closer than that, things started to crack."

They arent tough, we just need to be able to see them before they get close, Lavigne chimed in. He directed Morrison to deploy recon drones to improve their sensor range. Daniel voiced his concern about their drones frying due to the EMF interference in a short time.

"We just need them for this combat," Lavigne reassured him. "Some loss of sensor drones will be acceptable."

The crew went to work on deploying recon drones. As Lavigne watched, the explosions became distant, providing some relief from the relentless battle. Then Heeler contacted them through comms.

"I have important information on our attackers," Heeler announced with a growl.

Heeler's deep voice resonated through the comms. "I have analyzed the EMF waves and discovered that these creatures are using them to communicate and organize," he explained. "They are being controlled by a central location deeper inside the moon."

Lavigne raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Heeler's findings. "How did you manage to decode this information?"

"My NAI processing has adapted to their peculiar method of communication," Heeler replied. "However, I cannot lead the attack myself, as I must remain near the central factory to continue production and defend it."

Heeler continued, "I will provide gunship drones to assist you in your assault."

The crew exchanged uneasy glances, aware of the risks involved in launching an assault with so many unknown variables.

"If we don't take action now," Heeler added grimly, "we might find ourselves dealing with a swarm capable of multiplying faster than my factory can produce countermeasures."

Lavigne clenched his fists. "This wasnt the job we accepted."

There was silence on the bridge and the crewmen, Morrison, and Daniel turned to look at him. Lavigne stared at the Rexxor on the mainscreen for several moments before finally making his decision.

Heeler did not growl at him or threaten as Lavigne struggled with his choice. He was fully aware that the ship did not belong to them, if pressed Heeler could even require taking the ship for his own use, locking them up or keeping them in the factory until it was possible to evacuate them.

Lavigne decided that it would be better if they helped fight. Getting munched on by cosmic horrors was not something he wanted to contemplate. His eyes slid back to the Rexxor, and he realized that some would honestly claim he fought with them, though.

But well work with you to fight those things. Lavigne finally said.

The SR Hot Rescue approached the entrance to Heeler's factory, Lavigne couldn't help but marvel at the sight before him. Thousands of the smaller abominations attempted to breach the entrance to Heeler's Factory attached to the Alpha Site platform, their grotesque forms clashing against the impressive, mounted defenses deployed by drones around the opening. Explosive shells tore through the air, relentless in their pursuit of destruction.

"What do you make of this?" Lavigne asked his crew, hoping for insights into their current predicament.

Daniel focused on analyzing the carnage before them. "These defenses seem to be holding for now, but there's no telling how long that'll last."

In turn, Abbey urged Lavigne to help Heeler put an end to their ongoing crisis on the moon. She mentioned her efforts around Dedia in securing assets and preparing to return to 92 Pegasi to ensure Ackman Station's safety.

With determination in his eyes, Lavigne nodded. "We'll do our best down here, Abbey."

He killed his part of the conversation as Heeler began to discuss Amys condition with her. It was much too technical for him to follow, but the sudden intensity of the short blue haired girl had him wanting to escape. He gave a small prayer to Ertan that she wouldnt blame them for exposing Amy to the EMF radiation.

Lavigne awoke from a few hours of restless sleep, his dreams haunted by the unnerving creatures they had encountered. Pulling himself out of bed, he made his way back to the CIC with heavy steps. As he entered, he found Daniel and Morrison already there, standing at their stations with determination etched into their faces. Heeler's holographic form flickered into existence as Lavigne approached the console.

"I've managed to pinpoint the source of the abominations' control," Heeler announced, pulling up a video feed on the main screen. The crew stared in awe at the massive hive structure, eerily similar to Heeler's own factory built into Alpha Site. It was teeming with various organic monsters and bizarre shapes that defied explanation.

"What are we dealing with here?" Lavigne asked, concern evident in his voice.

Heeler slapped a tentacle. "There is no indication of the true depth, but this is the structure controlling these creatures, it is the mind of their nest."

The video feed showed a gunship cautiously approaching the hive when suddenly, it was swatted out of the air by a monstrous tentacle. The camera cut off abruptly, leaving only an image of the hive's nexus on the screen.

"We'll need all the firepower we can get," Lavigne said firmly.

Heeler waved a tentacle through the air with energy and revealed his plan one hundred gunship drones upgraded with twin 22mm cannons and a single 152mm railgun would join them in their mission. Additionally, several thousand mini-drones optimized for aerial combat would fill SR Hot Pursuit's drone bay.

"This should give us an edge against those abominations," Heeler added confidently.

As if that wasn't enough firepower, Heeler also added a heavy drone ship armed with a hundred 32mm flak cannons designed to obliterate smaller targets. Lavigne couldn't help but be impressed; they might not be full starships but building anything under the conditions was already incredible.

"And that's not all," Heeler continued proudly. "I've replaced your ship's railgun with a quad 288mm railgun. It has 10kg shells capable of full auto-fire at one round per second."

The crew exchanged anxious glances, knowing the enormity of the task ahead.

"Let's get to work," Daniel said, his voice resolute.

Morrison nodded in agreement. "Guess this is where we earn our paycheck."

As Lavigne looked around the room, he could see the determination on the faces of his crew members. He hadn't exactly agreed to sign them up as mercenaries, but at least it was against something that wouldn't cause guilt, later.

After several hours of painstaking preparation, the drones were finally loaded into SR Hot Pursuit's drone bay; their escort, poised for action, fell into perfect formation. The heavy drone gunship took the lead an adamant vanguard of destruction emerging from the factory bay.

As they exited, the dormant abominations stirred to life, sensing the movement outside their hiding places. Heeler's factory defenses and the heavy drone gunship unleashed a torrential rain of hellfire upon the wretched creatures. Flashes of light illuminated grotesque forms writhing in pain before being reduced to ash by relentless fusillades.

From his position on the bridge, Lavigne gazed at the CIC"s main screen picture of the scene below. Buildings' foundations were barely holding up against constant bombardment; support columns strained to keep massive structures from collapsing while attachments clung desperately to the ceiling above.

The Alpha Site platform looked as if it had been subjected to an unending aerial assault and Lavigne realized that it had been. The relentless abominations had taken a considerable toll on what was once a marvel of engineering.

He glanced over at Daniel and Morrison, who shared his mix of awe and dread at the sight before them. They all knew that this battle would be one for the history books, or at least their own journals, anyway but first, they had to survive it.

"Look at those things," Morrison said with disgust, pointing at piles of twisted abomination corpses stacked like mountains of organic refuse.

Streams of viscous liquid flowed off the platform edges, pouring down into Hades' dark depths below. Amidst this gruesome landscape, Lavigne noticed how efficiently Heeler's gunships dispatched wave after wave of monstrous grotesques. Limbs were torn apart with surgical precision; mangled bodies disintegrated under barrages of railgun fire.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "We can't let these things ever escape Hades."

Lavigne clenched his fists, steeling himself for the battle ahead. "I wonder if it hints at the cause of the decaying orbit, and the magma layer's attempts at preventing entry."