Elsewhere

Mira turned the ship towards the freighters and transports only to see them burning away from the planet at maximum acceleration. He hands danced across the ship’s controls before she looked up with resignation in her eyes, “There’s no way I can catch up to those ships with the head start they have on us.”

“I could TELEPORT us to them.”

“Then we would have to fight them and likely destroy them to prevent them from escaping if we could even handle them all at once.”

“We can’t just let them go. They could have hostages on those ships.”

“I’m open to suggestions.”

Duke growled and weighed his options. Again, he had to face the fact that he really only had one long-distance option. He steeled himself and announced, “Wish me luck!” And then he was gone, having TELEPORTED into the path of the fleeing ships.

His DUNGEON SENSE franticly worked to identify everyone on the ships while his FLIGHT Ability desperately struggled to keep up with the accelerating ships. He started with the lead ship. It was a freighter so Duke hoped it would have less people on it and he could dismiss it and move on to the next.

As he expected, he only found Syndicate crew on the ship and moved on to the next. He knew his time was running out as he was pushing his FLIGHT to its limits and the ships were starting to accelerate away from him at such a rate that he had to TELEPORT back to the ships, all but nullifying his FLIGHT’s ability to keep up. One by one, he scanned the ships for members of the Clan but found none.

He was down to the last transport when he noticed two things at the same time. First, there were Clan members on the ship with a group of Syndicate troops surrounding them. Second, all the ships were starting to spin up their stardrives to make their escape jump. There was no more time. Duke poured all his will and every drop of Mana into penetrating the transport’s shields for one desperate TELEPORT. Pain lanced through his brain as he pushed past his limits and ripped the Mana cores out of the ship. Everything went black as Duke passed out from overstrain yet again.

The stardrive and all other propulsion for the ship fell silent. Its acceleration ceased but its velocity, of course, did not. Its sister ships all made their escape jumps, leaving the stricken vessel behind. A dull thud was heard reverberating through the hull as something hit and bounced off. Panic flashed through the crew as emergency lighting flickered on and the normal sounds of the ship’s operation fell silent.

For the Clan members, this was their opportunity. They pounced on their captors, capitalizing on their confusion and hesitation to get close enough that the Mana rifles were too awkward to use. Even though the Clan prisoners were not of the warrior caste, they were still members of the Steel Tusks Clan. They had been raised fighting daily, toning their bodies and hoping they would have what it took to join the elite warriors of the Clan. Those fighting for their lives on the ship had not passed the warrior trials and had been relegated to support roles for the Clan but they were fighting for their lives.

The fighting was brutal and without mercy. The Syndicate soldiers were all highly-trained and had well-enchanted gear. Their initial pause had given the Clan members the advantage. That advantage faded once the soldiers broke out enchanted blades and orc blood began to spill in earnest as the fighting turned truly desperate.

Duke awoke spinning in space, disoriented and confused. Seconds later, the fog began to lift as his Health and Mana returned. He could see the barest glow of reflected sunlight fading into the distance and hoped it was the ship. He TELEPORTED as close to it as he could figure and was able to get in range of his DUNGEON SENSE to scan it. What he saw was a horribly bloody fight that he could identify friend from foe as they melded together in his vision.

In an instant, he was on the ship. There was no resistance as the shielding had failed with the disappearance of the Mana cores. He was suspended over the hold where the Clan members were struggling for their lives. They had initially outnumbered the soldiers, but reinforcements had arrived at some point. Duke quickly noted the orc bodies on the floor mixed with the Syndicate soldiers. He unleashed an arcing bolt of LIGHTNING that struck every Syndicate soldier, stunning them. There were also a number of orcs caught in the blast and Duke hoped they would be OK.

Before the flash had even cleared from stunned eyes, Duke set upon the Syndicate soldiers with his tonfa. He bashed heads with his full strength, killing most with a single blow as they lay helpless. He did not consider holding back or showing any mercy, this was a war and an enemy that took non-combatants as hostages did not deserve any kindness or mercy. More soldiers poured through the doors into the chamber and Duke met them with a blast of FORCE that slammed them into the sides of the corridor, denting the metal with their bodies. Pulped and bloody corpses slid down the walls oozing with expelled bodily fluids to puddle on the floor.

Duke spun around to see why the sounds of fighting had ceased behind him. He was met with grim-faced orcs wielding stolen blades and whatever else they could find as weapons. One was holding what looked like the lid to a garbage can. They were ready to fight anyone who came along despite the obvious wounds. Duke spoke before any misunderstandings could lead to further tragedy.

“My name is Duke. Gro’nok and Urgoth sent me to rescue you while they and their triads fight the Syndicate down on the planet. You have wounded. Take and use these.” Duke pulled out the various healing potions he had stashed in his INVENTORY and started to hand them over to confused orcs.

“You are the entire rescue party?”

“Was anyone else truly needed?” Duke response was short and to the point. He had effectively eliminated the entire remaining Syndicate force. He could tell that there were a dozen left on the ship and they had all locked themselves in the bridge, desperately trying to figure out a way to call for help in a ship that had absolutely no power.

“I suppose not. What did you do to those Syndicate soldiers?”

Duke glanced over to where the apparent leader of the orcs was pointing and realized that she was indicating the reinforcements that were caught in the hallway. He sighed, “This is not my first run-in with the Syndicate and since they won’t stop coming for me, I have stopped being nice and leaving their troops alive when I am done with them. That was some FORCE magic applied with little restraint.”

Another orc remarked, “I think they’re going to need a mop to clean that up. It’s going to smell real bad in here in a short while.”

“Right. Good call, “Duke smiled as he activated his CLEANSE Ability over the area, cleaning up the mess and leaving behind only the smushed bodies.

“Who are you, really?”

“The name’s Duke. I am a new friend to the Clan and have come to kick the shit out of the Syndicate wherever I find them. Which, admittedly, is practically everywhere I go. We ran into them on Altis Marin Six which is where rescued Urgoth and his triad. But first we ran into them on Turin Station which is where I met Gro’nok’s triad. The Syndicate was trying to take our ship and the Steel Tusks helped us kick the Syndicate forces to the curb. There is more to it but that is the highlights.”

“I am Droga. Thank you for coming to our aid. I don’t know what to make of your story but the names and locations align with what I knew from the council meetings. Now it seems that taking the bridge is our next move so we can take this ship and go back to Capnok.”

Duke finally had a moment to actually look at the orc who had stepped up as the apparent spokesperson or leader of this group of captured clan members. She was shorter than any of the orcs Duke had met to this point. What she lacked in height, she made up in muscular bulk. Her hair was short and sparse, sticking up like clumps of trimmed beach grass. Her tusks were yellowed with age and capped with carved brass. Her wrinkled skin showed her age but there was a deep fire in her green eyes that encouraged Duke.

“I guess the question I have for you first is whether you want this ship to use after this or whether you just wanted it for the trip back planetside?”

“This is a poor excuse for a transport ship, but it would be enough to get us back home. I’m sure it has some value for sale or scrap. The Clan has no interest in keeping a ship such as this. Were it an actual warship, we might have need of it seeing as the Syndicate has placed themselves in opposition to us.”

“Thay have for sure and I’m going to help you all kick their asses. But since you don’t want this ship, that makes this easier. When you are ready, I will TELEPORT you to the Iron Reaver, our dropship. It is a far better ship than this piece of Syndicate trash. They will take you back down to the surface while I finish this ship off.”

She looked at Duke for a long moment before turning back to the rest of the group, “Gather the dead and wounded. We will be going home soon. But, before then. Raid this ship! Reclaim everything that is our and steal anything that is not!”

Duke’s smile grew at Droga’s call to action, “If you’ll excuse me, there’s a bridge crew that needs a swift introduction to the cold vacuum of space.”

“Oh, yes. Let them feel the panic as their blood freezes.”

Duke focused his DUNGEON SENSE yet again to make sure no one had moved. What he found was that they had armed themselves and were all facing the entryway. Focusing on trying new things in the few minutes he had while the ship was being looted, he experimented with his Abilities.

First, he tried to IDENTIFY the members of the bridge crew through his DUNGEON SENSE. He got the sense that it was possible, but not at his current rank of Ability. Next, he tried to use IDENTIFY in conjunction with REMOTE CASTING. That worked like a charm and he was able to discover that the only crew member that was above a Tier Two was the Captain who was a low Tier Three. Duke considered popping onto the bridge and intimidating them all before he decided it just wasn’t worth it. He decided to try one more thing. He focused on his TELEPORTATION Ability and tried to just TELEPORT their bodies into space, leaving everything else behind. To his surprise and delight, it worked. He followed up by appearing on the bridge and collecting all that was left behind into his INVENTORY before heading back to the hold to wait for the Steel Talons to be ready.

It took no more than ten minutes for them to be back in the hold, re-armed and armored in their own gear plus carrying all sorts of other things that they had taken from the ship. Duke looked them over and offered a salute, “My sorrows for your losses but my heart swells with pride that they fought and died in battle with our enemies.” Duke was not sure of the phrasing, but his XENOGLOSSIA conveyed the sentiment into their language and he got the reaction he was hoping for.

“To die in battle is to live in glory!” The refrain was universal and shook the walls with volume and enthusiasm. The bloodthirsty grin that spread across the tusked Clan members set Duke into the right mood for what was to come once he dropped them all off.

“Prepare yourselves. It is time to go, and I will be leaving you once I deliver you to the Iron Reaver. There is much still to be done, and I am sure the fighting has not ended yet.”

One orc raised a hand to forestall Duke, but he paid it no heed as he TELEPORTED them all, including the dead, to the largest common area on the residential decks. Lya was waiting for them there and greeted them. Duke headed up to the bridge to check in with Mira.

“Mira, I’m back. I was able to rescue a bunch of the Steel Talon hostages. Some died in the battle before I could get to them. They are in good spirits for now and are in the common room on the residential deck. Any word from planetside on how things are going?”

“It’s rough down there. Even with the reinforcements we brought, they are being pushed back. There are just too many Syndicate mechs for them to handle.”

“Do you have any way of contacting them and the infantry? For that matter, is there a way to broadcast to everyone down there all at once?”

“Yes, to both. What do you have in mind?”

“Good. Put me on our channel first, please.”

“You’re on now.”

“Attention Steel Tusks and Thorned Rose! This is Duke. I need you to pull back immediately. You do not want to be in range of what is about to happen to the Syndicate forces. Gro’nok, let me know when you are all clear.”

“Duke, we’re fucking neck-deep in the Syndicate forces. There’s no way to withdraw and there’s just too many of them!”

“Understood. Prepare to be forcibly pulled out of the fight for your own safety then.”

Duke cut the channel, “Is there any way for me to feed the ‘call everybody’ through my comms crystal?”

“Sure. What the hell are you doing, Duke?”

“Showing our enemies what happens when you mess with my friends and allies. You may as well start towards the planet. The Syndicate forces are about to die horribly. Set up the link.”

“You’re connected.”

Duke gave her a nod and TELEPORTED over the fighting, maintaining his height with his FLIGHT. Using his DUNGEON SENSE, he located every allied troop, mech, civilian, and essentially everyone not Syndicate. He immediately could see what Gro’nok had meant. There were no battle lines – things had turned into a bloody slugfest with forces mixed and fighting each other tooth and nail. Without further consideration, he TELEPORTED all but the Syndicate forces a kilometer away.

The Syndicate forces broke into temporary confusion as the fighting suddenly ceased and their opponents vanished. Instead, they saw a single figure glowing in the sky above, obscured by smoke and the dust kicked up by fighting. Before they could act a voice cut into their comms systems.

“Syndicate forces, you have attacked my allies without provocation or reason. You have been judged and found guilty of this crime. Now, I take your very souls as recompense!”

Duke activated UMBRAL REAPER, OVERCHANNELED with over 40 million Mana, focused entirely on the Syndicate forces. A few shots came his way before the Ability took effect, but they were not particularly accurate at this range. He ignored them as his Ability started despite one clipping his leg.

Dark forms rose from the ground, sucking the light and life from the area. Nightmare creatures of all shapes and sizes clawed up mech’s legs, passing through the ineffective shields. They grabbed Syndicate infantry and tore through them without leaving a trace save for the looks of absolute horror and terror left on their frozen faces. Mechs ran and tried to dodge the horrors but fared no better than the infantry. Over the course of a full five minutes, the creatures of darkness reigned over the battlefield, their cries and shrieks freezing most every onlooker in place. In the end, the creatures faded back into the ground and all that was left on the battlefield were the dead.

Duke called over the comms again, “The field is clear of the Syndicate forces, and now I must rest.” He did not go down to meet the Steel Tusks but instead landed some distance away to recover. All his Abilities had a cost, but most were simply Mana. This one, however, had a cost on his sanity. He knew he would recover but watching your every nightmare come forward and wreak havoc was psychically taxing. It was one of the reasons Duke continually pumped up his Psyche in the hopes it would help him compensate. He thought it was helping, but he could not be sure as he pushed the Ability further and further every time.