Book 4: Chapter 203: Maelstrom’s Edge (Finale)

Book 4: Chapter 203: Maelstrom’s Edge (Finale)

USD: Approximately three hours since the traversal wormhole for the 6th Fleet was created.

Location: Meltisar System, MNS Theas Hackjob, Power Plant Access Corridor E-44

Flares of light filled the wrecked corridor as Elis pulse rifle began to spit out rounds towards the Ertan NAI. The energy bolts flared and sparked in the air as they slammed into his nearly transparent green nanite cloud, sending ripples of energy through the air. She focused fire at a single point, each impact drilling a little deeper straight toward his head.

The nanites responded almost instinctively, flowing in thicker strands through the air to place themselves in the path of the digging energy pulses, repairing the fields damage completely.

He turned toward her as the two station heavy combat drones surged forward. They cleared the space in seconds, the first lunging with a precision strike with a bladed arm, clearly intending to remove the NAIs head.

It didnt work.

The Ertan NAI side stepped and then punched the drones arm, leaving a ruinous dent in the servo. A rapid flurry of punches and kicks ensured, battering the heavy steel combat drone until it toppled over.

The second had wasted no time, positioning itself nearby at a distance it would be impossible to miss as it fired a high-velocity rocket. The Ertan wasnt caught unprepared; his hand snapped up and a cloud of nanites whipped out like a lash, exploding the rocket just as it left the barrel.

Green motes of metal and light swarmed around him as nanites surged. The combat drone was caught in the middle of them, its joints eroded away in seconds before it began to dissolve as the nano machines began to feast on the material to produce more of themselves.

Elis grunted as she reached her closer position. Pulling a plasma grenade off her armors exterior harness, she tossed it straight for the Ertan. Not at a velocity that would disintegrate it in the nanite field, but fast enough that there was a satisfying shock in the mans eyes as he turned toward her.

Flames erupted in a shaped crescent, filling the air with fire as aerosol spray coated and then ignited the nanite swarm around him. It almost reached him.

But not quite. Anger filled his features, her suits view of his face shimmering and twisting in the heat. He raised his arm toward her, and she realized he had shifted his arm into a railgun. She jumped out of the way, just in time, her bulky suit smashing through debris and corpses as she angled to rush him.

Her two rearguard drones stormed into the room, having completed their armament conversion to heavy assault rifle mode. Both unleashed a rapid flurry of heavy projectiles that slammed into the Ertan NAIs field like a sledgehammer. Bullets dug into the field before losing momentum and stopping like they were digging into a sea of ballistic gel.

He was forced to retreat, and Elis flagged one of the drones with her plan. It adjusted its aim, and the man side-stepped in her direction, momentarily fixated on the two defense drones.

He raised his hands and two nanite clouds formed and launched themselves forward, forming a hard shell that began to deflect the bullets before worming their way to the drones. The bullet material began to dissolve as the nanite consumed it for resources, just as they began to tear apart the two drones that had attacked.

In a few seconds they were reduced to nothing more than inert scrap, leaving Elis solo.

It had been enough time for her, though. She stepped out from behind a column nearly within reach of him.

His reaction was immediate, her suit intruding into his field. He cupped his hands and pointed them toward her, a thick cloud of nanites flowing in a metallic wave toward her. The tiny machines had already landed on her suit and begun to try to tear her to pieces, but the skintight resistance field buzzed them off.

Elis stepped forward and when most of the nanite cloud was in range, she triggered her suits anti-NAI EMP pulse. A shower of inert green nanites fell like a sheet of water, and the utter shock and confusion on the Ertan NAIs face brought a grin to her face.

Her fist rocketed toward him, a metallic blur aimed with lethal intent; his shock morphed into resolve, and he punched back. Their fists collided with the sound of shrieking metal echoing through her suit. Neither yielded an inch; the corridor vibrated with the impact, the dead nanites on the ground shifting like sand.

Elis wasted no time launching a follow-up strike. The NAIs reaction was fast, his other fist coming up to parry the blow. From his mouth, a torrent of nanites erupted, slamming into her suits chest piece. Warnings flared as nanites sizzled against her suits anti-NAI integrity field, but others dived into the dead sea of dead nano machines around their feet and began to revive them.

In the corner of her eye Elis spotted a weapon. She grasped the leg of a destroyed defense drone and swung it like a club. The makeshift weapon connected with a resounding crash, sending the NAI hurtling into the wall. The impact cratered the metal and sent a wave of shrapnel flying outward in a ring.

The NAI wasnt fazed; with a fluid motion, he slid off the wall and raised his hands and yanked on the wall, his nanites rapidly transmuting the material into a massive, lethal spike. With a heavy motion, he launched it at Elis like a missile.

Her reflexes kicked in, and she swung the heavy drone with precise timing, smashing it into the projectile. Both were obliterated upon impact, shrapnel peppering her suit and the corridor behind her in a metallic hail.

The NAI raised an arm, his arm shifting a second time as the familiar transformation into a railgun took place. The telltale glow of charged particles illuminated his palm, but Elis was faster; her suits forearm shotgun erupted with a volley of red metal, the blast catching the enemy square in the chest.

The force of the hit knocked him back, his footing lost as he toppled over.

She advanced, unstoppable. Debris that littered her path was cast aside with sheer brute force, every step bringing her closer to the reeling NAI. He scampered backwards, retreating now, his movements betraying a hint of desperation.

She fired a second shot as he braced himself to take aim at her. She pressed forward to strike.

Her suit blared a shrill tone of imminent danger just before she reached him.

The incoming munition alarm cut through her ears as it reached a crescendo. Her shoulder mounted countermeasure device sprang to life on its own, popping out and exploding itself towards the threat. The incoming anti-armor rocket exploded a few meters away before it had a chance to end her advance.

Pulling out her assault rifle, she opened fire on the marines coming town the corridor as she continued to advance. As each target went down, she felt the gravity of her situation. She really had her back against the wall this time, and retreat wasnt really an option.

She reached for the tank, slung her rifle back into her chest holster, and then seized the open hatch. Servos groaned as she flipped it onto its side and then braced her damaged leg against the chassis. With the additional leverage, she set her suit hydraulics into overdrive, wrenching the turret free in a shower of sparks and twisted metal.

It was just in time to slam the metal lump into the approaching Ertan NAIs face. That sent him spinning away.

Reaching into the tank, she grabbed one of the tanks unspent shells. Her gauntlet closed around the cold metal. She readied her rifle again and then heaved the shell down the corridor. Just as it approached the exit, she fired a single calculated shot.

It exploded with enough force to purge the marines that had been building their courage to jump into the death zone shed turned the corridor into. That was great. She reached into the tank again, only to find a soldier looking at her with a terrified expression behind his vacuum mask. He raised his pistol to her helmet and fired.

The small caliber round plinked off her steel faceplate harmlessly. She started to reach in to crush his head when agony lanced through her back and out the front of her chesta green vibro blade had found its mark.

Her suit immediately detonated an EMP pulse, a defensive reflex to stave off any chance of nanite infiltration. It also shut the blade down. Her suit medi-doc systems blared urgent warnings, struggling to cope. She couldnt pay it any attention.

Elis counterattack was a wide, arcing swing, but the NAI was ready, catching her backswing and applying a twisting force to her elbow joint. The metal tore as the servo bent out of its socket. At least it had dislodged the mans blade from her chest. She swung her good arm to deliver a blow, but he caught her wrist in a vice-like grip, his own nanites swarming forward to dig at her and attempt to breach her armor.

She tried to use her bulk as leverage to move him, but her suit reported failing integrity. One too many pieces had been abused one too many times. Things werent working properly, and shed pushed the heavy armor suit too far.

This was it.

She tugged her good arm. It was still locked in the Ertan NAIs vice-like grip near his face. She opened her hand, revealing a high-energy, high-explosive grenade nestled in her palm. His expression flashed into shock, then fear.

Then everything exploded in a miniature sun.

The concussive force hurled Elis backward, her world becoming a blur as her anti-impact gel solidified and locked her into position as she crashed into the tank, bounced off, and then slammed into a bulkhead wall with bone-jarring force.

Somehow, she slid down and landed in a sitting position as she coughed, the taste of blood metallic in her mouth. Pain was absent; the medi-doc had decided to numb everything. That seemed like a good idea, even if it left her feeling oddly detached. More detached than she had been during the entire engagement.

The report indicated her lung had collapsed; the puncture had barely missed her heart. Her suit foam had plugged the punctures and gaps in her armor. Her left arm was bent backward, servo and her elbow joint critically damaged.

The pretty lights on her HUD reminded her of a holiday tree.

Wasnt there something she was supposed to be doing? She looked up. There was no sign of the Ertan NAI. Smoke dispersed into the corridor, thinning rapidly in the vacuum. At the far end of the corridor, shapes movedmore Ertan marines, peering into the smoke-filled tomb.

Elis hand patted the ground, searching for her assault rifle, a weapon, anything. Her fingers brushed against and then encircled something unexpectedan ankle. She looked up.

A pair of blue eyes pulsed with barely restrained energy. You look like shit, Thea remarked dryly.

Elis gurgled at her.

Thea tapped her ear comm, Package recovered. Commence fire-support operation.

Rifle fire splashed into the blue shimmer in the air, but the Ertan Marine charge was cut short by a railgun round obliterating the outer end of the passage. Shrapnel and debris hurtled toward them but was caught by the sudden appearance of a blue net.

Captain Mackeys voice suddenly crackled over comms. Alacrity systems fully operational. Departing the hangar and engaging Ertan strike teams.

Thea knelt down and began to pry off the damaged suit armor. Youre not allowed to die yet, Thea asserted. Why do you always do this? The wormhole is closed, by the way.

Through the haze of pain and encroaching darkness, Elis wondered the same thing. She unlocked her suit and the cool embrace of Theas nanites flooded over and into her skin.

It felt like a defeat. Again.

But she didnt hate it.

Something about the contact felt comforting.

The comm crackled, and in the fuzzy part of her mind, she registered an update from Captain Mackey while Thea continued to stabilize her condition. The 6th fleet had regrouped and was taking the fight to the Ertan fleet while reclaiming the space around the moonlet.

Thea caught Elis as she finally slumped, unconsciousness claiming her.