Derelict 3, Chapter 25.

Chapter 25.

“Slater, I believe we have uncovered some information that may be critical to our defense,” Hixrax said over the comms. The kids had just left with the prototypes for the newest Chixturax body armor. They delayed their departure to watch the latest group of challengers attempt his Derelict.

“What did you find?” Slater replied.

“In preparation for our eventual departure, several of our remaining businesses have been sold and the funds were used to purchase information on our foes. It appears they have established a presence in a series of warehouses near our shipyard. They are using these warehouses to stage their attacks upon us,” Hixrax advised.

“Do you have any idea of what they’re planning next?” Slater asked.

“No, we didn’t want to pull to many resources away from shipbuilding. The only thing I know is that they’ve been making major weapons purchases and that can only mean bad news for us,” Hixrax said.

“Well, the good news is we know where they are. I’ve not been all that impressed with the gnomes and their fighting abilities, but if they gather enough force, they may be able to break through our defenses. With the forces I need to leave behind to defend my Derelict, I don’t have enough to both protect the shipyard and launch an attack on the gnomes just yet. Let me see what I can do and let me know if anything changes,” Slater said.

“Very well, I shall await your next contact,” Hixrax said as he cut the connection.

“What do we do boss?” Pixi asked.

“I think we need to get in touch with Administrator. It’s time to push the limits of our agreement,” Slater replied.

He wasn’t sure how to contact the Administrator, so he was forced to fiddle with the comm system and send messages to every official station contact he could find. Someone must have been paying attention, or at least became annoyed enough with him to cut off his comm access. After an hour of attempts, the hatchway to his core room opened. A hulking figure entered, along with squad of heavily armed dwarves. It took Slater a moment to recognize the figure in front of him. It was the minotaur that he had originally met before setting up his Derelict, Bellis was his name, Slater believed.

“Administrator Bellis, I was expecting someone else,” Slater said.

“Yes, the boss wasn’t happy to see your annoying efforts. He has far too much on his plate to deal with you every time you have a complaint. What seems to be the problem. There are challengers waiting to attempt your Derelict and I can’t have you distracted from your task,” Bellis said, the grumbling minotaur didn’t appear happy, but that could have just been the default setting for his race.

“I was trying to give Administrator the courtesy of a heads up on what I’m about to do,” Slater said.

“And what exactly are you planning to do?” Bellis asked.

“I’m going to exercise a stipulation in our agreement and have decided to take action to defend our interests on the station. My MOBS will be leaving the Derelict for a time to take care of some business,” Slater said to a very shocked looking Bellis.

“No, that is completely unacceptable!” The minotaur roared.

“It was our deal; we have free reign to protect our interests on the station. Call Administrator if you need to, but from what I understand, he prides himself on keeping his word,” Slater said.

“I’m not going to bother my superior with your foolish request, you need to focus on your job, worry about the contestants, and give up any notion of going on some parade through the station,” Bellis replied.

“So, you really want to be the employee that violates Administrator’s word? I’m sure he’ll be really happy to have his reputation besmirched because an underling didn’t bother to make a simple call to his boss,” Slater taunted, betting that all of Bellis’ bluster was done out of fear of his boss finding out about the disturbance.

“Fine, but this is on your head, not mine,” Bellis grumbled, moving to the back to the compartment to make his call. Slater could only hear one side of the conversation, but from the minotaur’s dejected expression, Slater figured that he would get what he wanted.

“You’re stretching the bounds of your agreement, but Administrator has agreed to let you complete your task. He can’t let you out indefinitely, you do still have to fulfill your obligations here in the arena. You have two hours to complete what you want, so long as what you are doing is withing the bounds of your agreement. After that time, you will be designated a rogue core shard and a huge reward will be placed for your destruction,” Bellis said.

“Good, now open the hatch and get out of my way,” Slater said. He couldn’t wait to leave this place and end his agreement to participate in the arena. The first step in leaving was to protect his ships. Wiping out the gnomish warehouses and the forces inside should guarantee there weren’t any further setbacks.

With a growl, Bellis and his guards left, the hatchway remaining invitingly open. On his comm channel to the station, Slater could see a countdown starting. He needed to gather the forces for his attack and get moving, there was little time to delay. Undoubtedly, Bellis or one of his lackey’s were even now offering information on Slater’s actions to the Elgenflazzle clan. Slater hadn’t told Bellis what his target was, but is wouldn’t be too hard to figure out where he was headed.

“What now, chief?” Pixi asked.

“Now we go on the offensive. I’m gathering just about everything here in the Derelict, and I’m sending you with our MOBS so we can direct the battle,” Slater said, starting the process of moving his troops through the various compartments. He pulled up an internal map of the station, the warehouse complex was on the same level as the shipyard and looked to be mostly unpopulated like much of that old section of the station. There would be little chance of collateral damage, and he doubted that anyone would be dumb enough to stick around after watching a horde of his MOBS marching through the neighborhood.

“I can’t go into battle like this,” Pixi whined, he wasn’t a real fan of his bilge rat body.

“I agree, let me print up something more appropriate,” Slater said, ordering up a new body for Pixi, this time the smaller stealth version of the bilge rat, complete with a pair of grenades inside for emergencies.

“Really, this is what you think of me?” Pixi moaned as Slater linked him to the new body.

“I need you there to observe and help me direct the fight, not to participate in it. The stealth capabilities of this type of MOBS should keep you from being seen and if the worst happens, you get to have the fun experience of blowing yourself up,” Slater replied.

“I’m not sure how fun blowing yourself up is, but I can see the advantage of not being seen,” Pixi said.

“True, blowing yourself up isn’t much fun, after all, I’ve done it twice now and don’t intend to enjoy the experience a third time,” Slater told the reluctant fragment of his mind.

“How much are you sending with me? You’ll need to leave something behind in case Administrator tries anything funny while most of your MOBS are gone,” Pixi asked.

“I’m going to send almost everything with you, I would lead the attack, but I can’t move until we have enough resources to complete my avatar project,” Slater replied, in fact, this might a good time to finish it up. He pulled all research from other projects and pushed everything he had into the avatar.

“I thought that was ready. Are you still tweaking it?” Pixi asked. His avatar project was a way to move his core under its own power. He wanted to have mobility that wasn’t reliant on one of his MOBS or construction drones hauling him around. It would incorporate a heavily armored shell with several failsafe systems to protect him. As the concept progressed, he realized that he also wanted a way to defend himself and the standard weapons his MOBS used weren’t going to cut it. If Slater was forced to engage in direct combat, he wanted to completely overwhelm his foe.

“It functions, but it’s not what I want just yet. I’m going to send the following forces with you,” Slater said, pushing the order of battle over to Pixi.

Warehouse assault team:

Cyborks (30).

Kobots (10).

Gnomechs (5).

“That’s just the forces from the Derelict, you’re also going to have the ten cyborks and the gnomech that are guarding the salvage shipments. It should be enough to handle whatever the gnomes have, especially after the thrashings we’ve already given them. Head out now, we need to move fast before they figure out that we’re coming,” Slater said.

“On my way boss, this should be fun,” Pixi said, climbing up on one of the gnomechs as the MOBS made their way out of the hatch in the core room. Slater only had a small force of defenders remaining to protect his core, choosing to consolidate them into the armory, shooting range, and bridge. As Pixi left, Slater gave Hixrax a call to inform him of the plan.

The path to the Elgenflazzle warehouses was a long one, but Bellis had mapped out a way for them to arrive on the station level he desired without having to tromp his force through highly populated areas. Slater was worried about an ambush, but it didn’t look like Bellis, despite his obvious annoyance, was colluding with the gnomes. His entire force was able to fit into a cargo elevator that would take them to the appropriate level. The elevator was uncomfortably close to the warehouse area that the Elgenflazzle Clan was holed up in, but there was no sign of them as Slater tracked the progress of his forces.

The station level that housed his dockyard and the gnomish warehouse complex was lightly populated and considered a poor area. Anyone who could afford to had moved to the newer, nicer, and more expensive areas of the station. That didn’t mean this area was deserted however, but the few residents his forces did encounter on the way, wisely made themselves scarce. As the cargo elevator opened, the force that had been protecting the cargo shipments as well as some unusual Chixturax were there to meet him. Slater had added a pair of construction drones with these forces. Each drone dragged a pallet of salvage and bio bricks behind it, allowing him to repair units, print replacements, and top off ammo when needed.

“Woah, get a load of these guys,” Pixi said from his perch. Hixrax was there with ten huge Chixturax that Slater assumed were the warrior forms of his people that Hixrax had spoken of.

“Slater, I followed your forces here with my warriors. We wish to participate in the defense of our people. I cannot ask you to fight alone,” Hixrax said.

“I appreciate your help, just what can your warriors do?” Slater asked.

The warriors had the same ant-like body of every Chixturax, but their carapace was a duller color and Slater could tell from the way they moved that the armor protecting them was thick. How effective natural armor would be in a battle with modern weapons was up for debate, but he assumed it would provide at least some level of protection. The normal pair of grasping arms were there, cradling the latest version of the laser rifle Slater had made for them, but a second, much larger pair of arms protruded from the humanoid torsos. This new pair of arms were thicker and heavily armored like the rest of the warrior’s body. Instead of a pair of grasping hands, these limbs ended with a pair of claws.

“The warrior forms of my people are designed to defend our hives and will give their lives to protect our people. They are armored and their bodies are formed for battle. You will find they are all excellent shots, and their war claws can crush any foe they meet.

“Boss, you need to let them come, I want to see these guys in action,” Pixi whispered in his mind.

“I’d be happy to have your warriors join us in the fight, will they take my orders?” Slater asked.

“We will, Slater, we obey the will of the Warmaster, which you have been designated by our elders,” One of the Chixturax warriors announced.

“Good, my first command is for a pair of you to escort Hixrax back to his home, I can’t risk him getting hurt in the fight,” Slater said, Hixrax nodded and headed toward the empty cargo elevator. Confirming each of the Chixturax warriors had comms gear, Slater outlined his plan.

The gnomes occupied three large warehouses that sat in the middle of partially demolished block. While he couldn’t use adjacent buildings to march right up to the foe, the debris from the demolition would at least provide some cover. Since it looked like the gnomes were unaware of their presence, a situation that was likely to change at any moment, Slater planned to hit each warehouse at the same time.

He divided up his forces into three groups, designating the warehouses as targets one, two, and three. Target one would be breached by the force that had been escorting the salvage shipments. He would reinforce them with another gnomech, two kobot snipers, and the Chixturax warriors. Targets two and three would divide the remaining forces equally, giving each strike team fifteen cyborks, four kobot snipers, and a pair of gnomechs. He didn’t know how many foes were waiting for them, so he might have to shift forces if one target proved to be too well defended.

His construction drones printed up extra ammo for everyone, along with a trio of grenades, one each of fragmentation, laser globe, and ripper grenades. The Chixturax warriors confirmed they could throw well enough to not be a danger to themselves or others, and Pixi gave them a quick rundown on how the more unusual versions of his grenades functioned. The forces then split up, using different paths through the maze of structures as they closed on the foe.

“Pixi, make sure everyone knows this is a fight to the death, there will be no quarter given to the enemy. We need to crush these Elgenflazzle’s to the point they can no longer threaten our work,” Slater said.

“Roger that, boss, it’s time for some payback. Let’s see how they like being the ones attacked in their home,” Pixi said as the forces reached their stepping off point.

With kobots in overwatch positions, the cyborks charged each of the warehouses, the gnomechs following behind to support the initial assault. Each pair of gnomechs had one armed with a heavy machinegun and one with a grenade launcher. Slater wanted to upgrade his grenade launchers to fire the more exotic versions of the hand grenades had had developed, but there hadn’t been time to research the ammo yet. The grenade armed gnomechs didn’t wait for a reaction, and their weapons were already coughing out high explosive grenades into every opening in the old rundown warehouses that the Elgenflazzle operated out of.

Shouts of alarm and screams of pain were heard in between the exploding grenades. Kobot snipers also began to fire, picking off any gnome that was foolish enough to peek out at what was charging toward them. The cyborks were fast, making their way to the side of the warehouses without taking a single casualty. As they stacked up on the doors, a familiar clanking and scraping noise was heard, the ground shook slightly as part of a wall on target one collapsed. Emerging from the wreckage was the huge, armored face of a death contraption thingy, lasers already blazing wildly. The easy kills were done with, his force was about to face a real challenge.