System Supervillain, Chapter 132

Chapter 132 – Moscow

(Gel-Nak Command Center, Moscow, Russia)

Army Leader Yanzu, Third Class Noble of the Gel-Nak Empire, scowled as the sun rose over the frozen landscape of this wretched city on this pitiful backwater planet that had never known the perfect order of the Empire. It was the duty of the Empire to bring civilization to these savages, and prevent their wild genetics from bringing disorder to the galaxy. But the damnable savages couldn’t just lay down their weapons and submit to their betters, like they ought to. No, they had to go and make things difficult. Even though all they were doing was hurting their chances of earning their way out of slavery anytime in the next five generations. At this rate, the species was probably going to be slaves forever. And rightly so.

The humans of this city, ‘Moscow’, had proven to be little challenge. The ship-leader of the Blessing of Order had cleared out a landing zone in the center of the city, eliminating many of the vermin as he did so. Still, there were more than enough slaves left. Over ten million new slaves had been captured and sent through the portal for processing and assignment.

Yanzu frowned slightly as she considered what she had heard from the Slavetenders on Srusk 3. The genetic instability and mutability that allowed for these humans to display such nonstandard abilities was greater than other species the Empire had encountered before. Eliminating the variations and properly ordering the species, without introducing genetic degradation through inbreeding, would likely require extensive modifications and genetic purges. Of the ten million slaves, the Slavetenders expected to end up with a healthy breeding stock of only one to two million.

The Geneworkers had also done preliminary scans. The genetic instability also meant that the normal pacification and normalization treatments would not work on these humans. The treatments would need to be redone from scratch. All the while the ‘wild’ humans would remain feral, and rebellious. Which meant that this was not going to be an easy occupation.

The genetic aberrations known as ‘supers’ amongst the humans were a problem for that occupation, as well. Reports were already coming in from the surviving footholds. The London foothold, cut off from Thraxl by the apparent destruction of the portal on the other side, was surrendering to the humans. In Rio di Janeiro, the humans were counterattacking, and things had devolved into chaos. Some leaders were rallying troops to fight, others were fleeing for their lives, throwing away their honor in an attempt to survive. The cowards would likely be stripped of their rank and genetically changed into Worker caste.

Fortunately, she had not had any such cowardice here, at her base. The 173rd Planetary Assault Legion was not like some of the other, lesser legions which had been sent to this backwater. They had been chosen for this assault precisely because they were the best, having trained on Srusk 4, a frozen world known as Rhuk. Only the strongest survived their training on Rhuk, which is why the 173rd was allowed to bear the mark of the Rhuk on their armor.

The strength, not only of body but of mind, that made up the legion was also why they had not reacted to the announcements from this ‘Iceblade’ like the other Gel-nak had. They were the 173rd. They had faced Rhuk and conquered it, so this human calling himself by their world’s name did not frighten them in the slightest.

The enemy’s words did not matter. The broadcast showing Supreme Commander Dhava Vrir’ak turned to ice had not shaken them. His display with the Engineworkers on the Harbinger of Death did not sway them. Even the news that the Emperor was dead did not break their resolve. They were the 173rd, the Hunters of Rhuk, and they did not know fear.

Yanzu looked to her Subleader. “Are all forces ready? The enemy will be coming. Analysis suggests use of stealth tactics, rather than frontal assaults. Probably using our weakness against cold against us.”

“They are, Army Leader. And they have all prepared.”

“Good. We will see how this so-called Rhuk reacts when the hunt is turned back on him.”

They were the 173rd, after all. They trained upon the frozen world of Rhuk, and so they knew well their weakness to the cold. They also knew that creatures of cold were often weak against fire. Not because they burned more easily, but because those adapted to the cold would quickly overheat and pass out from temperatures that were beyond the norm. Which is why the 173rd carried special weapons, using fire as a weapon. A weapon they did not have to fear, as their armor had 75% Resistant Damage Reduction to Fire.

That armor allowed them to use area effect weapons in close quarters with little risk to their allies, which is why they had flamethrowers in their gauntlets, which could unleash fire in a line or cone, or even unleashing a fireball on their own position. More than one icy predator on Rhuk had learned the hard way that even if they managed to catch a member of the 173rd by surprise, speed and agility was no defense against those who would burn everything to take out their foes.

There would be no retreat, no surrender. Not from her legion. And, if it looked as though they were going to fall, they would fall with honor, wounding the enemy as much as possible.

Iceblade’s Numbing Frost: 2d6+1 = 8 STUN (x2 Vulnerability) (ED 40) (75% Damage Reduction) (Penetrating, 2 damage)

And then, the first wave of cold swept over the city. A cold that penetrated her armor, and left Yanzu shivering, despite herself. But training kicked in, eliminating surprise. “Enemy attack! Find where it is coming from!”

“Unknown, Army Leader! It appears to be an area effect, large enough to cover the entire area within the shield! It is ignoring all defenses!”

She snarled, and said, “Find the center point! The shield prevents attacks from outside, so they must be somewhere within the shield!”

Iceblade’s Numbing Frost: 2d6 = 5 STUN (x2 Vulnerability) (ED 40) (75% Damage Reduction) (Penetrating, 2 damage)

Iceblade’s Cryogenics: 1d6+1 = 6 Transform Damage

Yanzu cursed under her breath as she felt an icy chill running up her scales, separate from the first frost attack. “Layered area effects! Energy and Transform! Sensors, do we have a center point to target?”

“Negative, Army Leader! Massive area effect, with no visible center point or power origin! It could be launched from anywhere under the shield!”

“Word from Invasion Point Srusk! The attack is penetrating the portal and hitting those on the other side!”

Iceblade’s Numbing Frost: 2d6 = 9 STUN (x2 Vulnerability) (ED 40) (75% Damage Reduction) (Penetrating, 2 damage)

Iceblade’s Cryogenics: 1d6+1 = 5 Transform Damage

Yanzu grit her teeth as another pulse of power washed over her. There was not time for an orderly retreat, and without any idea of where the source was, they could not properly counter this attack. If it were just the Stun damage, they would have time for a proper search. The transform, however, was moving too quickly. They only had minutes, at most, before the entire legion was disabled.

Losing her legion without even being able to shoot back was unacceptable. The fact that the power was extending through the portal, as well, also made it a threat to Srusk as a whole. No, this could not be allowed to continue. There was only one choice left.

Resolve firm, she drew herself up to her full height, and said, “Contact Srusk Command. Inform them that we are initiating Contingency Plan Damnation Flame. Then shut down the portal.”

Her Subleader nodded, grimly, and made the appropriate communications. A moment later, he looked back at her. “Portal closed. Contingency Plan Damnation Flame requires a confirmation code from the Army Leader in command. Once the code is given, there can be no rescinding it.”

“Code Rhick Thask Fazi Xath Scax Fal Wvem Thas Yanzu. Execute. Even in death, we will strike at the enemies of the Empire.”

(Elsewhere in Moscow, Russia)

I took a breath as I sat on pile of rubble that was once the Mercury City Tower, in what remained of the Russian capital. I wasn’t exactly hidden, but there was enough debris that someone would have to be close, or looking down from above, to spot me. And the Gel-nak had flattened all the skyscrapers nearby during their initial assault. So, the chances of my actually being seen were slim, especially with how I had paid to disguise the location of the powers I was using.

Power Configuration

Cost

Description

END

24

Frozen Armor – Armor (20 PD/20 ED) (60 Active Points). Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END, -1/2), Visible (-1/4), Costs Endurance Only to Activate (-1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Conditional Power (Does not work in High Heat, -1/4)

Icy plates cover Iceblade’s body, providing an impressive extra layer of defense against attacks, with the slight downside of the ice being quite obvious in its intended purpose.

12

34

Cryogenics – Major Transform 1d6+1 (Flesh to Ice, Healed by Time), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Costs END Only to Activate (+1/4), Area of Effect (2m Radius, +3/4), MegaScale (1m = 10km, +1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Source Only, Fully Invisible, +1/2), Continuous (+1) (85 Active Points). Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END, -1/2), No Range (-1/2), Concentration (0 DCV, -1/2), Conditional Power (Does not work in High Heat, -1/4)

All creatures of flesh within the area begin to freeze, gradually turning into icy sculptures, until they eventually thaw out, once enough time has passed.

16

27

Numbing Frost – Energy Blast 2d6+1, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Area of Effect (2m Radius, +3/4), MegaScale (1m = 10km, +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Source Only, Fully Invisible, +1/2), Penetrating (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (55 Active Points). No Range (-1/2), Concentration (0 DCV, -1/2), Conditional Power (Does not work in high heat, -1/4)

Iceblade spreads out a thin layer of power across a wide area, sending numbing cold through anyone in the area, sapping their strength, no matter the defenses they might have in place.

0

Points Left:

0

I still had my Frost Armor up, since I couldn’t be one hundred percent sure that a random Gel-nak patrol wouldn’t find me while I worked. A System Teleport had brought me to Moscow, outside the shield in the dead of night. I’d spent a few hours infiltrating the city, using my powers as little as possible while dodging Gel-nak patrols. These guys were apparently the Gel-nak equivalent of special forces, cold-blooded creatures who did their training on an ice world, and had special armor to show for it. Which meant I had to treat them with more respect than I did the rest of the lizards.

And the armor would be important if someone caught on to what I was doing in time to actually stop me. In order to get both effects under the point limits of my ice powers, I had to make them require more concentration than normal. I would be all but defenseless while maintaining them.

That said, I wasn’t too worried about that. After all, the Cryogenics power would take down any Gel-nak who didn’t have at least a little of the Power Defense ability in short order. And, if any of them did have Power Defense, they would still have the Numbing Frost chipping away at them, inexorably. So long as no one found me in the next couple minutes, I could drop the powers, and concentrate on fighting anyone who remained with my normal abilities.

“Master, the Gel-nak leader just ordered the portal to be closed.”

I nodded at Web Mistress’s words. Naturally, I had her observing the Gel-nak from inside their own network, since I didn’t trust them to just sit back and let themselves be taken out. “Sensible. The attacks were probably leaking through the portal, since their method of travel reduces the distance between two points to zero, rather than being strictly teleportation.”

“Yes, but that’s not all. The leader just issued orders for something called Contingency Plan Damnation Flame. That needed a confirmation code.”

That wasn’t good. Contingency plans that had ominous names like that and needed confirmation codes to be used usually meant only one thing. Boom. “How bad, and how long?”

“Checking… The Engineworkers in the two landing ships have just set the reactors to blow! No time to stop it. They’re going up, and they’ll take everything under the shield with it! Ten seconds until detonation!”

“Right, then. Time to go. Retreat from their networks. I’ll meet you and the rest of Devastation in our lair in New York.”

That said, I didn’t even bother standing. Instead, I simply opened the System interface I used for my System powers, and quickly entered the coordinates for my lair in New York. If the enemy wanted to level what remained of the city, then I certainly wasn’t going to stop them. Didn’t mean I would be here to die with them, though.

The next instant, I was back in New York, in the living room of my lair. It was still the middle of the night, locally, but that didn’t matter. Web Mistress appeared next to me as I moved to the ‘control room’, announced by the sound of dialup internet. I didn’t even have to say anything, before a satellite image appeared on the main screen, showing Moscow from above. For a moment, everything looked normal, and then the area under the shield disappeared in greenish-white glow, as the Gel-nak reactors blew.

“What do you want to bet the alien reactors cause some new problem?” I asked.

“No bet,” Web Mistress shook her head. “They don’t seem like the type to ensure that their last-ditch doomsday devices avoid harmful fallout or anything like that. Fortunately, the Russian military is outside the shield, and surviving Russian supers are there, too. I’m sure they can handle whatever happens.”