MGIS 5 - Gathering Strength - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I’m not afraid to admit that I underestimated him at first glance. Mostly because it took all of three seconds to recognize I was doing it and correct my opinion.

That male is dangerous, and to far more than just the chastity of my girls. He’s got the attitude of a warrior-prince from those holo-vid thrillers, and a body to match if how his gear fit was any indication. His guards would charge a battalion on his command without hesitation.

That’s a loyalty you have to earn, and it was clear he did.

~Commander Rockfang, after-action report.

Desmond checked his spike rifle once more before sliding it over his shoulder and letting the magnetic sling built into the side of his cargo-pod take it out of his hands. A rapid series of pats allowed him to check that all of his ammo was tucked into the pouches and pods built into his armor where it was expected.

He finished the odd little dance by shifting the short-handled axe that was holstered on his left hip towards his back, where it sat nearly against his cargo-pod. Once he confirmed his melee weapon was present, Desmond pressed it back into the carrier until it clicked to lock it in place.

“You didn’t check your sidearm,” said a gruff voice behind him and Desmond turned to smirk up at his commanding officer.

“With all due respect, Captain, I’d have to remember specifically to leave it behind. I’d be more likely to forget my foot than that nowadays.”

Captain Skytreader smirked, amusement flickering in her glowing orange eyes as the big woman surveyed the little group where it stood in the shuttle bay of her ship.

It’d been almost a week since they had split from the Vigilant Titan along their fleet patrol route. In that time, Desmond and the girls had figured out what model they wanted for the new armor and the ship’s nano-forge was hard at work processing the parts. In order to handle it efficiently, they were milling all of one type of part at a time to be assembled later. So they were still wearing their old sets for now.

“You look ready to handle the problem at hand, Adept.” The captain settled into an easy stance while studying Desmond and his guards.

Chloe was in the middle of checking a strap on Raegan’s back, jerking firmly to tighten the mount that held her own magnetic sling which she would use to exchange her auto-shotgun for Sledge, her multi-munition launcher, when she needed the bigger weapon. Sasha was doing a final function check on her refined mana-sensor, while Lila stood watch over the group, twirling her large-bore pistol casually in one hand.

“Deployment orders were straightforward. Local colony reported sensor contacts of a Rift forming on the far side of a planet that is being used as an agriworld with a stable population in the millions. My girls and I won’t hesitate to bring this Rift down as quickly as possible,” Desmond replied bluntly and Skytreader gave him a firm nod.

“Good. You and Windracer are next on the duty roster, but I have Rowett on standby should it be necessary to request reinforcements. Due to the threat of the Rift forming on a populated world, ground forces have the site cordoned off to ensure no one does something dumb like trying to peek inside and set it off. The local commander will give you a site-rep when you touch down. It's a Gaur by the name of Rockfang.”

“Understood, Captain,” Desmond gave her a salute and she returned it with a firm nod.

“I don’t need to tell you to be careful, you’ll do your duty. I’ll just give you my best instead and remind you to call for back-up if you need it.” The Uth’ra woman glanced over her shoulder at the clatter of boots on the decking, spotting the large group that was Adept Tara Windracer’s team as they clattered through the hatch and into the docking bay.

Tara Windracer was an Uth’ra, as was most of her squad. They were a full-strength squad with a total of four Uth’ra guards and two Hyreh. The two green-skinned guards stood to either side of their formation as they marched.

“Captain,” the adept grunted as she came to a stop in front of her commanding officer and gave her a stiff salute.

“Adept Windracer. I look forward to hearing a positive report of your actions during this deployment. You know the stakes here,” Skytreader said crisply and Desmond swore he could hear the subtext behind her words, implying the stakes for both the planet as well as Windracer’s own fate.

Windracer nodded stiffly, her granite-colored face emotionless as she stared at her commanding officer.

“Good. McLaughlin is lead on this. Ensure nothing goes wrong during the suppression,” Skytreader said after studying the other woman for a long moment.

“Of course, Captain. Ladies, let’s load up.” Windracer entirely ignored Desmond, instead turning to her guards and gestured to the open shuttle door.

When the other adept had entered the bay, all four of Desmond’s guards had snapped to attention and rallied behind him, watching the other adept warily but making a point of not being threatening in their postures. Only when the seven others marched past did any of them relax, and it was Raegan blowing out a sigh.

“They’d have had to be really dumb to start something in front of the Captain,” Lila murmured quietly, but still loud enough for even said captain to hear.

Captain Skytreader snorted derisively before turning back to the group with a stern expression.

“Hopefully this will be an opportunity for her to learn better after that sound beating you gave her in the duel. Regardless, the Fist of Defiance will be within range to deploy shortly. I just wanted to check up and remind you to keep your eyes open,” Skytreader said meaningfully.

Desmond didn’t need to even think all that hard to get what she was implying. They’d been finding strange signs in Rifts for the last several months. Whether they were connected was still something that they were working to establish, but with this one having formed on an inhabited planet, he’d be doubly sure to be careful.

“Will do, Captain.”

“Good. I got word back on an encoded transmission that we might have a few answers coming in soon. Or, at the very least, some additional information that might turn into answers eventually.” The captain’s tone remained even, but Desmond quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly. She shook her head to tell him that was all she could disclose at the moment, and Desmond nodded in understanding.

“All right. Ladies, let’s get on board. Remember comm discipline, we don’t want to look bad in front of the locals by bickering where they can hear us.”

Desmond’s four guards saluted him and Lila turned to lead the way onto the shuttle.

“McLaughlin,” the captain called as he was about to turn away, so he paused to look back at her. “You planning to fill out your squad any time soon? You are my only adept running under full strength,” Skytreader said, tacking the second part on when Desmond’s brow furrowed.

“I’m not against it, but my girls and I can handle anything we come across. Don’t you worry about that.”

“Not worried. Just had more than a few inquiries from my marines about the openings is all,” snorted the Uth’ra woman, and Desmond relaxed at that. “Get going.”

<><><>

Less than ten minutes after strapping into his seat on the shuttle, they got the signal to launch.

Desmond spent the time reassuring his girls via their internal squad comms. They’d all helmeted up before loading, though they hadn’t engaged the external pressure seals to not waste any of the stored breathable atmosphere that was in the suits.

He was sitting at the head of their line, with Chloe right next to him as was usual, with his girls arrayed in a row waiting patiently. Windracer’s team murmured to each other in low tones, and Desmond did his best to shut them out since it was clear they were having a private conversation.

At least as private a conversation as they can have in these close quarters without buttoning up their helmets, Desmond thought with a wry smirk. 

As if she could hear his thoughts, Chloe’s voice echoed along their team line.

“Des, do you think they are going to cause any trouble?”

“No, they won’t do anything overt, Precious. I expect Windracer is going to just try and show me up in the Rift today. She’ll be hoping to score points and recover some of her ruined reputation. Just focus on the job at hand and us getting home safe,” Desmond reassured her, reaching over to pat one armored thigh on his largest lover with a clank.

The motion drew the attention of Windracer, but she pointedly looked away a moment later, ignoring them.

That’s going to be trouble if she doesn’t listen or communicate during this trip. Whatever, we can make it work but I would prefer she worked with me, Desmond thought with a sigh. They trained us to operate independently from each other, so it’s not like we need to interlock our squads. As long as she doesn’t do something dumb to try and make herself look good.

Rather than dwell on the moment and his problems with Windracer, Desmond instead turned his attention inwards to check on his dynamo and cache status.

The little metaphysical organ in his chest hummed happily away, ready and willing. He could feel from the pressure on his cache that he was full up on mana at the moment.

Ever since that whole thing with Charybdis, I’ve been nervous about stressing my dynamo, Desmond thought with a sigh. That was a dumb experiment to be trying, especially for something as simple as an honor duel. But I was mad, and mad people are known to do stupid shit. That’s one enhancement that is going back in the closet. Too much can go wrong to consider it right now.

Reminded of the duel, Desmond turned over his memories of the fight and the recording of the aftermath that he’d seen.

From inside, he’d just felt angry and lashed out. He’d ended the fight as simply as possible while empowered by Charybdis and the excess mana that he’d drawn in. But when he’d watched the recordings, he realized why everyone had been staring at him for a good few days.

Next time I need to not slack off and wait so long when the girls urge me to review stuff. I was embarrassed about how close that fight was, Desmond sighed as he played the recording over in his head.

The fight, his dodging and attacks, the conjuration of the six-legged hunting cat. The blow that had wounded him grievously—he still was surprised the medical techs hadn’t called the fight at that point—and his subsequent snap healing that looked like something he would have expected from a comic-book hero.

Spitting out his old fillings when the supercharged healing fixed everything about him, including cavities that were a decade old.

Then what had happened next.

He’d thought that the enhancement that he’d laid out was just a regular Einherjar, but when the mana had slammed into place around him, it had added almost four feet to his height and encased him in what he could only describe as ghostly power-armor made of green, transparent mana.

He’d then thrown Windracer around like she was a rag doll, and had actually damaged the flooring in the adept-specific range that the duel had been held in.

I need to figure out the pattern I used that made that happen, Desmond thought idly. It’s clear it wasn’t Einherjar, though it was similar enough that is a good place to start. The girls are right, as they usually are. I need to see about spending some time drilling with spells again, besides just the regular work to make sure I don’t lose my edge.

A bump from the shuttle shook him out of his thoughts a moment before the radio crackled and the pilot’s voice came through the line.

“Entering the atmosphere. Arriving at the landing zone in the next five minutes.”

“Acknowledged,” he replied after bumping his chin on the button to transmit externally into the hold so the pilot would hear through the two-way radio. “We are in your hands.”

“Don’t tempt me, Adept,” laughed the pilot. “I’d love for you to actually be in my hands. But I’ll make sure you have a smooth ride to your target.”

A snort of amusement came from Chloe next to him, and Desmond just rolled his eyes, despite knowing that none of his girls could see it right now.

“What are your orders?” Windracer said, her tone clipped as she finally turned to glare at Desmond.

Pushing his distractions aside, Desmond shifted in his seat to look through his clear faceplate at the other adept and quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Well? Captain put you in charge, McLaughlin. What orders do you have for your lessers?” Acid dripped from the Uth’ra’s tone as she glared back at him and Desmond bit back a sigh.

“You know your team best, Adept Windracer. We will enter the Rift, assess it, and then go from there. I expect proper radio discipline and check-in’s every ten minutes minimum. Regardless of our differences, we have a colony that needs protecting and a Rift that needs suppressing.”

Desmond’s response just made the big woman’s upper lip curl back further, though her guards remained staunchly neutral-faced. The two Hyreh even looked a little embarrassed at their adept’s continued hostility.

He prepared for Windracer to say something else, to provoke him somehow, or even insult him. Desmond could handle those, it was when she targeted his girls that it really got under his skin.

But instead, Windracer just turned her head with a huff and went back to ignoring him.

Shrugging internally, Desmond returned the favor and waited patiently for their shuttle to arrive.

<><><>

Since the shuttles the Hegemony used were built sturdy and for function, there weren’t any windows for them to be able to look out through. So the first sight Desmond and his crew had of the agriworld they were setting down on was when the sturdy doors slammed open.

As had been their standard, Desmond had Chloe lead the way out. Even though the shuttle was delivering them outside the Rift for once, they were going to treat this as if they were inside the Rift just to be safe.

Shield presented like a smaller version of the massive armored door to her left, Chloe scanned the landing zone with her repeater locked into the notch on the shield’s right side to support it. The smart-arm that attached to the back of her armor helped steady the massive new weapon and the long chain of ammunition that extended from the bulky pack to the side of the heavy-bore weapon jingled with her step.

“Looks good, Des,” Chloe called back even as the others followed her out to take up positions to cover the landing zone warily before radioing their assent back.

“Bit much, McLaughlin,” grumbled Windracer, but Desmond ignored the woman and followed his girls out, spike rifle at the ready.

The brilliantly blue sky overhead was almost piercing with how it glowed in the afternoon light. Faint yellow clouds floated overhead, drifting across the blue expanse like butter-colored dreams.

The landing zone they were in was a hastily cleared portion of what looked like a field of grain, but rather than the normal yellow-brown color of rye or wheat that Desmond was used to from back on Terra, these grains were a dull plum color at the stalk, bearing grains of a brilliant purple at the tip where they hadn’t been stomped flat to make space for the shuttle.

A dozen simple structures were set up around the edge of the cleared space that had the utilitarian look of prefab buildings that were simply dropped into place to provide bunk space for the troops assigned here. Across the field, Desmond spotted another far larger building made of sun-stained metal that had disc-shaped drones entering one end to exit the other.

Barn I bet. Automation to help tending to the fields. Even with a population in the millions on the colony, this is an entire world turned over to farming, Desmond thought wryly as he scanned the small group of people heading in their direction.

“Form up. Normal array. Let’s get that site-rep before we head in. Don’t make the locals nervous, ladies,” Desmond ordered and his girls fell into their normal arrangement around him. He caught Windracer rolling her eyes as she followed him out with her guards trailing behind her like a group of ducklings and he fought not to roll his eyes as well at her lack of professionalism.

The approaching group was all dressed in standard Hegemony body armor and had rifles held at the low ready. He could tell from the stiffness of her walk, Chloe was not happy with someone unknown and armed approaching them like this, but he knew that was her protective streak showing.

“Adepts, welcome to Istra-2,” said the large Gaur in the lead as soon as they got within about thirty feet of the group.

The Gaur, Commander Rockfang he assumed, was like most of her kind. Completely hairless and with skin of a dark slate color. Intelligent, highlighter-green eyes shone under dark brows as she smiled his way, displaying the square, black teeth of the Gaur. Her wings flexed idly behind her, the muscular appendages large enough that she might have been able to achieve flight without her gear on.

“I’ll assume you are Commander Rockfang then?” Desmond asked, getting a nod as the group of local troops parted, allowing their group to march through while falling in on either side.

Rockfang spun in place smartly and walked just ahead and to his left, directly in front of Chloe’s weapon but seemingly unconcerned by the massive barrel that could adjust to blow a hole in her before she could think. Instead, it seemed like she was more concerned with ensuring that Desmond had a clear shot at whatever he decided he wanted to aim at.

Clearly she’s worked with adepts before, Desmond thought with a wry smile as the Gaur responded.

“Yes, that’d be me. The Rift is just on the other side of the buildings there. I’m sure you are in a hurry to secure it, so I’ll brief you as we walk.”

“Please,” Desmond said and got another smart nod from the woman. He was enjoying her no-nonsense attitude.

“Colony sensors detected the Rift’s formation three days ago. As soon as we locked in on its location, we dispatched security forces to lock down the site. We weren’t able to get here before the farmer lost a pair of drones that were tending the area. Their automated path had them fly right into it and he lost signal on them. Thankfully, she recognized the entrance for what it was when she flew out here to look for the drones and adjusted the others to avoid the area.”

“Good to hear. I’ll see if we can’t haul the drones out for her if they are still in one piece. No idea if the Rift monsters took exception to something intruding on their space or not, so no promises.” Desmond’s response startled the Gaur and her wings flapped slightly to display it as she turned a glance his way.

Since Gaur didn’t have eyebrows to mark their facial features, Desmond had been working to pick up the subtle tells of their other appendages. Friends on the crew had been helping him fill out what he’d started over a year before during his time on the Valor’s Bid. The brief flutter displayed surprise, but since it didn’t continue past a few flicks, it didn’t turn into concern or anything negative.

Wonder how Bell is doing? Desmond thought idly, remembering the other Gaur he was close to, a sergeant on the Fist of Defiance that had been with them during their aborted leave on the station previously. He’d seen her in passing since then, but the sergeant had been busy with her work and hadn’t had time to do more than greet him in passing.

“Not necessary. We’ll handle recovery of the drones or their scrap after the Rift is secured. Though I’ll pass on your intentions to the landowner. These drones can be expensive, so she’ll be appreciative if we can get them back for her in one piece.”

“Nonsense, Commander Rockfang. If you don’t look after the people who grow your food, then you starve. My girls are strong, won’t take them more than a minute to haul them out if they are in one piece. Though if they are broken up, I will leave it to the recovery teams to extract them. The suppression is the highest priority,” Desmond countered with a wave of his hand.

“As you command, Adept,” the commander said, tapping her fist to her breastbone in the traditional salute of a non-adept soldier to one of the adepts, symbolizing a shield over the dynamo of the adept.

“What else can you tell me about the Rift? Anything attempt to sneak out yet? I’m assuming since we were called in you don’t have a resident adept team to deal with these things?”

“No, Istra-2 has a small enough population and we are far enough from the space-lanes that we don’t have one assigned here. Part of the problem with living on the frontier. The Seventh takes good care of us though,” the commander replied with another square-toothed smile. “As far as the Rift, nothing has come out yet. Our colony sensors put it as a grade-3 Rift, so it shouldn't be a problem for your teams, but per protocol we haven’t breached it to check anything yet.”

“As expected,” Windracer grumped and the commander shot her a look before turning back to Desmond.

They pushed past the small prefab buildings, which honestly reminded Desmond of armored shipping containers like the ones they’d transport on trains back on Terra, before coming out the other side to see the Rift.

While it was usually from the inside that Desmond would see the Rift entrance, since the majority of them formed either in the void or on planets that were not fit for habitation, he was familiar with them.

The entrance to the Rift hung in the air, a shimmering veil of light that shifted slowly through colors, only half of which he even had names for. He knew that the twisting veil of light was emitting a constant pressure of mana that pushed against those near, but not to the level that it would harm anyone by its presence. Just enough that it could be felt in the air.

His dynamo picked up speed a bit, scraping the mana out of the air and dragging it in to begin processing it despite his cache being full.

Greedy little thing, Desmond thought in amusement as he studied the veil before nodding.

“All right. Windracer, you are up. Secure the inside and we’ll begin pushing through the Rift.”

The Uth’ra woman grunted irritably and hurried past Desmond, her guards racing to keep up with her while securing helmets. They stepped up to the veil of light and promptly vanished as if they had walked through an invisible curtain.

While Desmond could see through the veil that was the entrance to the Rift, he knew anything passing through it from either side would slip into the pocket reality that was formed of the concentrated mana.

“Any idea why it formed out here in this field?” Desmond asked as his girls gave their gear one last check over.

“None. Though they do happen on occasion. We recently had a super-freighter come through to pick up our last harvest, so that ship’s mana wake was likely the tipping point. Just part of life, though,” Rockfang said with a sigh.

Desmond hesitated for a moment, glancing around at the two-dozen guards of different races that all stood at attention with weapons trained on the Rift in case something did try to emerge from it.

Keying the button to unlock his helmet, Desmond pulled it off and gestured for the commander to lean closer to him. She blinked in surprise at his appearance but did so, her wings spreading to steady her and block the view of them from behind.

“Commander, has anyone attempted to infiltrate the Rift while you and your girls have been here?” Desmond asked in a low tone, watching the woman carefully.

The Gaur’s forehead wrinkled in thought and she shook her head after a long moment.

“No, Adept. Anyone with half a brain knows how dangerous Rifts are,” she said without hesitation.

“Good. See you in a bit when the job is done then,” Desmond said, giving her a nod and a salute before snapping his helmet on once more.

“Best of luck, Adept!” The commander responded, returning the salute and straightening up once more.

“I appreciate the blessing, but my girls don’t need luck. They are all skill,” Desmond replied, getting a chorus of snickers that only he could hear over the comms before turning and leading their group into the swirling veil of the Rift.