A3 - Chapter 156 – Into the Abyss (Part 1) (Patreon)

USD: 2 Days Since Comm Failure

Location: Nu Crateris, Outer System, Hades Interior, Near Alpha Site

The arrival of reinforcements, directed by Heeler, couldn't have come at a better time. As they joined the fray against the flash-bags, the pressure on the SR Hot Pursuit vanished. Numerous drone gunships, each armed with a single railgun, soared into action blasting away at the incoming organics. Their railguns blasted holes in flash-bags detonating them from afar. They continued to spread up and down the tunnel and detonations worked their way up and down the moon's interior.

From his seat on the bridge, Lavigne listened intently as Daniel and Morrison discussed the situation.

"How far away do we need to be for it to be safe to destroy these flash-bags?" Daniel asked Morrison.

Morrison checked some readouts before responding. "At least 6 kilometers, when we were closer than that, things started to crack."

Lavigne chimed in, indicating that one weak point of the flash-bags was that they could be dealt with from afar as long as they could be shot at and detected. He directed Morrison to deploy recon drones to improve their sensor range. Daniel voiced his concern about their drones frying due to the EMF interference in a short time.

"We just need them for this combat," Lavigne reassured him. "Some loss of sensor drones will be acceptable."

The crew went to work on deploying recon drones. As Lavigne watched, the explosions became distant, providing some relief from the relentless battle. Then Heeler contacted them through comms.

"I have important information on our attackers," Heeler announced with a growl.

Heeler's deep voice resonated through the comms. "I have analyzed the EMF waves and discovered that these creatures are using them to communicate and organize," he explained. "They are being controlled by a central location deeper inside the moon."

Lavigne raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Heeler's findings. "How did you manage to decode this information?"

"My NAI processing has adapted to their peculiar method of communication," Heeler replied. "However, I cannot lead the attack myself, as I must remain near the central factory to continue production and defend it."

Heeler continued, "I will provide gunship drones to assist you in your assault."

The crew exchanged uneasy glances, aware of the risks involved in launching an assault with so many unknown variables.

"If we don't take action now," Heeler added grimly, "we might find ourselves dealing with a swarm capable of multiplying faster than my factory can produce countermeasures."

Lavigne clenched his fists. "This wasn’t the job we accepted."

There was silence on the bridge and the crewmen, Morrison, and Daniel turned to look at him. Lavigne stared at the Rexxor on the mainscreen for several moments before finally making his decision.

Heeler did not growl at him or threaten as Lavigne struggled with his choice. He was fully aware that the ship did not belong to them, if pressed Heeler could even require taking the ship for his own use, locking them up or keeping them in the factory until it was possible to evacuate them.

Lavigne decided that it would be better if they helped fight. Getting munched on by cosmic horrors was not something he wanted to contemplate. His eyes slid back to the Rexxor, and he realized that some would honestly claim he fought with them, though.

“But we’ll work with you to fight those… things.” Lavigne finally said.

The SR Hot Rescue approached the entrance to Heeler's factory, Lavigne couldn't help but marvel at the sight before him. Thousands of the smaller abominations attempted to breach the entrance to Heeler's Factory attached to the Alpha Site platform, their grotesque forms clashing against the impressive, mounted defenses deployed by drones around the opening. Explosive shells tore through the air, relentless in their pursuit of destruction.

"What do you make of this?" Lavigne asked his crew, hoping for insights into their current predicament.

Daniel focused on analyzing the carnage before them. "These defenses seem to be holding for now, but there's no telling how long that'll last."

That wasn't exactly what Lavigne meant, the speed of the deployment of those defenses was what had surprised him, but he nodded anyway.

Laser turrets weaved between targets with deadly precision, incinerating anything unfortunate enough to cross their path. A single high-powered railgun fired splintering shrapnel rounds into the swarm of creatures, obliterating large swathes of them in an instant.

As they watched tens of thousands of abominations meet their demise on the battlefield, Lavigne noticed something: their assault seemed to slow down for the first time. The creatures hesitated and even appeared to refuse to leave the cover of buildings.

As the Hot Rescue entered Heeler's factory, its crew was left awestruck by what they saw inside. Thousands of gantries and factory units moved in perfect synchronization, tirelessly processing ore and scrap metal from tunnels burrowed deep within the moon.

Morrison let out a low whistle. "I've never seen anything like this before."

The sheer magnitude and efficiency were almost overwhelming for Lavigne as he tried to process it all. Turning towards Daniel with thinly veiled disbelief etched across his face, he said, "This is ridiculous, it was only a few days."

Daniel nodded in agreement while surveying their surroundings. "Yeah… that's an NAI for you. Guess he had plenty of spare parts?"

Morrison laughed, “A whole moon’s worth?”

A beep sounded as Heeler contacted them through the comms, his deep voice resonating with authority. "It appears the tide is turning in our favor for now, I will begin deploying repair drones for your vessel."

Lavigne agreed, acutely aware of the need for haste. "We have injured, and Amy is bad off. Can you provide medical assistance for her?"

Heeler's anger was palpable as he demanded to know if they had removed Manager Amy from the safe compartment while the EMF danger was still high. The crew members exchanged uneasy glances before admitting that they had done so, unaware of her presence or the potential hazards.

Heeler grumbled in frustration. "The EMF radiation has the ability to corrupt and reprogram organic DNA from afar. Transport her to me at once – I'll send a protected drone for her."

With a swift slap of his tentacle, Heeler expressed his annoyance. He then inquired about the condition of his Rexxor brother, Yapper.

"Yapper seems fine and was guarding Amy," Daniel reported.

Heeler appeared pleased by this news, explaining that Rexxors were more resilient to the effects of EMF radiation, but not immune. Unfortunately, their entire expedition had perished except for Manager Amy and Yapper, who he'd stored in a smuggling compartment, and himself since he was immune to such EMF effects.

As their conversation concluded, drones began swarming around the SR Hot Rescue, replenishing supplies, and repairing damage with impressive speed. The crew marveled at the efficiency of Heeler's operation, still reeling and trying to come to terms with just how effective NAIs could be.

***

USD: 3 Days Since Comm Failure

Location: Nu Crateris, Outer System, Hades Interior, Near Alpha Site

As the hours passed, Lavigne observed through the viewport on the bridge how the abominations continued to launch their relentless but futile attacks against Heeler's factory. Heeler informed them that hostiles were attempting to tunnel through to them, but luckily, his counter-sapper units were effectively handling the situation. The crew members found themselves on edge. Amy and Logan had gone with Heeler for medical assistance, and no one was sure what the result would be.

Lavigne's eyes darted across the console as he monitored Heeler's drones working tirelessly to repair and restore SR Hot Rescue. They welded hull patches and replenished ammunition and fuel supplies while fine-tuning the D-field generator to better resist explosive shockwaves. Despite their efficiency, Lavigne knew that the ship would still need extensive repairs in the future… especially if A3123Y kept her promise to give it to them.

A notification pinged on Lavigne's console, announcing a connection with Abbey established via Heeler's relay unit near the breach site. Lavigne wasted no time initiating a video call between himself, Abbey, and Heeler.

"Abbey," he said with concern in his voice, "we're facing some serious resistance down here."

Heeler provided an update on their current situation amidst the countless abominations outside. Abbey frowned as she listened.

"I have news, too," she replied. "Solarian vessels have entered the system – they're shadowed by a corporate squadron."

Lavigne felt anxiety tightening in his chest at this news but tried not to show it. Abbey noticed his reaction but reassured him that she wouldn't harm the Solarian vessels unless absolutely necessary.

"They don't seem eager for combat," she explained. "I'm keeping a close eye on them, and I've warned them to steer clear of our area. They are… afraid."

In turn, Abbey urged Lavigne to help Heeler put an end to their ongoing crisis on the moon. She mentioned her efforts around Dedia in securing assets and preparing to return to 92 Pegasi to ensure Ackman Station's safety.

With determination in his eyes, Lavigne nodded. "We'll do our best down here, Abbey."

He killed his part of the conversation as Heeler began to discuss Amy’s condition with her. It was much too technical for him to follow, but the sudden intensity of the short blue haired girl had him wanting to escape. He gave a small prayer to Ertan that she wouldn’t blame them for exposing Amy to the EMF radiation.

***

Lavigne awoke from a few hours of restless sleep, his dreams haunted by the unnerving creatures they had encountered. Pulling himself out of bed, he made his way back to the CIC with heavy steps. As he entered, he found Daniel and Morrison already there, standing at their stations with determination etched into their faces. Heeler's holographic form flickered into existence as Lavigne approached the console.

"I've managed to pinpoint the source of the abominations' control," Heeler announced, pulling up a video feed on the main screen. The crew stared in awe at the massive hive structure, eerily similar to Heeler's own factory built into Alpha Site. It was teeming with various organic monsters and bizarre shapes that defied explanation.

"What are we dealing with here?" Lavigne asked, concern evident in his voice.

Heeler slapped a tentacle. "There is no indication of the true depth, but this is the structure controlling these creatures, it is the mind of their nest."

The video feed showed a gunship cautiously approaching the hive when suddenly, it was swatted out of the air by a monstrous tentacle. The camera cut off abruptly, leaving only an image of the hive's nexus on the screen.

"We'll need all the firepower we can get," Lavigne said firmly.

Heeler waved a tentacle through the air with energy and revealed his plan – one hundred gunship drones upgraded with twin 22mm cannons and a single 152mm railgun would join them in their mission. Additionally, several thousand mini-drones optimized for aerial combat would fill SR Hot Pursuit's drone bay.

"This should give us an edge against those abominations," Heeler added confidently.

As if that wasn't enough firepower, Heeler also added a heavy drone ship armed with a hundred 32mm flak cannons designed to obliterate smaller targets. Lavigne couldn't help but be impressed; they might not be full starships but building anything under the conditions was already incredible.

"And that's not all," Heeler continued proudly. "I've replaced your ship's railgun with a quad 288mm railgun. It has 10kg shells capable of full auto-fire at one round per second."

The crew exchanged anxious glances, knowing the enormity of the task ahead.

"Let's get to work," Daniel said, his voice resolute.

Morrison nodded in agreement. "Guess this is where we earn our pay."

As Lavigne looked around the room, he could see the determination on the faces of his crew members. He hadn't exactly agreed to sign them up as mercenaries, but at least it was against something that wouldn't cause guilt, later.

After several hours of painstaking preparation, the drones were finally loaded into SR Hot Pursuit's drone bay; their escort, poised for action, fell into perfect formation. The heavy drone gunship took the lead – an adamant vanguard of destruction emerging from the factory bay.

As they exited, the dormant abominations stirred to life, sensing the movement outside their hiding places. Heeler's factory defenses and the heavy drone gunship unleashed a torrential rain of hellfire upon the wretched creatures. Flashes of light illuminated grotesque forms writhing in pain before being reduced to ash by relentless fusillades.

From his position on the bridge, Lavigne gazed at the CIC"s main screen picture of the scene below. Buildings' foundations were barely holding up against constant bombardment; support columns strained to keep massive structures from collapsing while attachments clung desperately to the ceiling above.

The Alpha Site platform looked as if it had been subjected to an unending aerial assault – and Lavigne realized that it had been. The relentless abominations had taken a considerable toll on what was once a marvel of engineering.

He glanced over at Daniel and Morrison, who shared his mix of awe and dread at the sight before them. They all knew that this battle would be one for the history books, or at least their own journals, anyway – but first, they had to survive it.

"Look at those things," Morrison said with disgust, pointing at piles of twisted abomination corpses stacked like mountains of organic refuse.

Streams of viscous liquid flowed off the platform edges, pouring down into Hades' dark depths below. Amidst this gruesome landscape, Lavigne noticed how efficiently Heeler's gunships dispatched wave after wave of monstrous grotesques. Limbs were torn apart with surgical precision; mangled bodies disintegrated under barrages of railgun fire.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "We can't let these things ever escape Hades."

Lavigne clenched his fists, steeling himself for the battle ahead. "I wonder if it hints at the cause of the decaying orbit, and the magma layer's attempts at preventing entry."