Strike Team Formed!

  Antonious King - Level 30 Human Ascendant | Class: Warden of the Final Gate | Essence: 4*

  Familiar: Maximus - Level: 24 | Class: Ascendant War Beast | Essence: 2

  Vasna Frey - Level 27 Human Ascendant | Class: Worldshaper Shaman (Totem Tempest) | Essence: 3

  Familiar: Embry - Level: 21 | Class: Living Totem | Essence: 2

  Esava Tabris - Level 27 Celestial Elf Ascendant | Class: Starshroud Duelist | Essence: 3

  Sig Tyrjak - Level 23 Multi-apsect Ashtar Ascendant | Class: Stormforged Disciple | Essence 2*

  Vixyssara of House Calyssendrei - Level 24 Void Elf Ascendant | Class: Arcane Alchemist | Essence 2*

  Tony looked over the Party screen with a mix of excitement and confusion. On the one hand, he, Jak, and Vixie had quests to increase their Essence traits and he finally knew what classes the rest of his team had… on the other, it seemed like Vixie was some sort of royalty and Tony had, quite frankly, had enough of nobility.

  He decided not to address it unless it became an issue.

  “More like when…” he muttered as he strode down the halls leading to the launch bays.

  The hustle and bustle of pilots running to their fighters, bombers, and interceptors drowned out his words and Tony felt a hint of pride watching his crew pump themselves up for battle. He was certain that there would be casualties… it was war, after all… but the courage that the crew displayed in heading straight at it… straight at death… was commendable.

  He felt like he should say something… echo some movie that he’d watched over and over to inspire the troops, let out some battle cry to stoke the fires in their bellies… Was that something he truly wanted to do, or was the system spurring him to such action?

  ”More bullshit questions…” he grumbled.

  "Commander on deck!" Ost shouted from somewhere just out of sight.

  Their flight suit was an azure blue with silvered and gleaming trim and their helmet was a mashup of high tech cyberwear and a valkyrie's helmet. Ost still maintained their more feminine, but tall, and muscled shape.

  Tony caught himself staring as the rest of the pilots about the place stopped to salute. Now he did have to say something.

  "We are at war, with Ignacious, with the Tzitzivulca, but most importantly, with that machine out there. I don't expect any miracles, I don't expect a flawless sortie, what I do expect is that you'll all exercise proper judgement... I expect that you will not throw your lives away. Winning this battle will involve great risk, but remember, dying to win and risking death to win are entirely different decisions. To your ships, let's take this thing down!"

  Tony finished his impromptu speech at a roar that the gathered pilots mirrored, causing the great causeway to shake.

  Ost strode up to Tony and gripped his shoulder firmly, "Some goes to you Commander, don't go pulling any stupid shit... well... not the kind that'll get you killed in there. We got a war to win."

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  Tony nodded and followed the large Selenian to the transport.

  The transport craft was unlike any of the other ships aboard The Anomalous. Instead of sleek lethal precision made manifest, the thing looked like all of the biggest parts of a big rig slapped together and attached to eight massive turbines. There were a smattering of protrusions along the top and on all sides of the craft, it wasn't clear to Tony where the cockpit was in the craft just by looking at it.

  One of the massive sides, with fewer protrusions split open in the middle just wide enough that every member of the Strike Team could pile in without issue. Once they were all inside, Vasna tugged on Tony's arm and nodded her head to the side.

  "A word?" she asked.

  Tony nodded and followed her the couple steps away that she walked.

  "How are you doing this?" she asked.

  "What do you mean?" Tony retorted.

  "How are you just... taking this all in stride? Space combat, making decisions about how people are going to spend their lives in your name... how ready you are to just... just take it all on after everything tha-"

  Tony raised a hand to cut her off. He didn't want to ruminate on what happened on Arach... in fact, he didn't want his time before the Pits to come anywhere near his conscious thought. He just didn't want to think about it.

  "I receive information, I think about it, and then I decide. I don't think it's that crazy and really, decisive action is what's going to bring shit to a head, whether it's in our favor or not. It's just do and continue... that's it," he answered.

  Vasna stared hard into his eyes, regardless of the shadow that his Helm cast on them, and her brow furrowed.

  "Don't run from what happened by running into danger, Tony. That's not going to solve anything," she demanded.

  Tony took half a step forward and ripped his helmet off, "I'm not running from anything, Vasna. There are two Ascendant ships filled with people and at least ten other Ascendants out there that need our help. They don't have time for me to sit here and process every little fucked up thing that happened, and neither do I."

  "I didn't mean... know what, fine," Vasna growled before she strode away to strap into her seat.

  Tony scolded himself. His temper had gotten the better of him and his mouth had run off. He shook his head, now wasn't the time chase and apologize.

  The mostly squared combat transport shot out of the hangar with both surprising and impressive speed. Ost's additional crew, also Selenians, stood in opposing corners with their arms spread wide and literally like branches. They split into myriad limbs and socketed into small openings that, if he remembered correctly, lay behind the protrusions on the craft's exterior.

  Tony didn't have to wait long to determine what their function was as lances of essence and energy streaked into the Hunter Killer Drones that swarmed toward the craft. The turrets thundered with their bombardment, easily carving a path for the dropship's arrival. Despite all of it, the ship lurched to the side with impacts as they approached The Infernal Machine; its turrets filled the air with blooming explosions.

  "Gonna be a rough landing!" Ost shouted as the ship lurched and twisted with the efforts of evasion before it slammed to a metallic surface and screeched to a stop. Tony jumped through the opening as soon as the doors parted again and looked on the ship; it had taken a beating, but maintained its integrity.

  Maximus, Jak, Esava, Vixie, Embry, and Vasna poured out of the ship just a moment later. As Tony evaluated their surroundings, he was struck by the similarities to the Cube dungeon. The geometry of the place was awkward and impossible somehow squared but formed into aggressive and rounded shapes that rolled like iron hills.

  Esava strode up beside him and entered his peripheral vision. The interior of her cloak was lined with a shimmering starscape that Tony hadn't noticed before.

  "I found the entrance," she said quietly, "what's the plan?"

  "We smash our way to the core, kill Mendacious... again... then get the hell out before the place melts down," Tony answered.

  "How specific," Esava answered.

  Tony rolled his eyes and Jak walked up on his other side and punched his shoulder, "Sounds like a solid plan to me!" the large Ashtar said.

  "We gonna do a heckin' smash?" Maximus asked.

  Tony looked among the faces of his Strike Team and among the smattering of emotions, excitement, anticipation, a hint of anger from Vasna, but in all of them, readiness.