Flamini suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if he were back in his youth, leading human refugees through sewers to hide from the Mitu.
Flashbacks of memories from becoming a Shadows of Order gave Flamini a way to handle the current situation.
"Recover their abilities!" His calm tone reassured the other battle-brothers, and they immediately moved.
The Apothecary activated the recovery device specially designed for Terminator armor. Amidst an unpleasant sound echoing across the deck, the protruding parts of the gene-seed pushed out from within the bodies.
The other Court Brothers also moved, activating their Spirit Vision to search for items precipitated on the corpses.
Pasqual's Honor Guard Captain had been killed by the Basemekanic while protecting him, so Flamini went to his side.
He didn't need to activate Spirti Vision; his high inspiration already guided him to the black, viscous crystal.
Flamini pulled a crystal sphere from his belt and placed the black viscous crystal inside.
This was a requirement his gene-father had made when granting him power.
As Flamini placed the crystal in the sphere, he suddenly realized things were different now than they had been in Manachea.
He no longer needed to bear the responsibility alone, carrying everyone's expectations. He had more battle-brothers with outstanding abilities by his side.
Flamini tucked the crystal sphere into his armor and asked on the squad's vox channel.
"Pasqual's Honor Guard, I will lead you to find a path to victory in the beasts' lair."
"But I need your help. Tell me now, what powers has Father bestowed upon each of you?"
The Apothecary, placing the gene-seed into the recovery device from which cold mist drifted, was the first to speak: "Beast Tamer."
The other Court Brothers, looking at the Baron, also spoke up one after another.
They followed orders more out of respect for his rank than because Flamini was a Company Captain.
"Monster."
"Trickmaster."
"Lawyer.'"
"..."
Hearing there was a "Trickmaster" in the Honor Guard, Flamini's eyes lit up. He felt more confident about the guerrilla warfare to come.
He made a request to everyone in the squad. "We will receive no resupply for some time, so manage your power wisely."
"Losing power will make movement difficult. That is equivalent to death."
The "Lawyer" from the Chapter Master's Honor Guard stared at the Basemekanic corpses.
"They excel in close combat, and there are too many of them. They will surround and kill us. Lord Pasqual was..."
He suppressed grief and anger, calmly analyzing the current situation.
"So, when we fight, we must adopt a circular formation. Each warrior can protect those on either side."
The "Lawyer" paused for two seconds. "The circular formation is a classic defensive formation for when we are outnumbered. But the xenos are too many. They might besiege and wear us down."
"Of course," the "Lucky One" said confidently. "We must seize the right moment. When to fight, when to withdraw. That is precisely what I excel at."
"When I give the order to break out, you must unleash your full firepower."
What Flamini didn't tell them was that he had already detected an energy anomaly. That was the source of the teleportation interference.
The "Lucky One" looked around, finally pointing at the deck to the right.
"Trickmaster, 'Open Door'!"
The "Trickmaster" immediately stepped to where the Court Baron indicated and pressed his hand against the metal wall.
He intuitively sensed the wall was several times thicker than those on the Chapter's flagship. But that didn't daunt him; it was still within his understanding, not too thick.
The "Trickmaster's" psychic energy extended. A hazy, deep blue door with no substance, inlayed on the wall yet also showing traces of metal, suddenly appeared before him.
The Shadows of Orders quickly passed through the door, which rippled like a water curtain, and then it vanished.
The Basemekanic flooding onto the deck stared wide-eyed, searching, but found only mangled corpses and intact armor.
On the adjacent deck, just one wall away, the Shadows of Orders in Saturnine-pattern Terminator prototypes had already formed a circular line, following the Court Baron's orders.
From the position the "Lucky One" had chosen, they precisely burst into the center of the Basemekanic formation.
The "Lucky One" knew that with their Chapter Master dead, the Guard members' hearts were filled with shame. They needed a victory to boost morale.
Even when surrounded, he didn't just want to flee. He had to seize every opportunity to kill the enemy.
A Basemekanic, snarling, attacked first. The "Warrior" raised his arm, his fist without an activated energy field, blocking the club.
The Basemekanic's club jarred upwards. It looked down at the black-armored warrior, its crimson eyes, hidden beneath thick hair, filled with astonishment.
This black-armored warrior, so much smaller in stature, actually possessed strength matching its own.
It let out a bellow like a bull and swung its club to attack again.
Suddenly, it felt a gust of wind from its side. A fist hammered into its unprotected ribs.
The Basemekanic lurched sideways. The "Warrior's" claws seized the opportunity, grabbing the wrist holding the club.
The claws couldn't tear the tough metallic hide, but they locked the xenos's arm firmly.
Meanwhile, the "Arbiter" and "Lawyer" attacked from both sides.
Heavy punches slammed into the Basemekanic's right ribs. With a rib-cracking sound like an explosion, it could no longer hold its club.
With a resounding crash, the "Lawyer's" combat knife plunged into the Basemekanic's body.
The "Warrior" kicked the Basemekanic over and picked up the fallen club.
Club in hand, the "Warrior" sidestepped a swinging club.
He swung his own club effortlessly, as if he had practiced thousands of times. The metal club slammed sideways into the club held by another Basemekanic.
The "Lawyer" spotted the Basemekanic's exposed back. Utilizing Form 23 of Otsberg-Vaya, he seized this opening, reversed his grip on the combat knife, and stabbed it into the broad back.
The Shadows of Orders' circular formation alternately expanded and contracted.
They covered each other, maintaining the integrity of their line.
The Basemekanic, charging madly like beasts, fell one after another.
More and more Basemekanic flooded onto the deck, anxious to reach the enemy, but the space around the circular formation was limited.
The corpses further reduced the angles the Shadows of Orders had to defend against.
On Flamini's helmet's internal timer, an hour passed. The circle still showed no sign of being breached.
Suddenly, the "Lucky One" sensed several brutal auras rapidly approaching.
He turned to look at the deck entrance at the three o'clock direction. He saw a figure, a head taller than any other Basemekanic, shoving aside xenos as it burst onto the deck.
Flamini immediately shouted on the comm channel. "Six o'clock direction! Break out!"
The Shadows of Orders instantly activated their suits' weapon systems. Missiles trailing light tore through the heads of a dozen Basemekanic.
The squad, having built chemistry through battle, moved in unison, like a black steel ring cleaving through a metal ocean, parting all obstacles.
They surged out of the deck in the direction without the giant Basemekanic. Then Flamini ordered the "Trickmaster."
"Entrance, Tumble!"
The Basemekanic's bestial intuition transcended sight, hearing, and other senses. Abilities like "Flash," "Blackout," and "Fog" that affected the senses were useless; they couldn't slow them down.
The "Trickmaster" immediately raised his hand. The entrance behind them became as if coated in grease.
The leading Basemekanic stepped onto it, slipped, and crashed to the ground.
The Basemekanic behind tried to slow, but it was too close, too late.
It felt its feet stick, then it tumbled, landing on the thrashing Basemekanic.
A chain reaction of falls blocked the entrance completely.
The giant Basemekanic charged to the entrance, only to see its kin on the ground. It roared in anger. Only after pulling and dragging did it clear a path, but the black-armored warriors were long gone.
The "Lucky One" led the squad in guerrilla warfare through the Basemekanic's metal vessel.
They killed Basemekanic after Basemekanic, breaking through layer after layer of encirclement.
The squad moved like a snake, coiling and advancing upwards, heading towards the energy anomaly Flamini sensed.
Five hours later, they finally burst onto the deck with the energy anomaly.
The Shadows of Orders saw an enormous skeleton suspended from the ceiling. Below it, surrounding it, stood a group of bizarre Basemekanic.
They were covered in bones, holding bone staves, chanting in the xenos language, which sounded like beasts roaring.
"Attack!"
At Flamini's command, the squad attacked the skeleton.
Scorching energy beams hammered the skeleton like rain.
The skeleton shuddered violently, emitting piercing cracks.
"ROAR!"
A deafening roar. A metal beast, its shoulders towering over the other Basemekanic, burst onto the deck.
The shoulders of the Saturnine-pattern Terminator prototypes launched missiles in unison.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The missiles struck accurately, but the "Lucky One" sensed the Basemekanic wasn't seriously hurt.
Its entire body was encased in metallic hide.
Only one place was unprotected, its head, but it was shielding that spot with its arms.
The "Lucky One" raised his arm, aiming the plasma cannon at the skeleton.
He fired not at a position calculated by his transhuman mind, but at a spot sensed by his psychic intuition.
As the blazing beam lanced out, a Basemekanic was sent flying by the shockwave, crashing into the skeleton.
The enormous skeleton tilted, and then the plasma beam struck it.
The skeleton's tilting trajectory was altered, causing it to collide with the charging giant Basemekanic.
As the giant Basemekanic was sent flying, the missile from above Flamini's head streaked out, precisely striking its crown.
With an explosion, the giant Basemekanic's corpse crashed to the ground.
Flamini felt something within him shatter like a star.
He thought, with feeling, 'I am a true "Lucky One" now.'
'Today truly is my "Lucky Day"!'
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu