118: Mecha Combat – One
A Lambda was a monstrous thing, even by Leviathan standards. At rest, it looked like a sulphurous planetoid, dusty yellow and craggy.
But awake?
Awake, and it unfolded from itself, limbs and limbs and limbs unspooling, the debris its gravity drew in from the space around it flaking off to reveal a thick carapace of mottled yellows and oranges, with all the vibrancy of an animal advertising how toxic it was. Every limb was more than double the length of the Pelekys, the thick tubes of each segment spiked and serrated, ending in massive claws that could make short work of anything that got too close. All of this sprouted from a body that resembled more the over large asteroid it had disguised itself as than it did the form of a living being, no visible sensory organs, no sign of a mouth.
But despite that, it could scream.
Storlayacas felt the howl of this terror like a physical blow, the worst of its psychic might passing through them harmlessly, buffeting the protections to their constituent parts rather than harming them, as had happened before. With Viatrix keeping the Pelekys out of the reach of this monster, Storlayacas was being careful with how they dispatched this thing. After all, the Lambda's hide took up a lot of real estate, all of which would be vital to keep the Quanvengier and the rest of the Kith's main fleet safe, especially now that they'd pulled deeper into the core to avoid the sweeping patrols of Thalatte forces that were actively combing the galaxy for them.
The Lambda moved like a tidal wave, the crashing, crushing weight of its multitudinous limbs sure to wash away anyone foolish enough to seek it out on purpose, but Storlayacas had no fear of this thing. They were built to destroy far worse, after all.
They wove through the fatal tangle of the Lambda's grasping limbs, flying to the cavernous origin of them all. Another roar rattled against the stars, but it was nothing but empty noise to Storlayacas.
They landed against the shell of the body of this beast with enough force to knock it off its trajectory, holding on tight to its thick carapace as it tried to buck them off. Its limbs reached back, trying to pluck them away, but past experience had shown Storlayacas exactly where the limits of this creature's flexibility lay, and they knew that this spot on its broad body was impossible for it to reach. With its gargantuan limbs hanging over them like a forest of ill intent, Storlayacas carefully, surgically opened up a gap in the conjoining tissue that webbed between this thing's legs and the rest of it. The monster bellowed with renewed fury at that, but Storlayacas paid it no mind, instead swapping their sabre for their rifle, before they shoved the barrel of the gun into the open wound they'd made and fired away until the Lambda's death cry faded away to nothing, its limbs curling in on themselves one last time.
The euphoria of another successful hunt was a heady brew, one that would carry all that Storlayacas was back to the Kith's main fleet, prize in tow.
Deeper in the core, closer to the massive black hole at the centre of their galaxy, even within the confines of a monstrously protected and environmentally sealed ship like those of the Kith's main fleet, the noise of it all was like being stuck inside during a violent storm.
The corpse of the Lambda had been readily, excitedly accepted, and had already been brought to the Kith fleet's processing vessel in order to be converted into workable parts. Given the ravages of the deeper core, it would be needed sooner than later.
From where they sat at one of the restaurants that were scattered throughout the Quanvengier, the crew of the Pelekys could hear the howl of solar winds and the rattle of debris against the hull as if it were wind lashed rain against the exterior of a terrestrial home.
"Nasty weather we're having." Was Rhea's sardonic announcement when a particularly loud volley had other patrons looking up in mild concern.
"I'd rather deal with that than the task force the Thalatte have put together," Malakh said with a shake of her head, pointing a spoon at her wife, "They've brought one of their Zahhak class ships into the mix - the Dolabra."
Rhea let out a low whistle at that, Pryseia and Nevara sharing a dire look at the announcement, and so Elytra asked, "I'm guessing a Zahhak is bad, but what flavour of bad are we talking about?"
"The messy kind," Rhea told her, shooting a look at V'tala and the drone Viatrix had accompanied them in, "Zahhak are built for orbital bombardment. Not quite planet buster bad, but they can glass a continent in minutes. They haven't seen much action in the last handful of centuries - they were built to demoralize, y'know? A weapon that can wipe an entire colony off the face of a world in one go? All kind of yikes. The mindset for their deployment was to threaten a population into capitulating without any actual bloodshed on either side, so they keep their troops alive, and they have a maximum yield of new slaves to harvest. Only this didn't end up working out for them. They only built three of these things - the TNF Falx, the TNF Ligo, and the TNF Dolabra. They deployed them out to try and take over a Human, Apiarius, and Deupazing colony each, back when these races were so new to the galactic scene that they hadn't yet made first contact with each other. Despite that, all three of these colonies refused to surrender, and fought back enough force to warrant the Thalatte blasting them into atoms. And this ended up whipping their homeworlds into such a frenzy that they went into overdrive developing new tech in order to go toe to toe with the Thalatte, unifying their populations in a way nothing had in any of their histories. The Enlightened still like to act like our races are basically Stone Age in terms of development, but we've all made leaps and bounds in technological advancement in centuries that took the Thalatte millennia."
Picking up where she left off, Nevara told them, "The Zahhak were unleashed several times after that, and each time further invigorated the war efforts of those they used them against rather than quell them. When their intended purpose became too costly to their war effort, the ships were instead used as fleet battleships instead, and I believe that is what their purpose will be against the Kith."
"Against a target as large as the Quanvengier, the Dolabra would actually be ideal, as they proved to be ineffectual in ship to ship combat with the other navies of the galaxy," Pryseia continued, "The Thalatte military operates by way of shows of massive force - a fleet of hundreds of ships, against which they would clash with the enemy's fleet of equal strength, the two sides hammering away at one another until one fell. Something like a Zahhak could sit at the back of said fleet and bombard all within its path. Their enemy's larger ships would be unable to evade such an onslaught, and so their most powerful pieces would be removed from the board, giving the advantage to the Thalatte. But, the Thalatte once again did not consider that their enemies would employ different tactics than they do. A Zahhak is a powerhouse, to be sure, but it is a large thing, slow to maneuver. They're easily the size of the Quanvengier, only instead of living space, they're bristling with armaments. Rather than engaging in a standing battle with slow and powerful ships, the enemies of the Thalatte employed smaller and faster vessels, in quantities great enough that they could whittle a battleship down before it could bring its guns to bear. Thus the Falx was destroyed."
Malakh let out a dark laugh before adding, "That was a PR nightmare for the Thalatte - one of their most powerful ships, brought down by the Apiarius Aristocracy, newcomers to interstellar conflict. They spun the lie that the Falx was sabotaged by the Meleten Empire and that the Apiarius took advantage of that, because having their super weapon destroyed by a Greater was less embarrassing than the truth that a Lesser had done it. No one outside of the Stratocracy really bought the lie, however. But with one Zahhak down, the rest of their enemies using guerilla tactics instead of standing and fighting like the Thalatte do, on top of how these things did more to unify their foes than cow them, it was decided that the Ligo and Dolabra would be semi-retired. They've basically both been on half power, partially crewed, and unarmed for the last couple hundred years, used as training stations rather than weapons of war. But the threat of them was left intact. All the Thalatte would need to do was top up the fuel and load up their munitions, and these ships would be good to go. It was basically the equivalent of unloading a gun, but leaving it on the table."
Crossing her arms with a thoughtful hum, V'tala looked to Pryseia. "As you said, something like that would be ideal against a mostly stationary target like the Quanvengier. I guess with the losses of the Quintana and Circumforanus, and now finally the Mercatus, it was enough to get them to bring the Dolabra out of retirement. They wouldn't need to worry about how the use of it could unify the Kith, as the Kith have nowhere near the numbers to actually be a legitimate threat."
Bobbing up next to her, Viatrix said, "Yeah. There's only a couple million Kith, not the trillions of an entire race, with trillions on top of that when you include their allies. Even if we all gathered together, there's no way we'd be able to put a dent in the Thalatte's fleet. We only managed to bring down their slave processing stations because they were less defended than they normally were! If they'd have been at full complement, there's no way the forces that were gathered could have taken it down."
"Our fewer numbers will be a boon when it comes to remaining hidden," Pryseia added, "Tucked away in the core, the main fleet will be protected by the natural hazards of this maelstrom - aided and abetted by the Leviathan armour that other fleets lack - while the void beyond will provide ample space with which a single ship may remain anonymous. Should the Dolabra make it to the core and successfully locate it, I've no doubt it would have little difficulty in snuffing the Quanvengier, but the ravages of this place would no doubt make short work of it regardless of whether its mission was a success or failure. In hindsight, this endeavour will be more bravado than a triumph for the Thalatte."
"Still, doesn't make it any less stressful," Elytra pointed out, finishing off her last bite, "Or bothersome for our narrative. I've still gotta edit together the footage of that fight with the Lambda we just brought in, but after that, what are we going to do for our story line?"
Leaning back in her chair with a huff, cradling her coffee, Rhea said, "That's something I've been trying to figure out. I've been going over Avvisi for anything that sounds like something we can work in, but there's been a noticeable dip in jobs being posted, can't possibly imagine why. Plenty for Leviathan hunts, but it all seems to be Zetas and under, and having a shitload of those in a row would probably get boring for our audience. That Lambda we just took down was the biggest target on Avvisi, so if we want more exciting Leviathan, we're going to have to track them down ourselves."
Swinging over to hover near her, Viatrix said, "The Kith actually have a pretty sophisticated system for finding Leviathan, so I can see about digging up something bigger than a Lambda. But narratively, I'm not sure how to make that part of our story."
"There's always the option of doing more flashback stuff?" Malakh suggested, "I don't know if anyone's got anything they want to add in that department, but now's the time?"
There were some mixed murmurs at that suggestion, but nothing concrete.
"Well, like you said," Rhea tipped her cup towards Elytra, "We've still got the Lambda hunt to post, so that gives us a little more breathing room in terms of posting content. We'll have to have a serious brainstorming session to try and come up with something soon, because I'll admit, I'm not feeling super creatively inspired at the moment."
Viatrix was practically buzzing in her chassis as she fully nudged into Rhea and said, "Hey, you know what might help refill that creative well? Seeing a play!"
Rhea fully threw her head back with a boom of laughter at that before tipping forward to ask, "I take it you have one in mind?"
"Sure do!" Viatrix effervesced, "In about an hour from now there's a production of The Drake's Alight, it's a Fuglaz play about a young monarch surviving their kingdom being usurped, and their quest to take their throne back. It's by one of the most famous playwrights in Fuglaz antiquity."
"It has been some time since we've seen a play." Nevara pointed out, glancing around at the others. No one voiced any objections to this.
"Yessssss!" Viatrix cheered, giving her drone a little spin, "This production has some pretty good reviews too! Not as amateur night as some Kith productions are. This will for sure refuel some of those creative juices! Just wait and see!"
The play ended up being better than any of them expected, the all fuglaz troupe intent on doing such a beloved piece of their culture justice. Viatrix was so busy gushing about the performance that she ran straight into the sturdy back of Captain Adynduaa of the Telum, standing outside of the theatre as they were.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I really wasn't looking where I was going!" Viatrix said immediately, and if her drone had the capacity, she would have blushed from embarrassment.
But Adynduaa waved a hand, brushing the apology away with a smile as they said, "It's quite alright. The Drake's Alight, I take it? A phenomenal performance, so your inattention doesn't shock me. But! This is a happy accident, as I was on the hunt for you and yours!"
"Oh?" Pryseia said, stepping up next to Viatrix with a curious tilt of her head, "Does it have something to do with our success with the Mercatus?"
Their expression falling slightly, Adynduaa said, "It does indeed, after a fashion. One of those lost during the assault was Ahesa Rzy Igey Pzeoit, a member of my crew, and one of the finest mech pilots I've known."
"You've my condolences." Pryseia said quietly, her own expression growing sombre.
Adynduaa returned the sentiment with a nod, their jaw clenching as they wrangled their emotions back under control before continuing, "As one captain to another, I appreciate that. But this has left me with a mission that none of my remaining pilots are willing - or capable - to fill."
"Something mech related, then?" Rhea asked.
"Correct," Adynduaa said as they pulled a data pad from their jacket, far less ostentatious than the one they wore as part of their Kith persona, "We've worked with a Necupole entrepreneur in the past, a woman by the name of Klettur Erkanschlde, CEO of MGJX Corp, a development conglomerate. She takes regular part in the Elstree Docklands Tournament, wherein several competing companies will pit their experimental mechs against one another. Most of the other teams hire mercenaries to be their pilots, but Erkanschlde has a flare for theatrics her competitors lack, and so hires Kith to pilot her machines for this tournament. Ahesa was a regular, and so was forwarded an invite days before the mission against the Mercatus launched. Alas, they will not be able to answer the summons."
They let out a low laugh, pointing at Pryseia as they continued, "But I saw how you handled yourself in that strange Odazaen of yours. Damned impressive, if I may be so bold! I know that Odazaen are piloted by neural interfaces, but the skills you had on display were indicative of someone able to handle a mech with a less intuitive interface. I'm sure you would do gangbusters in this little tournament."
Sidling up to Pryseia, Malakh pointed out, "Even if we were broadcasting our exact coordinates the entire time, the Thalatte wouldn't risk a diplomatic incident with the Plutocracy by coming at us with a retrieval fleet."
"And we were looking for a job to take," Pryseia added, her eyes bright with excitement as she turned to the Rhea, "Would this be something we could work into our narrative?"
"Even if it isn't, I'll brute force a way," Rhea beamed, "I know how you get with mechs, I wouldn't dream of telling you no!"
Pryseia gave her a wry grin in response, turning back to Adynduaa as she said, "Very well, I would be happy to accept this invitation."
Lifting their data pad, Adynduaa let out a hissing laugh before saying, "Splendid! Let me forward you the information. I've already spoken with Erkanschlde about Ahesa's passing, so I would be happy to put you in contact with her. These tournaments have always proved to be bountiful, not just because of the prize money involved, but the chance to pilfer Necupole technological secrets is always a delight to take part in. The companies that participate in this event are all on the bleeding edge of development, and we've pulled many an update to our own systems from their unwilling hands!"
"Now that's what I like to hear!" Malakh laughed as Pryseia tapped her own data pad to Adynduaa's, initiating the transfer.
"It would certainly be a less deadly affair than bringing down a Thalatte station," Pryseia added, "After that excitement, we could use a reprieve."
Grinning at that, Adynduaa said, "And what better reprieve than showing the Enlightened how undeserving the moniker 'Lesser"actually is?"