LotS/The Story/Assault on the Zenith/Zenith (1)

A fat transport ship descends towards the hangar entrance. Inside will be a squad of TALOS Battle Bots, ready to deploy and fight to secure your foothold on the cruiser. It passes through the barrier, the field rippling in its wake.

“Tel, get in your mech,” you say.

“Okay!”

The boy runs out of sight, and you hear the sounds of him scrambling into the cockpit.

On the scanner you see the last of small red blips disappearing, eradicated by the converging green dots. No survivors amongst the Centurian fighters and escort ships. Good.

You move into position, and make your approach. The energy barrier looms up before you, wobbling like the surface of an ocean. It washes over you, and through the window you can see the hangar.

Below you robots are battling against Centurian troopers, and laser fire blasts back and forth across the vast room.

“Looks like they need our help down there,” says Ragnar, brandishing his axe.

Your ship touches down, and there’s a shudder as the landing gear meets the metal beneath. You rise from the pilot’s seat, and turn to find yourself face to face with Illaria.

She smiles, and passes you your weapon. For a second it’s as if you’re back in your cell, and she’s handing you a laser rifle through the bars. The universe freezes around you. Then she moves off, and the moment is broken. You follow, leaping out into the laser-riddled warzone.

Securing the Hanger

Your mind drinks in the chaos around you, processes it, evaluates it. On one side Ragnar’s machinegun rattles Centurian death knells as it sprays bullets across the hangar. Telemachus is nearby, his chainsaw working its way through a screaming Centurian’s body as blood splatters across the armor of his mech. He’s making them pay in full measure for his father’s death.

On the other side Talia and the Princess are firing, carefully targeted shots dropping target after target. There are so many Centurians trying to pour through the doorways in a desperate attempt to recover control of the hangar, it would be a miracle if any shot didn’t find a target amongst their host. Lu Bu stands beside Princess Illaria like a sentinel, impaling a Centurian with a swift thrust of his sword when he strays too near.

To this pandemonium you add your fire. There are many dead, but many more still to join them.

From All Sides

The hangar is yours. There are damaged and destroyed robots strewn across the ground, but far more Centurian corpses. And more TALOS transports are coming through the rippling barrier, landing to deploy their troops.

Teams of battle bots are heading through the doorways, and spreading out into the ship. The Zenith is a customized cruiser built to Rahn’s own specifications, and its interior layout is unknown to you. The general will most likely be on the bridge. It’s just a matter of finding it…

You and your companions follow a group of robots down a corridor leading from the hangar. When it forks, they head one way and you the other.

You come into a circular room, the middle containing a ring of high terminals. There are multiple doors. A bad place to be caught…

“Look out!” yells Talia, underlining her words with a blast from each pistol.

Centurians are appearing at the doors, converging on the room, which must be a nexus point of some kind. Their red lasers fly from all directions.

You dart between the terminals in the middle of the room, pulling Princess Illaria after you. Ragnar and Talia do the same, making use of the cover. But Lu Bu and Telemachus each move to block one of the doorways, and put their blades to work.

You gesture to the others, assigning them angles of attack. Then you lean round a gap in the ring of terminals, and open fire.

On the Zenith did General Rahn...

“Nice job, kid,” says Ragnar, looking at the corpses piled in the doorway in front of Telemachus. There’s genuine admiration in his voice.

A similar pile lies before Lu Bu, and you know that without the two of them braving enemy fire and holding their doors, you would have been overrun.

“When we get out of here,” you say, “I’ll buy you a new mech myself.”

“Okay,” the boy says, beaming with pride. “But these things are really expensive…”

“Hey, look at this,” Talia says. She’s indicating one of the terminals which managed to survive the firefight.

The screen shows a map of this part of the ship. And on it is a room marked ‘Gen. Priv. Quart.’

“It’s worth a try,” says the Princess. “If he’s not on the bridge, he might be there.”

The six of you take one of the corridors, and descend down a stairwell leading deeper into the ship – unwilling to trust the elevators on a hostile vessel. A few Centurians are in the corridor at the bottom, heading off in a different direction, no doubt to help fight off some of the battle bots elsewhere. With a few well placed shots from behind, you ensure that they’ll never make it there.

Proceeding along the corridor, you come to a large, ornate door.

“No guards out here,” says the Princess. “Rahn can’t be inside.”

“One way to find out,” growls Ragnar. He slams his body against the door, and it flies open – causing him to stagger into the room.

...A Robot Pleasure Dome Decree

Commander Rautha (Cybernetic Form)