Xepo stood at the edge of the troop bay, sniping. Fliz had just finished up with the ledge and was still swiveling around to meet a new threat when a ball of energy flew into frame. It blew up at his feet and briefly enveloped the firing platform in kelly green lava. A Banshee soared by, casting a long shadow as it passed, and Xepo rushed out onto the empty platform, aimed, and snapped off two shots.
He cursed and made a circling motion, saying, "He's going around to the other side."
Ludo turned back and saw Soze shooting behind the Phantom, slowly adjusting his aim upwards until the mount restricted his line of sight. The young Minor then ripped the plasma cannon free from its mount and leaned back, firing directly skyward. Satisfied, Soze stopped shooting, rolled his neck around, and strolled back to join the others in the troop bay. A wrecked Banshee crashed against where he had stood and plummeted down to the floor of the battlefield.
"This guy," Xepo commented over the TEAMCOM.
"Is that it?" Itan asked.
"No," Ludo answered, "Stay ale-"
Everything went bright. Ludo raised an arm to shield his eyes and four rapid explosions thumped the Phantom. Peeking through his fingers, all he could make out Itan and Soze's shadowy silhouettes in the brightness. Booming flashes enveloped them and shook the floor, and when the brightness of the flare abruptly dissipated, he saw one of the young Elites swimming backwards through the air, out of the Phantom. The other was diving forward into the troop bay.
Soze hadn't even fallen out of sight when a lone Brute Captain landed in a squat on the bay door. He stood straight just as a pair of Brute Majors landed behind him to the left and right, and moved up as packs of Minors used their anti-gravity Jump Packs to fall like endless rain from the cliff tops down to the ledges, Phantom, and Scarab below. The ventral bay doors of the Phantom started closing and a few of the falling Minors in the background managed to squeeze into the troop bay before it was sealed.
Rtas keyed Ludo. Ludo switched over to his frequency and the Shipmaster said, "Ludo, I need not remind you how vital the survival of these Councilors are for the future of Sanghelios."
With Tartarus's head start and the fate of the galaxy resting on a single human's willpower, Ludo wasn't entirely sure there'd be a future of anything soon. However, that wouldn't stop him from doing his job. Taking a quick moment to assess the situation, Ludo took a mental picture of the scene unfolding before him.
Itan was still on the ground, scooting and scrambling backwards, spikes and plasma embedding and melting into the floor mere inches in front of him. He had both pistols on overcharge and fired one at a Minor that was rushing towards him and screeching like a wild animal. The energy burst splashed against its face and dissolved it's facial features far beyond recognition, effectively stopping it in its tracks. Ludo knew the boiling hot plasma would burn like fire through the mongrel's shaggy fur and thick hide, then eat all the way through its tough flesh down to the bone. The Brute fell straight back and hit the ground with a satisfying thud.
The Brute Captain, red flag flapping valiantly behind him, pointed at the Elites and shrieked, "The pack will feast on your flesh!"
