The Fearless Armada

Lord Admiral Antares closed his eyes as he was injected. The lumbar puncture wasn't particularly unpleasant, but then he had to lie on the bed for two hours, and that meant a terrible waste of time... And he had less and less time.

"It's all over," Lady Sorrowflame said in a polite but not obsequious voice. He nodded to her while the redhead prepared the cerebrospinal fluid for research. They were in his private quarters.

„When's the next dose?" he asked and straightened his clothes.

„In three days... For the next six months we should maintain such intervals between successive administrations." said the ancient necrotechnician.

„And then?" he asked, rubbing his jaw.

„We will switch to daily doses ... This will give us another year, and then there will be some steps to be taken. We have several options…"

He was prepared for his health to deteriorate, but he needed time to carry out his plan. He has to rebuild his domain. Reclaim his legacy.

"Well, let's get down to business first. There is no escape from destiny." he said. "I wasted so much time on one stupid mistake when I let myself get carried away by my emotions. It may be too late now." He sighed, but then Lady Ka approached him with a briefcase full of documents.

„I just need a few signatures here and there." she said smiling half her face.

These two were the only people he allowed to be around him when he was weakened. He was not afraid of his subordinates and that they could use this moment to take power away from him. Paranoia was a sign of weakness, and he didn't tolerate it. He just didn't think soldiers should see their commander like this. That might make them doubt, and he didn't tolerate that either. He couldn't afford to let his subordinates hesitate at the crucial moment. And now was approaching the great moment for which he had been preparing for thirty-five years. Nothing could disrupt his plan

But those two… well. To Lady Sorrowflame, he was just a pity human being anyway, a tiny and frail creature who lived but a moment. And Lady Ka…. That woman had killed her Father, if that was the word for Jantar, so he couldn't expect her to respect him either. And that was one of the reasons why he… saved her.

- You're doing well Ka… This expedition is a gigantic challenge in terms of logistics. We don't know how much we can count on supplies from the Empire. he said, looking through the documents.

„We've got enough supplies for a few months, and it's unlikely that there's no supply anywhere in the empire. It's after all... the Empire, they exist to supply the invasion fleets." She smiled nastily. He sighed and got up.

„We are not an invasion fleet, but a research and exploration fleet, and we must think of ourselves as such ... at least for a while. The public is extremely sensitive to appearances. We must be very careful not to make unnecessary enemies."

Lady Ka raised an eyebrow.

„Do we have time to be careful? I don't need to remind you of the exchange that took place a moment ago, do I?" she asked.

"Good point." he thought. He considered his answer.

"Well, it's better to die a winner than a loser, I have no intention of leaving my fleet in trouble." he said in a serious tone. He was honest, this fleet was almost all he had. He was wealthy and could live on the wealth he had seized from Tarak, but it was the Fearless Armada and its upkeep and survival that he had devoted his life to. He led his subordinates as their rightful leader. She was all he had left after his enemies had taken his inheritance from him.

"As your rightful successor, I must commend your decision." said the woman in the half-mask. "So does Lady Sorrowflame, I suppose." she asked the necrotechnician.

„I'm not that fatalistic. Like I said, we have a lot of options. For example, Prime's technology" said the redhead in a calm voice, but Lady Ka winced.

"I know something about his technology…" She laughed nervously. „I know her limitations all too well."

"So far we only had damaged parts of his machines, now with a bit of luck we'll have access to the entire technical base with competent service..." said Lady Sorrowflame smiling greedily. "Yes, I know how easy it was to earn your loyalty. I should have appreciated her more, you are not one-tenth as treacherous as a certain doctor."

"I'm still not sure if it'll help... But I'd rather we did. My position is very comfortable." said Lady Ka smiling at the red-haired woman. He knew that the women had an intimate relationship, but decided that it was not a threat to him, so he did not intervene.

„There's something else. It is said that this region was the heart of the First Ones Empire, the ancient civilization that built the abandoned cities on Abbalon and the entire Anacite civilization. Their technology…" Lady Sorrowflame was speaking passionately, but he cut her off with a raised hand.

"It's fascinating and maybe we'll get some benefit from it, but I wouldn't count on finding anything that will help me. Not at the right time. Following the shadows of the ancient past can easily lead us to the marshes of doom." he said, and the necrotechnician nodded, clearly dissatisfied, so he added. "We'll have enough resources so that after the first fights you can start your search and research…as long as it doesn't interfere with your daily work. I know how tempting the vision of seizing such an ancient power can be, but it can be extremely deceptive." he said thoughtfully. He saw that the necromancer, herself as ancient as the First Ones, or at least not much younger, nodded her head in full acceptance of his decision.

"If I hadn't lost that artifact then... If it hadn't been taken from me..." She clenched her fists capable of crushing granite rocks.

"I lost something far more valuable than your toy then, don't forget that." he said firmly, feeling a cold flame ignite in his heart. It always did when he remembered how close he had been to complete victory. "Even in death, Igzar, you have been able to harm me. You have a right to be proud of yourself" he thought and extinguished his emotions. He didn't need them now, he had to remain unfazed.

„Yeah, too bad the trap didn't work" said Lady Ka touching her mask. "I miss my little kitty."

An hour after dawn there was to be an meeting with the Lord Admiral. Dilayla was about to see their command for the first time. The night passed peacefully, she was sleeping soundly as always after a fight, a useful trait in a mercenary. They rose early in the morning to prepare for this Great Event. And so it turned out that Miss Daisy was no longer asleep, but was wandering around the room obviously hungover, and Rosie looked as if she was about to fall asleep standing up. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't feel sorry for the gloomy old drunk, but how will this girl cope" she thought as she watched the deaf girl who leaned her head against Emily. Wrongdak opened the window in the morning to ventilate the room, and then a fly lost after a night flight flew into the room. The insect buzzed irritatingly in the lazy stillness of the morning. He tried to sit on the white-haired girl, but then her hand shot up into the air and caught him. There was silence again. Though admittedly, she was surprisingly resourceful for an absalomian intern, but she could also fight like no other, the mercenary thought. She had only seen such a fighting style once, with the aged Kasatha of Akiton, but this was a naive girl… Who didn't even know who she really was. This alarmed her. So far, she had considered her to be the only fully trustworthy person in the entire expedition. Now she wasn't sure of anything anymore. You're getting paranoid, Rosie is the epitome of honesty and harmlessness, she thought. Wrongdak was helping Arkan-tar prepare breakfast. The clone had a secret too, but she had promised not to tell anyone the truth, and she saw no reason not to keep that promise. Another clone... One of his brothers had spared her during the war, though he most likely had orders to kill every creature he encountered, and most likely, he either died fighting the order or his master got rid of him... They said "He saw all. He knew all" and from the way their companion acted at the mention of Horde Prime's name, this may have been true... at least partly. The Wrongdak was clearly harmless… at least to those who weren't his enemies. Surely, if he wanted it, he was no less of a fighter than her. She trusted him and wanted to meet his friends. If they've done what the Order hasn't done... Then they have her gratitude and loyalty... They've given her something that all the money in the world can't buy... Justice she's been looking for all her life.

Unfortunately, Wrongdak seemed to be infatuated with Lady Cala. Perhaps it had to do with her charm. She had to admit that the woman was beautiful, graceful, and had impeccable manners. No wonder someone like him would like her. She knew a lot about interspecies relationships, after all, she came from Minitar, a planet of mix-bloods, and her first girlfriend was a half-orc, and she wasn't sure what the relationship between his "Older Brother" and "Friend" looked like ... Only there was no lust in it, but rather ... adoration ? It was as if he saw a supernatural and wonderful being in her… Maybe the representatives of his race showed respect in this way, after all, they were created in the likeness of this madman Horde Prime, as his followers and slaves. Apparently, he couldn't do otherwise... Being a follower of the inheritoress herself, she understood the comfort of faith and a sense of mission, so she wasn't going to sneer at him. Only she had the impression that Lady Cala was suspiciously comfortable with his veneration… Maybe all nobles were like that, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she hated high-born officers with all her heart. They tended to treat their subordinates like dimwitted cattle that should have been grateful to die in the service of their lordship. "Damn, weren't we bloody Wrongdaks by our own consent." She laughed to herself and looked at the cheerful Lady Caly telling Rechiza about Carurystal in a cheerful tone. "But there's something more about her, something very strange," she thought as she looked at the beautiful woman. "She's perfect, unnaturally gorgeous... and how the hell did she get from the city to the observatory!" she thought.

She also lost confidence in the other two. Both Lashunti and Verthani were connected to the fucking vampire and his buddy Captain Freak, which they didn't deign to tell anyone. They probably won't tell the Lord Admiral either. She wouldn't care if it wasn't for the fact that her sister was on that damned Galeon, or at least what was left of her. It was all about the bunch of ancient races she didn't even know existed, and knowing about them didn't make her life any happier.

She didn't trust Miss Daisy either, but she didn't hide who she was…or what. Although that woman was a powerful and damn dark mystic, she was able to fight sorcerers, and she had several technomancers and Veskarian battle priests to her name. The other two looked like they might not have stabbed her in the back, but they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice her if the need arose.. Miss Daisy looked too overwhelmed by grim fatalism to be able to plot anything. Plus, she was nice to Rosie, which made her feel much more warmly about her than about the damn rat watching some elven soap opera at this moment. Miss Daisy stopped and looked at the monitor.

„How can you watch with such concentration how two beings argue for an hour." she growled irritably.

"It's just life itself," Dr. Qin said, slurping from her glass so loudly that the grim elf winced.

„Life itself? Recently, a woman died because an empty cardboard box fell on her. I know very well how you can hurt someone in countless ways, but none of them involve a cardboard box falling on your head, especially an empty one." the gloomy woman drawled

„You know, the actress wanted to leave the show after a hundred years"

Miss Daisy looked at Ysoki for a long moment.

"I know a lot of ways to ruin your life, but this one is both the most ridiculous and the most sophisticated. the dark sorceress finally said.

"Although even in casual conversation, she she gives me shivers." Dilayla thought, feeling lonely.

The mirror was set up in the room, although it cost them to listen to several bunches of curses from Dilayla, who apparently could smash heads, but setting up a simple "furniture" was clearly beyond her strength... on the other hand, constantly listening to Dr. Qin's lectures on how miror should be set, even Serenae, could drive a fiery rage. At that time, they sent Rosie with Emily and Wrongdak to the baths, because in space will be a water regime, although the droid was rather indifferent to it. At last everything was ready and it was time for the council. Arkan tar spoke the words and Lord Admiral Antares and his entourage appeared before her eyes. Rechiza struggled to stop herself from sucking in a whistling breath. "They are really identical ... But at the same time completely different," she thought, looking at the woman in the half-mask, who smiled predatorily, like a shark from a lost Golarion to a defenseless seal. Commander Reese and Lady Sorrowflame did not arouse much interest in her, although she had heard that the red-haired woman's was curious about dark secrets and black magic...

The Lady of Blades was different. Asindesa di Vir seemed to pay no attention to her, although she knew that Rechiza was an agent of the Order. She bowed to Lady Caly, albeit slightly, but for a moment she had the distinct impression that the Lady of Blades and Miss Daisy's eyes met. Liktor told her that his foster daughter was a guest at Castle Grayskull, but no one knew what really happened there. "Did I see the sadness and pain in the eyes of the sorceress?" she thought. Arkan-tar then reported back to their superior, omitting, of course, some of the points they had mutually decided they were going to omit, including Captain Moonshadow, which they had agreed on first thing in the morning. The Lord Admiral listened impassively until they mentioned the Alien and how it looked. She wasn't entirely sure, but she had the impression that Antares nodded slightly, and Lady Ka's smile became wider and more sinister. "Do they know something? Could they have somehow found out the truth about what really happened on the Minitar… But was there anything strange about it? Many years had passed since the invasion and word could have spread, and Dilayla wasn't the only one who witnessed those fights. she thought. Finally, after passing the report the Lord Admiral said

„.- We now know not only that the insatiable hosts of the Swarm are not waiting for us, but we learned who our enemy is and that he was mutilated like a steed with a broken leg. " he waved his hand and from the shadowy darkness of the conference room came to him a huge creature resembling a wolf or a hyena. He had a long mane on the nape of his neck and was partially cybernetic. Its massive jaws were aided by cyber fibers, and its fangs were made of adamantium alloy. He had armor implanted under his skin, and his legs were hydraulically assisted and equipped with retractable steel blades. Lashunti shuddered at the sight. Antares stroked the beast's neck.

„It's Resh. Nightmare Hunter. These creatures were created from our Nightmare Wolves of Tarak, which were modified by my long-lost friend Jantar, a brilliant biotech. They were useful during swarm fights for catching Dredgers, but they have many other advantages. Whoever this Horde Prime was, his army has a broken backbone, and he has thousands of battle-hardened veterans who have faced the galaxy's most feared foe... Still, it would be worth forging an alliance with whoever defeated him, if only to save our very limited resources. Think of it as your extra task. Find out who he is and discreetly explore the possibility of an ally. But don't let this obscure your main task, which is to find this weapon and deactivate it. - finished the leader of the expedition in a hard tone.

„But there is a possibility that this weapon was created by this Horde Prime and was destroyed with his fall." Arkan-tar interjected.

„Has someone decided that this venture is not for him and was looking for an excuse to withdraw?" Lady Ka asked in a sarcastic tone. The admiral ignored her and said.

„We can't be sure of anything yet. The fleet will deal with what's left of the Horde, and you'll gather information. In fact, little has changed in this matter. said the Lord Admiral.

Asindesa di Vir looked at the Lord Admiral warily.

„But then the participation of this fleet, and especially the fleet of the Order, seems to be pointless. Since the enemy seems to be leaderless and the weapon has probably been deactivated by those who defeated Horde Prime…"

„Or it's in their hands and they just haven't figured out how to activate it yet, but it's only a matter of time, dear knight. But I see that even the Order knows when to abandon ideals and start listening to reason." said Lady Ka, staring with one eye at the Hellknight, who pursed her lips furiously. Suddenly, she pulled the blade out and slammed it violently into the floor. Commander Reese winced at the sight

"Fo the honor of the Order of the Eclipse, I swear that it is not our intention to back down from the commitments we have made, as long as no one wants to use us to advance their particular interests." But I also swear that anyone who once again challenges my commitment to the cause will have to fight me openly. said sharply, glaring at Lady Ka, who looked like she was not afraid to take on the challenge, but the Lord Admiral signaled them to calm down.

"I am glad to hear your reassurances from the Lady of Blades, and I have no doubt that your forces will contribute greatly to our victory." That's probably all, Once you go into drift, we'll lock onto the mirror the man said calmly.

Rechiza, however, only partially listened to what Antares was saying, because she was staring at the sword of the Lady of Blades. It was covered in First Ones writing that apparently only she had noticed. The inscription said. "End of Eternity - Blade of Vengeance". No one but Miss Daisy noticed her staring at the HellKnight's weapon. "Another First One's artifact. Random event? I'm too smart to believe them. I paid dearly for this wisdom"

The Lord Admiral felt that talking to the members of Lady Calas Retinue, as he liked to think of them, lifted his spirits. First, he ultimately made sure Horde Prime was destroyed. His old friend wasn't the best source of information. Now he knew he was risking far less than he had feared. If they mint coins from such poor quality bullion, it means that their situation is bad. He had known their adversary over the years and knew their weaknesses. But they didn't know him... and when they do, they'll weep.

He looked sideways at the slightly soured Lady Ka. "There is one more reason to be pleased with the recent conversation"

„I see that it will be necessary to talk to our seller about the fact that he was a bit far from the truth when he talked about postponing the auction."

The woman in the half-mask pursed her lips tightly.

„Well, as you know, I can very vividly explain to others what a terrible mistake they made in their life by trying to deceive me. For the rest of their wretched lives, they will regret ..." she said in a quiet, thoughtful voice. This woman was a bit too emotional, but he appreciated her anyway. For ruthlessness and lack of sentiment. She could carry out even the most controversial order without batting an eyelid.

„That's good, but it's not that important. You don't have to express our displeasure to him very much. After all, we saved tens of thousands of credits. Let this mercy be an expression of our good mood." he said in the tone of a satiated cat.

She nodded, still internally furious with the trader, and went to carry out the order. He was on board a battleship on the bridge and gave his last orders to his subordinates. Commander Reese stood by his side. He had a sincere devotion to his commander that bordered on adoration. The Lord Admiral found it quite pleasant, though he did not allow the man to believe that he might have more. He did not like to mix pleasure with work. Besides, it could cause problems later on, and he needed this man's leadership skills. Plus, he was proud of what kind of man Reese had grown up to be. He had personally saved him many years ago on a swarm-infested planet. Back then, the commander still used the pronoun "she" and was a terrified orphan. He made him his Adjutant, and after Markus stayed on Atrax to oversee Lord Admirał business there, he made Reese his right-hand man. Now they were calling in more ships, telling them to report their readiness for flight in Drift. He smiled as he saw the list of ships.

Battleship Glory of the Fallen

Spacecraft carrier Unbroken with 16 Defender fighters

Heavy cruiser Invictus

Intredictus-class cruiser: Necessary Measures

Two Moonlight-class cruisers: Silvermoon and Goldsun.

Dagger-class escort carriers: Silver knife and Obsidian Edge. 8 defender fighters each.

Eight Freedom-class destroyers

Four Wildcat-class torpedo sips.

Helping hand tanker.

Mining ship Sargar and Repair ships Skrek I Drek

A dozen heavy transport ships and three times as many smaller ones.

In addition, they had over thirty thousand soldiers of the ground forces. Most of them were seasoned veterans of Tarak and the Swarm Wars or Vescs voluteer. To that he could add the ten thousand hired thugs and scum employed by Lady Ka. Although their combat capabilities were not very great, they were great as law enforcement forces to suppress riots. You also have to remember about Lady Sorrowflame and her necrotechnical inventions, it was also a force to be reckoned with. During the review, he smiled for the first time in months. "Here I am embarking on the journey for which I have been preparing all my life. I come to fulfill my destiny, and even if I have to burn whole worlds, I will not back down."

Grag was packing hurriedly. He intended to leave this damm planet before midnight. He must have left most of his fortune on Saltmarsh. In recent years, he has grown rich on this cursed planet, opened a department store, gained contacts among the leaders of local gangs, but also in the capital's authorities. But he knew he couldn't go any higher, and he had to get the money from somewhere to pay off his debts to the Thousand Sisters and finally be able to return to Atrax, where he had old friends and, most importantly, hidden credits. He'd be living decently again, not selling manure to Shirren farmers. That's why he got involved in this damned auction. Capturing this White Demon seemed like a great idea, what could possibly go wrong? "A bunch of robbers have stolen the most expensive stuff I've ever had my hands on, and now they're going to sell it and screw all that money into stupid stuff". There is no justice in this world, he thought and wanted to kick the carton of turnips, but stopped himself just in time. Despite the use of advanced and expensive drugs, the leg injured by the elf still hurt so much that he wanted to writhe in pain with every step. He didn't take painkillers, though, he hated having anything cloud his mind. His bodyguard Krat, who had been with him since the days of Atrax, stood with his chitin plastered and looking pathetic. He promised the insectoid that he would take it with him, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to fulfill that promise. Well, in this world, everyone should only count on themselves. His Shirren employees knew this, and they left him right after he was robbed. Well, they knew when to get out of a depressurized ship... But he had plans, big plans. Maybe he'll make it to Damaiko? At least it'll be fun there. He looked around the room where he had lived for the last few years. There wasn't much here. A narrow bed, several cupboards and a stool with a chair. Well, he didn't leave much behind, and that was good.

„Come on Krat, we made it. Neither that devil- and demon-cursed pirate and speciesist Azlanti got me." he said and took a deep breath. Then the Door swung open violently. The nasty-looking gnome threw an ax that shattered the insectoid's head. An elf with a deathly white face and an extremely nasty Shirren rushed inside. The elf jumped on him, putting the saber to his throat, and the insectoids looked around the room and said.

„The area is clear."

And then a woman walked in, who he wished was Moonshadow.

"Oh Grag, I don't think you're going anywhere." she said and laughed in her typical insane way.

„Oh, Supreme Queen Ka. If I knew… He started to speak pleadingly, but she cut him off.

"Just Lady Ka, at least for now." she said and signaled to the elf who pushed him to her knees. He howled in pain but quickly recovered himself. He had to appease her somehow, or it would be much worse

"So what did you do with our pale friend? You went for a walk, but he saw a cat and ran away?" she asked in a deadly sweet voice. Grag laughed.

„And you know that's somewhat true. I was attacked by a bunch of kids. Crazy and armed. And among them was Pahtra with a strange metal hand..."

Then Ka looked at him in surprise, then said appreciatively.

„Well, Grag, I think you saved your worthless life ... and I found the trail of the Lord Admiral's missing kitty."