A/N: And here we are! Chapter 2, great fun to be had. I feel the need to say that Arcturus is from the 31st Millennium, not the 41st. The extreme xenophobia seen in the 41st millennia has not taken root in the Imperium yet. Big E tolerated the xenos species that didn't get in the way of Humanity, and showed no remorse for those that would dare impede Humanity's ascension. As such, Arcturus follows the same mindset.
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The mortal woman named Sheela was certainly helpful, Arcturus decided. He could have done without her near-worship of himself, but it had its uses. He stood in the mining facility's control room with his helmet resting upon a table, taking stock of what materials had been mined. Multiple tools had been introduced to the miners that remained, now being paid what he deemed a fair amount of this galaxy's credits that allowed for a substantial increase in productivity. More suitable living conditions had been made, with an entire hab unit being planned for future expansions in the mining pits and fabrication labs.
It had been roughly a week since the liberation of the slaves on the planet referred to as Nemata. Magos Lexus had already ensured the loyalty of the humans, numbering upwards of around forty workers to serve their purposes. The xenos who had been enslaved had been detained, interrogated, and for the most part integrated into separate areas from the humans. Arcturus held no love for them, especially the blue-skinned feminine humanoids that seemed to do nothing but complain, but they were useful until he found more humans capable and willing to work. The only captured human from the so-called Blue Suns mercenaries had been given no such choice; he had instead been given over to the Myrmidons for the creation of another tech-thrall to aid in their construction of a fabrication unit.
The sole exception of being parted from the humans came from the four so-called "quarians", of whom one of the lesser Myrmidons had performed a biopsy on. They were startlingly close to humans in biology, close enough to warrant a second chance at proving themselves in the same manner as the Ogryn and Ratlings. Indeed, if not for the misshapen legs and hands, Arcturus could have mistaken the deceased quarian as human once his damaged environmental suit had been removed. It also seemed that they were particularly vulnerable to infections and bacteria, due to some history of being stuck within their suits for hundreds of years.
Regardless of whether or not the remaining quarians would be granted the chance to prove themselves, they were the most valuable source of information among the former slaves. They had worked closely with Magos Lexus and his underlings to make a connection between their differing technologies, and it seemed to be bearing fruit. While there was no possible way for any of them to build, much less make use of a warp drive, the Myrmidons had found a way to combine the principles of a mass effect drive with a warp drive. If he understood it correctly, it would allow the ship with this bastardized drive the ability to generate a less stable variation of a Gellar Field, disconnected from any psykers while allowing them to pass through unhindered. It would mean shorter trips through the warp to allow it to recharge, but it was still a valid means of FTL that the Orion lacked. And, more importantly in Arcturus's mind, it kept them from being entirely reliant upon these Mass Relays, even if longer transit would still require them.
"Lord Arcturus? My apologies for the interruption, but I think this is something you would like to hear." The Custodian heard Sheela break the silence as she toyed with her holotool by his side. She had hardly left him since he had rescued her and revealed himself to be a fellow human. It wasn't bothersome, but it also could impose upon the solitude that Arcturus preferred at times. "The Citadel - the seat of the governing alliance of species in the majority of the galaxy, if you remember - was attacked by a Geth fleet. Geth -"
"The Geth are a species of AI, Sheela. You'll find I remember things far easier than most. How do you suspect this might impact us? I do not know enough of your Citadel Council to know how this might impact us." A small lie to be sure, but it encouraged the woman to form her own thoughts. Despite her former condition, her mind was quite sharp. He would hone her intelligence into a weapon, even if she did not believe herself smart enough. And then he would unleash her upon the galaxy, the first of several agents.
"It should have little impact on us immediately. But Commander Shepard, a human Spectre, saved the Citadel by killing the leader of the Geth fleet. He was on a nearby planet named Virmire the same day you arrived here. That means that several independent organizations might take an interest in where the SSV Normandy, Commander Shepard's vessel, has been."
The Sagittarum nodded appreciatively at her foresight. This was precisely what he was wanting her to come to the conclusion to, though there was more to it.
"That is correct, Sheela. But being found here is not necessarily a bad thing; we need more workers, more people capable of supporting our efforts of establishing the beginnings of a Forge World here. If we are to forge Humanity into what I know it as, then it shall surpass even the Citadel." Arcturus glanced at the door, hearing the footsteps of someone approaching. The door slid open to reveal one of Lexus's underlings, the tech-priest cradling a holoslate.
"Lord Arcturus, Lord Lexus requested that this be brought to your immediate attention." The Martian went about carefully depositing the holoslate on a nearby table that hadn't been used until this point.
The device activated, bathing the room in pale green light as a hologram filled the space above it. The hologram itself was of the skeletal basis of the Lorica Thallax used by both the Thallax and Ursarax cohorts, though it seemed there may have been some changes to it from Arcturus's perspective. He was soon proven correct.
"Lord Lexus believes that they have developed an updated skeletal system for the Lorica Thallax. The material known as Element Zero used by the collective species of… here, could be used to improve upon the initial designs of an updated frame that the Lord Magos had been previously working on, putting less strain upon a soldier's psyche. Lord Lexus requests your permission to begin crafting this version of the Lorica Thallax and grafting it to a volunteer."
The Custodian raised an eyebrow.
"Magos Lexus is in control of this facility, not I. Why is my permission needed?"
The lesser Myrmidon bowed slightly as he spoke again.
"It is Lord Lexus's decision that our survival lies best within your hands, Lord Arcturus. As such, they shall answer to you, and request that you direct them in which fields of research and production to focus upon to fit your needs."
"Very well. If he can find a volunteer for the improved Lorica Thallax, then he is free to do as he wishes. But the primary focus is the experimental drive."
"By your command, Lord Arcturus."
When the door slid closed after the lesser Myrmidon's departure, the Custodian's sight returned to the table he was at before. Sheela still stood there silently, waiting for a command of some kind.
"What I need is a ship capable of traversing your Mass Relays. These Batarians, slavers, must be exterminated."
The human woman glanced at the Custodian with uncertainty.
"Not to doubt your skills Lord Arcturus, but are you certain you could do so unnoticed? It's rather hard to miss someone of your size, and it would likely cause waves in the galactic community if slave colonies just started disappearing. Not to mention, they're very much like cockroaches. Free one slave colony, and two more spring up. It's part of the reason why the Citadel hasn't done anything about them; too much effort for too little gain."
"Who said anything about being unnoticed? There is a saying where I come from. I could strike from the shadows, like lightning, and be gone in a flash. Or I can become thunder, and let my adversaries know whom they fight. In this instance, the pinnacle of Humanity shall not hide in the shadows. It is only a matter of time before our activity here is discovered and questions are asked. I would instead reveal us to this Batarian Hegemony on my own terms." The Sagittarum glanced at the holoslate still displaying the Lorica project. "And I shall not do so alone."
The woman nodded excitedly, causing her shoulder-length brown hair to bounce with her nods. Even just being free from the slavers for a week had done her an astounding amount of good for both her personality and her appearance. Unfortunately, she had been trying to find ways to use her appearance to appease him, and nothing he said or did swayed from that course of action. Another small annoyance in Arcturus's book, but again, something that can also be largely ignored so long as it didn't breach certain boundaries. At least she hadn't tried to physically appease him, and it seemed she had better sense than to try that at least. Both for herself, and for his own boundaries.
He reached for his helmet and placed it upon his head.
"Prepare for departure, Sheela. Once I've spoken with Magos Lexus, we're going to Virmire using one of your Kodiaks. On our return, I will discuss with everyone my decision on how we shall deal with the Citadel and Humanity's interwoven fate within it."
"At once, Lord Arcturus."
In the future, Arcturus decided, he would avoid traveling within one of these Kodiaks if he could avoid it. His large frame meant he was nearly forced to his knees inside the craft. And, to top it off, it seemed as if he weighed perhaps a bit too much for it. Where he stood, hunched over, he could make out the floor of the Kodiak's cab bending around him. He was assured by both a Quarian and one of the lesser Myrmidons that he would be fine to ride in it, however. And so it was with hesitant relief that Sheela informed him from the cockpit that they had landed on the planet Virmire.
The shuttle's door was opened and the Custodian disembarked faster than he cared to admit, but his head was already swiveling to guage where they had landed and to find anything of interest. He was rewarded with the sight of something that looked like a Geth contraption, which was confirmed by Sheela only a moment later.
"That's a Geth Colossus. Er, it was, anyways. If it was hostile, it should have activated when we neared within a kilometer of it. Since it didn't, I'm inclined to believe that Commander Shepard's crew disabled it in some form."
"You risked us flying near it without knowing that it was disabled?" Arcturus asked disapprovingly. Sheela cringed slightly.
"Not entirely? The ship wasn't picking up any signs of it being active, so I figured it must be disabled."
"Do not always trust sensors, Sheela. They can be worked around, fooled, and outright thwarted. Nonetheless, your bravery is commendable."
With his admonishment finished, he crossed the distance between himself and the Colossus in a golden blur, his Adrastus Bolt Caliver at the ready. When the machine failed to move, even when he stood next to its deactivated frame, he allowed himself to reach for the compact frame. After running his hand across its shell, he avoided snorting in contempt as he could feel the material even now slightly crumpling beneath his touch.
"It isn't sturdy. The shell is far too flimsy to be practical against nearly anything but a las-rifle." He muttered to himself. He went around to where he assumed its head should be located, then reached for the protrusion. Once his Auramite-encased fist had hold of something sturdy, he pulled on it with some effort. A few catches was all the resistance he faced, allowing him to quickly reveal a large elongated head that reminded him somewhat of a thick mechadendrite, with a flashlight attached at the end. Only this one was deactivated.
After one more tug, the head was torn free from the rest of the machine. Something that Magos Lexus had requested during their meeting before the Sagittarum departed; find the logic center of one of these so-called Geth, and bring it back to them.
A few moments later, the head was safely tucked into the Kodiak and already making the Custodian not look forward to the return to Nemata.
With their primary objective completed already, Arcturus decided that giving the nearby crater site a quick look wouldn't harm their timetable. It wasn't far; he can run there faster than if he were to get into the Kodiak. And so he did, a blur of gold being all that Sheela was able to see before he was gone.
It took only a minute to reach the edge of the crater, even if he was careful to avoid trampling on any of the fallen Geth along the way. He mentally marked where each one was in case something was needed from them, but otherwise they were unremarkable to him.
When he arrived, he felt a frown adorn his face. When he had heard that something had happened here, along with the word crater, he expected something… larger. Indeed, something he had come to realize from this… time. Galaxy. Whatever it was. Everything here was smaller. The Kodiak, for example, was a dropship. To him, it was a personal shuttle. His Orion, a true transport by Custodian standards, was nearly a frigate by this galaxy's standards of size. But mass? The Orion was nearly equal to that of this Humanity's dreadnoughts by mass alone.
Everything this galaxy did was smaller. Lighter. Far less destructive. All due to the influence of Element Zero. On one hand, it was a blessing as it meant that his own forces would always have the upper hand. The durability of his Auramite would only rarely be tested short of an orbital bombardment, and the Lorica Thallax shell of the Thallax and Ursarax would likewise prove extremely durable. By the same token, there would be little that can withstand their weaponry. Kinetic barriers are meant to stop the sand grain sized projectiles that are used in most of this galaxy's weapons. A bolter shell would, and has, cracked through it instantly, as well as the protective hardsuits most wear. By his own deduction, the adrathic beam that made the Adrastus Bolt Caliver truly deadly would meet no resistance.
He was confident the armaments of the Thallax, Ursarax, and even the Castellax and Vulturax would likewise have no issues.
Arcturus only needed to look over the crater once to see that there was little to be gained inside it. Even filled with water, his helmet's sensors were able to see through it without any problems. What did attract his attention however, was a group of aliens who thought they were being stealthy near the other side, in the shadows of the rock formations and trees. Based on their shape outlined in the 'codex' that was commonly referenced in this galaxy, they were Salarians.
The Sagittarum would admit that they had chosen wisely in where to hide. If he had not personally conversed with Alpharius regularly before… everything, about the numerous ways in which one could hide themselves and how to spot them, then he likely would have missed them.
There was no way they hadn't seen him. And they were certainly close enough to have detected the Kodiak. Yet they hadn't approached him, leaving him to decide if he would make that choice.
Of course he would.
When one of his operatives informed Lieutenant Tesh of the approaching Blue Suns Kodiak, the Salarian began to quickly put together known facts.
First, Captain Kirrahe's team was here prior to explosion, as his report claimed. Second, all calculations run on the crater confirmed his and Spectre Shepard's story about what had been used as the makeshift bomb to make said crater. Third, destroyed Geth were present, consistent once more with the Captain's report. Said Geth were a part of the former Spectre Saren Arterius's faction. Fourth, Krogan DNA had been found within the crater, once again proving the Captain's account.
This presented a problem. Nowhere in either the Spectre's nor the Captain's reports of Virmire were the Blue Suns mentioned. What connection did they have? To hire Krogan soldiers? No, Blue Suns only seek well-known Krogan warriors. Hired by Saren previously? Unlikely. Saren had his own security personnel that were mostly unlinked to him.
He inquired if any ships had come from the Mass Relay in the past few days.
"No sir. Ours is the first ship in the Relay's logs since Spectre Shepard's."
Blue Suns must be nearby then. Explains presence of singular Kodiak. Not on Virmire; entire planet thoroughly scanned before landing. Nearby planet perhaps? Or potentially a small space station. Mercenaries known to prefer Terminus Systems borders. What if-
Movement. A golden flash atop the edge of the crater opposite him, revealing a titan in ornate golden armor. Warrior perhaps. Bipedal, reminiscent of a human, asari, or Batarian in apparent body shape. Far too large to be any of those if quick measurements were correct. And perhaps-
Did it just jump?
"Oh. This is unprecedented." Tesh muttered as the golden figure leapt across the crater. Towards his STG team. Not good. But surely it can't leap the enti-
"Scramble!" The lieutenant ordered, following his own command as he did so. He performed the calculation immediately when he noticed the movement. His initial assessment based off of logic was in error. The creature landed explosively, the weapon in its hands raising faster than any of Tesh's team could react to. But then it simply waited, as if gauging their reactions.
Maybe it was a mech?
Such thoughts were shattered instantly when it spoke a language that none of their translators could pick up. One that sound distinctly organic, if distorted from behind the helmet.
Troublesome. Until he began to really listen to the figure's sounds and observe the communicative movements. Then, Tesh beheld both eye-watering beauty, and a dread that began to fill his heart.
Arcturus stared at the amphibious species as they stared at him. None of them spoke as he waited, so it would fall to him to do so. Except… they would know Gothic, if they knew Humanity. His internal debate on a language lasted less than a second, before starting to address them in the only xenos language he had learned.
Aeldari. At His behest, Arcturus had learned the language from one of Eldrad's companions. It seemed a waste of time in Arcturus's eyes at the time, but he had taken more out of the learning process than merely another language to add to his repertoire. For example, it had served to further teach him how to read body language. That alone had earned him a name once he had passed such teachings on to his fellow Custodes.
And so his weapon lowered at the same moment his mouth began to utter the language of the Eldar. He performed the proper movements with his body, the correct manipulation of sound, and in his own mind he knew that it was perfectly executed. He didn't need to witness the eyes of the xenos begin to stare in awe of the perfection, but he did need an answer. Unfortunately, it seemed he would not get it. He gave an audible sigh, turned, and returned to the Kodiak. He had more important matters to attend to. The thought of killing them had crossed his mind, but it would ultimately only cause problems for him.
Not having the Emperor's Mandate to rely upon was slowly proving troublesome, but he would manage. Mandate or not, he would do as he must when the time came.
Lieutenant Tesh dropped to his knees in both awe and fear. He knew he wasn't the only one. The graceful movements, the speech sounding honeyed and, he hated to admit it, but rather pleasing to his ears. That, combined with the sheer power that was evident in its movements, the care that put even an Asari Matriarch to shame. It was phenomenal.
"Did anyone record that?" He finally asked, hearing one of his newest members give an affirmative. "Good. We're leaving. The Dalatrass needs to know about this."
"Sir?" The same young Salarian asked. "Was… this a first contact scenario?"
An excellent question. Tesh wanted to say yes. Except it had gone towards the same direction it had come from; the Blue Suns shuttle. The Citadel might have a problem on its hands if a mercenary company established first contact with a new species. The Lieutenant realized he never answered his newest recruit.
"Unknown. But I am inclined to believe so. Keep this out of our report to the Citadel until the Dalatrass makes a decision."
The return to Nemata went how Arcturus believed it would. He was once more impressed that his bulk hadn't crumpled the Kodiak, though a comment from Sheela had led him to believe that even she was thinking another trip inside it was not in his future. No matter; his dropship would be suitable for future use.
The Geth Colossus head came with him as he disembarked, then was extended towards the approaching form of Magos Lexus. Two mechadendrites snaked out from beneath the flowing robe to take hold of the head.
"You have my thanks, Lord Arcturus."
"None necessary, Magos. We have another problem. A group of Salarians were investigating the crater on Virmire and caught sight of myself and the shuttle. We'll need to prepare ourselves for some form of investigation here, be it from the Salarians or the Blue Suns."
"Ah, the Blue Suns. We received a transmission from a captain named Dreylak, a Batarian if the xenos' appearance in it is accurate. He saw fit to inform us that our operations have been lagging behind as of late, and will be coming personally to ensure the full worth of the slaves are delivered upon."
"ETA?"
"Presumably shortly. One of the Quarians informed me nineteen seconds ago that the Mass Relay just logged the arrival of a… cruiser-sized… vessel bearing the name Harsa's Shadow. According to their extranet records, it is a well-known slaver vessel that has recently been employed by the Blue Suns."
Arcturus nodded to himself. The weight-class of the vessels used in this time were… misleading, by his standards. A cruiser wasn't even the size of a Firestorm-class frigate. He could clear it himself realtively quickly.
"Allow them the honor of landing upon our freshly founded Forge World Nemata, Magos. Allow their soldiers the chance to disembark from their shuttles, we will need those for transportation in the future. I will board Harsa's Shadow myself and capture it for our fledgling planet."
The Myrmidon Lord bowed, then turned away as a bloodthirsty chuckle was heard. Arcturus merely shook his head and thanked the Emperor that this particular Myrmidon was capable of controlling its bloodlust.
"Landing parties have been dispatched to each site, Captain."
"Hmm. Something isn't right…" the Batarian captain muttered to himself from the bridge of his ship. "Keep all communications open. I want reports before they land."
"Yes, Captain."
Aboard the bridge of the Harsa's Shadow, Captain Dreylak could feel a chill begin to creep down his spine. It wasn't the first time he felt it in his life, either. Every time he'd felt it, something had gone catastrophically wrong. The biggest example was the Skyllian Blitz. The moment Harsa's Shadow had exited the relay alongside the rest of the Batarian fleet sent to Elysium, he had felt this same chill.
"Run constant scans around us. Something is here, and I want it found."
"Captain?" One of his youngest ensigns asked. He was a good kid. Aratoht raised them right, and usually with a rare intelligence that wasn't seen among the rank and file of his fellow Batarians. "What exactly are we looking for?"
"I'm not certain. It's a feeling more than actual knowledge, kid. But as you get experience, you learn to trust these feelings far more than you trust logic. And this feeling is reminding me of what I felt during the Blitz, so I need any and all information I can get my hands on to make sure we leave here alive."
He wasn't wrong. He was known within the Hegemony for being a ruthless warrior in the stars. He hadn't reached his age, survived the Blitz, without reason.
"Pilots are reporting that the facilities appear abandoned, Captain. All of them. Orders?"
The chill grew stronger.
"Get them onto the ground, Lieutenant."
The Shadow was slightly larger than most cruisers, due to the slave hold in the rear of the ship. This also meant it had a slightly larger troop complement of one hundred and forty, a hundred and twenty of which had gone to Nemata's surface aboard all ten of its Kodiak shuttles. Three to each of the secondary slave pits, with a fourth shuttle dedicated to aid in recovering the facility's main hub. This left twenty Blue Suns mercenaries under his employ guarding the slave hold, and the rest of the two hundred crew members aboard the Shadow. Each of them were more than just crew; they were all soldiers.
And yet… the chill kept growing stronger. He was making a mistake somewhere, somehow. He was certain of it. But he couldn't figure out where.
"Sir, there's a frigate approaching! But… something's off about it."
"I need details, ensign."
"The sensors mark it as frigate sized, though not one I've ever seen. But the mass readings put it at well over a dreadnought's mass range."
"Put it on screen. Hail it."
The captain didn't need to say it; the ensign had already been preparing to display it. When it displayed across his personal vidscreen, Captain Dreylak was at a loss for words. His ensign was correct; it was indeed a ship that he had likewise never seen. And he had seen them all, even the SSV Normandy.
It was primarily covered in a golden hull, bearing several weapons that looked like nothing he had ever seen. It had wings, the front tips colored red. And most importantly… someone, or something, was riding on top of the damned thing.
"Hail accepted, but only long enough to deliver a single message Captain."
Whatever language was spoken in the message was not one he knew, nor was understood by translators. It was strangely appealing in the sense that it seemed to flow with grace, even though he didn't understand what was said. The chill grew even colder.
"Is this…? Dammit. Destroy that ship. Fire weapons when ready."
His weapons specialist gave his affirmation, then grunted in confusion.
"Captain, we have a problem. They've infiltrated our systems somehow. I can't get an accurate lock."
"Explain."
"Every time I try to lock, something else comes up. Something that shouldn't even be possible. Take a look."
The captain hurried to his specialist's side, glancing down at his terminal. And now he understood.
Displayed upon the terminal, instead of targeting data, was a wide variety of offensive gestures and mocking images. Even the point-defense GUARDIANs couldn't get an accurate lock.
He didn't know how to respond. He was still staring at it in shock when the golden figure leapt from the frigate onto the top of the Shadow.
True to both his and Magos Lexus's predictions, the cruiser's (Arcturus inwardly snorted at the designation for what would have been little more than a yacht in the Imperium) kinetic barriers did nothing to stop him from landing on the outer hull. Arcturus simply wasn't moving fast enough to register as a threat to its sensors. But now he needed to make an entrance without fully destroying this ship. The Batarians had been kind enough to gift him the very vessel he was debating on how to acquire beforehand. It would not do to damage it too much.
He tested the hull with a stomp and nodded to himself. His helmet's autosenses were already at work calculating what it might take to pierce the metal, though he had a feeling it wouldn't take much. A few moments more confirmed his suspicions as he began to move towards where the hull was weakest.
And he aimed his Adrastus Bolt Caliver downward and fired. The strength of whatever materials were used on this hull were definitely stronger than that of the flimsy Kodiak he had traveled on, but his bolt caliver was fully capable of piercing ceramite at long ranges, something that the Traitor Legions had learned by experience. And this was most certainly not ceramite.
It was loud. It was explosive. And it was most certainly satisfying to a degree that Arcturus didn't expect, but nonetheless suppressed to focus on his task. A warning on his autosenses confirmed that he had nearly blasted through the hull after a sustained volley, allowing him to cease fire and step towards the crater. Another stomp into it sent his foot through the hull, and plunged him into a hallway where he found several Batarians in hardsuits staring at him in shock despite the vacuum within the hallway.
No hesitation. He cleared the distance between himself and the closest xeno with a flash of gold, his hand pulling his misericordia free faster than even an Astartes could react to. The Batarian's head fell, but not before the Custodian had continued past it and to the duo which stood several yards behind.
Neither had the chance to raise their weapons by the time he had fallen upon them and ripped them apart. By the time the first Batarian's head hit the ground, two more bodies had already begun to fall.
It wouldn't do to use his bolt caliver inside the ship. He didn't know what lay behind which walls, and if he could pierce the ship's hull with a sustained volley then the Sagittarum certainly didn't want to risk using it within and hitting something vital.
An abrupt turn to face the opposite side of the hallway revealed four more Batarians wearing hardsuits, with one of them bearing Blue Suns colors. Just as he had pounced upon the fallen xenos, he dashed towards them. He didn't bother listening to their shocked cries, paying attention instead to the harpoon launcher that the Blue Sons mercenary held. The trained marksman had the weapon raised and fired mere moments before Arcturus had made contact with the first of the four, making a loud exclamation of victory as the figure almost larger than the hall could fit reached towards its chest.
This was short lived as the final moments of the Batarian's brain registered that the golden giant had actually caught the harpoon. It didn't stop as it simply trampled the first two of his comrades between its own weight and the strength of its legs. That strange bladed weapon crackling with… something, cut the Batarian in front of him in twain down the middle, then the harpoon was driven into the Blue Sun's skull.
Arcturus didn't slow as his armor began to burn away the xenos blood that covered where he had run over the creatures. His autosenses were already at work analyzing the rooms behind the thin walls of the ship, picking up heat and organic signatures in multitudes.
The slim door proved to be no obstacle to his strength, his hand shearing the metal from its place and tossing it aside. Several more xenos were waiting, their weapons firing ineffectively as the grain-sized projectiles proved to be no match for his armor and shield. And so they fell, like wheat before the scythe.
"Find the boarder!" Dreylak ordered furiously. "It's one creature! It can't be that hard to find something larger than a Yagh on board the ship!"
"We're trying! C-deck is no longer reporting in. None of their stations appear to be manned. What is that thing?" The ensign asked, looking at the only confirmed image of their adversary. It was blurred, but still visible to one of the cameras that was inside the mess hall. It held one of the cooks by the torso, its hand easily curling around the crushed Batarian as it ran towards several other crew members.
It was gold, or at least wore golden armor. It wielded some sort of blade, with a ranged weapon that was as large as a fully grown Batarian on its back. As of yet, he hadn't heard of the creature using it, so nobody was quite sure what it was capable of. Or even why the creature didn't use it.
The biggest problem however was the fact that nothing that was thrown at it was working. Electronets, harpoons, even a missile hadn't even scorched the armor it wore if reports were to be believed. It had already blown through several decks, and anywhere it went resulted in no survivors. They stopped checking the cameras after the first few rooms; the pure savagery they saw was all they needed to see to know that none would survive an encounter with the creature after it had left the room. That, and the fact that the internal atmospheric facsimile failed in every room it opened.
The Ensign heard the Captain turn away to ask for an update groundside. To his distress, there was no answer. Not even the pilots responded.
"Set a course for the Relay! Now!" Captain Dreylak ordered. "We're leaving. Begin shutting down every system besides those needed for travel and life support for the bridge. We'll try to suffocate it before it gets here."
That caused the Ensign to blink in surprise. He respected, and even feared Dreylak's reputation and mind, but that seemed like the most idiotic thing he had heard. Shutting down life support throughout the ship would do nothing, considering it brought the void into every system and deck it entered by destroying the doors.
He began to voice his thoughts, then halted as he saw the Carnifex pistol that was shakily aimed at his head.
"Do it, boy. Now!" The Captain ordered again.
The Ensign could see the sweat beading at the Captain's forehead. The nervous shaking throughout his body, not just the hand that held the pistol. The Aratohtian slowly turned back to his terminal and reached for the holoboard that controlled it and brought up the life control power distribution, then paused once more as he heard a sound he had been dreading as much as the rest of the crew.
Following the first sound, a second thud was heard, swiftly followed by the screeching of metal as the bridge was thrown into chaos, oxygen rushing out even as a golden flash came through the forced entrance.
The last the Ensign saw was a curled fist punching through his abdomen, his death spasms hitting the bright red shutdown indicator that had been opened on his terminal.
The instant the lights within the ship went dark, followed by flashing red warning claxons mounted to the roof in the center of the bridge, Arcturus knew they had shut down the life support through the ship. It was a virtually universal signal, used even in the Imperium and the Aeldari xenos.
He growled as he leapt forward as if an avenging lion. His hand tore through another Batarian even as his misericordia had bisected a third. He grabbed one half of the fallen xeno and launched it at what could only be Captain Dreylak, sending the Batarin to the ground.
The rest of the bridge crew was silenced brutally by the time the captain was able to push the corpse off of himself, though it found no respite as the lack of oxygen began to take a toll. It had no mask, nor helmet, which meant it would likely suffocate. Arcturus felt no need to change the creature's fate.
Instead, the Custodian began to analyze the various terminals, finally settling upon the one where the first Batarian he had killed inside the bridge was laying.
It took little work to decipher how to control the terminal. He brought forth what looked to be a layout of the ship and began to manipulate the life support systems. There was a slave hold near the ship's rear, but he wasn't sure if there were slaves being held there at the moment. He quickly restored the systems for the hold only, then turned to look at a few of the other terminals.
Navigation. Weapons. Communications. That meant the terminal he was at likely controlled the all of the ship's internal systems, including sensors. Good to know.
The final dying gasp from the xeno captain drew the Sagittarum's attention, who watched in interest as the Batarian was clawing at its face and neck in futility as it tried to find oxygen. Then it stopped moving.
Arcturus listened for any sort of deception, be it breathing or the creature's ruptured lungs. He heard nothing besides the beating of its heart stop in totality.
Nodding to himself, he began to head for the slave hold.
"Arcturus to Magos Lexus. Harsa's Shadow is mine. Report your findings."
The vox channel was silent for only a brief moment.
"Lord Arcturus, you'll be pleased to know that we suffered no losses and have recovered their vessels with no damage. The cockpits might be a little messy due to the Ursarax's handiwork, but the thralls have already begun tidying them up."
"Excellent. I'll verify if any slaves are on board, then return to the primary facility."
"My Lord, may I offer a suggestion?"
"You may."
"The girl Sheela has informed me that your newly acquired vessel should still possess a Batarian Hegemony IFF."
"I'll find it. Arcturus out."