[High Orbit, Dreadnaught Calaster, Two Millennia after Consortium Emergence]
"Redirect primary lens to our left flank. Burn their putrid flesh."
An iron fist pressed against the command chair, its size and width tremendous in scale. Executor Premus stood up, towering over the crew as they frantically scrambled across the bridge. Simply put, he was a barn of a Daragen, tasked with overseeing the naval defense of the sector.
And he had seen his share of Infestare.
"This brood prefers a fading pincer; pretend we are falling for it." The Executor bellowed, his mask shaped like a giant widget, painted in red and black. "Launch Infernum missiles once they commit."
The horde could be seen massing through the bridge viewport, scuttling across space through vessels large and small. Many of the seedlings, jettisoned from the primary ship, were sent careening towards the planet below. The other fragments used their mass to plow through the Consortium's defenses, releasing streaks of yellow flame towards their prey.
Heavy were their losses against the Consortium's fleet of a hundred strong. But the Infestare came with such expectations, and pushed onward even as their primary nest split in two after a dozen frigates struck its center with a coordinated railgun barrage. As long as a single spec of Infestare remained, they would continue their assault without delay.
A tall Vesper called out in a frantic voice, staring at his holographic display as it blared red. "Executor. Incoming pods."
"Keep on target. Do not redirect our cannons." Premus roared. "The Aerie remains our priority."
The bridge shook, its viewport cracking under the pressure of the oncoming Infestare. Many of their pods splattered in vain, killing their contents in an instant. But Premus knew better and was prepared for the moment a large pod came crashing through the barrier.
Planting his feet on the ground, the Exeuctor caught the pod as it came to a screeching halt in his arms. His armored body, activating like pistons, clenched down on the transport, crushing it with relative ease. Snorting like a bull, Premus waved a hand towards the shattered viewpoint, his back glowing with bright orange.
"We stand our ground to the last ship. The Arch-Flayer will do the same."
The viewport sealed, its surface covered in a glowing energy field. All crewmembers aboard the bridge, who had been clinging on with either technology or raw strength, returned to their stations as if nothing had happened. They had faith in the Executor and the reputation that preceeded his rank.
"Executor." The Vesper continued, his voice carrying a greater breath of determination. "Several pods are on their way to the surface. Planetside AA will not catch them all."
"Yrix is ready." Premus huffed. "She always is."
- - - - - - - - -
"There they are." Yrix pointed towards the fiery orbs that screamed across the lower atmosphere. "Right on time."
Sonera watched in awe as the battle unfolded in front of her eyes, its sheer carnage creating explosions she could witness with the naked eye. Part of her was impressed with the Consortium, feeling proud to stand by their side. But the moment was fleeting.
"I'm with you." Sonera nodded. "This time."
She was surprised to see a group of Daregen from the courtyard rush to her side, firing their rifles up at the sky as the pods drew closer. Yrix joined their effort, effortlessly using her ranged grasp to squash the largest of the pods. The grass lit up with a fiery orange, bathing Sonera in light as she began to squint.
"Ready yourselves, warriors," Yrix ordered as the courtyard became filled with the Consortium, from Psions to Vespers. "Now is your time to die."
Sonera's heart swelled, pointing her revolver towards the sky with steeled confidence. Firing off a single blast, she watched as the darkness of night basked in the orange glow of her accurate shot, smirking a tinge as the firearm disintegrated in her hands, falling to the ground like obsidian shards. The effort didn't last long, however, as the first of the pods came slamming into the courtyard, taking a portion of the Aerie's roof with it.
"Stand your ground, for now," Yrix whispered into Sonera's mind. "Let the chaff wash over our troops."
"You won't help them?" Sonera raised an eyebrow.
"I will, from a distance. But their demise is inevitable. Once the courtyard is clear of friendlies, we will dance in the flames."
Sonera nodded. "Very well."
"Let us be their poison." Yrix beamed with pride. "Oh, how I missed this."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
High above the battlefield, nestled within a broken fragment of the Infestare nest, Lovatte watched through a shadowy form. Her smile was eerily deep, and her eyes lit with excitement. She had no intention of personally appearing that day, or on any day as far as the Consortium knew.
What mattered was the sheer chaos of it all. She was the instigator of a thousand wars. Only this time, it was her daughter she intended to sharpen.
"Let's see how your radiant knight fairs." Lovatte snickered to herself. "Oh, how I enjoy her mania. Let her grow fat from her enemies' screams."
The queen clutched the silver bead in her palms, its brilliant light glimmering like a star. It was her plan to bestow its growing power upon whoever she deemed fit when the time was right. Such was her nature to plant the literal seeds of devastation. In fact, Lovatte took great pride in it.
"Take a burrowing brood," Lovatte commanded, using her connection to the hive. "Cut around the Aerie. Reach that little bunker of theirs. I promise you'll like what you find."
And so the horde moved, unaware that a royal princess was dwelling within. Lovatte never told the full truth. Not even to her own people.
A finger reached her bony mouth as her voice exuded appreciation. "And as for Yrix...well...good luck. It's always such a privilege to see her work. Truly. Not many alive see with their real eye. So many are blind. Like my daughter."