Chapter 676: The Predators Arrive
Just as Rei Ayanami and the others rendezvoused with the Omaticaya escort detachment and resumed their journey toward the new home, the void of space in Pandora's high orbit subtly warped, like a reflection in a disturbed pool of water.
A massive spacecraft maintained optical cloaking, concealing its ferocious silhouette.
This Predator vessel was vastly larger than Celtic's small scout ship. Exceeding three hundred meters in length, its design resembled a deep-sea leviathan coiled to strike. The hull was scarred from countless battles and plated with reinforced armor, with innumerable thick energy conduits pulsing visibly across the exterior like swollen veins.
It hovered there silently, radiating an aura of cold, calculated slaughter that stood in stark contrast to the vibrant, verdant sphere of Pandora below.
Inside the ship's main hall, the atmosphere was grim.
A battle-hardened Predator Elder—his face marred by deep scars, wearing a helm inlaid with precious gemstones and the skulls of exotic beasts—stood before the central holographic star map.
On the map, the planet Pandora was highlighted. Several red dots blinked across its surface, one of which marked the exact origin of Celtic's final signal.
Standing behind the Elder were over a dozen Predators.
Five of them were mature, seasoned warriors. Their armor was of superior make, their weapons heavier, and the murderous aura radiating from them was almost palpable.
The remaining seven or eight were relatively young—Young Bloods brought along on this expedition. Their armor was slightly less ornate, but their eyes burned with a thirst for combat and the desire to prove themselves.
"Celtic, a fresh bud of the Blood Blade Clan, was broken in this place," the Elder's voice was deep and raspy, carrying the texture of grinding metal as it echoed through the hall via the translation matrix. "The signal indicates he did not die an honorable death in the jaws of a great beast, but perished in a cowardly ambush. This is a desecration of the Clan's honor!"
His sharp gaze swept over the Young Bloods. "Shame must be washed away with blood. The Vengeance Hunt begins immediately. This shall also serve as your proving ground."
The Young Bloods suppressed their internal excitement, their fists clenching so tightly that their knuckles emitted soft pops.
A veteran warrior stepped forward, his shoulder paldrons etched with countless hunt tallies. "Elder, according to the final combat telemetry analyzed from Celtic's signal, multiple sapient lifeforms exist on this planet."
"One is a blue-skinned native species; the other is an invasive species utilizing energy weapons. Both possess a certain degree of threat. It is highly probable Celtic fell to the latter."
The Elder nodded slightly. "Lock onto the final signal zone. Dispatch reconnaissance units to gather intelligence. We must understand the detailed nature of the prey on this planet—their numbers, their technology, and their... value."
He paused, his gaze falling upon the Young Bloods. "Young Bloods, your first directive: infiltrate the planet. Without exposing yourselves, assess the combat strength of the primary prey."
"Collect their biological samples, or... claim the trophies they pride themselves on. Prove with your actions that you are worthy of bearing the crest of the Blood Blade Clan!"
"For Honor!" the Young Bloods roared in unison, the fire of the hunt igniting in their eyes.
"Move out," the Elder waved his hand. "Remember, a hunt requires patience and cunning. Do not let fury cloud your minds. We will remain here, watching you."
Soon, several small, highly advanced drop ships with superior cloaking capabilities deployed silently from the belly of the mothership. Like venomous snakes striking from the dark, they slipped soundlessly into Pandora's atmosphere.
The hunters of vengeance were in position.
And their target was no longer simply the "murderers" of Celtic.
The entirety of Pandora, along with all life deemed "worthy of the hunt" upon it, had now become their prey and their crucible.
Escalation
At Hell's Gate Base, inside the core laboratory of the Trailblazer mobile base.
Ryo stood before the analysis terminal, watching the data decrypted from the Predator ship wreckage scroll across the screen.
Suddenly, the portable terminal on his wrist emitted a microscopic vibration—one so faint only he could detect it.
A flashing red icon sprang up on the screen. It was a maximum-priority alert transmitted from the camouflaged Auspex arrays deployed around the base perimeter and in near-orbit.
He instantly dropped what he was doing and opened the alert details.
A complex spectrogram of energy readings appeared before him, superimposed over an orbital model of Pandora.
A blurry but massive energy signature was highlighted. Even though the entity had activated an advanced cloaking field, the Auspex array's hypersensitivity to warp disturbances and specific high-energy reactions had still caught the faint traces of its existence.
A mass vastly exceeding Celtic's ship... identical energy signature root... advanced cloaking technology, but not entirely untraceable. Ryo formed a conclusion instantly. The Predator mothership has arrived.
Without a shred of hesitation, his consciousness dove deep. Through the trans-dimensional link, he transmitted this critical intelligence back to his main body on Necromunda.
[Massive target detected in orbit. Energy signature matches the previous wreckage. Advanced cloaking field, but failed to completely evade the Auspex array's mass-distortion sensors. It is their mothership; the Avengers have arrived.]
The feedback from the main body was cold and highly efficient, as if a master logic circuit had been instantaneously triggered. A massive data stream flooded directly into the core consciousness of the second avatar.
[Confirmed. Threat assessment escalated. Current localized forces are insufficient to guarantee total operational control and maximize yield. Reinforcements are required.]
A brief pause followed, as if countless variables were being weighed and adjudicated within the core processor.
[Resources have been coordinated. The primary teleportarium array at the Death World Base will initiate in 12 standard hours. Elandir will accompany the deployment.]
[The deployment sequence is as follows: One Knight lance from House Nearl, commanded by Margaret and Maria, accompanied by necessary Armiger support and maintenance thralls. Furthermore, I am dispatching a twelve-man experimental Astartes tactical squad that has completed basic acclimation and arming. They are equipped with a new pattern of power armor optimized by the STC database; they require live-combat field testing.]
[Command authority is transferred to you. The Knights will operate under the internal command structure of House Nearl; the Astartes fall under your direct command. Elandir serves as a specialized advisor. You have overall operational oversight.]
[Considering the potential for high-intensity conflict, an augmented exoskeleton has been prepared for you. Based on the technical blueprints of Tartaros-pattern Terminator armor, it should synchronize with your current state.]
[Primary Objective: Protect and expand our interests in this dimension. The complete Predator technological chain and biological samples are absolute top-tier priorities.]
[Secondary Objective: Manage the likely escalation in armed conflict. If necessary, demonstrate sufficient force to awaken all local factions to reality.]
[Prepare for reception.]