The peculiar group of these three cadets made their way through the bowels of the ship, arriving in a large hall more than 2,000 square meters wide. It was lined with tables throughout, with each table almost filled to the brim with similarly dressed cadets.
Various humanoid species and a few especially alien-looking ones could be seen among them.
All of them were staring at the various holograms situated throughout the hall that were showing different views of the battle outside. Some whispered while others shouted, trying to spur on the fighters being shown in the holograms.
"By the way, what's your name?" Madaline asked as she sat at a table that had enough space for all three of them.
"R-Reinhart," he replied shyly.
The red-skinned boy scoffed yet again, sounding even more derisive than before.
"You, shut up!" Madaline glared at him before nodding towards Reinhart, "That's a good name. Try to live up to it. As you heard, I'm Madaline and this good-for-nothing is Vaas," she formally introduced herself and gestured towards the red-skinned boy who looked away pretending not to hear her.
"Hello seniors," Reinhart stood up from his seat and bowed towards them according to the age difference.
"Whatever," Vaas grumbled while Madaline's tail slapped him again.
"Sit, let's watch the battle."
As was the case with everyone else in the hall, the trio was quickly engrossed in scenes of carnage and bloodshed being shown through the 3d holograms.
The one closest to them showed the perspective of a team leader who was a Profound Realm expert. There were asteroids all around him and on one of them was the creature that he would be facing.
It was about 5 meters in length.
It had an elongated snout, its jaw overflowing with rows of razer sharp teeth. This creature, in particular, had four arms that ended in carapace infused vertical saw-like blades instead of digits. Its back was completely covered with rows of a smooth rock-like material that acted as armor.
Its tail which was half the length of its main body had rough jagged edges throughout, ending in a thin and sharp point almost like a needle.
The armor on its back and the tail itself was dark in color which melded perfectly with the blackness of the space.
The two legs that supported this killing machine had three sharp digits that looked more like daggers. (Link in authors notes)
The Team Leader's calm voice came through the hologram as he instructed the dozens of soldiers behind him.
"This is a class D melee fighter, nothing special as long as you pay attention to a few key points."
"Be careful of its tail, always keep an eye on it. Stay as far away as you can from the reach of its blades, they are deceptively long. If you HAVE to move in for close combat or are left with no other choice, close the distance at once, don't dilly dally. Hug it like it is your long lost lover!"
"A single moment of hesitation could cost you your life or the lives of your teammates. Group 1, you will attack first."
It was pretty clear that this was probably the first such encounter for many of the soldiers behind him. Perhaps they were the new graduates.
"Yes sir!"
As soon as he finished, a group of 20 soldiers moved in. Most of them were equipped with melee weapons but each one had a long-range weapon as well.
They looked like advanced versions of the rifles from earth but instead of metal bullets these fired energy bolts.
Five of them stayed back and took aim. When the other 15 were close enough to the creature they fired all at once. They were aiming for its open mouth.
There was no sound in space but it wasn't hard to imagine the painful shrieks the creature let out as purple blood poured out of its mouth.
Yet it was only enough to distract to it for a couple of seconds as its blades extended to over 8 meters in size when it attacked.
8 soldiers that carried large melee weapons like greatswords and hammers met these scythe-like blades head-on while the others moved in at full speed.
The battle was intense but short-lived. In less than 3 minutes the members of Group A had managed to decapitate the creature.
Those that were watching the fight had just started to celebrate when the Team leader's voice came again.
"Be careful, you've grabbed the attention of at least a Class D beast, it is coming!"
Group A quickly fell back upon hearing that. Silence fell over the entire hall as they watched with bated breaths.
Their view was obstructed by the asteroid field in front but from where they were, large asteroids that were dozens of meters long could be seen being thrown left and right.
Something big was coming towards them.
"Move back a little, give it some space," the Team Leader's somber voice came through. He didn't sound as calm as before.
He tapped on the side of his helmet.
"This is Team Lead 1, requesting backup. Possible Class C, suspected to be an Overlord class."
"Copy that Team Lead 1. All nearby squads are engaged in combat, hold positions until backup arrives from Sector Gamma."
"…..copy that."
He then reached out and a longsword appeared in his right hand. It had a rune inscribed on it that burned with a yellow light. Taking the advance guard he stood at the front alone while the others got into formation behind him.
"Prepare to engage!" he ordered loudly as seven silhouettes appeared above his head. These were his Mind Palaces. Seven palaces meant he was a genius among his peers, one in a hundred thousand.
The asteroids kept being hurled away more and more forcefully as they crashed into one another, creating more obstacles.
30 seconds that felt like hours past like this as everyone watched and waited. Reinhart forgot to even close his mouth. His eyes were glued to hologram because he didn't want to miss a single second of it.
The last row of asteroids was pushed aside as a shadow of a gigantic creature came into view. It must have been more than 1500 meters in length, like a miniature planet hurling towards them through the void.
The Team Leader's already darkened expression turned deathly grim as he peered towards this monster and then at the sea of creatures that were riding atop it.
"This is Team Lead 1, Class A hive Guard spotted. Cancel backup, we won't make it."
****
Authors Notes:
Abyss tribe soldiers: https://urlzs.com/YyGY8
Long url: https://media.moddb..com/cache/images/groups/1/3/2055/thumb_620x2000/tyranids.png
