Chương 14: Chapter 14 - White Night
As Rodgraim was seen by the mercenaries, they opened fire without any undue delay; laser blasts emanated from their guns and lit up the dimly lit ruins.
Rodgraim calmly activated his Black Panther Armor, which immediately materialized and covered him from head to toe.
Without a moment's delay, he stood between the advancing mercenaries and Seraphina, keeping her from their murderous procession.
The laser shots fired by the mercenaries tore into Rodgraim's armor before any energy barrier was built.
The barrier braved the shots with ease.
The mercenaries were staring in shock; their faces slammed their mouths shut as they realized their weapons would prove to be useless against Rodgraim's armor.
Clapping his hands together, Rodgraim turns toward the mercenaries.
His voice is tinged with disappointment. "I had hoped you'd clear out these ruin guards for me," he comments.
"But you've been such a disappointment."
The mercenaries had hardly responded when hundreds of Predators materialized before them, emerging from the shadows as they surrounded the room.
Panic was running high among them when they saw the sheer number of Predators now closing in on them.
It was not until Birdman Raynor, their leader, felt the shiver creeping down his spine that he finally realized the reality from the uneasy feeling had been rising.
The Predators had been lying in wait the whole time, watching them silently for the perfect moment to come out from behind the shadows and reveal themselves.
In a coordinated response, the Predators brought out the shoulder-mounted plasma cannons, each cannon firing into the psionic puppets that had proved such a menace.
The hall rang out with the scream of plasma fire, pounding down upon the puppets by the hundreds, destroying them to fragments.
Seeing the brutal power of the Predators, many of the mercenaries gulped nervously, realizing they were badly outnumbered.
One of the mercenaries, collapsing into desperation, pointed his weapon at a Predator.
But the latter moved forward swiftly and pulled out a silvered shuriken from its back.
That whistling low sound tore through the air, sending the head of the unfortunate mercenary rolling on the floor.
Such a scarifying sight struck the remaining mercenaries.
Even Birdman Raynor, whose psionic power gave him a power over ordinary fighters, felt the heaviest weight of despair.
He lowered his gun, raised his hands in an open surrender gesture.
The situation was inevitable now- these Predators were more powerful than some regular military forces.
When defeat was admitted, Raynor turned to Rodgraim and asked, "What do you intend doing with us? Do we go to the execution chamber or be delivered to the Star Alliance?"
Raynor's question had cut to the very heart of the mercenaries' problem.
Though they called themselves a "mercenary group," in truth, they were more like interstellar pirates in the mind of any legitimate authority.
Many of the mercenaries were, in truth, criminals or fugitives who had come to the group to avoid extradition or to find treasure through all means possible without necessarily being above the law.
Raynor was himself a former head of the notorious gang known as the Thunderbird Pirates.
After a spate of losses at the inner sea, he had retired to the outer sea where he'd built his present fleet.
However, all his renown and cunning had held little water against Rodgraim and
the Predators.
Undaunted by Raynor's circumstances, the one thing in focus was the treasure thought to be inside these ruins.
The psionic puppets had been an obstacle, something he may not have overcome on his own.
With the Predators, the guardians were cut down easily, clearing a path.
Rodgraim stepped forward and commanded, "Give me the key to these ruins."
The Predator scouts had told him that Raynor possessed the key, one item that would unlock the final chamber.
Realizing he had no other choice, Raynor slowly reached into his coat and pulled out a flat, disc-shaped key.
Rodgraim stepped forward to receive it. But as he stretched forth for the key, Raynor attempted one last fling for the door.
Lightning flashed from Raynor's hands as he dived after his fallen laser gun.
Rodgraim only smiled.
Swept up in the mantle of the Black Panther Armor, he countered with lightning-swift reaction, striking Raynor with an uppercut that flung him across the room to hit a nearby wall.
Raynor careened into the wall with a sickening thud, blood spewing from his mouth as he fell to the ground, gasping wildly.
Blinded by his vision, he raised his head to see Rodgraim, shock and fury meeting in his eyes.
He hadn't expected Rodgraim's reflexes, let alone his strength.
Desperate, Raynor drew forth a small stone inscribed with a psionic rune from his belt.
"I'll remember this," he muttered between gritted teeth.
In one final act of defiance, Raynor crushed the stone, releasing the powers imprinted on it. Instantly, his body vanished, leaving only empty space where he had been standing.
Rodgraim frowned as he examined the space where Raynor had disappeared.
If he'd witnessed it correctly, Raynor used a psionic teleportation stone-an extremely rare and expensive artifact that could sell on the interstellar market for hundreds of millions.
Rodgraim had to admit that Raynor's ingenuity was impressive-this was a man who prepared for the worst.
A Predator approached Rodgraim.
"What about the others?"
"Kill them all," Rodgraim replied without a second thought.
The mercenaries paled, for they knew their end.
In the cruel world of stars, alien races looked down upon humans, often calling them "human monkeys" as a form of insult.
Rodgraim knew this was the moment when these mercenaries considered his life worthless when they attacked.
In this brutal galaxy, strength ruled and put everything in its place; those not strong enough to live had often been destroyed without mercy.
As Rodgraim turned away, the Predators fell upon the mercenaries.
The screams of fear were left to die one by one at the hands of the Predators meting out their judgment on each of them.
In this state, Seraphina gazed, her face pale with horror as she took in the brutal scene before her.
But Rodgraim's eyes were elsewhere, his attention focused instead on the enormous gate before him.
He inserted the disc key, and with a grinding sound, the gate slowly slid open, revealing a view of incomparable grandeur.
Inside was a massive bridge -a control center for what was, in truth, an enormous starship buried beneath the ground. It dawned on him, suddenly, like a lightning bolt in his head.
This ruin was, in fact, the remains of a White Night Clan transport ship preserved under layers of rock and dirt.
Rodgraim couldn't help but be astounded. "A whole starship hidden here? And it's a White Night Clan vessel!" Wasting no more time, he walked onto the bridge and inserted the disc key into the panel.
he panel flashed alive instantly, releasing a line of holographic messages.
[Welcome to the White Night transport ship.]
Data scrolled by the eyes of Rodgraim, and he quickly skimmed through the
ship's specifications:
• Ship Name: White Night
• Type of Ship: Carrier Ship
• Class: Class A
• Owner: None (Unclaimed)
Rodgraim's excitement cooled considerably at the label "transport ship."
In contrast to warships, transport vessels were designed primarily as cargo or personnel haulers, not as fighting ships.
But an A-Class ship from White Night was still a precious asset for his fleet's escort system.
Rodgraim started transferring the authority of the ship to himself, initiating the disc key to seal the deal.
[Ship authority is being transferred. ]
[Transfer successful.]
[Welcome, Captain.]
Now that he had complete control, Rodgraim surveyed the ship's systems and cargo.
It was surprising to find the White Night contained resources far beyond what he'd expected from a simple transport ship.
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