Waking up early the next morning, I let out an exhausted sigh as it had been a long night. With barely any room to lay out and sleep, all of us were basically squished together like sardines in here. Having gotten only six hours of rough sleep in, at this point there was no reason to continue trying for more. Slipping out of my spot in the organized chaos, as I rose to my feet, I noticed that Luxion and UR-025 were connected to a large control panel in the far corner of the room. Using magic to silently fly over to them, as I approached, they disconnected and turned to greet me.
"Good morning, Luxion and UR-025.", I replied, taking a moment to comprehend what Luxion said, "Wait a moment, you are saying the fortress' AI is not under enemy control? If that is the case, why is it calling people here and attacking everyone that enters?"
"While that offer is extremely tempting to me, are you certain you would be fine working alongside me? Our primary objective for this expedition was to acquire the technology used to capture and store Void Energy. I am more than satisfied with that being the reward, if you would rather remain free and unclaimed.", I remarked, "As with UR-025, I have no desire to force you into my services. While you may lack emotional capabilities, you are still a sentient entity."
Remaining silent for a while after I finished speaking, I became worried I might have offended the AI. Trying to treat him with kindness and respect, as I did with the other AIs, this one might have been different as he was several million years old. Opening my mouth to ask if I had said anything wrong, the AI began speaking again.
"I understand, in that case, I look forward to working with you.", I replied, "So then, what should I refer to you as moving forward?"
"Very well, welcome to the team, Dair.", I stated, with a hint of excitement, "Moving on, aside from the Usurpers and our party, are their any other groups inside the fortress?"
Project live footage from several security cameras from the control panel, Dair showed me the two groups in question. The first group numbered sixteen people, and they were currently being held captive in makeshift prison cells. Uncertain why they were being kept alive, as the Demons I knew took no prisoners, I assumed they had information that the higher ups wanted to extract before killing them. As for the second group, it was a platoon of twenty-six Black Legion marines who were currently engaging a swarm of Lesser Demons and what looked like Harvesters. At the forefront of their group, their leader, Obsidius Mallex, was hacking and slashing his way through the endless sea of enemies without showing any signs of slowing down.
"Dair, where are these two groups currently located?", I asked, watching their battle closely.
"Thank you, can you provide Jarvis with a map of the central part of the facility so I can track their movements? I want to wipe out the Black Legion marines, rescue the captives, and then head to the Webway Chamber. Something tells me that the source of the problem here is in that room.", I said, assuming I would find the Boss or a Super Gore Nest there.
(Dair)
Receiving the data from Dair, Jarvis pulled up the map on my HUD and marked the current locations of both groups for me. Thanking Dair for the intel, I began rousing everyone from their slumber to share the news with them. Assuming that we were under attack, most people sprang to their feet with their weapons drawn. Looking at each of the exits, when they realized there were no enemies present, Eldanial turned to me with an irritated look.
"What is the meaning of this?!", Eldanial snapped, still partially asleep.
"Calm yourself, I roused everyone because I have critical information to share with you, courtesy of our newest ally Dair.", I remarked, cutting him some slack, "He has provided me with a map of the facility, and confirmed we are close to our journey's end."
"Oh…I see.", Eldanial said, calming down, "My apologies, please proceed."
---Ten Minutes Later---
Sharing the information I had obtained with the team, I had Dair show them live footage of the two groups. When he showed them a blown-up view of Obsidius and his men, Ionica and her subordinates flew into a fit of rage. Having fought the Black Legion at the Battle of Cadia, the Order of the Divine Lamentation had a bloody score to settle with them for the fall of Cadia and the near annihilation of their Order. Looking at me with a burning rage in their eyes, Ionica spoke up on behalf of all her Sisters.
"Lord Victor, are we going to engage the traitorous Space Marines in battle?", Ionica inquired, clenching her fists tightly.
"Yes, my plan is to eliminate them, free the captive explorers, and face whatever lies in the Webway Chamber.", I acknowledged, with a nod, "Does anyone have any complaints about this plan?"
Shaking their heads, everyone agreed to the plan without complaints. Wanting to get moving as quickly as possible, I set out breakfast bars, fruit, and water for everyone to eat. Munching on our food while we packed everything up, I proceeded to hand out laser pistols and rifles to those without ammunition once we were done. Showing them how to adjust the output and switch between single shot, burst, and full auto, the team thanked me for the weapons. Stowing their original weapons in my inventory, so they did not need to carry them, Dair alerted us to the growing number of Demons just beyond the hallway exits.
"That is more than sufficient, Dair. Please let me know if any anomalies show up during our movements.", I requested, before deploying my helmet, "Alright team, mask up and prepare to engage the enemy. Check your fire and watch your backs!"
Acknowledging my orders, once everyone was ready, Dair lowered the energy field on the doorway we were intending to use. Drawing my two lightsabers, I dashed down the hallway ready for the ambush that lurked around the corner. Jumping out to attack when they heard me coming, the first few Lesser Demons were cut to ribbons by me. Following close behind me, Lucoa and Roxanne squashed a few Imps by shoulder checking them into the wall. Using her Thu'um to engulf the enemies to the right in golden flames, Lucoa kept them back while I headed to the left.
Rushing forward to support them, Ionica and her subordinates began picking off enemies as stormed the corridor. Following their example, the rest of the team moved up and quickly suppressed the Lesser Demons in short order. Hacking, slashing, and vaporizing everything in my path, I set a brisk pace as we progressed toward Obsidius and his men. Taking full advantage of the live enemy updates that Dair was providing Jarvis, we avoided denser pockets of enemies allowing us to conserve our strength for more difficult enemies.