Xelthar's POV
The alarms blared furiously, casting the command room in a lurid red glow. Xelthar stood in the center, his towering frame rigid with fury as he glared at the frantic figures around him. Lieutenants and officers darted from console to console, voices rising in a cacophony of panicked reports and clacking keyboards as they struggled to assess the damage from the intruders' attack.
Xelthar's eyes narrowed. He had fortified this base with the syndicate's finest technology, bolstered every weak point with elite guards, and ensured that his operations were undisrupted by local threats. Yet here he was, listening to the pathetic reports from his officers, watching them scramble as if they'd never trained a day in their lives.
"Enough!" His voice cut through the noise, and the room fell silent, all eyes on him. His gaze swept over the assembled men, narrowing as it landed on a nervous-looking lieutenant who had been in charge of monitoring the perimeter. Xelthar raised a single, demanding eyebrow.
The lieutenant took a shaky step forward, trying to meet Xelthar's gaze but faltering under the weight of it. "My lord, there has been… a breach. Two intruders have infiltrated the perimeter," he stammered, swallowing hard. "It appears that they managed to exploit a temporary glitch in the security systems, allowing them to enter the compound undetected."
Xelthar's jaw clenched as he absorbed the news. "A glitch? You're telling me that a mere malfunction allowed them to bypass our defenses?"
The lieutenant paled, his lips quivering as he struggled to find his words. "Yes, sir. I-it appears that the recent security system up-upgrade didn't synchronize fully with the surveillance systems. They slipped through undetected and are moving deeper into the base."
A thick silence fell over the room as Xelthar's expression darkened, his rage bubbling beneath the surface. He stepped forward slowly, his gaze never leaving the lieutenant. The man backed away, his face stricken with fear, until he was pressed against the wall, nowhere left to run.
"I put you in charge of securing this base, Lieutenant," Xelthar said softly, though his tone was laced with venom. "I trusted you to ensure that nothing like this could ever happen."
The lieutenant trembled. "My lord, please, I-i-i did everything I could. If-if we could just reinforce the—"
With a sudden, fluid motion, Xelthar drew his plasma pistol and fired, silencing the lieutenant mid-sentence. The man's body slumped to the floor, and the smell of charred flesh filled the air, mingling with the tension that had thickened the room. Xelthar holstered his weapon and turned his gaze back to the remaining officers, his message clear: failure would not be tolerated.
"Anyone else care to explain why intruders are roaming freely in my base?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing.
The remaining lieutenants exchanged nervous glances, none of them daring to meet his eye. One finally stepped forward, his face pale but his voice steady as he delivered the next round of bad news. "Sir, the elite forces you dispatched to intercept the intruders… they've also been neutralized."
Xelthar felt a flash of shock break through his anger. The elite forces were the best fighters he had, warriors trained to protect the base from precisely this kind of threat. Yet now, even they had fallen. A flicker of unease stirred in Xelthar's gut, though he suppressed it quickly.
"What are we dealing with here?" he hissed, pacing in front of his remaining officers. "How have two intruders managed to dismantle my defenses like this?"
No one dared respond, and the silence grew heavier, thick with tension and fear. Xelthar felt his frustration building, his anger flaring again as he scanned the panicked faces around him. These intruders weren't just here to sabotage his operations, they were systematically dismantling his forces. This was more than a random attack; it was a calculated invasion, and they were closing in.
Desperation began to creep in, gnawing at the edge of his mind. He'd heard rumors circulating within the Black Sun Syndicate of a recent scuffle between one of their high-ranking officers, Raeth, and an exceptionally skilled mercenary. The possibility that these intruders could be affiliated with that same mercenary sent an unwelcome chill through his veins.
Realizing he needed backup, he turned to the comms console and initiated a call to his Black Sun Syndicate handler. The screen flickered, and a sharp, distorted voice crackled through the speakers before the image resolved, revealing a familiar, imposing face: Raeth himself. The syndicate officer stared back at him, his expression unreadable, though a flicker of disdain darkened his gaze.
Xelthar swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Raeth's presence through the screen. "Commander Raeth, I request immediate reinforcements. My base is under attack by two highly skilled intruders who've neutralized our security measures and wiped out multiple squads, including my elite forces."
Raeth's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing with irritation. "You're calling me… to ask for help? You, Xelthar, the warlord with the so-called title 'The Desert Tyrant '?"
Xelthar's confidence wavered, his voice faltering. "These intruders are unlike any I've faced before. They're dismantling my defenses with alarming speed."
Raeth sneered, leaning closer to the screen as his voice dropped to a cold, mocking tone. "And you thought that whining to me would change anything? Do you really think the syndicate has time to rescue every incompetent who fails to protect his own assets?"
Xelthar flinched, his desperation mounting as he scrambled to maintain his composure. "Commander, please. This operation is critical for our control of the territory. If these intruders aren't stopped, the syndicate's influence will weaken-"
"Spare me your excuses," Raeth interrupted, his tone venomous. "The only thing that's weakening the syndicate's influence here is you. I didn't hand you this position so you could cry for help the moment things got difficult."
Xelthar gritted his teeth, swallowing the indignation that flared within him. He knew better than to argue with Raeth, especially when he was in such a precarious position. Instead, he forced himself to bow his head, adopting a tone of forced deference. "Understood, Commander. I will do everything in my power to contain the situation."
Raeth's lips curled into a sneer. "Good. Reinforcements will only arrive if you can prove you're capable of holding your territory. Until then, defend the base by any means necessary. Don't waste my time again."
With that, Raeth ended the transmission, leaving the screen blank and the room filled with a tense, oppressive silence.
Xelthar's hands tightened into fists, his jaw clenched as he struggled to contain the fury and humiliation roiling inside him. Raeth's words stung, each one a reminder of the power the syndicate held over him. He had clawed his way to this position, secured his own territory, and built this compound to protect his investments. Now he was at risk of losing it all because of two intruders.
He turned back to his remaining lieutenants, his expression hardening. "Summon the guards and fortify every corridor leading to the command center. I want these intruders slowed down, whatever it takes."
His lieutenants scrambled to obey, hurriedly relaying his orders to the remaining forces. But even as they scurried about, Xelthar knew that standard measures wouldn't be enough. The intruders had already dispatched his elite forces. They would need more than brute strength to stop them.
Gritting his teeth, Xelthar made his decision. There was one final option, a last-resort weapon that he had kept hidden in case of an emergency. It was an experimental project he'd been developing, a weapon that combined the mind-control alloy with a volatile energy matrix. The weapon was unfinished, unstable, and dangerous but it was also his best shot at defending the base until reinforcements arrived.
He turned to one of his trusted operatives, a grizzled soldier who had been with him since the early days. "Prepare the weapon. I don't care if it's unstable, activate it and deploy it in the compound."
The operative hesitated, his eyes widening with shock. "Sir, the weapon isn't fully tested. We don't know if-"
"I don't care!" Xelthar roared, his patience snapping. "Those intruders are tearing through my base, and we don't have time to debate! Deploy the weapon now, or I'll consider you as expendable as the others."
The operative swallowed hard, nodding as he hurried out to carry out the order. Xelthar watched him go, his mind racing as he considered the risks. The weapon had only been tested in limited trials, and the results had been… unpredictable. But if it worked, it would turn the intruders' minds against them, making them vulnerable to his forces. And if it failed… well, he'd deal with that when the time came.
He turned back to his remaining lieutenants, his face a mask of cold resolve. "Hold your positions, and be prepared for anything. We are defending this base with everything we have, and failure is not an option."
The lieutenants nodded, though fear lingered in their eyes as they moved to reinforce their posts. Xelthar knew they were just as aware of the risks as he was. But he had no choice, he would either defend this territory or die trying.
As he watched his men scramble into position, the sense of desperation gnawed at him, a cold, bitter reminder of his vulnerable position. He had built this base, fortified it, and yet now he was reduced to relying on an untested, dangerous weapon to save it.
His gaze drifted to the monitors, each screen displaying a live feed from different parts of the compound. The intruders were out there, closing in. But Xelthar was ready. He would make them regret stepping into his territory.
As the alarms continued to wail and the lights flashed red, he took a deep, steadying breath. He had committed to this last stand, and there was no going back.