The armory loomed before them, its interior shrouded in dim, flickering light that cast jagged shadows across the walls. Kade eased through the door. Her cutlass was ready, her boots silent against the scuffed floor. She raised two fingers, signaling the Marines to spread out, and the team responded instantly.

  Webb moved left, axe in hand, as he slipped behind a toppled barricade. Holt veered right. He crouched low behind a heavy metal cabinet that jutted out from the wall. Stone remained near Mercer, keeping her injured teammate steady while positioning herself behind a stack of crates that provided decent cover. Kade took up a position at the center of the formation, her body tucked against a crate as she scanned the room.

  It was larger than she’d expected. Although many hung empty, weapons racks lined the walls. A sign hung askew near the racks. 'SMC Armament Dispersion Bay 3D. Authorized Personnel Only.' The blood smeared across it suggested that authorization hadn’t helped.

  Exposed conduits flickered overhead, casting jagged shadows over splintered furniture and dried blood smeared across the floor. Several SMC bodies lay slumped near barricades, their uniforms torn and bloodied, weapons scattered around them. The air smelled of scorched metal and old violence, sharp and cloying.

  At the back of the room, a group of pirates huddled near a reinforced door, their voices low but rising with agitation. Kade signaled the team to hold position, her eyes locked on the arguing figures. She didn’t need a closer look to recognize the type of door. SMC always locked their best gear behind vaults like that.

  "They’re dead," one pirate hissed, gesturing toward the bodies sprawled behind the barricades. "This place is a death trap! Naomi’s insane, and we’re next if we stick around!"

  "We just need what’s behind that door," another pirate snapped. "Weapons, food, anything. Then we’re gone."

  "And if she finds out we’ve run?" a third asked, his voice trembling. "You know what she’ll do."

  "She’s lost it!" the first pirate said, shaking his head. "Power mad! I didn’t sign up to die for some fantasy about ruling this whole mess! I just wanted to get on a boat heading out of a burning city, that's all."

  The pirates possessed a haphazard assortment of scavenged weapons. A few swords and what looked like a mismatched collection of crossbows. Their backs were to the team, too caught up in their argument to notice anything beyond their immediate frustrations.

  Kade shifted her attention to the walls, where four automatons stood docked in some racks. Their metal frames gleamed faintly in the flickering light, their limbs rigid, heads tilted downward as if dormant. But the silence surrounding them was wrong. It felt like the kind of calm that came just before a mine went off.

  She narrowed her eyes. They looked powered down, but there was no way to be sure. Too much about this base and its defenses was unknown. If they activated, Kade wasn’t confident they’d have the firepower to handle all four simultaneously, especially with Mercer injured.

  The clang of metal drew her focus back to the pirates. One of them cursed loudly as his tool slipped, the sound echoing in the tense stillness. The others glanced nervously around, their fear clear in the way they gripped their weapons tighter.

  Kade motioned to the team with a sharp hand signal, instructing them to continue hold position. She tightened her grip on her cutlass, her mind racing through the options. The pirates weren’t Naomi’s best, that much was clear, but they were still dangerous and too close to those damned automatons.

  The secure door groaned as the pirates forced it open, its heavy mechanism grinding before slamming wide with a jarring clang. The sound had barely died when a piercing alarm shrieked through the armory. Each blast echoed off the walls, ratcheting the tension higher.

  Across the room, a console that had been dark and lifeless hummed to life. A series of flickering symbols scrolled across its screen, their meaning lost to time before a deep, mechanical voice crackled through the speakers. It was steady and emotionless, but there was something disturbingly old in its cadence.

  "Unauthorized breach detected. Intruders identified. Armory defenses activating. Designation: Hostile entities. Purge sequence initializing."

  Kade’s grip tightened on her cutlass as the automatons jerked to life. Steam hissed from hidden vents, and sharp clicks echoed as panels opened along their arms. Two of the constructs deployed gleaming swords, their blades catching the flickering light. A third extended an axe instead, its weapon locking into place with a deep, mechanical thunk.

  However, it was the last automation that was the most concerning. Instead of an identifiable melee weapon, it instead wielded a barrel on its forearm. Even with all the unknowns surrounding the base defenses and automations, Kade was positive that she was looking at a ranged weapon. That didn't bode well for the pirates or the Marines.

  [Analyze] Security Construct | Level: 8 | Status: Hostile | Class: Fighter

  [Analyze] Security Construct | Level: 8 | Status: Hostile | Class: Fighter

  [Analyze] Security Construct | Level: 8 | Status: Hostile | Class: Fighter

  [Analyze] Security Construct | Level: 8 Elite | Status: Hostile | Class: Gunslinger

  Sparks leapt from their frames as they stepped forward in unison, their glowing visors scanning the room. For a moment, the pirates froze, their eyes fixed on the moving machines. Then, the panic hit.

  "Run!" one of them yelled, diving behind an overturned table as the sword-armed construct swiveled toward him.

  Another pirate staggered back, clutching at his chest before fumbling with a crossbow. He dropped it entirely when the axe-wielding machine advanced a step, the weight of its movement reverberating through the floor.

  "We need to get out of here!" he shouted, his voice cracking.

  The third pirate, his face pale with terror, scrambled for cover but turned in time to see Kade’s group hidden behind the crates. "Shit! The SMC is here. We're trapped!" he screamed, pointing toward their position.

  Kade’s frustration spiked as the pirates’ panicked shout echoed through the armory. Subtle was off the table now. Whether the system had tagged them already or not, they were in the line of fire. The console’s voice flared again, louder this time.

  "Additional threats detected. Deploying supplemental countermeasures. Intrusion will not be tolerated."

  The automaton Kade was most concerned about raised its arm, the barrel embedded in its forearm, aligning with a pirate who had attempted to step forward as a leader to shout commands. A deafening crack split the air, instantly confirming Kade’s suspicions regarding the constructs class of gunslinger. The pirate’s head exploded, a spray of bone and blood painting the wall behind him. His body crumpled to the floor, lifeless, before it hit the ground.

  Kade didn't flinch, but her thoughts snapped into focus. That ranged weapon changed everything. She glanced at her cutlass, then at Mercer’s crossbow. Serviceable, but against that? Their weapons were inadequate. Naomi’s pistol from an earlier encounter and the constructs' firepower had pushed them into an arms race she had no hope of winning with a sword.

  Then the room exploded into chaos.

  The automatons moved with relentless purpose, their glowing visors sweeping across the combatants as if cataloging each target. They advanced in unison, their mechanical limbs smooth and unyielding, their weapons swinging with deadly purpose.

  The pirates faltered almost immediately. One man dove behind an overturned table, clutching his weapon but too paralyzed to use it. Another made a break for the far side of the room, only to be cut off as a construct pivoted toward him, its blade carving through the space he had been a heartbeat before. The remaining pirates split off in different directions, their movements desperate and uncoordinated.

  "Focus on the Security Constructs! Careful, the one with the damn gun is an elite!" Kade shouted as her team moved into position.

  Mercer braced against a crate, raised her crossbow, and fired, the bolt streaking toward the sword-armed Security Construct. It struck its chest plating with a burst of sparks, but failed to slow its advance. Holt moved from his location to slide beside her, crouched with his pike at the ready, his stance steady as he prepared to deflect any incoming strike.

  Stone stayed at the rear near Mercer, her eyes darting between Mercer and the rest of the team. She had her spiked mace in hand but clearly wasn’t planning to leave her post unless absolutely necessary. Kade was thankful the corpsman was sticking to her role instead of trying to play the hero. Stone's ability to cast healing magic on the Horizon Talon made her a precious commodity, one they wouldn't waste as a front-line fighter.

  The pirates, meanwhile, were not faring well. One hurled a spear at the nearest construct, only for it to bounce harmlessly off its shoulder. Another fired a crossbow, his hands trembling so badly that the bolt veered wide, embedding itself in the wall.

  The automatons pressed their advantage. A pirate, using a battered shield, tried to fend off an advancing sword-wielding construct. The machine’s blade cleaved through the wood as if it were paper, sending the man stumbling backward with a cry of fear. The axe-armed construct carved a jagged line into the floor, sparks flying as its weapon missed another pirate by inches.

  The armory was a storm of violence. Automatons moved with cold efficiency. Kade’s team executed their tactics like a trained fighting force, and the pirates floundered in desperation. The clash of steel on steel, the crackle of servos, and the shouts of combatants filled the air, the noise deafening as the fight raged on.

  Kade and Webb moved to intercept a Security Construct by flanking from the sides. The machine was bearing down on two pirates caught in the open, its axe-arm raised. Kade lunged with her cutlass while her companion jabbed his axe toward its legs. The machine shifted, its own axe slamming down in a wide arc that forced Kade to sidestep sharply, her cutlass narrowly deflecting the follow-up swing.

  The construct focused on Kade with cold, mechanical intent, its glowing visor locking onto her as its axe arm raised. Before it could strike, the pirates that had been the focus of its killing intent moments earlier moved. One lunged forward, his dagger aimed for a vulnerable joint between the machine’s metal backplates, while the other turned sharply toward Kade, his blade glinting in the flickering light.

  Kade reacted on instinct. She brought her cutlass up in a sharp arc, intercepting the pirate’s swing with a clash of steel. The force sent a sharp vibration up her arm, and she clenched her jaw against the pain. Before she could press her advantage, the construct’s leg lashed out.

  The kick landed squarely in her midsection, the impact like a battering ram. The breath rushed from her lungs as she hit the ground hard, her shoulder slamming into the cold floor. Pain flared, but she had no time to dwell on it. Get up, or get dead.

  Training took over as she twisted, bracing a hand against the ground to push herself upright. Her cutlass stayed in her other hand, ready to defend, but the construct had already turned its attention elsewhere. It rotated smoothly, ignoring her momentarily as it focused on the pirate who had stabbed it.

  Webb shifted his position in their three-way dance of death and broke from the construct. He pivoted sharply toward the second pirate, the one who had just gone after Kade. His axe swept through the air in a wide arc. The blade missed, but the force of it drove the pirate back a few steps, his weapon raised and his attention now fixed on Webb.

  While Webb may have missed his target, the security construct did not. Its arm swung in a brutal, unrelenting arc, its metal fist connecting with the chest of the pirate who had tried to backstab it. The impact was horrifying. The man’s ribs caved in with a wet crunch, and his chest exploded outward in a spray of blood and viscera. His body crumpled to the floor, a look of horror and disbelief on his face.

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  Kade gritted her teeth at the horror of the man's death as her cutlass scraped uselessly across the construct’s armored torso, the blade sparking but leaving barely a mark. The machine’s glowing visor swiveled toward her, tracking her every movement. She adjusted her fighting posture, waiting for an opening, but the thing seemed relentless, each swing of its remaining arm calculated and deadly.

  To her left, the Webb shifted his attack back to the construct, aiming for the side. The attack didn’t break through its plating, but it forced the machine to shift its balance, exposing its hip joint for a fraction of a second.

  The Webb took the chance. He lunged, driving the axe deep into the joint with a sickening screech of grinding metal. The construct faltered, its leg locking up mid-step. It twisted unnaturally, struggling to remain upright, but the damage was done.

  Kade saw her opportunity and capitalized on the advantageous position the Marine had given them. She brought her boot up in a sharp kick to the construct’s chest. The impact was jarring, but it worked. The machine toppled backward, its heavy frame slamming into the floor with a metallic crash that echoed through the armory.

  "Drive the axe into its head!" she barked, stepping to the side to clear the way.

  Webb moved without hesitation, raising his axe high before driving it down into the machine’s neck. The blade pierced the vulnerable joint, severing cables and sparking as it cut through. With a final jolt, the construct’s head separated from its body, rolling across the floor with a hollow clunk. Its limbs twitched once, then fell still, the glow in its visor fading to black.

  The sole remaining pirate in their three-way battle fled. Unfortunately, in his haste to find a hiding spot, he had attracted the attention of the elite security construct. The barrel of the construction's weapon issued a loud bark, followed by the wet thud of the pirate dropping to the ground.

  Kade took the moment of respite from her engagement to survey the rest of the battlefield. Across the armory, the pirates along with Holt had also taken down one of the security constructs. Though the body had several crossbow bolts protruding from it, that seemed to indicate that Mercer had provided some assistance. That left one standard construct, which was hacking away at a pile of crates to get at something Kade couldn't see. Plus, the elite gunslinger.

  Her moment of respite quickly ended as the elite security construct came around the corner of a stack of crates. Kade and Webb dove behind a massive piece of machinery as the elite construct’s weapon swiveled in their direction. The air buzzed with a deadly hum as the barrel locked onto its next target, and a sharp crack echoed through the room. A stack of crates across the armory exploded, the impact splintering wood and sending debris flying in all directions.

  Kade crouched low, pressing her back against the cold metal. Her eyes darted toward the Marine beside her, but her focus stayed on the construct’s devastating shots. The next round slammed into a metal tool rack, the impact scattering tools like shrapnel. A wrench clanged to the floor, spinning erratically before coming to a stop. The force left a jagged dent in the rack and sent vibrations rattling through the air.

  Every shot was a promise of instant death to anyone caught in the construct line of fire. Kade stole a glance toward the glowing security console, activated earlier. The construct’s barrel swept close but never aligned with it. It’s avoiding the console, she realized, though she couldn’t guess why. Whatever programming guided the machine, it had a purpose, and it wasn’t wasting time or ammunition.

  Another shot rang out, this one smashing into a steel cabinet across the room. As the tools clattered to the floor, the cabinet groaned and dented under the impact. The next shot, obliterating the legs of a fallen table, sent it onto its side. The machine was clearing the room with surgical precision, and its firepower was leagues beyond anything they could match.

  "Sound off!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.

  The responses came quickly. Mercer was alive, though the strain in her voice was clear. Stone followed, her tone calm but firm. The Webb and Holt Marines confirmed their positions in clipped tones, their discipline holding firm despite the situation.

  A high-pitched yelp cut through the gunfire. Kade turned toward the far end of the room. The standard security construct remained locked on a barricade of crates. Movement flickered behind the pile as pirates scrambled for cover. One of them got too close and paid for it, taking a bone-crushing blow from the construct’s free hand as it hoisted him up into the air by his now broken leg.

  As the pirate collapsed against the construct, he started to say something. Whatever it was, he didn’t finish. The construct brought its weapon down and bisected him in one clean motion. For a moment, it looked like just another kill. Then the explosion hit. Fire and shrapnel tore through the construct’s neck joint, twisting its upper body into a mangled mess. Somehow, the pirate had managed to jam a working explosive into the joint before he died. He didn’t survive, but he got the last laugh.

  One construct left, and of course, it's the most dangerous of the bunch, Kade thought. The question of how the pirates had working explosives would have to wait until after the battle. She hoped they'd refrain from using it indiscriminately. The last thing Kade wanted to see was the pirates destroying anything of value in the room or, more importantly, using the explosives against her team.

  The Marine beside her stayed low, his focus shifting between the construct and the chaotic scene around them. Sparks danced from a defeated automaton nearby, the scent of scorched wiring mixing with the sharp tang of blood in the air.

  Kade exhaled sharply, leaning just far enough out from their cover to be heard. Her voice rang out, cutting across the sound of the construct’s weapon as it fired again.

  "Pirates! Who’s still breathing?"

  "How many of us are still breathing? I count exactly none of your damn business!" The shout came from somewhere near a stack of overturned crates, the speaker’s voice laced with hostility and panic.

  "This is why I don't do group projects," she whispered to Webb.

  In mild frustration, Kade rolled her eyes and banged her head against the machine that sheltered her. Time to put those charisma and leadership stats to work, she thought wryly, exhaling a sharp breath. If there was ever a moment to sell teamwork to a group of selfish pirates, it was now.

  "Listen, I get it. You don’t trust me, I don’t trust you, and frankly, I wouldn’t trust half of you with a dull spoon." She let the sarcasm linger for a beat before her tone turned sharp and commanding. "But here’s the thing: that death machine doesn’t care about sides. It will pick us off, one by one, unless we do something about it. Together. You can either help me kill it or sit there and wait your turn. Up to you."

  A brief, tense silence followed her words, broken only by the faint hum of the construct’s servos. Then, a second voice piped up from another hiding spot deeper in the room, cautious but willing. "We’re listening. What kind of deal are you offering?"

  The first group of pirates exploded. "You spineless bastards!" one snarled. "You’d sell us out to save your own skins?"

  "We’re trying to save everyone, you idiots!" the second voice shot back.

  The argument quickly escalated into a heated exchange of insults. The tension between the pirates was as volatile as the fight raging around them, and Kade’s teeth clenched as she realized just how fractured they were.

  A heavy, metallic thud echoed through the room, drawing her attention. The elite construct had changed tactics. No longer rooted in place, it began moving with slow, deliberate steps, the sound of its servos grinding like a death knell. Its glowing visor swept the room, briefly pausing on each cluster of intruders.

  It no longer fired indiscriminately. Its barrel had locked into position, tracking steadily as the machine stalked its prey.

  The pirates’ argument faltered as the heavy thud of its footsteps drew nearer. Shadows stretched long across the floor, distorted by the flickering magical lights. Then, the machine stopped.

  The construct’s glowing visor locked onto the stack of crates, its weapon firing ruthlessly. The first shot tore through the makeshift barrier, sending shards of wood scattering through the air. A second shot punched clean through, and a pained scream followed. Two pirates burst from their cover, one clutching his shoulder where blood seeped through his fingers.

  They didn’t get far. Two sharp cracks echoed in quick succession. The first pirate’s head snapped back as the round struck, his body crumpling to the ground. The second pirate stumbled, caught mid-stride by a shot that tore through his back. She hit the floor a moment later, lying lifeless beside his comrade.

  "Who just bought it?" The voice came from one pirate still hiding, his tone panicked and high-pitched.

  "Dave and Olga," another pirate snapped from deeper within the room, his tone grim. "Gone."

  The construct didn’t pause. Its glowing visor continued to sweep methodically across the room as a visage of death, scanning for the next target. The sound of its heavy, deliberate footfalls reverberated through the armory, each step rattling the scattered debris. Whispers and shuffling came from the far side of the room as the remaining pirates scrambled for new cover.

  Kade exhaled sharply. They needed a plan, and they had needed it five minutes ago. The console had to be their key to getting out of this alive.

  "Mercer," she called. "Can you or Holt circle around and get close to the security console? That thing won’t fire near it. It’s our best shot."

  Mercer crouched behind a nearby crate, glanced toward her. She was pale, her hand pressed firmly to her bloodied side. She had torn it open again during the fight.

  "I’ll try," she said, her voice steady despite the strain etched into her features.

  "No," Stone interrupted. "She’s in no shape to move like that. Let me…"

  "Request denied!" Kade said, cutting Stone off.

  "Sorry, Lieutenant, I'm the closest one to the console. Mercer wouldn't make it three steps before that thing gunned her down," Stone replied sharply.

  Kade paused for a moment. Stone was right, but at the same point, she was perhaps the only person in the room that they couldn't really afford to lose. That being said, she was also the only person in the room who had half a chance of saving everyone. Making up her mind, Kade issued new orders.

  "Ok, Stone. You're up," Kade said.

  "Are there any explosives left? " Kade asked the pirates. "If you have explosives, we have a runner."

  Stone inhaled sharply, her jaw clenched as she prepared to move. Kade watched her and ran the plan they had spent the last minute working out with the pirates through in her head one more time. It was simple, but if it failed, someone was going to die. Stone would sprint for the console, and the pirates would toss her the explosives on the way. The construct hadn’t fired near the console at all. That made it the safest place in the room and hopefully the key to end the fight.

  Kade’s sharp gaze followed Stone as the corpsman took up a runner's stance.

  "Now or never, Stone," Kade said, her tone clipped.

  Stone nodded once and launched herself into the open. The construct whirred to life, tracking her immediately. A thunderous crack echoed as it fired, the shot shattering a nearby stack of crates and sending splinters flying. Stone kept moving, weaving between debris and using what cover she could find.

  Shrapnel rained around her as another shot obliterated a metal beam just ahead. A jagged fragment struck her across the face, cutting a deep gash over her left eye. Blood streaked down her cheek, blurring her vision, but she pushed through, refusing to slow down.

  "Distract it!" Kade shouted.

  Mercer braced herself against a crate. Her movements slowed from her injuries as she fired her crossbow. The bolt ricocheted harmlessly off the construct, but earned a brief second of its attention. Holt hurled his pike as it was a spear. The weapon clanging against the machine’s head, while the pirates added their chaotic barrage of knives, spears, and loose debris.

  The construct hesitated, its glare of death sweeping toward the distractions. Kade couldn't be sure but the construct seemed to recognize the distraction for what it was as it quickly recalibrated and fired on Stone again, its shot kicking up a plume of dust and debris just behind her feet.

  "Runner, heads up!" a pirate shouted.

  From behind their cover, two pirates hurled crude explosive devices, the makeshift weapons arcing through the air. Stone spotted them and dove forward, snatching both in a single fluid motion before rolling into the cover of a fallen beam. She clutched the explosives tightly, her breath ragged as she glanced toward the console.

  Another shot roared, slamming into a crate above Stone's head. Dust and splinters rained down as she staggered, but kept moving. Her steps were uneven, one arm clutched tight to her shoulder, but she didn’t slow. The console was just ahead. With a last burst of speed, she lunged for it and slammed her hand against the surface, dropping into cover beside it.

  Kade held her breath as the construct swiveled toward Stone’s position final position. The barrel of its weapon tracked her, locking on. The room fell silent as it stood poised to fire.

  Then…nothing.

  Kade exhaled sharply, her instincts confirmed. The construct remained motionless, unwilling to fire near the console. Stone, bloodied and battered, clutched the explosives tightly. Everything in the room was still, as if time had stopped for a moment.

  The moment was short-lived as the construct stepped forward. Though it didn’t fire, its intent was clear. It would close the distance and deal with Stone another way.

  "Stone, blow it! Now!" Kade said.

  Stone pressed her back against the console, blood dripping down her face from the cut across her left eye. She gritted her teeth, fumbling with the explosives. Her blood-slick hands made the task slower than it should have been, but finally, the pins came free. With a swift motion, she jammed the devices into the gap between the console and the wall.

  "Fire in the hole!" Stone shouted, throwing herself into a roll behind the nearest stack of crates.

  The explosion ripped through the armory in a deafening roar. Shrapnel and smoke billowed outward as the console disintegrated in a flash of light. The floor shook beneath Kade’s boots, and her ears rang from the concussive force.

  The construct froze mid-step. Its visor flickered once, dimmed, and then went completely dark. For a moment, it teetered as if gravity itself debated whether to pull it down. Finally, it slumped to one side, its massive frame crashing to the ground in a lifeless heap.

  "Not taking any chances," muttered Holt from across the room.

  Before she could respond, he sprinted forward, picking up his pike along the way. With a savage thrust, he drove the weapon into the construct’s exposed neck joint, wrenching it with brutal force. Sparks erupted as a cluster of wires and components tore free, the acrid smell of burnt circuitry mixing with the lingering smoke.

  Kade rose from her cover, her cutlass still at the ready. The armory fell into silence, broken only by the crackle of small fires and the occasional groan of warped metal.

  Her team regrouped quickly, raising weapons but taking cautious steps. Across the room, the pirates emerged from their hiding places. Their movements were slow and tentative, their faces drawn with exhaustion. Weapons hung loosely in their hands, no longer raised in defense or aggression.

  Kade’s eyes swept over them, taking stock. These weren’t fighters. They were opportunists, beaten and desperate. Still, desperation made people dangerous, and her grip on her cutlass tightened as she joined her team in a loose line.

  The pirates stared back, their expressions a mixture of wariness and defiance. For a long, tense moment, no one spoke. The weight of the silence pressed down on the room, thick and stifling, as the two groups sized each other up.

  "Now what?" Kade said.

  And if you do not want to wait for the next drop, we already have Chapter 1.32 up on Patreon. That is nearly the entire book, with only the final wrap-up chapter left to go.