Once everyone returned to the FOB and made their way into the HAB, Claire immediately went to work on Jax. The wound was near his right pectoral muscle, it was about the diameter of a silver dollar and had already mostly closed, although Tiff informed us that Jax had lost a lot of blood before the Superior health stim was administered. Jax was passed out either from the pain, the blood loss, or both. Claire walked over and inspected the wound, trying to get an idea of what she could do. Her class allowed her to do some basic healing and buffing of her party, but I wasn’t sure she was going to be able to heal Jax completely. She looked down at the wound and then up at me. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she said, her eyes going from me back to the wound. “I have healed basic wounds, but my healing ability is inferior right now, and this wound is definitely serious.”
Tiff was standing beside Jax as well and looked at me with concern. “We gave him the Superior health stim, and that helped a lot, but the stim we gave him has done all it can do. If Claire can’t finish healing the wound, then our best bet is to stabilize him and try to make it through the dungeon until we can get back to Bloodhound and let Elvis work on him.”
“Can’t we give him another one of the Superior stims?” I asked.
“How many more do you have?” Tiff asked.
“I found three on the Lycoan, so I’ve got two left,” I said.
“Good. It looks like the first one is going to get him through the worst of it, but he will need at least one more to get back to full strength. We will have to wait an hour to give him the second one, but I think we can all breathe easy now. He is going to be okay.” Matty let out an audible sigh and placed his head on his brother’s stomach. Seeing the large man, the soldier, and the SWAT team member get so shaken reminded me of the reality of where we were and the stakes of this dungeon. At any time, any of us could die. We could be surprised, overwhelmed by the enemy, or just catch a stray round from a rifle, and that would be it. This whole thing was constructed to feel like a game, but it wasn’t a game; it was life and death. The stakes were real for every faction; the difference was that our planet and the Human race would be wiped from the galaxy if we failed.
I felt the fear start to creep back up inside me, the desire to get away from it all and just be alone. I wanted to reject all of this and run, but I was past that now. These people were my crew, my friends now. The only reason I was their captain is because I happened to choose this class and get the armor and ship that came with it, but I could earn their respect and act like a leader. The time for running was gone, the time for worrying only about myself had passed, and now it was time to embrace the weight of this responsibility.
I reached down and grasped Matty’s shoulder as he wept, “It’s gonna be okay, Matty, Jax is gonna be okay. You did good back there. You protected your brother when he was down, and you’re the reason he is gonna be okay.”
Matty looked up at me, his cheeks wet with tears. “I thought I had lost him, Cap. We had gone through so much in the last month just to get here, and Jax never lost hope; he never let me quit. Then we get the chance to finally punch those bastards square in the face, and I couldn’t protect my little brother.” He looked down at Jax, who was starting to stir, “You saved us back there, you and Tiff. You will never have to watch your back as long as we’re around Cap, I swear that to you. We are with you till the end.”
I squeezed his shoulder one more time and nodded. More words weren’t needed, and I didn’t have more words to give. These were good men, capable men, and to see one nearly dead and the other emotionally broken shook me to my core. I will find a way to lead men like this, I thought to myself, I will not let them down again.
Tiff got my attention and motioned to the front door of the HAB, so I followed her out. The air was dry and hot outside, so I grabbed a canteen and sat down on an empty supply crate. Tiff sat down next to me.
“There will be more; you know that, right?” she said as she stared off into the distance.
“I know, but I will do everything in my power to make sure there isn’t,” I said, taking a drink of water.
“Andrew, we are outnumbered, and the odds are weighted against us. The chances of all of us making it out of here are slim. You need to prepare yourself for that. Someone has to lead this group, especially when the worst happens. You are the captain, and you are going to need to keep everyone on task at all times. We can’t afford to lose focus.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Tiff, I got it. No need to keep driving your point home,” I said, obviously frustrated.
“No, I don’t think you do, Andrew. Right now, the entire crew is in the HAB. They are all looking at Jax and wondering when they will be the ones lying on that table. All the while, factions out there are possibly headed our way to take us out and take our three keys. You need to get everyone on task and prepare for what happens next.”
I looked down at the ground, trying to figure out my next move. Tiff was right; of course she was, but how do I just walk in and tell everyone to get back to work? Jax almost died; the reality of this situation was heavy on everyone right now.
“Look, Andrew, we have three keys now. We need two more, and there are four factions remaining. We can’t assault the Lacertine faction; they are too big, leaving us only three options. We need to make a plan and make it fast. You also just hit Level 10, so you need to take a look at your abilities and skill points along with everyone else.” She stood up from the crate and looked at me as she dusted herself off.
“You did well back there. You are earning the gift that you were given. Now earn the title of captain and get your crew on task,” she said as she walked back into the HAB.
I stood up and screwed the cap back onto my canteen. I looked out over the horizon of this red wasteland and took a deep breath. There was a light, hot breeze blowing. I took a deep breath and readied myself to walk back into the HAB. I walked in to see everyone still hovering near Jax. “Alright, everyone, Jax is going to be okay. We are short on time and need to prepare to strike before the other factions come at us again. We don’t know where they are or who they are other than the Lacertine faction. I would prefer not to engage that faction; they are just too large. Luckily, we know where they are, so we can stay away from them for now. CJ and Tiff, I want you two in the PUP doing reconnaissance ASAP. Find the closest faction and return to base camp; it shouldn’t take too long. Once we have their location, we will prepare and attack.”
Attention participants: The Trimean Faction has been eliminated. The Lacertine Faction now holds the Trimean Faction Key. The Lacertine Faction now holds two keys. Reminder: the first faction to hold five keys will gain access to the Coeus Relay Station.
“Tiff, you and CJ better get started. The other factions aren’t going to waste any time,” I said, looking at Tiff as she nodded in response. “Everyone else, we all got two levels from wiping out the Lycoan and Blemian factions. Take a second to review your updated stats and abilities, then gear up for an offensive. We need to be ready as soon as Tiff and CJ get back. We will not be taking the Pup into battle since it is our only means of getting back to the Bloodhound, so be ready for a hike.” Matty stood at attention as everyone else gathered beside him and nodded in agreement.
“You can count on me, Cap,” Jax said with a weak whisper as he lifted his head slightly from his bed.
I smiled, looking down at him. “I was wondering when you would finish your nap, Jax; welcome back.”
Jax smiled and closed his eyes, lying back on the bed. He would be fine after receiving the second stim and most likely be ready to go on the offensive when we left. I walked outside to grab Tiff before she left. “Hey Tiff, hold up a second,” I said. “I found a map on that Lycoan Commander. Take it and try to fly in the general direction of some of those points of interest. If we can grab some loot on the way to engage one of the other factions, it will be handy.”
“Okay, Captain, we will report back on what we find,” she said. I sat back down on my crate and watched the Pup hover up, scattering red dust everywhere. I covered my mouth and nose with the back of my robotic forearm until they were far enough away for the dust to settle. I could hear some of the crew talking inside. Jax was sitting up in the bed and getting caught up on everything that happened. Red, Loren, Claire, and Matty were catching him up and discussing point allocations.
I sat there and pulled up my interface, mentally my description and noticed an orange icon flashing beside my abilities tab. I selected that tab first.
You have unlocked a new ability:
Big Bang – It is said that the Big Bang was the seed of the universe. An explosion capable of mass destruction that is also capable of bringing life. This ability will allow you to create an explosion of force in all directions emanating from the Havok Bringer armor. The armor will be rendered inoperable for a period of 60 minutes after detonation. The Blast will wound all enemies in the immediate vicinity of your person but will heal all allies in your immediate vicinity. Use with caution.
I shook my head in frustration. So far, I had gotten two abilities, and they both had upsides, but they also had major downsides. My Pulsar Blast left me rooted in place for 10 seconds, and Big Bang completely shut down my ability to use my armor for an hour. I would really have to make sure I didn’t have another option before I used that one.
No, that wasn’t it at all. I would have to be careful, but that isn’t what worried me about using the ability. I would have to trust my crew. I would be basically out of commission for an hour. I would have to trust them to handle whatever danger was left. I stood up and stretched, rolling my shoulders and stretching my neck. “What kind of Captain would I be if I couldn’t trust my crew when the chips are down?” I said to myself as I walked back into the HAB to talk to the crew.
