LUCIN waded through a trail of crimson with a pair of binocs against his eyes as the cannons, from his battle cruisers overhead, pummeled the outlying buildings of Sector City. They were tracking the rogue transport that had appeared out of nowhere and cut a swathe of destruction through his troop deployment. One of the last blasts connected and the ship plummeted fast, trailing its shattered aft section and a plume of flame and smoke. It fell out of view, but the impact could be heard several seconds later.
"I want them!" he shouted.
Around him were the writhing bodies of many of his symbyte controlled soldiers-mortally wounded and gasping their last, completely unable to obey the dominant voice crying out inside their minds.
"Commander!" shouted Lucin into his headset.
"Yes, sir?"
"I want a team of pods sent to investigate the wreckage immediately. I want prisoners or bodies-understood?"
"Absolutely, sir."
A shadow began to cross the plains, veiling the Lucin in its darkness. Lucin looked up at it and a villainous smile crossed his face as he recognized its true nature. Walking back through his troops, in the direction of the cloud, Lucin used his mental dominance to command the humans out of his way.
They parted before him leaving a large area around their Mithrial leader. Then he called out mentally to the boiling mass of spirits hovering overhead. Come to me my brothers. The response was almost instantaneous.
The cloud began to dissipate rapidly as spires shot down to the ground around Lucin, forming powerful Agonotti warriors ready for battle. "How dare you to address us as brothers, human?"
Lucin stared confidently at the one speaking to him as nearly fifty of the warriors encircled him. He had mentally instructed his own human soldiers to make no aggressive moves against them. Power emanated from Lucin's being as he felt his own spiritual power accentuated by the presence of his Mithrial brethren. Then the Agonotti warrior shifted from a commanding stance to one of apprehension.
"Who are you?!" the warrior asked.
"I am Lucin, my brothers."
"Lucin? That isn't possible."
"Are you sure of that?"
Lucin sent out his thoughts to his thousands of soldiers on the ground, while allowing the Agonotti to perceive the mental commands. Hundreds of pulse rifle gun bolts quickly locked into firing position in a consecutive wave around them. A group of pods headed away from a fighter bay on one of the large battle cruisers hovering overhead.
The Agonotti warriors turned to find seemingly every gun possible aimed right at them-thousands of humans moved by this man's will alone. "Can it be true? How can you be our former master?" asked another of the Agonotti.
"There is much to discuss my brothers, but surely this is not all of you. Bring the others to me at this place and we will discuss our mutual rise to power."
"But you don't-"
Lucin cut them off as he turned and walked away, leaving them puzzled and unsure of their next action.
"Bring the others to me!" he shouted back as he proceeded through the ranks of his soldiers.
The guns were still trained on them. It was an unexpected turn of events for the Agonotti scout team, but Vock would know what to do. One by one they dematerialized, reforming the mist they traveled in, and began to move away-back toward the place where their leader was waiting to hear news of the transport chase.