There in the abyss, a clear, steady voice suddenly pierced the constant static in their Helmet comms like a sword cleaving through storm clouds:
"Lucius! Chelast! Respond if you can hear me! What's happening down there?"
It was Company Captain Tarvitz! The communications interference had vanished!
"Company Captain Tarvitz! We can hear you!"
"Communications are back!"
"What just happened? Why did the transport's signal suddenly disappear before it exploded? Your life signs were wildly erratic for a while, too!" Tarvitz's voice carried unmistakable urgency and concern. Far away aboard the Flame's Pyre, he had clearly detected the anomalies, but had no way of knowing the horrors behind them.
Lucius immediately cut in. His voice was extraordinarily calm, even coldly precise, in stark contrast to the madness of the flesh-and-blood hell around them.
"Tarvitz, I'll keep this brief. We need an evacuation transport, now!"
"This space station is a living xenos trap! It's trying to digest us! Once we're safely evacuated, bombard this place immediately and thoroughly. Purge the entire area!"
He had no time to explain the duplicates, the shifting spaces, or the living walls, but the most crucial information had to get through.
Tarvitz did not hesitate. As an experienced Company Captain, he knew all too well what it meant for Lucius to demand an immediate bombardment.
"Understood! A second transport has already been dispatched on an emergency launch. Estimated arrival in Sector G in ten minutes, docking point G-6945. Hold on!"
"We need a new real-time map!" Chelast immediately added. "The enemy... this living space station keeps changing its internal layout. The old map is completely useless!"
"Understood! The warship's scanning arrays are fully focused on your area. We're doing everything we can to penetrate the interference and generate a real-time structural map. The data will be synced