The door hissed open and an artificial atmosphere mixed with whatever would be considered as air out here, which technically would be nothing.
In any case, I'd already indulged in a tirade of "fun" fighting. Using far more of my ring's charge than was necessary, better not waste any more energy on this thing.
The Abilisk turned toward the pod, those massive tentacles already beginning to writhe.
It opened that massive maw and hurled something green and viscous that looked like concentrated stomach acid. The stuff flew through the air in a wide arc, aimed directly at the landing zone.
Time for creativity.
A leaf blower materialized ahead of me, spinning fast enough to create a small hurricane. The bile hit the wind stream and separated into droplets that scattered harmlessly across the platform, sizzling where they landed on metal but missing everything important.
Flying through the gap created by the scattered projectile felt natural. The Abilisk's tentacles came up to intercept, but there was no need for shields or fancy maneuvering this time. Just straight-line speed toward those weak points Twelve had highlighted.
The spear cut through the first vulnerability like slicing paper, opening a long gash that immediately started oozing yellow fluid. Banking around the creature's bulk, the next weak point lined up perfectly for a follow-up strike that connected just as cleanly.
By the time the Abilisk processed what was happening, there was a continuous line of damaged tissue running along its side, deep enough to compromise whatever passed for its structural integrity.
Flying higher, I gained altitude and then dived back down behind it. The long opening was already widening from the creature's own movement, yellow ichor pouring out like a broken pipe. Grabbing the spear mid-dive, I aimed it at the Abilisk and hurled it straight through the gap.
The weapon punched through the creature's core and emerged from its mouth with a wet sound that echoed across the platform. The Abilisk's roar cut off abruptly, and it toppled over with the same building-falling-down sound as the first one.
Quick work.
The spear was now flying out toward open space, carried by momentum and alien gore. A quick flight retrieved it before it could become orbital debris. The weapon was messier this time, covered in more of that glowing digestive fluid.
Back in the pod, Twelve was staring at the dead Abilisk through his link to the ship.
"That was..." Twelve paused. "Significantly faster than the previous Abilisk elimination."
"Yup. Thanks for the tip about the weak points."
To Twelve, Riley's performance metrics were confusing. The first encounter had demonstrated considerable strength and tactical capability, but required extensive time and energy expenditure. This second engagement showed improved efficiency based on provided intelligence, but the contrast was jarring.
The Terran's apparent intellectual capacity to understand and exploit Abilisk vulnerabilities made the extended duration of the first encounter seem anomalous. Either this being was inconsistent in capability, or there was more to these encounters than simple combat efficiency.
Twelve stared for another few seconds, then turned his focus back to controlling the ship. "Final destination: Quantum Processing Alpha Seven."
The pod flew off, leaving another dead Abilisk behind.
"The final specimen has been observed to demonstrate enhanced defensive capabilities," Twelve mentioned as they traveled. "Previous elimination attempts by Sovereign forces proved... unsuccessful."
Enhanced defensive capabilities. That probably meant this last one was going to be bigger, meaner, or smarter than the first two. Maybe all three.
"Beginning final approach," Twelve announced. "Prepare for Abilisk engagement.
Through the viewport, Quantum Processing Alpha Seven stretched in every direction like a metallic city built by giants. Towers reached toward the cosmos connected by pipes thick enough to walk through.
And there, in the center of the main plaza, was the final Abilisk.
This one was way bigger than the other two, easily four stories tall.
I flew out at speed toward the creature, momentum building as distance closed. The plan was straightforward, hit those weak points, same approach as Platform Nine.
The Abilisk was turned in the other direction and didn't seem focused.
Aiming for the back where those vulnerability lines should be, spear ready...
The back tentacles exploded upward.
Coordinated strikes that forced an awkward upward-left bank that nearly sent my flight path crashing into one of the towers. The sudden maneuver was sloppy, uncontrolled, definitely not the smooth approach that had been planned.
"So it did notice me."
I took the moment to float and reassess as the creature turned around and roared, the sound was tremendous. The entire facility shook and warning lights flashed on distant structures.
The complex was absolutely massive. Quantum processing, whatever that meant, apparently required cylindrical structures the size of city blocks, energy discharges creating lightning shows between towers, and the constant hum of dormant power.
The Abilisk opened that cavern of a mouth and spat bile in a wide arc, green viscous fluid that spread across the entire approach vector. Vision disappeared behind the acidic spray, but dodging was simple enough, just move perpendicular and fly in while it recovered.
But as I approached, spear in hand and ready to dodge an incoming tentacle, it spat again. Another wide spread, I was too close to dodge so time for the leaf blower construct…
A tentacle rushed through the bile cloud.
The appendage split the acid spray in half like a curtain. The tentacle slammed into the automatic shield with enough force to send my entire flight path tumbling backward through the air, green energy sparking where the impact occurred.
While spinning to recover from the knock back, the creature immediately tried the bile tactic again, but a sharp dive downward cut under the spread while maintaining forward momentum. One tentacle was already raised in anticipation of the dodge, and another came sweeping horizontally to catch my dive angle.
Spiraling between them required real effort this time. The first tentacle whipped past close enough to feel displaced air, the second forcing a corkscrew maneuver that barely cleared the barbed suckers.
The Abilisk spun its entire bulk around, bringing the weight of multiple tentacles to bear while simultaneously launching another bile stream. Then all of them came smashing down toward where physics dictated the next dodge should go, creating a cage of crushing appendages that slammed into the platform with explosive force.
Broken pipes hissed, and somewhere in the distance an alarm began wailing.
Silence.
But I was behind it.
The bile had worked perfectly as a smokescreen, masking my flight under the incoming tentacles while the creature focused on its coordinated strike zone. Getting behind the Abilisk while it was committed to the impact area was simple once it had telegraphed the attack pattern. The creature was smart, but it was still following predictable logic.
A tentacle from beneath tried wrapping around my torso without warning.
The automatic shield flared instantly, but the appendage was already constricting with python-like force that would have crushed normal bone and organs without effort. The pressure was incredible, mounting with each second as the tentacle tried to squeeze the life out of its catch.
And as that pressure mounted, in both a physical and mental sense, my mind got clearer and more determined.
Wait.
How had it known exactly where to strike? The positioning had been perfect, the timing flawless. Plus, my movement had been entirely masked. This thing had no visible eyes, but it tracked his exact position...
Either it had eyes on its tentacles, which seemed unlikely given that one was wrapped around the shield and visibly it was just an amalgamation of dry alien flesh.
Rather, its detection occurred through different means. Energy signatures, maybe? That would explain the awareness and the ability to coordinate attacks despite apparent blindness.
I formed a drill construct with perfect clarity, the spinning edge cutting through alien tissue like it was designed for exactly this purpose. The tentacle released its grip on empty space as I kicked into flight, heading directly for the creature's main body.
Another tentacle came up to intercept, but a quick green smokescreen provided perfect cover. Dense, dark, obscuring visual detection while I dive toward the creature's base. But the spear went in a completely different direction, hurled toward the Abilisk's gaping maw with green energy wrapped around the weapon like a second skin.
If the creature was detecting energy signatures, then the spear masked with ring power should read as the primary threat. Two targets moving in different directions, minimal processing time, forced choice between defending against the aerial approach or the projectile heading straight for its mouth.
The Abilisk's reaction was immediate and desperate, tentacles tracked upward, trying to intercept both threats simultaneously but lacking the coordination to stop either effectively.
The spear disappeared into the creature's throat with a wet sound.
Flying upward, I dodged a sea of tentacles that were now moving with frantic urgency rather than calculated precision, the creature's bioluminescent patches began flaring as whatever internal processes kept it functional started to react to the foreign object in its digestive system.
"This would be a lot less complicated if I decided to make a giant arrow and just kill you at once, but that would be more expensive than what I'm about to do."
The entire creature began lighting up from within, green energy spreading through translucent sections of its hide like an infection. The energy wrapped around that spear was responding to remote commands, maintaining connection despite the distance and biological interference.
Not every Lantern could do this. But then again I have the ability to form permanent constructs. Not at will, usually it would happen during moments where I was extremely stressed or under mountainous pressure, moments that weren't in abundance since I had gotten myself turned into a glorified librarian.
Despite that, advanced construct work came easily, maintaining energy integrity at range, manipulating power that wasn't directly connected to the ring's immediate field. But remote construct control is a specialty, and the energy inside that creature was completely under conscious direction.
A bomb detonated in the creature's core.
But instead of simple explosive force, the energy converted into dozens of razor-sharp spikes that pierced outward through internal tissue. Green light blazed through the creature's translucent sections as the 'shrapnel' found purchase in alien anatomy.
With a flick of will, the spikes dragged upward.
The Abilisk split apart like a flower blooming in reverse. Its upper body separated into distinct sections as the energy constructs ripped through the structural elements that held the creature together. Not a clean cut from bottom to top, but it left the creature's torso in pieces.
Green energy trails were visible as the spikes completed their work, alien ichor spraying all about.
The facility fell silent except for the hum of machinery and the wet sound of organic matter hitting industrial surfaces.