Chandra relayed the order. The Hellfighters closed ranks on her position, despite her voice being drowned out by the rifle fire and general confusion. They all shot out in different directions. Drones rained down like black stones in the melee.

A drone speared Anitra’s leg. She fired at it, then at the direction it came from, cursing it, its mother, and any children it thought about having. Her DMX pounded pulse charges that scattered the drone swarm. Setting a tempo, she synchronized the HOVA firing positions, creating a series of kill zones rather than a long, single one, to better make use of their resources.

Following her lead, the Mzisoh targeted where she fired, their tracer charges a stream of flames burning back the swarm. They created a choke point for the drones, as other units collapsed on their position to cut down the drones where they stalled. Robin and Epyc Ro laid down suppression fire to draw the attention of the swarm nearest them. The swarm turned like an inky wave rearing up. The unarmed Mzisoh and their young took cover, slipping behind the wall the gbeto formed. Robin patted the air, trying to get them to hunch over to make smaller targets of themselves. A series of detonations cleared out a massive cluster of amassed drones.

Chandra crouched down. Drones streaked toward her. The Hellfighters clustered together, flanking her.

Fela fired into the swirling mass, scattering the drones. “You about there?”

<Almost.> Chandra struggled with her controls, reprogramming her missiles.

“They ain’t leaving us a lot of room for error.”

The drones churned, a wave about to collapse on them. Her remaining missiles launched. They locked on to the heart of the swirl. A few moments later, a wave reverberated out. The drones within range, seized up midaction, falling the way paralyzed birds would. Chandra popped her head out, three of her missiles missing from her carapace.

“Targeted EMP?” Fela asked.

Chandra nodded curtly.

The fleeing Mzisoh soon reached a ridge. The remains of what appeared to be a crumbled guard tower. Hidden among the wear of rock that marked their passage, like exposed bone, their shelter little more than dilapidated walls. The original entrance to it covered by an avalanche of stone. The rusted hulk of an overturned military craft provided more shelter. Epyc Ro clambered up the metallic husk and then reached back over the wall to pull up Robin.

“She ain’t heavy, she’s my sister,” Epyc Ro huffed.

“Funny,” Robin said.

“What’s the opposite of hitting the lottery?” Anitra asked.

“Bankruptcy?” Robin hunched over to catch her breath.

“Well, then, congrats, we’re broke as shit. Take a look.” Anitra gestured to the horizon.