He grunted, “Not sure that matters, because as soon as they arrive the minefield will attack them. That will tell them everything they need to know on its own. But I can use magic to push the four ships’ debris into the gas giant. If nothing else, it would end a navigation hazard around the station. Not sure what we can do about the missing lasers.”

  Daisy interjected, “They may have spares, I can start repairs once I subvert their systems to my control. But I think you’re right, their minefields targeting their ships will make the point moot.”

  He grunted, “Check anyway, and do it. If they return with a large fleet, like the one they raided Naerwald with, over half of them could escape the minefield. We might need the firepower to complement our ships to take out that many ships. To even have a chance.”

  Daisy replied, “Yes, sir.”

  “The admiral might be a little annoyed if we have things wrapped up before they arrive, but at least we’ll still have the major party to share with them two days later. Back in proposition. Anyone unclear on the objectives?”

  No one spoke.

  He nodded, “Let’s get it done then, before any more ships show up to the party. Let’s also assume they know our probe isn’t one of their mines malfunctioning. We’ll go in with full shields and be ready for laser fire.”

  There were still sixteen ships absent, and they could return at any time.

  He raised the shields and started the teleportation.

  Leanne said, “Mines are incoming.”

  He wasn’t worried about it. Mines moved relatively slowly, they weren’t missiles. They were laid out in a pattern so they’d close around a target like an inescapable net, from every direction. That tactic was crap for a ship that was about to teleport. They’d be long gone before the mines got close enough to arm and explode.

  Then a bright flash in space signaled the disappearance of the Celestial Class Warship.

  Chapter Twelve

  As usual, the plan didn’t survive contact with the enemy. Although that pretty much applied to everything in life as far as he could tell. No plan survived contact with reality, was a more accurate truism, of which battle was just one part.

  It started just fine, the ship appeared near the bottom of the cylindrical space station, and Riesa had locked on and fired in less than half a second.

  That’s where it fell apart, as the enhanced lasers firing at the station splashed against their raised shields.

  Leanne reported, “I think you were right about them figuring it out. They reacted way too fast, and all four ships are undocking.”

  He growled, “Target the ships before they can raise shields. I can stand a couple of hits from the lasers.”

  Riesa said, “Aye, sir,” and a half second later the bow laser bank and starboard laser bank fired at two different ships. Four lasers each cut into each of the unprotected ships. One exploded, and the second started a slow spin as it drifted, taken out of the fight.

  He enhanced the shields as the station returned fire, and it took a toll.

  Leanne reported, “The other two ships have shields coming online!” at the same time Riesa said, “Firing on the last two. Direct hits, enemy’s shields down to seventy eight percent. Missiles?”

  He shook his head, “We’re in their laps, missiles could end up destroying us all. Our shields are at sixty nine percent, they must have their strongest wizards on the station and joined. Those eight hit us a lot harder than they should’ve. Focus your fire on the closest ship.”

  The sooner one died, that would half the ship lasers targeting them.

  He cast a spell and ran it through the amplifiers, while the two ships and station fired at him. That time the ship was hit with thirty-two lasers, eight banks in total. The shields dropped precipitously, even with him powering them, and leveled out at thirty one percent.

  Riesa fired on the closest enemy ship with both banks, “Enemy shields down to thirty four percent, our next shot should get them.

  Yeah, and the enemy’s next shot would get them.

  “Launch missiles now!”

  Goddess Bless Riesa, because she didn’t even question his order after he’d told her not to earlier.

  Two missiles launched from the ship, as his spell fully coalesced and the ship disappeared in a bright flash. His ship, their ships, and the station were practically on top of each other, or his ship had been at the moment of firing. The missiles weren’t all that fast, but there was less than a second for the enemy to respond with such a small gulf to cross.

  Both missiles hit the first ship a split second after they appeared on the other side of the station. The explosive wave still rocked the ship. But it also absolutely annihilated the ship it hit, and it took the second ship’s shields down as well as the stations. The station’s mass shielded them well enough they only lost three more percent of shield strength.

  It wasn’t just the two missiles that had done all that, it was the ship annihilated sending out a nova of energy with its destruction as the fusion reactors blew.

  “Riesa!”

  She said, “Locking on… firing!”

  Each of their laser banks took out the two laser banks on the station with line of sight.

  “Status.”

  Leanne sighed in stark relief, and he couldn’t blame her. That had been too damned close, and his gamble could’ve backfired.

  She answered, “The station is a bit beat up on that side with burns and gouges, and several of the docking ports are mangled and offline, but it appears operational save their shield grid and the two laser banks we took out. Two ships destroyed, two ships out of the fight and drifting, sir.”

  He grunted, “Alright, let’s get dressed for the after-party. Daisy, keep us in their blind spot.”

  Daisy said, “Of course, and I’ll have coordinates for your teleport in just a moment.”

  They moved quickly to the armory, to get on their black armor and load up on weapons.

  Leanne asked, “Anyone else really want to fuck right now? I thought we were dead, and my whole body is wanting to shake.”

  He laughed, but Riesa just nodded, and Gia’s furious blush made it unanimous.

  He kind of wanted his dick in her in that moment too, it really was far too close for comfort. Wanton and wicked life affirming sex sounded too damned good in that moment, but the mission was only half over.

  “Later,” he promised, his voice a bit huskier than he expected.

  Daisy said, “Whenever you’re ready,” as a bot walked into the room.

  They finished armoring up and grabbed their weapons.

  Then he nodded, and he started building the teleport spell as Daisy fed him the coordinates.

  They appeared in one of the station’s umbilical airlocks for ship docking, and he approved of the choice. Little chance of something getting in the way.

  He cast a life detection spell, and it rolled up and into the space station.

  He nodded, “I’ll take point, you guard the rear, Riesa. Gia and Leanne cover us both as needed. There’re a little less than three hundred. No doubt partial crews and the stations complement. We’re heading for the command center, focus on the goal, they’ll be routing them toward us, so we won’t have to hunt them down.”

  “No civilians?”

  He frowned, that was a good point. At the very least he’d expect these lowlifes to have servants and less valuable sex slaves they could fuck but were too old to bring in a lot of money in a sale. It made him sick to consider it, but him understanding his opponent during a war was critical.

  “I don’t think so. If there are then they aren’t being held together in a single place. The people on board are in groups of two to six. I suppose they could have sex slaves that are already broken in separate quarters though. There are four women aboard. We’ll figure it out as we go, and investigate anyone that doesn’t attack us, but only after we’ve secured the station.”

  They nodded in agreement and took up their positions as he moved out. They needed to reach the center of the space station and then take lift up to the central level which held the command center. As he suspected, their intrusion was detected, and whoever was in charge had all the groups moving in their direction, from almost all around them save behind at the moment.

  “Oh, there are six wizards in the control room, so conserve your magic. We’re going to combine our magic when it’s time to breach.”

  Riesa said softly, “Yes, sir,” in a tone betraying anticipation.

  They’d gotten almost halfway to the center of the station before the first of the enemy showed themselves. He tuned his shields to be the most effective against lasers, and he used body magic to stop hearts as they took up cover positions and started to fire. Gia and Leanne also took out almost half of them.

  It was a hard balance to tread, the more he left for them the better, but the longer the enemy lived the more laser fire he had to absorb into his shields. He sought a balance, and just took out the enough that the two of them could take out the remaining quickly.

  He paused as things changed.

  “Someone in the command center has a clue, and that their small teams aren’t a match for us. The rest are gathering at the central lifts.”

  Gia said, “Plasma pellets?”

  He nodded, “It might destroy the lifts on this side, but we can circle around to the other side.”

  Of course, the enemy would be doing the same thing, lasers and plasma pellets, and there’d be a lot more of them.

  “Close to fifty of them will make it there before we do. The remaining two hundred crew are on different levels, and they won’t get there in time. Ideas?”

  He couldn’t take fifty of them at once.

  Leanne said, “How about the fire wave, that sets off plasma pellets. Even if you just a get a few of their guns, it’d be over in a second.”

  He nodded, “They’ll get at least one shot off too.”

  Riesa said, “I’ll fire a kinetic blast. That should stop the plasma pellets. As for the lasers, we should stop being lazy and confident behind your shields, and actually use cover instead.”

  That… was a really good point.

  Leanne said teasingly, “That lacks style. A Celestial Knight can’t be seen cowering behind and peeking around walls.”

  He laughed, “I’ll make an exception, this one time.”

  They quieted down as they approached the center and moved as stealthily as possible to the cross corridor that led to the rounded central center of the station, with lifts all around it.

  He created the spell and just stuck the tips of his fingers out to send it blasting down the final corridor.

  The enemy must’ve seen, because they fired plasma pellets to explode at the cross hall, hoping to hit him in the plume.

  But Riesa was ready, and she put her hand around as well and sent out a kinetic wave the width and height of the corridor. The plasma pellets’ momentum wasn’t completely countered, but it did slow them down a great deal, which threw off the timed explosion set for the distance to the cross corridor.

  The entire corridor lit up in rolling fire, that blasted right past them, as the pellets exploded about ten feet too soon.

  As for the enemy, there was nothing but broken weapons, melted armor, and the scent of burnt bodies. The two lifts at the end of the hall were also twisted and broken, as was the portable shields and cover they’d been standing behind.

  He frowned, “There’s about five left, halfway around the rounded central column and lifts.”

  He moved forward quickly, shield leading the way, and left those for Gia and Leanne, taking just two hits on the shield for his trouble.

  He shook his head, “They’ve already adjusted, all the teams heading our way just vectored off to the control room. I suspect we’ll get a very warm welcome if we take one of the lifts up to the central floor.”

  He led them around and got in a car, then hit the floor below the central floor. The lift started to hum as the magnetic field sped them on their way. They rose up forty-two levels, and he was happy to get off the thing without anything happening.

  He looked up.

  “There’s a hundred there already, and another hundred on the way. I’m fairly sure there are no prisoners, there aren’t any still people on station.”

  Leanne said, “Unless they’re bringing human shields to the party.”

  Well… that was so evil he hadn’t considered it. It also made him reconsider his plans. He focused on his active spell and expanded its capability.

  He sighed, “You’re right. The four women, and two of the men, are absolutely terrified. But I have no idea how we can kill almost two hundred well-armed enemies without killing them too.”

  He tilted his head, and frowned, “Ideas? I was going to hole the ceiling and take them out with another fire wave. But…” he trailed off.

  The sad truth was they weren’t gods, and those deaths would be on the pirate’s hands, not his. But emotionally it wasn’t that easy, and he hesitated to pull the trigger on his plan.

  Daisy said, “Standby.”

  “Okay.”

  He twiddled his thumbs.

  Leanne smirked, and gave him a smoldering look so hot his cock reacted, despite the horrible situation they were in. A look that said she wouldn’t be satisfied until she was suckling on his cock in breathless devotion.

  It always turned her on even more than usual, when he showed concern for victims, and that was multiplied by the stress and adrenaline of the situation, and not in a small way by their close brush with death during the space battle.

  Daisy nodded in satisfaction, and walked over to the lift system, and started to disassemble the wall. When the plate came off there were extremely large electromagnetic coils inside that drove the lifts.

  Daisy said, “I was reviewing the schematics of this station. You’ll have to levitate us and place a spherical shield. Then hit the coils with a lightning bolt. It should electrify the decks and take down everyone within thirty yards of the central lift on three floors below us and three above us. But it won’t kill them unless they have a bad heart. Then we can separate the victims, and then put a laser pulse in the back of the heads of the rest.”

  Gia smiled, “Now you’re talking.”

  He grunted, “Good plan. Thanks, Daisy.”

  He cast a spell to levitate them, which was an artificial gravity spell. The discipline wasn’t one of his best, but it was a fairly basic spell, so he had no trouble twisting his mind through the spell pathways. The shields wrapped around them all, then he cast another spell and slammed a potent bolt of lightning into the coils.

  Which exploded with tendrils of electricity that electrified the deck and ceiling, and he could only trust in Daisy that the same exact result was happening above and below him on the other decks.

  He ripped open the ceiling directly above them, and then floated up into the central level. There were a couple of hundred people on the ground.

  With a gesture and concerted thought, four women and two men were dragged out of the hastily fortified area.

  Gia and Leanne walked over and picked up two enemy pistols each, which he approved of. Why waste their guns charge, for the executions. He walked over and joined them. It was a grisly task he took no pleasure in, but pirates were always killed, it was a death penalty offense. As a Knight, his witness and word was enough to make it all legal, as a member of the aristocracy if at the lowest level.

  It didn’t come up often, but Knights did have the power of judge, jury, and executioner. There was just no point in taking the now helpless pirates prisoner.

  “The lockdown?”

  The blast doors were down, which wasn’t a surprise.

  Daisy said, “Already working on getting the door open,” from over by a panel she’d removed from the wall.

  He nodded, “Let’s get ready for the last dance.”

  He frowned in thought. He could handle five relatively average wizards, and they were all above average and there were six of them. Perhaps too powerful for him and Riesa together, given they’d already spent a lot of magic in the space battle, and then on the way up there.

  Well, there was no rules in war, and if fair might get you killed it was time to not fight fair.

  “Daisy, is there a secondary control room on this station?”

  She nodded, “Back on the bottom level, but it can’t be brought online when the main one is online.”

  He nodded, “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  He cast a spell that pulled twenty large plasma grenades to him, and with a thought pulled all the pins. That gave him eight seconds to cast the teleport spell, fortunately it only took two. He didn’t have exact coordinates, but he was ten feet away from the door, which meant fifteen feet in that direction would work just fine, he suspected.

  Just five of those full-sized grenades going off at one time would kill him when he was at full strength. Twenty really was overkill, the six wizards wouldn’t stand a chance. Neither would the command center, but then he’d just verified they didn’t necessarily need it.

  The grenades disappeared with a flash of light.

  The station shook hard, and the boom was even loud through the blast doors which were blown outward and warped. The thick and dense battle-steel protested loudly, but it didn’t break.

  He said, “Well, that was the last of them, the five of us and our six victims are all that’s left alive on the station. Secondary control room, anyone?”

  Daisy sighed, “Alright, good job. Let’s get this done.”

  Riesa looked disappointed they wouldn’t be joining power. He’d have to make it up to her later.

  Chapter Thirteen

  He’d more than made it up to her in the wild foursome that followed the mission. Mostly by feeding her his magic and making her the focus even as he pounded her into blissful oblivion. Every thought that had passed through his head, dirty and depraved, to possessive and cherishing, to affectionate and sweet went across that connection. He’d overwhelmed her with all that he felt and thought about her, but especially by the trust it showed as his life had literally been in her hands.