Red beams tore through the first biotic before my weapon, the laser-based rifle gleaming with a viscous glow in my arms. A pair of weapons on my shoulders took aim, firing crackling black masses that let loose shrill sounds as they hit their targets. The weaponized nanomachines, overloaded with energy, voraciously dug through chitin even as they sizzled and let loose repeating jolts of electricity. The target hit by each bolt fell in seconds before the masses of nanomachines struck outwards chaotically. Ignorant of the potential danger, another pair of biotics would become afflicted with the nanomachines assault.

Almost gracefully, the firing line let loose with their weapons, overlapping fields of fire not inhibiting us in the slightest. No target was unnecessarily struck from multiple sources; if one Determinator was enough to kill a biotic, the rest could communicate that fact instantly.

Contrary to what it might seem, our cyber space was not clustered with noise. A clinically accurate communication protocol dominated our connection, framing all of our actions at once and with as little delay as possible. This protocol would be unsuitable if we were actively pursuing our targets at the same time, but then, that too would have its own methodology.

With cold efficiency I cleave through another biotic with a burst of laser fire. Smoking flesh fills the air with an acrid stench as other laser based weaponry continues to tear into the horde. Much of the Legion used other weaponry, however myself and the Determinators favor the laser. I could certainly agree that gauss weaponry was powerful, and moreover shared that feeling of power more closely with whoever was using it. However, a laser is far more controllable, able to be used with accuracy. Additional impacts on resistant targets also tend to light them on fire.

Under normal circumstances, we still wouldn’t be able to push them back. However, the Determinators were still predominantly only using their shoulder mounted lasers. After testing the waters and estimating how much damage the biotics could take, they were ready to cut loose with their primary weapons. Much of their main weapons utilize plasma, something the Legion often didn’t risk using. Plasma bolts struck forth with a roar and hiss, burning the air in its passage before they bore into their targets. The bolts destabilized as they hit their targets and exploded brightly, the heat of hundreds of such strikes quickly raising the temperature to that of a conflagration of flames.

The laser rifle in my arms hummed as I changed the power level, unwilling to be outdone by the Determinator’s attacks. Previously I used a metal storm rifle, capable of shredding through targets at the cost of a mind numbing amount of ammo. However, much time has passed since then, and I now found myself firmly entrenched in the ‘pro-laser’ camp of technology. At first, it seemed to pale in comparison to what gauss weaponry was capable of. I hadn’t allowed that to daunt me, though, and had also enlisted some like minded researchers in the pursuit of better laser technology.

The resulting weapon of that research was incorporated into the Determinator's shoulder weaponry, a highly energy efficient and yet still very deadly weapon.

As far as weapons went, though, the true Magnum Opus of the project was the very weapon in my arms.

The Reaper’s Scythe.

A beam of light as narrow as a needle, the smallest it could fire, fired from the end of the barrel. It was almost like the line connected to the horizon, and for the breadth of a millisecond I couldn’t help but stare.

Before long, though, I marshalled my attention and gripped the weapon in my hands tighter. With a smooth motion I swept to the right, only keeping the trigger pulled for a short few seconds. Yet, in that time, my armor warned me of the sudden surge in heat from both my weapon and the battlefield.

I couldn’t help but smile as I realized that the laser had burned straight through tens of biotics and left them roaring in flames. Of course, everything was on fire at this point, plasma and other lasers having done the job of turning the battlefield into a flaming hellscape.

In that moment I could see everything that my Legion had done. Not just this battlefield, but the shattered streets and buildings beyond. Every inch that was taken from us had cost the biotics dearly. I had no doubt that if our enemies had even a shred of self-preservation, they could not have willfully thrown themselves at us. Without an overriding sentience, I knew that we would survive.

With that thought in mind, I shot again and again, ignoring the clatter of black bolts as they struck against smaller barriers that the Determinators had erected. In spite of how dangerous the Centaur were, we’d already had much time to prepare against them. Anti-acidic coatings had been applied to our armor and to any barrier we used. Hardened defenses were utilized to counter the black spikes that they used for their longer range weapon.

To my side, a black spike struck a Determinator’s arm, skipping off of it with a shower of sparks and fragmented material. Unphased by the superficial damage, the Determinator resumed its bombardment without a thought for looking where the attack had originated.

Gradually the line did close towards us as the building turrets ran dry of their ammo, but by then we’d begun to compensate with tighter control of our own attacks. Other weapons that we’d avoided using began to see more use.

In one smooth motion, the fourth line of Determinators behind us engaged another shoulder mounted weapon, lobbing dozens of grenades over the defensive barrier and into their midst. Plasma bursts melted through handfuls of biotics at a time, and lesser biotics even beyond the initial explosion area began to catch flame. The asphalt had long already begun to melt with the overwhelming amount of heat in the area, and an open, roaring fire had already filled the street. The buildings were spared only by the virtue of the flame retardant foam systems installed, but eventually that too would run out.

Looking at the endless column of enemies rushing through the streets, I restrained the urge to knock a building down on top of them. In the first place, the damage to the city was extreme enough as it was, but the more tactically sound decision was to leave them up. It forced the biotics into funnels rather than expanding the ground they could move through with cover.

Occasionally, something of a siege breaker would arrive, either an Axiom or some other obscure form of biotic. Invariably, these received special attention from the heavy weapons Determinators in the buildings above. I watched one such creature barrel forward, seeming for all its bluster and unstoppable force. Lancing lasers intersected across its body from above, searing through limbs together until the creature crashed down amidst the biotics beneath it. Only a second after would the combined assault target the head, melting through it with utter disregard for the dense plating there.

It was fortunate that we were all non-fleshy beings, however, considering the temperature was rapidly climbing. Already it was roughly 500 degrees fahrenheit, hot enough to ignite paper and as hot as most conventional kitchen ovens. Of course, we’d only just begun, so I fully expected the temperature to continue to climb. This was, however, an unexpected benefit for our side. If everything began to catch flame at this point, it wouldn’t have much of an effect on us, but would be prohibitive for the biotics. At least, in the short term. But, surviving everything came first, we could lament the damage later.

We just needed to hold for as long as necessary.