"Hell? I've had worse." With a simple sequence of button presses, the portal matrix swung into full drive, as suddenly, a storm of meteors rained down upon the surface of the Clone World below. Hundreds of Battle Drones rained down from above, in large metallic pods. They unfolded, revealing their weaponry, as military institutions on the planet's surface are systematically destroyed. Weapon's caches, already discovered by the powerful scans of Babylon, were taken over instantly, as the drones appeared within the vaults and defensive systems. Anti-air turrets fell within seconds as, without a single civilian being harmed, the planet's combat capabilities and government was neutered, and any military unit that responded against the invaders with hostility was systematically slaughtered. There was no war, no prolonged firefight. No march of an army over the planet's surface. Teleportation technology, combined with the proper application and division of force, allowed these worlds to be instantly wiped out. If the planet's local resistance were to battle the drones, without access to their heavy weaponry or military bases, they would be helpless and slaughtered en mass. There was no enemy fleet within range, however, Mathew had no doubt 'hell' would come in the form of a massive enemy defensive force.
However, before he could prepare for the appearance of any significant enemy force, he had to protect his own life. The best way of neutralizing any army was to remove it's leader, and the energy signatures he had detected indicated that his opponent planned to do just that. While he trusted his ship's weaponry systems to protect himself from any outside force, he wasn't nearly as capable in person, and he would have to make every effort to ensure that he was not killed in the following conflict. As such, after the deployment of his troops, he used the Portal Matrix to create a quantum nullification field around both Eclipse and the stranger. This effectively shut off his forces on the ground, who would only be able to rely on their personal Matrices, but it would prevent either of the above from leaving Babylon through method of teleportation. "If I die, am captured, or am mind-controlled, this ship will self destruct. It will generate a quantum field to generate a point of great mass, multiplying the total mass of the ship over a thousandfold, creating a powerful black hole. You are stuck here, and thus, if you wish for yourself to live, you will protect my life until I allow you to continue on your own way. If you disagree to do this, be aware that if you destroy the portal Matrix, which is keeping you here, that will trigger the self destruct. If I detect you leaving the ship's parameters, or anywhere near any of the exits, the ship will self destruct. For now, you will protect me." Having thus effectively put the Angel and the Assassin into service, both of the Guardian Drones returned to Mathew's side instantly.
