by Marcus Sloss
CHAPTER 10
AC1 flew over our tank zipping by for the Xgate. When the sensors gave the alert I scurried up the back hatch. The cover opened automatically sensing my intent. The flat bottom of the mega air box soared over our tank blocking out the night’s bright moonlight. I grinned at feeling the pull of the wind from dozens of feet below. I just need one filled with generators and a whole lot of exterior guns. A mobile flying fortress. Too bad it could go through portals with protruding external mounts. It only barely fit and that was with the tower having to be detached and attached.
Um… I was so riding that home. After I toyed with a TP63 first obviously. If this thing did one twenty I was excited about what the little ones could do. When my eyes drifted from the silhouette of AC1 to the Xgate’s golden shimmer I felt pride swell inside me.
The sight revealed thousands of mounamine and pandarin ready for a new home. A home that they were frightened and nervous about. Seeing the huddled masses of the downtrodden grouped in such a way moved me. Here were the universe's races unable to adapt and defend. I could only imagine as I peeked up at the night stars how many planets had beings like these living in horrid conditions. I had to remind myself it was about solving the problems you could before attempting those you could not.
There were a whole of them, to the point I think I was glad we were diverting to get trees. Perci and Everly could have just used fairies for now and purchased a few hundred easy to adjust into Aspen homes, hotels, and Mansion’s longhouses. The majority of poorly dressed workers would be going to Aspen to stay until rooms were ready in Mansion.
AC1 lowered itself down. The clumps of our new residents were alleviated to get aboard the hulking ship. They shuffled up the ramps on all sides expediting the process. Even though a few shivered, many carried smiles on their faces. There was a large show of force here, no one berating them, and the promise of nice homes. They all needed new clothes. Well, they needed a lot. Most carried nothing but a child or a small pack. I bobbed my head in determination. This was their new home, their status irrelevant. I was glad we were getting them items instead of piling more bodies into buildings.
Willow drove around the loading and working crews to park on the north side. I finished climbing out of the hatch before anyone could give me some side quest or problems for me to handle. I ran to the nearest TP63 and slapped the armor.
The hatch opened and a crixxi grumbled, “Hey voice box, I didn’t tell you to open.”
“I probably overrode your commands with my authorization. Hop out real quick soldier. I promise to be back soon, I am King Eric,” I informed the startled crixxi.
The voice controller beeped. “Asserting control from Darsawn to King Eric.”
Darsawn was sitting in a seat that swiveled before pushing him to the rear exit hatch. The crixxi frowned but stepped out of the alien vehicle. I hopped into his seat while he crossed his arm. The seat reverted into the middle of the tank while the rear hatch closed before it swiveled to bring me to a control station.
There was no Goldie or holographic babe I interacted with. Instead, there were two joysticks and three screens. I could automate everything with a few taps or I could drive with controllers. Neat. The interior was a lot smaller than I expected. The exterior had such a boxy container and yet the interior balled around me as if I were in an egg while seated.
“Tank Manager, what should I call you?” I asked knowing there was a voice behind the brains.
“I have been designated TP63-479. Nine works if that suits you?”
“Nine works perfectly,” I said, feeling a kink and failing to pop my neck. Maybe a crown was a bad idea. Eh, I would get used to it. “My goal today is to push you to your capabilities. I need to know what you’re capable of.”
“This unit is using an oxygen generator. While not the worst for the atmosphere it is not the best. Optimal performance requires -”
“A nitrogen generator. How about you tell me when I hit peak performance?” I asked.
Nine’s voice box almost snickered. “Wilco.”
My hands wrapped the controllers. I pushed my right hand forward and the turret aimed down. Oh, that made sense. The right hand was firing controls. My left hand tilted the cyclic forward. The slight input moved the tank forward.
“Take us to a clearing Nine,” I ordered.
“Wilco, moving now,” Nine replied.
I searched around for how to go up and down.
“Where is the collective?”
“Collective? Not sure what that is,” Nice replied.
“In a helicopter, the controller that goes forward back left and right is the cyclic. The up-down controller is called a collective,” I said, miffed when no easy answer presented itself as to where the up-down controller was in this tank.
“King Eric, may I call you Cap?”
“Sure,” I replied not sure why I was getting this question.
“Well Cap, there are three ways to operate this machine. Voice, you simply tell me what you want and yes, I am smart enough to understand radio chat from command inputs. The second is physical input. Which in this case is cyclic for moving and firing pedals for up and down. Finally, you can do everything by touch screen. That will take some time to navigate all the options because the user interface is generic to deal with all species. These models had seats added and pedals for the up-down control.”
“Pedals. Thanks, Nine,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “Clear displays. Open exterior viewing. Illuminate the nights.”
“Done,” Nine replied.
An instant change occurred. The desk folded away. The seat absorbed the flat surface and I was elevated another inch or two. My right armrest added the firing controller and my left the flying cyclic. The pedals came forward to rest against the seat's feet. The exterior of the tank was cast onto the surface of the interior. A glance over my shoulder showed a well-lit area behind me. A peek down from the edge of my seat showed rocky pebbles mixed with vegetation. Awesome exterior cameras everywhere and I could see every direction.
I input a slight left turn. We were in the middle of a rocky field with short shrubs and scattered bushes with plenty of room to maneuver. In the distance there was a nice sections of trees to fly over if I got the time. I gave a full left input.
Woah! The interior rotated at a slower rate than the exterior, causing immediate disorientation; it was so bad I had to close my eyes.
“Explain,” I commanded in frustration.
“You might need to turn quickly, and I can adjust for a jerking one eighty, or even a tight spin for a rotation or two. Your input would have put you into blackness from the rotation based on your biology. So I decoupled the interior from -”
“Got it, I spin too fast you keep me from passing out,” I replied, opening my eyes.
“Yes, Cap.”
“Okay. We’re going to do back and forth sprints. If I fail the one eighty keep me with the spin so I orientate. Shut down systems, and prevent injury if I pass out please,” I said to the tank controller.
“Wilco.”
“I’m surprised you know will comply.”
“We are tuned into the Gnet,” Nine said. “I have studied your helicopters now and given an update to the others. We are not infinite computing machines. We only have enough space for pertinent knowledge.”
“Everything suddenly becomes clear. Here we go,” I said jamming the cyclic forward.
There was no speedometer to gauge my speed. I eased off on the acceleration.
Hmm. I frowned. “Can you give me above ground level (AGL), speed, and cardinal direction displayed in my vision without it being distracting?”
“Done,” Nine replied and the three meters showed up as light green overlays. I could see beyond with ease due to their opacity.
I jammed the cyclic forward with full acceleration. We crested one twenty in a heartbeat. The numbers rolled up until we hit one sixty two.
“Peak.”
I jammed the
cyclic in reverse feeling the dampers struggling. My seat applied a suction of some sorts to keep me from flying forward. The speed rolled down to zero until it went negative. A right turn was easy. My grin spread as I slammed it back up to max speed and I executed a ninety degree turn. Well, I attempted too. A tiny input was enough for something closer to one fifty. Good, I could work with that. Full speed again and this time a turn with a smidge less input. I did this a dozen times until my Gpad rang.
“Olo,” I said, starting to bounce the tank off the ground by using the pedals.
“You okay?” Jevon asked.
“Peachy, I am having fun. I need to shoot this thing where -”
“We picked the old corner store for target practice. Slister’s idea. Create some rubble, better than having the blank space for alien bad guys to hunker in. I was calling about this tree thing. You want to add any to Aspen?”
“Nine, take me to the corner store,” I said before diving into a conversation with Jevon. “So, I am perplexed. How did we skip figuring out we could just buy food in bulk?”
“Ha, don’t be. Perci did right away. We want to grow human food, crixxi food, and now food directly for our needs. There are not six million fresh tomatoes on the market. Can we get something suitable probably?” Jevon said and I could hear him shrug from the other side. I just knew him that well. “What would you prefer?”
“I get it, the rationale is sound in setting up our own production. If we fought the Lurrol and they held us at bay and never went home we would have to go to a different Xgate. Or worse we had nothing to trade. Why take any risk on relying on variables when we can produce our own,” I said, seeing the outside night illuminating ahead. There was a swarm of activity around the corner store area.
Tanks were darting in, firing a few rounds and turning out. Others were going skyward and firing from above. I saw there was a limit on the angle because none were closer than a thousand feet. The constant blue waves lapped over the rubble and my head tilted noticing they were not causing any damage. The concrete was folding in on itself with rebar jutting out from the collapsed ruins.
A misfire washed over a shield of a TP63 on the backside of the rubble. Huh. That's when I noticed even my guns were using limited power. Awe. A smirk spread across my face as I unleashed a torrent of fire. Awe, a limiter on the rate of fire too. What the heck.
“This is lame, take me to the Xgate,” I said to Nine. Jevon waited patiently for me to fire. “So, I get it we’re in the crawling stage. When are drills starting back up and we can shoot each other right?”
“Everly is sorting the new crixxi arrivals as we speak. A lot of them are getting plugged straight into combat. Things are going to be rough and we still need to implement sleep for every so we are ready for the new blue rotation. Who are you making your primary field commander over in Mansion?”
My huff was audible causing Jevon to chuckle. “You picked Bonnet right?”
“Of course, Bonnet, Unlanda, and me are the three leaders. Eight hours a day, pretty basic. One up, one standby, and one on QRF. Ideally I was thinking of adding Torrez as a third and stepping back as brigade commander.”
“Do it, Felix can run the S4. Yes, take Torrez. His family deserves a swanky hotel room and him a nice officer position where he runs the main shield for his unit. For me… I will go Eddy, Mclain, and Slister. Then stick Mitchell on recon still with those jetpack. Swap him and Mclain out, both were snipers,” I said mulling the decision over. “I am going to let Willow become a company commander. Probably under Slister, yeah she would be a good fit.”
Jevon chuckled through the radio and said, “Eventually some crixxi will need promotions.”
“Let them be tank commanders, company commanders, and infantry platoon lieutenants. We still need a more fitting punishment for insubordination. Maybe baby changing duty or something. Putting Elifer on drone duty converted her sassy attitude right away,” I said knowing it was a weak punishment.
“Yeah, well different societies right. Ferries fuck freely. Crixxi cling closely. I didn’t make that one up, it's already going around. The mouse people are an unknown. I don’t think they are used to be treated as equals.”
“Speaking of which I am here. I am not looking forward to a third nap. Well, and then a three hundred foot tall tree just appeared. Apparently, I missed a message,” I said gaping at the tree. I glided the tank to the crixxi I stole it from. “I’m off. Cap out. Nine eject me.”
The chair swiveled and I was shoved toward an opening door. The crixxi didn’t say a word or even a mumble. He simply went to the warm seat and disappeared into the interior.
A second tree arrived with two goliaths managing to rest it on top of the AC1. Well, A-plus to whoever concocted that idea. Then I saw crixxi by the hundreds filling into the hangar bay. Ugh, I realized I had shut off Jevon before answering him. I rang him back only to hear his Gpad not far away.
“Hey Jevon, sorry, didn’t mean to cut you off. Come on, unless you ordered the trees up top?” I asked.
“Yeah, four for now. Let the edge walls support them,” Jevon said, pointing to the next two going onto the other side of the aircraft. “Then its two goliaths per tree, they will be at it for hours. I can’t believe people sell these. I guess if there was nothing to mine or loot then a whole tree with roots is better than nothing.”
“It is probably best if we stop ripping down our trees when we run out of stuff to loot,” I said with a shrug. “Actually, follow me anyway. I ditched two of my wives and the fairy council. Need a wife?”
Jevon went to slug my arm but saw I was in acrium armor. “Brother, you look awesome in that suit. I actually am still seeing Becca, and Sarah joined us. Perci mentioned that we purchased more females than males.” He ran a hand over his buzzed black hair. A frustrated look on his young face. “I admit, I never expected to lounge in a large bed with two woman. My mom wags a finger but I never take the bait. I like having two girls. A lot.”
I paused our walk. My eyes darted around to ensure we were not overheard. “It’s unreal. The sex,” I said flinging my fingers like my head exploded.
“Right, those fairy girls have me licking my lips.”
“Because they are eighteen, with wings,” I said nodding my head. We were on the same page endlessly nodding about how awesome multiple babes were.
“I like those mouse girls, Perci said maid outfits were in the works,” Jevon gave a low whistle.
I shifted the conversation. “I wonder how New York is doing up there at Drum. Or other stations. Or places like Fort Knox.”
Jevon folded his arms and tucked his chin in thought.
“You’re a good man Eric, not the best soul, but the right soul. Making these decisions for all these people is hard. I would have chosen more warriors. You chose trees. We have no idea what will happen and who would have been right. But I do know there are going to be some dark places where the little blue human stereotype is applied to us Earthlings. I also don’t think it will be in isolated pockets. Can you imagine what battle hardened slave traders in Africa are doing right now? You know they are like cock roaches. That breed of humanity never dies.”
I patted him on the back and gestured for the Xgate since we shifted our conversation into a favorite pastime; the theory crafting, the what-if, and infinite possibilities.
“China!” I said with an exaggerated tone politicians liked to use. “They were still kicking butt last I checked. They have the gall to get through this storm. My bet is they keep losing scientists until they all die as they try to build spaceships.”
We both chuckled at the image being played.
“Xi Ping, I order you to build that computer.” Jevon pointed at a rock while using a horrible Chinese accent. “Three seconds later, the mother ship blasts the station. A bunch of government dickheads shrug at another dead scientist,” Jevon said, gaming out the scenario.
We shimmered into the storage room. Crixxi by the hundreds were rushing to kiss Everly on
the cheek. She leaned forward so they could run. Deeper into the storage there was a freaking forest. I saw birds, a group of monkeys, and a panther, oh six legs. Uh… Sure, why not. We had the crixxi pet cats over in Aspen, I wondered how things would adapt. Perci found me before I found her.
She approached with Willow, Seteria, and Nilvia. But no Elithen, Longoria, or Sammie. I sent a hissed psst to Jevon real quick. “Wife?”
“Not on the spot, maybe have one work for me and see where it goes,” he whispered without moving his lips much.
“That’s fair. I bet Perci already thought of it,” I said in a low tone. I smiled, opened my arms, and raised my voice for my lovely forever girl. “Perci! You have done fabulous. Please catch us brutes up. Willow your brooding blackness makes me cower.”
Perci flashed a smile and batted her eyelashes. I was given a sweet kiss. Willow chuckled behind her. Perci found my eyes in my armor and locked her hazels to my browns.
“Nancy is with Elithen planning defensive structures. Longoria is shopping for a laundry list of fairy essential items. Sammie is doing the same for the mounamine. Tarry, our pandarin liaison is getting a few basic supplies. They mainly wanted to get items to help them work. Really polite servants. I absolutely adore them.”
“I have yet to greet one. How are we doing on funds?” I asked, noticing the two well-behaved twins beaming smiles behind Perci.
“Nothing is being saved. We even went down to fifty trees. Ten for Aspen and then forty for Mansion. The rest is going to supplies. We have 3,473 mounamine when all is said and done. That is a lot of outfits to make. Really, I am doing that. Butler outfits for the men, busty maid outfits for the women. They arrived with nothing of course.” Perci’s eye roll completed with her running a finger over my armored abs as she talked. “There are hygiene items, food, off duty clothing, undergarments, bedding, and the items pile up. The pandarin needs are not so bad. And then there are these two behind me,” Perci said thumbing the busty fairy babes in forest bikinis.
