Cyber Viking 3

by Marcus Sloss

  “Yeah, things change so fast. How are the trees doing?” I asked Longoria.

  “Nancy and Seteria are hard at work. We are building essential housing before places like the castle. They are doing better since a lot of the new arrivals had their short rest and the sun is up,” Perci said with a smile. We neared AC1 and I paused. “Everything okay?”

  “Willow, Sammie, and I part ways here. I am going to group with Jevon and continue drills. I mainly wanted to try the underway and ensure our problems slowed. Shopping is not on my agenda and I will merely get in the way,” I said getting a hug goodbye. “Good luck securing our vital need. Ah, there is Jevon about to take off. Let’s go join him.”

  “What about me Cap?” Mitchell asked hesitantly.

  “Go get what you need Mitchell to be my elite recon team and then meet me at Mansion for blue transition,” I ordered.

  He gave a thumbs up and we parted ways. All I had to do now was some light training and some impatient waiting. I was so hoping for a D20 roll on the Xgates. We certainly needed a bit of luck this go around.

  CHAPTER 13

  The Xgate flared to life right on time; the construct picked itself off the ground and into a hover before moving. Well shucks, I was hoping for a delay. I glanced out the tower of AC1 high above my combined forces. Four thousand soldiers aligned between both Mansion and Aspen. We were not far from the middle point, grouped to present a combined force, yet ready to split if needed.

  Our flanks held our light tanks, our core the bigger brethren. AH1 and AH2 hovered over the respective groups with AC1 in the back. Octosuits were mounted behind tanks, gleaming in the afternoon sun. My army was epic in its scope comparative to last blue rotation.

  The question was would it be enough? Could we weather what those blue portals spawned?

  There was a tension in the tower room, I paced the clear crystalline window.

  Longoria was my pilot, her body encased in black acrium, and a power pack on her back. She wore a power sword on her left hip and a long pistol on her right. Her wings fluttered and a corner smile appeared on her lips when she caught me eyeing her fine figure.

  At my left side was Sammie, playing radio operator, and calls screener for me. The little mounamine had a serious face that tried to hide her fright. She carried a tiny pistol and her acrium was a double for her maid outfit.

  On my right side was Willow. She asked for a TG99 slot over a TP63 slot and there were none open. Plus I liked her getting the big picture feel of the battle. I needed more people in the command rooms and I trusted Willow. She was suited for war in a combat loadout of acrium, sleeves, and shielding. She was bantering with Longoria while managing a control station for power output.

  Douglas, the drone operator was sunk into a bean bag chair in the corner. A trio of crixxi guards were near the tunnel exit to ensure any the command room was secure and unwelcome visitors dealt with. I ordered my army into a black armor with night approaching, no sense in showing off. All of us were eager and nervous to see what came next.

  That same feeling of trepidation was washing over the tanks operators, infantry, scouts, and aviators.

  I had the best man on the job giving us details as they were received. Mitchell had four single scouts on anti-gravity bikes watching for the blue to materialize after the construct shifted. The next five minutes were filled with bated breath as the gray behemoth Xgate drifted peacefully.

  When the portals did flare blue what I saw left me hopeful yet concerned.

  The western portal displayed a desert biome. Not a spec of anything besides brownish flecks of dirt that tumbled with a fierce blowing wind. For a moment I thought I was looking at an image of Mars. Then, in the distance, an electrical ball with arms slowly rotated into view. The being performed a quick inspection of Earth and it was gone to gaze at the next portal. Well, better than an aggressive assault.

  The southern portal showed snow, a whole lot of snow. I rationalized not every planet would be having a spring, but I would never know from here if this was a constant ice planet or merely a seasonal thing. I ordered the southern scout to cross the portal knowing it would take the crixxi a minute or two to plant the data reader and come back.

  Seeing the scout racing forward I shifted to gaze at the next portal.

  The western portal had an army waiting in a clearing around a tropical jungle with lapping waves on the horizon. The waiting forces were masked humanoids with thick tendrils for hair that cascaded down their back. They stood ten feet tall and were at least twice our mass. Blue swirling patterns danced across their skin. Shit, that meant they were lexium infused, and behind the infantry waited large tracked forts. Hmm, maybe layered tanks worked. Fifty feet tall, thirty feet wide, and gun ports protruded weapons. The construction was crude and the vehicle best resembled the side of an old pirate ship. I didn’t want to aggravate them so I held that scout in place.

  On the northern portal, a little creature hopped out of a dense jungle and onto Earth. The being had huge puffy cheeks and tiny slanted eyes; it stood at three feet tall and planted an object on the rocky terrain. The fluffy cat creature ran to the eastern portal and saw the lexium beings poised for war. The moment its eyes caught sight of the alien army it fled for home.

  With a target in sight, the aliens flooded onto the field and locked down the Xgate to transition onto Earth.

  The little fluffy creature was already gone by the time they tried to snatch him.

  My southern scout going to gather information was caught out in the open. Like a pack of rabid dogs, the army curled south for my scout. They brandished weapons in the air before cracking projectile rounds at the scout.

  I didn’t need to order my scout home, the crixxi on that sled fled. The small device rapidly accelerated while dodging and weaving the incoming fire. The enemy frenzied as they hounded their target. Laser fire of a green coloration seared across the landscape. Even as the scout grew distant the invaders never slowed their pursuit.

  “Order him to slow his pace. I want to lure them into a kill zone if they are going to be mindless idiots,” I said to Mitchell through the command channel. I turned to Sammie. “Give a warning order, impending army movement.”

  The scout slowed and the chasing halted when a fifty foot tall battle platform crossed the portal threshold. Darn, this was not going to some simple lure and massacre. My inner glee at a potential blood bath frowned in disappointment. That was easily fixed.

  “Open fire Mitchell, pick the largest targets. Open fire now,” I ordered.

  Precise blue shots repeatedly went for the same targets at the head level. The first round smashed into the mask eroding some of the protection. Okay, helmet not mask. The second round tore through, sending an alien crashing to the ground with a gaping head wound. The ruined helmet showed a bald freckled alien with fangs and a double-hinged bottom jaw. Nasty looking creatures for certain that I named the kerbian.

  A shield generator came online for the boxy tank, rendering the sniper fire useless. The two dead kerbians that Mitchell managed to eliminate were tossed home. The hundred or so invading soldiers waited patiently with the gate still locked down. After a brief debate, they headed home with the shield being the second to last invader to trudge off Earth.

  The gate holder grew nervous knowing the shield was leaving any moment. A desperate sprint to escape was ruined when sniper fire knocked the alien down the moment the tank stopped protecting the kerbian. The injured alien struggled to get back into the eastern portal as the Xgate drifted away.

  Activity from the southern gate caught my eye. A twelve foot tall boar faced being jumped onto Earth. The mighty tusked warrior tumbled forward with a precise roll. There was no hesitation as he spun to steal Mitchell’s kill. I input boarzar into the naming system for this species.

  A weapon was leveled at the fleeing fanged kerbian. The discharge was brilliant in its bright yellow and melted a hole through the fleeing target’s torso.

  The sniper fire sh
ifted to the new aggressor. His yellow shielding deflecting the incoming fire.

  For such a large creature the boarzar was swift. A roll, a spin move, and a snatching clawed hand secured the fanged victim. The boarzar warrior fled home dragging his prize. I saw the shielding finally burst. But the boar shimmied across just in time. Well, that was a few intense moments. So much for a quiet Xgate. My long exhale stirred the command room.

  “Savage, yet effective,” Willow muttered.

  “Cap,” Longoria asked for my attention. “The sluggero team, Willis and Sally are trying to reach you. They promise it is not to complain.”

  I sighed, those pesky sluggeros were infuriatingly annoying. I wanted to curse Perci for their purchase. My displeasure did not supersede my need for their input so I conceded.

  “What have you got for me?” I said, knowing they were monitoring.

  “Not a safe floating city, you need to sell us to a decent home. This blasphemy, we’re so exposed here -”

  “I am going to send you on a mission to the boar snow planet if you don’t get to the goram point,” I said in agitation.

  “The gribini species dropped a signal saying they are peaceful and willing to trade. Northern portal side. They have fruit, seeds, trees, and -”

  “Northside is peaceful, thank you, Willis,” I said closing the connection. My grumble turned into an aggravated sigh.

  “That was Sally,” Sammie said from my side.

  “Yup, should rile them up to bother me with something vital again to get a new connection with something useful,” I said with a smirk. They were on blocked call detail for now without Sammie’s approval.

  We watched the portals for ten minutes in silence. Willow came over and we discussed the small engagement. She was really picking up on being a commander. Her motivation and determination were evident. She was always asking strategic questions to improve her knowledge. Mitchell called me breaking the tense situation.

  “The tall fanged people,-”

  “Kerbian.” I informed him quickly.

  “I am watching their portal and seeing activity. They are amassing to go hit some other planet from their Xgate,” Mitchell said with a hesitant tone. “At least it looks that way.”

  “What are you seeing,” I replied, only seeing the one side of what was happening.

  “Additional shielding box forts and it appears they have some form of mecha that is much taller. About three quarters the height as a Goliath, yup, they are joining the growing force. Counting at least a few hundred fortresses, then roughly a thousand infantry and now a dozen long necked Goliaths. I guess Liaths work,” Mitchell said with slight concern. “Their gate just went blank.”

  The time ticked by slowly while I watched the grey eastern side’s empty space.

  Willow walked over to within whisper range and lightly said, “I don’t like it.”

  “And?” I replied.

  “We’re far from the gate and getting further. If, not saying it is going to happen, but if they storm through the Xgate when the gray goes blue we will be caught flat footed,” Willow said, pointing at the drifting gates location. Just because theirs locked down did not mean ours was. “Same with if they pick a losing fight and we get another portal hoping army, eager for blood to make the green grass grow.”

  I smirked at her comment. “I like time to react, but you have a point, we’re getting too far,” I said to Willow and turned to Sammie. “Order to close the distance to the Xgate 232, but maintain at least a three minute TG99 buffer.”

  “Done,” Sammie replied, disseminating my orders across the army.

  Jevon called me from AH1.

  “Did I miss something and are you wanting to stay in the field?” Jevon asked.

  “Preparing for a probability. And yes, for now, we’re buying time for people to build our defenses. Nancy, Gary, Setaria, and the crews are rushing to get our fortifications in place. If the army stays in the field, we ensure we’re not fighting where they have to work. I need to see what is going on with Xgate 201,” I said and Sammie perked her little mouse ears.

  A new display populated showing a quiet roaming Xgate 201. The construct settled down a hill and into a park over North Denver. A tree creature a few feet tall stepped out, sniffed around, and then returned. I frowned wondering what army did the scout represent or was it simply another species doing an inspection hunting for loot. I let my eyes drift to Douglas sitting comfy in his bean bag chair.

  “I am not going to stress about 201 for now. If an army starts to come out they have a long way to reach us with a few chokepoints,” I said, continuing to pace in the control tower. “Ugh, we should have looted some furniture for these empty vessels. I want a recliner up here,”

  Jevon chuckled with the detent pressed. “I hear the tavers make great rocking chairs. I am ordering Bonnet to recover blood samples from the initial contact spot.”

  “Okay, keep on your toes, they locked that gate down for something.”

  “Are you wanting to raid?” Jevon asked.

  “Day one, probably not, I saw some huge trees in that dense jungle, on the north side portal. Maybe looting some trees would be nice, but there is only so much to steal in the fifty-something minutes that we can lock the gate down for,” I grunted at the immense pain it was to move those trees. “Plus it looked like the ones we bought had no broken roots, as if someone dug them out with hours of a painstaking process; that or some alien tech. Guess I need to send a message to the dynamic duo later.”

  “Aye Cap, DD out.”

  The three portals stayed quiet. There was a drifting image that kept the boredom at bay with everything hinging on that grey side returning to life. The time ticked by slowly with a lot of pacing.

  Ten minutes in Longoria flew AC1 next to Marble Heights with Willow learning the controls while she flew. A few minutes later a big lazy boy was set down for me to stew in. I wanted to complain but AH1 and AH2 were delivering furniture to tanks. With the lull in the activity, I decided to address the army.

  “We are monitoring the situation, unless an army comes pouring through expect to -” I paused releasing the detent. “Standby for further orders.”

  I had to open my big mouth. The gray disappeared with the shimmering blue cascaded back to life. The tricky kerbian forces locked their gate down to assemble secretly, not raid someone else.

  They used the time to prepare for a fight. Prepared they were.

  Thirty foot tall boxy constructs were at the forefront with their own version of a smaller goliath behind them. The mini fortresses were not hesitating, the moment they could, they spewed onto Earth. Their white shielding told me they had oxygen generators which would be moderately powerful.

  “All forces forward,” I grimaced at the command. “Smash them before they establish a foothold.”

  My commanders spurred their weapons of war forward at full speeds.

  “TG Leader is requesting permission to clear a path,” Sammie said over her shoulder.

  “All units clear obstacles in our way. Gate defense primary,” I ordered over the command channel. When there was a brief moment of quiet before the impending battle I walked over to Willow and said, “Good job.” She smiled briefly but stayed glued to our power consumption ratios of AC1.

  Blue orbs belched forth knocking down whole sections of trees. Because the Xgate moved we had to adjust our tracking to close the distance. My sigh was audible at the wave of destruction we were causing to our natural ecosystem. The tanks were carrying their octosuited brethren while the Bastion army sped for the Xgate. It was a sight to behold the sheer firepower barreling down on the arriving enemy forces.

  The light tanks arrived first. White beams cut into the terrain causing shrubs and rocks to spew flying. When the main beam connected with a TP63 the shield fought against the torrent of power. Eventually, the shield cracked before exploding, and the tank imploded in a fiery death. I marked the left most enemy moving fort as the primary target.

 
; Our sporadic fire shifted into a condensed torrent of blue orbs splattering against white hexagons. The enemy shields tried to hold but they died out under the barrage the light tanks were unleashing. At this point, I knew we would win. We had superior numbers, the right generators, and our heavier firepower was not even online.

  “Four more TP63s are offline, two are completely destroyed,” Sammie said from the monitor board. “A fifth is crippled. Enemy fortress tank 1 through four are down. Five’s shield collapsed. Five is down. Marking six.”

  The sight was amazing. Enemy shields buckled under the fire until the shattered in sparkling displays. The boxy contraptions exploded angrily as they flung their occupants. The precision fire was devastating to watch as the alien constructs became death traps. The savagery of our blue power was on full display as melting metal revealed inferior construction. White fire mixed with green to ping off our shields.

  I marked the seventh from the left and our fire split. We were new to this, but a giant bullseye on a target was simple for our forces to comprehend.

  “Light tanks fall back now. We have them hesitant to push more onto Earth. Let the TG99s clean the field with the octosuits,” I ordered. Sammie typed out my commands in case crews were unable to hear my orders. I marked additional targets as the enemy realized they were losing. “Longoria put us against the gate. Our shields can hold. We will take the shifting fire. Higher, I don’t want our shields soaking our own offense.”

  “Yes my king,” Longoria replied and we soared forward and up.

  I watched us fly over the big tanks owning the battlefield. The fifty or so kerbian forts were suffering from the heavy punishment. A single towering construct entered Earth with its weapons blazing.

  I selected it as primary. The Bastion army shifted instantly. Commanders unleashed larger orbs of power. The blue cascaded against a shield the ping off the fire. The shield flicked under the torrent. When the shield cracked the liath visibly shook and a hip blasted a torrent of white energy from an internal explosion. Blue orbs crashed holes into the body and half a second later the slightly smaller goliath teetered down into a fortress box.