Cyber Viking 3

by Marcus Sloss

  “Are there signs of heavy support constructs?” I asked.

  “Not at this time no, Harvard out.”

  I crunched his words into my reactive process. We would win this fight, but if it meant protecting humans inside fancy hotels it would be costly. I sighed already gaming out the fight.

  There was only one thing to do, try our best. The TP63s finally crossed the abandoned northern checkpoint. They hovered at full speed up and over the defenses. Yup, this is why we were flipping moving, that wall was not even a speed bump for an advanced tank.

  The light tanks arrived into downtown Aspen right as butterflin crested the mountain valleys with nagas held underneath. The long snake tails wiggled by the hundreds and then thousands. The sight of the enemy army was something I would never forget.

  “Open fire!” I commanded across all channels.

  Blue arcs of power blasted for the skyline filled with targets. There was no focused fire here. Even a TP63 tank shot was knocking duo targets out of the sky with a single orb. You think the foe would turn but instead, they flew faster, diving for the hotels. Flippity flip, I grunted and retrained my desire to lash out. The TG99s were finally arriving, but it was too late.

  The enemy returned red streaking fire that was missing horribly. Suddenly I realized the butterflin and nagas were not aiming for my troops. Rounds blasted out of their weapons to punch landing holes in the nearest high rises. Rubble from buildings rained down as the enemy sought refuge.

  Not once did our firing abate. The constant rocking of the tanks lit the sky blue with their projected lethality. Even with our sustained raining of death, more than half the enemy was able to dart into cover. Those dozen buildings had over a hundred and fifty stubborn humans in them combined. Idiot citizens that refused my orders and were cowering inside.

  I grunted in frustration. If only we had arrived a few minutes earlier. Some battlefields were won by fractions of a second.

  The enemy had paid heavily for these defensible positions and I was furious they achieved the shelter they desperately needed.

  “Movement from the Xgate. Dual sledded walkers with triple cannons in a large elevated head for firing are transitioning, I am showing hydrogen signatures. The enemy sent a distress signal to their Xgate force. They are pouring through now, and will give a final tally -.” Sally had suddenly paused. Her sluggero voice was calm and cool. “I have a commander Smisserin on the line for you Cap.”

  “Go for King Eric,” I said over the radio.

  A hissing breath panted into the microphone. A cry of a little girl screeched in the background.

  “We have your prisoners. You are best to leave before our real forces show up,” Smisserin said triumphantly. I was expecting the hissing of his speech but I guess the translators removed such nuances.

  I sighed and rubbed my temples. “You realize you're my prisoners. You have a hundred and forty-six, five -.” I said, realizing humans were dying. “If another human dies there will be no saving you Smisserin.” I swapped radios to my forces. “Encircle the occupied buildings, prepare for orders to fire. Replace hesitant gunners.”

  I waited for rebuttals or quibbling from my troops about potentially firing on building with both enemy and our citizens inside. The only reply came from a frustrated enemy.

  “We are no one’s prisoners. The divine gate gods do not allow us naga to become servants,” Smisserin said with a terse determination.

  I laughed into the radio and said, “If your forces occupying my buildings don’t surrender with weapons down and your troops outside in the next three minutes you’re dead.”

  “But the prisoners?” Smisserin said, calling my bluff.

  I closed the channel and waited.

  “I told him he should surrender and then hung up on Smisserin myself,” Sally informed me. “He should know that you are human.”

  This was not the movies. You did the opposite of what your enemy expected. They showed no sign of meeting my demand halfway through the timer. Not a single foe walked out to surrender which meant this would stall out if I let it. I did not. With sixty seconds left I made the hard call before they could use my timer against me.

  “Shred those buildings to rubble! They are killing humans anyway!” I commanded with seething anger. My body shook and my head slumped against my chest knowing what was coming.

  The combined assault was ridiculous in the sheer firepower. Orbs of all sizes blasted into the hotels and apartments with enough force that shockwaves rocked the air. The tank commanders had prepared for this. Entire energy loads were saturated in a single ball of blue carving massive holes into the buildings.

  The rattling hotels and apartments flung debris as they were shredded. With structural integrity gone, they collapsed on themselves. The firing proceeded for five minutes before I called, “Cease fire!”

  A few desperate butterflin fluttered into the air in an attempt to escape. Blue orbs streaked to greet them as they were sent tumbling from the sky to crash below.

  “Rotate to the invaders at Xgate 157!” I ordered over the command net.

  The dust had not even settled when our army vacated the once fine city of Aspen. Those still hiding in buildings luckily not hit were left to rot. They would get smart and flee or no longer be my problem. The underway was still in full effect so they had no excuses to not retreat.

  “Enemy command Hessissin is requesting parlay,” Sally said over the command net.

  “Hypothesis?” I asked.

  “Stalling,” Sally replied.

  “All units beside infantry in Aspen proceed to Xgate 157. All units proceed to Xgate 157 minus Mclain. All haste,” I ordered hoping we could drive back the foe before they established a firm beachhead.

  I watched the wall displaying the scene at the Xgate. The enemy heavy units were an egg shape on thick legs a dozen feet tall. Each leg had a sled and a single pivot point attached to the domed top. One by one the arriving mechanoid army grew as the enemy forces poured through uncontested.

  My frustrated grunt earned me glances when I realized we were not going to control the Xgate in time.

  “All units halt forward progress, return Point Rubble,” I ordered. I dialed into Mitchell who answered promptly.

  “Go,” Mitchell said.

  “We have some generator bombs made, get with Sally or Harvard and start land mining our avenues of attack,” I said with a sigh. Dirty tricks were not off the table. I dialed Sally, “Did the snake commander still want to talk?”

  “Supreme Naga leader Hessissin is still on the line, yes,” Sally said in a bored voice. “Would you like to be connected?”

  “Please,” I replied.

  “Where are my light infantry troops?” Hessissin asked in a feminine voice of authority. It just came off bitchy, not sure why.

  Hmm… I waited to see if she had additional input. Nope. Fine with me.

  I said, “Oh great and wondrous leader Hessissin welcome to Earth. Your troops were killing my citizens, who were unable to defend themselves, so I had to react appropriately. I hope you understand.”

  This combat banter between leaders was never fun. These conversations with warlords in Saudi Arabia were rarely fruitful, yet, there were the odd times I would glean or react differently from them. A talking enemy could and would make mistakes.

  “How many of my cowardly troops entered into contracts with you?!” Hessissin demanded with an urgent tone.

  “Oh, none, they died a glorious death of battle, warriors, to the end,” I replied in a respectful tone. “A few may be trapped in the building remains.”

  “I demand to inspect the combat site with drones while we parlay retributions,” Hessissin said.

  I shrugged. When I glanced over at Willow and Longoria they both had hands in the air not sure what to say. This is why there needed to be a leader instead of a council.

  “Permission granted. We still have non-combatants fleeing,” I said making a rapid command decision.

&nbs
p; There was a peal of hissing laughter over the radio, “You’re not wise to house potential servants so close to Xgates.”

  “So I have been told,” I replied.

  AH1 landed near the corner store plaza. My Gpad received a message.

  ‘Can I join you in the command station, we can coordinate my defense placements together,’ - Mitchell

  ‘Approved,’ - King Eric

  “We have drones departing the enemy forces,” Sammie said from my side. I almost jumped at her sudden appearance. “Snuck in when while you were taping on your Gpad.”

  “Glad you’re here. Willow, start isolating probably avenues of approach. Sammie, get me all the information you can,” I said, rotating to watch the enemy forces. I dialed into Jevon. “How are they coping?”

  He keyed the mic and sighed before saying, “The small unit commanders are not reporting morale issues. You warned them to leave. The only other option was a week-long stalemate until -”

  Hessissin interrupted Jevon. “I am showing twenty of my brave troops with seven human prisoners embedded beneath a ruined building.”

  My face contorted into a twist. I replied, “And?”

  “This is where we negotiate. The Loxian Collective prefers to not wage war against humans, as evident by your audacity and savagery to kill your own to achieve a victory. There is little to gain here with continued hostilities. Your forces are using vile tactics, your morality is beneath our refined standards. We will pay you one hundred pounds of neilspar to keep the peace under one condition.”

  I chuckled, then laughed, and patted Sammie’s back. Poor little thing stumbled with a mild muttering.

  “How much zinc is that, Longoria?”

  “A dozen tons. I implore you to accept if the request is reasonable,” Longoria said with an excited flicker of her wing. Her tells were starting to show.

  “Your condition?” I asked.

  Hessissin replied with, “Well, more than one, but hear me out. I want to watch over my trapped soldiers. When the Xgates turn off the blue they will be sent home. You do not attempt to rescue your citizens during that time to prevent any accidents. They stay where they are undisturbed. There will be no guarantee for your citizens' lives during the confinement.”

  “And your army in the field?” I asked. They were a very real threat I was concern. Trapped humans were also a big concern but a war where thousands would die was different than seven people waiting seven days.

  “My forces wait here until the blue is almost gone. We give half now, half left behind in good faith. Our drones will monitor up to the last minute,” Hessissin said with a stern voice.

  “Give me a few minutes please,” I said, clenching my teeth.

  “Something you did not afford my troops.” The witty reply echoed in the command room.

  Mitchell arrived breaking the terse silence.

  “What did I miss?” he asked after noticing our shocked faces.

  Willow shrugged and said, “Apparently humanity’s acts of savagery precede us. We’re being bribed to cease hostilities and to spare the enemy trapped under the rubble we created. Who knew?”

  I paced the floor deep in thought. When I gamed out probable outcomes I saw no downside to taking the neilspar in the first half. The problem was this trapped my forces here. There would be no smashing Jarod in San Francisco with his minotaur and siren army.

  I had little other option at this point anyway. We would hold the field and defend our mining operations while the civilians rushed to Stronghold Castle to build this fantastic place I had yet to see.

  I dialed in my command channel to only my forces. With a deep exhale I said, “These are my thoughts. Since we’re not in the heat of battle I am open to suggestions. We recall the army and reposition to Mansion. Once there we layer our defenses and set a solid perimeter. We apply the mining in Aspen to Mansion to have a central last stand point. All non-essential combat personnel will be evacuated to Stronghold Castle under the ground. We monitor both this army outside of Colorado Springs and the San Francisco forces. That means I want to agree to this deal.”

  I waited for a reply. Normally Jevon would be the first to respond but it was Willis.

  “We could use additional equipment. I held off buying it because of the increased prices on Koor. But if we have new funds,” the sluggero said.

  Jevon cut in and said, “I have no problem keeping side operations going. We even need to pay people back pay. Koor is an easier shopping experience than the grand market. If I predict how this plays out, the Loxian Collective will adhere to the first part of the deal. There are zero reasons for them not to avoid paying us in the last half.”

  “Unless we stage Goliath 4 over the rubble as our negotiating tactic. That neilspar is worth a lot,” Perci said and I smiled at the idea. “It will be exposed but that is a single soldier.”

  “Did we get a tally on the dead?” Torrez asked with concern.

  “Not yet, estimating a hundred and forty plus,” Sally said evenly. “Which is far less than will happen to try to dislodge that army.”

  “They might flee, but I do like the idea of their deaths having some meaning,” Perci said.

  “Objections to my proposal?” I asked, returning the conversation to where I wanted it.

  There was silence. “Added caveats will be applied. Withdrawal for Mansion, establish a corridor to Xgate 232 for trading to Koor, halt looting, and send Goliath 4 to Aspen. Get me a list of what you need,” I said and my Gpad updated.

  I frowned and tilted my head when I viewed a request page. “This is asking for sand?”

  “Yes, we need sand please give up AH1 for a day or two to gather supplies at a quiet beach location,” Sally requested.

  “In due time. Last chance, I am calling the Loxian commander,” I said to silence.

  My army peeled off the ruined remains of the corner store plaza to retreat to Mansion. Even after all this, there were still fifty people huddled in standing buildings inside Aspen. There was only so much I could do. We faced a big threat today and those who refused to listen paid the ultimate price. My nightmares would surely return unless the virum could keep them at bay.

  “King Eric, this is Hessissin. I see you’re falling back. Do you agree with our proposal?” Hessissin said, somewhat surprised.

  “For now yes, we are sending a Goliath to monitor the trapped. It is being flown in as we speak. You will deposit your first half of the reimbursement at Denver University, at this park I am marking,” I said, indicating a park on the map Willow would recognize. She glanced at me quickly seeing the indicated drop location. Our eyes met and she saw I was hurting. Willow beamed me a smile that I needed. “If your forces maintain a calm posture, mine will as well. And Hessissin, I live, breathe, and thrill for battle.”

  “I know, most humans are fanatical about it, hence our offer. Your rational judgment is even more frightening. We will sit idly by to protect those we hold dear from death to your kind. This price is small to pay to avoid the bloodshed that could potentially erupt,’ Hessissin said sourly, yet there was pride in her voice.

  “I hope the next seven and a half days go by quickly and peacefully for both of us,” I said closing the connection.

  This was going to be either a very intense, or very boring week. The Bastion community would do its best regardless of the situation presented.

  CHAPTER 22

  The torch welder flared vibrant sparkles as it melted the two sheets of steel together. My line was perfect as I walked the advanced tool down the seam. The joining of the two metallic parts was monotonous and boring, yet it was work I was proud of. This had been my life over the last seven days.

  Building layer upon layer of defensive gates, platforms, doors, and bunkers. Mansion from the last Xgate season was gone. The remains were an empty shell of the former stronghold. Longhouses, towers, and the mansion itself were abandoned due to their lack of safety. All the troops living here were doing so inside the mountain when they were
not positioned in their tanks defensively. The place I had called home for the last month was no longer a home to anyone. Even the stray dogs had been removed minus a few that resided with Onix deep in the mountain.

  Now there was a u-shaped, four hundred foot tall wall that rose next to the cliff. The wall jutted out fifty feet away from the mountain to create enough space for overly large gates to swing outward. The wall was only wide enough and long enough to store four TG99s outside the mountain. This mining site was a primary source of income for us so we were making it as secure as possible.

  Part of that protection were the TP63s we enshrined in towers near the gate doors. They were turret emplacements now, their gravity sleds removed to become air pads. The pillared towers were meant to be another line of defense we added after seeing how Koor managed their entryways. We added generator mines all throughout the old farm fields, the passageways between longhouses, and some even in the barren crixxi towers.

  My focus returned to my welding. With my seam complete I went over to the next two sheets of thick metal that a pair of fairies had flown into position for me. The repetitive work caused me to sweat, at times bleed, but never to complain. The world around me was in a peaceful state where gripping was the last thing I thought about.

  We had paid everyone. By everyone, I even mean the new hires had surplus zinc to spend. To make it fair we gave those with us longer a bonus and back pay. This led to a huge amount of Bastion citizens taking express travel to Koor. The corridor was jammed with transients moving back and forth. So many went to Koor that Toth visited a few times to thank me for the boon to his economy. The Koovorin Council was so happy they even let immigrants freely go when those without work heard we were hiring. We did lose some humans wanting a new home. Toth assured them life in Koor would be harder but they were stubborn. Not all could forgive me for eliminating the friendlies with the foes.

  Of course, the Loxian Collective noticed we were steadily shifting to another world and back. Without much to lose, I was honest when they asked about it on that first day of our stand-down. When I said we were more interested in allies than enemies; this came as a shock to them.