“No sign of activity. We’ll work our way to the main hangar using the vehicles as cover. Spread out into three units. Group one with me. Group two with Field Marshal William and group three with Field Marshal Nefertiti. Group two flank left. Group three flank right. Group one, we’re going up the middle.”
As the three groups proceeded, they started to encounter more resistance. Several squadrons of ALF infantry along with a contingent of werewolves tore into the groups.
“GloCom tac squad, handle those riflemen. Wardens and Vanguard engage the lycanthropes,” ordered the Field Marshall.
The fight was drawn out. The GloCom elite forces were superior to the ALF and were slowly thinning them out. The lycanthropes were more agile than their opponents, but the Vanguard and Wardens were equipped for them. Their blades were cutting through the wolves as the tactical forces whittled down the opposition infantry.
“We lost one Warden. Report team leaders,” said Field Marshall Anna when the fighting was over.
“Looks like we lost three. One of the Wardens and two of the tactical squad were caught with laser fire on the way in,” replied Field Marshal William.
“We survived. They did not,” replied Field Marshal Nefertiti.
“Proceed on target. We’ll converge outside the main hangar. Watch for reinfor…” said Field Marshal Anna but stopped when she heard a loud roar.
Field Marshal Nefertiti and her group turned as a massive creature came across the tarmac at them. It was hard to make out in the dark but based on its size it was likely the troll. The ground shook as it ran towards them. The creature bent down as it was running and grabbed what looked to be the remnants of a hovertank in the process of being salvaged, then hurled it at them. Her group scattered but not everyone managed to avoid the crash and resulting explosion.
“It's the troll! We just lost five of our forces to that thing,” said Field Marshal Nefertiti into the comm.
“New orders. Everyone, converge on that troll. Take it out,” Field Marshal Anna ordered.
“This is Field Marshal Anna. We’ve located the troll. If there are any RATS or anyone with heavy weaponry, we could use an assist,” she said on the command channel.
“Acknowledged. I’ll see what I can send your way,” came the reply from a comm officer.
The team was scattered from the barrage. The troll was using anything in reach as a weapon. Fortunately, after its first attack, they managed to keep at a safe distance. They kept shooting it, but the shots did no damage as far as they could tell. The Vanguard were throwing magic at it as well. Fire, energy, telekinetic blasts, nothing seemed to phase it.
“Boudicca, this is Nefertiti. Do trolls have any weaknesses?” she asked on a private channel.
“Not really. They’re slow and have poor eyesight but are very strong and durable. Their skin will resist energy to some degree including fire,” Boudicca replied. “What about your divine light?”
“We have laser rifles and they do no damage to it. You have given me that which I need. It will fall. Thank you,” Nefertiti said.
“I have a question for you. We have undead here. I was under the impression that zombies would attack any living creature near them. What would prevent that?” asked Boudicca.
“A necromancer. If the undead do not attack the living them someone is controlling them. A necromancer controlling them would take on some of their traits as they extend themselves into the realm of death to touch the minds of the undead. Their skin will pale, their body temperature will drop, and they’ll smell like a corpse. We learned how to overcome those traits, but we had centuries to perfect our skill. It has not been a year since the breaking, so they would not have had time to learn that control,” replied Nefertiti.
“I have to go, we’re under attack here. Good luck,” Boudicca replied.
“We are warriors. We do not need luck. Fight well,” Nefertiti said and closed the channel.
“Field Marshal Anna, this is Field Marshal Nefertiti. Take your troops and proceed. I will handle the troll,” she told Field Marshal Anna on the team channel.
“Negative. We do this as a team,” replied Field Marshal Anna.
“You must trust me. I can engage it, but your weapons limit my mobility. I cannot move as I should if I’m also dodging your divine rifles,” Field Marshal Nefertiti told her.
“Are you sure? That thing is very dangerous,” replied Field Marshal Anna.
“I am certain. It is dangerous but so am I. I will stop this beast and rendezvous with you at the entrance. Go now. I must focus on this fight,” Field Marshal Nefertiti told them.
“Command, belay that request for heavy artillery for now,” Field Marshal Anna said on the comm channel.
“Acknowledged,” replied the comm officer.
“Regroup with me. We’re going up the middle. Make some noise and keep the ALF and fey focused on us, not Field Marshal Nefertiti,” Field Marshal Anna told them.
#
Field Marshal Bruce looked at their objective. It had a large contingent of ALF surrounding it. Their opposition was heavily armed and holding a fortified position. They had mortars, rocket launchers and it looked like they had even dug up some old-fashioned 50 caliber tripod guns.
Between them and the armory was a horde of undead. They appeared to be zombies, but the group was taking no chances.
“Okay everyone, form up. We’re going to take that armory and anything in our path. Hit them hard,” Field Marshal Bruce ordered.
“Wait,” said Field Marshal Boudicca as she finished her communique with Nefertiti. “The undead are under the control of someone. We need to find that person and kill them. Once we do that, the undead will no longer consider the ALF their ally. They’ll still consider us food as well but at least they’ll have multiple targets.”
“Good theory but how do we find the right target in that mass of troops?” Field Marshal Bruce replied.
“Body heat. The necromancer controlling them will appear as if dead. That will lower their temperature,” she replied.
“Switching to thermal scanning everyone. Let’s find our necromancer,” he said and adjusted his goggles.
The target stood out immediately. They couldn’t see it before because it was silhouetted in the darkness and on top of the armory. “Fuck me, it’s the lich and it’s on the roof. With the undead and that fortified line between us and it, this is going to be rough,” said Field Marshal Bruce.
“That also means mixed in those zombies are possibly ghouls,” said Field Marshal Boudicca. “In this lighting, it’s going to be impossible to know until we’re close enough to see the eyes.”
“Okay then. We must take out that lich. If it’s up there, the threat of the ghouls is too much of a risk. We can’t have our people being turned into those things,” said Field Marshal Bruce.
“It’s also stronger. I can feel the fear from here,” said Field Marshal Trish. “The one at Camelot wasn’t this...dreadful for lack of a better word. This thing is strong.”
“Likely when you faced it before it was weakened since the Seal had just been breached. Now it has had time to regain its full strength. It’s also possible that’s the reason it’s up there and not down with the soldiers. Being close to one for a living being can be dangerous,” Field Marshal Boudicca told them.
“Can you summon some fomorians? I bet they could do some damage against that thing,” said Field Marshal Bruce.
“I’m sorry. This place is too unnatural. I would need a grove or other open natural area to summon them,” Field Marshal Boudicca replied. “If I could get to I could beat it. Even with my power, I can’t get by that horde along with those troops and those weapons they have.”
“Are you sure you can beat it? I might have a way to get you up there, but I won’t send you to your death,” replied Field Marshal Bruce.
“I can’t draw from the earth, but I can draw from the sky. It will fall to me if you can get me to it,” she told him.
“How w
ell did you do in your PEMES training? Did they show you how a thrust pulse works?” asked Field Marshal Bruce?
“You can’t be serious, Bruce? She doesn’t have the experience for that. She’ll not be able to control it and end up smashing against a building or crashing head first into the ground. Let me do it,” said Field Marshal Trish.
“I don’t know what this thrust thing is, but Morgana told me what a lich with its full power can do. Trish, I don’t know if you can defeat it. I believe I can. The lich has to be destroyed to eliminate the danger of the ghouls and take out the control of the zombies,” said Field Marshal Boudicca. “What is a thrust pulse?”
“You know the turbines on your suit? When you’re descending they have enough thrust to speed you up and help control your direction. When you’re landing they have enough thrust to help slow you down, so you don’t hit the ground at full speed. They don’t have enough power to make you fly, though. The amount of power needed would make the suit unwieldy. It is possible, though, to pulse the power pack into a single charge that can launch you into the air. Based on your weight, you’ll probably be able to clear a few hundred feet in altitude and then you can glide like normal to the top of the building,” Field Marshal Bruce told her.
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Field Marshal Boudicca replied.
“It’s not that simple. First off, you won’t be able to steer. It’s a rocket. You’ll need to be pointing straight up when you launch, or you’ll go at an angle and could end up far enough off target that a glide won’t reach the roof. You could land in the middle of that horde or the ALF or you could hit the wall. That brings me to the second point. It completely drains the battery, so you won’t be able to use the turbines to slow down. Whether you land or hit a wall or wherever you end up, you’ll be at full speed. We can’t see the entire roof, but I doubt there’s a cushioned landing spot,” Field Marshal Bruce told her.
“You will also have to contend with the laser fire overhead from the turrets and aircraft and no way to dodge them on the way up,” Field Marshal Trish added.
“So basically, I’m an arrow flying through a ballista barrage,” Boudicca replied.
“That’s pretty much it,” replied Field Marshal Bruce. “Are you certain that you want to take the risk? I know Masters are strong, but this is iffy.”
“We do what we can for the good of all and tonight is no exception,” she replied.
“Let me show you how it works,” Field Marshal Trish told her and then outlined the procedure. She looked at Boudicca with a tear in her eye. “Be careful. I love you and I don’t want to lose you.”
Boudicca was keying in the sequence on the control pad. She looked at Trish and reached out to wipe the tear away. “I love you, too,” she replied and launched.
#
Lord Marshall Sebastian and his team worked their way to the C&C in the center of the base. They had the longest trek and an unknown objective. The other targets were clear-cut, but they had no intel on the resistance inside of the C&C. The building was large and mostly offices connected by hallways and twisting corridors. There were two large areas, the data center, and the control room. Elam was most likely in the control room. All they had to do was get there.
Their drop zone was quiet on the far edge of the northeast section of the base. Most of the fighting was going on along the western side, near the deep water of the Pacific. To the west of them were the airfields and directly south, about a half a mile away, was the main C&C building.
“Once we reach the building, we have two objectives. Our primary focus is the data center and computers in the control room. They’re both deep in the building and not close. How we handle them will depend on whether we encounter heavy or light resistance. If it’s light, we’ll split into two teams and take targets individually. If it’s heavy, we’ll stay together and work them in sequence. First, we have to get there. It seems like they’re focused on the General’s diversionary strike and didn’t notice us. Let’s take advantage of that and move quickly. We’ll work through cover as much as we can. There is a lot of rubble, so we’ll use that to our advantage. Form up and move out,” Field Marshall Sebastian ordered.
They headed south, moving slowly to maintain stealth. They went from building to building, doing their best to stay hidden. As they cleared a partially collapsed building, they saw movement ahead.
Lord Marshall Sebastian put his hand up and the group stopped. Through his night vision, he could see several patrols. They were still far ahead of them. There were three groups, each consisting of a few dozen ALF troops with two large quadrupeds with them.
“ALF troops and they have manticores. They look like they’re on patrol so let’s hold up a moment and let them pass,” said Vice Marshall Chelsea.
The patrols continued their way then one of the manticores stopped and looked towards their position. It put its nose to the air and made a sound that was a mix between a growl and a scream.
“I think it smells us. GloCom, leave the manticores to the Wardens and Vanguards. Your focus is on the troops. Marking targets on the heads up. Scope them out and get ready. Your weapons won’t be much use on the beasts. Vanguards, I’m marking a manticore each for us and Wardens will take the fourth. We’re going to draw off the manticores to the left. Chelsea and I will go first, we’re faster. When the manticores break in our direction, wait for them to separate out then Xavier and Wardens, follow us and pick up your targets. Manticores are fast so they’ll close much sooner than the troops. GloCom open fire and get the attention of the terrorists five seconds after I go,” the Lord Marshall ordered.
The two patrols started in their direction. The manticores were ahead of them a bit and coming straight at them. They closed the distance and when they got to about a hundred yards out, the Field Marshall said, “Chelsea, let’s get their attention.”
He pulled his blade and blue fire covered it then Chelsea did the same. “NOW!” he yelled, and he and Chelsea jumped out from their cover and ran left around the building in full view of the patrols.
The manticores closed fast and pursued them around the building, with Xavier and the Wardens coming just behind them. The GloCom troops opened fire and took out a dozen or so of the ALF with their surprise attack. The remaining terrorists went to cover behind debris and started returning fire. They were greatly outnumbered but the GloCom soldiers were the best of the best and had superior training and skill.
The four manticores closed on Sebastian and Chelsea. Xavier hit his target with a bolt of energy and it turned to face him. One of the Wardens shot an impact slug at their target to get its attention. Sebastian and Chelsea fired bolts of blue flame at their targets. The four manticores were effectively divided.
Individually the manticores were still deadly. They were the size of a bear, with the speed and agility of a cat. Their claws were the size of small knives and razor sharp. They had a vaguely human head with poisoned fangs and a long, spike-covered tail with a scorpion-like stinger at the end. They were covered in thick skin with coarse fur that made them very durable and were legendary for their viciousness and cunning.
The Wardens had circled their target. They were using the standard swords of the Wardens with flames dancing across the blades. They were fighting it like a wolf pack, as it would lunge at one, another would slice at it or throw a spell at it if they couldn’t get close enough for a weapon shot. They weren’t doing any significant damage and for the moment were in a stalemate.
Xavier and his target circled, staring through the darkness at each other. The manticore moved first and lunged at him. Xavier ran towards it then slid underneath, passing between its legs and stabbing up with his flaming blade but due to the toughness of its skin, the blade only penetrated a few inches. The beast howled and leaped away as Xavier jumped to his feet and fired a bolt of electricity at the beast. The electric energy dissipated along its fur. As the beast landed, spines flew from its tail in Xavier’s direction but the ones that landed did
n’t penetrate his armor.
It lunged at him again, lower this time so he was forced to sidestep instead of going low. As he did, the stinger came at him and he barely managed to avoid it and swung his blade at it again cutting the stinger off. The beast screamed and swiped at him, catching him in the side and launching him into the side of the building, momentarily stunning him.
It was on him in a heartbeat, its front legs straddling him as it tried to bite him. He moved as best he could, avoiding its bits or using his sword to parry the lunging fangs. It got its front legs on his shoulders and pinned him in place, knocking his sword from his hand. The creature smiled and reared back to bite again knowing it had him. He managed to work his arms free enough to reach the PEMES control panel and keyed in a thrust sequence. He kicked his legs up and the thrust went off, pushing the beast off him and back a short distance.
Xavier rolled forward and grabbed his sword. Once again, bright orange flames engulfed the blade. He leaped at the manticore and landed on its back while it was still disoriented and confused from the thrust. He raised his sword and then stabbed downward into its back, enhancing his strength as he did so. The blade sunk in and down through its spine. The creature thrashed, knocking Xavier off then fell over on top of him.
Chelsea was more aggressive with her target. She focused inward and felt euphoric as the excitement of battle overcame her. Her senses sharpened, and time slowed. She stared at the creature as they circled. Her sword was drawn in an attack posture. The manticore was snarling as they looked into each other's eyes.
She felt fear from it. Not fear of her, fear of the ALF. She looked into its eyes and saw intelligence. It was despondent. She felt as if it was attacking her for no other reason than it had to.
She put a hand out and slowly walked towards it using her power to project a calming, soothing presence. It made no advance but the hair on its back stood on end. She put her hand on its head and slowly stroked down its neck. As she reached its shoulders, she stopped her hand. There was something there. An electronic device of some kind was attached to its back and wires were penetrating its hide.
The Vanguard Page 10
