Bulletfoot One

by Marshall Rust

  "If I may suggest something, Mayor," Tinker called from where he closed the panels on the mech. "I don't suppose you would have any fertilizer available?"

  Jones paused and glanced quickly at the strange old man. "Literally tons. Why do you ask?"

  "It can be used to make potent explosives, and if you hold none back for planting, we should be able to give Lady Hoot's men quite a greeting when they arrive at our doorstep."

  The mayor nodded resolutely. "I will order that all of it be gathered."

  Tinker finished with the last of the repairs and climbed down. "I would advise not to get hit by lightning again, but should it happen, I think you should be protected from all except for a direct hit."

  Hammerhand ran another quick diagnostic on his mech. "Tell me, Tinker, if you see as I do. The mechs out there are not the same kind Athena put in the field before. They are untouched by the modifications and paraphernalia the others bore."

  The two returned to their mechs and turned to study the enemy force. Jessica13 zoomed into the parade Athena had arranged for their benefit and identified a few mechs with the same kinds of additions and capes as those that had attacked before them. Most, however, looked like they had come out of the box. They were gray or white and possessed none of the ornate decorations their adversary’s raiders usually displayed.

  "It could be that these are the better fighters," Tinker suggested. "Perhaps the ones we killed were merely the pawns—the chaff or the disposable pilots."

  "That's a comforting thought," she grumbled. She knew for a fact that Hammerhand couldn't hear her this time but when the massive Excalibur twisted easily, the repairs and diagnostics apparently effective, her heart jumped to her throat.

  “Actually, these are the Citadel’s forces,” Mayor Jones explained as he paused from sending orders through the radio. “They are not Lady Hoot’s men. The Citadel’s forces prefer to remain underground, while Lady Hoot fights on the surface as their auxiliary. That they have stepped in now is worrying.”

  "Either way, we will be ready for them," Hammerhand said and his voice thundered through the town as he and the mayor marched back to inspect the preparations.

  "What do you have going on in that mind of yours?" Tinker asked, having obviously waited for the men to move on before he spoke.

  Jessica13 scowled. “Remember how we used to set up the comm jammers over Sanctuary’s entrance to make sure attackers had no way to communicate with each other?”

  “Remember? I still hold the record for setting it up in seventeen minutes.”

  “Used to hold it. I put it up in under fifteen minutes.”

  “No shit?”

  “Sorry. Anyway, as I was saying, I’ve thought about setting one of those up at the edge of Auburn. Of course, it would mean that we don’t have comms either, but given that there are more of them to coordinate and they’re entering our territory, they would be the most crippled if they didn’t have any comms.”

  “That’s an interesting idea but how would you power it? We don’t have any power cores to spare, not even in the Beast.”

  “I can power it with the generators we used to collect the lightning.”

  “How quickly can you set it up?”

  She snickered. “Come on. Under fifteen minutes, remember?”

  “Make it so. I’ll talk to Hammerhand so that we can organize a low-tech comm system. Maybe we can use physical runners to relay messages.”

  They moved into the town, where she could already smell the fertilizer being moved from the farming areas and into where Tinker could use it. The man was immediately called away to direct the construction of the bombs created from it, leaving her to start work on the jammer. She picked out the bits and pieces that were needed from the Beast and climbed to the top of the tallest building in the town.

  It would be slow work, but with Mini to man the heavier aspects while she worked on the circuitry, it would go quicker than it would otherwise.

  "Take cover!"

  Someone shouted it from below, and she flung herself prone and covered her head at the sound of rockets fired in the distance.

  Mini moved quickly to stand over her body to protect her. The seconds ticked past and she couldn't understand why the town wasn't rocked with explosives yet.

  "Look."

  The AI directed her gaze to what had been fired from Athena's Artillery mechs. They weren't shells at all. Halfway to the ground, bright white parachutes opened and what looked like cases drifted slowly earthward. At ten meters up, the bottoms opened and a shower of leaflets fell like snow.

  "What is that?" Jessica13 asked, scrambled to her feet, and brushed the dust from her clothes. "Why leaflets?"

  Mini pivoted and scanned the papers strewn around them.

  "It's a message from Athena, or Lady Hoot. The paper states the following—surrender peaceably and you will be spared. Resist and no mercy will be shown."

  "Bullshit," she snapped. "She'll kill everyone here like she did in the other town."

  The AI turned the mech to pick up the jammer that had fallen when they had taken cover. "Agreed. And yet…if they are within range to strike, why haven’t they done so?"

  "That…uh, is a good question."

  The townsfolk began to retrieve the flyers and read and discuss them. She didn't need to hear what they were saying to know what they were feeling.

  Despair, probably, and a hint of hope in the thought that if they simply followed Lady Hoot’s orders, they would live to see another day. They weren't soldiers and they didn't know the kind of woman they were dealing with. Or maybe they did and refused to face it. They wanted to survive.

  Hammerhand knew Athena, though. Based on his knowledge, she knew the woman would kill everyone in the town and make another example of them if she could.

  There would be no way to avoid this easily.

  "The question," Mini said and sounded pensive, “is why they have sent this kind of message if they intend to kill everyone anyway? Why not simply start shelling the town?"

  Jessica13 turned and noticed that Tinker and Hammerhand both inspected the papers.

  "This is their way to show that they are close enough to start shelling the town," Tinker said and held the page up for his leader to see. "They're close enough to start attacking. That means they're putting themselves in an attack formation."

  The Excalibur zoomed in to see what the papers contained. "Agreed, but if they are close enough to shoot these letters, they're close enough to shell the town. Why haven’t they?"

  "Do you think the offer could be genuine? That she would leave Auburn intact in case someone else wants to settle here?"

  "You know Athena better than I do,” the Knights’ leader countered. “What the hell do you think?"

  All Tinker could do was shake his head.

  "No, I think she wants to leave the town intact for some reason. She'll kill everyone here but the structures are not to be damaged. Or maybe something in the foundations. Those waterways, maybe?" Hammerhand turned the Excalibur almost full circle to survey the town.

  "I really wish we had something better than your reasoning to go on for this leg, laddie. Basing all our defenses on assumptions is a good way to get ourselves killed. You know that better than I do."

  "What do you suggest we do, then?"

  "You won’t like this." Tinker looked like he didn't like it either but pressed on. "We could leave Auburn. It would draw Athena away from the town and we would be able to engage in tactics that suit us best. Hitting and running and staying mobile is what has allowed us to stay alive this long, laddie. Entrenched defenses, open warfare…the Knights were not built for this."

  "And yet, we must stand our ground," the other man snapped. The people around them had begun to listen and some muttered about the Knights abandoning them. "We will not leave the town of Auburn to the fate this Lady Hoot doubtless has in store for them. We will fight and we will win and take this land back from those who would see them ground under
their heel."

  Many of the townsfolk had paused their work to listen to him, and a couple of them now moved closer. The despair she had seen before had begun to fade, replaced by a faint glimmer of real hope. The assurance told them they would be able to fight for their town without having to kowtow to the likes of Lady Hoot. The efforts of the various groups resumed with more determination than before.

  It was odd how Hammerhand had that effect on the people around him. Only a few words from the man could turn the tide of their drooping morale.

  Jessica13 finished working on the device as quickly as she could. It would interrupt comm signals broadcast from the kinds of short-range devices most mechs used.

  She clambered down with Mini guiding her using the grappler she had used to climb to the top.

  When she reached the bottom, she noted that three of the townsfolk hadn’t involved themselves in setting up the preparations.

  No, they weren't locals. The tanned skin and the darker hair indicated that they were peddlers from outside and recent arrivals too. They were seated in a circle and spoke softly in a language she didn't understand.

  "What are they saying?" Jessica13 asked.

  Mini scanned the audio of their speech. "The language itself isn't in my databanks, but it does share some similarities with the desert folk. If I have translated it correctly…they appear to be praying."

  "Praying? Like we do to Sagan?"

  "Well, you mostly quote the words Sagan left behind but no, this is something different. They appear to be appealing for help from a higher power."

  "What higher power?"

  "None that I know of. And I know of none that would help us in the coming battle."

  "How do you know?"

  Mini displayed a small spike in processing power as he accessed his core for more data. "They have faith that something or someone will come to help. Faith ends up as a crutch to many and allows them to delay acting in hopes that something more powerful will intercede."

  Jessica13 trudged to where the men continued to chant in their language. "I'm sorry, I don't want to interrupt but…"

  The three turned to look at her with soft, inviting smiles.

  "How can we help you, my child?" The man's accent was foreign to her, yet he still had a good grasp of the language.

  "We'll need all the help we can get."

  "And we are providing help," one of the others stated and his smile remained. "We ask for the Prophet to come. He always does. When there is imbalance, he will right it."

  There didn’t seem to be any real answer to that, and they returned to their prayers, lowered their heads, and muttered again in the language she didn't understand.

  She turned away, and Mini came alive on her HUD again. "Like I said, a crutch. And it can be spread like a disease, so I would suggest not catching it."

  With so much still left to do, there seemed little point in continuing a fruitless discussion. She moved to join the fortification effort as the sun began to sink toward the horizon and cast a broad wave of reds and purples across the ever-darkening sky.

  "It won't be long now," she said softly and gave the gorgeous expanse of color one last look before she focused on the work needed.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The last of the sunlight faded from the sky. The clouds from the summoned storm in the first battle for Auburn still lingered, but they had begun to disperse. Their slow withdrawal gave her a view of the stars that had entranced her so much the first time she had been out of Sanctuary.

  It felt right that they would be present for the second battle of Auburn.

  Jessica13 settled herself beside the jammer and looked through the scope of her rifle.

  For now, there wasn't much to see out there. The flickering light of the spire in the distance no longer illuminated Athena's fighters. If anything, it made it more difficult to peer deeper into the darkness.

  The silence around them was palpable. All the preparations that could be completed were already in place. Those that needed more time were handled by some of the townsfolk, but most of the attention was focused outside the town. Everyone watched and waited for something to happen.

  Despite the pervasive sense of expectancy, the moment still came as a shock.

  The night sky's darkness was shattered when dozens of flares were launched, arced high above them, and hung there like gravity had no effect on them. Their brightness illuminated the town.

  "Activate the jammer on my mark," Hammerhand shouted into her commlink. "Not a second before and not a second after, do you understand?"

  "Roger that."

  The flares began to descend slowly. Mini hastily adjusted the light filters in the HUD to provide her with a better view of what approached. The lights were meant to expose and illuminate the Knights and the town, but she could see them move into the trees around the town to use them for cover.

  More rockets fired from the Raptors set up in the distance—not flares this time, and when they picked up speed, an unpleasant whine accompanied them. As they approached, it sounded more like screams and the deafening noise filled the air. Jessica13 couldn't do much except cover her ears as they soared over her head.

  Mini was already working to filter the noise out, but it took a few seconds.

  "Are you all right?" The AI ran a quick scan of her body.

  "My ears are ringing but…"

  Her voice trailed off when the missiles collided with the hills behind the town and set the trees on fire.

  Hammerhand laughed into the shared comm channel. "Like I said. They have no intention to cause any harm to the town."

  "And we all know that's the last time we'll hear of that," Tinker snapped.

  "Stay steady. Activate the countermeasures on my mark and on my mark only," their leader continued without acknowledging the comment. "They're coming now and hope we'll be distracted when they arrive. Let's prove them wrong."

  The blood rushed in her ears, louder than the ringing in them.

  "How the hell does he do that?"

  Mini popped up. "Who do what?"

  "Nothing. Can you locate targets for me? I can't see anything."

  The brightness from the flares played hell with her night vision and left almost nothing visible on the ground.

  The AI responded immediately, brought up a handful of other protocols quickly, and within seconds, the vision from the HUD was improved and a handful of targets presented themselves. Most seemed to be Lancers, but a couple of Balthazars caught her attention. They would be the most dangerous to her once they realized their communications were down.

  "Hammerhand, I have targets. Am I clear to engage?"

  "Roger that. Fire at will. Give them something to think about as they advance."

  She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and relaxed into the controls. The Balthazar that was closest activated the rockets on its back and prepared to take off.

  "Fire when ready," she whispered and pulled the trigger.

  The head of the target mech snapped back and it overreacted to the jerking motion of the human within. It continued to rise, but the pattern soon became erratic when the AI failed to pick up that its pilot was dead. A few seconds later, it twisted and flared earthward. The crunch could be heard even in the town as the rocket on the Balthazar's back deactivated.

  The other long-distance specialists fired on the command to eliminate a handful of the advancing mechs. They continued to move, but slower and with jolting motions.

  Those that were closer opened fire on the town. Rockets and grenades impacted the walls of the buildings at the edge.

  "No one else open fire until they're within the city perimeter. They'll probe for our defense points. There’s no sense in letting them know before they're inside."

  Athena realized what was happening and ordered them to increase the pace. More of the rockets rushed overhead and filled the air with the ghostly screams that chilled Jessica13 to the very bone. She maintained her position and pulled th
e trigger in a continuous rhythm.

  A few of the rounds didn't find their targets. It came from having to choose them and shoot quickly. Mini helped with the aim but even then, a couple of the shots struck the shoulder pauldrons and bounced away into the darkness while the mechs moved on.

  There were too many of them. Those she did manage to eliminate were merely a drop in the proverbial bucket. Dozens more broke through the tree line and savaged through the defenses that had been set up for the first battle using rockets to obliterate them and create them more openings to attack through.

  "Jessie, are you ready to kill comms?"

  Hammerhand sounded like he was under stress, a far cry from the full-blooded confidence he had filled the commlinks with.

  "Ready for your mark." She pulled the trigger again, focused on two Sherlocks that attempted to set up a firing position from beyond the tree line. One dropped quickly with no AI to keep it up. The second realized what had happened and jumped out of the way in time to take cover behind the trees.

  Her rounds could punch through the trunks easily, of course, but there was no way to be sure she could hit him where she needed to. She had no desire to waste the bullets.

  "Put a highlight on that tree," she snapped at Mini, who quickly did as he was told. "Blink it if the Sherlock moves out from behind cover."

  "Understood."

  Athena's men had breached the perimeter of the town and now funneled into the kill zones, where the Knights and the townsfolk were more than happy to greet them. Hammerhand gave them the signal and they opened fire to decimate the front lines.

  Jessica13 let the others deal with those who were already in the town. Her gaze turned to those mechs that weren't marked like Athena's raiders. They held back and while they opened fire here and there, they didn’t join the initial attack.

  Unlike the raiders, these likely realized that they were being pulled into a location where their numbers advantage would be irrelevant and their weapons would be less effective. They would likely charge in anyway, but only after they had a quick discussion about it.