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Cyber Viking Box Set

Page 109

by Marcus Sloss


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

  A hissing breath panted into the microphone. A little girl cried out in the background.

  “We have your prisoners. You had best leave before our real forces show up,” Smisserin announced triumphantly. I expecting a lot of hissing with 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 a building with both the enemy and our own 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 their weapons down and your troops outside in the next three minutes you’re dead.”

  “But the prisoners?” Smisserin asked, 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. In real life, you did the opposite of what your enemy expected. They showed no sign of meeting my demands halfway through the timer. Not a single foe had walked out to surrender, which meant this would stall out if I let it. I did not. With sixty seconds remaining for my ultimatum, 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. My body shook as I bottled up my seething anger; my head slumped against my chest knowing what was coming.

  The combined assault of the TP63s and TG99s was ridiculous in its sheer firepower. Orbs of all sizes blasted into the hotels and apartments with so much force that shockwaves rocked the air. My tank commanders had prepared for this. Entire energy loads were converted into fiery balls of blue that carved massive holes into the buildings.

  The absolutely riddled hotels and apartments flung debris far and wide as they were shredded. With all structural integrity obliterated, they collapsed in on themselves. The firing continued for a further five minutes before I called out, “Cease fire!”

  A few desperate Butterflin zipped into the air in an attempt to escape. Blue orbs streaked from the ground to greet them; they were sent tumbling from the sky to crash in heaps on the ground.

  “Rotate all forces 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 lucky few still hiding in buildings not destroyed by our swift retribution were left to rot. They might wise up and flee through the underway or they might not. If they did not retreat to Mansion, they would no longer be my problem. The underway was still working, so they had no excuses not to retreat.

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

  “Hypothesis?” I requested.

  “Stalling,” Sally replied.

  “All units besides infantry still in Mansion proceed to Xgate 157. All units proceed to Xgate 157, except Mclain’s heavy infantry. 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’s heavy units were egg shaped, on thick legs a dozen feet tall. Each leg sat on a sled and attached to the domed top by a single pivot joint. One by one the arriving mechanoid army grew as the enemy forces poured through uncontested.

  My frustrated grumbling when I realized we were not going to control the Xgate in time earned me sharp glances from the rest of my crew.

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

  “Go,” Mitchell said.

  “We have some generator bombs made, get with Sally or Harvard and start mining likely avenues of attack,” I said with a sigh. Dirty tricks were not off the table. I dialed Sally, “Does 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?” Hessissin demanded in a feminine voice of authority. It just came off bitchy, though I’m not I could really explain why I thought so.

  Hmm … I waited to see if she had any 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 immediately with excessive force. I hope you understand.”

  This combat banter between leaders was never any fun. I’d had too many such conversations with warlords in Saudi Arabia. They were rarely fruitful, yet, there had been the odd time or two I’d gleaned bits of useful information or reacted differently because of them. A talking enemy could and, often, would make mistakes.

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

  “Surrendered? None, they died a glorious death in battle, warriors to the end,” I replied in a respectful tone. “A few may be trapped in the buildings’ 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 held their hands, palms up, in the air, not sure what to say. This is why Bastion required a leader instead of a council.

  “Permission granted, though I must warn you that we still have non-combatants fleeing,” I said, making a rapid command decision.

  There was a peal of hissing laughter over the radio, “It is unwise to house potential servants so close to Xgates.”

  “So I have been told,” I replied.

  AH1 landed near the corner store plaza, now Rally Point Rubble, where my Gpad received a message.

  ‘Can I join you in the command station, we can coordinate my defensive trap and mine emplacements together,’ - Mitchell

  ‘Approved,’ - King Eric

  “We have drones departing the enemy forces,” Sammie said from right next to me. I almost jumped at her sudden appearance. She grinned, “Snuck in while you were tapping on your Gpad.”

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

  He keyed the mic and sighed before saying, “The small unit commanders are not reporting any 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 grimace. “And?”

  “This is where we negotiate. The Loxian Collective prefers not to wage war against human brutes, as evidenced by the audacity and savagery required to kill your own to achieve a victory. There is little to gain here with continued hostilities. Your forces use dishonorable 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 forward muttering several choice curses under her breath.

  “How much zinc is that, Longoria?” I wondered.

  “A dozen tons. I implore you to accept if the condition is reasonable,” Long
oria 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 condition, but hear me out. I want to watch over my trapped soldiers. When the Xgates turn off the blue, they will be sent home. Between now and then, you will not attempt to rescue your citizens, even to prevent any accidents. All trapped parties stay where they are, undisturbed. There will be, of course, no guarantee for your citizens' own lives during the confinement.”

  “And your army in the field?” I asked. They remained a significant threat. Trapped humans were also a big concern, but when compared to a significant battle where thousands were likely to die, potentially losing seven people while waiting seven days was a pittance my black soul was willing to pay.

  “My forces wait here until the blue is almost gone,” I counter-offered, “We receive half of your offered neilspar now, with the other half left behind in good faith when your forces depart.”

  “And our drones will monitor both the Xgate and your other forces up to the minute we depart,” Hessissin said in a stern voice.

  “Give me a minute, please,” I requested, clenching my teeth.

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

  Mitchell arrived, breaking the terse silence.

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

  , “Apparently humanity’s acts of savagery precede us.” Willow shrugged and said, “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 first half of the neilspar ransom. The problem was, this trapped my forces here. There would be no smashing Jarod in San Francisco with his minotaur and siren army this season.

  I had no other options at this point. 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 up my command channel to hold an impromptu conference with my commanders. With a heavy sigh, I said, “I want you to know what I am thinking, and since we’re not in the heat of battle, I am open to hearing your suggestions and recommendations. I’m thinking we recall a majority of the army and reposition around Mansion. Once there, we layer our defenses and set a solid perimeter. We shift the mining equipment in Aspen to Mansion to build a final defensive position. All non-essential combat personnel will be evacuated to Stronghold Castle. We monitor both this army outside of Colorado Springs and the forces in San Francisco.” I paused and released the indent for a moment. “That means I want to agree to this deal,” I finished, “Over.”

  I waited for a reply. Normally Jevon would be the first to respond but Willis jumped on the net.

  “We could use additional equipment at Castle. I held off buying it because of the high prices on Koor. But if we have new funds, it would be worth making the purchases,” the Sluggero said.

  Jevon cut in and said, “I have no problem keeping side operations, including trading with Koor, ongoing. We still need to pay folks their back pay, and Koor is an easier shopping experience than the grand market. If I had to predict how this plays out, I believe the Loxian Collective will adhere to the first part of the deal. There are zero reasons for them not to skip out without paying us the last half.”

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

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

  “Not yet, estimating civilian losses at a hundred and forty plus,” Sally said evenly. “Which is far less than it would have cost to dig out those Naga.”

  “These trapped Naga still might flee, but I do like the idea of our peoples’ deaths having some meaning,” Perci noted.

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

  There was silence on the net. “The following additional caveats will be applied, then: Withdraw to Mansion, establish a corridor between Mansion and Xgate 232 for ongoing trading to Koor, halt looting efforts, and send Goliath 4 to Aspen to guard Naga detainment site. Get me a list of what you need from Koor in the next two hours,” I said and my Gpad immediately notified me of a priority incoming message.

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

  “Yes, we need sand,” Sally requested. “Please allocate AH1 for a day or two to gather supplies from a quiet beach location.”

  “Approved. Last chance,” I offered my commanders, “before I respond to the Loxian commander.” Silence. “For the Community! Cap out,” I said.

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

  “King Eric, this is Commander Hessissin. I see your troops are falling back. Do you agree with our proposal?” Hessissin asked, somewhat surprised.

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

  “I already know this. Most humans are fanatical about it, hence our offer. Your rational judgment is even more frightening than your emotional tendencies,” Hessissin said in a surly tone, yet there was pride in her voice. “We will sit idly by to protect those we hold dear from death to your ilk. This is a small price to pay to avoid the bloodshed that could potentially erupt.”

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

  This was going to be either a very intense, or a very boring week. Bastion would do its best, regardless of whichever outcome prevailed.

  CHAPTER 22

  The torch welder produced vibrant sparks 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 two metallic pieces was monotonous and boring, yet it was work I was proud of. This had been my life for the last seven days, building layer upon layer of defensive gates, platforms, doors, and bunkers. Mansion, as it had existed the previous Xgate season was no more. What remained out in the valley was an empty shell of the former stronghold. Mounamine longhouses, Crixxi towers, and even the mansion itself were all abandoned due to their high vulnerability to aerial attack. All the troops living at the Mansion outpost would do so inside the mountain, when not deployed in their tanks in a series of defensive strong points between Xgate 232 and our valley. The place I had called home for the past month was no longer home to anyone. Even the stray dogs had been removed, except for a few that had managed to make friends with Onix, deep in the mountain.

  Now a u-shaped, four-hundred-foot-tall wall rose next to the cliff entrance to the outpost. The wall jutted out fifty feet from the mountain, creating just enough space for the overly large gates to swing outward. The wall was wide enough and long enough to hold four TG99s emplacements guarding the entrance. This mining site was a primary source of income for Bastion, so we were making it as secure as possible.

  Part of that protection included
additional TP63s we enshrined in towers near the gate doors. They were simply turret emplacements now, their gravity sleds removed to become air pads. The pillared towers were meant to be one of several lines of defense we added after seeing how Koor managed their entryways. We emplaced generator mines all throughout the old farm fields, in the passageways between longhouses, and even left a few as unwelcome surprises 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 Faeries had flown into position for me. The repetitive work caused me to sweat, at times to bleed, but never to complain. The world around me was a peaceful one where griping was the last thing I thought about.

  We had paid everyone. By everyone, I mean that even the new hires had surplus zinc to spend. To make it fair we gave those who had been with us longer a bonus in addition to their back pay. This led to a huge number of Bastion’s citizens traveling to Koor. The corridor from here to the X-gate was jammed with transients moving back and forth. So many went to Koor, in fact, that Toth had visited a few times to thank me for the boon to his economy. The Koovorin Council were so happy with us that they allowed us to take on refugees seeking work. We did lose some humans who had wanted a new home to Koor. Toth assured them life in Koor would be harder than at Castle Stronghold, but they were stubborn. Not everyone from Aspen could forgive me for killing our civilians along with our foes.

  Of course, the Loxian Collective noticed that we were repeatedly traveling to another world and back. Without nothing to lose, I was honest when they asked me about it on that first day of our cease-fire. When I noted that we were more interested in allies than enemies; this came as a shock to them.

  Humans were generally savage assholes and for some reason, I was being friendly. They asked for an actual truce on the second day, so that both sides could make the most of the situation and loot surrounding areas. They agreed to scour to the east, away from our defenses, while we continued to pillage Boulder. I was hesitant to agree, but finally did so while having our drone operators keep a close eye on the situation.

 

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