“Does Hephaestus have a way to make them?” Xavier asked.
Reese laughed. “No, that's way out of their league right now. Plus, even if they knew how I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have the resources or the equipment to do it. I mean, there has to be some pretty expensive stuff that goes into a fusion battery.”
“So we're essentially trading overdrive for fusion batteries,” Xavier said.
“At least we don't have to buy ammo,” Reese said. “Hephaestus Forge is churning it out by the ton right now.”
One of the perks that Hephaestus had been offered for joining Hydra was the use of a large brick warehouse on the south side of town. There had been a few derelict furnaces and industrial presses inside the building. Hephaestus had moved their own equipment in and repaired the damaged machinery, then turned the building into one giant factory. They focused almost exclusively on producing ammunition, but they were able to do so in massive quantities. When they had exclusively focused on producing ammunition, Black Wolf could produce around five thousand rounds a day. Hephaestus Forge was capable of doing that in about an hour.
And the process itself was amazing in scope. Hephaestus' leader, Yusuf, had devised a mining operation to ensure the supply of vulcanite remained steady. Normally miners would mine until they had as much as they could carry, then go back to base with their load. Bigger companies would have dedicated runners so that the miners could keep working, but it wasn't much more efficient. ATVs could be used, but the amount of power it took versus what they carried meant that it wasn't terribly efficient either.
But a Mule with all of the troop seats taken out could carry a huge load relatively fast. Yusuf had found that a Mule could carry the load of twenty miners, take it to the drop off point, and then come back in time to load up again, so there was very little waiting. A typical crew would have twenty miners, a driver and five laborers. The miners would extract the ore, the laborers would load up the ore, and then the driver would take it to the factory. After the crew at the factory had unloaded the driver would come back for another load. It was a great system; in fact, it was so efficient that Hephaestus needed to reduce the amount of mining expeditions they were taking. Instead of five per week, now they were doing only three.
“We might want to start selling ammo up north,” Zach said. “There's a war going on up there in all but name, and we probably stand to profit.”
“So you want to sell to Ronin and Marauder?” Reese asked.
Zach shrugged. “Just put ammo on the open market and whoever wants it can buy it. I'm not picky about who's money we take.”
Reese grinned. “Man, you're ruthless.”
“Hey, they could have joined us,” Zach said. “Plus, we're technically neutral. Selling to one side might make Ragnarok question whether we truly are.”
“Plus, Ronin and Marauder are going to get pounded,” Xavier said. “They'll probably be a lot more receptive to working together when they realize that they can't beat Ragnarok.”
Zach's alert went off. “Are you back yet?” Nora asked on the other end of the line.
“Yeah, we're just unloading now.”
“Could you get up to the board room as soon as possible?”
“Sure thing.” He closed out of his menu. “Sorry guys, but I'm being summoned.”
“Awfully convenient that the one summoning you happens to be your girlfriend,” Ethan commented.
“Yeah, that's true. Did you plan this out beforehand?” Miko asked.
Zach threw his hands up. “I had no idea this was going to happen. Honest.”
Xavier waved him off. “Just go.”
“Sorry. I'll make it up to you guys,” he said.
“My liver's crying right now,” Miko said.
Zach laughed and jogged out of the warehouse, then headed for Hydra HQ. The board room was up on the northeast corner of the fourth floor, overlooking all of Lerna to the east and north. They had used it a few times for council meetings, but a council meeting was impossible at this time since Anna and David were out in the field.
Zach climbed up the stairs to the top floor and headed for the board room. As he reached it he noticed that there were two soldiers leaning up against the wall opposite the doorway. They were dressed in Bravehart's colors, a dark tan uniform with forest green vests and webbing. They nodded as he passed. Zach returned the nod. What was going on here?
His question was partially answered when he opened the door. The familiar faces were around the table; Nora, Liz, Gina, Yusuf. But sitting next to Liz was Bravehart's captain, Bryce.
“Been a while since Ronin Fortress, Zach,” Bryce said, standing up and offering his hand.
Zach took the proffered hand and shook it. “Yeah, it has. Hopefully this meeting will be a lot safer than that one was.”
Bryce shook his head as he sat down. “I'm sure it will be. I wouldn't want to try to take this place even if I had Ragnarok's numbers.”
Zach took a seat next to Nora. “So what brings you here?”
“I'm here to make a request from the Legion Pact,” Bryce said.
“Uh, I'm sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what or who that is,” Zach said.
“No problem. The Legion Pact is a loose alliance of companies that are opposing Ragnarok. Not an official alliance like you are, but we operate in the same manner. We have over a dozen companies right now, but the biggest contributors are Bravehart, Marauder, Archangel, Crimson Eagle and Band of Brothers.”
“What's your request, then?' Yusuf asked.
“We want to ask you to join us,” Bryce said. “We're resisting Ragnarok's encroachment and have managed to stop them for the time being, but they have more resources and more troops than us But if we work together, we might be able to triumph over them.”
“Is Ronin a part of this?” Gina asked.
“No, they have their own coalition,” Bryce said. “They have Dogs of War, Ascension and White Tiger cooperating with them.”
“Just how many troops do you have?” Liz questioned.
“We have around three hundred, all told.”
“Even if we join together, we're not going to have enough troops to take on Ragnarok,” Liz said. “And why should we? I think we should be asking you all to join us. Forget about the Legion Pact and join Hydra.”
“Some of the other companies are concerned that your alliance is going to be dominated by the original members,” Bryce said. “They don't want to be trapped by the game mechanics if that happens. They want to be able to influence the decisions of how the alliance works.”
“But that's how it works with us,” Liz argued. “We don't have a council just for show. We have to run things through an actual council. Our alliance charter is written so that every company has a vote. Bigger companies have more votes, but it's not like they'll never have any say. The smaller companies will be able to band together and oppose any decisions they don't like. They'll always have a say in what we do.”
“And they're not going to get sidelined because they're new,” Gina said. “We were latecomers to the last operation, and the alliance accepted us with open arms. I don't think it's pretentious to say that we were an instrumental part of taking the town.”
“No, it's not,” Nora said. “We would have been in deep trouble without you all.”
“We're an even better example,” Yusuf said. “We came in after they took the town, and they've been nothing but helpful. We'd never have been able to create a factory this fast without them.”
“And the reverse is true as well. We wouldn't have such a tough fortress without them,” Nora said.
“Alright, I'm not necessarily opposed to that. What does your alliance entail?” Bryce asked.
Nora opened her menu and brought up the alliance charter. She sent it to him. “The biggest things are that the alliance takes a cut of all your income, and you are obligated to provide troops to the alliance army, and to drop what you're doing and come defend the base if it comes under attack. In
exchange, you get access to the alliance armory and alliance equipment.”
“Fifteen percent. Is that really enough to keep the alliance going?” Bryce asked.
“Well, there's nothing saying that you can't donate more. That's where we got all of our ammunition stock and the money to build the wall,” Nora said. “Black Wolf and Hephaestus have provided a lot of the resources for the alliance.”
“Mmm. It's a lot to consider,” Bryce said, though it was clear that he was interested.
“You'll have access to all the schematics we've found,” Zach said. “We will also need all the schematics your members have if you join as well.”
“That's fair,” Bryce agreed. “Though I'm not certain it will be an equal trade.”
“It probably won't,” Zach said. He opened up his menu and sent Bryce the codex entry for the M14 Mule.
Bryce's eyebrow shot up as he looked over the entry. “You have tanks?”
“Technically it's an open topped APC, but it's a potent advantage to have nonetheless,” Gina said. “We're in the process of forming an armored cavalry platoon, though it isn't going to be very big. If we add your forces in, though, we can easily make it an armored cavalry company. That will give Ragnarok something to think about.”
“It's an interesting thought,” Bryce said, though it was apparent that he was intrigued by the prospect.
“You'll have time to consider it, of course,” Zach said. “I'd appreciate if you kept that codex entry I gave you quiet. It'll serve as quite the surprise for Ragnarok when the time comes.”
“I'll do that, and I'll relay your offer to the rest of the Legion Pact. Thank you all for your time,” Bryce said, standing up.
“Well, what do you think?” Zach asked after he had left.
“What do I think? I think that we're the strongest force in the region, that's what. Ragnarok may have numbers, but we have Lerna, and we have the equipment to make fighting against us very painful. And I think everyone realizes that now,” Liz said.
“But offering us a place in a pact that isn't even an official alliance? Come on, that's almost insulting,” Yusuf said. “What leverage do they have to ask us?”
“At least they bothered to ask us as equals,” Gina said.
“Yeah, with no other offers on the table to sweeten the deal,” Yusuf said. “That's why we accepted so quickly. You offered us a lot of stuff and delivered on it.”
“Are we going to be willing to negotiate with them, though?” Nora asked.
“I think we probably should,” Zach said.
Gina shook her head. “I say no.”
“How come?” Zach questioned.
“Look, the alliance charter offers them a lot. They get access to equipment that they would never have access to otherwise, and they're supported by the rest of the alliance. What more should we offer them? The rest of us got the same thing and went along with it.”
“Hephaestus got more,” Nora pointed out.
“Sure. And now we all never have to buy ammunition again,” Gina said. “We all know darn well we did that because it would profit us.”
“Yes, and we were happy to oblige,” Yusuf said.
“So why should we give them a special exemption?” Gina pointed out.
“We do need more troops,” Nora said. “This might be the way to get them.”
“We're stepping up the recruitment of new players,” Liz said. “We're starting to see a lot more level 1s wanting to join one of the companies. I've had Zoe and Kari shifting through the request. There's over a hundred of them.”
“Mostly for Redd Foxx?” Zach asked.
“Actually, about a third of them are for Black Wolf,” Liz said. “You're getting quite famous.”
“Who are the rest for?” Zach asked.
“They're pretty evenly split for the rest of us, though there aren't very many for Hephaestus,” she said.
“Doesn't surprise me. We generally only attract diehard role-players,” Yusuf said.
Zach stood up. “I guess I need to review those requests sometime. Do you mind helping me Nora?” he asked.
She stood up. “Not at all. Let's get to it.”
CHAPTER 17
New Blood
Zach and Nora had sorted through about three dozen files and contacted the applicants. There was a good assortment of classes in them, including several medics and engineers, which were in short supply and would be very helpful to the alliance as a whole. He had contacted them all and told them to gather at Black Wolf's former base, which was now being used as a forward outpost. They would be picked up there and brought south to Lerna. A dozen had responded.
Two Mules rumbled down the road, driving at a steady pace. They were slower than the ATVs, but it would be easier to transport that many people south. And the sight of armored vehicles would certainly be impressive. Xavier was at the controls of the first one, with Danny manning the gunner's station armed with a machine gun. The second Mule was driven by Gavin, with Ethan acting as a gunner armed with a recoilless rifle. Miko rode in the front Mule, using it as a platform to snipe anything that might threaten them. Zach rode in the hold of the second one. Four ATVs driven by Selene, Ryan, Nora and Javy rolled along beside them, acting as flank guards.
Zach's alert beeped. “I just got a message. Our new recruits are starting to arrive at the base. Nora, Javy, do you mind going on ahead to meet them? We'll catch up to you later.”
“Sure thing,” Nora said. Javy turned and gave him a thumbs up before he turned back around and gunned the motor. He and Nora sped off into the distance.
“This is going to more than double our size,” Danny said. “It's going to be weird having that many people in Black Wolf.”
“Yeah. We may need to reorganize things a bit,” Zach said. “Though it will be good to be able to make a bigger contribution to the next battle.”
“True that. It did feel kind of weird being attached to another company,” Danny commented.
“So what do we have coming?” Selene asked. “I mean, what classes does everyone have?”
“Well, we have two engineers and two medics,” Zach said. “Then we have two snipers, three soldiers, an assault and two heavies.”
“Dang, two medics?” Gavin commented. “That gives us a pretty high ratio of medics to fighters. That's probably one of the highest.”
“Well, we're not exactly a front line company either, so that fits,” Zach said.
“Black Wolf. Supporter and leader of the pack, eh?” Selene said.
“That's a pretty good motto, actually,” Miko commented.
“So are they all level 1s?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah, pretty much. They all applied when they first joined the game. There's another twenty or so I'm waiting to hear back from, but we'll get these guys settled regardless.”
“That's going to be a lot of people to keep track of,” Danny said.
“Yeah, which is why I think we're going to do some restructuring,” Zach said.
“What do you mean by that?”
“We're going to get too big for me to handle on my own. I honestly think we should split Black Wolf up into different platoons, with a commander for each. That will make controlling it a lot easier.”
“That then begs the obvious question. Who's going to be in command of the platoons?”
“Right now? Once we get the number of recruits I think we will, I'd suggest splitting the company up into two platoons, with Selene and Danny in charge of one. I'd be in overall command.”
“That's a great way to get new recruits. 'Hey, welcome to Black Wolf. You get to join Danny's suicide squad'. Great marketing ploy,” Gavin said sarcastically.
“Hey, I only die when he's in charge,” Danny protested.
“That's true,” Gavin said.
“Does anyone have a problem with it?” Zach asked.
“Nope, I'm fine with that,” Gavin said.
“I have absolutely no desire to be in charge of anything,” Miko
said. Zach saw her look down the scope of her rifle and fire a shot. The convoy immediately went on full alert.
He grabbed his carbine and swung it around, scanning the sides of the road. “Are we under attack?”
“Calm down. I just saw a ryche and thought I'd get some target practice in.”
Zach breathed a sigh of relief and put his gun back down.
“Man, warn us next time, you trigger-happy psychopath,” Xavier grumbled through the link.
“I'm sorry I got bored,” Miko snarked.
Selene got the conversation back on track. “So we'd essentially be lieutenants, right?” she asked.
“Jeeze, you're putting a lot of responsibility on us,” Danny said.
“Do we get to pick our squad leaders?” Selene asked.
“Yup. You'll control pretty much everything about your platoon. I'll let you guys decide among yourselves how you want to divide up. We'll assign the new recruits to your platoons, but I want the originals to have a say in where they go.”
“That's going to be a lot of deliberation,” Xavier said.
“Hey, we could do it elsewhere. Are we planning on going out somewhere this week?” Gavin asked.
“I'm not going to be able to go, unfortunately,” Zach said.
“How come?”
“He has a hot date,” Selene said.
“Oh, he does?” Danny commented, his voice full of innuendo. “Does Nora know about this?”
“I want to know how you know about it,” Zach said.
“Oh come on, Nora told me. It's not like this is the only place where we socialize,” Selene said.
“Yeah.”
“You sound so sour about it,” Selene laughed.
“That's because you had to announce it to everyone,” Zach said.
“Oh, like they wouldn't have found out anyway,” Selene said.
“Where are you going?” Xavier asked.
“We're headed up to Wisconsin. Nora's family has a cabin in the back woods,” Zach said.
“Oooh, what are you planning on doing up there,” Danny said.
“Miko, shoot him in the back,” Zach ordered.
“How many drinks do I get for this?” she asked. “I think that you should pay for all my drinks the next time out.”
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