“You're actually thinking about it?!” Danny exclaimed.
“That's way too much. Someone your size should not be able to drink that much,” Zach protested.
“Hey, no drinks, no shot.”
“Bleh, fine. Consider yourself lucky, Danny.”
“Seriously though. Are you guys going to be in contact when you're up there?” Danny asked.
“No. It's in the middle of nowhere. They have a generator and running water, but there's no connection to the internet up there, so we'll be out of contact for five days.”
“Man. Who's in charge?” Gavin asked.
“Selene and Danny get to fight over that,” Zach said.
“Great choice,” Danny said sarcastically. “Which choice should I pick, give up the position to Selene, or compete for it, lose horribly and give up the position to Selene anyhow?”
“Hey, you can't say that I never offered it to you,” Zach replied.
“What makes you think that I'd do anything?” Selene asked.
“Right, I'll just forget about everything since elementary school,” Danny said.
Their former stronghold was looming before them. Zach could see the NPC guards patrolling the walls. The front gate was open.
“ATVs, if you want to go ahead of us you can do so,” he said.
“Roger that.” Selene said. She and Ryan sped off toward gates.
“What do you want us to do when we get there?” Miko asked.
“Not much. Nora and I are going to do most of the talking,” Zach said. “Danny and Selene should probably be with us as well, since they're going to be platoon leaders. Plus, one of you is going to be in charge for about a week, so they should at least know who you are.”
The pair of Mules approached the gate. Ryan and Javy were there, motioning them through. Zach motioned them away. None of them were completely used to driving a tracked vehicle yet, and he didn't want them to get crushed. They parked themselves in the middle of the courtyard, giving themselves enough room to turn around and leave.
“Nora, we're here,” Zach said as they all dismounted.
“Great. We're in the briefing room,” she said.
Zach followed Miko and Danny into the base. It had changed so much in the span of a few weeks. Most of the equipment and stores were now in their new, much larger base at Lerna Bastion. The only thing left in the base was the armory, and that had been stripped of everything but a small quantity of ammunition.
Ryan and Javy were leaning up against the wall in the lounge area. Zach and Danny continued on toward the briefing room, leaving the others behind to relax for the time being. Nora and Selene were in the briefing room with a dozen new recruits, talking with some of them. They quieted as he and Danny entered.
“And here the rest of them are,” Nora said. “We'll get started.”
Zach walked up beside her and turned to look at the dozen newcomers before him. “Thanks for responding so quickly. I'm Zach, and I'm the commander of Black Wolf Company. You're all here because you want to join the company, so I'd like to get to know all of you.” He pointed to a tall, thickly built male dressed like a soldier on the left side. “Let's go down the line. Introduce yourself.”
“I'm Logan,” the soldier said.
“Chris,” the soldiers next to him said. He was shorter and thinner, with a buzz cut.
“I'm Scott,” the third soldier said. He was about the same size as Logan, with green spiked hair.
The fourth one was a sniper. “I'm Avery,” he said. He was short and thin, with shoulder length brown hair.
“I'm Jermaine,” the next recruit said. He was an assault, with a tall but lanky build. He had dark skin and was bald.
“Hi, I'm Lyla,” one of the medics introduced herself. She had long pink hair the stretched down to her waist.
“I'm Joon,” the other medic said. He had Asian features, with short black hair and a medium sized build.
A female engineer was next in line. “I'm Leigh,” she said, running her hand through her blonde hair. She had it cropped down in a pixie cut.
“Hi all, I'm Terra,” the next one in line said, a female heavy with black hair. She was short but a bit stocky, perfect for someone carrying heavy weapons.
“I'm Colin,” the other heavy next to her said, a tall, muscular man with his hair formed intro deadlocks.
“Andy,” the next one said, a sniper with red hair and a beard to match.
“And I'm Joe,” the last engineer said. He was of medium build, with his long black hair braided into a ponytail in the back.
“Great. I'm Zach, as I introduced myself earlier.”
“I'm Nora, as you all already know.
“I'm Selene, which you all know as well.”
“And I'm Danny.”
Zach nodded. “OK, with that out of the way. Let me ask some of you this. Why do you want to join Black Wolf?” he asked, looking straight at Joon.
Joon shrugged. “You're a well known company, and I thought it would be an interesting one to join.”
“But there are other very well-known ones. There's Ronin, or Marauder. Or there's Ragnarok. Why not join them instead?”
“Black Wolf seemed to be a lot more interesting.”
“Why? That's a general question, for all of you,” Zach said.
“I can't say for everyone else,” Leigh said. “But Colin, Joe and I were interested because you managed to take a town.”
“But why not choose another company? Why not Grizzly, or Sacred Sword?” Danny asked.
“Well, we were curious as to why you weren't recruiting,” Joe said.
Zach nodded. “That's fair, and that's a big part of why we're meeting with you before you're allowed to join. One of the greatest strengths of our company is our teamwork. We're able to work together, play off one another's strengths and cover each other's weaknesses. And that strength extends to working with other companies as well. We were able to take the town not because we had the strongest fighters, but because we were able to form a strong team that fought together and worked as one cohesive unit.”
Zach paused and looked them all over. “That's why we haven't been recruiting new members lately. Black Wolf is a strong company because we work as one strong team, and adding more people without regard to that would upset the balance. So, that's what your walking into. We're not just a collection of the best fighters. We work as a team, we fight as a team, and we gain as a team. If you join Black Wolf, then you're committing yourself to be part of a team. That means doing things that might not necessarily benefit yourself, but are vital to the success of the company as a whole. And the same goes for Black Wolf. We may be forced into situations where we have to sacrifice for the good of the alliance.”
“It's true, he managed to get several of us killed giving out an order like that,” Selene said. “But it was something that needed to happen.”
“So that's what we are, and that's what Hydra is as a whole. If you join, you're going to be part of the team. Are you all ready to accept that?”
There was silence, then nods from many of them. Colin spoke up. “That's what we want.”
Zach nodded and opened his menu. He found all their names in the list of applications and approved them all. “Then welcome to Black Wolf Company, all of you. We're about to do great things, and you'll all play a vital part in that. Now, we're going to go on a little excursion to get your feet wet.”
Nora unfolded a map and laid it across a table, the only piece of furniture that was left in the base. “OK, about half way between here and Lerna Bastion is an ambush point. There's a bend in the road that goes through a section of forest, and there's an embankment on the east side of the highway. NPC highwaymen will hide in the forest just beyond the bend and will attack anyone coming around the corner. They're not much of a problem for anyone but small groups, but there's an encampment hidden somewhere nearby. It's where they're spawning from.”
Zach looked over the map. “We have the location of
the encampment, and it has no wall. Troops from Redd Foxx Company have scouted the place, and they estimated that there's around thirty enemies around the encampment. Normally we would have just crushed the place by now, but we're going to give you some practice in a real battle. There will be three sections. Section one will be under Selene, and will ride in the machine gun APC. Ryan goes on gunner duty. Your call sign is Wolf 1. Section two is under Danny, and has call sign Wolf 2, You'll be riding the the recoilless rifle Mule. Section three is under me, and is going to act as the outriders. We're Wolf 3. Nora, Miko and Javy are coming with me. Selene and Danny, decide how you want to divide up the rest.”
“We'll be using the APC as transportation and fire support,” Danny said. “They're a great weapon to have, but bear in mind that they're not invincible, and they're not going to all the work for you.”
Selene stuck her fist out in front of Danny.” Alright, let's choose.”
The recruits tried not to laugh as they did rock paper scissors. Zach saw Nora crack a smile. He felt himself grinning as well.
“Hah! Win!” Danny said, as the threw out rock to Selene's scissors. “OK, Logan, Andy, Avery, Lyla, Terra, Scott, you're going to be with me. As you might notice, we have both snipers and two heavies. We're going to be the support squad.”
“Alright, Joon, Chris, Jermaine, Colin, Joe and Leigh, you're with me. We're the front line squad, and we're going to be up close and personal with the enemy.”
“If you get into trouble, our command squad can provide some help to you,” Zach said. “However, that's only if things go extremely poorly. Also, keep in mind that you're set to respawn at Black Wolf Headquarters in Lerna Bastion if you die. If that happens, hang out in the base until we get back. Any questions?”
Chris spoke up. “Uh, not to sound like a downer, but are you sure about putting so much trust in level 1s?”
“This place you're standing in? We managed to take it our first day playing, with no prior experience,” Danny said. “You're capable of doing a lot if you fight smart.”
“Plus, most of us are needed to crew the vehicles,” Zach said. “You'll learn how to use them in time. Ready to go, everyone? Let's head out.”
CHAPTER 18
SNAFU
Xavier's Mule rumbled forward, its gun spitting death. Bullets pinged harmlessly off its sides. Ryan was firing bursts with the heavy machine gun. He had nowhere near the skill that a dedicated heavy like Danny possessed, but the fire was deadly effective nonetheless.
“Well, I guess that provides proof of concept,” Miko said, reclining back on the seat of her ATV.
That was for certain. Hydra's council had wanted to form an armored cavalry platoon to provide the alliance with a fast moving unit that could be used as a reserve or an attack force. Their focus had been on the speed it could provide. But seeing them in action proved the other advantage of the concept. Whenever a squad got into trouble, their APC was there to provide devastating fire support or cover. And that was with raw level 1s, with so-so weaponry mounted on the Mules. Experienced troops like Sacred Sword's veterans or Grizzly would be even more effective. And they still had possibilities to explore for arming the Mules.
Grizzly was starting to work toward creating an artillery battery. The biggest issue was that they needed around thirty members with the artillery skill in order to create an effective battery, which was going to take quite a bit of time to get into place. Their other option was to make a smaller battery, which would require less crew members. Hephaestus had a few ideas for mounting a gun on one of the Mules, but it was currently in the prototype stage.
“They're performing pretty well,” Nora commented.
“Yeah, I notice that the front line squad seems to be doing pretty well. I think that Joon is using a different class build than me,” Javy commented. “It looks like he's a buffer, and not a straight up healer like I am.”
“Good. That gives us versatility,” Zach said.
“All three soldiers look like they'll be good. They have the proper amount of aggression, and they look like they're pretty good shots. Although that might be from the aim assist,” Nora said.
Zach looked at Miko. “What do you think about the snipers?”
“Andy looks like most snipers I've seen. He looks like he'll be fine. But I'm not sure about the style that Avery is using.”
“Using a semi-auto rifle?” Zach said. Using a semi-auto rifle as opposed to the bolt action that most snipers selected allowed him to fire quicker, but his shots were less accurate, had less range and did less damage. Most snipers, including Miko, preferred the bolt action because they could kill at a longer distance.
“Yeah, I'm not sure about the technique he's using either,” Miko said. “I mean, I don't think it's necessarily wrong, but it's really different from what I use, so I'm not sure about it.”
Avery fired in paired shots, one after the other. That meant that if the first shot didn't kill the enemy, the second would. Zach had seen the technique used in the beta, but hadn't seen anyone use it since the game had launched. It had the obvious advantage of dealing a lot of damage, but many times it was overkill and used up ammunition.
“I think it'll work fine,” Nora said. “Snipers don't always fit well in the front line teams, and he can throw out a lot of accurate firepower in a short time. Plus, he can fire more shots before reloading.”
“It's probably just my preference to be far away from the front line that's talking,” Miko said.
Zach's alert buzzed. “We're almost finished mopping up the encampment,” Selene said.
“Great. Any casualties?” he asked.
“None. Jermaine got shot, but Joon patched him up and he's back on his feet,” she said.
“Good. Do you need to have us around?”
“We're going to be here a while looting the place, so if you don't want in on that you can go ahead and take off,” Selene said.
“You sure that you don't need outriders?” Zach asked.
“It's probably the safest stretch of highway in the world,” Selene said. “We'll be fine.”
Zach looked at the rest of his team. “Want to go tinker with stuff back at base?”
“Yes please,” Miko said.
“Wow, you're eager,” Javy commented.
“I was working with one of Hephaestus' engineers to make a custom sniper rifle, and I'd like to try to do some more work on it.”
“Ah, that would be a good reason,” Javy agreed.
“We're taking off. See you later,” Zach said.
“We're not sharing the loot,” Danny said.
Zach laughed as he started up his ATV. “Going to be like that, are you?” His group headed south.
Zach's group pulled up in front of Hephaestus Forge. Today was a non-mining day, so the area was busy. Crates of ammunition and parts were being loaded into Mules, which would take them to the warehouses. They now had ten Mules to work with; two were up north with the rest of the company, three were being used as transports, and the others were being held in reserve for now. Hephaestus had managed to buy the industrial equipment needed to build the Mules, though it had taken two days to get all the parts and assemble them in the factory. They would be low on money, save for the fact that ammunition was flying off the shelves in Old Chicago.
Sporadic fighting was still happening up north. All of Hydra's companies had completely vacated the area, so it was a conflict between Ronin's group, the Legion Pact and Ragnarok. All sides were trying to stockpile as much ammunition as possible for the inevitable war, and that mean there was good money to be made in selling it. Even with the amount that Hydra needed there was still plenty to bring to market. Between overdrive and bullets the alliance was making a tidy profit, and all that profit was going to feed their industrial output.
“I'm going to see if I can find Paige,” Miko said, heading toward the headquarters part of the forge.
“Have fun,” Zach said. He spied Yusuf talking to someone on his radio
in front of a set of doors, who saw them and motioned them over.
“Have fun on the hunt?” he asked.
“We didn't do anything,” Zach said. “Our new recruits did most of the work, along with the vehicle crews. But man, are the Mules something. They completely steamrolled the enemy.”
Yusuf smiled. “That's good news. We also have news that the Legion Pact is seriously considering our offer, so that's good. But if you think the Mules are something, wait until you see this.”
“You have something?”
Yusuf motioned them inside the Forge. “Yes. I think you're going to be quite impressed.”
They entered Hephaestus Forge. The air inside was thick, filled with the sound and smell of fire, machinery, oil and metal. They passed by a half dozen ammo presses churning out bullets. Further down were smelting furnaces, transforming vulcanite ore into usable metal. Then they passed a half dozen crafters constructing another Mule. A crane was holding the main body of the vehicle up, allowing them to attach the drive wheels. Another two were constructing the engine, preparing the mass of wires and the adapter for the fusion batteries. And then they came to the end of the factory. There was a huge door in front of them. Yusuf slid it open.
“Come on inside,” he said. “Welcome to the prototype wing.”
“Oh wow,” Zach said as he stepped through. There was a Mule in front of him, but this one was much different than the others. The front third of the crew compartment had been take out and replaced by vulcanite steel plating. The driver's position had been moved back to accommodate the change, and the gunner's station was completely gone. The seats for troops were gone as well. The doors on the back of the vehicle were still there, but the crew compartment was divided in half by what looked like a set of sliding panels. And the biggest difference was in the front. There, fitted snugly into the front of the vehicle, was an artillery piece.
“Is that what I think it is?” Zach asked.
“The 75mm gun? Yes, that would be it,” Yusuf said. “It's not quite complete yet. We wanted to reinforce the front end with more armor, and we're going to give it a roof so that it's completely enclosed. But we should have a fully functional assault gun within a few days.”
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