“Can you build tanks?” Javy asked.
“Unfortunately no. We're not nearly good enough to build a turret at this point. Besides, I don't think we could supply enough power.”
“How come you kept the doors on the back?” Nora asked.
“It'll make it easier to resupply with more ammunition,” Yusuf said. “All you need to do is open the back doors and stack the ammunition inside.”
“Is it going to have enough power?” Zach asked.
“Yeah, it'll be fine. Even with extra armor, the gun and the ammo it's not going to be any heavier than a fully loaded regular Mule. So we'll be fine in that regard.”
“What are you going to call it?” Javy asked.
“Well, the schematic actually suggested a name for it to us. Once it's completed, this will be the M11 Bull.”
“The Bull. I like it,” Javy said.
“How long did it take you to make this?” Zach asked.
“It took us about three days and a lot of trial and error to get one of these made off of a base Mule. Now that we know what we're doing, we can make them from scratch in about a day or two. As soon as we get our hands on another gun we'll build one,” he said.
“Not that I'm complaining, but how the heck did we get so far ahead of everyone else? Because this seems like it's almost unfair,” Javy said.
“That's because everyone else in the region is taking turns pounding on each other while we're building a fortress and grabbing all the best schematics for ourselves,” Yusuf said. “They decided to beat on each other instead of cooperating, and look what happened.”
“Or maybe we've just found all the good exploits,” Nora said.
“Eh, it's the same thing,” Yusuf said. “Plus, we have no idea of about what Ragnarok has up their sleeve.”
“Another question. Do we have enough people to crew one of these?” Nora asked.
“We need a driver, a loader and a gunner. Only two of those need to have the artillery specialization, so that should be pretty simple. Grizzly already has four.”
Zach's alert buzzed. So did Yusuf's and Nora's. There was an incoming message from Anna.
“What's up?” Zach asked.
“Can you get up to the council room? We might have a situation here.”
“Sure thing.” He looked at the other two. “That certainly doesn't sound good.”
“Yeah. Whatever this is, it's probably news to me,” Yusuf said. He turned to Javy. “Feel free to look everything over some more.”
“Thanks. I'll probably do that.”
Yusuf lead them out. He opened up his menu as he walked. “Garrett, Jayson, how fast can you get the Bull prototype done and finish off the Mule?” He listened for a moment. “Can you speed it up at all? Yeah, we'll take care of getting the gun and the ammo for it. Just get what you can done.”
“What was that about?” Nora asked.
“I have a bad feeling we're going to need them pretty soon,” Yusuf said.
Zach had a sinking feeling as soon as he opened the doors to the board room. Everyone was present; David, Liz and Anna, Gina and Connor, and Yusuf's adjunct Martin. They were all facing a video screen up against the wall. He and Nora took their seats. Yusuf found his way over beside Martin.
Anna spoke up, talking in a loud voice. “Alright, we're all present, so we can start now.”
“Very good,” a voice said, just before the screen went from black to a picture. Zach tried to hide his surprise. It was Lucas, commander of Ragnarok.
“What can we do for you?” Anna asked.
“Word has reached us that you intend to join forces with the Legion Pact. I find that a very concerning and aggressive move,” Lucas said.
“Joining forces is a rather misleading statement. One that might cause a lot of confusion, as it seems to be doing right now. Yes, we have offered the companies in the Legion Pact a chance to join the Hydra Alliance. But it's an offer to join us, nothing more.”
“I'm not certain that there's a difference,” Lucas said.
“We're not allying for a war against you, if that's what you're getting at,” David said. “The Hydra Alliance is a neutral party in the conflict, and will remain such unless provoked. If the Legion joins, then they have to follow that directive.”
“You seem to be selling quite a bit of ammunition and other supplies to our opponents,” Lucas commented.
“And we've sold quite a bit to you as well,” Yusuf said. “Again, we're neutral and we don't care who we're selling to. Everyone's money is worth the same.”
“Be as that may, I still find it quite alarming that you profess neutrality while simultaneously trying to recruit one of our strongest foes.”
“Then you're quite paranoid,” Gina said.
Zach felt his silent alarm vibrate. Nora had sent him a message. He's looking for an excuse to start a fight, she said. They're going to try to crush us.
Send out an alert, Zach replied to her. A few seconds later, his silent alert vibrated again. This time he didn't bother to check it. The alert was code yellow, which told everyone that conflict was likely and to be on their guard. The next would be code red, which meant they were at war. The final level was code black, which meant that every member of the alliance was to drop what they were doing and come back, because the bastion was under attack. Zach hoped that it wouldn't get that far.
Gina and Lucas were still arguing back and forth. “Look, we don't have the greatest selection of recruits since you went and took a bunch of them,” she said. “Our choice is somewhat limited, and that means that we might end up recruiting people that might be your enemies. It's not some grand conspiracy. It's just the reality of things.”
“Be fair, your actions are provocative.”
“I seem to recall being shot by your pet dog. But I guess that wasn't provocative, huh?”
“Alright, no need to bring that up,” Zach said.
“Your actions in particular are over the line,” Lucas said to him.
“Pardon?” Zach said. He could feel the tension in the air. The rest of the room was ready to explode.
“Our agreement was that you would remain neutral and keep the overdrive supply steady while we respected your sovereignty,” Lucas said.
“Which we've upheld. Unless you're holding us to completely unreasonable standards.” Zach said. “Overdrive is still on the market, and the alliance we're a part of is neutral in the Chicago area conflict. What more do you want?”
“You're aiding our enemies,” Lucas said.
“And you're being unreasonable,” Nora said. “Your demands violate our agreement.”
“I consider it already violated, in truth.”
Zach felt the anger rising in him. “Then keep this in mind. If you consider the agreement broken, then we're no longer obligated to keep the overdrive supplies open. I know darn well that half your members are under level 10 because they're so reliant on it to win fights. We're not trying to form an alliance against you, but back us into a corner and that's exactly what will happen. Do you honestly think you can fight three alliances at once when half your company is under leveled?”
“I would warn you not to underestimate them,” Lucas said coldly.
“Alright, alright, let's calm down before this gets any worse,” Anna said. “We're not against you. You want proof of that? Here's an idea. Why don't you join the Hydra Alliance? I'd be willing to accept you and put Ragnarok forward as a member company.”
Zach was taken aback. So was Lucas, judging from the look on his face. And so was everyone else; there was murmuring among the rest of the council. Even Liz looked like she was surprised by the offer.
“Is this some sort of trick?” Lucas asked.
“Oh come on, she made a genuine offer to you and you throw that back in her face? Now you're just trying to provoke us,” David said.
“No, no, I understand that he may be hesitant, and for good reason. They've been fighting a lot these past few months,” Anna said. �
�But I assure you it's a genuine offer.” She touched her menu and sent a message. “Here's a copy of the alliance charter with my signature at the bottom. It will need approval from two other company commanders and your signature to be valid, but the offer is there.”
“I'll add my signature to it,” Zach said, cycling through his menu and approving the application.
“I'll approve as well,” Yusuf said, doing the same.
“There you go. The offer is completely genuine, and all you need to do is add your signature. Once you do that, Ragnarok will be a full member of the Hydra Alliance with all the responsibilities and benefits that entails,” Anna said.
“Well, I'll certainly consider it.” Lucas said.
“Take your time doing so. Contact us when you make your decision,” Anna said pleasantly, just before she cut the connection.
“Man he's got some nerve,” Gina spat out.
“Yeah, but that tells us a lot. Ragnarok is looking for a fight,” Anna said.
“Unless they're willing to join the alliance,” Zach said.
“Joy for that,” Gina said.
“I really don't think they're going to take us up on that offer,” Connor said.
“I know, but at least we can say we offered,” Anna said. “I'm going to try to get Bryce on the line. If Ragnarok is ready for a fight then we're going to need to get more troops as soon as possible.”
Yusuf contacted Garrett and Jayson again. “Hey. Remember what I said? Well, we really need that to happen, and fast.”
“Do you have the prototype done?” Liz asked.
“We still need to put the roof on and armor the front, but that should be pretty straightforward. And once the next Mule is done we can start construction on another one, which should go fairly quickly.”
“How soon can you have the prototype done?” Gina asked. “If we're going to crew it, then I want to get them as familiar as possible. You have the crew list ready, right?”
Connor nodded. “Yes. We'll have crews of four which will consist of a driver, loader, gunner and commander. Were you also going to put in a hatch for the commander?”
“Yeah, there's going to be one on there,” Yusuf said. “I assume that you want to put a machine gun mount on it?”
“Yeah, otherwise it's going to be very vulnerable to infantry with grenades.”
Anna motioned for silence. “OK, I got Bryce on the line. Let's see if we can get things settled.” She looked up at the video screen. “Bryce, are we coming in clear?”
“Loud and clear, Anna,” came the answer. “Hello everyone. What can we do for you?”
“We just got off the line with Lucas of Ragnarok. They're trying to start a fight with us,” Anna said. “If you're going to join us, then now would be the time to do it.”
“There's still a lot of discussion going on between the various companies,” Bryce said. “Is there anything else that you can offer us? I'm on board regardless, but it's going to be difficult to convince the others in time.”
“We're not changing the offer,” Liz said flatly. “Bear in mind that we can resist an all-out assault by Ragnarok if we have to fight alone. You're not going to be so lucky.”
“Again, I realize that. But a lot of the companies up north don't want to give up their territory,” Bryce said.
“They'll have access to Hydra territory, which is massive, and is relatively safe,” Zach pointed out. “Anything to the south of Lerna Bastion hasn't been touched by anyone but us. And there's plenty of resources to go around.”
“Well, I'll see what I can do,” Bryce shrugged.
“They had better do something quickly. Lucas singled us out in particular. That means they're not concerned about losing the overdrive supplies, which probably means they have something big planned. So they had better hurry,” Nora said.
“I'll relay that concern,” Bryce told them. “Later.”
“I think we need to call a code red,” David said.
“We're not at war yet,” Connor said.
“It's going to happen soon enough,” David responded. “And I think we need to get stockpiles of the stuff we can't make. If we can't get into Old Chicago then we're going to run out of grenades, armor-piercing ammo and the like. Plus, we won't be able to get shells for the assault guns.”
“Something's up,” Gina said. “If Ragnarok wants to crush us, then why didn't they just launch a sneak attack? Why threaten us and give us time to prepare?”
“Maybe they wanted to see if they could draw us out?” David suggested.
“Or maybe they're hoping that we act defensively,” Anna mused. “If we concentrate on defending our territory, then that gives them time to take out one of their other enemies.”
“That means we'll be a lot stronger when they finally do attack us,” David pointed out.
“Yeah, but it also means that they'll be able to reduce the number of fronts they're fighting on,” Anna pointed out. “Even if they wanted to come after us, they would need to hold some troops back to defend their holdings in the north. But if they take out either the Legion Pact or whatever Ronin's group is calling themselves then they can shift a lot more troops to our front. Plus, the opposite is also true. They'll get stronger as well, and they'll have a lot more time to try to get weaponry that can level the playing field.”
“I think they just made one misstep, though,” Liz said.
“What's that?” David asked.
“They're thinking in terms of a real world war. That means every person killed is gone forever. You can replace them but the number of replacements is limited. But since we respawn when we die, we don't have that problem here. And that might play right into our hands. In order to win the north Ragnarok is going to have to take the strongholds there, right? But if they do that, then the companies have 48 hours to get another one or be disbanded. Are they going to be able to take back their stronghold in time, or are they going to be able to afford one in Old Chicago?”
“Which leaves us as the most attractive option, since they'll get a free base in a protected fortress town,” Nora said. “So they waste time fighting up north, while we get strong by ourselves and get the benefit of the troops we wanted anyhow?”
“Seems that way,” Liz said with a smile. “I think Ragnarok has just misplayed their hand. And we're going to reap the benefits of that mistake.”
CHAPTER 19
Surface
Danny kicked the corpse of a Ragnarok trooper he had shot minutes before. “Man, they're next to useless. Low level, poor shots, next to no experience for killing them, and they don't even have any good loot on them, to boot. Our new guys are at half their level and are already much better fighters.”
“It's probably because they're so used to fighting on overdrive,” Javy said. “Did you see how slow they were moving? Their reaction times are worse because they're used to being able to move three times faster.”
There was no war yet, but Ragnarok was trying to provoke them nonetheless. They had been sending squads into Hydra territory, trying to gather resources and scout the area. They had been met by hunter-killer teams from Redd Foxx and Black Wolf. Utilizing ATVs, they could move fast and be on top of a Ragnarok squad before they could react. Once they were in a firefight they were no match for the veteran Hydra troops. Other than a few that had looked like squad leaders, most of the Ragnarok troops they had encountered were low level and poor fighters.
There had been no response from Ragnarok pertaining to the killing of their scout squads. Hydra was defending its territory, so they could hardly claim that the injuries they were suffering were not of their own doing. Plus, they needed the bullets and overdrive to continue the fight to the north of Old Chicago. There, the Legion Pact was being steamrolled. The Pact had many good troops, but they were no match for the sheer numbers that Ragnarok could use against them. From the reports that they were getting, Ragnarok had also committed most of their high level troops to that front. For all they mocked Ragnarok for being
too reliant on new recruits, their veteran troops were as good as any in the region. When mixed with the numbers of low level troops they could bring to bear it was a fearsome combination.
Zach wondered why they were using new recruits without overdrive to attack. Maybe it was to save supplies for the real fighting at the northern front. Or maybe they were trying to train some of their lower level members how to fight without relying on overdrive. Whatever the case, it was serving one purpose; Hydra was being forced to spend time defending its territory.
On one hand that wasn't bad at all. It provided combat experience to their troops, which was especially valuable for Black Wolf while they were trying to integrate new members. But on the other hand it was taking away valuable training time. The council had decided that they didn't want to use the Mules or assault guns until a shooting war broke out in order to preserve the element of surprise. That meant the vehicles had to operate around the immediate area of Lerna Bastion, or to the south of the fortress town. Anyone on patrol duty wouldn't be able to train with them and wouldn't be familiar with how to use them, which severely limited the manpower they could bring to bear. Sacred Sword still needed to provide cover to the mining teams and Grizzly was training in an attempt to form up an armored platoon, so Black Wolf and Redd Foxx were stuck shouldering the load up north.
“Well, they're certainly not being shy about their intentions,” Xavier said, rifling through the pockets of a dead soldier. “The biggest problem is that their base is inside Old Chicago, so we have no real way to strike back at them.”
“But on the other hand, their base is inside Old Chicago. Do we know where they get their money from?” Gavin asked.
“Looting dead bodies?” Danny ventured.
“There's no way they could pay for everything they buy with the money they loot off from dead bodies,” Xavier said.
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