Entropy's Heralds: Pilgrims Path Book 3

by Vic Davis

Those assembled around the circle of pillars and even farther back to the supply wagons took up the cry with repeated cheers that soon morphed into chants of “Xodd! Xodd!” To victory and revenge thought Xodd, and it felt good.

  Chapter 6

  Irony Abounds

  “We still cohere?” signaled a stunned General Vinks. “How can this be?”

  But the reason was plain for all to see. A curved shield of translucent shimmering energy had materialized suddenly to divert the blast around their small group; no one else in the room had survived. Part of the ceiling had collapsed; the debris had fortunately landed in the center of the dome near the origin of the explosion. A thick cloud of flow particulate settled all around them eventually revealing a small crater where the former Syndic of Privil’s Landing had been resting.

  Pilgrim nudged Stinky with a tendril. “Stinky! You can let that down now. It’s over. You saved us. I don’t know how you got it up that fast, but you did. I didn’t even have time to react.”

  Stinky seemed to come out of a trance. “Yes, of course. That was a close call. Is everyone all right?”

  “I have been a fool,” signaled Breaker. “And it has cost us dearly. Captain Laz is gone. I would have been too if I had been hovering on the other side of that shield.”

  The realization shook Pilgrim. “Laz! I can’t believe it. Havoc is no more except for a few Heavies. What happened? Did the Syndic hate us that much?”

  “The evidence has been there the whole time, but we chose not to see it,” answered Breaker. “There must be a Council Alpha here within the city still. It’s been working hard to thwart us this whole time.”

  “Then it must still be near. Should we search for it?” signaled General Vinks rallying from its daze.

  Breaker considered the question. “It can’t hurt but I doubt we will find it. It—" Just then a group of soldiers burst down the ruined doors from the main access hall. They were amazed and relieved to find their general and its companions still cohering.

  Vinks gave a quick command to its adjutant hovering nearby. “There is a Council Alpha likely still in the vicinity of this meeting dome. Go get Tencius and its commandos and have them sweep the entire district. Order a battalion of infantry to back them up and secure the outlying parts of the district as best they can.”

  The adjutant was up and over the rubble at the door in an instant. Most of the soldiers followed in its wake.

  “I fear we will not find it, general,” signaled Breaker. “Even if we do, it will dominate and disable anything that comes upon it, unless its confronted by overwhelming numbers, in which case it will flee. These things are very dangerous.”

  Stinky agreed reluctantly. “Not only that, but the Syndic might have been acting on a long-planted suggestion. The trap was clever. The Alpha manipulated our soldiers into permitting the Syndic to have access to that resting place: a well-disguised mobile bomb. The Council subversion and infiltration teams are quite good.”

  “Then we have a real problem,” signaled Pilgrim. “Any of us could be influenced by this Alpha. How do we fight this?”

  “Not you Pilgrim. You seem to be immune. Is that not so?” signaled Breaker. “Humble said you were opaque. That might be something that we can work with.”

  “I have dealt with such things in the past,” Stinky chimed in. “Domination is only possible with very close contact. Suggestive manipulation takes extended contact and is fragile depending on the strength of the core of the target. The Syndic was most likely very weak. This Alpha is a clever one no doubt, but it will slip up eventually.”

  Vinks was now very concerned. “You mean you think it will follow us to Timathur?”

  “It’s the logical move, general,” replied Breaker. “I have no doubt it has been part of the reason that we have already dallied here in Privil’s Landing so long.”

  “Well, we shall have no worries about this group of key holders doing us any harm once we leave now,” signaled Vinks. “I’d hoped to find one of them to act as a figurehead and then imprison the rest, but they were a very ‘fixed in their ways’ group.”

  Breaker offered a suggestion. “At this point speed is of the essence, we should go all in for Timathur, then use that as a jumping off spot for a drive straight to Instrumentality. If we hit resistance, then Chief Engineer Stinky and Pilgrim can decide if they want to slip off and go it on their own.”

  Vinks concurred. They departed Privil’s Landing the next cycle. No hint of the Alpha was detected during the sweep of the key holders’ district. As they left the city behind, Pilgrim looked back at the wonderous sight of the Privil’s Landing spilling out of the slip point into the Midlands node: a deserted marvel of architecture, a monument to naïve greed. “I wonder how long it will take them to come back and occupy the city?” mused Pilgrim out loud.

  Breaker was hovering alongside. “Not long I would wager. There is a bit of a power vacuum now. The other Syndics might get together to fill it. I’m sure they have some very rigid rules about such things. Not that it matters. I don’t plan to return.”

  Pilgrim wasn’t so sure. “If we survive this, I am of a mind to return and set all the slaves free in each of those ridiculous cities. No source being should be a slave to another source being. How did this even happen?”

  Stinky shrugged its form walls. “We vowed to offer guidance. Mistress wanted them to make their own moral choices. She thought that if we made them behave in certain ways by ruling them directly, it would only prolong their backwardness. Our comrades said they would do this as well, but many have strayed from their vows. Voor tried a novel approach by preaching the mysteries of the Ancients—”

  Zuur made a signal somewhere between a snort and a howl: a punctuated chain of High Ancient symbols that might have been a curse.

  “Yes, your feelings on the matter are perfectly clear Zuur,” signaled an irritated Stinky. “As it has been pointed out before though, you were less than helpful yourself.”

  Zuur did not reply. Pilgrim probed further. “So, in all these eons, you and Mistress only tried to watch and nudge? What about the Hegemon persona?”

  “Well that was after we realized what we were up against with the sudden rise of the Endarchs of the council. We rallied what forces we could, mostly from the settled city states of the Reach. But we were too late.”

  General Vinks and Tencius rode up on two of the few Trissa that they had managed to retain throughout the campaign; command staff, scouts and runners were the only troops assigned mounts. Privil’s Landing had been surprisingly devoid of such beasts since the key holders and traders preferred drays like the Drothgar to pull their wagons. Any Trissa that had been in the city had either bolted on their own or been taken by those who had fled toward the other Free Cities.

  The column that they led toward the enemy was an infantry force trailing a modest supply train. Vinks looked happy to be leaving the city behind. “It’s good to finally be on the road. Of course, our supply train is a little disorganized. What I wouldn’t give to have Ziks with us now. I hope that the Miser of Stockpile City still coheres somewhere.”

  Pilgrim and Stinky exchanged a startled look. They had completely forgotten about their erstwhile comrade. Zuur had not. It started a fit of its trademark maniacal laughter. Vinks had no idea what it should make of the spectacle: Little Boss bobbed up and down while Big Boss nearly gyrated around its axis. “What is wrong with the tavern owners?”

  Stinky waved a dismissive tendril at their antics. “They have a truly odd sense of humor: split personalities you might say. But Adjutant Ziks is well. We should have informed you general, but it slipped our attention.”

  “Should we have tried to send help?” wondered Pilgrim out loud.

  “No, I don’t think any of those exploring machines would make it and certainly there is no one we could trust to run one. No, we must see to Ziks after we finish this. Stick to the plan.”

  Vinks looked confused. “Is Ziks in a bad spot?”

&n
bsp; “It’s a long story,” replied Pilgrim. “Ziks is staying with a friend in the Great Desolation; we will need to come back for it later. There was no way to—”

  “No, never mind, I’d rather not know. Already I think I know too much. I simply want to find the enemy and destroy it. That’s something I’m good at.”

  Tencius, now promoted to Vinks second in command, chuckled. “General, we will make a Hegemon Commando out of you yet.”

  The trip to the slip point into Timathur’s node was uneventful. Advanced scouts sent to check out the slip point into Mim’s Reach reported that the nomads had passed through some time ago and the slip point was now undefended. Near the point in the Pilgrim’s Road where Breaker had nearly expired in a wagon after having fled Privil’s Landing, a runner appeared from the direction of Timathur’s node. The Trissa it was riding was exhausted, hovering in an energy state that seemed like it might flicker out at any moment. It made a beeline for the head of the column where Vinks was mounted and surrounded by its command staff.

  “What is the message soldier?” signaled Vinks.

  The rider, a soldier belonging the mercenary company known as Alacrity judging by its battle harness filled with charge lance rounds, made a crisp salute. “Sir, we have been driven from the slip point by a force of no less than two hundred infantry. We gave them a good thrashing but had to fall back from the slip point or be overwhelmed. The enemy has not advanced any further. Commander Decius intends to stay where it is unless the enemy advances. The commander wanted you to know this and also learn your orders. And more supplies will be needed. Especially charge lance ammunition.”

  “Good work soldier. Change mounts with one of our scouts and return. Tell Commander Decius that we will be their shortly. Fall back to us if the enemy pushes out of the slip point.”

  “Yes sir!” came the retort and the rider was off down the column with an aide to resupply and change mounts.

  Vinks turned to Breaker. “A contested slip point could be tough even with our apparent numerical advantage.”

  Breaker’s form walls looked grim. “We can’t be sure that Decius’ estimate is correct. It could just be the vanguard of a much larger force. We’ve wasted a lot of time and there is no telling what the council has sent in response. The garrison in Timathur was probably at least a couple of hundred. Whatever it is that we are facing, they have recovered from their recent setback and are now probing forward.”

  “Then what do you recommend?”

  Breaker considered for a moment then replied. “We need to find out what we are up against. We should advance to contact and then assess the situation. It’s unlikely that they have a lot of highly mobile units. If we have to, we can ditch our supply train and retreat to Privil’s Landing to draw their attention away from Pilgrim and the infiltration group. They can either slip in behind or there is a resonance point not far away from the slip point. We used it before to exfiltrate from one of our missions not long ago. It’s up on an embankment but accessible.”

  Pilgrim felt a convergence of déjà vu like feelings. “Could we use the resonance point to get in behind them and take them by surprise. That worked pretty well the last time I tried it.”

  “Yes, it’s a possibility if they have manageable numbers on the other side. We need to find out how fortified the slip point is. When we fought our way through after Limonur they had made some decent progress, but it was haphazard. I don’t think they ever intended to stop there and leave Privil’s Landing alone. We need to get moving though, so—”

  As if on cue another rider now approached the group at full speed. This one was a regular scout from the Hegemon’s old army. It saluted General Vinks and then reported. “Sir, I’ve just received a message from one of our flank scouts. There is something weird, something resembling an Omega taking shelter in an old, abandoned source fountain excavation not far from here: about a cycle’s march toward the vertex barrier. There are at least two other source beings there as well. The Omega seems wounded or distressed. The scout who made contact backed off quickly, then returned to report. That was over a cycle ago so it’s unclear if the sighting is still valid.”

  Vinks was worried but kept its signal calm and collected. “An Omega? Is it possible that it’s part of an infiltration group? We could have a serious problem with it harassing our flank. We will need to investigate and neutralize it quickly.”

  “I agree general,” signaled Breaker. “Pilgrim is the ideal candidate to send since it is immune to the Alpha that must also be nearby. But that means risking the entire point of this expedition.”

  “That’s a dilemma we will face time and again,” offered Stinky with a hint of resigned amusement, perhaps even fatalism on its form walls.

  “I can take any Omega they throw at me,” signaled Pilgrim confidently. “Although, I’d appreciate some back up.”

  “I think I’ve been to this place before,” signaled Breaker. “And I’d like to see what I can make of this intelligence. So, with your permission general, I will lead the team: Pilgrim, Stinky, Zuur, and ten Hegemon Commandos. We’ll meet you at the slip point assuming everything goes according to plan. Otherwise, we’ll set off on our own to Instrumentality if it comes to that.”

  Lacks and Steadfast were hovering nearby clearly distressed at being left out. Breaker sought to placate them. “General Vinks needs you more than we do and risking you in combat is too great a risk.”

  Steadfast’s ovoid shape nearly vibrated with frustration. “But Pilgrim—”

  “Can handle itself in a fight with an Omega. You two would be easy treats,” Breaker neutralized the objection.

  Vinks concurred. “Good, you have your orders Master Breaker. Report back if this Omega is a threat or there seems to be a larger infiltration group on our flank. Otherwise, take care of it. In either event, we will meet you at the slip point assuming they haven’t pushed out.”

  The Hegemon Commandos were quickly detailed to accompanying them; the rider, who had delivered the message, led them to a rendezvous point where they met the scout that had spotted the Omega. It led them away from the column toward the vertex barrier at a blistering pace. Pilgrim was impressed with the Hegemon Commandos: professional, robust soldiers each possessing a quiet confidence in its own abilities. They had no difficulty tolerating the harsh conditions of the forced march; there were only infrequent stops for consuming raw source rations and none for recovering their energy levels.

  The flowscape became familiar to Breaker: gentle rolling dunes with a soft surface that wasn’t really brittle but looked like it might crack with the slightest touch. Memories of Valor scouting ahead over this very same stretch of terrain, leading their team to safety, were pushed aside. Now was not the time for idle reminiscing.

  As they neared their destination, Breaker ordered the scout forward to ascertain whether the Omega was still there. The dunes had grown in amplitude offering some modest cover to their approach. The scout reported back quickly that all was the same as when it had left: an Omega hovering calmly, two other individuals also resting nearby, no indications of other council soldiers.

  Breaker laid out the plan. “Pilgrim, you will take point. The Alpha is the key here. It’s probably one of those two resting ovoids. These Omegas need to be controlled. It will either try to dominate you or get the Omega to go after you. If it tries to dominate you, it will probably be confused as to why it can’t. We need to find it quickly and terminate it. Then we destroy the Omega. Best to get both candidates quickly and sort it out later.”

  “I’m a little concerned about this,” signaled Stinky. “This seems a little too easy. Why would an Omega and its controller be loitering out here? It seems like a trap.”

  “That’s possible,” replied Breaker. “But who would they want to trap? How would they know we were leaving Privil’s Landing and that our scout would find them? The best explanations are simple explanations. The Omega and its Alpha must have fled Privil’s Landing, then found this trick
le of source from the fountain. They are probably mustering their strength to make it to the slip point. That’s the best explanation I can think of.”

  “Hmm. It does make sense,” offered Pilgrim. “I agree with Stinky though, something seems off here. I’m going to go in fighting with a Fibonacci lash to take out both the potential controllers with one hit.”

  “Prudence would be the better part of valor,” signaled Stinky.

  The symbols startled Breaker for a moment. “What is that?”

  “Just an expression from my world translated into High Ancient and then into Hegemonic code,” replied Stinky.

  Pilgrim realized the association Breaker would have with the symbol for valor but signaled nothing. Best to let this slip, thought Pilgrim. Stinky would be mortified to realize that he had inflicted any type of emotional pain on Breaker especially when he was so sensitive to his recent loss himself.

  Zuur’s laughter broke the uneasy silence and Pilgrim was grateful. “Stinky is full of useless sayings. We wanted to record some of them on the tavern walls, but I was afraid they would frighten customers away.”

  Breaker snapped out of its brief fit of melancholy. “Yes, of course. Let’s do this then. Pilgrim, you lead the way. Zuur and I will follow. The Hegemon Commandos will spread out from behind us once we make contact. If we can’t find the Alpha quickly, we will engage the Omega. With some luck it’s low on energy or wounded badly.”

  Pilgrim flared into a toned-down battle form that met Zuur’s approval: less angular plates, a shimmering aura that seemed to emit information rather than consume it. Pilgrim was still getting used to it; he missed the menace of the old form but at least this one did not send a shiver across its allies’ form walls.

  “Ah, impressive,” observed Stinky. “You’ve been working with Zuur in your spare time I see. Now you play the avenging angel rather than the twisted demon prince. I like it. I could help you improve it.”

  The last sentence had the intended effect. Zuur, now formed into one giant being, huffed. “You could do no such thing Stinky one.”