by Vic Davis
Xodd had been hovering nearby expecting such a subject to eventually emerge. “I will not operate under anyone’s command except my own. That is final.”
The entire gathering was silent. Xodd hovered defiantly with Malador and Block on either side. The Old Alchemist was intent on hiding in the background; Grivil was nowhere to be found. Groz was some distance off with Mong, Humble and the Omega forming a symbolic bridge between the two groups.
Vinks bristled at the message evident on Xodd’s form walls: a refusal to accept any form of subordination. “General Xodd, you are in no position to claim leadership of this campaign. Your company has been decimated. We would value your assistance, but you must find some way to integrate with us. Otherwise, we might end up working at cross purposes.”
Xodd relaxed its form walls in a gesture of compromise. “I do not expect to be given command your army General Vinks. Voor is an insufferable fool most times but I agree with its general observations on the present circumstances we face. I will cooperate with you since it is in my interest. We do have common goals and a common enemy. But I will not take orders from you.”
“That could make things difficult,” mused Vinks out loud. “But I would rather have your help than not. It would be best if you managed your own supply train. There is plenty of salvage for all of us.”
Pilgrim watched Xodd closely. The former Council General seemed to find the proposal acceptable. “That is acceptable General Vinks. We wish to have our say in the campaign strategy deliberations as well.”
Vinks smiled on its form walls. “That would only make sense, but my decisions are final. I must insist on retaining the final command authority. If you disagree, I guess you can take your company and go, though you might find yourself in a difficult position. Once we take Urta’s Rest and then push into the next node, we are fully committed. It is but one core node to Instrumentality’s slip point and things will no doubt become more and more desperate.”
Xodd seemed unperturbed. “You need not lecture me general, on the geography and enemy dispositions in these nodes. I am fully aware of the ordeals ahead. My second in command here, Malador, helped build the defenses of Urta’s Rest and I campaigned in the core nodes around Instrumentality to ensure their subjugation.”
“My apologies General Xodd, I meant no offense,” offered Vinks trying to diffuse the situation. “I would appreciate it if you could brief Commander Breaker on what you know of the enemy’s troop strengths, locations and plans.”
“General Xodd and I have worked together briefly in the past you might say,” interrupted Breaker. “Although our opportunity to do so was cut short prematurely in Privil’s Landing. No doubt any additional insight would be helpful. But right now, the way ahead is open and obvious. Urta’s Rest is our most immediate objective. We must push down the Pilgrim’s Road and seize it now while the garrison has been depleted. How many can there still be there? Not many if Baloris here is to be believed,”
The assertion seemed to summon the former Endarch from some invisible hiding place. It hovered forward to respond. “The size of your victory here does not allow for much of the garrison to have remained. At the most there are five hundred still present to provide security and supervision of the inert laborers: perhaps less. I made some mischief in effecting my departure. I doubt that the governor that I imposed on the city still has control. Yes, it is obvious that they are now fully aware of my betrayal.
“Still, I do not relish a return. I have also been looking for the minor artifact that I brought with me. I must demand its return along with any remaining contents. This is most imperative to secure my cooperation. You must obey me in this!”
Vinks was noticeably dismayed by the former Endarch’s outburst of demands. “You would do well to restrain your issuance of ultimatums. I am not fully convinced of your usefulness to our cause.”
“Oh, but I can still be useful. I assure you. I struggle with certain needs, appetites, this is true, but I can see a way for us to help each other.”
“I think we should take the Endarch up on its offer, General Vinks,” announced Breaker with a grin on its form walls.
“You have a plan then Commander Breaker?”
“Yes, sir, I do. We will need General Xodd’s cooperation though and the second in command, Malador I think it is. They both still can pass as inerts.”
Pilgrim watched as Xodd seemed intrigued by the proposal. Perhaps it was just anxious to get back into action or bored hovering around talking strategy. Xodd folded two tendrils across the front of its ovoid form: small, strange flanges of source wiggled on their ends; the effect seemed hauntingly familiar to Pilgrim.
Xodd came to a resolution: “My parasite advises me to cooperate. What do you have in mind?”
The next entire cycle was spent scavenging and collecting. Scouts were sent ahead by Vinks to make sure that the way down the Pilgrim’s Road was clear and that no ambushes, as unlikely as that was, were set.
Baloris was dismayed when the artifact was not recovered. Although they could find no evidence, the most likely conclusion was that it must have been discovered and sent back to Urta’s Rest. The possibility was enough to motivate the recovering addict to cooperate with the plan to seize Urta’s Rest quickly. Breaker had a starring role in mind for the former Endarch but worried about its reliability.
The plan was quite simple: an old ruse that made the enemy believe that fortune had delivered a present to their doorstep. All they had to do was open the gate and accept it. Well, almost: Voor had provided the last moment addition that all but assured the plan’s success. The Mesmer known as Codex would assist.
The city of Urta’s Rest now loomed ahead on the road: an impressive multi-tiered habitation with a tall solid outer wall and a simple yet functional citadel crowning the center mount upon which all was built. Pilgrim’s initial impressions were those of a military utilitarianism that served a very specific purpose: a fortress intended to protect Instrumentality and its core nodes. It was by no means impregnable, but it served to screen and guard the slip point that was the back door to their domains.
Surprisingly, everything went as planned. Xodd played the role of the Council patrol commander flawlessly. Riding up to the gate mounted on a Trissa with Malador and their ostentatiously displayed prisoner Baloris, they presented themselves for entry. Codex hovered along with them working a fog on the garrison soldiers patrolling the guard towers that connected across the main gate. The Mesmer’s efforts were almost too effective at first; a cloud of lethargy and apathy threatened to undo any initiative on the part of the gate sergeants responsible for operating the machinery opening the way. The Codex adjusted and soon the massive doors swung upon.
Groz was inside and plying its trade in a flash. The Telzra Source Slayer was brutally efficient; before the gate garrison knew what had happened, it was silenced permanently. Xodd turned and waved back down the road with a tendril to confirm that “We are in!”
Stinky dropped the shield which had been masking their small contingent of Hegemon Commandos waiting to surge inside. Such a subterfuge might not have succeeded without Codex’s assistance, but the Mesmer’s tricks worked flawlessly. Pilgrim, Zuur and the commandos flooded into the main gate to ensure its possession.
Most of their army had to wait some distance away so as not to be spotted from the citadel or any watch towers. They had used the terrain on either side of the road to mask their approach as much as possible, but the final dash made at the double time was still an ordeal. Vinks and Breaker arrived to push their troops into the city to hunt down and eliminate the rest of the garrison.
“Well done!” effused Vinks. “That went better than expected.”
Breaker agreed. “Now we need to root out the bulk of their forces and it won’t be easy. General Xodd has graciously shown us the location of the main barracks at the citadel. We are going to try the same trick there.”
Vinks nodded. “The capture teams are now on their way to secur
e the remaining gates from the inside. I hope there are no surprises.”
“As do I general,” replied Breaker. “This seems almost too easy. But we are committed now.”
“I agree,” signaled Vinks. “But now is not the time to marvel at gifts of good fortune. We have a city to take.”
The invading army split up into multiple attack groups and went about their various missions. Pilgrim and Xodd formed the main group that would attempt to take the citadel once again with some Mesmer assistance from Codex. The trip to the city center was direct. The streets were precisely laid out in an efficient grid system with an obvious main boulevard leading up to an impressive citadel. Pilgrim marveled at how empty and deserted the streets were. Could it be that they had stripped the garrison clean to send their forces to Imbal? They traveled on; the streets remained desolate.
Pilgrim had been avoiding any direct conversation with Xodd. It was an awkward situation that Pilgrim would rather not confront. But its curiosity about the deserted ghost town they were navigating was finally too much to restrain; the need for an explanation prompted Pilgrim to ask the obvious question. “What is going on here? This city is deserted. Should we fear an ambush ahead?”
Xodd considered the question, then replied: “According to Baloris, the garrison has most likely been tasked with finding its august personage. This is a military city and not a resource harvesting center. There will be some logistics workers and technicians, but they will be in the citadel ahead. There is no need for worry.”
Baloris confirmed as much. “Yes, this is true. We will face no threats until we reach the citadel. They cannot possibly imagine that we would be so foolish as to deliver ourselves in this manner.”
Pilgrim was still puzzled. “But what purpose do all these buildings serve? Who lives there?”
“Ah, yes. They serve no purpose now,” replied Xodd. “The structures are relics of a previous existence before the order of the council was applied here: the systematic changing of the populace into anamorphs and then inerts. The city now serves as a block against attack from what was long viewed as a low-risk potential second front. A very minor strategic concern for the Endarchs until now. The threat of the Hegemon in Indomitable was always the primary focus. Urta’s rest was intended to lock things down safely until the council could muster its energies here better. It would seem that things have not gone according to their plans. We are fortunate. It should give us an advantage for what is to come.”
Pilgrim noticed Baloris exerting another of its covert appraisals. The former Endarch’s behavior was starting to become a source of annoyance. Pilgrim decided to bring the issue out into the open. “Endarch Baloris, I have noticed some strange fascination on your part with my— well I don’t know how to put it. Is there something that interests you?”
The Endarch was taken aback and began sputtering. “Yes, well you are an alien, or so I have been told. I find your patterns enthralling. I apologize for this. I wonder though, is it true that you were a specimen in the minor artifact of plenty and escaped imprisonment in Timathur? You seek to hide your patterns and do so well, but I am still fascinated.”
“That is pretty much the way of it,” signaled Pilgrim growing increasingly annoyed at the former Endarch’s unctuous mannerisms. “You and your fellow Endarchs are responsible for the gate that brought me to this world. You have been working to free the Tormentors from their prison.” Pilgrim felt a growing swell of anger as the assertion hung in the ether.
Baloris was completely nonplussed and obliviously fixated on the patterns it hoped to glimpse deep beneath Pilgrim’s form walls. It seemed to recognize that some gesture was now required and offered a proforma apology. “Yes, I can offer no other explanation other than that I was a slave: completely and totally dominated by forces beyond my own comprehension. I can assure you that I want nothing more than to help correct the wrongs that I have haplessly perpetrated.”
“And now is your chance. How fortunate for you,” signaled Xodd. They had reached the main gate of the citadel: a large squat structure that harbored two large doors, both now surprisingly flung open. There was a small squad of inert soldiers stationed outside the gate lounging about as if nothing were amiss.
Breaker understood immediately the opportunity that now presented itself; the enemy were oblivious and unprepared. Almost simultaneously Pilgrim and Xodd shifted into their battle forms and charged forward to secure the passage into the citadel. There was hardly a scuffle; the guards were dispatched, and the attack column led by Breaker surged into the main compound of the citadel.
They made several sweeps of the interior rooms that formed the central barracks, commissary, and logistics areas, meeting only feeble resistance. It was evident that the garrison had been stripped down to almost nothing. A Council officer of some modest rank tried to organize a last stand in the courtyard, but the effort was quickly snuffed out.
Vinks arrived with the main army shortly afterward having secured all the cardinal gates on the main defensive walls. The general beamed with a positive energy very pleased with the outcome of the infiltration and assault; the fortress was now firmly in their control.
“We have accomplished a difficult task without any significant losses,” effused Vinks. “It’s starting to make me suspicious.”
“I have to agree general,” signaled Stinky. “The quicker we strip what we need from this citadel, the better.”
“I’d like to be on the road within the cycle, but that won’t be possible,” signaled Breaker. “We need a lot of very important things: source-charges, source rations, wagons, as many as we can find or repair.”
Vinks gave the orders: the entire city was to be stripped but with a firm deadline: two cycles. Pilgrim set off with Breaker, Stinky, Zuur, Voor, and Codex to explore the citadel and its environs. Xodd and a few of its companions soon joined them unannounced. Pilgrim didn’t really mind; only the lugubrious presence of Baloris, slinking around the passages, was off-putting in any way. Soon the odd fellow disappeared entirely.
Pilgrim observed as Malador and Block both went efficiently about their business. They quickly identified several key areas to begin their searches which immediately yielded results: supplies, documents, a weapon’s locker of short lances.
Pilgrim watched Malador closely as it hovered here and there. It seemed to be trying to find something in the main command area. It was finally drawn to a series of compartments in the main room, where staff meetings or something similar were organized. Unlike the citadel in Timathur, this one had not been ransacked.
Pilgrim noticed Xodd watching nearby as well. “What is your friend looking for?”
“The archives,” signaled Xodd. “The logistics specialists keep detailed records of supplies, projects, troop counts and so forth. Malador hopes to get an accounting of what we might be able to find. Something is wrong though. The obvious places have been searched. Still, we might find something useful.”
Malador stirred from its deep focus. “My lord captain, someone has been careful to remove or destroy the archives, not just parts of it. All of it. Everything is gone.”
An uneasy feeling seemed to pervade Pilgrim’s form walls. It swung the focus of its transom in all directions seeking the source of the disturbance. Groz was suddenly there. Xodd and Malador seemed unphased by such shenanigans. Pilgrim withheld a remonstration on the impoliteness of sneaking up on other source-beings. Valor had never comported itself that way.
“Captain, we have found something that you should come and see,” signaled Groz.
“What is it?”
“A barracks complex of technicians and fabrication halls under the citadel. There are a lot of them all filled up with projects of various types most of which I have no clue as to what they intend. The Old Alchemist has requested Malador’s assistance. I have informed their General Vinks. And I have also discovered Baloris sneaking around there as well. Trying to sneak around that is. It seems to be searching maniacally for somethin
g.”
Xodd laughed. “No secret there. It wants to find some rare alien essence. Most likely its seeks its artifact but perhaps it knows of some essence stashed away for their experiments. Its addiction is far from conquered it would seem.”
“That would explain its fascination with me,” observed Pilgrim flatly. “We should keep a close watch on it. I doubt it can hurt me but there is no reason to take any risks.”
Xodd smiled grimly on its form walls. “Baloris is pathetic and nearing the end of its usefulness. I can’t see it being much help in breaching the two remaining slip points or busting our way into Instrumentality. But let us inspect these special project fabricating halls. We may find something useful there.”
The halls were impressively engineered structures beyond anything Pilgrim had encountered in all the cities that it had seen since arriving in the strange pocket universe. They seemed to stretch on forever, one room after another: long rectangular workshops filled to the brim with crates of carefully crafted parts and mechanisms of the most unusual flow. There were several levels connected by wide plunging ramps that allowed the transfer of materials or large completed projects between rooms.
A large barracks for technicians formed a hub around which some of the rooms were distributed. The technicians had been oblivious to the fact that the city had been conquered by their enemies. They had attempted to work on, but Vinks eventually had them rounded up and confined to their quarters under guard. Breaker undertook cursory interrogations, but they yielded no fruitful intelligence; the technicians were completely uncooperative and unconcerned with their own well-being. Coercive interrogation techniques would take too long and be unlikely to have the desired effect.
Breaker finally resolved to use Codex to pry out some information via suggestion or outright domination. Codex was reluctant to cooperate, citing the stress it would put on its own self-control but Voor managed to persuade the Mesmer that they were desperate enough to overlook some of their old taboos. Stinky was nervous about the idea, but Pilgrim knew its friend was equally worried about their timetable. Every cycle that they loitered in Urta’s Rest was another that might bring an enemy army to their doorstep blocking off their path to Instrumentality. Pilgrim had the sensation that they were pushing their luck too far. And yet, there was still much they needed to do and more importantly gather in order to reach their goal: a chamber below a fortified citadel harboring a prison that soon would be cracked open.
