Entropy's Heralds: Pilgrims Path Book 3

by Vic Davis

  “What do you propose?” asked Vinks.

  “Send Steadfast now with orders to attack in half a cycle. The vehicle has already left for the resonance point. Grivil is fit. Pilgrim is sure it can handle the gate formation with only its assistance.”

  “Can Lacks and Steadfast open the resonance point on their own sufficiently to permit the vehicle to pass through?” asked Vinks.

  “Yes, I think so.”

  “If we breach the slip point, only to discover that the storm rider will not pass the resonance point, then—”

  “Yes, we would be in a tough spot,” interrupted Stinky much to Vink’s annoyance. “But we need to decide where we want to place our chips and take our risks. The timing here is critical. I also think we should move against the slip point now. No point in waiting. If we are lucky, we will reach and capture the resonance point just before the half cycle and the storm.”

  “I don’t understand your analogy, but I’ll defer to your judgment chief engineer. My objective has been solely to get you where you need to be to accomplish this mission. The Hegemon had complete faith in you, and so I do as well. And it will be you riding the vehicle into Instrumentality. It’s your call.

  “However, I will make a change as well. Instead of just sending the assault group through, I will order forward as many troops as can make it before the voiding becomes unstable. We do not know that all of the enemy will be eliminated. They may well have a small town some distance removed to supply the garrison. This was the case before. We should expect something similar. We will take our chances finding shelter when the storm arrives.”

  Stinky nodded on its form walls. “Then let’s do this now.”

  Vinks gave the orders; the pieces were all soon in motion. Pilgrim inspected Grivil closely: the singleton master was hovering with a dejected expression on its form walls. The change in its demeanor since their encounter at the resonance point in Indomitable’s node had been drastic; gone were the arrogance and swagger; in their place were self-loathing and despair. Pilgrim hoped that the ability to work and channel the ether still remained.

  Laying out what would be required, Pilgrim addressed Grivil in a neutral tone. “I’ll start the gate and place its target near their main door. I use a recursion technique that you might find strange. Do not interfere. When it comes time to push the wagon through, I will give the order. You must then hold the gate on your own while I send the lash through. Close it as soon as the lash passes. Is this clear?”

  Grivil rallied a bit. “Perfectly. I am not an acolyte. I will do as I am told. However, what is a lash?”

  Pilgrim looked at Grivil perplexed. How best to explain this? “It’s a weapon. It will appear from my form walls and resemble a large, unwinding coil of etheric energy. I will detach it, and it will move forward through the gate.”

  Grivil’s curiosity had been piqued. “Interesting, on what principles is it based? Harmonics of the etheric field? I would like to study this technique.”

  “Good. You will have ample opportunity since you will be coming with us in the assault party. I might need you to assist in creating a gate when we get to Instrumentality.”

  “This was not made clear,” objected Grivil gloomily as all enthusiasm fled its form walls. “I had hoped that our fellowship was only a temporary thing, and I might remain with the army.”

  “Buck up Grivil. This will be your chance at redemption,” exhorted Xodd hovering nearby with a grin on its form walls. “Best to seek it here than in a tavern.”

  “The company is usually of a higher quality in the tavern,” replied Grivil.

  Zuur, hovering nearby, let out a chortle of laughter much lower in amplitude than was usual. It is trying, thought Pilgrim. Xodd gave the Djenirian a blistering glance of its transom then picked up its war club and hovered over to where Malador and Block were gathered to watch the gate formation.

  Pilgrim and Grivil set about their work without any further commentary or objections. Pilgrim noticed immediately the skill that Grivil possessed, and more importantly the reservoir of energy: a formidable combination that must have taken a very long time to acquire. Soon a gate was formed in front of the two wagons loaded with their explosive cargos. The problem was immediately obvious: too narrow. They increased their efforts working on widening the aperture until a wagon could comfortably fit. Pilgrim signaled to its accomplice: “That is sufficient. I am going to order the wagons through. Once the last one disappears, I will let go. You must keep the gate up until I send the Fibonacci lash through, then immediately close the gate. Is this understood?”

  “Understood,” replied Grivil not even the least bit stressed by the current level of exertion.

  “Good.” Pilgrim looked over to Breaker, now poised with a crew to push the wagons forward. “It is time. Through the gate!”

  The wagons did not have far to go. When the last one was almost through, Pilgrim peeled off and took up position behind those pushing. After a final shove, the crew scattered; the Fibonacci lash erupted through the portal. Grivil on cue closed the gate.

  The singleton master Channeler looked quite pleased with itself. “Now what?”

  “Move! Fast!” signaled Pilgrim. There was a mad dash for the army siege line. Pilgrim could detect Grivil’s furious signal from somewhere behind. “Why wasn’t I briefed on this?”

  They reached the nearby shelter of their army’s makeshift barricades; still nothing had happened. Every transom was intently fixated on the slip point in silent anticipation. Time passed; Pilgrim sensed those gathered around growing restless.

  “Perhaps there is a flaw in your theories,” suggested Xodd with unrestrained sarcasm.

  Pilgrim did not take its transom off the slip point. “No, this is just like last time, it will happen.”

  “There are more source-charge canisters this time; the delay might scale with their magnitude,” suggested Stinky.

  “Or that ‘lash’ or whatever it was might have missed,” offered Grivil. “It looks to be—”

  A sudden incandescent flash interrupted Grivil’s observation. The formidable fortifications of the slip point seemed to simply vanish in an expanding sphere of annihilation. Where the wagons had been pushed through the translational gate, a much smaller ‘mirror’ sphere formed catching everyone’s immediate attention; it too began to expand creating a crater-like void in the flowscape below it.

  “Are we far enough away,” signaled Grivil with a tremulous tone of concern.

  “I hope so,” answered Stinky. “It’s difficult to predict these things without any real experimental data to go on.”

  The sphere slowed, halted then suddenly vanished as quickly as it had manifested leaving a sizeable crater in its wake. The entirety of the slip point defenses was gone as well: gate, walls, bunkers. The edge of the slip point’s opening glowed brightly as if excited to some high energy state: a monstrous gaping maw like those possessed by the Council Omegas.

  “There is no time to waste,” shouted Breaker. “Charge!”

  The voided crater in the slip point was reached; without halting, they plunged over the lip and down the slope. Already a small scintillating sphere was forming in the geometric center of the voiding, launching arcs of charged etheric energy in all directions. The ether tingled almost painfully as they crossed the glassy smooth surface to reach the lip on the far side. Soon the slip point would be unpassable.

  Pilgrim glanced back to see Vinks perched on the initial lip of the crater furiously exhorting and urging its troops forward. The orb in the center was no longer growing in size but the ferocity with which it expelled arcs of pure energy was clearly increasing. How much time would they have? A cascade of energy singed the ether overhead: not long.

  The assault group, accompanied by the large contingent of Hegemon Commandos, reached the far side, surmounted the lip, and discovered only a small enemy support encampment: a row of storage buildings, a crude unused training ground, the beginnings of a system of fallback trenc
hes which were not yet complete, a tall building with a large door resembling a gate.

  Breaker sidled up to Pilgrim pleased with what it was seeing. “Obviously, the main logistics and barracks complex was incorporated into the slip point defenses. We have been lucky once again.”

  They scanned the horizon to find the enemy but could not locate a single inert Council soldier. If there had been any among the auxiliary buildings, they were not visible or had fled. The Pilgrim’s Road continued toward the center of the node disappearing into the haze.

  Pilgrim was about to suggest that they begin their journey to the resonance point when it caught a glimpse of something moving among the supply depots: a writhing of tentacles. “Trouble!” signaled Pilgrim pointing with a guide tendril. “An Omega.”

  “Where?” Breaker followed the tendril and caught sight of the monster. Two more now lumbered into view. “Wonderful, three of them. And I thought this was going to be easy.”

  “They look like that last bunch in Urta’s Rest.”

  “Yes, round bodies. Something is very odd about them. I don’t think they need Alphas anymore to control them or they have somehow fused the two together.”

  Pilgrim grinned. “At least they still decohere when you shatter their cores.”

  Xodd now ambled over skirting the lip having obviously overheard part of the conversation. “Excellent! More of Telvar’s playthings. Let us get to it then. Of course, you can only see three; perhaps there is an entire barracks of them lurking among the buildings.”

  Pilgrim gave Xodd a dubious look through its transom. The former Council general returned the inspection looking quite amused. Pilgrim was about to ask how many the council could make, when the first elements of main army now arrived. Tencius was there to greet them and set about efficiently moving them into the semblance of a battle line.

  They waited and watched. The Omegas were definitely up to something, thought Pilgrim. Instead of charging madly forward in an insane rush to latch onto anyone and everyone and drop them down into their gullets, they skulked among the buildings: a flash of a tentacle here, a glimpse of a round body there.

  There was sudden rapid discharge of energy from the anomaly behind them: Tesla arcs of energy flowering out in random directions. Some of the troops scurrying across the crater were struck and instantly decohered.

  “We should move somewhere else,” suggested Stinky. “It’s not safe even here on the edge I would think.”

  “Yes, I agree,” signaled Breaker. “Tencius! Move the line forward and then shift us so we can fall back toward the resonance point. We don’t want those Omegas getting in between us and our objective.”

  The maneuvers were accomplished in short order. Vinks appeared after crossing the crater, haggard and singed: odd burn marks and stripes covering its form walls. Breaker saluted. “It looks like you had a rough time of it general.”

  “Yes, the crater is impassible now. Perhaps I waited a little too long. But we got over two thirds of the army across. We had to leave the wagons behind, but each soldier is loaded up with rations.”

  “There is a supply depot over there,” signaled Breaker motioning with a guide tendril. “But it has some rather nasty guards: at least three of their latest Omegas.”

  Pilgrim could now feel the storm growing, gathering energy from the ether somehow. “We should get moving. The storm is coming and sooner than before.”

  “I’m half tempted to take those abominations head on, while you head to the resonance point” mused Vinks. “We could then plunder the supplies. But that would leave you shorthanded for the resonance point attack.”

  Xodd laughed amused at the idea. “General, you have perhaps three hundred combatants in your battle line. If you engage those Omegas, they will slowly pick you apart. You would be giving them free nourishment. They are fast and brutally efficient at consuming source.”

  “And they seem to have worked out the mad rage problem too,” added Breaker. “They are controlled and smart now. It looks like they have integrated the Alpha into the Omega somehow.”

  “I do not doubt it,” signaled Xodd. Xinitis is a clever Endarch. It has dozens of labs in Instrumentality. I have seen the improvement in the anamorph clone lines myself.”

  “You have convinced me,” laughed Vinks. “We will form a rear guard for the march and accompany you to the resonance point.” There was another flash of an energy discharge from the crater. “The sooner the better, it would seem.”

  Tencius had the army formed up in a column in no time; they were soon on their way moving parallel to the vertex edge following a much-used service road. Trissa mounted scouts patrolled the rear and flanks of the column trying to locate and observe any pursuit by the Omegas that they had left behind at the slip point. One of the scouts went missing almost immediately, confirming that they were indeed being followed. As they traveled the ether grew progressively thicker, much faster than before.

  The trip did not take long: a mere quarter of a cycle. A scout sent ahead gave them ample warning so that they did not stumble on the main gate unannounced and unprepared. The key was to keep the ‘unannounced’ part in the plan joked Breaker as it laid out the mission responsibilities. There was no need for any elaborate ruses; the plan was simple and direct: break down the main gate, neutralize the barracks and any source-charge storehouses, then drive to the resonance point defenses and seize the remainder of the complex.

  There was a modest wall running the perimeter of the camp: it was an afterthought; the Council engineers had clearly possessed the time and resources to construct a viable defense, but those efforts had only expected an attack from the resonance point. A flimsy double door gatehouse secured the entrance from the access road.

  The gate proved to be no problem. Malador still had possession of a large quantity of grenados. A flying column of troops led by Breaker and composed of the heavy hitters of the assault group reached the double doors almost completely unobserved. Just as the munitions were about to be flung a signal rang out requesting identification: too late.

  The door was splintered and blown partially ajar: accelerated fragments lofted into the ether slowing, then falling at a leisurely pace; a small dust cloud billowing forth from the explosion. Pilgrim quickly unleashed a Fibonacci lash to clear the debris; the tip of their assault group spear surged into the main complex fully transformed into a wide variety of battle forms: some of them quite unusual and fearsome.

  Short work was made of the disoriented guards stationed there; the interior of the compound was completely devoid of activity. The layout of the camp was almost identical to the previous ones that Pilgrim had attacked: a training ground bounded by small supply buildings and a large structure, probably the command post. Paths lined with well-made shelters ran directly to two large towers strategically placed to overlook the pit: a large excavation designed to contain any invaders coming through the vertex barrier.

  Breaker barked out the already briefed orders again, “Fan out and make your way to the pit and the main defenses. Decohere everything you meet.”

  They drove forward meeting little or no resistance. The entire operation was completed in less than a sixteenth of a cycle. A good portion of the army was held outside by Vinks and a crude perimeter formed to discourage the prowling Omegas from attempting to interfere. The beasts had dogged them all the way from the slip point but did not dare to attack the main body settling instead for the tactic of trying to ambush their scouts.

  With the compound now firmly secured, they gathered again inside the captured command post to discuss their options. There was a general apprehensive mood in the ether, thought Pilgrim. They all felt that things had been too easy so far, that their run of good fortune must end.

  As the session convened, Vinks was frantically looking around the group and mumbling to Tencius. The adjutant seemed to register a display of shock on its form walls and hurried off with a small contingent of Hegemon Commandos on some errand: an important one judgin
g by the tempo with which they departed.

  The room had already seen small self-organizing factions form and distribute themselves in various areas and corners: Breaker and Stinky held court in one, Xodd and some of its comrades in another, Voor and Codex off by themselves, a collection of mercenary captains still serving Vinks clumped up near the general.

  Pilgrim observed Xodd’s group surreptitiously. They had coalesced around Xodd’s charismatic presence: a small group consisting of some of its comrades from its mercenary company including Groz and Mong. Their Sergeant Block was discussing something quite important in a very animated fashion judging by the displays on its form walls. Pilgrim discretely hovered closer to discover what was being discussed but could only make out a few symbols: “treasure vaults”, “doomed”, “blinded by revenge.”

  Vinks could wait no longer for Tencius to return. The general raised its signaling over the muted conversations. “May I have your attention.” The discussions halted and every transom now focused on Vinks. “We have once again achieved our objective with spectacular success. The storm is coming. You can all feel it. We enter the final crucial stage of this campaign. I have to confess that I am pleasantly surprised that we are even here to contemplate launching this dagger at the heart of the council in their own stronghold.

  “Timing is essential of course. We wait on the storm rider vehicle to emerge from the resonance point so that it may complete its journey to Instrumentality.”

  Pilgrim understood now. Timing was the key and one of their tools was not in the room: Grivil! Where was Grivil? Pilgrim had not seen the singleton master for some time, perhaps since they had arrived at the resonance fortification.

  Vinks’s signal brought Pilgrim out of its alarming chain of thoughts. “Adjutant Pilgrim! How long until the half cycle?”