I could see both of their souls as they neared the building. I could see Rostov out front with Prada. My Mage squad took turns partnering with Prada as my "bodyguards" after the loss of Rictor at Second Kansas.
I had left my door open so the two Generals walked on in.
"Good afternoon, Colin," Polo said with a smile, "I understand you have some good news for us today."
"Yep, very good news," I said, "What would you guys think about a weapon that is fed by the Source?"
"You've talked about making cannons out near the gate like that before." Marco said.
"Yeah but these are personal weapons for soldiers. They work a lot like the Soullance a Mage uses."
I saw Polomo's eyes widen at the thought of that along with a surge of excitement rolling through his aura.
"You have these?"
"I have a proto-type," I said, "I need some volunteers to learn how to use em. That's where you come in. I need some soldiers."
"We'll need to see the proto-type work before we can authorize tests with our troops," He said, "but I see no reason why you can't have the men afterwards."
"As soon as we see that, we can turn the engineers loose to start manufacturing..." Marcus said but stopped as he saw my wince.
You don't reach the rank these two had reached without being fairly sharp.
"We're not going to like the next part, are we?" Polomo asked.
"This whole thing has been privately funded," I said, "for a reason. These weapons will be available world-wide. I want the whole world armed, if I can get it."
"I can see where our bosses would be a little upset with that since the US is the only place that’s been attacked thus far," Polomo stated, "But I see where you would want to do it this way. The Kresh aren't going to just hit here."
"They probably won't be comin' here when they come back," I said, "My spies tell me that they're settling who is next in line to take over the attack. When they do they'll be back and I think they’ll come through somewhere we haven't seen yet. There are five gates unaccounted for. It's gonna be ugly."
"I just hope we have time to get the guns working and out there before they do come back. I would love to meet them with a wave of the Source weapons," I continued.
"Ok," Marcus nodded, "We'll worry with that part later. So, tell us about the weapons."
"They're based on the Soullance, as I said. The weapon itself is quite simple. It looks much like a big shotgun. Inside the barrels are focusing lenses to make the power more intense."
As I said this I pulled a folder from the top drawer of my desk. Inside were drawings of the weapon I was describing.
"The barrels are removable so they can be replaced. You can only do so much continuous fire before the barrel degrades."
"Interesting," Polo said.
"The key to the whole thing is the software developed by my programmers. It makes the link between the helmet and the gun work. With the helmet on, anyone can feel the Source through the weapon and Pull it like a Mage. It will only Pull through the gun, instead of the person. Thus, no ammo needed. Heavy use will need barrels, though. We haven't found anything that can handle the heat that's generated by the Source for very long."
"Very impressive, Colin," Marcus said, "Where did the private funding come from, if I may ask? Soulguard?"
"Actually, I mean very privately funded," I answered, "By me. Over the years, my finance guy has made a lot of money for me. Almost all of it went into this project."
"What's the price tag on these weapons?"
"Bare minimum," I returned, "We'll be sellin' close to cost. Maybe a few percent above so I can get my money back out of it."
"It sounds good, Colin. When can we see a test?"
"I'm plannin' a test for Paige and Gregor on Friday. You guys are more than welcome to come too. After you see it, I'm hoping to set up another one for you and whoever you need to bring into it. There will be demonstrations for most of the foreign governments as well. I'm hopin' we can get into production within a month and start the training. My test guy says it's not hard to learn. He picked it up almost immediately."
"I'm looking forward to it," Polo said with a grin, "It's time we evened up the playing field with these bastards. We can face 'em even when your guys can't get there in time. The attacks here would have gone a totally different direction if we'd had these."
"New York, Chicago, Atlanta," Marco said with a shake of his head, "All would have been better. Not to mention LA, that was a catastrophe. Thank God for your boy, Graves."
"You're right there," I said, "I'm not sure if anyone else could have done what he did out there. Most of the attacks had been the regular Kresh, the attack dogs. Maybe a few soldiers. They sent one of their Mages, with Wraiths in tow. I don't even know how many of em. Then the rest had been Soldiers. They wrecked LA pretty bad."
"Very true," Polo said, "At least, until your boy got there. From all reports, he read 'em from the book."
"That he did," I said, "Not without some scratches, though. We lost more men and he was beat up pretty bad, too."
"He recovered quite well," Marco said, "I saw him a few days ago with the Archmage. He seemed to be holding up alright."
"He is," I said, "Losing men is always hard and this was his first time in charge of something like that. He took the losses hard, but he's doin' better now."
"Taking losses is always hard and should never become easy," Polomo said, "And how are you holding up after this last one? It was pretty rough on you, both in losses and other issues."
I knew he was talking about my Kresh heritage when he said other issues. The DNA inside my body was changing me. After touching their Source the changes had been faster. I thought I had known the depths of my rage until I had grabbed that Farrara'Ti by its Soul. My connection to their Source had begun there.
I am ashamed of what I did to that Soul before I let it go and it slid back through the Gateway. But it is a lesson learned. I cannot use their Source or I will become more and more like them.
"The losses aren't much easier to handle now than then," I said, "Not the least of which was the loss of Ric. The 'other' issues are there all the time, too, just beneath the surface. I have a huge weapon I could use against them but to do so would destroy my humanity. I may become worse than those we face."
Marco and Polo had been two of the few people I had confided in after Second Kansas. They knew more about me than I ever wanted anyone to see. Unfortunately the cameras had been right on me when I'd ripped that Soul out of the Farrara'Ti and the whole world saw what I did to it.
"That's why I pushed to get these weapons. I need something to face them with that can save me from having to do that."
"I don't know where the DNA is going to take you, Colin," Marco said, "but I seriously doubt it can completely change you from the man we see in front of us. Too much difference in your past and the typical past of one of them to compare. I'm not sayin' to go out and use that particular skill, I'm just sayin' I can't see it turning you into worse than them."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence but I don't think I want to put that to the test, if you don't mind," I said, "Much better to meet them with several hundred thousand Source weapons."
"So true," Polo agreed.
"Not to mention, Lyrica said she was going to kick my ass if I even thought of touching their Source again."
"I have no doubt," Marcus said with a grin, "If there is one person who could, it would be that young lady."
Chapter 3
"You're extremely lucky things worked out as they did, Colin," Warren Grimes said.
Warren had been a Mage back when I was in the Academy. He'd gotten himself tied from the Source for abusing his power. As it turned out, he wasn't a bad guy. He couldn't do the things a Mage was supposed to do so he'd chosen to arrange it where he didn't have to. It seemed to me like an extreme way to not do the fighting required of a Mage. He still served the Soulguard in another capacity.
He'd been doing the financ
ial wizardry that was putting Knoxville into a position of respect instead of the place where the misfits were dropped.
When I got there I'd put my finances in his hands and never regretted it for a moment.
"That's true," I said, "If it had failed, I would have had to move back in with Dad and Mom and started eating her cooking again."
"It wouldn't have been that drastic," He said with a chuckle, "but you would have been strapped for cash for a while as I built it back. Even with this war looming, I could have made money."
"I'm not sure I deserve you, man," I said, "but I sure am glad you're here."
"How did it go with the Archmage?"
"She was pissed," I answered.
"I thought she might be," he said, "The Guard has always wanted to be in charge of things and they tend to get upset when someone else is setting the terms."
"Funny thing is," I said, "she wasn't mad about that. She was pissed because I didn't trust her enough to tell her about it til after the fact."
"That's a little surprising. I guess I'm still getting used to the new way things are being done since the change of the Council."
"Everything is different now," I said, "The war with Demons is completely different than it was for all those years. I'd say there have been more casualties on both sides in the last few years than the last five hundred totaled."
"I would agree," He said.
"And it's just a drop in the bucket of what's to come," I said, "My guys say there are hundreds of millions of Kresh on the home world. Just a small percentage are even aware that we exist. If we can't do somethin' pretty drastic, they'll roll over us with sheer numbers."
"Way to cheer a fellow up, boss," a voice came from behind us.
"What's up, Buddy?" I asked one of my oldest friends, Trent Deacons.
"Your better half sent me to ask if you still plan on dinner tomorrow with the usual suspects."
I looked at Warren, "I don't know, Am I broke?"
He chuckled, "No, you're not far from it but with the success we've had with the project, you're ok. I'm sure you can afford one of those trips to Hooters."
"Looks like we're still on, then," I turned back to Trent. "The good thing is I think it's all you can eat wings night tomorrow."
"Yeah," he said, "I can see that bein' pretty high on your list of important things to know. Right below the numbers of how many Kresh there are is the schedule for all you can eat wings at Hooters."
"Not right below it."
He just looked at me with one eyebrow raised.
"Ok, maybe it is."
He laughed, "I thought so. I'll see ya later today then, Boss."
Warren was smiling as Trent walked away.
"It's good to see the sense of humor coming back, Sir," he said.
"Can't help it," I said, "If you can't laugh, what's it all worth?"
"True," he said, "When do we do our demonstration for the Archmage?"
"Friday," I answered, "along with Marco and Polo."
"You've been busy, then."
"Spent the whole day in meetings, so far," I said.
"Go on and do what you need to then," he said, "There's nothing new in your finances yet. After the demonstrations begin, on the other hand, that will change drastically."
"You know I don't want to profit from this..."
"We have a three percent mark-up, Sir," He said, "You'll make very little per gun but we're looking at millions of sales if we are successful. That alone assures your financial future."
"Kinda hard to wrap my mind around that," I said.
"It may be, but you risked everything on this and it's about to pay off. Don't be ashamed of having a return. It could have very well failed and you would have had to eat Kyra's cooking."
"Well, since you put it that way," I said with a laugh.
"I'll talk to you again before the demo, Sir"
"Seeya later, Warren."
***
"What the Hell are ya thinkin'?!" I heard Jacobs' voice all the way across the hangar. "You hit the powder and the whole thing is gonna blow up in your face!"
He was yelling at a Mage fresh from the Academy. I could see the man had a Soulstream of about six inches in diameter. It was just as well, I'd seen this guy before and he had the worst focus I've ever seen in a Mage. He was a support Mage and would never be more. Unlike Soulguards, Mages are born with their larger Soulstreams. There's not a whole lot you can do with a Mage who can't focus. They thought he might have enough focus to imbue the guns in a plane with the Source, but apparently not.
"I guess you're headin back to the Academy," He said at a slightly lower decibel. "Get your stuff, maybe you can go work with Lyrica. You don't need precision to help move patients around."
I walked over to the pair and the young Mage made a quick exit.
Ivan Jacobs turned toward me and extended his hand. Or glove, you might say. During first Kansas, he'd lost his arm from the elbow down and his left leg from the knee down. I had helped him build a shield prosthesis for both. I had lit up his aura and Soulstream while he designed a very intricate shield to replace both lost appendages.
His invisible hand he kept inside a glove so as not to freak out everyone around him. His hand gripped mine to my astonishment. It felt as normal as anyone's hand inside a glove. Maybe a little more solid, since the shield was harder than flesh would have been. What astonished me was the movement as he gripped my hand.
"That's impressive," I said, "You've got almost flawless mobility in the hand."
"It's like I was a child and learnin' to use the hand again. This time with mental nerves instead of physical," He said with a grin, "I still lose the mobility if there's too much goin on around me, but I'm getting better at it every day."
"I'm glad to hear that, Ivan," I said, "How are things goin on your front?"
"Looks like the AC-130 is comin back, Boss," He said, "It was on a decline for years because there wasn't many places it could be used to its potential. Then you come along and give it a purpose again. You just gotta love these beasts."
"I liked the looks of em from the moment I first saw one," I said, "Speakin of which, have the new ones shown up yet? I need to do shields on em as soon as they get here."
"Saturday, they should be here."
"Good, I want as many of these things ready to go as we can get. I may not have the time to put shields on every one of em that the country has, but I want to shield as many as we can. I wish we could have come up with something a little simpler so that me and Lyr wouldn't have to do each one."
The air strip we had been using had grown quite a bit. At Second Kansas, there had been three AC-130s with Mages inside to imbue the weapons. We now had thirty five of them. Five were always kept crewed and ready at a moment's notice. There were also a bunch of assault helicopters, I couldn't remember what they were called but they had, what looked like a huge multi-barrel gun on the nose. I hadn't found a way to shield helos yet. They have too many parts that need to be free to move.
There were jets as well but, I was afraid to mess with the aerodynamics of something that fast. The jets would be used to drop all sorts of goodies into the middle of the next Demon horde that poked its nose out of the Kansas gate.
"It would be nice," he said, "but we play the cards we're dealt, Boss."
"So, I have a little good news for ya, buddy," I said, "She probably doesn't even know it yet, but Gina is about to get transferred back here. She's done great at her first post in LA."
I saw the joy roll through his aura. I also saw a memory of Ivan buying a ring and I smiled. That's one of the things that we have in common, amongst a few other things. We had both found the woman that completes us. He and Gina had been together from the moment she had gone home with him from the Hooters in Wichita. She had spent the last six months stationed in LA, though.
Due to the amount of new Soulguards, they would circulate through the posts much faster than we did when I was given my first post. I spent eig
ht years in Knoxville as my first post. Now they do their first posting for six months before being transferred to a more permanent station.
"That's the best news I've heard all week," he said, "I have a little surprise for her when she gets back."
"I bet you do," I said with a grin.
He looked at me with one eyebrow raised, "You been peekin'?"
He tapped the side of his head.
"Couldn't help it," I said, "you thought about it as soon as I said her name."
"Thank God she can't do that, I wouldn't ever get to surprise her with anything," He said, "How do you ever surprise Lyrica?"
"I never plan in advance," I said, "Surprises her all the time."
He laughed aloud.
"I've noticed that about ya, Boss. The good side is that the enemy won't figure out what ya got planned if ya just make shit up as ya go."
"That's what I figured, it's worked so far."
"True enough," he said with a smile.
Chapter 4
"What we got next, Boss?" Prada asked.
"Time to check out the new Mage cannons," I said, "You two should enjoy that."
My two escorts today were Galen Stone and Andrea Prada. Prada spent almost every day with me, just like before but the others had begun cycling through soon after Second Kansas. I don't think I need a bodyguard but they insist.
"I haven't had the pleasure of trying one of those yet," Stone said.
"There are ten new ones and we'll be testin all of em'," I said.
"Nice," Prada said, "Those are fun."
"You just like shootin stuff, Andrea," I said.
"Maybe," she returned, "But who's idea was it to make laser cannons that look like they come from a Star Wars movie?"
"I have no idea what you're talkin about."
"Sure, go on and tell yourself that," she said, "At least you haven't made your swords glow like light sabers yet."
"Lyrica did that a long time ago and Rictor never forgave her," I said.
The mention of my friend always brought with it a sadness, but it wasn't as bad as it had been several months back. For a time, I couldn't even think of Ric without going into a rage. I still feel that rage down inside and there will come a time to release it. They'll come back again and I'll let that beast from its cage. They call me Rash'Tor'Ri, the life ender. I intend to show them they chose the name well.
Bloodlord (Soulguard Book 3) Page 2
