by Dawn Chapman
I couldn’t help but grin. “Planet-side it is then! Get me out there—I want to level for this as soon as I can.”
Dylan opened the door, and this time he didn’t stop me going through.
It was much different being this high up. Getting used to the extra perspective was weird.
“How do you feel?” Dylan asked, turning to watch me as I tripped over my own feet and landed on my ass.
“Like an idiot,” I replied as he held out a hand for me to grasp. Getting up was a lot frigging harder than I ever could have imagined.
Almost like my motor controls were off.
“It’s the gravity playing with your perception. One reason why people start off in smaller units.”
I laughed. “Yeah, but these look way cooler.”
Once standing, he pointed ahead of us. “If we head to the outer perimeter’s walls, we should be able to see the mech guards. They patrol this side, due to the sheer size of the monsters that venture this way.”
Oh crap, more monsters?
I did say I’d explain if you wanted, Xirob said.
Yes! I said. Please do. I want to know.
Then this is our story. The side you don’t get to hear.
Dylan started walking out, and I followed while listening to Xirob in my head.
Earth’s colony ship showed up three hundred and forty years ago.
I didn’t know if he was talking in his years or mine. The math didn’t add up in my head. I didn’t know what his time scale was like. For us it had only been a bit more than a hundred and seventy.
His years, Hiroto said to me. Two to one of ours it seems.
We didn’t know who you were, what you were like. We greeted you just like we would any other intelligent species.
Dylan was a few steps ahead of me, and I tried to quicken my pace while watching where my feet were going. At least it started to seem easier. With each step, I was getting better.
It clicked with me then. Yeah, two of ours. That made more sense. So Borix in his forties actually is in his eighties? Seemed wild they lived so long, but alien. I thought. Gotta have some major differences.
What happened? Hiroto asked.
I could hear Xirob’s apprehension. I didn’t need to voice my own. It was going to be obvious that we were shit. This hadn’t happened with us being the good guys, far from it.
It was good at first. We built relationships, friendships even. My ancestors and yours started to make real headway, and that’s when the Vrolsh attacked.
There really is a war going on out here then?
I almost fell over again. Damn, it was hard to do two things at once.
Yes and no. They attacked because a rogue human ship had gone into sacred territory and started killing off local animals. Sacred animals to the Vrolsh for defending their birthing place.
I swallowed. It sounded right. Off looking for things we shouldn’t. Get into trouble of some kind and just start shooting. I saw Dylan move ahead of me, and something shot out of the underbrush. He didn’t hesitate to draw a gun! And then fire at it! I almost ducked when he turned to me, slotting the gun back away in a second. That was really neat. He had a lot of practice with the mechs—that was obvious. Me, I was just going to land on my ass.
The Vrolsh wouldn’t listen to any of your excuses. They took a stance against you, and we were in the crossfire; it turned them against us too. What was peaceful across space turned into full-on war between the eighteen species.
There are only eighteen different sentient species out here? I was shocked. I mean, I’d always wondered. Yet amongst the millions of possibilities, only eighteen? We humans couldn’t be the only ones; it didn’t seem right that we were.
Why have none of you made it to our system? There’s so much I don’t get? Hiroto was asking some of the questions I was thinking. But instead of answering them, Xirob carried on with his tale first.
The humans retreated to a couple of planets outside our system, the largest that would sustain their lives without needing machines or shields.
Gridon, both Hiroto and I said at the same time. I stumbled again and managed this time to right myself in a lovely roll manoeuvre.
The war took many turns in the first few years. Billions died, Xirob said. Then there was a lull.
The lull was because our military didn’t have anything to send through, Hiroto said. Anything that was big enough.
All funding went into the transfer program, right? I asked.
That sucked. I wanted to curl up and not listen to this. The exchange was more between Hiroto and Xirob as Hiroto paused to tell me of the tales of his own ancestors. It was interesting and saddening. The more I heard, the more I knew now more than ever I wouldn’t stop till this ended.
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AT RISK
What?
Kyle, stop stressing, Hiroto shouted at me. Your fists!
I looked down and saw that the fists of the mech were clenched so tight it was stressing the unit. Oops. I let myself relax a little.
I don’t hold you responsible for their actions, Xirob said. I only hold responsible those who sent the orders, that still send the orders.
I will bring them down, I said. I won’t stop till I do.
Then I am glad I am conscious to help, to see what you do. What if…
If I lose my life because you take a hit and don’t survive, then so be it.
I will—
We will! Hiroto chimed in.
And if I could have wiped the inside of my suit, my face, I would have wiped away the single tear that ran down my cheek. We will stop them. Together. The conviction in my voice must have come through as they had no response.
I found it really strange to feel them inside me like this. Now that Xirob had started to talk and to open up, Hiroto did too. I was listening in to two very different people talk about their mission in this, what they wanted to do and what they needed from it.
I suddenly felt very honoured. Hiroto had sacrificed his life for this already, and I was learning how much that sacrifice meant to him.
I reached Dylan and stood beside him, looking out to where he was. “Interesting trip?”
“It wasn’t bad at all,” I said with a laugh.
I stared into the distance and noted the mechs ahead as they patrolled.
Up and down a distinct line. I could see a shield in the distance. I also saw its stats too. That was interesting.
MAIN SHIELD LINE = 100% NO FLAWS = INTACT
As I looked along it, I could see different sections. They were each numbered, and I soon understood why. A massive explosion bounced above the head of one of the mechs, and it didn’t flinch, but it turned to where the fire had come from. From behind it, the mech pulled on a weapons pack. I watched as the pack morphed into a gun, almost as large as the mech was. Then it retaliated with fire.
Dylan whistled. “I didn’t think they’d be in action while we were out. This is so cool.”
But then I knew what was coming before he did. I saw it.
THREE INCOMING MISSILES
I spotted them because Xirob did. Like his consciousness drew my eyes to the shield line. When the first one struck I saw the damage flash up.
MAIN SHIELD LINE 92% = GRID FLAW AT LOCATION 7181
That location was right above our heads. I not only felt the next one hit, I heard the missile as the shield caved around it.
MAIN SHIELD LINE 75% = GRID DESTROYED AT LOCATION 7181
The third missile came through the hole so fast I reacted just like I would have in any other game. There were weapons in here—I just hadn’t tried any of them out. Reaching behind me, like I’d seen the mech on the line do, I pulled my weapon forwards. A laser gun. There were slight differences between Dylan’s mech and mine it seemed. As it morphed around my arm, its stats also flashed up. I didn’t have time to look at any of it. I focussed in, lined up that moving target, and fired.
TARGET LOCKED – CHANCE OF SUCCESS AT THIS DISTANCE – 55%
<
br /> The sharp-shooting laser struck the back end of the missile, shifting its trajectory. It was off.
SNIPER RANK INCREASE! - RANK 10!
YOU’RE GOING FOR GOLD! DON’T FUCK ABOUT. THESE GUYS WILL KILL YOU AND STICK YOU IN A POD JUST TO KILL YOU AND KILL YOU AGAIN!
But even though it didn’t disintegrate the whole thing, it spun it around to a whole different trajectory. It hit the ground outside the base a good few thousand feet away from the wall and exploded with a lot more power than the ones that had hit the shield.
“That fucker was going to destroy half the base,” Dylan gasped.
The shield above our head was a clear nightmare with easy access for enemy entry.
“Fuck!” I said, my vision lighting up with several other incoming missiles. I shouted to Dylan. “Pull your guns out, now!”
“I don’t know how? How the fuck did you do it?”
What the fuck, what level was he? Had he lied to me? Did he know anything about mechs at all? There was no time for this! “I don’t know, just do it!” I yelled, totally frustrated I turned inside. Guys, if you can do anything here, now, I might need it.
On it, let me have control of your right arm. I’ll take left!
I felt out of control as the laser gun shifted in shape and size as my left arm reached behind me for something else. Another. No, slightly different. An Autocannon. I had two guns now. One in each hand.
A map flashed before me, a tiny flag on it. You concentrate on where you’re going. You will need to move fast. Get us up on that hill top.
I started to run, looking to Dylan. “Just reach behind you, think gun, anything. I’ll defend from up there.”
I saw him do as suggested, his weapon forming as I concentrated on not falling over.
Splitting control = Three-way operation engaged.
I then saw something strange—my view then split too. It was as if the other two guys had their own views and controls. Now I could understand why they told me to concentrate though. As I looked through the view of Hiroto, I stumbled and forced myself into some kind of roll.
Dammit Kyle!
I wobbled but righted myself just in time for Hiroto to take his shot. He took out one of the impending missiles easily enough, but it could have been disastrous.
With the two of them seeking targets and shooting, the incoming barrage was thwarted pretty quickly.
But that wasn’t going to be the last.
I heard a message coming into my head. “This is Commander Jain, who is inside that FC 791?”
I didn’t know what to do, did I report back to her? Fuck.
“Kyle Ranz,” I said. “I’ll take out as many as I can. We need support on all quarters. This is a targeted attack.”
I watched as two of the mechs on the line were sought out and then, in a flash of brilliant light, were destroyed. “Your patrolling guards are being taken out!”
“Tell me something I don’t know. How about another—you don’t show on any mech training or officer lists. Who are you, and what are you doing in one of my high-level mechs?”
Shit! I didn’t have time for this and answered sharply, “Looks like I’m saving your ass, least you could do is say fucking thank you!”
With a thought, I clicked ignore conversation and looked back to the fight.
Hiroto took out another incoming missile barrage with Xirob. I turned to see that Dylan was making sure the spot where the two mech guards had been wasn’t being overrun.
I opened the comms again to her disdain. “Commander Jain, who I am doesn’t matter. Get that back-up here, now. Or you’re going to lose this side of the base in less than…” I looked at the movement beyond the shields. “Fuck, less than fifteen minutes.”
“I can’t get anyone there in fifteen minutes!”
“How long?”
“Twenty, tops.”
“Do it!”
“Who the fuck do you think you are? Little prick! That’s my fucking mech!”
I cut the call again. I didn’t have any more energy to accept the barrage of questions she tried to throw at me.
You are risking everything to defend them. You know that, Xirob said, and I knew he just didn’t mean me. I was risking him too.
There’re still innocent people in there, and they’re denti just like you are.
He thought that was funny. He laughed, then I watched through his eyes as he sighted the next few targets. I was astounded at the way the pair of them worked this body to make sure that no one got through. It was amazing.
I realised then that I couldn’t lose either of them. Xirob was more a part of me than I was. Weird thought, but it felt true.
The next fifteen minutes started to drag on, and I noticed the energy and ammo in the weapons on the mech dropping too. The success rate of our hits was also on the decline, and I’d used everything I could to stop us from overheating and sorted out two AC jams when they’d been firing too long. We needed that back up. Dylan comm’d through, and I accepted it.
“Damn man, where’s that backup?”
“Incoming, Commander Jain said, any minute, hold your position.”
I could see several other mechs on their way. I knew how this was going to go down. Just like it had before. No fucking way!
“What’s wrong?” Dylan asked.
“What do you think?” Tyto and his crew were on their way out here of course.
The highest score on the board—of course he would be deployed before anyone else. What he wasn’t going to expect was for me to be out here. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know.
We have an incoming message, Hiroto said. Do you want me to take it?
No.
I clicked the comms, answering with as strong a voice I could muster. “Report?”
“We’ll be on your position in five. You’re almost out of ammo. Regroup with Saskia and reload. Follow my orders, no deviation.”
There was no malice, no anything that came across. Just orders. I was a little weirded out by it. Did he even know it was me? Maybe not.
No, Xirob said, he knows, he also knows he needs you. Or they’re all done for.
I swallowed. Xirob was right. The swarm of monsters and incoming fire from the outside were taking a turn for the worse. My view of the enemy now a sea of red dots. If we didn’t do this together, I could quite clearly see that it was going to be over for the lot of them. I noticed Saskia behind him. Funny how a mech could actually look feminine, but it wasn’t the mech—it was just the way she walked. She did have her weapons with her, but she also had a kick-ass gun slung over her shoulder. Her blades sliced through the odd critters that moved her way, trying their best to escape what they knew was coming.
“Make your way down to us and we can do this. We’ll watch the post and keep you clean.”
I smiled, turning from where I was to make my way back down and towards their position. I was careful in how I approached Saskia, though, unsure if Tyto would take my head in a second. But he moved ahead and took the spot I was in while I ceased fire.
“Energy pack is in my sack. You can see it if you step behind me. I will let you take two. Make sure you drop and reload before you try and shoot, or you’ll blow us all to high heaven, newb.”
It was the way she said it that made me laugh, but I stepped behind her and let Xirob and Hiroto do the work together. They made sure the energy cartridges were dropped before a second fresh was loaded in. I could see why it was an easy mistake to make—you could double load, but that was probably for those who knew what they were doing.
“Get your ass on the line. There’re three incoming Trel Bosses from the City.”
Trel what species are they? can we fight them? I asked Xirob.
Part machine and animal like you are now. They’ll be mechs, like us.
They have been in the war on and off for a few years. Not as many as some of the others, but they wanted this planet from day one. We, however, weren’t going to give it up. They are what sent the M-Wo
lves in on the other side, and they’re the ones giving the main orders.
That was interesting. So there were others behind the M-Wolf attacks. They were just pawns like we were? I struggled with that thought, after witnessing that M-Wolf up close, and Tyto killing me.
I took hold of my own thoughts and let the two of them carry on with their now even more heated display of weaponry.
The more the weapons went off, though, the harder I found things becoming for me. My knees weakened. I felt myself losing consciousness.
“Hang in there,” Dylan said over comms. “I can see what’s happening. You can do this. No matter how hard it hurts if you go down, the system will take your levels and any loot that comes up now. If you hold your ground, it will be split between us all. But it will be ours!”
I swallowed, fought against the pain in my head and in my legs.
I tried to stand, couldn’t. My legs wobbled like crazy. Hold still. I can’t concentrate while you’re shaking, Hiroto said.
But, I couldn’t help it. My legs gave way. They, however, kept firing. They didn’t give up. So I gritted my teeth, and straightened my mech, I fought. I would not let them down!
My vision flooded with notification after notification. Levelling up faster than anything came with a stinker of a headache.
I’ll get rid of them for now, Hiroto said.
No, as much a pain in the ass as it was, I also needed to slot in the new points from levelling. I struggled to maintain this standing position. But that was all I was doing, so I scanned my sheet. I knew I could do something now that might help, even if just a little. Two to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and one to Wisdom and Luck. Other increases flashed before me, and I noted them quickly, while the others saved my ass. Finally, I’d made above rank seven in Battle Mage, turning my second healing spell to active. I also noticed – Knowledge had been added from Xirob.
I didn’t need to understand how, but I knew I already had been learning from him over the last few months. There was no way a zero level in anything could get to be where I was. With everything Xirob had been doing for me, I’d been learning, and so had Hiroto. They’d both been teaching me via example. Things I seemed to know how to do were essentially because of them. My rankings were so much higher, so much stronger because of them, and that made me proud I had them both with me.
