Executor Rising: A GameLit/LitRPG Adventure (Magnus Book 2)

by Vowron Prime

  They fell silent, staring each other down for several long moments. His sister stood firm.

  This was mostly for show. They both knew that the princess always got her way.

  “Fine,” he relented, “but you’re taking a full team of Krar’s best Resistance fighters as a guard detail. That’s an order.”

  “Yes sir, oh, great commander of the Resistance, sir!” she giggled.

  MC smirked.

  “All right then, let’s do this.”

  “Yes, let’s. Don’t fuck this up.”

  Taking a deep breath, he left the room. A left and a right put him at the CIC. The autodoors whooshed opened, revealing two dozen Dyn. Zevan, Qephyx, and Apoadeid. MC strode over to a raised podium they’d erected at the far end of the room.

  “I want to thank each and every one of you for your trust in us thus far. I understand that it’s not easy to pack up shop and move in with strangers, especially with your children in tow. I aim to prove Sanctuary’s worth in due time, and I’m hoping that my earlier demonstration served to alleviate some of your concerns over the safety of this base.”

  “It did more than that!” Krar replied from amongst the group. “I would never have guessed that anyone could wield such awe-inspiring powers. I daresay there is not a single soldier in the entire Dyn military capable of wielding such terrifying power. Not even the most powerful Ultimators. We have all been wanting to know how you acquired such amazing abilities. I admit that some of us are a bit uneasy after that display.”

  Nova spoke up. Dressed in a white one-piece that perfectly complemented her ethereal beauty, the stunning alien was the very embodiment of a divine being.

  “It is a long tale, but suffice it to say, Magnus is a victim of Dyn mutagenic experimentation. It is true that he was slated to become an Ultimator candidate, but I thwarted his indoctrination. You all know what became of me after that. It is how I came to have these... wings.”

  The crowd nodded. Some averted their gaze in guilt. Others grew angry—frustrated at their inability to avert her fate.

  “However, Magnus had the misfortune of encountering one of our experimental mutagenic ponds. It is truly a miracle that he survived at all. Like the Trilnyth that pass their initiation rites, he too has obtained extraordinary powers.”

  Perhaps because there was a precedent with the Trilnyth, the Dyn seemed to accept her story at face value.

  “But to what end?” someone asked. “Can we trust him?”

  “I owe Magnus my life many times over,” Nova replied. “I have witnessed his selflessness firsthand. I trust Magnus more than anyone I have anyone else in my two hundred and thirty years of life.”

  “Also remember that Magnus hates the Legatus more than most of you in this room,” Nina said. “He has aided you in your darkest hour for exactly that reason.”

  “Agreed,” Krar responded. “We would not be alive today if it were not for Magnus. Not one among us would question your loyalty.”

  MC nodded at Krar’s vote of confidence. The Qephyx orb appeared to hold quite a bit of sway with the other Dyn in the room.

  “Thank you, Krar. Obviously, everyone knows why we are here—to strike back against the Dyn. But that’s what you’ve been trying to do for centuries now, and I am sorry to say this, but it’s not working.”

  He pressed on before anyone could protest. “Certainly not for a lack of trying, but you have all been hampered fighting an enemy superior both in numbers and resources. And, let’s face it, you’re not really a military organization. But that’s all right, because by taking down the transit gateway and spatial anchor, we’ve leveled the playing field a bit.”

  “In what way? We are now cut off from the rest of the Resistance network! The Legatus has far more resources than us, even accounting for your operation here,” someone in the crowd shouted.

  “It might seem that way at first, but your war was unwinnable. The enemy had access to infinite reinforcements, and theirs are a hell of a lot better than yours. With Kelruhn isolated, we have a hope of changing that, if we wage a guerrilla war. I’m talking shock tactics, psychological and informational warfare. The works. We chip away at the Legatus’s powerbase to weaken him. Then, when he’s bleeding from a thousand cuts, we’ll go in for the kill.”

  “It is not so simple! We sorely lack the manpower to wage even a guerrilla war against the Legatus. In fact, such a plan is even more untenable now, after your actions.”

  “You would be right,” MC responded, “if you only look at Resistance Dyn numbers. But we’ve developed a plan. A three-pronged strategy that will get us a decent shot of victory, and it all begins with earning the Zevans’ trust. Nina, you want to tell them?”

  Hushed whispers broke out amongst the audience.

  Nina cleared her throat. “As some of you may know, I’m Nina Cromwell, Magnus’s sister. I specialize in diplomacy and public relations. As you are all aware, Ubiquity Prime’s fleet is heading for Kelruhn as we speak. We believe we have about a year before they arrive. Furthermore, Ubiquity plans to turn the Zevan into mindless supersoldiers by poisoning their water supply, mutating them as part of a wretched indoctrination program.”

  “Yes, we are aware of the indoctrination plan. We would love to help them, of course, but our own survival is of more pressing importance. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “On the contrary, sir,” Nina continued, “the Zevan are crucial in our war against the Legatus—and later—Ubiquity. We’ve already made inroads with Empress Xikanika of Sorath. Through our connections, we hope to build a network with Thesbea, the Xefaduri tribes, and the Matriarchy of the Logosati. With my brother’s portals that you’ve all already experienced, we have instant access to destinations across the entire world.”

  She paused to ensure she had everyone’s undivided attention. “We plan to demonstrate the horrific consequences of inaction to these monarchs, to convince them that their best chance of survival is with us, not their gods. There are hundreds of thousands of Zevan on this planet, and many of them are warriors. If we can woo these nations, we’d be able to secure a steady supply of troops.”

  “That is an extremely difficult task, and the Zevan are a primitive people. They wield sticks and spears and while their magic is impressive, it cannot compare to modern weapons. Even if you convince them to go against their gods, all you would gain are disposable foot soldiers—mere fodder against Dyn technology!”

  Murmurs of agreement arose, but MC cut them off.

  “I wouldn’t underestimate what training and equipment can do for a battle-hardened soldier. Our instruments of war may look different—microwave emitters and guns versus the spears and bows they know—yet the mindset of a warrior never changes. On every planet, in every age, the art of war remains the same. Besides, whether you like it or not, we need the Zevan.”

  Shaking heads and wobbling spheres told him that he’d yet to sell them.

  “Look, I’m not talking about fielding a general army here,” he continued. “What we need are elite squads. We will train them with the best human and Dyn tactics in existence. We will outfit them with our best gear. We’ll pair them with Dyn commanders. They’ll be our shock troops, capable of striking positions and accomplishing objectives with surgical precision and minimal collateral damage, staying hidden all the while.”

  MC made eye contact with each Dyn in the room. “With enough of these squads, we will put pressure on the Legatus’s positions. With these tactics, he will crumble!”

  “Still! Guerrilla war will not be enough! Even waged at the scale you mention.”

  “You’re right. That’s where the other prongs come in. Recruiting soldiers is just one side of our plan. One that would fail without the others. Nina will facilitate the diplomacy we need, but Nova will be the face of our new Resistance. We’ll play up her goddess appeal, building a power base of Zevan loyal to her and her alone. In this way, we’ll simultaneously shake the Legatus’s grasp over this planet while bolstering our own,
in the hopes of inciting open Zevan rebellion. Nova will lead this initiative, supported by Nina and myself.”

  Nina spoke up once again. “By synergizing Dyn technology and human tactics with Zevan magic, we will be more than capable of mounting an effective war against the Legatus!”

  Another round of murmurs went around the room. The atmosphere was changing—increasingly, more of their ranks seemed to be willing to entertain the idea.

  “So, diplomacy and recruitment. What is the third prong of your plan?” Krar asked.

  “The third prong is Sanctuary itself. We will shore this place up and turn it into an impregnable fortress. Because sooner or later, this secret base ain’t gonna be so secret. Especially if we continue to recruit people and grow our operation. It’s only a matter of time; we can’t control that. What we can control is whether or not we’re equipped to take whatever the Legatus can bring.

  “That’s where I’m going to be leaning on you—the Resistance—to help. We need artillery emplacements on the crater rims. Enough to take down chariots, as well as your larger Tensa ships. We need early-warning systems and matter fabricators. We need to upgrade the tech here on this base to bring it on par with the Legatus’s best.

  “With the Zevan on our side, with guerilla war tactics, and with a fortified base of operations, we’ll have one shot at unfucking this shit sandwich. Because when a year passes and Ubiquity arrives with his fleet, the only way we’ll survive is if we’ve taken out the Legatus and united this planet under our banner.

  “So. Who’s with me?”

  What started as hushed murmurs soon crescendoed into a cacophony of sound. The room erupted in a din of claps, shouts, and uproarious cheers. MC, Nova, and Nina all exchanged a glance. Everything rode on this meeting. But after this reception? MC felt like he could hold onto a small glimmer of hope.

  Hope that their lives wouldn’t end in tragedy.

  Thirty-Seven

  To MC’s disdain, his life had become a whirlwind of activity. The weeks blurred together as Sanctuary consolidated several more Resistance cells that had run upon hard times. But the biggest population increase happened when Xikanika contacted them about the troops she’d promised.

  The empress’s messenger caused quite an uproar when he’d entered Cromwell Manor at Kyron, only to be greeted by a tripod-mounted mobile mechanical drone pointing dual six-barreled Vulcan cannons right back at him. That almost caused an incident of international proportions, though the sentry drone’s IFF thankfully performed as expected. No one had gotten hurt. But that didn’t prevent the messenger from running back screaming, and the building was soon surrounded by fifty armored knights.

  Both Nova and Nina had scrambled through the teleportal to diffuse the situation. They used the opportunity to inform Xikanika that such drones would be a common sight in the future and that she’d better get used to it. Whether there would be a repeat of that situation remained to be seen.

  The empress had held up her end of the bargain, providing them a hundred of her knights and over two dozen mages who were now safely settled in Sanctuary. In fact, she’d given them over thirty, clearly wanting to make a good impression with the Resistance. That, or she still had regrets over giving Nova up to the Dyn. Perhaps she wasn’t as despicable as MC had thought.

  Unfortunately, their arrival did leave a population headache to deal with. With over three-hundred personnel now on the base, MC was consulted on damn near everything. From construction logistics to training up the new troops—his hopes of taking a hands-off approach soon proved unrealistic.

  Krar, Sarek, Nova, and especially Nina had been amazing in handling what they could, but it was a fact that MC’s skills were extremely well suited to construction, be it compacting foundations or burrowing tunnels. He became the appointed construction foreman, but then everyone also deferred to him for the biggest decisions. Like how the base defenses ought to be placed, the details of how they ought to organize their new forces, and so much more.

  That was how he found himself standing high atop the crater rim accompanied by a team of Resistance engineers led by Morvotal, a leathery hoverchair Dyn. He’d also learned that she was a female, discernible by the variegated mottling that adorned her hide. Apparently.

  “We have finished setting up illusion fields along the crater rim,” Morvo rasped with her scratchy voice. “The ground now needs to be leveled and compacted in the locations where the artillery is to be placed.”

  “We’re still not ready for those, right?” MC asked. “I mean, sure, we can mount the mortars and missile launchers we’ve got in the armory, but those are probably only good for taking out your fighter-bombers. I can’t see them doing anything to a chariot’s armor.”

  “Correct. The plan is to mount your missile launchers along the rim in the interim until we can fabricate our own artillery. Our own Grand Cannons are somewhat involved in their design. Building the necessary pieces for even one emplacement will take us over a week if we dedicate the fabricator to its construction full-time.”

  “We need more fabricators, but then I guess we’d also need more energy. Can you fabricate another power plant?” MC asked, gritting against the biting cold wind. Then—what the hell—he threw a hemispheric energy dampener around himself and the engineers to solve that problem.

  “Much appreciated, Executor,” the hoverchair-bound alien said. “The Apoadeid are ill-suited to these chilly climates.”

  “Executor? Is that what you all are calling me now?”

  “It is the customary title for your position as a leader of leaders. To answer your question, yes, we can produce a Dyn power plant via fabricator, though the cost would be extremely prohibitive. It may take a month or more. Rather, it makes more sense to continue increasing the optimizations and power output of your existing plant to support another fabricator.”

  “Guess we’ll just have to find another one, huh? Too bad none of the other Resistance cells had one. I guess those miracle devices are rare, even for you.”

  “They are indeed precious commodities. The fact that Krar’eaks convinced the others to bring one here speaks volumes about how much trust we are putting into your little operation.”

  “I fully appreciate that, Morvo. It’s been an incredible asset thus far, and it’s going to make a huge difference as we expand. Anyway, I’m guessing you wanted me up here to remove the snow and compact the rock under where you’re planning on putting the artillery emplacements? What kind of firepower can we expect from those, anyway?”

  Morvotal twisted her mottled neck to scan the ground around them. “Each cannon emplacement’s footprint is similar, differing only in size. Our smallest weapons function similarly to your human flak cannons, designed to destroy ordnance dropped by Dyn Hasta bombers. They function more like damage control than damage prevention, though they nevertheless play an important role in softening the damage caused by Dyn antimatter bombs.”

  “Makes sense. The best defenses usually resemble an onion. Many layers.”

  “Exactly. Our next larger emplacement is direct-energy-based and designed to target Hasta aircraft themselves. Their range is ten miles, and from this vantage, we will have no issues effectively targeting threats well before they become a concern.”

  “Ten miles would give us some real breathing room,” MC said as he surveyed the landscape. From his vantage atop the rim, the adjacent craters and their own snowcapped rims made for some truly alien scenery.

  “As you have no doubt discovered, high-velocity ballistics tend to work better against the heavier armor of the chariots. We are fortunate that the chariots stationed on this planet were designed for Zevan subjugation, which limits their offensive capability. The base chariot platform can be equipped with all forms of dreadful weaponry that would make our lives much harder.”

  “Hang on a sec. If you guys have matter fabricators, I’m guessing the Legatus does too. What’s to stop the bastard from re-outfitting his existing chariots with some kickass w
eaponry?”

  “It is as you say. Thus, we must lull the Legatus into a false sense of security to convince him that Sanctuary is not worth the investment. Resources spent arming the chariots are resources not spent on his other projects, after all.”

  Well, that made sense, though MC wondered whether his attack on the chariot might already have inspired the Legatus to begin upgrading them. Reaver had a hard time with that chariot’s armor—it’d clearly been upgraded. MC nodded for the Apoadeid to continue.

  “The anti-chariot mass drivers are powered by magnetism and augmented by gravitic repulsion. The emplacements measure twenty-five feet in diameter and span fifty feet in length. When fully deployed, the accelerator rail spans over one hundred feet.”

  MC whistled. Generally, the longer the rail, the faster it could launch the projectile. “I’d imagine those defenses would make short work of your chariots.”

  “Yes, though we will need at least five to provide sufficient coverage. Once the chariots get in range, the emplacements make for easy targets. Five or six chariots would pose no problem. But if there are more, or if they are accompanied by Tensa capital ships, these emplacements would be insufficient.”

  “You don’t have anything, y’know, even bigger?”

  “Nothing that could be conceivably constructed with one or two matter fabricators, I’m afraid. Not in any reasonable timeframe.”

  “Well, I have some toys that may be able to help us out there. Of the kinetic energy variety.”

  Speaking of which, it was getting to be about time that he slung those satellites into orbit. He made a note to chat with Nova and Sarek about that task.

  “Well, do what you can,” he said. “There was one other thing I want to ask you about—ground-based attacks. I can’t see the Dyn sending a lot at us via ground given their air superiority, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Legatus sicced those hordes of mutated animals at us while he hits us from the air. The crater’s wall ought to be enough to stop some, but I’d bet good money that he has a few that can scale them. Hell, the bastard may just airdrop the abominations onto the rims. I do not want to be dealing with those creatures while fighting airborne Harvesters at the same time. One war front is plenty for me, thank you very much.”