In a state of high alert, almost all Men-at-Arms, Lawmen, and civilian militia were called to the front as the sirens surrounding the bases started echoing through the night.
Sergeant Elena Skarn was woken up by Buzz an hour before dawn, and he debriefed her about the situation on their way to the Command Center.
"Our bases are under threat. Multiple hostiles appeared all over our surroundings and are approaching without organization. It seems to be a mass monster horde!"
"What are our commands?" Elena asked with urgency.
"None so far." Buzz replied, "The Commander is neither in the Command Center nor in his residence. Guards say he went down to the civilian base earlier. Either you or Lord Creed will assume leadership of the defense."
"Are you kidding? In a time like this?" Elena grew nervous all of a sudden, realizing that she was taking command of something bigger than what she had trained for. "At least get the Lawmen to contact him."
"So, you're assuming Command." Buzz asked.
"Until he gets back to his post, at least. Sol knows I need to be on the front to see this through." Elena growled as she was joined by Kave, who came running from their residence after her, and quickly headed towards their strategic duties.
"Any visual on the enemy?" He asked, his voice a bit shaken.
"None!" She replied, no longer appearing as doubtful as she had been a moment ago. "Hopefully, it is nothing more than Dire Wolves regrouping and going on a full assault."
"That would be very bad news." Kave replied with a darkened tone. "If the Dire Wolves are now being led by something that can do strategic thinking, they'll have a much bigger advantage than winter gives them."
"If you were of a higher rank, you could have taken Command instead." Elena said and let out a tired sigh. "Why can't we just keep the Commander in some secure bunker instead of running around like fools every time there's a situation?"
"You want to keep Adamant in place? Well, good luck with that." Kave shook his head. "The guy is an escape artist."
"At least he won't die easily." Elena agreed, looking at the Command Center building with nervousness.
"You got this!" Kave patted her back with a smile on his face, just before he caught her hand and kissed it.
"Take care of yourself out there, Trooper."
"Will do, Sergeant."
Elena watched Kave go and join the rest of their squad, now operating under Stone's leadership.
Of all the squad members with whom she had mostly had sadistic flings back in the day in their old universe, Elena couldn't feel about them the same way she felt about Kave. Something about that soft Earthling young man made a deep place in her heart tremble, and a strange feeling in her chest felt lighter than breath itself.
She knew that she loved him, but she had never thought she loved anyone but him. She considered herself an expert lover, but with this young man, it simply felt like the most real thing in her life, as if she had never loved before.
Again with the useless thoughts! Elena woke herself from her daze and headed inside the Command Center, the home she became most familiar with, and went straight through to stand in the middle of the Command Room. Other Sergeants were there before her, and most of them were displeased when she spoke about assuming Command in the absence of Commander Clay, but as both the most senior and the highest-ranking Legio Bellarium officer after Adam Clay, any voice of discontent would be a voice of mutiny.
Elena set two priorities as she assumed command: first, make contact with the Commander and inform him of the situation; second, get an understanding of what was going on and make sound strategic decisions.
Elena was annoyed that communication in the base was severely lacking. Adam mostly relied on the Sacred Code network as the center of communication, along with the few radio operators and devices scattered across the base. However, it was one of those projects that had been pushed back due to all the critical events occurring. Adam had a solution for it, but it seemed it would take a while before it was solved.
As for the current situation with enemies approaching from all land directions, Elena had many options to solve this.
"Scout teams are to remain on standby. Lay low and don't engage; make visual confirmation about what we're dealing with." Elena radioed before switching to another channel. "I want the War Factory to release all the working models of the Stingray Drone."
"We only have two drones ready for takeoff." Sergeant Wright said as he got closer to Elena's left.
"Only two?" Elena exhaled before nodding. "Two will do. What are they equipped with?"
"Nothing, I'm afraid. We didn't even have time to configure their flight patterns according to the parameters of this planet, so we are in a bit of a bind." Wright replied.
"Let's go with my gut feeling and use the same parameters as Great Urd." Elena said and racked her brain. "Install any available weapon system on them. We have some medium Blazers and HE shells lying around; the Commander wanted to use them for some crazy turret design, but I believe they are already fit for a Stingray operating system."
"Sol knows we need all the air superiority we can get. I'll work on it right away." Wright nodded and walked out of the Command Room, heading towards the War Factory.
Elena surveyed the holo table one more time before picking up the radio handset and issuing direct commands to the officers on the ground. She started making movements with the deployed troops, trying to see how the enemy would react to such obvious maneuvers as it kept slowly advancing on the base. She hated to sit around and wait for them to come, so she decided to throw a few stones in their calm water to see what shape the ripple would take.
"Sector C1-64, this is Command. You are authorized to open fire south and southeast for long-range targets. Report any retaliation in detail."
Elena quickly gave an order, and soon a reply came back:
"Affirmative, Command! Opening fire!"
A few miles south, the troops on the ground assembled behind their machine gun batteries, fixed to their fortified trenches, and started blasting indiscriminately towards the general direction they were told to shoot.
The red bolts of their mounted Blazers traveled through the darkness of the night with traceable paths that, unlike ballistic firearms, were unaffected by the howling winds or the low visibility.
In Wartopia's history, it was lost to time who first created laser and energy weapons that rendered traditional firearms a thing of the past. However, the hurling of solid projectiles for warfare never went out of fashion since the Stone Age; thus, sluggers and artillery persisted, even though they always carried something extra, like explosives or armor penetration technology.
This was no mere technological trivia; it was one of the most common reflections among the troopers defending the base that night. A question that might have been asked in the laziest and trashiest history forums and subreddits: what would it be like for the least and most advanced ranged warriors to clash on a battlefield?
The answer to this was exactly the response to Elena's warning shots, as she was informed by the officers on the field, and she witnessed the behavior of the red dots being so… organic, a feeling it gave her.
"Stones! By Sol's light! Stones on sticks, Command. We're being shot at with such primitive weapons!" The officer's voice came from the radio, filled with a mix of wonder and ridicule: "What manner of…"
Then it was cut off.
Elena frowned at the abrupt and sudden death of communication, so her eyes were averted back to the image displayed before her, watching as both green and red dots began to show interesting patterns.
At first, when she ordered warning shots, some of the red dots naturally faded, indicating that the firepower was sufficient to deal with whatever enemy they were facing. The enemy even showed a wavering motion as some of the red dots suddenly retreated before taking a more careful approach as they advanced.
Elena could learn a lot from these simple motions of dots on a hologram. First, the enemy wasn't some fearless horror or void spawn; it was clearly alive and had self-preservation instincts. It also wasn't randomly advancing; it was tactically driven to push through resistance.
A living enemy! This would make things much simpler.
But then, as the officer spoke about primitive weapons and being shot at, Elena calculated the distance. Unless the enemy could mask itself from radar and approach the trench lines, this indicated a superhuman level of throwing skill.
A tool user? Superhuman power? Perhaps some sort of System user, maybe one of those anthropoid xenos?
The image of the primitive man came immediately to Elena's mind. After it, a different voice came from the radio just before she tried to contact another unit:
"UNDER FIRE! WE'RE UNDER FI— kzzzt! A VOLLEY OF PRIMITIVE WEAP— kzzzt! DEBRIS! BUILDING PAR— kzzzt! —LLARY SUPPORT!"
Elena's eyes shifted immediately to the trench lines, finding that multiple green dots were fading away from view. Her jawline tightened, and her eyes turned fierce, exuding a scary atmosphere that made the air around her electric.
"We're taking losses to some damn barbarian xenos?" She spoke coldly, her fist tightening over almost all the buttons on the side of the handset in her hand, turning it into a full-on transmitter: "UNACCEPTABLE! Is this our prowess in this Sol-forsaken world? All units, reinforce the southern front. Fire beacons and execute defensive protocols. The enemies of Sol will not have the luxury of retreat tonight!"
With her voice transmitted to every unit, the fire of zeal spread through the cold winter just as the two Stingray Drones were reported to be operational and waiting for clearance to take off.
Elena put them on standby as an idea flashed through her mind. She pointed to one of the Command Center operators and gave a command:
"Patch me through to Hendrick's Privateers."
The operator immediately started establishing a connection, and a few seconds later, Elena was on the line with an operator from the Earthling privateering group.
"This is Springhead's main Command Center. Commander Adam Clay, I believe he visited your group earlier."
"Yes. Patching you to the Radio operator accompanying him."
As the connection was passing through, Elena wondered which radio operator was accompanying him, and why none of the messages she was sending to look for him had been passed to him. She was half-minded to scold the operator, but as she learned which unit it was, Elena realized it was an oversight on her part.
"Strike Force Ajax to Command, we're listening." Chip's voice came from her handset as multiple voices were heard in the background—an argument, it seemed, with Adam's voice distinctively clear.
"Chip." Elena responded before asking, "What's the Commander doing? Is he aware we're under attack?"
"We're aware." Chip responded. "He thinks he can stop the attack of the Neanders if he kills the one right here."
"Neanders?" Elena asked.
"Long story short, the captured Neander performed some unholy sorcery—probably a distress signal. The Commander believes that if the one here is dead, it will call off the attack. The Earthling Professor disagrees, thinking this one can be reasoned with." Chip reported.
"I want to speak with them." Elena said with an annoyed tone, and Chip immediately stepped between Adam and the Professor, his radio's handset going into speaker mode.
"Justiciar Clay, this is Sergeant Elena, in charge of the defense operation." She identified herself officially before continuing, "We have taken losses. Initial reports from the Southern front, sectors C1-64 and 63, reported ten casualties and multiple injuries. Seven Wartopian troopers and three Earthling recruits were killed in action."
"How?" Adam asked, clearly distressed.
"Warning shots escalated into a skirmish; the enemy is capable of hurling primitive weapons over a great range. We suspect superhuman strength or rune activity." Elena reported. "Clearly, sorcery is now on the table from what I've heard."
"Most clearly." Adam responded with a firm tone.
In the Warehouse where Professor Hendrick was studying Neander—the first of a horde of many incoming Neanders—Adam and Ajax's team were present when Hendrick called Adam half an hour ago to report what he had found.
Adam grabbed Ajax and his team along the way for the sole purpose of identifying the tattoo found on Neander's body, which, according to the Professor, seemed like Latin letters with a militaristic style.
Moments before, as Ajax examined the tattoo, his expression had turned grim. He stepped back from the bound and gagged archaic man, his shock more profound than Adam had ever witnessed on the man who was the very picture of composure.
"JTF2," Ajax muttered the letters before nodding to Professor Hendrick. "You were right; that's a military tattoo."
"Who are they?" Adam asked immediately.
"Canadians." Ajax replied. "An elite unit called Joint Task Force 2. They were a tier-one special operations force, primarily tasked with counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and high-value direct action."
He then looked at the archaic man, who looked back at him with expressions of anger, barbarism, and the will of an unbreakable spirit.
"I don't know what happened to him… But he's most definitely not from the Rift." Ajax squinted and examined the man.
"So…" Adam got closer as well and looked long and hard, seeing the changes that had befallen the man's body, from his skin to his face. He then turned to Professor Hendrick: "He mutated in some way?"
"That's the running theory," the Professor said and let out a sigh. "Doctor Connor suggested that Neander's immune system indicated he was somehow properly vaccinated, but with all the alien behavior of his changed white blood cells, we dismissed the theory."
"How can we confirm it further?" Adam asked.
"We can look into his body and hair for known heavy chemicals that may have come from any cosmetic, signs of previous surgeries, dental operations, and any sign of modern medicine. But the chances are high, in my opinion."
As the Professor was replying, his words were cut short by the alarm sirens installed all over the town, fully alerting everyone that there was a mass-scale attack. Chip immediately listened to the communications going back and forth and confirmed that a group was attacking their bases from many directions. Initial reports spoke of primitive spears, and Elena made a fiery speech not long after.
Adam wanted to kill Neander immediately, his gun aimed at the man's head, before Professor Hendrick went on a frenzy over how killing Neander would serve no purpose, and that since the enemy was already here, it was more important to take care of them first, as they wouldn't retreat either way.
Even Ajax sided with the Professor, whereas Hammerhead was ready to go trigger-happy and execute the two for disobeying Adam, if not for Adam himself stopping him.
It was a hectic moment, filled with masculine stubbornness, but Elena's call de-escalated the nerve-wracking moment between the men. Adam let out a sigh and looked at Professor Hendrick:
"Professor, heed this order: From now on, this individual—this mutant—shall be classified as an enemy combatant. Should his continued survival jeopardize our mission, you, as an affiliated Privateer, are commanded to execute him the moment you receive the order to do so. Failure to comply will result in your arrest and trial for insubordination under Martial Law."
"This is not ethical," the Professor countered. "This man is now a patient; he requires treatment, not a gun to his head."
"This was a Judicial mandate—the law, Professor—and let me make myself clear." Adam stated, encroaching upon the Professor's most cherished personal space before adding, "I am the Law."
Adam said so and turned, giving Ajax a cold glance, before Hammerhead ordered the rest of the team to follow the Commander.
Ajax halted for a second, looking between the dejected Professor and the primitive man who was probably not much different from himself at some point. He tightened his grip on his Blazer-arm and followed Adam and the others out.
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