Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 30

Standing at the top of a hill with my six captains, we looked at the cave opening in the rockface. It was wide enough for a surface shuttles, land/air hybrid vehicles that looked like the beak of a mountain size bird. The shuttles we used were mainly for transport. Nine of them easily carried my six hundred men.

Destiny’s glowing chassis hovered a few yards overhead, from where she was relaying info. “This is the Prime Sim’s version of Copper Three. A high-yield copper mine of real world Hectate. Since it is already in Earth’s possession outside the Prime Sim, it’s considered already discovered. I’ll send the layout to everyone’s AI. Clearing it will grant a bounty of 500,000 SP+ per individual, and a bonus to the Right Hand of Prodos of 7,000,000 SP+.”

Doing a quick calculation in my head, 500,000 SP+ granted to my six hundred plus men was over 300,000,000 total. I had no intention of having my people pool their money. In Freedom, besides basic requirements during battles, we’d always given everyone liberty to choose their own gear. With the addition of modern tech, the possibilities were now endless. I had no intention of taking that away from anyone. This wasn’t money purely for my personal use, but my battalion. Even though my was the Right Hand, it also referred to everyone under me as a whole.

I shook my head at the number of men following my lead. After our defense of Fort Prodos, Victoria had decided to do the obvious and break up our inflated battalion into smaller ones. Nothing practical changed. Kline, Harrison, Cornelius, and myself were leading the same number of men. What bothered me was that I didn’t feel like I was really leading them. Mel, Barrell, and Ma did the work. I simple had the final say in the decision making process.

It had been the same in Freedom, but there my men’s numbers had been a fraction of what we had now. We’d also spent months on the road together completing the world quest. I’d felt like I belonged. Maybe my reason for feeling this now was because I knew any of them could act independently and complete this mission without me. Also, the number of men needed for this one mine system was extreme. Today was the first day though, so it was better to play it safe while we were still figuring out what the Devs might throw at us.

Smacking Mel and Barrell on the back to get their attention. They stood to either side of me while Olivia was beside Mel with Heather with her.

Poor Barrell. At least he had Captain Ma Zixin at his side.

I still feared Heather would be too much a distraction for him, but after their performance against the Ekseliksi elite, I wasn’t going to separate them, yet.

Olivia and Heather were both Captains in rank, but their real purpose wasn’t to lead others. Olivia was admittedly a big help with Jerrek and his men. Heather however was a new addition. Figuring out where she’d best fit was one of my many secondary concerns.

“Since this is as much of a reconnaissance mission as it is to capture the mine,” I said to remind them more than anything else. “I want scouting drones to check every area before you advance. Play it smart. Remember the same people that sent a rank D elite against us are the ones that populated this place with mobs. They may resemble Ekseliksi, or it might be a return to Freedom type monsters. Expect both. Also, be ready for the unexpected. Since this is a mine already utilized on real world Hectate, lets hope this more closely resembles a training drill than a life and death battle, but who knows what kind of surprises or traps might be waiting for us. If things go well today, from now on I’ll have you guys split up your platoons and tackle resource depos like this one on your own. Questions?”

“Nah, Maj,” Barrell replied. He was amped and ready to go. “Sit back and enjoy the show.”

“Mage?”

“Does double duty. Maj as in short for Major, and mage as in magic user. Maybe it’s not official, but it should be.”

He didn’t make it obvious, but I saw Mel holding back a grin. Because I was still recovering it was decided I’d stay outside and monitor the overall progress. Much like a Combat General, Destiny would give me all the tools I needed to observe and communicate with groups and individuals.

So this is what needing me looks like, eh?

It wasn’t really just a waste of time. Hectate wasn’t just filled with mines, but numerous resource types. There were also industrial facilities on planet, a fort, and even a few towns. These locations would begin as abandoned and likely be filled with mobs. Out of sim, they were Earth’s real life presence on planet. The fort and towns would be filled with people and all of the facilities would be used for resource gathering and processing. We had experience with clearing places like the mine in Freedom, but not something of this size. Six hundred soldiers were still overkill. At least staying out here would allow me to focus on trying to figure out the best way to coordinate such a large force in countless tight corridors.

“All right. Get going,” I commanded.

As everyone was leaving, one person remained unmoved.

“What can I do for you, Captain Esper?”

Heather’s red hair was back in a tight braid, and she wore a black and green trimmed ballistic suit. She stood at ease, facing me. Whether it was the lack of her usual roguish glint, or something less obvious, she was coming off more formal than usual.

“Requesting to stay at basecamp, Major.”

After HandshakeDeath and Mara’s struggles, I couldn’t help but to be worried. I still wasn’t fond of her exactly but fighting at someone’s side and seeing them die goes a long way to building goodwill. I lost the authoritative tone. “You okay?”

My question caught her off guard. “I am…” She seemed to forget what she was going to say. “Are you?”

“Well enough. Why stay?”

She lowered her gaze. “I don’t think I’m a good match for Captain Barrell Thomas’s team.” When I didn’t respond, she explained further. “His men are amongst the fastest in Prodos. I know my strengths. I’m quick, but I’m also only five foot six. As much as my specialty ability might help them, I’d slow them down. I looked further into your officers and was reminded that Captain Mel Bryant was heavily involved in diplomatic missions in Freedom. I don’t expect there to be many such missions in the immediate future, but I believe that more aligns with my strengths. Also, Mel has a number of women under him, while Barrell has none. I know you’ve had doubts. I want to benefit and not be a nuisance to you. I’m coming to you because I think this is the best way to do it. If you prefer me to stay where I am, though, I’ll do so without complaint.”

At first, I was torn. I still had to squelch my negative opinion of her. She had worked with Liam to undermine Prodos in Freedom after all, but I couldn’t help but to agree with her logic. Her ability to practically stun any psionic user would be a bone to any force, but it was also very specialized tool. In most cases, getting her in close enough to safely use it was an unnecessary hassle.

“I think I’d have to agree with you.” I had to ask. “Are there any other issues I should know about?”

Wincing, she took a moment to answer. “No. I—I’ll be direct. As we both know, Barrell likes me, but he’s not my type at all. He tried to save me, and that had to hurt. He’s a good guy. I don’t want to mess with him—friend-zoning him or giving false hope. Cutting off any possibility of a relationship is the kindest thing to do. So…”

“You don’t have to say another word,” I said. “I accept your request to transfer. You mentioned you wanted to stay at basecamp. Did you not intend to join Mel’s team now?”

She was quick to shake her head. “I just thought it would put him on the spot to join at the beginning of a mission if you agreed. I don’t mind losing today’s bounty, either. I’d prefer to stay here and watch the monitors with you if you don’t mind. I don’t have the experience clearing dungeons like everyone else does so I think it will help me get my mind around it.”

Seeing her being so open and amenable was rather jarring, but I didn’t doubt her sincerity.

“I don’t think this is something to penalize you for, so I’m not going to. Destiny, give her view only access, please.” With that done, I directed her to go find a safe place amongst the others at basecamp. There were only a few squads remaining there with me to keep an eye out and defend against small time threats.

“Thank you, Lucius—uh, Major.”

At least our clash with the Ekseliksi elite seemed to have a positive effect on her temperament. Remembering her brother’s death was her reason for joining in the first place, maybe I was thinking to little of her.

When she was gone, I asked Destiny. “What do you think?”

“She’s more mature than I thought she’d be.”

“Oh really?”

“She likely didn’t expect as warm of a reception as she’s been given, so she was still on guard yesterday.”

“That’s a relief. She’s not just putting on another mask?”

“Not likely. It’s possible she’s a good enough liar to control her heart rate, micro-expressions, and stress response. However, it would be even harder for her to fake her reactions to your questions, and they were spot on. I’m of the opinion that that was the real Heather.”

As Destiny finished, she brought up an overhead map of the mine system. Only the first front quarter of its internal structure was reinforced. The rest was natural cave system. There were dozens of side caverns. The elevation inside varied, but there were few drop-offs that might be dangers to my men.

Barrell’s men were going first. His company would enter in and focus on one major channel. Mel and Ma would head in after him and head in different directions. The drones had already done some preliminary scouting, so I had side screens with live, wide angle views.

Seeing as my friend would be one person down, and he would be amongst the last of his men to enter, I had Destiny connect us.

“Giving you a heads up, Heather’s going to remain at basecamp.”

Barrell quickly replied. “Everything all right?”

“She’s fine. Maybe a little humbled after the first event. We’ll talk more after we finish here. From what I can tell, it’s a good thing.” I didn’t mention she’d be joining Mel’s company. If she really wasn’t interested in him, it was for the best. He now knew her and could pursue her outside of Vanguard if he so desired. I wouldn’t hide what she said from him, either.

“Lucius,” Destiny said. The tone in which she said it stole my attention.

“What is it?”

“Take a look.”

A new image appeared on top of the map. Shadows filled the screen. Only when Destiny added a glowing outline to the creature did I fully take notice. I was immediately reminded of the shadow jackals from Freedom. Red light shown out from the drone to give a clearer picture. Its outline was similar in overall build to the jackal, but instead of a wolf-lion hybrid with dark fur and spikey joints, this thing had smooth obsidian skin, much like an insect’s exoskeleton. And it’s eyes… They were vertical slits surrounded by sinister scale-covered eyelids like that of a viper. Its maw was long and narrow but driven by a powerful jaw.

Taking in its fuller form, it looked like the mix between a dragon and scorpion. It walked on all fours but had a tall that looped over its back with a vicious looking barb on the end.

“It’s a manticore,” Destiny said without the amazement I’d expect.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Not the mythical creature, but the real thing. They’re a bioengineered beast. It used to be common for hundreds of them to be dropped on a planet by the Ekseliksi that they were planning to take before they invaded. These creatures have no psionic abilities, but their natural armor makes them highly difficult to kill. They’re also extremely aggressive. They have no fear of humans and commonly take them as a food source. The practice of sending them to harass an enemy lessened after Earth started to expect them. As effective as they can be, they have one big weakness. They’re strictly nocturnal. Once they are discovered, wiping out a den of this is quiet easy if you know there location.”

The monster had been asleep, but even the little light the drone came off alerted it after a few seconds. It moved too fast to register on the camera before the drove was struck down. I wasn’t even able to tell how it had been destroyed.

“Any idea of its level of combat prowess?” I asked.

“Not without more data. The military database just gives a general description. From survivor testimonials, it seems their power can very greatly. Expect them to be very agile and spears may or may not be effective. I anticipate that they’ll be something within our ability, but don’t expect it to be easy.”

“Anything about the effectiveness of psionic bolts or enhanced weapons?”

“None.”

“Alright. We’ll use this one as our guinea pig. Let’s spread the word.”

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This is really only the first part of this chapter. Kids are sick again, and I wanted to make sure to post something, so this will at least keep things going. 

Question to parents. How is it possible for both of your kids to have ear infections that aren't supposed to be transmittable, and one of them to also have viral pink eye, which is also supposedly non-transmittable, all at once?

Also, what tricks do you guys use to get your kids to take medication?