War Core Wednesday! Book 2, Chapter 12.

Chapter 12.

An infantry mech in the main canyon was obliterated by a plasma blast, the attack drawing Hugh’s attention. The mech had been approaching the rally point when it was hit, telling him the Ximkas core was pushing aggressively to retake the resource site it desperately needed. Hugh was ready for this, the powerful cannon defending the critical location was functional and by this time he had gathered a small force to help in its defense. A single light mech and seven infantry were positioned just behind the cannon to support the weapon.

He waited for the enemy to show themselves. Hugh had a decided advantage in resources and now in mech diversity, so he figured the only way the enemy could pull itself back into the fight was to push aggressively and retake ground before he had time to build an overwhelming force against it. The huge cannon whined as it built up power, the turret swiveling toward the small group of Ximkas entering from the main canyon. A blast of plasma slammed into an enemy light mech, the powerful weapon easily overcoming the impressive Ximkas armor to take out the mech in a single blast.

The long process of recharging the cannon began as a second enemy light mech marched into view, the side passage Hugh’s forces were in wasn’t very long and that meant the enemy’s superior range didn’t give them the advantage in this skirmish. While the cannon recharged, his M3 light mech and infantry mechs opened up on the enemy. More Ximkas entered the fight, the scorpion-tailed Ximkas mech was trailed by a dozen armed construction drones, that were already lashing out with their much weaker laser weapons.

A blast from the Ximkas light mech tore a deep gouge in the turret’s armor, and Hugh knew a second hit in the same location would surely breach the armor and destroy the most powerful piece of his defense. His forces poured fire in on the closest enemy unit, the light mech, stripping away its armor as the enemy force did the same to the turret. The AI control forced upon all the units for this battle was working in Hugh’s favor, his most heavily armored unit, the turret, was taking all the laser fire from the enemy drones, while all his fire was focused on the lead unit, the Ximkas light mech.

Another plasma stream left the Ximkas mech, melting into the turret, but in a different spot than the first shot, leaving the weapon operational. The Ximkas didn’t get the chance for a third shot as the turret returned fire, killing off the enemy light mech and leaving only a dozen construction mechs for Hugh’s forces to mop up. With the threat ended and the enemy likely near the end of his resources, Hugh updated the rally point, setting the area just outside the enemy base as the new location.

You have gained control of the debris field.

Hugh recaptured the Ximkas debris field, the light mech in the lead of his forces taking down a pair of construction mechs who were frantically trying to drag debris back their command post. Completely cut off from resources except for the trickle naturally generated by the command post, his opponent didn’t stand a chance. Hugh built up his forces, waiting patiently as mech after mech arrived at the rally point. His opponent had just over thirty construction drones on defense, but only a single light mech had walked out of the factory while Hugh’s forces grew until he reached the unit cap.

His opponent must have known he was doomed, but that didn’t stop him from trying. Hugh’s medium mechs took out the single Ximkas light mech then the entire force swarmed over the base, wiping out the construction drones in seconds and hammering down the nearest building. The light mech factory went down, and then, finally, the command post collapsed under the relentless fire of his forces.

Congratulations! You have emerged victorious in the second stage of the battle for px51a2. You have successfully defended this system and it will not be eligible for hostile action by the Ximkas until 1 year has passed.

Post-battle calculations are commencing.

Base reward: 25 points.

Victory bonus: 100 points.

Campaign bonus: 250 points.

Observation bonus: 25 points.

Total points awarded, 400.

War core termination calculation.

Base chance for termination is .0001.

Failure Penalty: None.

Multiple loss penalty: None.

Multiple victory enhancement: Active.

Effectiveness rating: Above Average.

Effectiveness penalty or enhancement: A minimal decrease in lethality is granted.

Observer rating: Above average.

Observer penalty or enhancement: A minimal decrease in lethality is granted.

Bonuses to survivability: Multiple victory enhancement active.

Combat pod lethality: Active.

Reward point total: 285/1000.

He had done it, two victories in a row had sealed off this new invasion point from the Ximkas. They had one other route into human space open for further assault, but it wasn’t in Hugh’s control zone and that path was a long way from any valuable worlds. For now, Hugh felt the Ximkas threat was neutralized. Whether or not they would renew their assault in a year remained to be seen, but an extra year to grow and level up his core would make Hugh much more powerful than he was now.

You have completed a successful campaign and have entered the 7-day grace period. During the grace period, opponents are unable to declare attacks on systems directly controlled by your core. Use this reprieve wisely. Prepare yourself for future battles and seek council to improve your skills at commanding your core.

A campaign reward package has been issued. Access the reward center inside facility TU8888 to retrieve your reward. Do you wish to use your existing 24-hour pass to access facility TU8888, known by your race as Harmony Station? Y/N.

That was right, Hugh had secured another pass from the reward he received on his first visit to the station. From what he remembered; Hugh would receive a pass with each campaign reward package so using one now wouldn’t hurt. He could use a short vacation.

Prepare for transfer to Harmony Station.

Hugh was looking forward to this, a chance to return to his human body once more. His excitement was tempered a bit as he realized that he was celebrating his victory when soldiers very well may have died in the battle to earn this reward. He wouldn’t know whether or not more of his troops had paid the ultimate price until he returned to earth.

Pulled into space, Hugh watched the stars fly by, eventually slowing as he approached the large orange world that Harmony Station orbited. Like his first visit, Hugh was shocked at the size of the station. He had only visited a small portion of it, but from the exterior, it had to have enough floor space to house a small continent inside. Darkness returned as he was drawn into the station itself. Pain slammed into his body as the GCA rebuilt his physical form and stuffed his consciousness inside.

A whirring of gears was heard as the lid of the pod he was sealed inside retracted. The cold from the table he was strapped to seeped into his body, Hugh waiting impatiently as the straps retracted, freeing his new form to move about the room. He was back inside another replica of a dingy hospital room from earth, one he would have not wanted to be admitted to based on the dubious level of cleanliness. Just like the first time, a US Army uniform was folded neatly next to the metal coffin he had emerged from. It took several minutes for Hugh to regain his fine motor skills to the point that he could dress himself.

There was no Valery waiting for him this time, he was alone. It would have been good to spend time with his friend, but visits to Harmony Station were a rare reward, one that was only given out when you secured a campaign victory. In their few brief conversations after his first visit, Valery had confided that after the third campaign victory, you had a chance to earn bonus passes that you could save up to use on a later date. His friend had one saved in the bank, keeping it there for whenever he had finally acquired enough reward points to retire and rebuild his body. That was likely decades, or even centuries away for his friend, and even longer for Hugh.

As he took care of his bodily functions in the tiny hospital bathroom, Hugh tried to calculate how many battles it would take him to earn enough points to become human again, permanently. He didn’t have the processing power in the meat-based computer in his head, he would need to be linked to his core again to even attempt it with any degree of accuracy. What he did know was that he couldn’t just save up points, not if he wanted to remain victorious in his battles. Every core needed to spend some of those precious points on upgrades and consumables, needing an edge for those more difficult fights.

He was here, and the clock was ticking, but what to do first? Hugh’s rumbling stomach decided for him. Time for a meal and then he would take a look at whatever reward he had earned. It turned out his new physical body wasn’t entirely stock, Hugh had almost forgotten about the implants inside allowing him to understand the various races on the station, and to interface with station controls. A map with directions to the restaurant he had eaten at last time populated in the corner of his vision. Hugh figured to not risk something new and made his way out of the replica hospital room into the corridor for the human section of the station. Each race had a section allocated for their cores to enter and exit the station, for humanity, that meant a dozen identical hospital rooms, all of which exited into a corridor leading to the station proper.

Steeling himself for the chaos waiting outside, Hugh pushed open the door and walked into the busy station. A myriad of races made their way through the place, the frantic activity reminding him of being a kid shopping at the mall during Christmas. To keep things from overloading his senses, Hugh focused on the task at hand, getting to the restaurant without running into or offending any of the creatures around that might see him as a tasty snack. Memories of being devoured by the Ssath last time came flooding back, but a quick check didn’t reveal any of that particularly violent species stomping about. He was sure that any number of the other species could be equally touchy, so he kept to himself, allowing a wide circle of space when at all possible.

His destination was a level down from the one he had arrived on. Using the strange levitation tube that allowed travel between levels was as much fun as he remembered the experience to be. If he could find out how they worked, Hugh would be able to create the best amusement park ever. The restaurant had an old fifties diner meets dive bar feel and Hugh returned to the same booth he had used before. Concentrating on the table, a menu appeared, showing all his previous selections as well as a list of the dishes that other humans on the station had enjoyed. The GCA was also somehow able to pull data from his memories, populating several meals that were home-cooked favorites of his.

Since it was the start of his twenty-four-hour leave, Hugh figured it was breakfast time. He ordered buttermilk pancakes with boysenberry syrup, crispy hashbrowns, scrambled eggs with cheese, and bacon. Perhaps that was the most important piece of tech he could somehow unlock from the GCA, the ability to create bacon out of thin air. The meal arrived quickly, delivered by a small drone, and cooked just the way he liked it. Hugh didn’t spend all that long in the military, but it did teach him one important life skill, the ability to eat quickly. It didn’t take him long to finish off the plate, washing it down with strong coffee. With his newly created belly close to bursting Hugh waddled out of the café, it was time to see what the rewards from his victory were.