by Greg Sorber
“Oh, you know him. He’s the strong, silent type. He wouldn’t tell me if something was bothering him, even if his left leg was falling off. How about you and Dennis?”
“Who?”
“It’s that bad?” Connie asked.
“I was stupid, that’s all,” Misty said.
“You were stupid? Or he was stupid?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He was stupid. He is a man. But I may have projected something on to our relationship that wasn’t there.”
“Men are trouble, that’s for sure. Don’t beat yourself up over it, though. After things settle down, maybe you two can patch things up.”
“Well, look who’s being the optimist now.” Misty said.
“What’s the matter Angel, nothing to say?” Connie said.
“My subroutines on relationships are minimal and my experience with them is even less, so I’ll just stay out of this one if you don’t mind,” Angel said.
Connie and Misty laughed.
“Perhaps Angel is smarter than we give him credit for,” Connie said.
Dennis hated xenrats with all of his being. He thought he’d hated them before, when they just dug holes, chewed through power cables, and were a general nuisance. Now, elbow deep in disassembling their bodies and processing their super hard exoskeletons, he developed an even deeper loathing of them. His cursing had already scared away several mechs who’d come to help him.
“Hey, Dennis!” Volley said. “You have visitors.”
Dennis set down his cutters and looked up to see three inferno mechs standing at the entrance. He flicked his hands, and splatters of xenrat ooze flew from his gloves. Thank goodness for the filtration mask. The smell was horrendous. He wouldn’t be removing the mask for this conversation. The mechs were just as disgusted to see him dripping with xenrat guts as he was.
“It’s the Pyro Siblings!” Dennis said.
“We are not siblings,” Sparky said.
“Well, perhaps you could call us cousins of a sort,” Ash said. “We’re based on the same design, but manufactured at different facilities.”
“He was making a joke, you idiots. Try accessing your humor subroutines once in a while,” Cinder said. She was the brightest of the bunch. “He always sees us together, so he is equating us to a family.”
“What brings you to my workshop?” Dennis asked. “As you can see, we are drowning in xenrat guts. You want to help?”
Cinder made a motion, almost as if she might throw up. “No, thanks—we had an idea we wanted to run by you?”
“Yeah!” Sparky said. “We want to make some fire!”
“We don’t have any of your equipment available anymore,” Dennis said. “I shipped off all of your pyrotechnic equipment a long time ago.”
“That’s not what he means,” Ash said. “Sure, we were good with our equipment back in the day, but we still have our knowledge and experience up here.” He tapped his head.
“What my brothers are trying to say is that we know how to build bombs and other explosives. If you give us a list of the chemicals you have on hand, we can whip up some surprises for these screevers everyone’s been talking about,” Cinder said.
“Oh, good thinking!” Dennis said. He went to the nearest console and removed his gore-covered gloves. After a few seconds, he pulled up an inventory. “Here you go. This is everything we have. There’s not much to work with, but you might be able to come up with a few things. I left some items off the list that I’ll need for my acid protection project, so if you don’t see it on the list, don’t use it.”
The three mechs hovered over the console and reviewed the inventory.
“Oh yes,” Sparky said, “this will do just fine.”
“Yes,” Ash said, “I think we can make a few nasty surprises for those screevers.”
“Hey, Cinder,” Dennis said.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Be careful and don’t let them blow anything up before the screevers get here, okay?”
“Yes, Chief.” The three mechs saluted. After which, they found what they needed and took their supplies to a less inhabited area to work on their surprises.
“Everything is ready.” Wavelength looked at his and Therapy’s handiwork. They’d routed the batteries containing the reserve energy siphoned from Angel through filters and capacitors so they wouldn’t overwhelm the electronics of the Secondary Communications System. They only had one shot at this, and if they blew it, no one would ever know what was about to happen on Mechhaven. Only a long time after, once the ACC sent someone to investigate, would anyone discover the destruction wrought by the screevers.
“Are all the antennae directed in the proper direction?” Therapy asked.
“Yes, I just ran a check. The antennae are aligned within the required parameters,” Wavelength said.
“I believe it’s time to give this a try. If we succeed, we may well save the day.”
“And if we fail?”
“We might as well jump off that cliff over there.” Therapy pointed in the direction of a steep ravine.
Wavelength pressed the proper sequence of buttons to power up the system. All indicator lights shone green. Nothing blew up. It was time to send a message.
Misty visited the Foundry and its adjacent mines annually for safety inspections. It was a required element of a report some bureaucrat demanded to meet some requirement of some subsection of the Accords. She should pay more attention to the details, but that was why she had Therapy.
She didn’t like dealing with the Legion. Nobody did. It wasn’t because they were from the Imperium: other mechs on Mechhaven were from the Imperium; Bastion, Diana, Juno, Tiberius, and Luna, to name a few. It was because they lived apart from everyone else and didn’t integrate into Mechhaven society. While they were no longer an army, the Legion strived to preserve their traditions and their brotherhood. She respected that to a degree, but by their own volition, they had separated themselves from all the others. When legionnaires ventured to the Main Compound, there was almost always friction when they interacted with the Villagers. Dennis became an expert at intervening and avoiding being squashed like a bug when breaking up fights at The Black Hole. Most of the mechs just tried to avoid the Legion.
To Gladius’s credit, he and the Legion took on the dual tasks of mining ore and smelting it into useful metals, which everyone used for building projects and traded with any merchants willing to take the risk and make the journey to Mechhaven. Gladius had refused all help with building the Foundry, and only reluctantly allowed Misty and the other humans to visit for their annual inspections. They’d even began construction on a rail line, which would someday transport finished metals from the Foundry to the Landing Pad for transport off-world.
Although Misty had signed off on the plans for the Foundry several years earlier, she’d forgotten how large it was until she stood in front of it. It was the largest individual structure on Mechhaven. The only thing that rivaled it was the amphitheater, but that was carved into the side of a mountain. The long-term plans for the Foundry were ambitious, and she admired that. For Mechhaven to succeed over time, it needed ways to sustain itself. Mining and smelting ore were a start.
Three mechs waited for them outside the entrance. Connie coasted to a stop, allowed Misty and Angel to exit the hovercraft, then changed back into her humanoid form. The conversion only took a few seconds, but was amazing to watch. The trio of mechs awaiting them seemed unnerved by Connie’s change. Good, let them be.
Misty recognized two of the three mechs as Septimus and Octavius, and a quick check of her datapad confirmed it. Not the most creative of names, but since she didn’t get to meet and know each of the Legion as she would’ve liked, she’d resorted to a simple naming convention. That’s what happened when one-hundred legionnaires arrived at the same time. She’d used what limited knowledge she had of the Imperium’s lore and language to come up with names on the fly. To date, she’d only named fifty of the Legion. She would get to th
e rest, someday. She hoped.
“Septimus, Octavius,” she greeted. The two mechs exchanged looks, surprised to hear their names, and that Misty had remembered them. “Nice to see you again. You appear to be functioning within optimal parameters.”
Septimus stepped forward. “It’s good to see you again too, Misty.”
To the mech she didn’t recognize, she asked, “Legionnaire, what is your designation?”
“I am LM-5921,” the mech said.
“It’s nice to meet you, LM-5921. I’ve never given you a name?”
“No, ma’am. I haven’t had that honor.”
“Today is your lucky day.” Misty made a notation in her datapad. “From now on, we’ll call you, Ursinus.”
The mech nodded to her in acknowledgement. Septimus and Octavius punched him in the shoulder.
“Gladius is waiting for you,” Octavius said. “We shouldn’t keep him waiting.” The mech motioned for her and the others to follow him into the Foundry. Octavius escorted Misty, Connie, and Angel, while Septimus and Ursinus followed to make sure no one slowed down or wandered from the path.
The Foundry wasn’t for show; it was an active work zone. It was noisy and chaotic. Mechs tossed raw ore into large caldrons and melted it down. Others poured the molten ore into large molds to make rods or beams. Several mechs arrived on a lift from the depths of the mines with carts of ore. The Legion was productive. There was no doubt about that. Octavius directed them to an unoccupied lift, which took them to the next level.
Gladius stood near a railing overlooking the Foundry. Brutus stood next to him. They turned as Misty, Connie, and Angel exited the lift.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Gladius said as he swept his arm across the view of the Foundry.
“It is. I believe you’ve said that every time I’ve visited,” Misty said.
“Show some respect, you filthy flesh sack,” Brutus said as he lunged forward.
Angel jumped in front of Misty and put a hand out to stop the mech. Brutus was a head shorter than Angel, but grabbed his arm and twisted, slamming him to the floor. Brutus locked Angel’s arm so he couldn’t move. Misty never thought Brutus could move so fast, and Angel—she thought Archangels were better than that—but then again, he was operating at a reduced power level. Although not needed, Septimus, Octavius, and Ursinus rushed to aid Brutus. They stopped in their tracks when they saw Connie.
“Don’t move an inch, or you’ll see why the Imperium feared my kind so much,” Connie said. She’d converted in a blink of an eye and was now in her combat form. She had adjusted her size to match that of the legionnaires, and her right forearm had changed into the shape of a sword. The tip of it rested beneath Brutus’s chin.
Everything happened so fast. It then occurred to Misty that Connie shouldn’t be able to convert into a form like that, not with the inhibitor program she had installed. How had she gotten around the restrictions? A question for another day. Connie had her back, and that was why she’d brought Connie along.
Gladius broke the silence. “Now, now, we need none of that here.” He looked at Brutus. “Release Angel and apologize to Major Durham.”
Brutus did as instructed and released Angel, who stood up quickly, rotating his arm and shoulder to make sure there wasn’t any damage.
Gladius said, “Brutus, attend to the preparations I spoke of before our guests arrived.”
“Yes, Gladius.” He bowed and glared at Connie as he left the platform.
Connie reformed her arm back into its normal shape, but kept her size the same as the legionnaires. Gladius nodded approvingly and said, “You would have made a formidable foe on the battlefield.”
“You can only imagine.”
“Forgive Brutus,” Gladius said. “We’re all a little disturbed about how the events of the last few days are playing out.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Misty said as she stepped forward and stared up at the leader of the Legion.
“Yes, I heard your speech. Very impressive. But it will take more than inspiring words to secure our aid.”
“You know the stakes. When the screevers deploy, they’ll cleanse the entire planet. They won’t care about which side of the war you fought on.”
“We don’t know that for sure. The Imperium doesn’t like to waste resources, so perhaps their programing will bypass us. Or maybe we’ll just stand on our own.”
“You’re dreaming,” Angel spoke up. “After you defied Praefect Valtoré? No. One thing I know about the Imperium is they don’t like defiance. You and your minions will be at the top of their list for retribution.”
Angel was tall for a mech, but so was Gladius. He looked Angel straight in the ocular sensors and pointed a finger at him, though he was wary of Connie, and careful not to touch him. “From the way I see things, this entire mess is your fault. You were the one behind enemy lines and you didn’t complete your mission. You could have destroyed these things while they were still in Imperium space. Instead of completing your mission, you fled here with your tail between your legs.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Angel said.
“You’re a coward. Admit it. I can see it in your ocular sensors. If you had done your job, none of this would be happening.”
“You don’t know my orders. You don’t know what my mission was. I did what I was expected to do. The war was over and I didn’t have the authorization to strike.”
“And then, when push came to shove, you let all the mechs of this world, including me and mine, defend you, when you could have given yourself up and none of this would have happened,” Gladius said.
“We don’t know that, Gladius.” Misty said. “Praefect Valtoré may be on a quest to wipe out any knowledge of the Planet Cleanser. Even if Angel gave himself up, he still might have sent the screevers.”
“Major Durham—Misty. No matter what we do, a lot of mechs, Legion or Villagers, will die when the Planet Cleanser comes. I hope this one is worth it,” Gladius said as he pointed at Angel.
“That is why we need your help,” Misty said. “You and the Legion are tough and organized. If anyone can put up a fight, it’s you.”
“And the rest of the mechs?” Gladius asked.
“They’re all veterans. They will stand and fight with you,” Misty said.
“With what?”
“With whatever they can; rocks, tools, or even their bare hands.”
“It will be a slaughter.”
“Perhaps you can help with that as well?” Misty asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Stop dancing around the truth, Gladius,” Misty said. “After Brutus pulled a knife on Angel at The Black Hole, I’ve been looking into the amount of raw ore your miners report they extract from the mines, and the amount of finished product we use and ship off-world. Even accounting for impurities and manufacturing defects, there’s a sizable quantity of ore unaccounted for. Be straight with me, Gladius. What else is your Legion producing?”
“Finally, you ask a good question.” Gladius said.
“Will you help us or not?” Misty asked.
“Follow me.” He motioned for them to follow.
Gladius led them through the Foundry, then into a lift which took them down into the mines. Legionnaires, both those that worked in the Foundry and those working in the mines, acknowledged them as they passed, as if they were being initiated into some secret society. Misty realized she was now descending deeper into the mines than she’d ever been before. Gladius navigated the maze of tunnels and stopped before a heavy metal door.
“We do not always see eye to eye,” Gladius said. “But we, the Legion, value Mechhaven, and we will defend it to the best of our abilities. What you will see beyond this door is our contingency, in case something like this ever happened.”
Gladius opened the door, revealing Brutus and several other mechs. She recognized Romulus, Remus, and Primus. They stood in front of rows of armor, shields, swords, spears, and a variet
y of other weapons.
“This violates so many provisions of the Accords,” Misty said, “but at the moment I’m not complaining.”
“We’ll be fighting modern terrors with ancient weapons, but they are quality, durable, and sharp, so they should do the job.”
“This contingency plan of yours may just save the day,” Misty said.
“It will give us a fighting chance,” Angel said.
“It will be better than fighting with rocks and tools,” Connie said.
“If you wish for our help, I have one condition.” Gladius turned to face them.
“What is that?” Misty asked.
“The Legion has the most experience with these weapons and the tactics to use them. It is part of our core subroutines. If we are in the vanguard, then I will lead the defense of Mechhaven.”
Chapter Eleven
Archivist Olivia Houston’s response to Head-Archivist Dante Singh’s admonition
Regarding Archivist Academica, bless his heart. I apologize if I forgot my manners. I thought we were here to get to the truth of matters? I wouldn’t want to insult his honor, but I’m on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to hear Sub-Archivist Chan’s testimony. I’m sure it will be quite illuminating. By all accounts, she was out of the system when the events on Feron-1 occurred.
Archivist Olivia Houston
TexaNova
Having secured the aid of Gladius and the Legion, Misty briefed her new allies on the defense plans that had been developed thus far. Their plans were dependent where the Planet Cleanser touched down. Therapy had narrowed it to three possible locations. Two of which were near chokepoints the screevers would have to pass through to get to the Main Compound. Since these were easier to defend, the consensus was the screevers would make landfall at the third location where open terrain would allow them to use their speed and mobility to overwhelm the defenders. Misty planned to send small defensive contingents to cover the other two locations, but once the battle began, they would rejoin the larger force if they weren’t needed to defend the chokepoints.