by Marcus Sloss
The western portal was behind me, I could see a long line of trucks curving from north to south as they were driven into the blue portal. Drivers ran back out of the west gate, crossing directly beneath us. A new tank was then driven out and loaded into the AC1, as I had labeled our aircraft carrier. The buzz of work was constant, with people jogging everywhere.
AC1 was a massive pizza box of metal. Generators dotted the top of the carrier, with huge fans circulate air through the large craft. There were ramps everywhere on this machine. A tower shot from the middle of the box to give the crew a three-hundred-and-sixty degree view around the aircraft. I propped my chin in my hand to study the design. It reminded me of an airport control tower on top of a flat hangar. I wondered how much this machine must weigh; the power requirements to fuel the anti-gravity generators had to be insane to keep it off the ground. I frowned, realizing the towering container was so massive, it would not fit inside our hesco walled valley. We’d have to park it in the cleared fields outside the walls that we had recently planted. I could only hope it would not ruin the fields. Assuming the only parts of it that ever touched the ground were the ramps on each side, we should be able to manage things.
The generators, extra tanks, cranes, and mecha suits piled into AC1 from all every angle. The ebb and flow of my people running from one side of the portal to the other defied organization. Our view of the confusion was amazing, hovering as we were thirty feet in the air over hundreds of Crixxi and Humans, all too busy to look up at us. I knew someone would notice us before long, however, and word would get out that I was outside. Right on cue, Jevon called.
“Six ,this is five, over,” Jevon’s gruff tone barked from my Gpad.
“Go for six,” I replied
I felt a nudge from behind and the aircraft shook. “Shit!” Perci blurted, “Torrez just exited and we kissed bumpers. I need to keep us moving if we don’t want to cause an accident on our first ride.” She tapped at her display, “Heading home.”
Her squawk distracted me from what Jevon was saying. “Five this is six, say again,” I said. I tried to focus on his words.
“I have unit commanders working through basic drills. No sense in not giving them a break soon. In half an hour, I am going to switch everyone over to transporting goods and supplies home, once we remove all those trailers from the storage chamber. I have command,” Jevon said.
I smiled, knowing things were in good hands. “You have command, I’m heading home. Please ensure everyone who has filtered in and out of the portal gets a nap. The golden portal drains your own energy to create your avatar in the grand market, we had a theory about that confirmed today.”
Jevon keyed the mic, but then paused, “Understood … when you get back, we’ll need to re-sort team assignments and make some promotions. I will have a list prepared. Have a safe flight. Five out,” Jevon said, closing the connection.
Perci flipped her hair over her shoulder, looking to me for guidance. I gave a nod and our AH1 soared forward.
“I want to call this girl, Lexi,” Perci said hesitantly, though with her chin held high. Almost as if she were testing me. I raised an eyebrow at her. “With your permission, of course, Cap,” she blushed.
“Paint the hull, get rid of that god-awful smell, and then I will approve a name for her,” I said, but Perci’s evil grin caught me by surprise.
“Of course,” she smirked, “I will stencil Lexi on the side too ... and by I, I mean our hired help.” And again, out came Perci’s evil cackle. “As if I wouldn’t scrub the shit stench off the walls of this clunky box.” She snorted, “We will restore her to something worthy of our Stronghold.”
“Hey Perci, while I am thrilled about your little victory …” She grinned. “We have two burning issues that we should address sooner rather than later. The first has to do with Nancy; she is now the manager of what, exactly? The next issue is another name; we need a name for our community that encompasses both Aspen and Mansion. Any suggestions?” I asked.
Everly started to respond, but then closed her mouth.
“I am a bit busy, at the moment,” she looked out into the distance and tapped her display a few times, “There, that should get us home.” Perci kept one hand on her screen, but turned to look at me over her shoulder.
“Nancy is a medic, Eric. A damn good battlefield surgeon that we happen to no longer need. Her career was sacrificed, in a sense, to a pile of black goop. She doesn’t resent you for it, merely wants a new job to keep her off the battlefield before she becomes a mom. I was going to put her in charge of a new team responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of our new servants. I think that is fitting job for an expectant mother.” She nodded to herself as if she’d just realized something important. “I will be surprised if we don’t get a lot more requests, from the women at least, to pull off the battle lines,” Perci said with a frown. The landscape flew by underneath us as we streaked towards home. “You generally do the names. The Gtower tells me that ‘Hedeby’ was the largest Viking city.”
“Hmm… Not a fan of Hedeby. We are going to fly the jolly roger for a flag, that much I am certain of. I will think on a name.” I crossed my arms and leaned back against the wall. “What is the total flight time from the Xgate to home?”
Everly keyed something into the station beside Perci. “Seven minutes,” she replied.
“Well, hot damn. I better get to typing fast,” I said to a chorus of raised eyebrows. “I think I have the right name … just need to send an update to our entire community: Bastion.”
There were nods all around, the ladies agreeing with the name. My fingers danced on my Gpad as I entered my message in the broadcast to all Gpads option:
‘Since the Xgates fell from the stars above, we have struggled to survive. As we sought to preserve life at any cost, it felt like we went back in time,. We will never forget those we lost, or the sacrifices they made that enabled us to thrive. We will remember that the items we have pilfered to make all this possible once belonged to someone just like us. And we will always remember what it took to get to this point.’
‘Today, a new age dawns. We welcome it gladly, with new allies at our side. Gone are the constraints of limited power generation. Tossed to the wayside is the concept of manual agriculture. As we embrace this new world, we will rely upon alien technology. As of today, there will be new subspecies caring for our needs. This pampered lifestyle does not come without cost. We must protect what we have built and defend those who maintain it. We will not be doing so with yesterday’s technology of electric trucks and thirty-year-old rifles. Hell no! We face the future with advanced technology.’
‘Ensure our new arrivals are treated with both respect and dignity. This massive influx of new community members means that we will need to modify our existing housing, complete existing construction, and see new stone structures rise into the air. We have a monstrous task ahead of us that will require everyone to pitch in. Not like we ever get much of a break, but the next few days will be particularly hectic. Which leads me to announce the following long-overdue policies …’
‘I am proud to announce that, starting tomorrow, we will be paying every resident for work done to improve and sustain our community. You will be paid in zinc… Zinc is our new currency. We have a lot of it in we can mine in the mountains. We can also trade for it in the grand market. We will start a new economy. Will there be rough patches? Yes, of course. Will there be back-pay? You better believe it! Will this transition be magically smooth? Hah! Not a chance. I intentionally noted the likelihood of hiccoughs, twice. Please be patient; give us a few days to cycle into this. By the time the next golden portal rolls around, the community should only lack a few items and the majority of shopping will be done by you, shopping within allotted time slots so that we all can witness the grand market and can purchase those things we need.’
‘In the meantime, however, we're going to be improving our defenses and significantly enhancing our construction capab
ilities with towering robots called Goliaths, with two in Aspen and two in Mansion. A transportation system, called the underway, will be built to link our separate strongholds into one nation—it should be completed in a few hours, forever connecting Aspen and Mansion. Our community, Bastion, is a bright new beginning for all our citizens. Picking out our flag was an easy choice; it should be a symbol that invokes fear in our enemies but also one that constantly reminds us of the many dangers the future always holds. We have chosen to fly the skull and crossbones over our strongholds. Make no mistake, our future will, of necessity in this damned quarantine, involve piracy. We will adapt to and adopt Viking methods to ensure we prosper.’
‘When we think about where to spread out to next—a third base—we will likely select somewhere far distant from any Xgates. Our ability to move from one point on the Earth to another shifted dramatically today. We now have aircraft capable of traveling to and trading with other settlements. We are growing and there will be growing pains as we move forward. To help in this time of transition, I have come up with some common terms to add to our everyday speech.’
‘New Acronyms will designate the type and purpose of our new vehicles. The first letter of each ancronym describes the vehicle type. The second letter of each acronym identifies the model’s purpose. Finally, numbers designate the actual model. For example: (A)ircraft, Animal (H)auler becomes A-aircraft. H-hauler. Model-01 … or AH01.
Another example: (M)echa (P)ersonal. M – Mecha. P - Personal. Model – 11 … or MP11.
‘You think you may never need to know this, but surprise you do. Everyone and I mean everyone will get a brief orientation on all vehicles, and weapons of war. We never can know who might be able to hop into a TP63— Tank Personal model 63—and save the day.’
‘I have some bad news for the Humans receiving this message. We are hated as a species, considered good for little more than protein on the grand market. Our ancestors, if you believe the stories, are despised for their savagery. They use virum of a different kind, called lexium. Maybe it makes them exceptionally aggressive, who knows; we do know it turns them blue. I was able to obtain the only fourteen Earth Humans available at the market. Ever golden portal I will buy up contracts that are available and do what I can to hopefully reunite some folks with those who have been stolen from us. Your loved ones are not forgotten; I feel for your anguish.’
‘Ending on a positive note, we will hold a feast for lunch tomorrow. All are invited to use the underway to join us at Stronghold Mansion. This is not a mandatory event, but a meet and greet. Our newest additions will be on hand for the celebration. No booze, though, because we expect the next ‘season’ as the aliens in the grand market term a blue activation around dinner time tomorrow. I hope this lifts your spirits, knowing we successfully made it to a new age. We are going to prevail in this new Viking age. For the community … for Bastion!’ - Cap
I gazed out the window, wondering how everyone would react to my message. I blinked and shook my head. Why stare out the window when I had a long skirt with a swishing tail and tight yoga pants to stare at? Much more interesting than downed trees. I enjoyed the indoor scenery, reaching out in front of me to ‘air grab’ some juicy booty. The girls were oblivious to antics as they studied the AH01’s control stations.
The aircraft descended smoothly outside of Stronghold Mansion. The top of the Crixxi towers faded before I felt a slight shudder through the cabin as we touched down. I heard two relieved breaths and looked over at the girls.
“Everything okay?” I asked, innocently sticking my hands behind my back.
“Yes, we’ve landed outside the wire, which is the closest I think we should get, for now. Um… We are going to have storage issues,” Perci said, her face twisted into a grimace. “As fast as the trees are coming down, we still need most of the land inside the barriers for living space. We either store all this new equipment outside the walls or clog up space we need to build on.”
“Gary is fixing that. We’re building a new wall upfront. Besides, what better way to slow the enemy than force them through a bunch of tanks,” I said with pirate growl and a goofy cross hook with my arm. I waggled my eyebrows at her, “You know I was a fearsome skallywag at one point.” Everly rolled her eyes.
Perci scoffed and swatted my ass. “We know, matey.”
“You’ll have to excuse me, your fearsome pirate lordship,” the Crixxi said, “I have to integrate our newest arrivals. You should probably talk to that Norm fellow and get him to link up with Daphne,” Everly said, opening the nasty door. “She is probably still trying to buy food automations.”
“Cap, this is Torrez,” Torrez said, breaking radio protocol. His voice was agitated, almost panicked. “This damn Ferox has me trapped.”
Ah, yeah I could see how that might make one feeling a little angsty. I cupped my hands and yelled into the hanger bay, “Onix, leave my friends alone! Go secure the area. Bring me back something to prove I did not waste our resources on you,” I bellowed so loudly into the cavernous hold, that echoes trailed in the approaching twilight. I saw Pandarin cover their sensitive ears. The Swaxi honked, Slongers grumbled, Ducks quacked, and the damn Rooster crowed, all telling me to shut the hell up. I smiled down at the irritated beasts. “Actually, Onix, forget about going hunting, I need you over here to herd these animals off of my ship.”
The Ferox bounded into the hold a moment later, careful of where he stepped. Onix hissed at the animals and even the Pandarin quickly exited the hold. A few started to go the wrong way, but Onix leaped onto the back wall, hissing down at them. They got the message and fled down the ramp. Holy shit.
I was intimidated by a twenty-foot-tall cat, who leaped a hundred feet in a single bound. His claws anchored him securely to the wall. When he dropped down, I saw puncture holes in the metal sheets and groaned at the damage.
“Am I okay to go out?” Torrez asked and I chuckled.
Onix herded the frightened animals into a tight circle on a section of cleared land. When they had calmed down, he sat on his haunches.
“I think we are safe.” I punched him in the arm. “If you get eaten, blame Perci,” I said with a slight giggle. I closed the connection, fleeing an irate Perci, who stormed out of the crew cabin, trying to slug my arm. I took a deep breath and ran out of the hold, desperate to avoid the stench. When I reached the bottom of the ramp I sucked in a huge gulp of clean air. I waved to the guards on the hesco wall. “Don’t mind us. I need you to open the gate please.”
Two soldiers hopped into a pair of trucks and drove them out of the way off to the side, behind the wall.
I pointed into the opening. “Onix, herd these animals into your new home. You’ll smell where the pens are. Take them to where they need to go,” I said and he rumbled something undoubtedly snarky in response. I shrugged. “If you want a treat, I have a whole haunch of a gargoyle left. The shit is nasty, but you are welcome to it.”
I guess that was enough for him. Into the base, the animals and Pandarin went.
“That cat is frightening,” Torrez said, the scuff of his boots telling me he’d stopped directly behind me. “I hope he doesn’t eat me.”
“Ha! Think of the children,” I said with a snicker walking around the mass of animals being herded into the base. “Hey Bensen,” I greeted a soldier at the gate, “the troops are looking fantastic. Where’s Gary?”
“Out by the caves, Cap. Love your new pet,” Bensen smirked and Onix growled low in warning. “Team member, Cap, I love our new team member.”
A rumbling purr let us know Onix was pleased with his upgraded status. “I guess he understands us,” Perci said, keeping pace.
“Norm, Tina, where are you?” I asked, dialing directly into their Gpads.
“Damnit Cap, I am in the shower,” Tina scoffed, closing the connection.
Norm opened his video chat. “I am managing the livestock. Pat is out over with the Yexin and Mr. Wang is tending to rabbits in Aspen,” Norm responded in a
friendly tone.
“Um… So, Norm … Who would you say is your deputy?” I asked.
“We need more farmers, but that would be Idra—a nice Crixxi lady, very much in tune with the land. I take it you need my expertise to sort out the vegi-producing automation,” Norm said, as I watched him stoop down in his video feed to pluck a weed out of the soil.
“Onix, a ginormous cat, is herding our latest livestock additions your way. Have your folks add these new animals to the existing pens and then head over to the Xgate. There, I need you to find Daphne and help her get what she needs to automate our agricultural production.”
“Understood,” he said.
“You’ll be growing crops in machines going forward, Cap out” I said, and closed the connection. Norm had been really good for the community. I felt bad for a few reasons. I’d pretty much cucked him with the kerfuffle over Tina and Nancy, then I turned his twenty-plus days of hard work into little more than a single yield. Nothing for it, but to keep going forward.
I left the animals pouring into their new pens and climbed a Crixxi tower. I wanted to get a feel of the community from up top. I had been somewhat bummed lately by the mass exodus of folks leaving Mansion for Aspen. Every one of the single-story longhouse units stood empty. Not that I blamed them for leaving, it was not a hard choice—did they want to live in hastily constructed plywood communal long houses, or in luxury hotels and condominiums?
Aspen had doors, personal space and private bathrooms. That was that.
My soldiers, both Human and Crixxi, stayed. We built separate bedrooms in the two story longhouses. Over the past seven days we had managed to complete the thirty-third longhouse. Longhouses twenty-six thru thirty-three were two stories tall, had indoor plumbing, communal kitchens, and more closely resembled modern homes. They were highly sought after. People had had enough of sheet walls held up with string. No longer. They fled the older longhouses for a room in the barn, or the mansion, or Aspen.