by Scott Wale
One of the personnel activated his dataport. He frantically tried to get ahold of the captain of the response team. No response. He went down the list in order of rank trying to make contact. No responses across the board.
XXVI.
Cerevus stared out into the tree line barely able to make out the silhouettes of the cymutts that held perfectly still. Only moments ago they had been marching straight towards Aman’s walls. The army of cymutts looked four times the size of that which had attacked Dimday. Even though the Ipta soldiers had joined the surviving premaliers, Jalpa had to know this would be a certain defeat. Cerevus had been fortunate enough to escape one annihilation, but he would be lying to himself if he said he had no doubts about surviving this encounter.
An overwhelming sense of duty kept Cerevus’ nerves calm as he waited for the first cymutt step. The orders were to rain down arrows on the cymutts until they broke through the wall, which was the exact same strategy applied at Dimday. Jalpa and the Ipta had reasoned that the greater numbers and sturdier walls would be the difference between the failure at Dimday and what would be the successful defense of Aman. Cerevus had been unconvinced at the time he heard this logic and now he held even less faith after seeing the size of the cymutt army. .
Cerevus took solace in the fact that at least the Loupiq and Chafel had not been placed between Aman and the cymutts as was the original agreement between Alejade and Jalpa. Jalpa had agreed to allow the Loupiq and Chafel refugees to take shelter within the safety of Aman’s walls. He had done so to gain favor with the premaliers and strengthen Aman’s defenses by that much more. It not only allowed Cerevus and the other premaliers to take their mind off the safety of the other Loupiq and Chafel, but it also gave them a reason to fight until nothing was left.
Halden had joined Jalpa high in the safety of the trees. If the cymutt’s assault were to proceed to the very end, then it would all end with the surrender or execution of Jalpa. Halden had known that Jalpa would situate himself at the best vantage point, which also happened to be the most secure, so the Loupiq elder ensured that he would be paired with Jalpa on the day of the attack.
Arkiva and Virra awaited the outcome of the battle with their people providing comfort in the time of need. When Cerevus was informed of their position, he couldn’t help but think that this was just another example of their benevolence. Arkiva and Virra were tasked with the responsibility of deciding the fate of the Loupiq and Chafel. They would receive status updates as the battle progressed and make the final call whether the Loupiq and Chafel would stay under the protection of Aman or take their chances elsewhere. The cymutts would only to be engaged by the premaliers and defending Iptas as long as they didn’t penetrate the city walls.
Cerevus’ mind drifted from the position of his brethren to the encounter at Dimday. Dimday had been a lost cause when Cerevus found an opportunity to escape the massacre. Today would be different. Cerevus would be required to fight to the death as he was one of a group of outnumbered soldiers that stood between the cymutt army and the remainder of the Loupiq and Chafel people. There would be no more running and no more hiding. The seemingly infinite number of cymutts would be met with a full engagement today. The victor would hold claim to Aman. The defeated would either cease to exist or in the cymutt’s case a new battalion would arrive to continue what could potentially be an eternal battle. Cerevus was beginning to learn that the unknown number of cymutts was the real torment that his enemy projected. If a victory occurred today, there would be no time to celebrate as preparations for any potential future attack would be the priority. Uncertainty about the death of one’s enemy required more endurance and mental fortitude than any living being possessed. Cerevus now began to understand why Fenrit had felt so much pressure to put an end to these cymutt savages.
The whereabouts of Fenrit and Alejade were unknown, but Cerevus remembered the determination in Fenrit’s voice when he argued with Alejade about the drastic measures that needed to be taken to end the cymutt threat. Fenrit had never failed his fellow premaliers in the past and Cerevus wanted to believe that this streak would not be broken with Fenrit’s current effort. Whatever Fenrit had come up with as a resolution, Cerevus had confidence he would carry it forward to the bitter end.
***
Tradok could feel the anticipation emanating from the other three. The group had all held up motionless against the wall waiting for someone or something else to make the next move. The Sauronoid ran through various scenarios and outcomes depending on what happened next. The most likely scenario was that a response team would come in through the only doorway to intercept the cymutt. The appropriate response to this would be to sneak into the room behind them and lock the door. It was miraculous enough that they had made it this far into Prominence without drawing any attention. The goal of trying to get in and out undetected was unimaginable and not worth striving for. The worst case scenario would be a response team appearing at the top of the ramp. The group would be pinned below and forced to enter the room facing whatever surprises it held. There was no empirical evidence to back up his theory, but Tradok had reasoned that if a response team came from the room, then the probability of it being safe was a lot higher.
A footstep at the top of the ramp broke Tradok’s concentration. He turned his attention to the top of the ramp, along with the other group members, realizing that his worst case scenario was now a real time occurrence. Three response team members were visible at the top of the ramp with possibly more obscured from view. The response team immediately spotted the intruders and realized their objective had changed from retrieving a defective cymutt to eradicating the infiltrators.
“Now might be a good time for those skin shields”, Nevit said while activating his own unit.
Alejade and Tradok activated their units. Fenrit had already responded by knocking an arrow and loosening it through the stomach of one of the soldiers. The soldier fell to the floor and his maimed body slid partially down the ramp due to the forward momentum he held before being struck. The other two visible soldiers took note of this casualty and retreated back to the top of the ramp and around the immediate corner for temporary cover.
“Get to the room for cover, we’ll worry about the next steps from there”, Tradok commanded.
Fenrit held ground while the other three proceeded to the door. Nevit rushed ahead, pumped his cyphon and then entered wary of what would be awaiting him on the other side. The room was dark and the only source of light was monitors lined up along the far wall. A chair facing the monitors turned and the sole occupant of the room was startled by the intruders.
“Out of the chair”, Nevit directed.
The Nosixt occupant complied after catching a glimpse of Nevit’s cyphon. He held his arms up in surrender and slowly backed away from the terminals. Tradok and Alejade entered the room followed by Fenrit who began desperately looking for the switch to close and hopefully lock the door.
“They’re still up at the top of the ramp, but I imagine they won’t wait it out for long”, Fenrit explained.
“Here”, Tradok said while flipping a switch that closed the door. “I can probably lock it from the terminal over there.”
Tradok walked over to the terminal and sat down in the chair previously occupied by the Nosixt. The Sauronoid took a brief moment to look over his options before inputting commands. Before long he was navigating the system fluidly.
“This was not a good idea”, Tradok said shooting a glance at the Nosixt.
“What is it?” Alejade asked.
“I can not only lock that door, but I can also override the commands of our friend out there”, Tradok answered. “Of course the lock will only hold them for so long.”
A clicking sound that came from the door indicated to everyone that Tradok had activated the lock.
“It buys us some time to move forward with the next step”, Fenrit pointed out.
“That assumes there was a next step”, Nevit countered. “First thin
gs first, what do we do with him?”
The Nosixt clenched as all attention turned to him. How aggressive was this invading party going to be? He had felt so secure being buried so far down in Prominence. He had never imagined he would be caught in the middle of a heated conflict. His only training had been to not comply with intruders and nothing more.
“We can’t have him compromising our mission”, Fenrit stated.
“Agreed”, Nevit said while still pumping his cyphon.
“No”, Alejade objected. “There will not be any unnecessary bloodshed. If you’re concerned about him interfering, then we’ll have to find a way to restrain him before we move forward.”
Tradok stood up out of his chair gaining everyone’s attention. A menacing look came across the Sauronoid’s face as he slowly walked over to the Nosixt. The Nosixt began to cower in fear, but remained speechless. Tradok lifted his arm and thrust his claw back down on the Nosixt’s head rendering him unconscious.
“Problem solved”, Tradok said while powering down his skin shield as if to express the fact that the threat had been neutralized.
Alejade shook her head in disapproval, but did not voice her opinion.
“Now, Fenrit, your competence with the bow gives us an advantage as few of Grimtav’s soldiers are skilled with ranged weapons”, Tradok began. “Most of the interior security teams are only equipped with static shields and edged weaponry.”
“What’s a static shield?” Fenrit asked.
“It’s similar technology to your skin suit, except the shield will never drop and it’s carried like a traditional shield exposing the bearer as long as you can get behind it”, Tradok explained. “It also numbs whatever it comes into contact with. They’ll likely rush at you with it. Your skin shield will repel a blow or two before it shuts down. Speaking of which can everyone feel that their skin shield is on? If not, I have a few extra in my pack.”
“If the feeling is that of slight dizziness, then mine is working perfectly”, Alejade said.
“That would be it”, Tradok confirmed.
“Mine is good too”, Fenrit responded. “Now what do we do?”
“Watch the door while I figure that out”, Tradok said as he headed back over to the terminal.
Tradok pulled up the facility layout and began to orient himself based on the fact that the controller was to his back. He didn’t expect the controller itself to be clearly labeled, however, there wasn’t much else to the floor and there should at least be an open space where the controller sat. He used his memory to trace the group’s path through the hallways of Prominence and down into its cellar. The layout confirmed that the group was indeed on the bottom floor. Tradok’s suspicions had also been confirmed in that the security room, which they currently occupied, was displayed on the layout, however, the room housing the controller across the hall was not. The layout wouldn’t be of any help with the access issue; however, it did show that if the group made it to the top of the ramp there were numerous routes of escape. Now that the facility had been alerted to their presence time would be a factor.
Tradok turned around in his chair and began a visual inspection. A small access port near the ceiling of the room was on the same wall as the door. Tradok stood up and walked over to the other side of the room placing himself directly beneath the access port. He reached up and flipped a few latches that held a grate in place. With the latches released he was simply able to remove the grate and place it on the floor next to his feet. Tradok walked back over to the terminal, grabbed the chair he had been sitting in, picked it up, carried it back to the other side of the room and placed it directly beneath the port where he had stood to remove the grating. Tradok stepped up on the chair and stuck his head into the access port.
“Does that lead over to the controller room?” Fenrit asked realizing what Tradok was attempting to figure out.
“Yes, but there is a humming noise”, Tradok said while pulling his head out of the access port.
“What does that mean?” Fenrit asked.
“There’s a shield in place”, Tradok said. “I believe this is the only entry to the room that holds the controller. It’s only large enough for a single being to crawl through. I imagine it was built for maintenance purposes, which should only be infrequent interactions. Taking the shield down should be easy, but I’m beginning to understand why they were somewhat comfortable putting a terminal in this room.”
“Why?” Nevit asked.
“We’re already pinned in this room and if we all crawl over there it’s not putting us in any better of a situation”, Tradok reasoned. “This brings me to my next course of action, which is not up for debate. You three need to work your way up to the top of the ramp and make sure we have an opening for escape. It won’t be long before more security shows up and swarms the area. It’ll be easier to hold a position than gain one.”
“If it’s necessary to break into two groups, then why don’t you take down the shield and I’ll crawl over?” Alejade asked. “Out of the three of us, I’m the least knowledgeable in the ways of combat.”
“You also have no knowledge of the controller”, Tradok said bluntly. “I need to make sure that when the controller goes down it will never come back up. Only I can make that happen.”
“Fair enough”, agreed Alejade.
Pounding erupted from the locked door.
“Sounds like it’s too late for any sort of push”, Nevit exclaimed.
“That’s likely just the first wave”, Tradok commented. “I’ll take care of that too.”
Tradok returned to his position in front of the terminal. The banging on the door continued almost as if the force on the other side intended for the door to give in to futile effort. He began entering commands with a sense of focus and determination that brought a slight boost of confidence to the rest of the group that had commenced giving in to their doubts.
“The shield is down”, Tradok announced as he continued working.
The Sauronoid carried on with entering commands as the group eagerly awaited his next command. The rest of the group was still unsure what precisely the next steps were, but Tradok appeared to have it all under control.
“I eliminated the ‘go home’ command from the cymutt and replaced it with a defend command”, Tradok declared as the banging on the door ceased. “The cymutt is headed towards the top of the ramp. Hopefully, it’ll do some damage before it is taken out. You may want to give it a few moments before heading to the top of the ramp unless you have a strong desire to be in the middle of that chaos.”
“How long will it take you?” Alejade asked.
“I can’t be sure of that until I see what I’m dealing with”, Tradok explained. “Keep an eye on your dataports and I’ll keep you updated. I also need one more thing.”
Tradok took a step towards Fenrit and snatched Scourge from his hands. He dug his claws underneath the sliver of faunite and popped it off of its fixed position. Tradok then handed Scourge back to Fenrit.
“What do you need that for?” Fenrit cried out.
“Because simply shutting it down may not be an option”, Tradok explained.
Fenrit returned a quizzical look to this answer.
“Faunite is combustible under a high enough temperature”, Tradok furthered his explanation.
Fenrit’s mind immediately thought of the story of Cerevus and Mapu stuck in a tree and being saved by the mysterious explosion after Mapu’s bow had fallen into the fire below. Fenrit quickly shook off the odd moment of clarity during a moment of turmoil and returned his focus to the task at hand.
“I’m fully aware of the fact that you won’t be able to charge your arrows without it, but charged arrows won’t be necessary for anything you’ll be facing”, Tradok continued. “We’ll escape through the same way we came in through the cymutt receiving bay. I realize this sounds counterintuitive, but I don’t expect to encounter many cymutts as we head back to the cave.”
“What about static shields
?” Fenrit asked.
“They will deflect arrows whether they are charged or not”, Tradok answered.
“What are you going to use to generate enough heat?” Alejade asked.
“I have a few extra skin shields in my pack”, Tradok responded. “I’ll just set one to overload. The hallway should be clear now. Let’s not waste the opportunity.”
***
Grimtav thrust his falchion through the berserk cymutt’s casing and directly into its drive unit. The cymutt fell paralyzed to the floor. Grimtav felt a surge of adrenaline as this had been the first foe he had defeated in quite some time. The Ipta had been enraged when he reached the bottom floors and found himself in the middle of a frenzy between the cymutt and the remaining response team members. Grimtav thought he had ordered everyone away from the area.
The cymutt had managed to maul and execute six members of the response team before Grimtav delivered his final blow. Now that the cymutt was disposed of there was a clear path down to the security room across from the controller. Grimtav waved up the two remaining response team members that had equipped themselves with static shields. More reinforcements would be on their way, but the two defensive soldiers would help push for the desired ground and with enough skill defend the position until the reinforcements arrived.
“I want you in front”, Grimtav ordered. “Any remaining obstacles and you’re going to push them back. There’s only one place left for a retreat.”
The two response team members took their ordered position in front of Grimtav and held their body high shields in front of them. The width of the hallway would allow four shield bearers standing side by side, but two would be sufficient enough to blockade the hallway and begin the push for more ground. The shield bearers lurched forward with Grimtav matching along at a steady pace.
The trio of Prominence residents turned the corner that lead to the hallway linking to the top of the ramp. An arrow flew to the side of one of the shields failing to hit its intended target. The shield bearers crouched behind their protective cover and glared through the translucent shield at the target straight ahead. Fenrit and Nevit had positioned themselves at the intersection of the hallway and the top of the ramp. Alejade hid down far enough into the ramp’s hallway that she was not yet visible to the pressing party. The shield bearers continued their march forward ensuring the static shield remained between any part of their exposed body and the intruders.