Serial
83: No easy job
March 21st, 33 S.D. 08:22 Sventa-Henorn Border, Central Plains
“Hey, are we getting close to the objective?” Yega asked. Tami, like the rest of them, rode on horseback. He held the reigns in one hand while another lifted a folded map to his eyes.
“We should be nearly there,” he said, giving the paper a good shake. “The last landmark indicates we should have only a few hundred meters left. Looks like the land dips and rises at the stream up ahead. It is probably just beyond that.”
“Just be patient,” Faima said.
WOLFWIND waded across a small body of running water, then traveled up an incline. Just as Tami had guessed, their destination was right after the little hill. An old hunting shack stood there by its lonesome. Abandoned in virtual obscurity, the hut was secluded and isolated from all things. Tall and wild prairie grass covered most of its image. It had not seen any use in years, perhaps for at least a generation. The brick walls had faded after decades beneath the sun. Only patches of the roof remained; the rest had either caved in or rotted away with age. No signs indicated whether it originally belonged to Sventa or Henron, but it didn’t look like either side cared greatly for it at any rate.
Still, WOLFWIND exercised caution as they approached. All three of them quietly dismounted, tying their horses to the thick base of a near by bush. Drawing their rifles, holding these weapons level to their eyes, they took careful steps towards the structure. Tami assumed the lead, motioning to them silently with gestures. WOLFWIND continually aimed at all angles as they walked up to the shack. Anything could have been a trap, so they studied the scene before them.
As they reached the perimeter, Tami dropped to one knee; Faima and Yega followed his example. He turned and looked at his comrades. Swiftly, Tami pointed at Yega, then pointed to one side of the hut, swirling his finger around. He wanted Yega to circle around the back before coming to the entrance. With more signals, he directed Faima to go inside immediately. Tami himself intended to secure the rest of the outer area. They all nodded at each other before standing and dispersing.
Yega found nothing interesting on his end, a good sign to be sure. He looked at the roof from various vantage points, but nothing really struck him. Tami did a sweep of the grass, peering into the dense plant-life. Winter’s early close let everything bounce back rapidly this year; he couldn’t see clearly for more than a couple of meters. The wind briefly rustled the setting, however, the plains maintained a certain stillness.
Faima crept up to the front, pressing herself against the wood next to the door-frame. She shouldered her rifle and took out a pistol instead. With one arm extended forward, she gently pushed the door open. Her gun’s sight trained down the widening crack. For a moment, she paused, then she stepped inside all at once. She pointed her weapon at several different vectors in short succession. At a glance, she checked the corners, then behind the door itself. Holding her gun high, she paced slowly inside. Only a few chairs, a broken table, and a number of emptied boxes occupied this space. She heard a sudden noise from above; in response, Faima snapped the pistol’s barrel towards the source. In the end, it was merely the flutter of a bird leaving the open roof. She grumbled as she lowered her guard. A minute later, they all reconvened outside.
“Looks secured,” Tami nodded. “No signs of anyone out here.”
“We never had to worry about stuff like this with Losha,” Yega said. “She always knew where people were.”
“This is what we are supposed to do anyway,” Faima pointed out. “And just because she can sense other people easily does not mean we get a free pass to stop being aware of our environment. Remember that when she comes back.”
“I know that,” Yega shot back.
“Regardless,” Tami interrupted, “this is the location. It seems we got here before she did, so I guess all we can do at this point is wait for her.”
Yega snatched a few looks to either side before sighing and sitting down. “Sa, the waiting game. I was never any good at that sport.”
“Ksh,” Faima said, holstering her pistol. “Some of us do not get any better with age. Least of all people like myself. Losha had better not keep us waiting long.”
“This coming from the one who told me to be patient,” Yega said, but Faima simply scowled at him. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. “You know, those are bad for you, sa?” Yega remarked flatly, turning to her as she leaned against the hut. Faima filled her lungs with burning tobacco, then exhaled in a long, drawn out huff.
“So? You cough a little when you get old. Big deal. I do not smoke all that often, so shut up unless you got another one of these you can spare.”
Yega looked at Tami and shrugged.
“Might as well get comfortable until she arrives,” Tami said as he went back for their horses. Before he left the vicinity, however, a powerful wind brewed from the west. It started as a breeze but soon evolved into a blinding gust. As the air whirled around them, WOLFWIND went on alert.
“Ugh! What is this?” Tami wondered, squinting and shielding himself with his hands. He couldn’t see anything ahead of him; the gale hit him squarely in the eyes.
“Shrieks!” Yega exclaimed, rising to his feet.
“Is this a storm or something?” Faima growled as she faced the east to avoid the tempest. A great blow rushed at them, snuffing out her cigarette and tossing it to the fields. “S**t!” she cursed as she lost track of its flight. From the direction of the wind, a tall figure began to emerge distantly. None of them could get a clear view, however, Tami was certain there was only one of them. WOLFWIND regrouped, standing to face the surge. Tami and Faima tried to pull up their rifles, but neither of them could see well or get a straight shot; their barrels kept shifting around.
A loud neigh echoed as a shadow jumped from the grass. Slamming down in front of them, a horse landed but meters away. The wind picked up once more as the beast proudly reared to the sky. Yega fell to the ground as the animal stomped its hooves; meanwhile Tami and Faima stumbled backwards into the shack. Then, just as randomly as the squall had come, so too did it fade away. The air petered out, leaving WOLFWIND stunned by these strange events. All at once, however, a familiar voice spoke to them.
“Terribly sorry for the entrance. I was trying a new series today, but the results are a little rough, as you can see.” Blinking, they stared at the white stallion that had come to them. Gradually, they looked up and saw the rider. “It has been a while, you three. I hope I did not surprise you all,” Losha smiled.
“Losha!” Yega cried, brushing himself off as he came upright. “Hey, and here is Izel!” The steed snorted as if replying.
“Well,” Tami said, shaking his head rapidly back and forth. “That sure gave us a scare, commander.”
“Sa, I aplogize. The idea was to use something faster than speed-steps, but this created a bit of a mess, apparently.”
“It seems to have gotten you here fast enough,” Faima said as she put away her rifle. “But now you owe me a cigarette...”
“I... what?” Losha asked as she dismounted.
“Faima, you should really quit,” Tami frowned.
“I already told you, I only smoke occasionally! They are like treats, alright? And I get testy when I waste one.”
“I will make it up to you, but not before we end this war. Does that sound like a fair deal?” Losha offered.
“Ksh, only for you, Losha, would I accept.”
“Welcome back, commander!” Yega smiled as he saluted. The others followed suite.
“We missed you these past two months,” Tami said.
“With all due respect, Losha, it has been too damn quiet without you,” Faima said.
“What is with this ‘commander’ business I keep hearing from you?” Losha asked, tilting her head to the side as she hugged her elbows. “And now the salutes?”
“Come on, Losha,” Yega insisted. “This is WOLFWIND. Let us at least try to act like a proper team. That makes you a commander.”
“But the technical term is sub-squad Header, sa? The leader of a four-person unit?”
“Think of it as a field promotion,” Tami laughed.
Losha sighed and shrugged. “Just do not get carried away. I came as fast as Izel and I could go. Now that we have reunited with you, we should get back to business, our mission.”
“Care to fill us in, commander?” Tami asked, stepping forward. “Our orders were to come here and wait for your instructions. Boz said nothing more than that via air.”
“Sa, I see. Gather around everyone. Let me discuss this swiftly.” They formed a small square, stooping low as Losha spread out her own map. “Our objective is two-fold. The first phase is to reach the First and Second Divisions of the Sventa army before they can engage any Henron forces. Once stopped, we will take any soldiers with us who will only fight the loyalists. Any who wish to fight the new government, we will send them home. From there, we take our numbers and pursue Prime Lead Govan Henron. He is going to attack Core Lead Liveta Henron’s forces in an effort to seize control of Capital City. We have to make sure she and her people do not fall. This pretty much goes against everything the Tabran decided earlier. We are taking matters into our own hands. Sound simple enough?”
“Ksh! No.” Faima said bluntly. “But that is not why we are here. No easy jobs for us.”
“This is the predicted route our divisions will be taking,” Losha explained, tracing her finger along a broad black arrow drawn over the map. “They have been moving quite fast, though I suspect recent flooding in these marked areas may hinder their progress. We should be able to catch up, but with the head-start they have, we need to move now. Any further operational questions I can answer on the way.”
“Well, can you tell me this before we go?” Tami asked. “How are we going to make it to their position? That looks like an awful lot of land to cover on paper. Will that new series you mentioned help at all?”
Losha shook her head. “That series is not ready. It uses various kinetic series to encapsulate the user in a jet stream, basically forcing them through air, propelling them along with wind currents. It seems to unleash a tornado in the process, and it is not entirely stable. We will use speed-steps instead. We can still reach them by noon if we depart immediately.” Out of nowhere, Losha felt a seras frequency appear. Startled, she stood up and whirled around, looking out across the horizon. Equally taken aback, WOLFWIND got up and grabbed at their weapons.
“What is it, commander?” Tami asked.
Losha held up her hand as if to pause them. “A seras frequency just materialized.”
“Is it near? Is it a threat?” Faima questioned.
“It seems pretty far, but that very much concerns me. This range... It looks like it is coming deep within Henron. This is not a mass of frequencies. Just one... That means it has to have an incredibly heavy seratic presence to project itself all the way over here.”
“Are you sure it is that strong?” Asked a bewildered Yega. Liveta’s words slipped into her head for a moment.
“... classified research project, some sort of advanced weaponry... Tide-turner.”
“Sansat!” Losha growled, narrowing her eyes. That had to be the most likely scenario, she thought, given all the clues. The doctor’s strange stone, Liveta’s investigation at Binfort, and now this remote yet imposing seras.
“Sansat?” Tami echoed. “What is going on, Losha?”
“S**t! Look at that!” Faimai pointed. Many, many kilometers eastward, a great plume of dust and smoke leaped into the sky. This terrible tower shot high above the earth, growing large even before their eyes as they stood hours away.
“What... the hell is that?!” Tami exclaimed.
“That means we are out of time here. We have to go, now.”
“Towards that... thing, I presume,” Faima frowned.
“Sa. That has to be their latest weapon. I will tell you more about it as we go, but for now our top priority is to move.” WOLFWIND nodded as they raced to gather themselves. Losha turned back to the billowing cloud. If it indeed were a new device capable of using some form of serialization, it was her duty to stamp it out. Hadn’t Nabel predicted this sort of thing? The abuse of the art? The path of ruin and war?
“Shrieks...”
Earlier that morning, at the campgrounds of Govan’s troops, a messenger hurried through the rows of tents. Hastily, he managed his way up to the Prime Lead’s temporary command post. Stopping before the large tent, he announced himself.
“Ver Govan! Field Lead Shap with a report from Darfort!”
“Come in Field Lead.”
The junior officer pushed past the flaps and found himself in the company of both Govan and Vitna. Doctor Sansat was there too, the Field Lead noted. He cracked a quick salute at the gentlemen, then stepped towards Govan. Handing the Prime Lead a number of sheets, he summarized the contents.
“Sentries stationed near the border found massive deployments of Sventa moving directly east. Ver Govan, we believe that Sventa is launching a full-scale assault on Henron. We will be the first target they intercept.”
“Darfort, sa? They should be operating with a skeleton-crew right now. I had no idea they were loyalists as well,” Vitna said.
“They are not,” the Field Lead clarified. “This was originally intended to reach Capital City, not us. Fortunately, we picked up their courier.”
Govan sat by a fold-up table, shuffling through the papers. He paused on one in particular and looked at it carefully. “Indeed, it seems they are coming after us. By these estimates, they are sending two of their divisions. Two-thirds of their fighting force. As we invaded their homes with overwhelming strength, so too do they step into ours. Field Lead, fetch Core Lead Lisk at once; he needs to be informed of this.”
“Right away, Ver Govan.” The Field Lead slipped out of the tent without a sound.
“They certainly moved fast,” Vitna said aloud, pacing a bit with a hand over his chin. “I wonder if they are rallying because of her, because of the Wolf. We lost track of her after the capital fell. She could be anywhere, doing anything.”
“I see no mention of her here,” Govan replied. “But we ought to assume we will face her. If not now, then eventually.”
“What do you plan on doing now, Prime Lead?” Doctor Sansat asked. “Has the Barul Lion found a way to strike its prey?”
Govan’s eyes briefly flashed up before returning to the documents. “That is a name I have not donned in a long time, doctor. But as for your question, sa, I have formulated the basis for our response. Let me polish it up while we wait for Lisk.” True to form, the Prime Lead had already come up with a counter-strategy in only a few minutes. After a short while, Lisk briskly walked into the tent, throwing both flaps to the side as he entered.
“Ver Govan,” he said, then glanced around at the others. “It seems a battle looms ahead.”
“Quite so,” Govan said, standing up, still holding the papers in hand. “The Sventa are fast upon our heels. They have practically sent over half of all their available units after us. That is fine, for we shall meet them. We will temporarily delay our attack on Liveta to deal with their kind. If we can beat them badly here, the Sventa will not pose any problem in the foreseeable future. We will then be free to take care of the rebels as we please.”
“Hmm...” Lisk mused. “Any delays would only give Liveta more time to fortify the city. We already have to deal with the fact that the city is a prominent civilian hub. That fight will only grow more difficult.”
“Do not worry about that. Liveta will do combat with us in the open. She will not hide behind the capital’s walls like a coward.”
“How can you be so sure, Prime Lead?” Vitna asked.
“I have known her for a long time. It is something the two of us simply understand about one another.”
“With all regards to you, Ver Govan, if you knew her so well, did you ever expect her to lead this rebellion?”
Govan stopped and looked at the young Core Lead. His face carried a wistful sort of expression, but only for a passing moment. He turned to the table as he set down the report.
“The final battle with her will take pace on the Tafren Plains, a few kilometers northwest of the capital,” was all Govan said as he straightened up and folded his arms behind his back. He pivoted and looked at his staff. “But first, we eliminate the Sventa. We cannot have them interfere with our affairs.”
“How are we going to avoid sustaining heavy losses?” Lisk asked. “A fight with two full divisions is going to be a long, drawn-out battle. We would lose a lot of soldiers. We will basically be fighting the majority of the Sventa army, then turning around to fight the other half of ours.”
“Do not be so forgetful of our arsenal,” Sansat spoke up. “No other force or faction has access to the power of the serasword. You saw Govan’s demonstration. I can assure you, that was but a fraction of its greatest potential. To lay waste to an entire division or two is something far within its parameters. This is serialization, remember? The same power that nearly subdued Henron just a few months ago. Now, however, things have changed for us.”
“I know you keep saying she is not a problem, now that we have this sword,” Vitna began, addressing the doctor. “But what about Losha the Wolf? She could be among their ranks.”
“The data proves this serasword alone is more potent than she is. Or do you not believe Ver Govan can wield it to its greatest effect?”
“Enough talk. There is little time to act. The doctor is right, however. I will rely on this new tool of war. It is long overdue that it get its share of combat. Listen up. Ready your people. We will backtrack to the west and overpower the Sventa. The morning is early, but I want all our soldiers awake and marching in the next half-hour.” Govan spun around to retrieve his sword and then the serasword. He slid each slowly into his belt, one on either side.
“Before we settle things with our own traitors, let us crush the very ones we meant to fight since the beginning. We started this war against Sventa, and so too will we finish it. Remember this day, brothers, for this date shall forever mark their defeat at our mighty hands. Now go, all of you. Prepare yourselves for the battlefield!”
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Subscribe
Flag Writing