"How far out are they?"

Squawkers straightened, having mostly recovered from his panicked dive. "I don't know. I don't know how fast they're moving, either. But if they came straight from the city... maybe a few hours?"

Annie took the scope back from Chad to peer at the faraway form. "It's hard to tell... probably as good a guess as any, though."

"What do we do?" Squawkers pressed. "That's a big boat! There could be a whole army in there!"

Chad placed a hand on the bird's head. "Don't worry, buddy. We've been planning for this, remember?"

"Yeah, we've been planning for this to happen later, not now! We haven't even made this part of the plan yet!" Squawkers cried out with a few anguished flaps. After a moment, he settled down and took a calming breath. "It's ok. I'm ok. Everything's fine."

"Exactly," Chad spoke in a soothing tone. "See? It'll be ok."

"Either way, we gotta let everyone know." Annie had already grabbed her phone, thumbs flying across the keyboard. "At least we got a bit of time."

"Right. Hopefully Tom's managed to wrangle together a group already." Chad turned back toward the barn. "Though... maybe we should grab some more stuff to take with us."

"Stuff?" Squawkers seemed to notice the wheelbarrow full of firearms for the first time. "What the--?! Where did all that come from?!"

"It's some of Paw Paw's old stuff." Chad explained. "Though… Annie…"

"Yeah?" The Massage Therapist didn't look up from her phone.

A surge of excitement flared within Chad. "Do you think… Maybe this is a tank kinda situation?"

"Uh, tank?" Squawkers looked between the pair in confusion. "What kinda tank are we talking about?"

Annie paused. "I dunno, Chad. It needs gas, and we still dunno how to drive it. Maybe there's a vet in town who's got experience or somethin'? If it even works."

"Drive it?! What did I miss, here?!"

"Good point…" Chad conceded with a sigh. "Ok. Fine. We'll just grab some missile launchers-- ow!"

A sharp nip at Chad's temple brought his attention back to his shoulder, where a glaring Squawkers stared him down.

"What was that for, Squawk?!"

"You kept ignoring me!" The parrot complained. "Why are you talking about tanks and missile launchers?! What in the world did you do while I've been scouting?"

"It's just one tank!"

Annie chuckled at the pair as Chad rubbed at his sore temple. She shoved her phone back in her pocket with a sharp nod. "We'll tell you on the way. But right now, we have to hurry. Let's get these back to the house."

"Right." Chad nodded. "No time to waste."

***

The southeast edge of town was home to a number of fields full of cows, horses, and goats alike. It was a beautiful place, especially this time of year. An emerald carpet speckled with yellows, pinks, and blues. Butterflies fluttered by among the flowers, their stems rustling with strong gusts of wind.

Today, though, the field lacked it usual bovine occupants. They'd been moved to safer pastures. That didn't mean it was empty, though.

Chad stared into the sky. What was previously just a maroon speck on the horizon had now grown to the recognizable shape of an incoming longship, oars sticking out to either side. The thing was fast, faster than they'd hoped. It couldn't have been more than a few miles out at this point.

"Well," Annie appeared at his elbow, her gaze following his into the distance. "At least it's not the biggest kind."

She was right. In the broadcast they'd seen, there had been ships the size of cruise liners or larger. This one was only as big as a house. A big house – more like a mansion, to be completely honest – but not the worst case scenario.

Chad glanced over his shoulder and towards the cluster of cars behind him. Around them, a crowd of townsfolk had gathered to face the oncoming threat.

Tom's recruiting efforts had borne plenty of fruit. Being able to see the incoming threat had done a lot to help convince people, though many had already agreed to help before that. But in just the brief time since yesterday, the Ranch Manager had managed to assemble a team of over a hundred volunteers. And that wasn't even counting the thirty or so officers on the scene from the Sheriff's Department.

The group gathered around, tense and ready for action. A quick glance over their classes revealed quite a range of specializations. Many were ex-military or law enforcement of some kind. About half of them still retained a class related to their line of work. However, Chad also spotted a decent number of folks bearing classes unrelated to combat at all. These were the farmers, ranchers, mechanics, and varied townsfolk with nine-to-five jobs like Bank Teller. Most wore tactical vests or even body armor. All were armed, some of them with Paw Paw's weapons.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Sheriff Clay stepped toward Chad and blew out a long breath. "So, we're doing this, huh?"

"Yep."

The sheriff shook his head. "So now my job involves fighting aliens… What a crazy world…"

Annie let out a snort. "At least you might get paid overtime for it. I'm definitely not."

Chad turned to Squawkers. "Any info you can give us?"

The bird let out a nervous croak from his shoulder. "Identify doesn't work like that. It's only creatures and people and skills. And I can't see anyone inside, so..."

"Dang. Well, worth a shot."

Sheriff Clay hung his head for a moment, then straightened. "Well, let's hope this works." He raised his voice and called out to the crowd. "Alright, people! Let's get to it!"

With that, the gaggle of volunteers stopped gaping at the incoming ship and began moving. They quickly formed into groups near the cars for cover and began checking over their weapons one last time.

"I'm gonna pull out the missiles, then." Chad jerked a thumb toward Tom's truck. The Ranch Manager himself stood nearby, coordinating things and handing out extra ammo.

The sheriff nodded. "Sounds good. Whenever you're ready, let me know."

"Got it." Chad turned over his shoulder. "Hey, Liam! Come get your toys!"

At the call, a broad-shouldered Infantryman in his forties jogged over to Chad. He arrived just as the arm wrestler reached the vehicle.

"Alright. I only got a few of these, so try not to miss."

With that, Chad pulled out four of the missile launchers from the bed of the truck. He passed the matte green tubes over gingerly.

The Infantryman whistled appreciatively. "Damn. You said you had missiles, but... really?"

"What?" Chad asked, looking at the tubes again. "Are they bad?"

"Uh, no. These are Stingers." The guy marveled at the launchers. "The hell did you get them from?"

"Uh... would you believe it if I said I found 'em?" Chad asked hopefully.

The guy gave Chad a flat look. Right. Figured.

"Well, either way, we got what we got. You know how to use 'em?"

The Infantryman nodded. "Yep."

"Good. Cuz I sure as hell don't."

"Wait, Stingers?" Annie called over. She had climbed atop the truck to set up her sniper rifle. "Don't those things auto target or some shit?"

"They usually go after engine heat, but seeing how that's a boat up there…" The man shrugged. "Though I got a skill that can lock on to targets. Hopefully it works. Cuz if these don't get the job done... well, we're probably fucked."

Chad gave Sheriff Clay a thumb-s up as the missiles got settled. The officer nodded and stood before the line of armed volunteers with a megaphone. He brought it to his mouth, his voice crackling through for one final address.

"...Alright, looks like we're ready to go. Now remember, we have no clue what's gonna happen here. Maybe things start flying out and charging us. Maybe they start firing back. Maybe they just roll over and die. Whatever happens, be ready to change tactics on the fly. Understood?"

At the chorus of "yes's" and "yessir's", the Sheriff nodded. "Good. Now, before we do this, everyone huddle up for a second..."

They clustered around the man, who began glowing with golden light. It pulsed for a moment, then flared and erupted outward in a shower of sparks. The sparks curved in midair to arc toward each person, sending a few stepping back in surprise.

Chad looked down as the golden mote struck him in his chest, just above his heart. It flashed, morphing into the shape of a star before fading to a dull glow.

Sheriff Clay cleared his throat. "Ahem. Sorry about that. Didn't know the skill would come with a light show... Anyway, you're all Deputized now. Should give you some nice bonuses for whatever we end up dealing with."

Chad poked at the golden badge stuck to his shirt, only to find that his finger passed right through. "Huh. That's neat. Guess I don't have to worry about losing it."

Squawkers peered down from his shoulder. The parrot also bore one of the ephemeral gold badges, hovering right above his own chest. "Cool! It makes your aim better. Comes with some nifty stat buffs, too."

"Strength?" Chad asked hopefully.

"Er... Charisma and Dexterity, mostly." Squawkers explained. "So no."

"Well, here we go." Annie called over, ready to take aim at whatever came their way. "Let's hope this doesn't go completely to shit..."

The arm wrestler chuckled while flexing his arm. "It'll be fine. I mean, look at all the firepower we've got!"

She looked over the group, then back at the ship. "Yeah... but who knows what they've got."

"Missiles ready?" The sharp call echoed across the grassy field.

"Ready!"

"Alright! Everyone else, get back and brace yourselves."

The Infantryman Chad had given the missiles to stepped forward, kneeling on the ground for stability. The dark hull of the longship loomed in the distance, its oars continuing their long, slow undulations.

"Alright, here we go folks!" Sheriff Clay yelled. "Fire!"

With a belch of grey and orange, the missile streaked into the air. Its long body erupted out of the shoulder mounted tube before falling away to reveal the main rocket. The projectile arced toward the longship as the crowd silently held their breath.

The missile receded into the distance as no more than a speck. Then, a moment later, the side of the boat exploded.

"Hit!" The Infantryman shouted as he pulled out the next missile. "Three confirmed kills!"

The impact rocked the ship, leaving plume of smoke in its wake. It listed slightly to one side, drifting off its path as it did. As he explosion cleared, the distinct shape of a ragged hole could be seen in the previously smooth hull. Chad pumped a fist as others shouted in triumph. Their celebrations were short-lived, though.

Squawkers cried out in alarm. "I see movement! Something's happening!"

Chad squinted, trying his best to see the faraway ship as it began to slowly right itself. Sure enough, the roof of the longship was moving. It seemed to shift strangely as something peeked out from its front.

A deep thump reverberated through the air. Then another. Then a few more.

"They're firing back!" Squawkers flapped his wings in distress. "Incoming!"

People began shouting commands and taking up positions. Chad couldn't help but grin. They have guns too? No problem. Time to show off my own.

With that, he reached down toward his feet. Missiles and firearms weren't the only thing they'd packed. They'd also brought some ammo for him.

He hefted a massive sledgehammer, grin widening. Time to teach that ship what a real cannon can do.