John’s statement that he might have a new idea excited the leadership of the Portal Crushers. They all waited for him to continue. Atlas did have one question, though, before John said anything else.
Atlas raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is this another Snedlie-type idea? The one where you put him on latrine duty and he ends up betraying us?"
John shot back, "That’s a low blow, Atlas. You know that was a decision I didn’t want to make."
Atlas nodded, "Continue."
John went on, "Yes, we can get rid of them permanently. But what if we could extract some value from them?"
Atlas frowned, "Slavery? I don’t want to ever dip my toe into that cesspool."
John shook his head, "No, not slavery. I agree; we should never do that. It may seem like a good idea from an economic standpoint, but historically it’s been shown on Earth that it harms the soul and morale of ALL the people involved."
Atlas asked, "Then what are you suggesting?"
"Atlas, what would you think if we traded the soldiers?"
"Traded?" Atlas asked, surprised.
"Yes, just like in the World Wars on Earth. We could trade them as POWs."
Atlas thought for a moment. ‘That actually makes a lot of sense. These soldiers aren't bandits with no care for human life. They really are just men and women following the orders of a foreign government called Earth.‘
“No way,” Alexander’s voice cut through the chatter, rising with a hard edge. “NO WAY! IF WE TRADE WITH ’EM, THE NEXT DAY THEY’LL BE BACK PACKIN’ MORE WEAPONS!”
He took a breath, forcing himself to settle down, though his voice was still taut with tension. “Then we’re just sittin’ ducks, fightin’ the same fight all over again.”
John responded cheerfully with a shit eating grin, "Yes, we would have to fight them again."
Alexander was completely stunned. ‘Wait, what? Did John just agree with me?‘
John continued, his grin widened even further, "We will have to fight them again. And you know what? That would be great! We could capture them again."
Alexander felt mentally knocked out. ‘Did I get hit in the head or something?‘
"I reckon either I got hit in the head hard by a rifle shot or you did, John," Alexander stuttered, his southern drawl thickening. "I completely do not understand what you're saying."
John turned to Atlas, "How much trouble was it to take out these soldiers?"
"On a scale of one to ten? At most, a two. Most of them couldn’t handle fighting a skeleton, especially with their lack of wasteland-ready weapons."
John then asked Barbara, "How much do you think we spent on each wounded person using the MediPod?"
"Roughly forty coins each, but that doesn’t include those who didn’t make it," Barbara responded.
"Forty coins each," John repeated. "Atlas, how would you feel if we got one hundred coins for each surviving soldier? And these soldiers would be basically butt naked except for their underwear. We’d keep all their equipment and loot."
Atlas thought about it. ‘John was right. These soldiers weren't tough. The only crime they had committed was following orders.’
Even if they fought them again, Atlas couldn’t see how they’d ever lose to the Portal Crushers.
Barbara frowned. "Hold on a second, John. You can't measure human life in coins."
John shrugged. "Why not?"
Atlas smiled at John's suggestion. ‘This could work.’ He didn’t want to kill the soldiers, but there weren’t many other options. They couldn’t be exiled or jailed. If he got some value out of them, it would still satisfy his humanity. But they had to avoid another Snedlie situation. They couldn’t afford that.
Atlas looked around the room, his gaze steely. "We’ll see if the Belief Settlement will trade for them, but someone has to pay the price. That someone is Lieutenant Colonel Sanders. He’s the one who made the decision. His men were just following orders."
A murmur of agreement swept through the room. Even Olivia nodded. The decision was made, and soon the group emerged from the conference room.
---
Atlas and the leadership of Fort Bone approached the central podium, where Lieutenant Colonel Sanders was being held. The soldiers were guarded by the Portal Crusher warriors. The crowd buzzed with anticipation, their cheers rising as the moment of judgement drew near.
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“For the crimes of attacking Fort Bone under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Sanders from the United Armies of Earth, the soldiers are hereby sentenced to imprisonment as prisoners of war," said Atlas.
The announcement of the verdict was met with a cheer from the crowd. The captured soldiers, however, stood in shocked silence, their faces a mix of horror and disbelief.
Atlas drew his twin swords with a swift motion, the crowd cheering louder as the blades gleamed in the light.
“For your crime of leading your men into an attack on Fort Bone, I sentence you to death by the sword.”
Colonel Sanders stood paralyzed, his final thoughts clouded with confusion. ‘I was also just following orders,‘ was his last coherent thought, before his head flew off in a fountain of blood.
---
The next day, Atlas and Olivia led the captured soldiers, now only dressed in their underwear, through the teleportation port to the Belief Settlement.
BERZOOP
The string of captives was a striking sight for the United Army soldiers stationed there.
Oliver came out with Major Cromwell. "What’s going on?" he asked.
Olivia replied, "These soldiers from Earth attacked our fort last night, and we wanted to give you a chance to free them. We’re asking for 100 coins per soldier to cover MediPod expenses."
"What about their equipment?" Oliver asked, frowning. "We don’t have a treaty that says we take prisoners."
Major Cromwell stepped in. "This isn’t how war works, Atlas. What would happen if we had captured your citizens?"
Atlas smirked. "If you had captured our citizens, we wouldn’t be talking about repatriating them. We’d be inside your settlement already, swords drawn."
Major Cromwell visibly bristled at this and started reaching for his holstered pistol.
“How do we even know these are soldiers from the United Armies of Earth?” Major Cromwell asked.
Atlas responded sarcastically, “Don’t the dog tags help?”
He turned to the soldiers and instructed, “Start giving your illustrious Major your rank, names, and date of birth.”
One by one, the soldiers complied with order. After about twenty had given their information, Major Cromwell intervened, halting the process.
“What? Did you get bored already?” Atlas taunted the Major.
Oliver, seeing the tension between the two of them rising, raised a hand. "Gentlemen, step back. Why don’t Olivia and I talk this out?"
Atlas agreed, though Major Cromwell didn’t seem pleased.
Oliver leaned in, his voice low and resolute. “Olivia, these soldiers are nothing but trouble. We can’t be responsible for them. Belief Settlement’s been stretched thin.”
Olivia’s gaze didn’t waver. “And if you hand them back over, you know what’ll happen. Atlas? He’s made his stance clear.” She crossed her arms. “If we’re going to keep peace between Belief Settlement and Fort Bone, it falls to us to manage this.”
Oliver scoffed, unwilling to back down. “Peace or not, I’m not throwing our resources into this mess. We’re not exactly swimming in supplies, and you’re asking us to sacrifice even more?”
Her expression steeled. “It’s not just supplies, Oliver. It’s about keeping this non-aggression pact intact. Fort Bone has paid its share—our infrastructure took a hit because of them. We can’t pretend that hasn’t cost us.” She leaned forward, tone unwavering. “And I’m not giving in.”
After a tense negotiation, the two finally reached a compromise. Fifty-eight soldiers, most in rough shape, would be handed over to Belief Settlement. Oliver agreed to pay, but it was a steep price, one they didn’t have the coins to cover up front. Instead, they signed a system-approved contract, committing to weekly payments to Fort Bone for the soldiers’ lives.
As they sealed the deal, Oliver shot Olivia a sharp look. “We’ll make the payments, but don’t expect any favors. This is business, not charity.”
Olivia returned his gaze, unflinching. “Don’t worry, Oliver. Fort Bone doesn’t forget a debt—or an ally.”
---
The total for the soldiers was 5,800 coins. The Belief Settlement had been saving for their Level Three Castle and had 2,200 mana coins available. The remaining balance would be paid at 100 coins per day. If the payment wasn’t made, Fort Bone would legally take over the Belief Settlement via a system-based contract.
37 days was the deadline, with no exceptions.
---
Olivia could feel the rising tension between the Belief Settlement and Fort Bone. Their non-aggression pact was hanging by a thread, and she wondered how long they could stay on friendly terms, despite Oliver’s agreement.
With this task complete, Atlas and Olivia returned to Fort Bone with their treasure trove of mana coins. As they entered the secondary teleportation zone and crushed the return tokens back toward Fort Bone, Olivia glanced at Atlas, a wondering look on her face.
“So, you really think they’ll keep paying?” she asked, the skepticism clear in her voice.
Atlas shrugged, “They will, or they won’t. Either way, we’ve got options.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow, “Options, huh? I’m guessing ‘option one’ involves a sword.”
Atlas chuckled, “There’s no need for that. It’s a system based contact. If they forfeit the settlement changes ownership immediately. But I’d prefer not to muscle out Oliver’s people if we can avoid it. That settlement is valuable, and I’d rather have them working with us than against us.”
Olivia nodded. “You know, Oliver’s a good guy. He’ll try to honor the deal. But Major Cromwell? He’s got that look, the one that says he’s biding his time, waiting for a chance to hit us where it hurts.”
Atlas glanced at her, “That’s why we’ve got to stay ready. Fort Bone’s growing stronger every day.”
“Still,” Olivia added, “it feels like we’re walking a fine line. How long do you think we can keep this up?”
Atlas smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “As long as we need to. And when the time comes, we’ll be ready to tip the scales in our favor.”
Olivia snorted, “Always so sure of yourself. You better hope the scales don’t tip against us.”
“Hey,” Atlas said, grinning, “If they do, I’ll just smash ‘em.”
Olivia laughed, shaking her head. “Typical.”
After they entered Fort Bone town, they walked in companionable silence for a while.
Atlas broke the silence first. “You think John’s idea will work long-term?”
Olivia shrugged, “It’s risky, but it’s clever. If we play it right, we could milk those United Earth soldiers for everything they’re worth.”
Atlas nodded. “Yeah, I like that. Plus, if they do come back to fight us, we’ll be even more prepared. The more times we win, the more resources we get.”
Olivia grinned. “It’s a never-ending cycle of victory.”
“Exactly,” Atlas said with a confident smirk. “And I plan to keep winning.”
They reached the Wasted Tavern, the midday sun shining down on them. Atlas looked at the people drinking within. “But we need to stay sharp. There’s always someone out there looking for a way to knock us down.”
Olivia’s expression hardened. “Let them try.” She was a diplomat. A peacemaker. But even she was angry about the late night attack.
With that, they entered the Wasted Tavern, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead. And a beer. They were definitely ready to challenge some beers.