"Mission is progressing well Mr Cady." Commander Daggart could see the horde of Swarm that they had gathered on his display. They had taken acceptable loses to control the speed of approach. He had set out with fifty-one scouts, working in teams of three with a single quad or bike between them. They had successfully pulled in the numbers from further and further afield to follow their convoy. Eight had been caught and dragged down off their vehicles, left behind as there was no way to recover them without engaging with the Swarm. Small drops of recruits had been sent to help other scouts disengage. It was an easy decision as a commander swapping fodder for the experienced scouts and the light vehicles they were riding. Thirty-seven of the recruits had fallen to the Swarm.
"We have forty-three scouts remaining and two hundred and thirteen recruits. There are approximately three hundred Swarm following us. A number that I am confident we can overcome once the Swarm breach the protective dome in Libertas. We will split our forces on approach and circle around their defences. The scouts will remain outside the dome until the Swarm breach or Mr Thompson agrees to our contract." He completed his report.
"Very good Commander. Just to be clear none of your men will enter the dome prior to the Swarm breach, if they do you will be obliged to defend the settlement legally. We do not want that scenario." Mr Cady stressed once more. "That must not happen Commander."
"Yes Sir. I have your orders." Commander Daggart cut the connection. "Where is my coffee?" He snapped at the nearest of his support staff. Being talked down to by a business man about how to manage his men. He had drawn out the plan of attack prior leaving Southwatch. His Command skill meant he could easily manage the three hundred soldiers he had left with. He could place down markers on his overhead display prior to enacting them and his neural link would automatically override the recruits if they even tried to step into the settlement causing them to freeze. Another commander would know this and ask more sensible questions, he only put up with the shit because of how well he was paid.
"Coffee." He shouted once more. The staff member returning to him with the drink trying to walk faster across the moving command vehicle at the same time as trying not to spill their drink.
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"Are you sure about this Slim?" Elias had been called back to base, their communication array allowing him to be contacted within a fifty kilometre radius via the antennae on the troop carrier.
"Yes. I trust him." She glanced over at Oberon who had been quietly observing since Elias had returned.
"And you?" He asked to Mouse.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"Yup. Either we do it now and take some time to create a backup with the expanded dome or we have an extra ten thousand credits when we lose this place." He shrugged they had been through this already.
"Ok. There's nothing else we can do?" He had to check once more. It had been a surreal morning going from an adventure that was more to test the recruits than challenge to the threat of the settlement being destroyed or taken from them. His brain was still catching up with what he had been told switching into planning mode rather than try and work out who this newcomer was and why he had appeared.
"Nothing. Other than see what they want to help when they arrive, give it to them and then open the gates." Said Slim.
"And bend over and drop our trousers!" Added Mouse. "We know that's not happening."
"Not helping Mouse." Elias raised an eyebrow which caused Mouse to back down and give an apologetic shrug. Elias thought he must be practicing his shrugging.
Before they were ready the dust cloud appeared in the distance. It grew in size as they watched on. Squad one and two were in the northwest and southwest towers. Squad three was on the front wall to the north of the gate, squad four to the south. Squad five were split over the northern and southern walls. Each squad had designated a runner to fetch and replace batteries to a line of charging units that Mouse had set up in the clearing behind the gate.
Elias paced. He was stood next to Slim who was contacting the approaching convoy.
"No answer." She said. She hit some symbols on her console and then looked up at the group. "Shit." She said simply.
"Care to elaborate?" Elias asked.
"The destination of their convoy is the ziggurat." She replied.
"Shit," Elias joined Slim in her statement, "but how is that possible? We took out the ziggurat."
"We didn't call in that it was clear. It wasn't registered." She said.
Elias slammed his hand on the table.
"It's not your fault Elias, you didn't know this would happen." Slim tried to placate him.
"Can someone explain what is going on?" Asked Mouse.
"There should only be one reason the convoy is heading in this direction. Either to drive on past us or to reach the settlement. Now they can literally park by the ziggurat and legally be in the right if we call in their position." Slim hung her head in her hands. "We won't get any support from Porta now, not that we were likely to anyway. They can drive past us dump the Swarm in our laps and park up to watch. Then they can squeeze us for everything and step in last minute..." Slim stopped talking for a moment.
"Shit." This came from Oberon who had been quiet all this time.
"That shit doesn't sound good." Said Mouse.
"It's not. Et omnia vincit accipit" He muttered. "There is a loophole in the ownership of settlements. If the Swarm enter the protective dome then the largest defensive force that repels the Swarm is seen as the force that is in command of the settlement and the ownership will transfer. They plan to wait outside your settlement and then cross the line just as the Swarm do. With their superior numbers they will become the settlement owners."
"Fuck." Shouted Elias.
"There is a message coming in." Slim said, drawing attention back to her. "I'll put it on speaker."
"Settlement Libertas. This is Commander Daggart, on route to nearby ziggurat. A large number of Swarm have been spotted approaching your position. I have been authorised to give full support of my force if required. Please see details attached to this message."
They looked at one another as Slim tapped on her console to read the attachment.
"What do they want?" Elias asked.
"Ninety-seven percent ownership of Libertas." She said.
The cold look that appeared on Elias's face told Slim all she needed to know. For the second time Oberon looked interested by the turn of events. Not the message but the effect it had on Elias.
"Mouse, upgrade the settlement. Slim, continue to request support from Porta, send details of the attack and reply to Commander Daggart to politely tell him to fuck off."