Owl five kept her distance the rest of the way back. Ronin didn’t think she was avoiding him exactly, but it felt that way sometimes. he liked Owl five’s company, so when her mood changed like this it confused and frustrated him. Not that there was time to talk much during a march anyway. the sixty odd goblins outnumbered his team more than three to one, and they weren’t all sold on following orders yet.
“Get back into line please,” Ronin said to another rambunctious male. The goblin sneered at him, but Ronin settled him down by picking him up by his filthy hide clothes and tossing him gently back towards the group. He didn’t enjoy feeling like a bully, but he’d found it settled the goblins down the fastest. Just proving he was stronger than them was enough for most to obey his orders.
“You’re getting better at that sir,” Guts said from beside him. “It’s hard, keeping a group of goblins together. Looking back on it now, I’m not sure how I ever managed.” The goblin was a veritable giant by the standards of his kind. Standing over five feet, he was bigger than a hobgoblin. Still, he really didn’t have a fighter’s mentality. Ronin guessed it was his size and strength alone that had allowed him to keep his family group together.
“Well, you managed it. I’m just grateful that you prefer cooking to fighting.” Ronin joked instead of saying what he thought. “Could you imagine me trying to fend for myself out here? I’d starve to death.”
“No, sir.” Guts said, snapping off a crisp salute. “You will never starve while I’m with you. I give you my word as your personal cook.” The goblin was serious, and Ronin didn’t know whether to feel grateful or laugh at his friend.
“Thanks guts.” he said, deciding that’s all that needed to be said.
“Sir, we should be close enough now. If you would like to reach out to Benjamin.” Owl five said, moving over to join them.
“Right, thanks Owl five.” He said, reaching for his connection to Benjamin through his mother parasite.
“Lieutenant Benjamin, this is Ronin, can you hear me?” he asked, mentally directing his words towards his military leader.
“Sir, yes, I can hear you. are you ready for my team at the mine sir?” he asked, voice entering Ronin’s mind. “How many Goblins did you get this time?” he added. Making Ronin feel weird at the telepathic communication.
“We got sixty-three this time, mostly females again. forty-seven of them and they’re all in need of a bath.” He exchanged a few more messages with Benjamin before cutting his connection with him.
“He’ll be waiting at the mine for us.” Ronin said to the pair of waiting goblins. “We shouldn’t have to hang around either. We can drop them off with Benjamin and go get cleaned up ourselves.” He added, wanting a bath and a rest in his pod after the long trip underground.
“Welcome back sir.” Benjamin called as they entered the sunlight once again. He was standing in front of his other three squads and the second scout team. As they entered the clearing around the forest, the teams came forward to take charge of the goblins. Leaving Ronin and his people free to go about their business.
“Thanks lieutenant,” Ronin said to Benjamin once the pass off had been completed. “I’ve got to speak with Owl two, so if you will excuse me.” With a nod to his team, Ronin made his way towards camp. Guts and Owl five stayed behind to help integrate the new goblins, but it didn’t surprise him when he heard K3’s large steps following him. Owl two had made it clear that at least one of the enhanced Kaldarr warriors would be following him at all times.
Ronin had intended on going straight to the bathtub and his pod when he got back. Once he returned, however, he got his second wind. Going to sleep had dropped down his priority list. when compared to asking Owl two about the goblin breeding program he was working on and getting him started on a takeover plan for the underground city. Despite his impatience, he didn’t sprint back to camp. it was a beautiful day, and he wanted to enjoy the sunshine for a bit, besides, he needed to put his thoughts in order.
“Welcome back, sir.” Owl two said from his seat at the map table. Ronin was getting used to meeting him there. He knew that the android spent nearly all his time roaming the cave and the tent town putting out fires and solving problems. Still, every time Ronin wanted to talk to him, he would be sitting in the command tent.
“Can you read my mind?” he asked, the question coming out spontaneously. “Seems like you always know when I want to talk to you, despite all the other things you have going on.” He moved over to the table and sank into a padded chair, looking down at the newly expanded map as he waited for an answer. The valley was nearly entirely filled in now. Along with additional notes on the war at the wall.
“Of course, not sir.” Owl two said, adding a new note to the map. His handwriting was so perfect that it looked printed on a computer. “I simply placed a tracking unit on all the armor suits, as well as a patch into the com’s units. I monitor all conversations, using the data to improve planning in real time. To know if someone needs assistance in the field, if and where there are problems, and so on.” he was writing notes the whole time he spoke, stopping only to look at Ronin. “For example, thanks to your new information. I’ve now learned that the crafter class goblins are actually goblins that have hobgoblin blood. I have also begun working on our invasion plans for the underground city… though I will want to go scout it out myself with Benjamin before we make any final plans.” Owl two stood up when he was finished writing and pulled out a box of beautifully carved wooden figures. They reminded Ronin of chess pieces, only these were of different figures.
“You’ve been spying on me?” Ronin demanded angrily. Blood rushed to his face and his heart rate picked up. he couldn’t believe this, what kind of person spied on people like that?
“Of course, not sir” Owl two said again. Pulling a lifelike model of Owl five from the box and placing it on the table. “No more than you were spying on me when I gave you the tour of the nurseries.” He added, as he pulled out another figure. This one shaped like a goblin scout. “We are simply using the tools at our disposal to make the best decisions we can. To make the best decisions, we need the best information. Wouldn’t you say sir?” the android asked, adding a human figure armored like Benjamin’s men to the steadily growing line up on the table.
The balloon of rage that’d been building inside Ronin suddenly deflated. Owl two had a valid point… dang it. He’d never learned how to deal with interpersonal conflict like this. He knew the android was manipulating him. he had been, since before they ever landed. Yet, he always had valid reasons behind his decisions. It was really hard to argue with him. Ronin sighed, not knowing if it was worth trying to say more, when he knew he couldn’t win against the android’s programming. He needed Owl two. He’d just have to keep a closer eye on him going forward.
“… Fine.” He said slumping back in his chair. “At least tell me you got informed consent from the goblins before you bred them?” he glossed right over the spying issue, deciding he wouldn’t win when he had been spying himself. Instead, he went right to the heart of the issue that had been bothering him the most.
“Yes sir,” Owl two said promptly. “Also, there was no actual breeding taking place. Everything happened through artificial insemination. As for the goblin women’s consent, goblins are much like rabbits my lord. In the sense that they breed rapidly to outproduce their short lives and frailty. Goblin females are pregnant nearly their entire adult lives. When I posed the question, they thought not being pregnant would have been stranger. Coupled with the fact that they raise their children as a group, they don’t have any attachment to their offspring.” Owl two said, setting nearly all Ronin’s fears to rest.
“Ok… just, don’t go out of line, ok?” he said lamely, feeling pathetic. “What are the figures?” he asked to distract himself. There were ones for himself and the Kaldarr, Benjamin and Guts. As well as several that showed different things. The Kaldarr drop ships, hobgoblins and hobats, Guts food corps were even represented.
“This is how we will prepare for our attack on the city, my lord.” Owl two said using the term ‘lord’ for the second time today. Ronin figured he was trying to butter him up after the ‘stern talking to’ he’d just gotten… yea, the stern talking to. “Each piece represents a unit or individual in our army or that of the enemy. For example, this.” He picked up a goblin scout, “represents a unit of six goblin scouts. I’ve just been informed that there are thirteen females of hobgoblin descent or ‘crafter class’ in the new group, and five crafter class males. So, we can make two more units of scouts for a total of four and grow the food corps at the same time.”
“Only thirteen out of forty-seven females? That’s low, isn’t it?” Ronin asked, a bit disappointed.
“Yes and no. As I said before. The crafter class are just goblins with hobgoblin blood. The mix to their bloodline makes them smarter than typical goblins. So, Hunter, Guts and the rest on the scout teams are all mixed breeds. Where the ‘worker class’ goblins are actually just… goblins. Pretty useless really.” Owl two said, pulling out a small figure of a goblin holding a shovel and placing it on the table.
“I see…” Ronin said thinking about Owl two’s breeding experiments in a new light. “Will mixing their blood like that cause any problems for them going forward?”
“None that I can see.” He replied instantly, “goblins are extremely prolific and seem to be compatible with nearly everything. I think I could inseminate them with stone carver rat seed, and they would produce a hybrid species… no, every mixed breed so far has been bigger, smarter, and healthier than the pure-blooded goblins.”
“Right… first off… do not, under any circumstance, mix their blood line with that of animals, dinosaurs or anything else that isn’t intelligent… do you understand me Owl two?” he waited for the android to acknowledge his order before he continued, knowing that he couldn’t violate a direct order. “Good,” he said when his assistant assented. “Next, I want you to continue with the experiments. Using pure blooded goblins only, the crafter class are two valuable to be laid up for weeks at a time. and lastly; start working on an invasion plan… And get me another training regimen set up, I also need to improve myself.”
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“Of course, my lord.” Owl two said. “Also, we should talk about a few things related to…”
Ronin had envisioned himself just giving a handful of orders and going to sleep… instead, Owl two listened patiently to him talking… then went on to talk him to death. until everything that happened in the last few days had been addressed, and everything was going according to his, that is to say Owl two’s, plan. When Ronin finally managed to slip away, he felt more like the ‘yes man’ to his own assistant than any kind of ‘lord’.
Following the route Owl two had taken while he had been riding along behind his eyes, Ronin walked towards the tent housing the baby goblins. He was exhausted and really wanted some pod time, but he couldn’t resist looking at the babies that were occupying so much of his attention. “Is this ok, messing around with kids like this?” He just didn’t know. Ronin wouldn’t have even considered this if Owl two had asked first, but it was already done, and he really did need better soldiers.
“Greetings, lord Ronin.” Samantha said, when Ronin slipped between the overlapping folds of the tent house’s door. she rose from where she had been kneeling on the floor, a goblin child in her hands. “I didn’t realize you had returned. How may I help you?”
Ronin looked around the large dinosaur hide building. It was set up like a barracks, with several small beds stacked one on top of the other all the way to the ceiling. A large pen dominated half the space where the goblin children were playing. Ronin frowned when he saw the toys they were given. Wooden swords and shields, leather helmets, light crossbows with rag tipped arrows. Eric and a human man Ronin didn’t recognize were outside the pen. They had been showing the toddlers how the gear worked when he walked in. They had stopped at his entrance, however, and were waiting on his words, just like Samantha.
“Hello Samantha,” he said. turning his attention to her, he saw the child in her arms. It was one of the kaldarr half breeds, and it was nursing a bump on its head. likely from one of the wooden swords in the pen. “Here,” he said reaching out for the child. Without hesitation, Samantha placed the child in Ronin’s arms. Her reaction going a long way to convince Ronin that she, at least, didn’t see anything wrong with what they were doing.
“Hello, little guy.” Ronin said, bouncing the child in his arms a little.
“This one is a girl, my lord.” Samantha said, with a slight nod towards the child.
“Really? Thank you, Samantha.” He said, looking at the child in his arms, who was making “Oh, oh, oh” noises as he bounced her. He squinted as he smiled at her, trying to get any sense that she was in fact a girl. He’d never seen a Kaldarr female before, but he could see a difference in the shape of her cheek bones and around her eyes when he looked closely. her overall bulky frame, for a toddler, had distracted him from them at first.
He played with her for a few minutes, then swapped her out for one of the human/goblin kids. While he played with the kids, he asked Samantha and Eric questions about them. he could see a difference in their intellect as he played with them. the pure goblin kids weren’t interested in him at all, until he offered them a snack. Whereas the trog/goblins tried biting him when he picked them up. he stayed for nearly an hour, watching while Eric and the other man showed the kids how to use the ‘toys’. Only leaving when it was time for the kids to have a nap.
Walking out of the hide covered house, Ronin’s mind was settled, at least a little. Sure, they were half breed experiments, but they weren’t really being mistreated. Samantha had apparently been in charge of raising Kaldarr babies during her enslavement, so she was already trained at this. where Eric had been a sparring partner for the young Kaldarr warriors. That actually translated to being their punching bag, but Ronin was glad to see that wasn’t happening here.
Content to just let the experiment continue, Ronin returned to his pod. Again, he stripped his armor down and cleaned it and himself before climbing in. it was an engraved habit, and he barely noticed himself doing it anymore. although he hadn’t seen any action this trip, marching for days on end in his heavy armor was an experience all its own. Laying back in his pod, Ronin closed his eyes. as the hiss of the pod pressurizing sent him to sleep.
* * *
The week following his return was a blur of activity. They had to sort through the goblins, separating them into their classes. The pure-blooded goblins were sent off to work in the fields, while the ‘crafter class’ goblins were split into the food corps and the scout teams. The food corps Wasn’t just responsible for cooking. They worked in the gardens, hunted herbs, processed and tanned hides, and did a slew of other useful jobs. The goblin men however, to a man, loved to eat. So, they had decided on the name food corps themselves. Ronin didn’t really care what they called themselves, so the name stuck.
Once everyone was settled into their new roles, Ronin went back to training. He had continued his routine from before, only now always fully armored. After the multi day run underground, it wasn’t as hard as it used to be. So, like now, he found himself running laps around the entire valley, he wasn’t too badly winded, at least for a few laps. He held up better than the new scout team K3 and he were currently running with anyway.
On the third lap, a crack split the air, and a hammer blow knocked Ronin from his feet. several more cracks rang out, and Ronin heard the goblins screaming around him as he scrambled to find cover. They were in the open grasslands near the inner wall, so there wasn’t much cover to be had. he ended up just laying prone in the tall grass while he readied his rifle and looked around.
“My lord, are you ok?” K3 asked as he crawled over to Ronin’s side. Ronin looked at the Giant Kaldarr as he arrived. His armor had a few dents, but he seemed unharmed. Turning his head, Ronin tried to find their attackers, while shots continued to ring out.
“I’m fine,” he said over the noise of gunfire. “The bullet didn’t go through, but where are the enemy?” he still couldn’t find their attackers, and he was getting worried for his scout team.
“On the wall sir,” K3 said pointing. Following his finger, Ronin saw some half dozen Kaldarr warriors laying prone on the wall, firing their rifles down on them in small puffs of gun smoke. “I count nine of them sir, they must be the remaining Kaldarr who escaped the battle.” The math fit, considering there had been fifty of them originally. They had killed thirty-two of them, captured four and then later Owl five had captured another five. That left nine, but Ronin had thought some had run away from the valley. They must have found each other in the weeks since the attack.
“Got it,” Ronin answered. Desperately trying to think what to do. “Owl two, this is Owl one.” he said into his helmet com. “We are under fire from the nine remaining Kaldarr warriors. They are on the wall and firing down on us.” He decided to call in the attack, Owl two would likely know what to do better than he would anyway.
“Owl one this is Owl two.” came the immediate reply. “K3 has already called in the attack.” The android continued, “yours and K3’s armor should be able to withstand the fire at that range. just hold your position until reinforcements arrive.” His words were punctuated by another goblin scream.
“What about the scouts?” he shouted into his coms, flinching at the sound of one of his people in pain. “Their armor can’t hold up to the rounds, they will all be killed before anyone can get here.”
“They are acceptable losses, as long as you are safe.” Owl two said, his tone as even as ever. Ronin shook his head, unwilling to just lay here while his people were killed. He wracked his brains, trying to think of a solution. It wasn’t easy to think, with the sounds of gunfire and screaming filling his ears. Another bullet impacted his armor, driving the wind from his lungs but doing no real damage.
“That’s it,” he said. “K3, you and I will charge up the wall and engage them hand to hand.” He said on open coms. If his armor could withstand the shots, then why should he hide down here? having spoken, he got to his feet and ran at full tilt towards the inner wall. he felt multiple rounds impacting his armor as he ran, but he ignored it.
“Owl one, I repeat Owl one…Ronin, listen to me…” Owl two was trying to talk him out of the charge, but he paid the android no more attention than the bullets. Pelting across the field towards the wall at full speed. He didn’t know if K3 was behind him or not, but it didn’t matter. He had trained for this, and he wouldn’t let his people die, not if he could help it. he pulled out his mace and shield as he got closer.
Reaching the wall, he leapt upwards. Planting his foot into the bound logs, he kicked off with all his might. rocketing upwards, he grabbed a binding rope with his shield hand. Using his momentum, he steadied himself as he continued to rise, kicking off again. cresting the top of the wall, he had barely gotten his feet under him, when he took nine rounds to the chest.
He stumbled back, only just managing to keep his footing on the wall. flames ignited inside his chest, and he could tell that at least one of the rounds had penetrated. Fear flashed through his mind as he relived the fight inside the town. he’d been shot in the chest then as well, and it had nearly killed him. this situation wasn’t the same as back then however. Not only was his armor better, but he was better too. Ignoring the pain as best he could, Ronin leaned forward catching his balance and launched himself at the enemy.
He hit the nearest Kaldarr with his shield, pushing his rifle up and out of the way. gripping his flanged mace tightly, he activated the taser Owl two had built into the weapon. Electricity sparked between the flanges as the weapon hurtled towards the now open Kaldarr warrior. Ronin grinned at the thud of impact as the first warrior was knocked, twitching, to the ground. another heavy Kaldarrian round slammed into his side before he could follow up the swing.
Pivoting around to face the new threat, Ronin saw K3 vaulting onto the wall. his eight-foot frame towering over the unmodified Kaldarr warrior who had just shot Ronin. with a swing of his hammer, he sent the unfortunate warrior right off the wall. he then moved in to engage another enemy. Ronin didn’t have time to watch his fight however, another bullet impacted his shield from the other side.
Bringing his shield in to cover his torso, Ronin advanced on the new target. This Kaldarr was bigger than the last, and after firing the shot, dropped his rifle. Reaching to his belt, the warrior drew a thick bladed machete before throwing himself at Ronin with a war cry. Ronin took the blow to his shield, angling it like Benjamin had taught him to deflect much of the impact. The Kaldarr, it seemed, wasn’t trained in melee fighting, because he had put all his strength into that swing.
When Ronin redirected the blow, he was knocked off balance and stumbled forward. right into the downwards swing of Ronin’s mace. Electricity crackled again as the mace impacted the back of the warrior’s head. the blow dropped the warrior, where he lay twitching on the wall. turning his head, Ronin found another enemy to engage.
He took three more rounds before the battle ended, at least one of which penetrated his armor. thankfully, the Kaldarr weren’t highly trained. They fought like brutes, and between him and K3, they fell quickly. Unfortunately, his armor couldn’t hold up to their guns’ heavy rounds at this close a range. He looked down at himself, panting heavily from exertion and pain. There were several rents in his deeply dented armor. Thankfully, his nanite under armor had done its job and stopped most of the pass through. However, he could see blood seeping out between the overlapping plates of his armor.
“Sir,” K3 shouted in alarm, coming forward to inspect Ronin’s wounds. “Drink this, while I get these plates off.” he said, forcing his enhanced water canteen into Ronin’s hands. Ronin shakily drank the nanite laced water while K3 pulled his armor off. there was a lot of blood, and now that the battle was over, the pain was catching up to him.
“Damn it,” he muttered as he felt the world going dark around him. “Not again.” for once, he would like to make it through a battle without falling unconscious. Still, he smiled as darkness claimed him. he’d defended his people against the Kaldarr this time, instead of hiding, while they died around him.