22 - Armies
“An army that’s made up of fanatical cannibal death cultists?” Hanna asked.
“Yup.”
“And they’re coming right for the ship you’re basing this entire Cage out of?”
“Yup.”
“What happens if they capture the ship?”
“Well, they could probably figure out how to shut down the Cage, forcing it back into the RSH and killing everyone within it,” Maya said.
“Let’s not have that happen, shall we?” George said.
“That’s why I’m here, looking to learn from the vaunted experience of Astronauts, twenty thousand year old dino-girls, and Bell.”
“And Bell? That’s it?” Bell asked.
“Whoa, whoa, there buddy. Let’s not get into hysterics just yet.”
“I’m not technically twenty thousand years old,” Yosi said.
“Plus George is not vaunted,” Hanna said. “I totally am, though. With a capital ‘V’.”
“What are we looking at, military wise?” George asked.
“I have no idea. Ironwatcher just keeps saying Blood Harvesters, I don’t know if they’re dudes with scythes or fully armored and armed high leveled blokes. All I know is that they’re a group that is cause for alarm. Apparently they’re the hammer that the Flesh Mother tosses about to crush anyone who disagrees with her.”
“Flesh Mother,” Hanna shuddered. “She literally feeds her entire population with her flesh?”
“Well, no,” Maya said. “I say about five percent. The other fifty five percent is cannibalism and the last six percent is whatever they can find out in the wild that was brought into the RSH. A third of their entire daily needs is supplemented by mana stones. They eat it like candy. Big Mama feeds solely upon mana, thereby allowing her to grow real big and real tasty.”
Hanna gagged.
“Can’t we just bring them here?” George asked.
“I will completely and wholeheartedly veto that,” Yosi said. “They are… horrific.”
“They ain’t lookers, but they’re SIL,” Maya said. “Can’t really blame them for having to be cannibals. I would have totally eaten Bell if I ran out of food.”
“Thanks,” Bell said. “As for the Tarvana, the only thing we can do is either push them away or defend them from these Blood Harvesters. We have been upgrading the defenses of the Hanganathorie, but with the mana purge still in effect, they will cost a vast amount of mana to keep running.”
“How are they still alive?” Yosi asked. “We were wiped of our mana when the purge hit. We got the others up and running, but should not the Flesh Mother be just as effected?”
“Tesseracts,” Maya said. “Ironwatcher said they headed back to their Motherland, brought them the tesseracts as a gift to rejoin the Motherland and all was cool for a few weeks. But Bad Blood refused the Mother’s flesh, claiming there was a Merchant that offered them real food that didn’t require them to be cannibals anymore. That was a bad move on her part.”
“Mother Dearest didn’t like the fact she wasn’t chomping down on Ma burgers?” Hanna asked.
“Yup. Apparently eating Big Mama is a big deal, only the special folks do it. Ironwatcher said that Bad Blood thought that the flesh of the Mother would make her a slave, it would infect her, as it were.”
“Tainted mom,” Hanna chuckled.
“Is that possible?” George asked. “That flesh can do that?”
Maya shrugged. “Who knows. It’s a crazy multiverse out there and the RSH ain’t all that different than the multiverse at large. Mana can do all kinds of weird ass things. Mind control meat is probably doable.”
“Remind me to never vacation in the RSH,” Hanna said.
“How long before this army arrives?” George asked.
“Maybe a week, RSH time. They know where the Hangy is and they know Bad Blood’s crew is heading there,” Maya pulled up an image of the ship and the surrounding area. Green dots showed the new defenses that had been built, the newest addition were mortar guns. They fired explosive helix shells that could devastate an area. Everything had been set up, except the power.
“We’ve pulled all the non-energy weapons from the hiveship. If it comes down to it, we can literally just throw missiles and bombs at them. We’ve put the beam weapons on a lower priority because, well… we don’t have the energy to power them all. If we chugged all the liquid mana, then we could do it, but then we’d be out of liquid mana.”
“You have been fighting rogue AIs,” Bell said. “This will be SIL. From what Ironwatcher mentioned some are high leveled SIL.”
“I can handle it,”
“Asoltolia proved otherwise,” Bell remarked. “Fighting combat focused SIL is far different than fighting rogue AIs who cannot channel mana. Even the Tier 2 AIs would be far weaker than a Tier 2 SIL.”
“Bravado and railguns will win the day,” Maya muttered. She sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Real bad time for an army to show up, eh?”
“Things are not entirely going as plan with the US and Russia,” George said.
“Oh?” Maya asked, wanting to get her mind of the Tarvana for a moment.
“Iowa is a death zone,” George said. “The Integration has mutated the pig population not murderous monstrosities that are rampaging across the state.”
“Jesus,” Maya muttered. “How many pigs were there in Iowa?”
“Roughly twenty four million pigs and nearly four million people.” George tapped on his tablet and brought up a holographic image.
On it was a humanoid figure, but with clear pig like features. Maya stared with amazement of the creature, it stood upright, massively muscular, with complete legs and arms. In one hand it held a wooden spear and on its chest was a metal door that had been hammered into chest armor.
“That’s not a monster,” Maya said. “That’s an intelligent being.”
George snorted. “Monster,” he said.
“Class Two,” Yosi said, also staring.
“What’s that?” Hanna asked.
“When Integration occurs, the massive input of mana rapidly evolves all species, but those that have intelligence, they aren’t just evolved, but they are changed, becoming like SIL,” Yosi said. “They are SIL.”
“So we’re talking… talking pigs?” Hanna asked.
“Yeah. Basically.”
“Twenty four million of them?” Hanna asked. “Creating a death zone for humanity in Iowa.”
“And many other places,” George said. “There have been reports of these creatures, the name they are being called is Orcs.”
“Like from Lord of the Rings?” Maya asked.
“They are deadly and they have female magic casters. The males channel mana to become stronger and faster, deadlier on the battlefield.”
“Battlefield,” Maya muttered.
“They are currently the biggest problem in the midwest,” George said. “They are not the only ones.”
George pulled up another hologram and this time it showed a large black bird. A crow. Maya peered at the image, seeing that it too had been changed by the mana infusing Earth. To Maya it appeared how raptors were supposed to look like. Big birds with claws and beaks filled with sharp teeth. Maya saw the long digits it had on its wings. It had created a type of armor for its vulnerable parts and carried what looked like a crossbow.
“Crossbows? Who made them?”
“They did,” George said. “They are very smart. They also reach about four feet tall and can still fly. Current reports are that its magically assisted in its flight, since it weights far too much for its small wings to fully lift it up.”
“A murder of crows,” Hanna said. “Literally.”
“What else?” Maya asked. “There were a lot of smart animals out there. Dolphins? Elephants? Chimps?”
“Not sure yet,” George said. “But we should assume so. If what you say is correct, that highly intelligent animals-“
“Former animals,” Yosi said.
“Uh… former animals can gain sentience and sapience, then the others could have also done so too.”
“God, those pigs were being raised in farms and kept in slaughterhouses,” Maya said.
“So much for my morning bacon,” Hanna quipped.
Maya glared at her. “They’re living beings, Hanna. They’re not food anymore. They’re people, just like you, me, and Yosi.” Maya sighed. “We need to get to them, tell them what is what and try and prevent more murder, of them and of humans.”
“It’s going to be difficult,” George said. “The word is that its scorched Earth when it comes to dealing with the pigs… Orcs… and potentially with the crows.”
“On whose orders?” Maya demanded.
“It’s not an order, but it’s how people have been dealing with them,” George said. “Just like they deal with any other monster.”
“Fuck,” Yosi muttered and Maya echoed her words.
“Alright,” Maya said, “this is what we’re gonna do. We need to send some gear to the orcs and the birds, we need to figure out their language and then send a Sullivan Box to the groups that need it.”
“We’re not sending Sullivan boxes to these creatures,” George said.
‘Pardon me? Is that you tell me what to do?” Maya demanded.
“We need to figure out a method on how to contain them,” George said. “They’re killing thousands in the midwest.”
“How many of them have humans killed?” Yosi demanded.
“This is our planet,” George said. “This is a human planet.”
“That’s bullshit,” Maya said. “They’re from Earth just as you are, they just happened to be non-sentient before Integration. That’s meaningless now because they are sentient and sapient, not animals.”
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“Do you know what happens to Class Two species?” Yosi said. “Do you know what happens to species that were changed by the System and given sapience and sentience? They are either eradicated or they are enslaved. Then they are limited by the System, they cannot level like regular SIL, they cannot choose occupational abilities like you, they are forever doomed to be servants and laborers for those that were already sentient when Integration occurred.”
“They have the same right to exist as any other species,” Maya said. “I will help them as best as I can, the same way I will help the Tarvana.”
“This is happening in America,” George said. “We still don’t even know who is in charge yet.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Maya said. “Even if there was a president elected this afternoon, I would still move to help them. They are suffering as much as humanity and I won’t stand by when I can help them.”
George frowned and stared at the images of the pig and crow.
“People won’t like this,” he said.
“Everyone has something to say about what I’m doing,” Maya said. “Either its I’m not helping enough or that I’m overstepping and trying to rule the world. The rest of the multiverse treats these people like shit, they call them Class Two. I won’t let that happen here on Earth. I won’t let people become slaves or less than.”
“This isn’t the only problem we’re facing,” George said after a long moment. “Yuri has set up the settlement deed, creating a defense settlement, and is calling for assistance. There are huge swarms of creatures that are marching for Moscow… I don’t know if they’re monsters of if they’re these intelligent ones. Moscow isn’t the only one, I’ve seen mana mutations moving against several dozen fortified towns that we have yet to initiate contact with. Current estimates are about three hundred thousand people alive in Moscow proper, with about half a million in surrounding areas.
“Asoltolia’s troops won’t be here for several more days, the troops that you are acquiring from the settlements are trickling in bit by bit and they’re going to be useless until they’re trained. We don’t have much to assist in helping the newer settlements, once Yosi began selling the defense turrets and mana netting, it’s all been sold out as soon as it got onto the market.”
“Can we pull volunteers from other settlements to help out Yuri?” Hanna asked.
“We haven’t asked yet, but since he’s technically now apart of the settlement alliance…” George shrugged.
“Can we ask the Generals?” Hanna asked.
The Generals were Major General Liu of the US Army and Lieutenant General Johnson of the US Marines. They were the surviving military leaders in California, controlling the areas between Los Angeles and San Diego, also spots south of the border like Tijuana. Borders were fuzzy between Mexico and the US with refugees and monsters running amok.
“We can ask,” George said. “But they have their own problems.”
“Everything is give and take,” Maya said. “We’ll have to give them something they want.”
“Weapons and ammo, armor and tools, maybe even a C5 mana core,” George said. “They’re looking into the system tech you’ve been using, they’ve got more scientists and engineers than we do.”
“What do you mean they’re looking into it? They shouldn’t have much examples to work with…” Maya paused and then summoned a tablet and began scanning through it. George looked uncomfortable as she stopped and stared at him. “Jesus, George. What have you been doing?”
“I got a request for examples,” he said.
Yosi pulled out her own tablet and Maya sent her the information. “This is why you asked to use the teleporter for an hour? You claimed you were going to set up more scanners and beacons across the planet.”
“We need more people who understand this stuff,” George said. “You can’t just hold onto this technology for yourself.”
“This is a betrayal of the 3S!” Bell hissed, glaring at George.
Maya rubbed her head. “Shit,” she said. “You’re banned from using the teleporter or interacting with any of the Sullivan Boxes. You’ll still be the Chosen Rep for the 4S and you’re still in charge of the satellites, but with more oversight.”
“I did nothing wrong,” George said, hotly. “San Diego is one of the safest places on the planet besides Ko Sumai.”
“It’s not that, George,” Maya said. “You were given a lot of trust and now you’ve shown that you’re willing to play favorites.”
“It’s my country,” George said. “I served for twenty five years in the Army. I can’t just let this slide, not when they’re dying out there.”
“I totally understand why you did it,” Maya said. “I’m not pissed about that, I’m pissed that you did it.”
“Three dimensional storage containers with a valuation of nearly forty million credits each,” Yosi said. “Heavy on weapons, tools, and various machinery. An entire library of Knowledge Cubes, manuals, and books. Several containers of system tech components that had been recently sorted.” Yosi sighed, tossing the tablet down. “We’re going to have to do another inventory. These containers were apart of the market and if someone’s attempting to buy it, it’ll mess things up.”
“Jesus, George. Couldn’t you just ask?” Hanna demanded.
“I did what I could to help our country,” he said.
“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about your loyalties anymore,” Hanna said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. “This on top of everything else.”
“I think we should use the Penal Brigade,” Bell said, looking to Maya.
“You might be right,” Maya said.
***
“Everyone thinks you killed them,” Hanna said as they stood overlooking a large room filled with over seven hundred men. Samanco’s army of murderers, rapists, and sadists.
“I wanted to. I really did, but…” Maya shrugged. “They don’t deserve a quick death.”
“That wasn’t your decision,” George said.
“Shut up, George,” Hanna snapped.
“You said that justice was to be had, but you kept them alive,” George snapped back. “This goes against everything you’ve been preaching about, claiming that you’re not going to intervene in choices made by settlements as long as it’s not oppression or xenophobic.”
Maya stared at the clustered men, they were in stasis, the time within the chamber not moving at all. The only thing they would know is that they were in a battle, the next thing they were being shouted at by crowds that called for their deaths, and now darkness.
“I’m not proud of it,” Maya said. “I was going to kill them, but they’re decently leveled and have been fighting monsters and people since this thing began. They’re horrific monsters, but they can still be used.”
George frowned and clenched his fists. “This is wrong. They were sentenced to death by their people, they should have been killed. Using them for what? Slave soldiers? That’s more horrible.”
“We need them,” Maya said, quietly.
“Things like this is why people fear you,” George said. “You have so much power and so much resources and you’re willing to change everything just to suit your own desires. It’s inconsistent and it’s erratic. You say one thing and do another, because you get a wild idea in your head.
“All these dumb names for things, these jokes you make, and the idiotic commercials you’re making aren’t cutesy lovable things. They’re terrifying. You’re turning this horror that’s befallen Earth into a joke. People aren’t looking to laugh and collect fucking plushies, they’re trying to survive!”
“That’s enough, George,” Hanna said.
“No, it’s not. Everyone’s been tip toeing around her because she’s got more levels than anyone on Earth, but everything is an idiotic, sophomoric joke to her. She’s creating a military force that is loyal to her. She’s allowing ALIENS to come to our planet and they will be loyal to her!”
George stood there breathing heavily and glaring at everyone.
“You’re right,” Maya said. She looked out onto the murder army. “I’ve been doing what I think is right, from another’s perspective it might look chaotic and idiotic, but it is what, to me, is right. Turning these assholes into soldiers might not be the morale thing to do, but it’s the right thing to do. We need them, they are here. I will deal with the consequences.”
Maya turned to the others, looking at each one. “We are facing assaults from all sides, humanity is dying, not only humanity but the other species that have come into being. I’m trying to save as many as possible and I need your help. I need your experience, your expertise, and your thoughts.
“I’m not looking for power. I’m not looking to dominate humanity. Everything I’m doing is to help them as best as I can. I’ve said this so many times I think I’m just repeating it to myself,” Maya shrugged. “I am going to help the Tarvana fight this Blood Harvester army, I am going to help Yuri defend Moscow with these asshole people, I am going to help the Orcs and Crows that have gained sentience, and I am going to build this army of recruits to fight across the globe. I am not asking permission, I am asking for your help.” Maya looked at everyone again. “If you feel that this violates your beliefs, then please feel free to go. You will be paid handsomely and allowed to take what you need to start over wherever you want on Earth.”
Everyone looked to George.
“This… this is the place I can do the most good,’ George said finally.
“Alright,” Maya smiled, “let’s get back to work.”
***
Whitestripe staggered through the woods, breathing heavily and raggedly. The wound in his side was bleeding and the arrows in his back were aching. His vision was fuzzy and he wanted to stop. The sounds of humans behind him kept him moving.
The tribe had been shattered, the humans defeating their gathered warriors and then moving against the camp. They had slaughtered the young, the old, and most of the sows. He could still hear all the screaming and the smell of blood heavy in the air. There was no mercy, no quarter, only death.
The sounds of the humans faded as he trudged through the forest, half the time colliding into trees as his vision began to fade.
Whitestripe staggered out into a clearing, the sun setting to the west and turning the sky into a blood red. He stopped and realized he could go no further.
A creature stood in the clearing watching him, its head tilted as it peered at him with large dark eyes. The creature opened its beak and let out a screeching noise.
Whtiestripe blinked and grabbed for the club at his side. If he were to die, it would be with a weapon in his hands. Not slaughtered, not eaten by the humans.
“I am Whitestripe,” he declared. “The System has opened my mind. It has shown me the world. I am Awakened now. I shall not die like an animal. I am Awakened and will die on my feet and with a weapon in my hand!”
The black creature opened its beak again and let out another screech.
“Pig. Listen,” it said in his language.
Whitestripe paused. He stared at the giant bird.
“Listen. Pig. Help you. You. Help me.”
It took a moment for Whitestripe to see that the creature’s wing was misshapen. Its wing was broken.
“Help,” Whtiestripe repeated. “Who are you?”
“Ironbeak.”
***
Matias Navarro screamed as he wielded his axe. The heavy blade slammed down upon a metal floor and the shock ran up his arms. He cried out, not with the rage that was filling him, but with pain. The axe clattered to the ground.
Matias looked around, blinking at the strange sight before him. He stood in a dimly lit room about five meters square. A golden window floated before him.
Matias Navarro - Level 16
[Axeman] Level 19
[Brawler] Level 15
A figure appeared within the room before Matias. He could tell it was a hologram, as it was see-through and flickered as it stood before him. A woman, dark skinned, and wearing a set of dark purple coveralls. She looked him up and down and frowned.
“Matias Navarro,” she said. “You have been chosen to obtain a chance at redemption. The world is a horrible place and you were one of those horrors that plagued it.”
A window opened up and showed as Samanco’s army sacked a village. The people were chased down, slaughtered or in the case of women, dragged back to the camp. Matias gulped loudly, seeing as he was highlighted in the image.
His axe cut a man in half and he stood there, laughing as the high of the battlerage tore through him.
“Samanco made us-“
“Samanco is dead,” the woman said, her face stern. Another window opened up showing a black robotic figure battling Samanco. His hand was cut off and then his head.
“He’s dead…” a bit of relief surged through Matias.
“You have been sentenced to die,” the woman said. “Do you wish to die?”
“No!” Matias shouted. “No! Samanco, he-“
“Your deeds have already been judged,” the woman said. “You were found guilty. You were sentenced to death.”
“No!”
“But there is an option for redemption,” the woman said. “A chance to regain what humanity you stripped away.”
“Please… Tell me what I need to do.”
“Fight. Fight for humanity, anywhere and everywhere they need you to fight for them. You will be thrown into battles against the monsters that are attacking humanity. You will fight and die if need be.”
“Fight…”
Another window opened up before Matias, it was a contract.
“System Contract. If you wish to live, sign it. If you do not, then your sentence will be passed.”
“That’s not much of a choice,” he said.
“It is still a choice.”
Matias signed the contract, seeing a surge of light suffuse him. He felt a stab of pain and grunted.
“You are now a soldier in the Penal Brigade. Fight well. You fight for Earth now. The Penal Brigade will be a fast response unit that will defend settlements under attack by mana mutations.”
A stack of materials appeared on the floor before Matias. It was armor and weapons, a long dagger, a large axe, red hued armor that was better than anything he had been wearing. There were also packs filled with food, water, tools, and other equipment.
“You have signed the System Contract, failure to fulfill the terms of the contract will see you returned to the Cage and your original sentence implemented,” the woman said, stiffly.
“You’re sending me to die, but if I don’t want to fight, you’re gonna kill me?” Matias asked.
“Yes.”
“Will we be beaten? Tortured?”
“No. You will be given food, shelter, and any medical treatment you require. But you will fight and you will be used. Your crimes were many and redeeming such atrocities you have committed will take a long time.”
Matias looked down at his gauntleted hands, the axe was light and very sharp.
“What if I just run? You can’t catch me, right?”
There was a click and Matias felt a sting in his neck. He clapped his hands on it.
“That is an explosive.”
“Christ, you’re going to blow me up?”
“If I have to.”
Matias glared at the woman. “Who are you?”
“Maya Sullivan. You work for me now.”
“I-“
Matias blinked, the woman was gone. The room had changed and there was a beeping sound, a red light flashing above a hatch before him. He shook his head, feeling a bit of vertigo. Where had the woman gone? Where was he now? Time had changed again, he realized. He had been the the battle with the robots one moment, then in the cell, now he was in this place. Whatever it was.
“Ten seconds to deployment. Prepare yourself. Low-grade mana mutation surge currently occurring. Location: Moscow, Russia. Penal Brigade will be under Cosmonaut Yuri Volkov’s command. System Contract will be fulfilled. Fight well, Matias Navarro.”
The door snapped open, a blast of hot air and screaming filled his senses. Matias looked out and saw a battle raging before him. He seized up as he saw soldiers fighting monsters, explosions, and the rattling of gunfire. He tried backing into the room, but something grabbed him and he was tossed through the door.