The head of the Enforcement squad, Captain Reese, wasn’t happy. She considered this entire mission a waste of her time, and she wasn’t shy about showing her displeasure with the situation. Standing in front of her 50-man squad, she crossed her arms and said, “How many favors did you have to call in for us to be here?”
Vera faced the tall woman with a cold look on her face. She was wearing her combat attire, which she hadn’t used in years. Crimson red accents adorned a tight black robe, along with skin tight reinforced pants. Her boots had metal inserts and matched the theme perfectly. Everything she wore was custom made and built to endure serious punishment. She was even wearing her combat cloak, which had a protective hood with a built-in essence shield.
Vera said in a voice filled with steel, “You were sent here because the Dorchen estate has been out of contact since the noble war. Even though the Populators declared the city clear of threats, we have no idea what we’ll find. The only information we were given stated that there were no immediate threats, and the estate was left standing. As the entire estate was an award from the noble war, the Tower of Law is responsible for overseeing the change of ownership. Would you like me to have my personal army clear the compound? I’ll be more than happy to send the Tower my bill.”
With a huff, Captain Reese said, “Fine. Just keep your mercenaries out of the way. We’ll handle this.”
Vera nodded in calm acceptance, and the Captain turned to address the astra-platform technicians. “Are you receiving a coordinate signal from the estate?” she asked.
A technician nodded and replied, “Yes, we have a positive lock. The Tower of Law override worked to break the cloak. We’re ready to transport at any time.”
Over her shoulder, Captain Reese shouted, “Team One, on the platform. Get communications up as soon as you get there. If you can’t get into the local hub, use the teleportation link to send us a message.”
10 guards took their place on the astra-platform, and their team-leader signaled the technicians to activate the teleport. Vera watched them vanish in a flash, then turned to observe the captain.
As the minutes passed, the captain’s face slowly grew more worried. The silence was broken by a technician shouting, “We’ve got a transmission coming through the signal matrix. They’re using the link to transmit text.” The technician fiddled with some controls then continued, “They are saying that the local hub is locked down, and they didn’t find anyone at the astra-platform. But there is a large sign indicating that they surrender and a communication crystal is sitting on the control pedestal.”
Vera’s mind raced through the different scenarios, trying extrapolate what that meant. Before she could say anything, she watched the captain march up onto the platform and shout, “Get me over there.” In a flash, the woman vanished.
Frowning, Vera turned her head slightly and said, “With me!” She ordered the five-man team she had brought along to follow her. As she and her private mercenaries stepped onto the platform, she offered the technicians a nod, then transported to the Dorchen estate.
She and her team appeared in an overly ornate private teleportation room. The captain was already holding the communication crystal and seemed to be surprised at what she was hearing.
Unwilling to be left out of the decision making process, Vera demanded, “Captain Reese, what’s the situation?”
The captain turned to look at Vera, and with a stunned look on her face, she said, “There are still 10 guards left here. They apparently were all that was left after Dorchen stormed the keep. When the Populators showed up, they isolated the entire staff in a dining room and sealed the exits. The guards were personally charged with making sure that no one escaped. The local hub was isolated and the estate wards were activated. The guards have been waiting almost a week for someone to show up and relieve them from their duty. They are terrified and asking why it took the Tower of Law so long to show up.”
Vera didn’t bat an eye at the unusual circumstances, and said, “You’re going to need to go back and get a logician along with a team to interrogate everyone on site. The Populators seemed to think the local Tower of Law could handle it. I recommend you live up to the responsibility they just gave you.”
Nodding, Captain Reese said, “Yes of course. This needs to be handled carefully.”
Vera offered a smug smile, and said, “Aren’t you glad you decided to come. How foolish would you have looked if you stayed behind and I had to formally petition the Tower of Law to do their job? Perhaps in the future you will remember that situations are only bad when you enter them without preparation.”
Looking like she just bit into a lemon, Captain Reese replied, “Thank you for your counsel. I’ll be sure to remember it.” With a sigh, her shoulders slumped and she took a step closer to Vera then continued, “I formally thank you for including the Tower of Law. You have saved us from looking like idiots, and I recognize the debt.”
Vera waved her hand dismissively and replied, “House Walker has the deepest respect for the Tower of Law, and we will fully cooperate with your investigations. There is no reason for the Tower’s negligence to be formally recorded. After you complete your operations, I will formally declare the estate received, and we can put all of this behind us. Perhaps, as a favor, you could make sure to ensure the loyalty of all the employees of the former Lord Dorchester. If House Walker is to staff the estate, it would be nice to know who is trustworthy.”
Captain Reese recognized the subtext of what Vera was saying, and replied, “I’ll see to it personally.”
Vera replied with a smile, “Splendid. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” Turning, she offered her head mercenary a nod, and the stern faced woman went to the astra-platform controls to set a delayed teleport. After fiddling with the control console, she rushed to join Vera and the other mercenaries on the platform. Making it just in time, the teleporter flashed and sent them all back to central Dorchester.
Captain Reese watched House Walker’s proxy leave, and wondered, ‘How did that woman know we’d be needed here? The estate could have just as easily already been evacuated. There shouldn’t have been any reason for us to be here. By the gods, that woman is terrifying.’ Shaking herself clear of her thoughts, she started shouting orders.
-----
Reveille had been at the same time it had been for the past week, and Nero was filled with nervous energy. His body had already adapted to a morning workout, and the sedate march toward the gate was making him feel twitchy.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Marching in two lines, the elite recruits walked through the streets of Dorchester, earning stares and looks of wonder from the citizens who rushed to make way for them. All of the elites were wearing their combat attire, but aside from the coloring, their gear was all different. Some wore chain-mail, some wore leather armor, and some even wore full plate. Nero felt weird wearing just common fatigues along with a dark blue tabard. When he asked why he didn’t get armor, Sergeant Wesker had just laughed and said that Nero hadn’t earned it.
Glancing to his right, Nero saw Nick walking with a smile. The man seemed to be enjoying the attention. He was dressed just like Nero, but he had a large duffel bag strapped to his back, while using a large spear like a walking stick. Nero thought the man looked like an idiot. If there was one thing Nick was not, it was a soldier.
Whispering, Nero asked, “Why didn’t you throw your bag into your personal space. In fact, why is everyone wearing their bag?”
Nick hissed his response, “Didn’t you read the deployment packet?”
Nero felt a little ashamed that he had forgotten to read it, as he had been too busy filling his personal space with all the crap he had been issued. He replied, “Remind me what your talking about.”
Nick sighed and said, “After all that fuss you made at dinner about just reading the information rather than listening to the sergeant, you didn’t even bother to read it!”
Nero didn’t want to get into it, and repeated, “Just tell me what you’re talking about.”
The soldiers surrounding them were all chuckling. Luckily, the team leaders along with Captain Angelton were near the front of their column, and were too far away hear Nero talking.
Nick said, “In combat, you might not have enough concentration to pull a weapon out of storage. And the bag is because sometimes essence drifts make accessing personal dimensions difficult. There was a whole section about it. You’re going to have to read the damn packet Nero.”
Nero shrugged and said, “I’ll get around to it.”
Mentally reaching out, Nero tried to form a personal connection to Nick like Arch-mage Jennings had shown him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nick look toward him with surprise clear on his face. Nero frowned at him and shook his head. Nick looked confused, but reached out to establish a connection.
“I didn’t know you knew how to do this? Why didn’t you just use your link?” asked Nick.
Nero kept his eyes forward, pretending that nothing was happening. He replied over the connection, “I had Jennings show me. Don’t tell anyone. We needed a way to communicate without anyone knowing.”
Nick kept his eyes forward, but his face made it clear that he was having a mental conversation. Espionage wasn’t his forte.
“Dammit Nick! Try to act normal,” said Nero.
Schooling his face, Nick said, “Sorry. What’s this all about?”
Nero said, “I just wanted to make sure that we have a way to talk without anyone hearing us. Jennings said that I’m not strong enough to do it without someone else holding the connection. I wanted to see if you could do it.”
Nick mentally scoffed, and replied, “Of course I can create a mental link. I’m not an idiot. But why are you trying to hide our conversation? And you know that anyone with some mage training can sense us talking, so what’s the point?”
Nero said, “The point is that we’re the only mages around. You think Wesker, Rose, or Cathleen will be able to tell?”
Nick took a second to think, then replied, “No. I doubt they’d be able to tell. But you know this is just a waste of center. Keeping this up isn’t practical.”
“We don’t need to keep it up. I just wanted to confirm that it was an option. Make sure to keep it secret, so we can use it if we need to communicate without anyone knowing. Also, I wanted to ask you what I should do about my gear. I put it all in my personal space last night. How screwed am I?” asked Nero.
Mentally chuckling, Nick said, “You’ll be fine. Just pull out your weapon, otherwise you’ll look like an idiot. When we’re in the wilds, it will be unlikely that we’ll run into anything that actually disrupts our ability to reach into our personal spaces. The essence disturbances only really affect people who aren’t very skilled with magic. You should be fine.”
Relieved, Nero said, “That’s really good to hear. Now, can you tell me what I need to know from the packet?”
Nero felt Nick’s annoyance over their connection. Nick said, “Just read the packet. Now isn’t the time for this. Get your weapon out and start acting like you know what you’re doing. You’re embarrassing me.” Nick cut the connection and Nero felt his mental probe dissipate.
Realizing that Nick wasn’t in the mood to help Nero with his homework, he mentally looked into his personal dimension, searching for a weapon. Nero found a bandoleer type thing filled with knives, along with a sword and a scabbard which could be attached to his belt. As he walked, he pulled out the bandoleer and threw it on. Fiddling with the ties that made sure it stayed in place wasn’t particularly easy to do while walking, but he managed well enough. The sword was another matter altogether.
Nero couldn’t figure out how to get the scabbard to attach to his belt. Slightly breaking formation, Nero moved to see how the recruit in front of him had her sword attached. When she noticed what Nero was doing, she looked over her shoulder with a smile. Nero offered a thankful nod as she lifted her arm so he could get a better look. Realizing that he was supposed to attach it to the belt UNDER the tabard belt, Nero finally got it in place.
Feeling like he had everything in place, Nero tried to get used to walking with a sword flopping around. He ended up just using his left hand to hold onto the hilt, holding it in place. Nick had watched Nero’s antics and spent the entire time chuckling.
Cathleen spoke up from behind them, her voice like ice. “Little lord, you’re going to need to get your shit together. I’ll do my best to ensure your survival, but YOU are going to have to start paying attention. Combat isn’t just about fighting. It’s about preparation and focus. Clear your mind of distractions, and pay attention to everything. It’s what you ignore that will kill you.”
Nero didn’t turn around, but listened with rapt attention. The woman didn’t speak often, but when she did, she was worth listening to. Nodding in thanks, he firmed his resolve and tried to live in the moment.
He looked up to see the ridiculously large gate in the distance. He had read that Gate 15 was one of the 4 primary gates. Gate 7 was in the south, Gate 15 in the east, Gate 22 in the north, and Gate 30 in the west. The primary gates were usually kept open, and it looked like they were wide enough to drive a cruise ship through them, while being tall enough to fit a NASA rocket.
Feeling a shiver, Nero tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach. It was really happening. He was going out into the unknown to fight monsters and beasts. It had only been a few weeks since he arrived here, and he was already throwing himself into danger. ‘Well, I wanted to be the main character in my story, and this is what the hero does. He acts like an idiot and runs toward the burning building to save the maiden,’ he thought.
Nero's attention was caught by the incredibly dangerous woman walking in front of him. Half the elite recruits were women, and every one of them seemed just as dangerous as the men. Nero realized that there may not be a maiden waiting for him after this adventure. ‘I’ll just have to settle for killing monsters and getting paid. Even warrior chicks like an expensive meal, right?’ he wondered.
His eyes glanced over to Rose, who was walking in front of Nick, and Nero wondered what kind of food she might like. Realizing what had just crossed his mind, Nero stamped down hard on that line of thought. He was not going to fall for a honey-pot. He had seen every spy movie in the past 20 years, and he KNEW better.
‘Focus on the mission. Worry about everything else later,’ he mentally chided himself.
As they got closer to the gate, Nero couldn’t help but stare in awe. ‘Yup. You’ve really stepped in it now,’ he told himself.