CHAPTER 92: The Next Target
Taking three new bases in a day and a night really lit a fire under the rest of Jackson. The bases taken had been the rare bases that were away from society. The creatures in them seemed more like they just wanted to claim a small territory with a particular environment than go on murder sprees, like the invaders whose bases were in more populous locations.
The Horkos were a good challenge for Adam’s friends. They were strong and incredibly durable, with a few classes that emphasized Agility and throwing objects. Each encounter felt like a boss fight, not because of levels, but due to the sheer time it took for the group to cause enough damage to be fatal. Once more it was a good stimulus for combat improvement, with the gained materials, like the Horkos bones and skin, being good for weapons and armor.
Adam’s friends had all gained five levels, which had been harder to get recently as their raids had long periods between them with so many more people splitting the kills and XP. The other fighters from Jackson saw the levels and dedicated themselves to improvement as well. They spent more time training their skills and combat techniques, practicing group maneuvers, or they went off to find higher level mutated animals to hunt.
Regardless, improvement became the goal for everyone, and determination was strengthened. Even the non-fighter classes put more effort into their own roles, taking care of the people, organizing, crafting, or producing supplies.
Now Adam was back in the meeting room, looking at an impressive 3D holographic map of the region. He doubted the model was actually there, more likely it was implanted in each person’s vision by the Rift Menu using illusion magic. It made him feel like he was a part of a futuristic movie, even if it was using magic instead of technology.
The map was based off satellite images from before the invasions, so it didn’t exactly show the invader bases or how the terrain had changed. Nor did it show routes or information about which invaders were seen in each place. There were marks just to indicate where bases had been found according to scouting reports. Obviously, they hadn’t even seen all the bases, so there was a lot of inaccuracy to the map.
The area that Adam was looking at was outside of Nashville, between it and the South Hampton rift that they had taken. Adam zoomed around the map, expanding it and shrinking it like a tablet screen. He could even rotate it to see the depth and elevation. It was very intuitive and practically responded to his thoughts. He looked at the proposed area from different views, and even followed the path between it and Jackson, and then between it and South Hampton.
“This is where you think we should hit next?” asked Adam, still playing with the map.
In the room were his team, a few other unit leaders, intelligence officers and strategists, as well as Colonel Davian and Captain Krysti. The civilians, including his parents, weren’t a part of this session. Just in case. It would be easy for the invaders to know their actions once they began mobilizing, but there were a lot of bases in and around both Nashville and Memphis. Jackson was small potatoes compared to those two cities.
“Yes, sir,” answered one of the lead intelligence officers. Or at least the one that was thrown to the wolves, considering Adam’s temperament. Very few people wanted to face Adam when he disapproved of something.
“How many thought this location was a good idea?” Adam asked after looking at it for a few more minutes.
“It was near unanimous. We only found four bases that met our criteria, and of those found, this seemed the best,” said Rick.
Adam continued to look at it. Rick started to get nervous.
“Do you not approve of it, sir?” Rick asked.
“Not sure,” said Adam.
Lucas, Brittney, Tom, and Nick walked over to Adam and started looking over it too. Adam delaying was unusual and the tension in the room rose from it. Typically, Adam only asked where and when. He rarely had an opinion of the target as long as he got to clear out invaders. Even Colonel Davian started to fidget as Adam went on.
“What criteria did you use?” Adam asked after a few more minutes.
“It sits next to a water reclamation plant, so if we take it, we should be able to get water, even if you decouple it into a shielded rift. Our scouts said that the invaders in this base have been fighting strenuously with a nearby base, and these invaders were almost wiped out. Our forces will only need to go through a smaller number of enemies, only a few hundred should be left, and they’ll probably be fatigued from fighting the other invaders,” explained Rick.
“Hmm…is that all?” pondered Adam.
“No, sir. It’s also only half an hour by foot from the South Hampton Rift that we control. It gives us a nearby staging area, a place to keep our supplies, and a fallback point should things go wrong. We felt it provided the most security and stability.”
“What if they try to pin our forces within the South Hampton Rift and then attack Jackson,” asked Lucas.
“That’s always a concern, and I’m sorry for this answer but in that case, we’ll need to rely on your group to break through and return. So far, The General is the biggest power we’ve seen, even among the invaders, and your squad is above or equal to any others the scouts have brought intelligence on.”
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“Then it’s a ‘The Boss Covers Our Asses’ backup plan,” said Tom.
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir, but really we have no other way to go. We’re gaining numbers and more Tier 2s, but even The General has preached that a few strong can trump armies.” Rick flinched as he spoke truthfully.
“What operator Sherman is saying is that we’re going to need to take a gamble on this,” Colonel Davian came to Rick’s defense. “In war it’s sometimes necessary, and Adam gives us a big safety valve.”
“Hmm…” said Adam, still manipulating the map, not looking up.
“W-we’ve already prepared the advanced forces to transport supplies and soldiers to the Rift. Should we stand down on that?” Rick asked, getting more and more nervous. Colonel Davian raised an eyebrow at him.
“What are the secondary invaders like,” asked Brittney.
“Avians. They have wings instead of arms, with claws at the end and attack from above. Their feet are claws with rather sharp talons. The scouts reported their fighting style is to drop things on the enemies. That’s why they were able to outmatch the Pellicians at the base we recommended, even though the Pellicians are individually stronger.”
“Sounds like Harpies,” said Brittney, getting a snort and a “Nerd!” from Tom, which earned Tom a punch from her.
“How would we defend against their attacks?” asked Lucas.
“If we’re going against them, we would recommend armored vehicles. That should stop most of what they drop, since it’s just gravity and scattered objects, not explosives or skill-based materials. Their base is also far enough away that if you have some lookouts, they’ll give enough warning before the avians arrive.”
“Hmm…,” said Adam.
“I think what the boss is saying is…” Tom started, then stopped when Adam zoomed way out on the map. He shifted it around, looking at different places, quickly zooming in on several of the markers before zooming back out and shifting it again. He was moving the map faster than anyone else could keep up with.
After about the 8th zoom in, Adam stopped on a base in southern Tennessee.
“What about Pickwick Dam, near Counce?” asked Adam. “There’s a base marked there right on the water. It’s also far from other marked bases and cities.”
A few of the intelligence people looked at the map, zoomed in, and then quietly discussed it among themselves.
“I-I’m very sorry, s-sir. W-we don’t recommend that target,” answered Rick, preparing for the backlash.
“Hmm…” said Tom, putting his hand on his sword. Rick broke out into a clear sweat.
Brittney punched Tom in his sword arm.
“Quit menacing the man. Adam can ask his own questions.”
Tom breathed out heavily and then threw himself in a seat while rubbing where he was punched.
“Fiiiine,” he whined.
Adam looked up at Rick and asked as unthreateningly as he could.
“Why don’t you recommend it?”
“Well, sir, it’s very far from any location we control. There’ll be no relief supplies or reinforcements available. It also doesn’t move us towards a place we’re trying to gain control over. The observed invaders from it are aquatic and our forces don’t have the means or experience to fight that type of battle. I’m not even sure what strategy we would use,” explained Rick, with several other men nodding nervously.
“You don’t think we could do it?” Adam asked, while looked Rick in the eyes. Rick shrank backwards.
“It’s not that you couldn’t, or I should say it could be possible, we expect there are too many unknows, and if you were…” Rick floundered when Colonel Davian came to his aid.
“Adam, based on the intel present, it isn’t a good target. We’re in need of water and we can get it here while continuing our expansion into Nashville. It’s sound strategic thinking. Is there a reason you pegged Pickwick Dam?”
“No particular reason. I’m just concerned about hitting South Hampton again. Like a criminal returning to the scene of the crime,” said Adam.
“If you do have reservations, please say them, Adam,” said Davian. “You’ve made good decisions so far. Instincts and gut reactions can save a soldier as much as reason and planning. It takes a cooperation between them all.”
“No, I don’t have any issue with it, so long as everyone thinks this is the best target.” Adam looked around and saw the nodding of not just the intelligence officers but also the experienced unit commanders too.
“That is why they’re presenting it, Adam. There’s always risk, especially in this war, and this location looks like it will be easier to mitigate,” reassured Davian.
Adam nodded. “Then let’s go get us some water!”
***
Three days were spent transporting people and supplies. Jordan had fun playing his city building game with the South Hampton Rift, setting up organized supply storage, sleeping barracks, and vehicle parking. It wasn’t very elaborate, but he still couldn’t get enough of it.
Adam’s friends also went out with different waves of fighters. Carlos and Nick were the first to head over, to work with the scouts to identify issues. Elias and his mages headed out next. Joseph went with his reapers. Andrea and Alissa took their assortment of people. Brandon and Abbey managed the support classes. Lucas and the Demo Men went with one of the later waves. Lamar brought the archers to the base. Brittney led the Sentinel Army warriors and protectors, with Captain Krysti overseeing the army soldiers. The rest stayed behind to defend Jackson.
Leadership hadn’t announced that this raid was to get more water for the base. Many thought this was just another raid to expand while getting rid of invaders. There were about 5,000 people sent to the South Hampton Rift, with Adam being the last to go. Since he was the symbol of safety for Jackson, they wanted him to stay in town as much as possible.
Adam once again drove like a bat out of hell on his motorcycle, not being responsible for escorting any of the transports. Driving at top speeds was much easier on these main highways and during the day than when he went to that quarry at night. He didn’t need to keep on edge for danger, instead enjoying the speed going by. There were even some stints where he tried to drive as far or fast as possible while balancing a wheelie. His mom would hate knowing he did that.
The last time he traveled this route had taken hours, and even though they had conquered the base, they didn’t feel like victors as they returned home with those traumatized survivors. This time he was able to enjoy the trip more, while shortening the time to only half an hour.
It was important to know how quickly he could go just in case he needed to rush back to defend Jackson. Though in that case, Adam had no doubt the invaders would set traps for him along this main path. Next time he should look at alternative routes to time.
Once he arrived at the Rift, he walked his bike into the black barrier. The soldiers were either moving around with a purpose, some arranging supplies, others vehicles, while support staff were busy cooking meals, or they were resting and waiting.
Upon Adam’s entry all eyes turned towards him expectantly. Not wanting to disappoint, but wanting to keep things simple, he raised a platform from the ground using the Rift Menu. Then he opened a projection so everyone could see and hear him.
“Tomorrow we’ll be attacking another base. Do what you need to get ready for it. Assignments have already been given out, and we’ll be doing one final check first thing in the morning. Good luck to everyone, and let’s kick some more invaders off our planet!”