CHAPTER 46: RETREAT
South of where Hermes and the two noble sisters stood, a hover tank shifted across the sands, dodging bombardment after bombardment of mortal shells raining from the sky. Frederick continued to jolt the joystick from side to side as sweat poured from beneath the VR headset he was donning.
"Oi, Lance, where is this bastard?!"
Lance who was also wearing a VR headset in a different compartment of the hover tank was using all the biological signature readings available to him to try to find where the barrage of attacks were coming from, but because of the low visibility of the sand clouds, it was hard for him to locate anything.
"Fred, I am trying my best here! Just keep up the evasive maneuvers! I am probably going to focus all our power on ionic shielding!"
More and more explosions rang out in their vicinity, causing intense amounts of vibrations. Lance continued to search for any signatures available to him, but there was no use. He cursed in frustration. 'Damn it! Half of my readings are still offline!' Due to the large plumes of sand, many electrical signals that the hover tank uses were being interfered with.
This is because of an effect known as Triboelectric Charging. As the dust and Martian sand get swept away in the wind, they begin to rub against each other, causing them to become electrically charged. But the biggest factor had to be the scattering of wave signals. The dust clouds were deflecting wave signals away from their intended target, which caused their communications to cease.
In this case, Frederick and Lance's situation involved all of these factors combined. Although the hover tank had a system to deter such events from impacting communications too much, the unending barrage of explosions caused more sand and dust to catch the wind than it could handle.
Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Lance decided it was time to activate their shields to their maximum range. He rang up the Chief Engineer who was stationed deep inside the hover tank.
"John! I have decided to forgo all offensive maneuvers! The enemy is too hidden for us to see! Make sure nothing happens to the generator. Ill be activating our shields to their maximum potential!"
John's deep voice radiated out of the communication device into Lance's ears. "Roger that. By the way, if we do not make it out if this alive, I want your brother to take care of Emily."
Lance's lips curved up into a smile. "Don't worry, Emily is a strong girl. She'll get over your parting quickly."
"Fuck, I changed my mind. I am not dying here." The voice channel closed promptly.
Lance chuckled. "His doting personality hasn't went away even after all these years..."
Seeing that the crew was in agreement with his decision, he decided it was time to finally pull the lever. After it's pulled, they will be left completely defenseless; none of their weapons will function and even their ability to move will be hindered. Although this may seem like suicide, it was the only decision they could realistically make.
By activating all their shielding, they will be temporarily invulnerable to the shelling at the cost of all the tank's energy. Lance knew that the shells being rained upon them were conjured using the Mutant Devil Wolf's cosmic force. After activating the shielding, it was a matter of betting; whoever runs out of energy first will be the one who dies.
Suddenly, a voice spoke to him in his head, interrupting all his actions. It was a voice he was familiar with.
["Lance, I know what you have in mind, but please refrain from doing it at this moment. I'm approximately 200 meters west of your current location. Adjust your aim for the next plasma blast to be at 9 o'clock from where you are now."] The voice suddenly turned static.
Suddenly, Lance's communication device came to life once more. Frederick's voice entered his ears. "Did you hear that too?"
Lance smiled, "Of course I did, haha. I guess mother luck hasn't left us just yet." He aimed the plasma cannon and charged his shot just as the Captain ordered. The sound of electricity snaking across the gun barrel was heard as a large beam of energy radiated outward into the fog of dust.
-Zzzap-Whoom!
A hole was punctured within the plumes of sand as a beam of ionized energy tackled its way through any obstacle daring to cross its path. Its target was a behemoth monstrosity blasting mortal shell after mortar shell from its gaping mouth. Noticing something was wrong, the beast shifted its body weight to the side in an attempt to dodge, but it was too late.
The right half of the monster was obliterated. No blood seeped out as the immense heat and sizzling plasma cauterized the excessive wound immediately. Pus began to seep and coalesce as the melted flesh peeled off. The beast was wounded heavily, but it was still alive. Fearing for its life, it began to crawl away from the battlefield slowly as its whimpers traveled across the dunes of Mars.
"Oho? You are still alive? Impressive."
The worst had not yet arrived for the amalgamation of science and biology. A man donning a black trench coat with plated armor underneath approached the foul beast. His coat swayed in the breeze as he firmly puffed his cigarette with his right hand. Behind him, three large spears were pointed at the beast's head, primed and ready to be fired.
"Don't hold this against me. You attacked us first." He took another puff of his cigar. "Actually, I changed my mind. You can hold it against me if you want, I'm too old to care about the sentiments of a beast."
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Just as he said that, the spears lunged forth, splitting the air as they pierced through the monster's skull. Their precise incision killed the mutated wolf immediately. Blood seeped out from the wound the moment the spears dematerialized.
Mason looked down at the corpse and sighed. "An old man like me should not be needing to do this... I should seriously consider retiring..." He closed his eyes and activated a stage 1 ability that all Sentinels are given.
'[Cyber-Telepathy]...'
["Enemy has been neutralized. Prioritize grouping up with East Company and rescuing any survivors. I order everyone to cease all combat and immediately retreat."]
...
In another portion of the battlefield, soldiers bunched up across each other's backs as they shot their SV weapons at incoming mutants. A large bear donned in flames treaded in their direction, ignoring all the incoming fire thrown at him.
"Fuck! What the hell is this bastard made of?!"
"Shut the hell up, Oliver. Your whining is going to kill me before the mutants do!" A woman with short blonde hair voiced her annoyance to him as she tossed a grenade in the beast's direction.
-Boom!
The bear marked in flames and red fur plummeted into the sand as half its face was mangled from the blast. Seeing this, she began reloading her SV rifle with a new battery. Her entire squadron wore plated armor and helmets. The sand had stuck to their plating, giving it a reddish, grungy texture.
Another man next to Oliver and the loud-mouthed girl fired off his SV weapon at a group of approaching hounds with horns on their forehead. He shifted his attention to his comrades while adjusting his tactical goggles. "Sam, this is my last battery pack. What should we do?"
Holding the rifle over her shoulder, she looked down at the ground. A smile showed on her face as she finished contemplating their next move. "We do what we are good at, surviving!"
Out of nowhere, a larger bear with even more intense flames than the previous one emerged from the cloud of smoke and dust. It was walking upright on its hind legs, towering high above the soldiers before it. Sam and the others looked up and met gazes with the beast. The flames in its eyes grew more radiant as it eyed its prey.
Sam frowned. "Shit, just my damn luck. Another Mutant Crimson Claw... I already spent my last grenade too..." She aimed her SV at him without an ounce of waiting. The first strike usually always determines the outcome. However, before she could even pull the trigger, a marvelous scene unfolded.
A figure draped in shadow emerged from the fog of dust behind the beast. With a blade hoisted above his head, he thrust it down, penetrating into the bear's spine. The impact caused the oversized bear to jolt, as the flames markings its body grew in size from the pain it was experiencing.
-Roar!
Its bellowing voice resounded in all their ears as it began to shake its body violently from side to side in an attempt to remove the enemy clinging to its back. No matter how it tried, the man continued to hold on to his blade, which housed numerous mechanical parts that resembled a revolver.
Suddenly, the man pulled the trigger on his weapon, firing off a shot from inside the beast's body.
-Boom!
A large punctured hole appeared as the beast stumbled a few steps before the shocked soldiers and collapsed. The man whose features reflected in their eyes stood up over the beast he had just slain and placed the gunblade over his shoulder. The obsidian colored plating he was donning glistened in the reflections of the sun.
Hermes jumped off the corpse and stood before the soldiers, who were still shocked to speak. Just moments prior, he used a large rock as a stepping stone to propel himself upwards and launched the sneak attack against the flaming beast.
Pushing up his glasses, he decided to break the silence. "My name is Hermes Wilson, a gold rank mercenary." He put his arm out to the female soldier for a handshake.
Noticing his gesture, she decided to reciprocate. "Ah, likewise. Thank you for saving us..."
"Pfff..." The sound of someone trying to hold back their laughter was heard from behind her. She immediately knew who it was as veins protruded out from her forehead.
"Oliver, you bastard! What's so funny, huh?!"
"Pfff, it's just the fact that you are trying to sound polite doesn't sound like you at all!"
"What did you say?!" Thrusting her leg backwards, she kicked him in his crotch. His expression immediately shifted into that of despair and anguish. His knees buckled as he dropped to the sand in a fetal position.
"Ahhh, you gorilla woman! This is why you will never get married!" Hearing his words, her anger boiled over once more. "Say that again, you fucking asshole!" She began to kick him repeatedly in her anger as Oliver continued to hurl insults at her; with their pride on the line, neither one wanted to give in.
Noticing how childish his comrades are, the taller man with tactical goggles decided to address Hermes' presence instead.
"Sorry about that, man. They have been like this since the academy days..."
Hermes nodded at him. Although he found the situation humorous, his feelings were currently in turmoil as he contemplated what he had done just thirty minutes ago. He spoke to him in a calm voice. "I don't mind. By the way, I am not alone." He shifted his attention to behind the monster corpse, which was still burning from its own flames.
The figures of two girls, both with brunette hair, emerged from the plumes of dust. Their disheveled clothing reflected the finicky state they were in. Although Hermes tried his best to protect them, he had run into a few stages 1 and 2 mutants that had troubled him constantly in his effort to defend them from danger.
The constant running and evading they partook in was also not something the two sisters were used to. Even Eleanor, who was a stage 1 Celestial Mystic, did not have the stamina for such a task.
Noticing their presence, the man in tactical goggles stood there in shock. His eyes widened at the two figures standing before him. "Lady Elara, Lady Eleanor?!"
His loud voice ended the childish squabble Sam and Oliver were having. Their jaws dropped as they stood up and straightened their backs; they had finally remembered their roles as soldiers of the Marcia Empire.
"Greetings Young Ladies of the Valencourt House!"
Eleanor nodded at their display. She glanced down at her younger sister, who was still wrapped in Hermes' coat and paralyzed in fear. What Trevor had attempted was still haunting her; it was as if she was a husk, a marionette that can only be moved with the help of others. Seeing this, Eleanor frowned deeply.
Noticing their situation, Hermes sighed. He shifted his attention back to the large man in tactical gear. "I need a status update. How many survivors are there on this battlefield?"
He answered. "There are currently 245 of us left. Our comms are not completely down. I can still see their signals on my radar. "
Hermes nodded. "Good, we need to retreat immediately. This situation has devolved too much for you guys to handle. Use those comms to send out a retreat order. Ill lead you guys out of here."
"But-"
"Do as he says." Eleanor decided to interrupt before anyone had a chance to argue with Hermes' orders. Being the heir of a founding noble family held a lot of weight in the Marcia Empire.
Suddenly, a voice entered the minds of everyone there. ["Enemy has been neutralized. Prioritize grouping up with East Company and rescuing any survivors. I order everyone to cease all aggressive maneuvers and immediately retreat."]
Hearing the voice, Elara sprung back to life momentarily. "Uncle Mason..."
Hermes, on the other hand was shocked. He shifted his attention to Eleanor. "What was that just now?"
She looked into his eyes and said, "That was a stage 1 ability Sentinels hold called [Cyber-Telepathy]. They can use it to send messages to others using their connection to the Cyber Depths."
End of Chapter