Chapter 287

Red Sands Desert, Principality of Rebirth

City of Darthar

"Permission to come aboard?" Asked the Count as he stepped off the gangplank, and Alexandra smiled.

"Permission granted." Said Alexandra as she held out her hand, and the nobleman took it. "It's a pleasure to have you, Count."

"Please, call me Rice. And the pleasure is all mine. It is, after all, a request."

The dungeon core chuckled.

"Perhaps, but still. So, what do you think of my ship?"

The Count looked around, nodding to himself.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Sore lack of naked statues on the prow however." They both laughed. "More seriously though. I've never seen anything quite like it. And I have seen several advanced vessels, even Erisian ones."

Alexandra tilted her head.

"Do they often pass through Darthar?"

"Not very, but some do. Few airships crossed the wasteland here before you arrived, too little infrastructure to support it, and not much value. They went between Sunrise and Gorromar, mostly."

"Raw materials for manufactured goods."

"Precisely. Excellent value for a shrewd trader, and the Scorchlands are hard to traverse for ground caravans, making the trade route even more attractive. But there were still some products worth trading for here and in Sarth, and many ships stopped here on their way to the ducal hold, Asaria or Lorenz, whichever their final destination was."

"Right. Well, I'm guessing that's going to change."

"It already has." The Count looked around. "If I may, however, this ships seems like an...odd choice for a flagship."

Alexandra smiled.

"It's a siege ship. It stays behind a wall of escorts and out of trouble. It's the perfect choice for a flagship."

"Ah. I see. It is just that...traditionally, admirals prefer to lead from the front. Or at least be in the thick of it with their ships."

"I don't do 'traditional'." Even back when she'd been in the EFSN she didn't do that. Yes, she commanded from the Dawnstar, but that was because it was the single most survivable ship in the entire fleet, hands down. That, and in this particular case, a siege ship would have been a terrible idea. Rule one: no missile duels with UISN dreadnoughts. "Besides which, this ship has a fair few features and peculiarities that make it the perfect choice."

"Right, of course. I did not meant to question your judgment, or cause offence."

"None taken, Rice. Now if you'll follow me? The baroness and her knight are waiting." Alexandra smiled. "As well as my daughter."

The count looked a bit worried, and she chuckled.

"Worry not." Said the Earth-born. "I don't intend to do anything. So long as nothing untoward happens of course."

"Of course."

She gestured, and he followed her ambassador golem as they crossed the deck. There was a small ceremonial honor guard, but not really much else. Like virtually all of her vessels now, the ship was automated, with a low need for even golem crew. What little there was was mostly there as a backup if something failed or glorified repair drones, and unlike her other, gun totting ships, they were only needed below decks here, toiling on the missile launchers or standing by to replace systems or take manual control should something fail.

They entered one of the ship's secure hatches, and briefly came into an antechamber, filled with golems and Allya's bodyguards. The latter looked rather surly, having been more or less sidelined during Alexandra's 'rescue' of their charges, though that was nothing compared to the poor crew of the Dusk Blade, that had to deal with being boarded by an entire company of shock troops and forcibly evacuated.

They probably would have been a little more than merely annoyed, had they found out that her golems had placed charges to scuttle the ship, push came to shove. She had been perfectly ready to blow up the entire vessel to prevent would be assassins from escaping, or create enough chaos for her ambassador to trigger Allya and Pyn's teleport talismans.

Talismans which they hadn't been wearing, because of course they wouldn't while asleep, or preparing for...other activities. She was honestly considering making one that was embedded into a choker, just so both nobles would have it even during such situations. Or hell, even a full collar, even if only for Allya.

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The guards did nothing to challenge them. They knew they were only guests here. Well, actually, one of them hadn't, and almost ended up shredded by her own troops when he'd somehow gotten the idea that stopping the ship's admiral from entering her flagship's bridge was a good idea.

They entered the bridge through a small airlock, and Alexandra breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed in behind them, fully sealing the room.

"Alright, we are fully secure. Count, please take your seat."

Rice froze as he took in the place.

"Who-" He began to ask.

"Take your seat Rice." Said Allya. "Trust me, it's for the best."

The Count looked confused, but didn't argue further, and sat down at one of the many chairs surrounding the holographic projector, as Alexandra took the command seat.

"Alright. So, Rice." Started Alexandra. "You asked to be welcome onboard my flagship, and allowed to accompany me and my forces for when I attack the Alesian fortresses. Very well. You also said you were ready to keep any classified or secret information shared with you. Then allow me to introduce Subtlety, this vessel's captain and onboard intelligence, as well as Ghost, one of my dungeon bosses."

Both waved at him, and he waved back. Since Ghost was only present via hologram, she had taken the liberty of editing her own wardrobe to something that didn't scream "I AM TERRAN".

Not that CQ and Emilia hadn't already designed her a whole plethora of clothing already. She'd had to rescue her other self from them several times lest she be used as a dress up doll.

She just hadn't rescued her quickly enough to warrant having her avatar being substituted. The problem was that Ghost could probably tell and had to be brewing some kind of vengeance.

"Charmed." Said the Count, as he gazed at them, Ghost especially. "CQ's sister, undeniably, there is a resemblance in build. But what do you mean by intelligence?"

"She is, in more ways than one, the ship itself. Like a golem, built to permeate the vessel."

The Count's eyebrows rose.

"I had heard of such things, but they were rare. Fascinating."

"It is. Also, Ghost is not my daughter, more...sister."

"I see." The Count clearly didn't, but also felt no need to argue. That, or he was afraid of offending Alexandra.

"Since you will be with us for at least the next few days, I felt there was a need for proper introductions, especially as we'll be mostly your only company."

The Count nodded. Alexandra had, after all, made it clear that if he wished to accompany her, on her flagship no less, she wouldn't accept an entourage. This was a warship, damn it! Not some kind of mobile court. He'd acquiesced immediately, which was leading Alexandra to suspect he was also chaffing for an excuse to get out of the city and his own court and the obligations that came with it.

"Of course. My many thanks. I would have joined you with a vessel of my own, but..."

"What little of an airfleet you have is in dire need of a shipyard." That was the polite way of putting it at least. Truth was, none of them could have really kept up with her ships in a fight, and been a massive liability in any engagement. "Which you are having trouble finding."

"Quite. I did understand there was the possibility of them visiting yours in Rebirth however?"

Alexandra shrugged.

"There is, but in which case it would be for a full refit, not just repairs. The time of my shipyards is precious after all."

The Count smiled crookedly.

"I'm sure my captains won't begrudge me such an upgrade."

"Probably not. Now, we need to discuss the situation." Alexandra was suddenly all business and the Count gave her a shocked glance as she turned up her command aura, and sat up from her chair. "As you all know, the Alesian fortress line has been abandoned by the main army." She gestured, and the projector came to life, displaying an hologram of the region. "To our surprise, the army appeared to have veered east instead of North. Whether that is because it is heading to the ruins of Kaidan or simply trying to avoid Sarth's army is unknown. What is clear is that they have left a significant force in the fortresses, to serve as a sacrificial rear guard."

"How significant?" Asked the Count, as he leaned forward. He had learned, thanks to knight-commander Philia, to keep his questions -and comments- to the point and otherwise stay silent during such meetings.

Though, of course, applying it in practice was another matter.

"Our estimates vary between thirty to thirty five thousand soldiers, approximately ten percent of the entire army."

The Count whistled softly, though he noted neither the baroness nor her fiancée seemed surprised. This briefing seemed to be mostly for his benefit.

"A significant rear guard indeed."

Alexandra nodded.

"Quite. However, they appear to believe that however significant it is, it will be limited. As such, of the six fortresses that were being rebuilt, only three are currently occupied by their troops."

There were nine such fortresses originally. One had been completely dismantled over a century ago, for a variety of reasons, including budget cuts and a rather amazing feat of mental gymnastics involving recycling the stones to build some pet project for the count of the time, and two others so thoroughly wrecked during Sunrise's advance that it would be easier to build something new altogether than try and repair them. They, incidentally, had served as the source of raw materials for Sunrise's artillery pits.

Alexandra highlighted both the occupied and unoccupied fortresses in different colors, with helpful tags to make clear which was which.

"The others have seemingly been booby trapped with explosives and other compounds, though the full extent of it is unknown." The hologram shifted, and the pits became highlighted. "Its, however, a secondary concern. The primary threat posed by the fortresses currently is a series of trench lines and artillery pits, made to minimize the impact of missile bombardment. Their mere presence prevents effectively close in air support, and would reduce us to a frontal, infantry assault. I don't need to tell anyone here that it would be a terrible idea. Massive technological superiority or no, our greatest advantage is our range, squandering that for knife fights with enemies who specialize in close quarters combat would increase losses tenfold, at least."

"I infer you have a solution?"

"Indeed, Count. I do. The supply ship that even now is transferring over some of its cargo to this ship-" Like the Count himself, incidentally, after picking him up from the city. "-came with a new weapon. Missiles filled with a liquid incendiary compound. Rather than using direct impact high explosive missiles, which would be of limited effectiveness against such fortifications, we will use airburst incendiary ammunition, setting an entire area alight, and allowing the incendiary compound to drain into the pits and fortifications, thus destroying a large area with a single munition."

The Count shivered.

"Is something wrong, Count?"

"No, no. The cleansing flame is a righteous weapon, it is just...an uncomfortable thought, of how many slaves will die in agony because of it, never to be brought back."

Alexandra nodded.

"I may have some good news on that front. The resurrection orbs onboard the transports and with the army should be able to resurrect even incinerated foes, and their numbers should be low enough that the majority will be brought back."

"That is...a considerably relief, my lady."

Alexandra nodded, accepting the compliment.

"Thank you, Count. But nevertheless, once the enemy's surface defenses and artillery has been neutralized, I will proceed to advance the howitzers of the ground army and begin a saturation bombardment of the entrances of the fortress. The purpose is to force them to keep their heads down and hunker as the infantry advances to establish its own defensive positions."

"What then?"

"Then...we send envoys. With dug in infantry flanking their entrances, any sorties to rebuild will be pure suicide. Their only solutions will be surrender or death."

"They could hold out a long time." The Count blinked as Allya and Pyn exchanged grim looks. "Couldn't they?"

"Not if we use the incendiary weapons again. Pour the compound inside..." Said the baroness, very, very softly. "And seal the entrances."

Rice's face went white.

"That would-"

"Turn the entire fortress into a gigantic oven." Completed Alexandra. "It is a last resort measure, but one that, push comes to shove, we will be ready to deploy."

The Count swallowed. The dungeon core's words almost sounded like a challenge.

"I understand."

"Excellent. Then we will be underway shortly. The baroness and her knight will disembark, while CQ will show you to your quarters."

"Thank you."

The dungeon core nodded, and the Count was quickly grabbed by the hand and lead out of the room by the smiling boss.

All the while wondering what kind of alliance was the baroness truly running with the dungeon core...and how many secrets there were left to uncover here.

And why the dungeon core had the presence and gravitas of a general.

Or an empress.