Traveling by air cut a significant amount of time from our journey to Argedwall. It also gave us a rather unique view of the area that my Legionaries had taken. There were two primary routes that led towards Argedwall, the more direct one, I was told, had been headed by Daniel and Fran. Patrick had taken the other, along with his own team. Several other teams were responsible for support, and it appeared that the route was quickly becoming something more permanent.

Thick jungle had been cleared and scorched for a hundred meters on either side of the road, one that was made of a thick, shock resistant concrete that would serve to create a stable route. There were interspersed outposts with a small rail system connecting them on the left, allowing for troops, bullets, and turrets to move with ease across the entire highway. The other side of the street bore a much larger rail system, allowing trains passage in the area. Not that we had trains yet, we were stretching ourselves thin attempting to do everything that we could think of. Reaper Research and Development was beginning to tighten the noose in terms of what we were working on, something that I’d have to check in on later to see what was being given priority.

Still, the rails were there, that would do well enough for now.

The highway itself was seeing fairly regular use, convoys of Ogres pulling cargo making a regular sight. They didn’t often stop, but the outposts provided plentiful rest areas in relative safety. There were a few completely automated convoys modeled after the Ogres that I found interesting, effectively bearing no drivers seat at all. They were entirely reliant on the highway itself telling them where they were, so they wouldn’t be doing any off roading, but for the mundane supply runs, they’d be more than sufficient.

Speaking of supplies, there was a massive quantity of supplies being fed directly to the voracious fortress that was being set up just outside of Argedwall. It served as a forward operating base and a possible fallback location for the people of Argedwall in the event that any kind of evacuation would ever be necessary.

Of which, I highly doubted it would.

My reasoning was simple in this. Our terminal fortress on the highway was well outfitted with weapons and a reasonable walled defensive armament that I was certain could pump out truly stupendous amounts of firepower. However, what it lacked was the sheer gravitas that Argedwall itself had in the background.

Argedwall was no city as it would have been in the old world. True walls had been constructed here, unlike the ramshackle structures that Sunvilla had. They were dense and not a part of what had originally been planned in the city, surely. Concrete and steel loomed thirty meters high and encased the city in what appeared to be a perfect circle. There was even a slight amount of space within the walls to support Argedwalls growth.

Beyond the wall itself, though, was something much more surprising. A complex spiral with interspersed rings was dug into the earth, reinforced with steel grating and dugouts. The trenches were four meters deep at their deepest, and were still three at their shallowest, save for ramps that would allow for any occupants to leave. With my magnified vision, I could make out the upturned mud and dirt, as well as the fairly constant motion of various mech suits as they made their way through the channels.

It was constant movement, each of the mech outfitted battalions keeping a steady, slow pace as they went. After a minute, they ceased, entrenching themselves into new positions, sixteen districts that only became apparent with the bulk of the forces settled. The maneuver mystified me, but I supposed they must have had a reason for it.

Granted, there were some interruptions that I’d witnessed during all of that. Several biotics had rushed the trenches, but they invariably would be sliced and stomped to a pulp by the stampeding mechs, traveling two by two. Most used minimal ranged weapons, instead dawning melee weapons that would allow them to crush anything that entered the trenches.

That seemed… risky, but there were also several towers that sat within the inner rings, still outside of the walls, that bore ranged combatants.

It was interesting, but I’d get the chance to investigate it in person later. For now, I directed Shade to settle down over our outpost fortress.

The airpad flexed as we moved down towards it, five such pads available in the event that the few Reavers we had needed to refuel or rearm at the outpost. Each of the pads had slots beneath them that could be manually changed for hot swapping virtually anything that the presiding aircraft could need.

Shade would refuel while the rest of us got off.

“Alright, everyone, we’re here.” I called over the internal speaker system, enjoying the look of utter relief on Jeremy’s face.

As we disembarked, I noticed that Fran was ready to greet me, along with someone I didn’t recognize in a tarnished gold mech.

“Matthew,” Fran greeted happily, “how was Sunvilla?”

I considered a flippant remark about how it had been corrupt and awful, but decided against it at the last second, “it was an experience. Nice to see you too, Fran.”

We gave a friendly hug, both of our power armors clanking together, “how have things been here? I’ve read the reports, but it seems almost too smooth.”

She nodded, “well, we have Argedwall’s knights and lords-” at that she gestured to the man next to her, “-to thank for that.”

I tilted my head to the man before greeting him officially, holding my arm out, “Matthew Reaper.”

“Peter, Lord-Knight of The Wolf,” he clasped my hand in his own, oversized mech gauntlet. The movement was precise and I scarcely felt any pressure at all. He was very much used to the machines movements, likely akin to a second skin. The glaive upon his back told me his preferred method of fighting, and I had to admit that seeing the dents, claw marks, and myriad of other repairs made over time painted a picture that these ‘Lords’ were not the type to sit back and have others fight for them.

“I’m told that Argedwall has had a rather unique situation with its biotics, is that so?” I asked the man.

He hummed thoughtfully, “well, perhaps. I’m told Gilramore had only wolves to contend with.” He shook his head, “though, to be frank, that seems to have been rather fortunate for us. From hearsay, I can safely attest that wolves would have made our heavy-metal strategy less than ideal.”

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I nodded, remembering several cases where the wolves had sheared through tank armor to get at the individuals within. Alone, they were no threat, but wolves were rarely ever alone.

“Peter and I were just talking about the Round’s plans going forward.” Fran cut in, giving Peter a meaningful look.

“Ah, yes,” he returned a grateful glance to her before turning his attention fully to me, “we are to convene at sunset with the other Lords and the Knight Commander. We wish to discuss future operations and opportunities with you.”

I nodded to him, “I have no issue with attending.”

He blinked in surprise, “oh, uh, I appreciate that.”

“Were you expecting me to say no?” I frowned, looking at Fran who only sent me a wide smile in return. The kind that told me there was an inside joke here.

He glanced at her, uncertainty clear in his expression, “perhaps? There have been some… insinuations that were made in regards to how you feel about politics.”

I turned my head slowly to Fran, “and what, exactly, were these insinuations?”

“Only that you dislike any kind of meetings and have issues with authority.” Fran winked, “nothing serious.”

Peter apprehensively looked to Fran before smiling slightly, seemingly realizing the friendly banter.

I sighed, “don’t go spreading rumors about me too much, now. Though, it’s true that I hate politics.”

“There’s not so much of that here,” Peter volunteered, “granted, I’m sure there are going to be some more keen on securing future aid for Argedwall than others.”

That was something I wanted to hear more about in the near future, but I managed to draw ourselves back to the present. “Well, we can talk more as we walk, I’d like to check out the situation for myself.”

Jeremy selected that moment to walk up, “Matt, my team and I are gonna take five. We’ll meet up with you later if you need us.”

I decidedly didn’t mention how pale he looked after the flight, “sounds good. Get some rest, you all certainly earned it.”

Alice and Richard, on the other hand, eagerly walked up, beelining to their team mate.

“Fran!” Alice practically cheered, launching at the woman with a thump, utterly unfazed by the immobile armor that the magnetically-inclined woman used.

“Alice,” Fran said with a start before chuckling, “I see you’re in high spirits.”

“A lot happened,” Richard answered, wearing a broad smirk before turning an appraising eye upon the Lord.

“Peter, Lord-Knight of The Wolf,” the man introduced himself again kindly, “I take it your the rest of Reaper Alpha?”

Richard’s smile took on a slightly more amused look, “Yup. I’m Richard Nordsen. Most people call me Adder when I’m on the job.”

Peter blinked at that, studying Richard’s hybrid exo and power armor with interest, “I see. Well, I look forward to working with you both.”

“Yup! It’ll be great!” Alice bounced back from Fran with buzzing energy, “ah, man! You guys have mechs! I bet Patrick’s losing his mind right now.”

Fran and Peter both exchanged long looks, “something like that.”

I wondered exactly what happened for that response before remembering the five-hour long rant fest that brought on my adoption of the Determinators.

“I was told that Argedwall was having issues containing biotics,” I redirected the conversation as we moved closer to the command structure on site. “The reports say that everything’s under control, but what’s your opinion on the matter?”

It was clear that Peter was concerned this was somehow a test, and he thought deeply about his answer for several seconds. I almost wanted to tell him that I had no intention of holding an answer against him, but I was also curious how he would answer.

“Well… to say that it’s totally handled would be inaccurate,” he grimaced, “not that you Legionaries aren’t making things a far cry more manageable, though. We were being run ragged before your support came in. Those Reaver gunships are something else, too.”

“I do have to admit, though,” Fran cut in, “we certainly have something to learn from them about clearing hives. We’ve cleared the way and cleaned things up, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that the Knights do very impressive work in close quarters.”

Peter virtually glowed with the compliment, “I appreciate the recognition. It’s been a pleasure working alongside the Legion.”

It surprised me that so much had been done already. We’d only been present for two days, several interior structures in the base were still being put up. If it weren’t for the slightly automated processes for construction and the prefabrication we utilized heavily from New Damond, I highly doubted that our efforts would be anywhere near as far along. Even then, many of the outposts were running on the bare minimums for now.

“How many hives have been cleared already?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Seven,” Peter answered without a hitch, “we’ve got a few others that we think we know the location of. Daniel is helping clear one of the Carrier nests.” He spat off to the side at that, “disgusting things.”

Seven wasn’t bad, and it wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility.

‘It is too easy,’ I heard Wolvey’s voice echo my own concerns.

I asked several more questions, and went over the reports. However, there was no distinct change in biotic behavior, aside from a sudden surge in activity yesterday where a much larger number of them showed up. The efforts of the Lords and their Knights with Legion support had turned the tide.

It almost felt like I’d missed the party.

But, now the numbers were dramatically lower.

“What’s going on here?” I murmured to myself, looking at the holographic image that emerged from the war-board in the center of the room.

Fran frowned, “are you wondering at the reduction in biotics?”

I blinked at that, “exactly that, why?”

“We have been rotating the Reavers out further.” She shrugged, “they’ve been pummeling any larger groups with impunity. We have Legion roaming further afield, mixed with some Knights. They’re out there, but we’ve been taking care of it.”

I considered that for a minute before calling up the reports.

It was true, they’d been encountering just as many biotics as before. Just further out.

Letting out a breath, I said, “maybe it’s nothing then. It’s rare that anything ever goes so smoothly.”

“That’s true enough for us all,” Peter nodded, “well, if you’d like, I can show you how trenches. We’ve finally been able to make some much needed repairs. Then we can go to the city proper.”

“Sounds good,” I nodded to him, grateful for the distraction.

There was something to be said when I expected everything to go suddenly and horribly wrong when things appeared to have been going quite well. With mirth, I contemplated out cynical I’d become of late. “Let’s go take a look, then.”