“Zorg, what’s the situation regarding the hill?” I asked, switching gears away from my hand situation, and back to the minor Antithesis problem that was swarming across the ground.
It, and the other nearby hill, have been swept clean, before I returned my attention towards the swarm.
“Alright, kindly drop me off on top of it.” I said, doing a quick check to ensure that all of my gear was on me, before standing up again. “Right now the situation makes me hanging out on the ramp untenable, the next Fifteen might get lucky and take more than an arm. Mor, que up whatever is required for a combat bot, along with a portable radio system capable of getting a solid connection to the satellites that Zorg was connecting to.”
Very well, however I will stick close to your position, in order to provide a means of extraction. We are unlikely to be able to hold them at this point, and will eventually need to fall back towards Amherst.
Very well, you have just enough points to purchase everything you just listed.
Catalogues unlocked:
Class 1 modular combat robotics - 100 points.
Class 1 communication systems - 50 points.
Items purchased:
Class 1 modular autonomous combat unit - 200 points
Class 1 Type 75 ground to orbit communications system - 50 points
Class 1 ‘Ross’ designated marksman rifle - 25 points
Total cost: 425 points
Points remaining: 95
With that, two boxes, along with a large backpack that had a large antenna sticking out of the top, appeared beside me on the ramp. The box located in the middle of the three purchases, began to hum as it unpacked itself, revealing it to be the bot.
It looked like someone had seen both the halo and helldiver’s universes, then decided to combine the armour from the ODST’s with the Helldiver’s. It even had a cape on its back that unfurled after it had equipped the Type 75, and grabbed the Ross along with its extra magazines.
“Mor, can you tap into the satellites that Zorg was getting snapshots out of, and get a better read on the situation?” I asked as the dropship’s ramp touched the hilltop, with both me and the bot exiting out onto it.
It will take a second to acquire the relevant information. However Zorg’s assessment of the situation is likely correct, odds are that you will have to abandon this position before too long.
I nodded my head at that, as I moved up along the side of the Ghost-rider. The hilltop itself looked like a battalion of angry beavers, had teamed up with a battalion of equally angry moles, and had gone to town on the hill. What had once probably been a nice hillside had been transformed, to the point that it would have been perfectly at home on the western front of WW1.
Once we were out of the way, Zorg lifted the dropship back into the air, closing the ramp as he gained altitude. The 75mm spoke rapidly three times, once he had cleared the hilltop, before it settled into a more deliberate rate of fire. Down range, the first three rounds blossomed into star shells, revealing the carpet of Antithesis that was on the march.
There wasn’t really a need to aim, not with the amount of Antithesis that were down range. “Mor, que up two more bot’s, with a heavy machine gun and mad minute for each, once I’ve got the points. Also, go ahead and automate the resupply of ammo for anything that I purchase.” I said, as I flicked the selector to full auto, and depressed the trigger. The radio bot was taking more deliberate shots, in contrast to the stream of tracers that I was producing.
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Understood, be advised that automatically resupplying ammunition will increase in cost, the farther away you are from the unit in question.
“Is it possible to average the cost of ammunition, across the width of the Antithesis swarm? Over pay for the closest bots, to cover the additional costs of the farthest out bots.” I asked, briefly letting go of the trigger, as the points total dipped before resuming its climb.
Items purchased:
2x Class 1 modular autonomous combat unit - 400 points
2x Class 1 'Devastator’ heavy machine gun, assault variant - 100 points
2x Mad Minute automatic feed system - 100 points
Total cost: 600 points.
Points remaining: 2,135.
The two new Bots unfolded themselves, and picked up their kit, and started firing as Mor responded.
Provided you're in the middle of your unit’s, it would be possible to average the cost out. Though you're going to need a lot more bots to cover the ~ 2 km wide frontage of this Antithesis swarm.
There was a brief heartbeat of time, for me to start digesting that bit of information, before Mor continued.
Ellis, my current estimation as to the size of the swarm has crossed the one hundred thousand mark, and is still climbing. I would advise that contact is made with the mayor of Amherst, as the odds of stopping the swarm before it reaches the town, are dropping rapidly.
“Right, let’s get them on the phone. I assume that there are some kind of shelters in the town, best to get them into them?” I asked, joining back into the stream of fire headed into the swarm. The closest part of the swarm had just about reached the foot of the hill that I was on, while the rest carried on towards the town.
Yes, provided that the shelters have been built to code, they will be able to protect the people within roughly a week. Assuming that no Model Fifteen B’s make it to them.
Surprisingly, the radio bot got up from where it had been engaging the Antithesis, and moved to my close right. As it knelt down again, it handed me a landline phone headset, before it went back to engaging the Antithesis climbing the hill.
Feeling a little bit silly, I put the headset up to the side of my helmet, and waited for the call to go through. It didn’t take long for a grumbling male voice to answer. “Yes?”
“Am I currently speaking to the Mayor of the township of Amherst?” I asked, as the first resupply of ammo made its way through the mad minute.
“Yes you are. How did you get this number?”
The radio bot reached over to charge the Lib-VRRRT-tea, as I began to engage again with one hand, while continuing the conversation. “Mr Mayor, this is the Samurai Thunderchild. I am currently located roughly 25 km down highway 104, heading towards Turo, and I’m currently engaged in a delaying action with an Antithesis swarm that is headed towards the town of Amherst. I need you, and all of the townsfolk to enter your shelters immediately for your safety.”
There was a slight pause, before the mayor replied. “Company policy requires me to check with head office during regular business hours, for a non-incursion operation of shelters. Call back during regular business hours, so that I can assist in setting up a conference call with the head office.”
“There won’t be a town by then! Mor, can we send this guy a screenshot or something of what’s heading his way?”
It has been sent.
There was another pause, before he continued. “I have no idea what you’re playing at, but sending a doctored picture in an attempt to scare us into our shelters won’t work. Any further attempts to contact anyone in the town of Amherst, will result in your arrest, and indentured servitude to Sunset Technology Inc.” Then the line went dead.
I stared at the headset in sheer disbelief, before hanging it back onto the side of the Type 75. “Mor, can you send some kind of alert to everyone in Amherst, get them moving that way?”
I’ve sent out the alert, using the incursion alert system. I believe that the next mayor will likely be more receptive to your suggestions, should a similar situation arise.
A glance at the points number, showed it creeping closer to the 10,000 mark. But more guns were needed right now, not transportation. “Mor, let’s get another 20 bots out, with similar weapons to mine, and the mad minute. Let’s save this config as the standard configuration going forward.”
Understood, deploying now.
Items purchased:
20x Class 1 modular autonomous combat unit - 4,000 points.
20x Class 1 ‘Liberty’ Assault Weapon System - 700 points
20x Class 1 mad minute automatic feed system - 1,000 points
Total cost: 5,700 points.
Points remaining: 3,695.
As the latest group of bots unpacked themselves, got their gear, and started to engage the Antithesis swarm, there was a tap on my shoulder. The radio bot was holding the headset out towards me, and to my surprise it started to speak. “You have an incoming call from, The Family. Would you like to accept this call, or send it to voicemail?”
25 km’s remain to Amherst.