Chapter 138 - Tolerated Enemies (Patreon)

Notes :

Didn't get the time to write a new chapter, mainly because I was doodling. Turns out, I can draw ! A bit. Fyi, I hadn't drawn anything for a decade, and even then the last things I drew were stick figures with rulers.

I can't show you what I was doodling because it's 40k sprites for a mod. There's a couple on the discord, if you wish to take a look.

Also I should do a poll, because I realized I don't actually know how many people on this patreon are here for MFR, TFW, or both, and that's probably important information to have. So far I've been mostly spreading my time depending to how inspired I feel, but I probably should adopt a more methodical and fair approach. Especially as MFR is easier to write (the consequence of not having ELEVEN NOVELS OF PLOT AND INTRIGUE behind it right now) and thus I tend to gravitate towards it more, which is unfair to people who subscribed for TFW.

Chapter 138

Starborn Mountains, Starfire Valley

Artillery Outpost

"Hello, Sarcher." Said Sapphiria as she joined the Hand near the flag of truce his velites had planted a while back.

Technically, with their armistice, they were entitled to just visit the artillery outpost, so long as they didn't break anything or get in the way. But clearly the undead wasn't willing to risk a misunderstanding over such a petty thing.

Which was fine by Sapphiria. As much as she appreciated the Hand and had come to respect them after the battle they had fought together, they were still a mass murderer who had sought to kill her squishies. She couldn't shove them in a colony ship to another planet, or preferably the other side of the galaxy, so arm's length would have to do for now.

Huh. She'd thought of the Hand in terms of someone to fob off in a colony, which was how the Federation and the terran governments of old had dealt with problematic groups of squishies that couldn't be convinced to stop being idiots. As opposed to an enemy whose eradication was paused for the time being.

"Greetings." As last time, the undead extended their flesh arm, and Sapphiria took it in a firm forearm clasp. "Have your brought more reinforcements?"

"A few." A couple of junkbots and a shredder stood behind her. "But I have other priorities as well."

The Hand nodded.

"So I heard." Something must have bled through her body language, because he tapped his ear. "The gunfire."

Ah.

"Indeed." If he wanted to assume she was refocusing on the monsters and not scaling the hell up, then good. She certainly wasn't going to disabuse him of that notion. "I'm afraid this and the next batch will be it for a while."

"Oh." The Hand looked like they were suppressing a sigh, and nodded. Once again, it struck Sapphiria how...human and weary they seemed. Before they seemed like some stony block of granite, but they were either mellowing out or showing more signs of emotions now that they didn't consider her an enemy. "Well, it is better than I could have reasonably asked for."

"Indeed." Though she wished she had more to put in that pass. A single mirage tank, with its fusion pumped battle laser, would have stopped basically anything trying to get through.

Though she might as well wish for a Pathfinder drop battalion. Maybe even a division.

Pathfinders were named after the old paratrooper units of Terra, and did much the same jobs, except for planetary landings. They were the first into any invasion, dropping from the skies to secure landing zones and enable the heavies to get down on the ground reasonably safely and start digging in.

Squishies were technically permitted to serve as Pathfinders, but it rarely happened. Simply put, it was a suicide mission. You were fired out of drop pods directly into an enemy world, usually while the fleet was bombing the ever living crap out of it. That meant making your descent under enemy fire, with ground and sometimes air assets trying their damndest to kill you. Then, whatever made it down had to secure the area and hold it as the shuttles started their approach, and the other side threw everything they had at you in the hopes of overrunning the landing sites before it could solidify into a beachhead.

On well defended worlds, you were lucky if a third of the Pathfinders made it out. Sometimes none did, as either the invasion failed or the fleet got pushed back. It didn't happen often but it did happen. When shit hit the fan and a retreat was called, Pathfinders were usually the ones left behind, covering the shuttles until everyone else was clear, then blowing themselves up to deny whatever was left behind to the enemy.

All this meant that Pathfinders had the most dangerous kit the Federation could issue. Particle cannons, tactical nukes, antimatter missiles, the works. Bacteria suits too, the heaviest power armor the Federation made before it would be labeled a 'mech', which were meant to serve as mobile fortification points to anchor a battle line. Their name came from the fact that they were absurdly hard to kill for how small they were, and so many died in every assault anyway invasion fleets literally carried assembly lines to produce them, on specialized factory vessels.

Even a small formation of Pathfinders would stomp the Nineteenth into the ground in minutes, and be able to start operations across the mountain range with no issues.

But if wishes made reality, then the Theocracy would have burned Terra, so...

"I assume you arrived in response to the delegation?" Said Sarcher, and Sapphiria nodded.

"You assume correctly." There was a pause. The Hand said nothing, and the AI sighed internally. "Have the negotiations proved satisfactory?"

"Not yet. But there may be a basis for further talks yet."

"Good." Sapphiria wasn't sure if she meant it.

On the one hand, keeping them negotiating at expecting the other to betray them would keep both forces of Bane in check while she scaled up. On the other, if they actually achieved a deal...

Things could go terribly wrong, really quickly. At least her troops were permanently stationed at the wall now, and she had constant overwatch through the tower, with alpha battery ready to start shelling the every living crap out of anyone who decided to try something funny.

The Hand coughed. Given that it was as unnecessary to them as it was for her, Sapphiria tilted her head, showing curiosity and polite interest.

"Yes?"

"I wished to ask if you would be able to spare some construction materials, as well as personnel. I have, of course, begun repairs of the fortifications. But as you can see, the work is going slowly."

Sapphiria nodded. The Hand's forces weren't so much 'badly depleted' as effectively annihilated. At least as a viable fighting force. And the few undead from the horde were indeed trying to patch up the walls, but they were nowhere near the numbers that had built it, and the damage was extensive.

In fact, so extensive that they weren't even trying to quarry raw materials, and just taking stones from the half completed towers they'd previously been building.

"While I appreciate that, and I have little doubt my materials would prove more resilient, I have other demands on my time. Besides which, you said the negotiations would go forward."

"I did indeed." He didn't need to say anything further. The message had gone through. Why should she help him get a better negotiating position? He was probably already using her bots and artillery as leverage against the Nineteenth. No reason to further stack his deck.

Truth be told, she was tempted to just take over the wall, build a giant bunker and stack it with field guns, autocannons and machineguns. But she had to scale up. This was her only shot at it.

Besides, she wasn't keen on getting her construction bots where they could be seen. By the Hand, she didn't care all that much. But the Nineteenth?

Her human-form bots the squishies had taken in stride, but the construction ones seemed to have seriously disturbed them. There's no telling how the Nineteenth would react. Especially since it might shake the illusion they no doubt fondly held that the forces currently arrayed them were under the command of the Hand, and thus subject to the ceasefire their ruler had imposed upon them.

Best avoid that for as long as possible.

"I will conduct a bit more salvaging." Said the AI. "Then withdraw. I will cycle my reinforcements in and out of my outpost for maintenance. Do you require anything?"

"Anima means that my own healing and that of my forces is taken care of, thankfully. If you could get a couple of your troops to guard the approaches to the slope however, in case monsters come up, that would be appreciated."

Sapphiria blinked. Anima? That was what animated the undead, according to Kalia, though she'd been vague on it. Necromancy had been thrown out the window with haste before she was born, and Gregor wasn't big on the specifics of how his body worked, only that it did.

She quickly scanned the assembled troops, what little remained of the Hands forces, and compared it with previous record, immediately after the battle.

The Hand...was right. Most of the damage to the skeletons was gone. Their equipment still looked like it had been through, well, a very hard fought battle, but the bones themselves were pristine. Even the Hand, whose legs had been reduced to charcoal, was looking healthier, though the damage was still very much visible, deeper scans revealed that the tissue had regenerated.

She hadn't noticed because her sensors simply had no clue what they were looking at. There was no cellular activity. No mitosis, not even ATP production or consumption. As far as they were concerned the Hand was a corpse that simply wasn't decaying.

He just had more cells than he did last time. Same as the skeletons, which had restored themselves in ways she didn't get.

She'd have to take a look through the data her bots had accumulated as well, but their sensors were a lot more primitive and been focused elsewhere, so she doubted there'd be anything useable. Still, it was worth a look.

"I will. Though I believe they will attack my artillery outpost first and foremost."

The Hand tilted their head slightly.

"Why so?"

She gestured blandly at the outpost.

"It's closer as well as inside the forest, whereas monsters would have to dredge up the slope in open terrain."

And also had a gigantic communications tower. Honestly she was amazed they hadn't focused on it instead of Astralis, but then again, the settlement was kilometers away. Hence the need for a decoy much closer to the mouth of the valley.

"True. Let us hope you are correct. A devastating monster attack at this juncture could prove catastrophic."

"That was indeed on my mind." Though honestly she was a lot more worried about the town full of squishies than the giant wall guarded around the clock by soldiers, with artillery support, drones and a spotting and communications tower. Still, a few junkbots with a shredder should be enough to put a considerable crimp in the day of any monsters trying it anyway. "As I said however, I will divert a few guards. Any news from your Dominion?"

"She has no returned yet. She no doubt will soon."

"Busy outside the pass?"

The Hand nodded, his expression unreadable.

"Of course."

The AI gazed at him, then at some of the emplacements on the walls.

The ballistae were in them, but they had clearly been made for different weapons altogether.

She remembered the discussions she'd had with the town council. Of the Hand, preparing for the arrival of artillery, and wanting the mines to fuel modern industry.

"Preparing for the arrival of your cannons?" She hazarded.

The Hand tensed up.

Bingo.

"...Our forces remain locked in a stalemate with the Nineteenth. It is likely they will attempt to better their negotiating position, especially as it is notably worsening by the day."

"So, expect them to try something, just not spectacular or hostile enough to restart hostilities." Said Sapphiria. She completely ignored the non-answer to her question. She knew what it meant, and so did he.

"Indeed." The Hand hesitated. "If that were to happen, could you refrain from engaging them?"

"Even with warning shots?"

Sarcher nodded.

"Better to have them do something harmless than they believe is productive, than panic and accidentally ignite another engagement."

She couldn't argue with that. Last thing she wanted was for this to spark up and their leaders to show up to sort the mess out. Much better for them to be stuck in an uneasy ceasefire, waiting to go at each other's throat again.

She wouldn't have survived the Nineteenth's attack without the Hand. And if the Hand's reinforcements were indeed expected soon, then she doubted she could survive their full might without the Nineteenth holding them in check. Though the Hand would be unlikely to betray their armistice, and the Dominion had showed no signs of doing so, it was a possibility to keep in mind nonetheless.

"Very well then. I'll get on with salvaging, and make sure an accident does not happen. Do give the Dominion my regards."

The Hand's eyebrow rose.

"I will. But if you stay, you may be able to do so in person."

"I have many calls upon my attention. Once I am done gathering salvage, I will be gone." Which should be fairly quick, as she'd taken the bulk of it already. She could get more from the forest of stone spikes and beyond, but she wasn't willing to for now. If nothing else, extracting most of the equipment would require cleaing a path, and she was keeping that giant mess as intact as possible for as long as she could. "I'm sure you don't need me holding your hand. Er, no pun intended."

The Hand raised their skeletal appendage, and there was a fleeting shadow of a smile on their lips.

"I shall endure. Safe gathering, and safe travels..."

"You can call me Sapphiria." Spontaneously offered the AI. She'd rather not get anymore 'my lady' if she could help it. "Just Sapphiria."

"Of course. Safe travels, Sapphiria.

"And a good day to you, Sarcher. Since you are unlikely to be doing some travelling."

"I doubt it would be a good idea indeed." The Hand nodded towards the pass. "The Nineteenth would surely notice. Though I have to say, I hope to be able to...visit your outpost."

The AI hesitated. On the one hand, there was no real positives for her to allow that. On the other...he could already see it from the pass, and had no doubt scouted it before. She certainly would have.

"Nothing prevents you from doing so. As per our agreement, so long as no hostile action is taken..."

"That is appreciated." The Hand paused, and Sapphiria shook her head.

"No. Don't even ask. The town is off limits. For your own safety."

The Hand's eyebrow rose again.

"My safety?"

Sapphiria smiled. It wasn't a particularly nice one.

"You murdered the inhabitants' loved ones. Left a trail of blood and corpses all the way here. You tried to kill them all with your cohort. They will throw themselves at you with knives, cudgels and their bare fists before they allow you near their homes."

The Hand seemed to deflate slightly.

"I...will not argue with such reasoning. Nor risk conflict." Their tone was a bit subdued. And was that...regret?

She wasn't going to bank upon it. Nor did she have pity to spare for the monster that had put themselves in that situation. She respected the Hand. But that didn't mean that she was ever going to forgive them for the atrocities they'd perpetrated.

"Good. Then I'll get to work. There is much to be done."

And once she had her new industry, she could start looking at kicking the Bane out of the pass...and what lay beyond.