Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Two: The Unexpected Tank (Patreon)

Sprinting through the streets of Singapore to the MacRitchie reservoir was a memorable experience. Clean streets or not, they weren’t designed for a half-ton battlesuit to be racing along them at top speed, especially not with a score of Boar Armors in tow, all loaded with the heaviest combat gear possible.

With Nanocloud informing General Yong of our need for speed, the Singapore cops had actually cleared the roads for the moving ultras. I was grateful - with fifteen kilometres to run in as many minutes, there was no way we’d have made it with a traffic jam.

By the time we reached the reservoir, the Singapore army had surrounded the shuttles. We headed for the cluster of jet-black uniforms worn by Phoenix Company.

A tall, grey-haired Singaporean officer with four stars on his shoulders was chatting with Nanocloud when we arrived.

“Belessar!” my sister called. “General Yong’s here with us. Isn’t that great?”

The commanding general of the Singaporean Defence Force smiled up at me. “Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Belessar.”

“Thank you, sir.” I tried an awkward salute. The ding! of the Greyhound’s arm-mounted Mass Driver Rifle banging on the helmet reminded me why it was a bad idea.

1 ARMOR DAMAGE RECEIVED.

The General quirked an eyebrow but returned the salute. “Those gestures are done differently when in gear, Mr. Belessar. Nonetheless, thank you for being here for Singapore. I understand you took down a full third of the attacking alien craft.”

“I can’t claim all the credit, sir. One of your pilots - Lieutenant Park Hun-Lee - he helped, took down one and diverted several others that would’ve swarmed us.”

“I see. I shall make sure that Lieutenant Lee is appropriately commended for his valour.”

“You might also want to ensure he gets good prosthetics. We managed to rescue him from his plane, but, um, there was a small accident.” Guilt crept into my voice. “In my haste to get him to safety, I - er - I couldn’t save his legs.”

The General’s expression was neutral. “I see. We shall, of course, look after our wounded.”

A small cough from the side interrupted me. “Beg pardon, sir. Major Donald Green of the SAS. What Belessar isn’t saying is that the pilot was in mid-air and his plane was on fire. Headed into the sea, a kilometre out. We all thought he was a dead man - then Belessar opened up a gods-damned portal in the middle of the park and yanked him through it. The other end of the portal, sir, opened in the cockpit of a crashing aircraft falling at a thousand feet per second, and with less than a second’s prep time. I’ve seen a hundred portals and I’ve never seen anything like it.” The Major stared directly into the Singaporean general’s eyes. “It’s a miracle the pilot survived at all. So, for all Belessar is apologizing, your pilot owes him his life for sure.”

“And I completely agree,” the general said without missing a beat. “Still, it is not everyday that a superhuman admits to imperfection. Mr. Belessar, your standards for a rescue are well beyond what our finest medics would consider acceptable. And thank you for saving Lieutenant Hun-Lee’s life. I’m certain his parents will appreciate it.”

“... You know the pilot?” I asked, surprised.

“Indeed, they are among Singapore’s leading doctors. I am certain we will both see him walk again, possibly even to receive his medal.” The General turned to Major Green. “I’ve heard the British had an active unit with power armour, but I confess your supplier was unknown until now.”

“We agree it’s a bit distinctive, but it does work effectively. Allow us to demonstrate by leading the assault.”

“The 1st Commando Battalion has that honour, but you can follow immediately after. I shall look forward to seeing you in action.”

“Hope I can find a spot in that group,” I said.

“Absolutely, Belessar. In fact, I believe Colonel Alice Tan mentioned she’d like to see you in action. Do try not to disappoint here.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Colonel Alice Tan turned out to be a short, wiry woman who nonetheless carried the full set of commando gear as if it weighed nothing.

“Tank fire doesn’t break those doors,” she summed up, for her troops as much as for us, “so we will wait until they open. Once they do, whatever comes out will get hosed with enough fire to put it down for good. The alien scum will probably try to set up a shield tower, though, which is where we come in.” She turned to me. “Belessar. Green. You took down shield towers at Liverpool and London. How tough are they?”

“Bazooka fire can knock them down,” replied Green. “CB-8 class bombs should be enough.”

“Should be?”

“Generally hard to get close enough to plant CB-8s, but anything with more punch than that does the trick, if it’s fired from inside the shield. From outside, it’s close to nuke-proof.”

Tan nodded. “We shall see. I understand that in addition to Belessar, there are certain specially powered individuals with us?”

“If you’re referring to me,” drawled Agni, “yeah, you bet.”

“I trust you will stick to the plan.”

“As long as the plan involves me setting fire to every alien I can see, I’m fine with it.”

“Kindly ensure that my troops don’t catch fire. Accidents will not happen.”

“You’re right about that. If I set fire to your troops, it will be deliberate.”

“Agni,” I growled. “Behave.”

She cocked an eyebrow at me.

“Fine, please behave.”

“Since you asked so sweetly, Belessar, sure.”

Colonel Tan raised an eyebrow at the exchange, then turned back to her troops. “Nanocloud has kindly consented to provide guidance within the shuttle confines, scout out the enemy strength within, and guide us through the internal passages. In case you receive information from her directly, follow it.”

“How do we know it’s genuine?” asked one soldier.

“Generally this will manifest as glowing letters in mid-air, so pay attention.”

As the first shuttle’s doors opened, we all stood waiting with bated breath.

At first there was nothing.

Then … more nothing.

“What’s going on?” asked an SAS trooper. “Where are they?”

A second passed. Then…

A cloud of grey floated swiftly towards the open door.

An outsider might have thought of it as poison gas. I knew better.

Close to a million fullersteel nanobots suspended in mid-air did tend to look hazy.

The bots floated towards the open door, then…. Parted.

Flowed around something. Something big.

“Stealth tank!” I yelled.

I wasn’t the only one. As Nanocloud’s bots rapidly darted away, leaving a thin coating atop the invisible object, tank guns roared.

Shells slammed into the stealthed vehicle, disrupting its masking.

What shimmered into view was terrifying.

GRIZZELOID STEALTH TANK

LEVEL 70

HP: 14,000,000 / 14,000,000

DAMAGE REDUCTION: 4,000

WEAPONS:

TURRET-MOUNTED HEAVY PLASMA CANNON: +550,000 DAMAGE, 5 SHOTS/SECOND

RAPID-FIRE PLASMA BLASTER: +200 DAMAGE/SHOT, 500 SHOTS/SECOND

GRAVITONIC LANCE: +8,000,000 DAMAGE, CAN ONLY BE USED IN A STRAIGHT LINE

PROPULSION: HOVER TREADS - IMMUNE TO ANTI-TANK MINES

“Hit it with everything!” I yelled. “That thing has more armor than a battleship!”

Cannons roared, and shells slammed into the tank.

The alien vehicle responded.

Atop the vehicle’s massive frame, the turret spat out torrents of burning green light.

Fire smashed into the leading Singaporean tanks, melting their armor and the soldiers within.

The alien vehicle rapidly swung from one target to another, quick-firing and ripping through the armored units with ease.

Only one thing to do….

“Charge!” I yelled, and activated my ability.

Behind me, twenty Boars activated their own power.

In seconds, I had closed with the tank. The SAS troops were firing as they closed, bolts of what looked like compressed lightning smashing into the tank’s superstructure, even as they darted in close.

Close enough that the main gun couldn’t point low enough to hit us.

The aliens weren’t inactive - rapid-fire plasma bolts were spitting by us - but, even when they hit, the SAS soldiers shrugged them off. I knew their Boar Armor would need repair afterwards, but for now, battlefield survivability was the priority.

As was killing this thing.

A stray bolt from the Plasma Blaster smashed into me.

PLASMA BURN! 200 DAMAGE TAKEN. ARMOR: 4564/5000.

I slammed the Nanothorn Kukri into the tank’s armour.

DEADLY BLOW! GRIZZELOID STEALTH TANK -13,800 HP!

Not good enough, I could do this for hours and not solve anything. Fortunately, there were smarter ways.

The Nanothorn Kukri slashed at the jutting-out form of the Plasma Blaster with a vicious cutting motion.

DEADLY BLOW! GRIZZELOID STEALTH TANK -13,800 HP!

WEAPON DISABLED: RAPID-FIRE PLASMA BLASTER!

There, that’ll teach you to have a secondary weapon jutting from your turret…

The Heavy Plasma Cannon fired, and the heat of the blast nearly made me pass out.

THERMAL BLOOM PROXIMITY BURN! 1326 DAMAGE TAKEN. ARMOR 3238/5000.

Couldn’t take too many of those blows…

Could I portal from atop the tank to inside it?

TELEPORT ATTEMPT FAILED. INTERNAL ENERGY FIELDS EXIST TO PREVENT EXACTLY THE KIND OF TRICK YOU’RE TRYING TO PULL. GOOD TRY, THOUGH.

I dodged the turret swinging to track another enemy as it fired again.

THERMAL BLOOM PROXIMITY BURN! 1201 DAMAGE TAKEN. ARMOR 2037/5000.

My armor had started to melt in places. Couldn’t take more than another one or two shots…

An idea struck me. A seriously bad idea.

I opened a portal at the shortest range I could.

From atop the tank to below it, where the hovertreads kept it afloat.

Then I Powerjumped and fired a Starfall missile through it.

The world went white.

GRIZZELOID STEALTH TANK -5,000,000 HP!

CONDITION INFLICTED: HOVER SYSTEM FAILURE!

CONDITION INFLICTED: INTERNAL SHRAPNEL!

Have you ever been soaring up in the sky, looked down, and seen a massive metal tank racing towards you?

Fortunately for my sanity - and the integrity of my combat armor - the tank only rose a little up. About fifty feet.

What goes up must come down, so of course it did.

With an almighty smash.

FALL DAMAGE! GRIZZELOID STEALTH TANK -273,332 HP!

CONDITION INFLICTED: CREW DISABLED!

WEAPON DISABLED: TURRET-MOUNTED PLASMA CANNON!

Two hundred and seventy thousand fall damage?

Just how heavy was that thing?

I slammed into the ground, this time with much less harm and no fall damage.

The SAS troops had fallen back - or been blown back - when my missile went off. Fortunately, with how close to the ground the tank had been, they’d been shielded from the blast - by the body of our enemy.

“Anyone injured?” I asked.

“Just shaken,” rasped Green. “And stirred to give you a good talking to about friendly fire.”

“You mean friendly explosives.”

“There are no things, as you well know. Is that tank still intact?”

“Main gun’s disabled, so is the secondary weapon, but stay away from the front. They have something called a Gravitonic Lance that can rip apart multiple tanks at a time.”

“We’ll hit it from the sides. What’re the Commandos doing?”

A chuckle sounded from behind us. “You wanted to charge the mega-tank. Meanwhile, us smart folks hunkered down behind cover and let our buddies in metal cans do the shooting.” Colonel Tan seemed to find our predicament amusing. “Have you considered that a frontal charge may not always be the best idea?”

“We followed the man in big armour. His idea, not ours.”

“Sorry about that. Is everyone unhurt?”

“Miraculously, yes. Armor seems rather scuffed, though.” Green stood up and brushed himself off. “And I know some of the boys were hit, so it’s clear the man in big armour does good work.”

“Mmm-hmm. Although his explosives discipline leaves something to be desired.”

“Are you two going to talk about me like I’m not here? Anyway, what happens now?”

“Can’t you hear?” Tan cocked her head. “Our buddies in metal cans are finishing that monster, now that it can’t shoot. And, I do believe you’ve also crippled the damn thing, so it can’t move. A tank that can’t move and can’t shoot is nothing more than target practice.”

Several seconds later, Tan’s prediction came true as the Grizzeloid Stealth Tank blew up.

GRIZZELOID STEALTH TANK DEFEATED BY ALLIES! +125,000 XP.

FOR ASSESSING AND KILLING YOUR FIRST ALIEN HEAVY COMBAT VEHICLE, YOUR SKILL IN ARMORED VEHICLES ADVANCES. ARMORED VEHICLES IS NOW LEVEL 2.

Nanocloud sent her nanobots - what remained of them - through the still-open spaceship door with alacrity. The bots rapidly mapped the interior of the ship, and reported back.

What awaited us was a combination of Grizzeloids, Raptors, Sarnak, Lynxians, and a few crab-like aliens of an unknown species.

Another surprise like the Rakturai? I sincerely hoped not.

<Belessar>: What’s the situation with the second shuttle? Did a tank come out of that too?

<Nanocloud>: Yeah, but this time we were ready. They hit it with a hundred anti-tank missiles the moment the door opened. Right now it’s mostly slag.

<Belessar>: Did we actually get in the way of killing the first?

<Nanocloud>: The general says no. He said - and I quote - an unexpected tank is always a surprise, an expected tank can be turned into a target. He sounds impressed by how you handled the situation.

<Belessar>: That’s flattering.

<Nanocloud>: I didn’t say he was impressed by your brains. Did you know that Asians revere madness?

<Belessar>: Gee, thanks.

<Nanocloud>: On a positive note, you’ve got support coming. Few of your friends from the Convention showed up.

The ‘friends’ turned out to be Iron Joe, the Wolfman, and Aspenthorn.

“Where’s Texas Belle?” I asked.

“Supporting Supreme,” replied Iron Joe. “They’re on the second shuttle. Mostly Herculeans going in there. Inventors working as - what was it you said - damage sponges are on shuttle one.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“From what we hear you’re quite the sponge yourself. Did you really blow up a tank with a nuke?”

“It’s not a nuke. It’s a high-explosive warhead.”

“Gotcha, no thermonuclear warheads in inhabited cities. Our lips are sealed.”

“Did you choose a name yet?”

“Still working on it. Your suggestions were good, though. We’d love to show you how we work.”

“Sure. We’ve got a few minutes before the lead elements head in; you can follow after. There’s a new alien species in there so be careful.”

“Got room for one more?” rasped a mechanical voice. Dyzer stood there, his eight-foot tall battlesuit wielding a hefty multi-barrel cannon.

“You can join us in the vanguard,” I suggested. “It’s not safe work, though.”

“I can imagine. Count me in.” The cannon barrels whirred. “I need to test this baby, and some alien scum is exactly what the doctor ordered.”

We filtered past the burning wreck of the alien tank cautiously, eyes peeled for hidden snipers.

<Nanocloud>: They’ve formed a barricade in the first bay door. The commander’s a Raptor Captain. Be careful.

<Belessar>: Will be. Any more tanks or masked vehicles?

<Nanocloud>: Some Lynxian Rovers but they’re unmanned, and the troops have fallen back. Not sure why they haven’t deployed.

<Belessar>: Maybe because their big tank is still blocking the doorway.

<Nanocloud>: Haha right. Okay, turn left and you’re facing the barricade. Good luck.

“Enemy sighted,” whispered the SAS corporal in front.

Major Green nodded. “As expected. Prepare grenades.”

“I’d like to try something first,” I said.

“As long as it doesn’t involve missiles exploding in a confined space near us, you can.”

I carefully slid forward, trying to avoid poking my head out, and activated Chain Lightning.

Bolts streaked forward from my hands, smashing into the Sarnak and Grizzeloids at the front of the barricade. The creatures yelped and fell back.

Then I chucked my Plasma Grenade at the barricade.

The blast was satisfyingly loud.

CHAIN LIGHTNING! 6 SARNAK TROOPERS AND 2 RAPTOR GUARDS TAKE 60 DAMAGE EACH.

GRENADE BLAST!

11 SARNAK TROOPERS DEFEATED.

8 RAPTOR GUARDS DEFEATED.

RAPTOR CAPTAIN -233 HP.

“Now,” I snapped.

The SAS troopers darted out and hurled their own grenades. The follow-up blasts tore the corridor apart, exposing pipes and wiring.

Sporadic shots rang out, plasma splashed against some wires, but by and large the troopers were unharmed. They responded by using Boar Charge against their enemies.

It’s sort of endearing to see others use what you’ve learnt…

Knocked down, the Raptor and Sarnak troops were unable to put up more than token resistance, and Agni’s flames made sure it wasn’t for long.

… Where were the Lynxians?

An answer came as the air rippled around us, stealthed Lynxians trying to even the odds with blades and hand weapons.

To no avail. The Boar Armor is meant for situations exactly like this.

So is the Greyhound, actually, and I needed no invitation to wade in with the Nanothorn Kukri.

Or unleash another round of Chain Lightning, for that matter.

Which was helped further by vines sprouting from the ground and pinning the Lynxians in place. Aspenthorn had learnt.

Dyzer and Iron Joe followed, and the Wolfman ripped through the few remaining Lynxians.

That left one more target which I was keen to connect with….

“Keep an eye out,” I warned. “The Raptor Captain isn’t here. If we find him… let me handle him.”

Colonel Tan raised an eyebrow but kept silent. “As you say, Belessar. Shall we?”

Five doors later, we broke into what had to be the bridge.

At least, if the presence of the Raptor Captain and two of the strange crab-like aliens was any indication.

“Surrender,” I barked in Raptor. “You have lost.”

The stunned reaction from the Raptor Captain was matched only by my own colleagues.

The Captain glanced at me, then at the other two. “Even if I wished to accept your offer, these two will not allow it. They are my … minders, for want of a better word.”

I glanced at the two creatures. Squat, three foot tall crabs with sharp claws and no visible eyes, six legs and an armored shell.

VELKMORATH BODYGUARD

LEVEL 25

HP 1800/1800

CLAW ATTACK: +450 DAMAGE

ARMORED SHELL: 150 DAMAGE NEGATION.

The creatures charged. Faster than I had thought possible.

One claw struck at the SAS corporal’s armour. The Boar armor held, but the claw was stuck inside.

The other Velkmorath sliced at me, and would probably have hit - except for Evade Blows, which moved me out of the way expertly.

A second later, the Nanothorn Kukri had sliced through the alien with an explosion of black blood.

VELKMORATH BODYGUARD DEFEATED! +1120 XP!

The second creature’s shell was proof against bullets, but Aspenthorn’s vines had it pinned down and unable to move - much like the Raptor Captain, who was tied tighter than a sailor’s knot.

The Velkmorath’s claws were still snapping, but its legs were immobile. Dyzer fired his cannon at the creature, reducing it to mush.

“The Raptor’s willing to surrender,” I told the others. “Major Green - think you can secure the prisoner?”

“Sure.” Green moved forward.

At which point, the Raptor collapsed to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. Convulsions racked its body.

“He’s seizing!” yelled Green. “Medic!”

RAPTOR CAPTAIN

CONDITION INFLICTED: BIOTRIGGERED COMA

THIS SCION OF THE GUTHNAR WAS IMPLANTED WITH A BIO-CHIP THAT WILL PUSH THEM INTO A COMATOSE STATE IN CASE OF DEFEAT.

Worried, I reached out with Cure. Golden threads of light lanced around the Raptor’s body, only to be pushed back.

CANNOT CURE THIS CONDITION. REQUIRES REVIVE LEVEL 10.

“I can’t help,” I growled. “Anyone?”

A soldier with the medic logo on their uniform administered something to the Raptor, as the other soldiers held it steady.

“We’ll take it in for observation,” replied Green. “Maybe the big brains can come up with something.”

RAPTOR CAPTAIN DEFEATED! +1000 XP!

YOU HAVE DEFEATED 3 OF 4 SCIONS OF CLAN GUTHNAR. PREPARE WELL, FOR CLAN GUTHNAR MAY SEEK A RECKONING SOON.