Mission 1: Graduation Exercise
"Bryce addressed the team today. We have a real mission, which he is
calling a "a graduation exercise." He seems to think we're ready
for combat, but I disagree. I'm the best shot of our team and I'm a Doctor,
not a sniper! Worse, he's referring to the mission as "something
really special" which can't be good coming from a battle hardened
cyborg.
The briefing was simple. A special cargo is coming through our region
form the Houston port, through DFW, and on to the north. We are to intercept
it and get some of the cargo, preferably all of it. It sounds like some
kind of weird genetic or cyborg experiment because Bryce says the cargo
is people but said something to the effect that if we can get a hold of
the cargo we might be able to use it as leverage. I can't imagine any
humans that a Zonemind would find that important without some strange
biotech involved.
We loaded our horses with our gear and headed out. How we hope to take
down combat bots with our peashooters is beyond me. At least Stone has
a rocket and a blaster rifle. I suppose we'll all hide until he's done
and then clean up what's left. Of course, he's not the best shot, so I
may be the one using the rocket when push comes to shove.
Forcieri seems to think he's a leader and unfortunately Bryce agrees.
We'll see how things work out when he has to start making real decisions
in the field. Maybe Josh can scrounge something useful to help us out,
if he can stay focused on what useful things really are. I can't place
Doc. He seems to be out of place here. He doesn't have the right edge
and he's too laid back. I'm not going to complain though; I wouldn't want
any of the others responsible for putting me back together, that would
be very bad. Axel is a little too chatty for my tastes, but he can be
an entertaining distraction at times. It's a pretty ragtag lot, but I
suppose I have to give them some credit for rising up from the flock of
sheep that humanity is fast becoming. At least we are trying to make a
real difference. Of course, so was my Dad. Here's hoping this path does
some good.
Stuck with horses, we decided we had to hit the convoy when it was slowing.
With no refuel points between Houston and DFW and no pit stops for bots,
we had little choice. We headed to Houston and set up near an interchange
between the major highways we expected the bots to travel. For all his
posturing, Forcieri's reputedly vast network of contacts did us little
good. Josh managed to track down a fellow Junk Rat. He dragged me along
to be the face man. That reminded me I was in a team in which the quiet
loner guy is the face man. We are going to need a lot of luck to get through
this one.
[Illustration: Sketch of junk pile and rough outlines of people going
to through the activities of daily living among the junk.]
Through some miracle, and the sacrifice of Josh's IR goggles, Josh and
I have convinced the Rat to help us out. I don't think Josh has a very
good sense of value. The Rat's daughter took me to an area near a work
camp in Houston; her fast moving hover cycle was a nice change from the
horse, although she went a little faster than I am used to.
She wasn't very talkative on the trip. She dropped me off near the work
site and I moved in quietly. I made contact with a human named Marcus
that didn't turn me in. I suppose that's a good thing. He didn't seem
to be a botlicker. A good start on a job that I'm not really suited for.
Luck was not on my side as I left the work site I must have caught the
attention of someone or something because the girl and I had to rocket
out of there to avoid detection. I met Marcus later that night near his
barracks and confirmed the incoming delivery as well as arranging a frequency
for them to use to signal us when it left Houston.
We made it back to the Rat's place. He was twitchy about the close call
we had near the work site. I found it hard to care, but I had to pretend
like I did. He wasn't the one that was almost captured, so he can kiss
my ass. God forbid the selfish prick risk getting his ass shot off to
help bring down the bots. They seem to still be willing to signal us when
the convoy passes their area, but it's not certain. We will have to make
sure our plan does not hinge on their signal.
[Charcoal pencil sketch of lean woman dressed in rugged clothing and
reclining on a sleek hover cycle.]
[Half a dozen sketches of children]
Well, the kids seem to like my sketches. It's nice to bring some light
into this world. I wonder how long it's been since a children's book was
a priority in a human's mind? With so many bots trying to kill, maim,
and/or enslave their children, it's hard to blame them.
The attack will occur tomorrow. We have the interchange scouted and positions
picked. Our intelligence suggests we may be up against a Tarantula and
a few Myrmidons. The Tarantula is a cross between a metal bucket and a
spider. It's fast, heavily armed, and it has a cloaking ability. It's
Razerguns are appropriately named. The Myrmidons are the easier foes,
but they're a lethal threat as well. Our peashooter rifles can barely
penetrate their armor. Looks like our tactics won't be too subtle. Lead
hoses all the way. Let's hope the robots are a little rusty. I've got
the rocket, since I seem to be the best shot in the group. Never thought
I'd be wishing I'd face only one Tarantula.
The workers near the port called. The bots are on their
way. I hope this cargo is worth the effort.
Forcieri and I are heading home. It's a long slow haul.
The attack proceeded more or less as planned. The Rat called when the
convoy passed him and we readied ourselves. The trucks were boarded as
planned. The bots weren't visible at first, they were hidden inside the
truck. The Tarantula hopped out of the rearmost truck with its camo unit
active. I hit it with the rocket as rounds from its Razergun started ripping
through my firing position. Thankfully I managed to neutralize it. We
engaged the Myrmidons and with the lead hose approach and Stone's fatal
blaster rifle, we managed to take out the Myrmidons without casualties,
although I did take a round in the chest to help keep my ego in check.
Axel, Josh, and Doc took the trucks and drove off, with
Stone riding one. Forcieri and I took the rest of the gear with us and
watched for the arrival of Vultures. We saw a flight launch from Houston
and within minutes they had scouted the attack site and headed off towards
the north, in the direction of the trucks. We called ahead and warned
them. Axel's truck was now empty and whatever was left in Doc's truck
was probably suffocated by the extinguisher. More importantly, it was
uncertain if there were any threats present in the back of Doc's truck.
We decided that the best plan was to divert Josh's truck, unload it, and
send it on its way. The Vultures hunted down and killed the trucks. The
other four are moving towards home with the cargo in tow. I think Forcieri
and I are pretty safe right now, except for the usual dangers of this
land. We will probably try to link up with the others en route to home
since we have the bulk of the gear and they have at least a sixty miles
or so to cover. That's a long hump. For now, it seems we partially succeeded.
I would rather not think about what, if anything was lost with the other
trucks. I'll assume they were empty until told otherwise.
Joe and I are holed up in an abandoned mechanic shop. We
heard the sounds of battle and it seems like the Vultures were destroyed.
Another flight headed over to the area where the battle was. We hope the
others are OK, but frankly there's little we can or should do. We're maintaining
radio silence. Joe is sleeping now, I've taken the first watch.
The night passed uneventfully. We are heading back home
as planned.
We just passed a gas station with a Tarantula living in
it. I was curious, but we couldn't take it down if things went badly for
us, so we gave it a wide berth. I marked the grid point on my map for
follow-up missions. I need a damn blaster! We are pushing on through the
night to get a safe distance from the Tarantula.
The next day we pushed on into Evergreen. The rest of the
team was already there, thanks to a pickup truck Axel managed to repair.
They have four people with them, three humans and one half animal, half
human.
- Jose - Biochemist
- Jefe - Biologist and director of project
- Maria - Geneticist
- #18 - half jaguar and half human female. We are calling her Katarina.
- Project - Rangers of Panteras
- Half jaguar, half human.
- They are essentially cheap Exterminators of humankind.
- Some broke off and fought against the robots.
- Denver is part cyborg, there is human brain tissue in the AI. Denver
bids for high quality brain tissue and adds it to its own.
- Joe has notified his VIRUS contacts of the situation
VIRUS has offered energy weapons and explosives in exchange for the scientists.
However, most of us are more than a little distrustful of anyone Joe calls
a contact or friend. We talked to the scientists about it. They are unsure.
We plan to loot local towns and scavenge useful materiel while the scientists
ponder their future.
We have found a still and some parts to allow us to convert the pickup
to an alcohol turbine. We converted a trailer to a cart and brought the
parts back to base. Axel has started converting the truck.
Jefe et al wish to talk further with VIRUS before making their decision.
I feel a little like a fool. These people are looking to us for decisions
and advice and we are in short supply of both. Bryce gave us shit for
instructions before we started and now we look like idiots. Joe set up
a radio chat between VIRUS and Jefe et al for later.
Bryce just showed up and confused the situation by finally telling us
what the Hell we're supposed to do. We are to report in to HLA with our
four new friends in the AM. This is all pretty damn frustrating. I have
to wonder were the Hell the bucket of bolts has been all this time. Jefe
at al didn't care much for dealing with a 'borg, but we calmed them down.
Our inability to answer their questions has me wondering if we know too
little. Compartmentalization is one thing, but this is ridiculous. We
need to have some words with Bryce when this is all over.
The four talked to VIRUS and were not satisfied with the answers they
received to their questions. We head out in the morning.
We've traveled three days without incident. The team, Jefe at al, and
Bryce make up our group. We are holed up in a building waiting for Bryce's
HLA contact. Bryce has left to make contact with D/FW people.
Some paramilitary types arrived in a crude, noisy, armored Suburban.
They asked for "the scientists and the thing." They had no gear
for us and they kept referring to a "Captain" and a "Colonel."
We turned them away. When they left, we moved into the trees nearby at
a distance that just allowed us to see the building and its grounds. Now
we wait. If they weren't the right people, as we expect, then our enemies
have far too much information.
They returned after a couple of hours and looked for us, leaving after
about 30 minutes of searching. We'll wait 24 hours for Bryce. If he does
not show up, then we leave.
Bryce showed up that night and we told him what had transpired. He agreed
that it was strange. He decided to take the scientists in and have the
rest of us, including Katarina, head back to base. Katarina and I privately
agreed to follow Bryce. After Bryce left, I told the team of our plans
and we followed at a distance with Katarina as our point. We followed
them to a construction shack near a rest stop on the highway. The shack
turned out to be a small robofac. We saw a group of seven Myrmidons surrounding
Bryce and the scientists. They forcibly placed the scientists in a robotruck.
We advanced on the position. Axel, Doc, and me skirted around the robofac
and jumped on the truck while Stone opened up on the Myrmidons with his
Blaster and Joe and Josh took cover in the rest area. Katarina charged
up the side of the road, a little reckless, but at least she was willing
to get into the fight.
I had Axel hop in the truck and reprogram it while Doc and
I ran up on top and opened up on the Myrmidons in back with our new 20
mm autocannons. We saw Bryce get dropped under a volley of fire from the
Myrmidons. Under our combined fire, the Myrmidons all fell and Axel finally
got the robotruck under control and moving. I hopped down off the truck
and pressed up against the robofac, waiting for any further bots to pop
out. Unfortunately, the garage door slid up and I spotted a Tarantula's
heat signature. I fired a shot through the door, but it kept coming. It
was limping when it came out, so I must have winged it with that first
shot. I pulled back as it came out and my second shot went wide. Katarina
opened up with one of our standard issue peashooters. She hit, but only
scratched the finish. The Tarantula took a swipe at me and Katarina with
its wicked monowire claws. I barely pulled back in time and I have the
scratch marks on my jacket as a fond memory. I pointed the barrel square
at its torso and landed a solid shot, shattering the metal spider.
By then Axel had turned around the robotruck and brought
it back to the robofac. We loaded the robotruck with Bryce, the Myrmidons,
their weapons, and some good spare gear. We hopped in and Axel took off
heading south. I watched for airborne heat signatures as we pulled away.
We pulled off the highway and now we're hiding in an underpass. If things
work out, we will have a decent cargo vehicle to use in our operations.
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