Z
Zack
The fires had died down for the most part, everything that was going to burn down already had and what remained were the few smoldering embers of a once great city. The streets were largely empty, people were still terrified of coming out to face the metal men.
But they couldn't hide forever.
Under the cover of night Rubi, Aaron, and Celest moved from house to house. Rubi had contacts in the Osman government... and as they visited those contact's homes she'd find them burnt down, crushed, looted... all except for one. A friend of Rubi's was happy to hide her in their basement...
---
Sometime Later....
There was plenty of food in this basement, as well as tunnels carved into the dirt that connected other basements just like this one. The constant sandstorms seemed to constantly be burying the city, requiring more structures be built ontop of the older ones. This made for great storage space, as well as protection against the storms so long as you weren't buried alive or got lost trying to explore the labyrinth beneath the city. The trio found themselves sitting at a table in the poorly lit room, across from them sat the only Osman general that managed to escape the last battle. A large handlebar mustache covering his face, and his officer's jacket thrown aside, already half buried from sand trickling down through the ceiling above. He was looking at Aaron as if he was trying to murder him with his eyes alone, his arms crossed, his body a powder keg of barely contained rage. The portly man finally managing to get out a few words.
"I guess we have to work together."
Aaron looked the chubby government general in the eyes, matching tne intensity of his murderous stare. He was wearing a plain brown shirt half covered in sand and long brown dress pants. His face was freshly clean-shaven and his hair dyed almost brown with a silver nitrate formula he'd acquired from Rubi's contact. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you people had listened to me, General. I warned you. You didn't believe me. Your government forced me into action. Maybe if you'd listened we would have been able to fight back more effectively." He said, then sighed and leaned forward.
"You're right though, and I'm willing to forget the past. For the good of the people." He clasped his hands together on the table. His gaze moved to Celest for a moment, before moving to Rubi and back to the general. "So you have the manpower and facilities." He said, gesturing at their surroundings "We have the strategy and the advantage they probably think we're dead." He looked up at the sand dripping from the ceiling. "Unfortunately we've seen what they can do. They have flying machines and metal skin like the stories of our ancestors who gave life to this world with Algaeia."
The rebel general looked around the table again, gauging their respective reactions so far before he continued. "Anything your people have been holding back, general, that could help even the odds against these invaders?"
"You think we'd keep a fucking beam from god secret and NOT use it on you..." He said, his voice dripping with fury. It would take him a few moments to collect himself... then a few more moments to work up his next set of words. "The grand army is defeated, for good. We don't have much manpower we can count on, nor do we have many weapons... we have a few stores of gunpowder, some poison, some trusthworthy men and a few boats.... nothing that would hurt those ... things."
After the general finished, Celest would softly tug on Aaron's sleeve and lean in to whisper,
"Maybe we should just leave? Get as far away from here as we can.... Just the two of us...." She offered.
Rubi was biting her thumb through her glove, trying to think of someway to dig themselves out of this situation. The day already had enough errors, anymore and someone would end up dead. "We can't face them head on, or at all right now... If what we heard was true though on trying to run this planet, they'll have to be bringing some supplies in though... If we could raid them enough, they might just leave. Hell, if we're lucky, we might find some weapon or a way we can break through that armor of theirs, give us a fighting a chance."
Rubi looked, noticing she was rambling out loud. "Just food for thought." she tried covering herself with.
Aaron just listened calmly this time. Bickering and name-calling would serve no purpose. The general's account of their status made him frown slightly. He considered that maybe what he had believed for so long wasn't true. That the aliens were not actually working with the Osmans. He thought they'd been holding back some secret knowledge or weapon to use if his forces had succeeded. Celest's suggestion was extremely tempting, and for a second he considered it. His conscience wouldn't allow that. These aliens could force them to be slaves, working them to death in mines. Maybe they would even eat them, or impregnate them with hybrid babies.
He turned his head when Rubi began speaking. She made an excellent point. For the moment combat with the aliens only had one outcome. Before they could do anything they needed to get organized. Grant could scarcely be seen, though. He needed a public face for their new organization. "Good point, Rubi. I think getting organized is probably our first order of business. The four of us will be the heads of this council." He considered the general for a moment. "Forgive me, general. You should choose two people to sit on this council also. I recommend a scientist and a civilian of some sort, somebody respected."
Not wanting the general to feel insulted or disenfranchised, he stopped to let him voice his opinion or offer suggestions.
"..... certainly," He spat, though it was hard to tell quite who the anger was directed at. "It is just the military that has been hurt... the city is burning, yes, but there will be some survivors... other cities along the waterline may not have been hit yet either..." He took one deep breath, and then continued, "... I can speak with some of the other survivors... get the brains together..... I can also get some scouts on them, watch where they go, how they move, maybe find out what they are here for."
The general huffed again, still coming down.
"... Those fuckers are still people right? Just with some toys... they gotta eat... they gotta sleep... maybe we should be using your kind of tactics... I counted less than ten. We could whittle their numbers down quickly."
"The other cities.. Yes, you're right. We need to warn them against openly engaging the invaders. Scouts are also an excellent idea. My best died destroying a supply warehouse I believe.. but one survived." Grant said, glancing at Rubi before returning his attention to the man seated opposite him. "Well, general, we need to discuss terms if we'll be working together. You give the three of us and anyone who was in my army immunity once this is over, if we survive." He waited for the general to absorb the demands. His stomach began to rumble, causing his cheeks to turn a bright shade of red.
"Forgive me, general. One moment." He looked over to Celest. "I feel bad asking you this, but could you please fetch someone to bring us - you and Rubi included - something to eat? " He asked with a smile. "Thank you, dear."
Celest would nod, and quietly go scrounging around the basement looking for supplies.
Grant cleared his throat, returning the conversation to the general as well as his gaze. "Right. My other.. request let's call it. I get a position in the interim government, preferably President or the equivalent. You get to remain in control of the army afterwards. In public, at least. Rubi will be the head of intelligence. After the people elect their new, democratically elected President I will step down and take a position as an adviser to the President. Planetary Defense Adviser, something like that." He would consider it a win at present if the general didn't get up and punch him in the face.
"If you kill those things I'll pardon you and whoever you want... " He sighed, "... after all, I'm technically now the head of the government anyways... I suppose that makes you the what? Acting Vice president? When we make it through this I promise I will include the three of you in the new government that forms after... but I think we're getting ahead of ourselves there." The general looked away for a moment, he honestly felt like he would be sick to his stomach. He actually had to stop himself and just lean over for a moment. If he had anything in his stomach he certainly would have lost it already. "You have no idea just how.... If I had ANYONE else to work with you'd be dead right now... but I suppose beggars can't be choosers."
Celest would then come back with some water in a large jar, and some algaeia jerky... the small green circles weren't the most appetizing thing, but they were a bit salty and had a satisfying tearing feeling to them when one bit in, not to mention they certainly were plentiful.
Soon their general friend would leave for the night, letting the three of them rest by themselves, Celest cuddling up to Aaron during the night as the temperature's dropped. There wasn't much in the way of blankets available... or fuel oil for the lamps, but Celest did extend an offer,
"You can come lay over here if you like Rubi...."
Rubi waved the offer off, choosing to huddle in the corner by herself to give the two lovebirds some space and privacy if need be. Despite how cold it was getting, she tightened herself into a ball and try to weather through the night.
Celest would excuse herself from Aaron for just a moment, grabbing up the general's coat and cleaning it off as best she could, before offering it to Rubi, setting it down beside her before heading back over to Aaron's warmth.
----
The next day, the three of them were brought to the library by the general,
"STOP, Come no further,"
The voice seemed to come from the shadows. The library was large, dug into a crater towards the center of the city. Hallways extended out in many directions, but in the center was a rather open space. Above them a metal dome that kept out the sand. Unlike the other structures in the city, this one was built to last.
"No names," The voice said, there were clearly more people here, standing just at the edges of the hallways, "We already know enough about each other. General, I'll leave it to you to make the introductions."
"The General," He said, pointing to himself,
"The Soldier," His finger moving toward Rubi,
"The Rebel," He said, pointing to Aaron Grant,
He would then continue, his finger moving around the room towards the other figures hidden from sight,
"The Scientist,"
"The Merchant,"
"The Crook," There was a bit of stirring at that last mention,
"Fuck you, I get people what they need." The voice said,
"You want me to come over there and give you what YOU need?" The general replied, his voice just boiling over with anger,
"Gentlemen... lets not fight each other. We are here to deal with the OTHER problem." The merchant said.
"Quite.... They are people, just like us, so they can be killed just like us." The scientist replied.
"Right, but that also brings up the point on how to go about killing them. Outside of their suits they're vulnerable, but how often would we able to kill them like that?" Rubi interjected.
Aaron followed the general's finger pointing, even though he couldn't see what these people looked like. He tried not to laugh at the crook's response. Rubi's comment elicited a nod. "Exactly.. we need to get them out of their suits but how? We need information. Do they eat, drink and sleep in them? Do the suits need an energy source?" He turned his gaze to the scientist and he continued. "I have an item for you. Some sort of alien cocoon. It may have useful properties. I won't discuss its location here, we'll have someone bring it to a secure location."
He thought about the Crook's statement. "You three - Scientist, Merchant, Procurer we'll say - should discuss what you may need to examine the item." Aaron wished Celest was here, she might have some ideas. So far, the aliens seemed impervious to everything while in their armor and strong enough to rip people apart. One of them was some sort of angel even if reports were accurate. "Does anyone know what they look like outside of their armor? Are we sure they can't be reasoned with?" He asked the group gathered before them.
Personally he intended to keep fighting until the end, but he couldn't do it without Celest. Not anymore, not after the massacre that they had witnessed. This was nothing like the fight he expected. A handful of indestructible metal armored people with devastating weapons, not the thousands of ray gun wielding green-skinned aliens he thought were coming. Fights that can't be won were pointless, and he didn't want to be a part of that. For now, it seemed possible to win, or at least make them decide it was a waste of time to come here.
"What we need is someone on the inside." He said suddenly. "Someone needs to gain their trust, learn their secrets."
Rubi's head perked up after hearing Grant. "I can handle that." She said, stepping up to the General. "I already made quite a name as a mercenary and advanced through the ranks quick with the Syndicate. I'm sure enough of the collaborators can vouch for me to get a bit of a head start within the invaders organization." She looked at the others in the group to see if there was any noteworthy objection. "That is provided I can trust you guys to not shoot me in the process."
'SSSST!" The procurer hissed, "Shut up Soldier. We don't need to know who you are. This meeting is enough of a risk as it is. If you say you can handle it, leave it at that and we will trust you. I don't need to remind you that people in our situation tend to get tortured before they are killed. The less identifying information we have about each other the safer we all are."
"What we DO know," The scientist said, trying to change the conversation, "Is that they are human, or at least humanoid. People have seen them take off their armor entirely, then the armor moved on its own. It is likely some kind of mechanical armor that supplements the user's speed and other abilities like...."
"Super hearing? Fuck, They don't have that do they?" The Procurer said, sounding panicked.
"No... that is unlikely. Sound can only really travel so far. Even if it was enhanced I don't think they could hear us anywhere," The scientist said, "We saw them share some liquor with the soldiers they forced to fight fires.... soldiers reported it was a lot sweeter than what we have here. Perhaps all that armor has made them soft on the inside? We know they must take the helmet of the suit off to eat and drink. I think we can also safely assume they must leave their suits to sleep comfortably. As for their power source? I can only speculate... but it is far FAR ahead of anything we have here."
"There is another Issue," The general said, "One that needs to be addressed first. "Reginald Braith, a general in the Osman Government's military, is gathering up soldiers and scouts. He is almost certainly doing this FOR the invaders, rather than doing this to fight them. Our scouts have already seen him entering and leaving the flying ship that has parked where the governmental palace used to be. While he doesn't have a mechanical suit, he can still cause us a lot of harm."
Rubi's quick response to Aaron's statement unnerved him. He wasn't sure if he trusted her not to give them up to save herself, due to her mercenary history. How would the invaders be able to believe her without a show of loyalty? The scientist started talking and disrupted his thought process with new information. "You say they take off their armor at times, that they look human? How can that be possible if they're from another world?" He thought he knew because he believed the stories about man traveling the stars, though some thought it was myth. Most honestly just didn't care where they came from.
The scientist's knowledge was helpful, though. The invaders need food and water, and they drink alcohol. The idea that the armor could move independent of a pilot did complicate things somewhat. Could they just hide in the ship and send their armor after them? No, Aaron thought. No, if it was that easy they would have just done that. His thoughts moved to the general's issue. A collaborator in the government, the very thing he had accused them of. The irony was not lost on him.
"This Reginald Braith needs to die. Any way we can make it look accidental so they don't know there's a rebellion still? If they don't know we exist they can't look for us. We could capture him, but I would prefer an example made of him." He said in response to the general.
He stared at Rubi for a moment before speaking. "You were a mercenary. How do we know you won't betray us? Most people would probably side with the group likely to win, and that's not us." Aaron said, but not in a harsh tone. "Tell us why we should trust you with our lives. Tell us why you want to volunteer for this." Hopefully hearing her reasons would clear up the matter.
"A man deserves to die facing his enemy," The general spat.
"We are a bit beyond that now Mr. General," The procurer said, a bit of amusement in his voice.
"Maybe we share a common ancestor? It is suspected we aren't native to this planet. Or perhaps they look like us because this is the form best suited for intelligent life? I'm afraid all I have here to offer is speculation. Same with their armor, perhaps it is hard to control remotely? Or maybe they need to be near it for the armor to obey their commands...." The scientist added.
"That is great you guys, but we should deal with the Braith problem immediately. It seems our Rebel does not trust our Soldier, and I would love to hear assurances from them." The merchant said.
Aaron's response seemed to unhinge Rubi. "You know how many opportunities I had to simply shoot you and collect a very hefty bounty on your head?" She hissed, glaring at him through the darkness." More than you'd like to believe. If I was going simply join the winning side, I would've offed you day one instead of helping you win several major battles against superior government forces, get you right on the door step of the Osman capital, then set half of the god damn city on fire on a damn suicide mission to help your sorry ass assault. I also would've let you and girlfriend get slaughtered when whatever the hell we're facing started invading the camp and killing everyone in sight. So if you want to start questioning my loyalty now, Rebel, you picked a bad fucking time."
Aaron was a little surprised at the sudden outburst, but he showed no reaction whatsoever. He had hoped to hear more about why she had joined him in the first place so the group would trust her more. Cleaning his throat, he took a moment to consider his response. "Maybe I wasn't clear. This group has no reason to trust you. I'm just trying to get you to tell them why they should trust you. Whether or not I trust you is irrelevant." He said calmly. The rebel had no intention of responding to what she said. He knew she had kept his army fr om being destroyed in the last battle, but he thought she underestimated him a little. Her chances of killing him on day one might not be as high as she thought. "Now, is that all the assurance you're willing to give to these men? That you could have killed me anytime?"
"I can't afford to be choosy now." The merchant said.
"There is a reason why we aren't sharing our names Aaron Grant," The procurer added, "If we don't know who each other is, and don't know where we're all hiding, we can't turn each other in if shit goes south. The two of you have the unfortunate problem of also being wanted by what was the Osman government... "
"I think what he is trying to say, is that this is how we build trust. Have the soldier show that she can work for us and build up both of your credibility." The scientist said.
The plan to get them to trust Rubi seemed to have backfired. Now Rubi was pissed at him and they were questioning both of them. Time to issue an apology. He was still hoping Rubi could explain why she was fighting, which would ease his fears, but it seemed this was a bad way to find out.Turning to Rubi, he said, "I apologize for questioning your commitment to the fight." He looked at the general. "You all are right. We have no choice but to trust each other. Regarding the issue of Braith, I would love to personally put a bullet in his head. But the Procurer is correct. We are past that, and standing in line shooting at each other is the wrong tactic. We have to fight dirty."
"We'll have to off him outside of the ship with as a little of a scuffle as possible obviously," Rubi started to contemplate out loud, ignoring Aaron's apology but acknowledging his statement on Braith. "If make make it clear that someone is outright killing collaborators it could put the invaders into a more aggressive stance to root us out, and that would be the last thing this little fragile resistance needs. We'll have to make his death look natural or find a way to shift the blame elsewhere, perhaps in his own little army he's building up... Unless you all would prefer making a statement that we'll make it hell to be for the invaders. I can probably handle Braith either way if needed."
"Kill him so hard his ancestors will feel it," The general said, slamming his fist against one of the book shelves nearby.
"As much as we would all love to see that, the longer we can go without them knowing about us the better," The procurer said, The merchant nodding in affirmation.
"And what do you think Soldier?" The scientist asked, "Killing Braith publicly and openly would send a strong message."
Rubi thought for a moment. Going loud this soon could strike some fear but the unnecessary heat would make things a lot more difficult in the long run. "Unless we're truly set on making ourselves known to the public and the enemy, best we make this easy for ourselves right now and try to kill him without drawing attention to ourselves. Like I said, the last thing we need is to get hunted down this early. Once we find some way to directly fight the ones in those suits, then we should start being more heavy-handed with our operations."
At the mention of 'making oneself known', one of participants in the clandestine meeting who had been content to remain quietly in the hallway of the great library up until that point closed the dusty book he was reading by candlelight with a definitive 'clop' sound and rose up from the wooden stool he had been sitting on. Even in the purposely dim lighting, the elder stood out like a sore thumb, his slightly hunched posture beneath a thick, brown overcoat only slightly diminishing the fact that at 7' tall he still towered over the other citizens assembled there. Many knew him as that odd old man by the salty mud flats that generally kept to himself... but Aaron was better acquainted with 'Ned', having the honor of being one of the first people on the planet who believed his story about the alien pod that had crashed into his house several years ago.
The look on his wizened, angular features, beard long and pate balding, was a mix of concern at the subject at hand and a hidden regret that could not be shared as he flashed a slightly wrinkled smile to Mr. Grant. His eloquent voice, though, flowed out into the chamber, "Gentlemen and women, there may be an important factor you haven't yet considered."
Deciding it was best to let Rubi talk, Aaron just listened. This debate was dragging on far too long for his taste. Their positions were clear, the majority favored an indirect approach for now. He couldn't understand why they were still talking. Before he could voice this opinion a noise startled him. The thought that the meeting had been compromised was quickly replaced by complete confusion. Too surprised to think about it he blurted out a name. "Ned!?"
Despite being somewhat distracted by the conversation, Rubi whipped around to see the towering old man approaching. Her revolver was half-way out of her holster before Aaron bleated out the new arrival's name. "Rebel, you know this man?" Rubi asked, still trying to keep the motif of not yelling out each others name. The revolver was slowly placed back into its holster, but her hand never left the grip as she eyed Ned. "What are you babbling on about?"
The elder approached near to where Mr. Grant was standing with a slow, steady gait, the echoes of his footfalls seeming unusually light for such a tall fellow. "Mmm.. it's been awhile, Aaron -- Or should I say 'Rebel', now?" began Ned with a respectful nod of his head. "You've come a long way since then... and I suppose now everyone has proof you were right all along about the aliens being up to no good."
As the hermit felt the eyes of Rubi upon him, he then glanced her way with sharp, marine blue ones. "I know things may seem bleak at this moment, but I have an important secret I felt it was time to break my silence about." He cleared his throat for a moment, before continuing and pointing off into the distance. "There is actually another piece of alien technology on this planet, that has been hidden here for many years. Not the cocoon pod you know of. Rather, a battle suit of metal from the stars, like they wear..."
"Why not bring this up earlier?" The scientist asked,
"That does not change our course," The general said, speaking up over the others, "One suit to their Ten? Maybe if we could duplicate it, or if it came with some weaponry that would work against them."
"Not that we aren't glad to hear of this suit!" The scientist piped back in, "Where did you find it?"
It was hard for Aaron to believe that Ned was standing in front of him. How did he even know they would be here? He thought he was just a strange old man, but apparently he was more than that. The initial shock wore off quickly. Ned's revelation surprised him almost as much as his unexpected presence. He finally managed to regain his voice. "I second what the scientist said. Why not bring this up before? It surely would have helped me in unifying the planet." The general's statement was true. One suit wouldn't do much to even the odds, and he was fairly certain they couldn't replicate the technology anyway. The technology needed to make it must be hundreds years beyond them, maybe more.
He spoke up again, this time with more conviction. "Like the general said, our course is the same, with one exception. That suit is now our top priority. Rubi can deal with Breith while we recover the alien suit and the cocoon.. pod."
But they couldn't hide forever.
Under the cover of night Rubi, Aaron, and Celest moved from house to house. Rubi had contacts in the Osman government... and as they visited those contact's homes she'd find them burnt down, crushed, looted... all except for one. A friend of Rubi's was happy to hide her in their basement...
---
Sometime Later....
There was plenty of food in this basement, as well as tunnels carved into the dirt that connected other basements just like this one. The constant sandstorms seemed to constantly be burying the city, requiring more structures be built ontop of the older ones. This made for great storage space, as well as protection against the storms so long as you weren't buried alive or got lost trying to explore the labyrinth beneath the city. The trio found themselves sitting at a table in the poorly lit room, across from them sat the only Osman general that managed to escape the last battle. A large handlebar mustache covering his face, and his officer's jacket thrown aside, already half buried from sand trickling down through the ceiling above. He was looking at Aaron as if he was trying to murder him with his eyes alone, his arms crossed, his body a powder keg of barely contained rage. The portly man finally managing to get out a few words.
"I guess we have to work together."
Aaron looked the chubby government general in the eyes, matching tne intensity of his murderous stare. He was wearing a plain brown shirt half covered in sand and long brown dress pants. His face was freshly clean-shaven and his hair dyed almost brown with a silver nitrate formula he'd acquired from Rubi's contact. "We wouldn't be in this mess if you people had listened to me, General. I warned you. You didn't believe me. Your government forced me into action. Maybe if you'd listened we would have been able to fight back more effectively." He said, then sighed and leaned forward.
"You're right though, and I'm willing to forget the past. For the good of the people." He clasped his hands together on the table. His gaze moved to Celest for a moment, before moving to Rubi and back to the general. "So you have the manpower and facilities." He said, gesturing at their surroundings "We have the strategy and the advantage they probably think we're dead." He looked up at the sand dripping from the ceiling. "Unfortunately we've seen what they can do. They have flying machines and metal skin like the stories of our ancestors who gave life to this world with Algaeia."
The rebel general looked around the table again, gauging their respective reactions so far before he continued. "Anything your people have been holding back, general, that could help even the odds against these invaders?"
"You think we'd keep a fucking beam from god secret and NOT use it on you..." He said, his voice dripping with fury. It would take him a few moments to collect himself... then a few more moments to work up his next set of words. "The grand army is defeated, for good. We don't have much manpower we can count on, nor do we have many weapons... we have a few stores of gunpowder, some poison, some trusthworthy men and a few boats.... nothing that would hurt those ... things."
After the general finished, Celest would softly tug on Aaron's sleeve and lean in to whisper,
"Maybe we should just leave? Get as far away from here as we can.... Just the two of us...." She offered.
Rubi was biting her thumb through her glove, trying to think of someway to dig themselves out of this situation. The day already had enough errors, anymore and someone would end up dead. "We can't face them head on, or at all right now... If what we heard was true though on trying to run this planet, they'll have to be bringing some supplies in though... If we could raid them enough, they might just leave. Hell, if we're lucky, we might find some weapon or a way we can break through that armor of theirs, give us a fighting a chance."
Rubi looked, noticing she was rambling out loud. "Just food for thought." she tried covering herself with.
Aaron just listened calmly this time. Bickering and name-calling would serve no purpose. The general's account of their status made him frown slightly. He considered that maybe what he had believed for so long wasn't true. That the aliens were not actually working with the Osmans. He thought they'd been holding back some secret knowledge or weapon to use if his forces had succeeded. Celest's suggestion was extremely tempting, and for a second he considered it. His conscience wouldn't allow that. These aliens could force them to be slaves, working them to death in mines. Maybe they would even eat them, or impregnate them with hybrid babies.
He turned his head when Rubi began speaking. She made an excellent point. For the moment combat with the aliens only had one outcome. Before they could do anything they needed to get organized. Grant could scarcely be seen, though. He needed a public face for their new organization. "Good point, Rubi. I think getting organized is probably our first order of business. The four of us will be the heads of this council." He considered the general for a moment. "Forgive me, general. You should choose two people to sit on this council also. I recommend a scientist and a civilian of some sort, somebody respected."
Not wanting the general to feel insulted or disenfranchised, he stopped to let him voice his opinion or offer suggestions.
"..... certainly," He spat, though it was hard to tell quite who the anger was directed at. "It is just the military that has been hurt... the city is burning, yes, but there will be some survivors... other cities along the waterline may not have been hit yet either..." He took one deep breath, and then continued, "... I can speak with some of the other survivors... get the brains together..... I can also get some scouts on them, watch where they go, how they move, maybe find out what they are here for."
The general huffed again, still coming down.
"... Those fuckers are still people right? Just with some toys... they gotta eat... they gotta sleep... maybe we should be using your kind of tactics... I counted less than ten. We could whittle their numbers down quickly."
"The other cities.. Yes, you're right. We need to warn them against openly engaging the invaders. Scouts are also an excellent idea. My best died destroying a supply warehouse I believe.. but one survived." Grant said, glancing at Rubi before returning his attention to the man seated opposite him. "Well, general, we need to discuss terms if we'll be working together. You give the three of us and anyone who was in my army immunity once this is over, if we survive." He waited for the general to absorb the demands. His stomach began to rumble, causing his cheeks to turn a bright shade of red.
"Forgive me, general. One moment." He looked over to Celest. "I feel bad asking you this, but could you please fetch someone to bring us - you and Rubi included - something to eat? " He asked with a smile. "Thank you, dear."
Celest would nod, and quietly go scrounging around the basement looking for supplies.
Grant cleared his throat, returning the conversation to the general as well as his gaze. "Right. My other.. request let's call it. I get a position in the interim government, preferably President or the equivalent. You get to remain in control of the army afterwards. In public, at least. Rubi will be the head of intelligence. After the people elect their new, democratically elected President I will step down and take a position as an adviser to the President. Planetary Defense Adviser, something like that." He would consider it a win at present if the general didn't get up and punch him in the face.
"If you kill those things I'll pardon you and whoever you want... " He sighed, "... after all, I'm technically now the head of the government anyways... I suppose that makes you the what? Acting Vice president? When we make it through this I promise I will include the three of you in the new government that forms after... but I think we're getting ahead of ourselves there." The general looked away for a moment, he honestly felt like he would be sick to his stomach. He actually had to stop himself and just lean over for a moment. If he had anything in his stomach he certainly would have lost it already. "You have no idea just how.... If I had ANYONE else to work with you'd be dead right now... but I suppose beggars can't be choosers."
Celest would then come back with some water in a large jar, and some algaeia jerky... the small green circles weren't the most appetizing thing, but they were a bit salty and had a satisfying tearing feeling to them when one bit in, not to mention they certainly were plentiful.
Soon their general friend would leave for the night, letting the three of them rest by themselves, Celest cuddling up to Aaron during the night as the temperature's dropped. There wasn't much in the way of blankets available... or fuel oil for the lamps, but Celest did extend an offer,
"You can come lay over here if you like Rubi...."
Rubi waved the offer off, choosing to huddle in the corner by herself to give the two lovebirds some space and privacy if need be. Despite how cold it was getting, she tightened herself into a ball and try to weather through the night.
Celest would excuse herself from Aaron for just a moment, grabbing up the general's coat and cleaning it off as best she could, before offering it to Rubi, setting it down beside her before heading back over to Aaron's warmth.
----
The next day, the three of them were brought to the library by the general,
"STOP, Come no further,"
The voice seemed to come from the shadows. The library was large, dug into a crater towards the center of the city. Hallways extended out in many directions, but in the center was a rather open space. Above them a metal dome that kept out the sand. Unlike the other structures in the city, this one was built to last.
"No names," The voice said, there were clearly more people here, standing just at the edges of the hallways, "We already know enough about each other. General, I'll leave it to you to make the introductions."
"The General," He said, pointing to himself,
"The Soldier," His finger moving toward Rubi,
"The Rebel," He said, pointing to Aaron Grant,
He would then continue, his finger moving around the room towards the other figures hidden from sight,
"The Scientist,"
"The Merchant,"
"The Crook," There was a bit of stirring at that last mention,
"Fuck you, I get people what they need." The voice said,
"You want me to come over there and give you what YOU need?" The general replied, his voice just boiling over with anger,
"Gentlemen... lets not fight each other. We are here to deal with the OTHER problem." The merchant said.
"Quite.... They are people, just like us, so they can be killed just like us." The scientist replied.
"Right, but that also brings up the point on how to go about killing them. Outside of their suits they're vulnerable, but how often would we able to kill them like that?" Rubi interjected.
Aaron followed the general's finger pointing, even though he couldn't see what these people looked like. He tried not to laugh at the crook's response. Rubi's comment elicited a nod. "Exactly.. we need to get them out of their suits but how? We need information. Do they eat, drink and sleep in them? Do the suits need an energy source?" He turned his gaze to the scientist and he continued. "I have an item for you. Some sort of alien cocoon. It may have useful properties. I won't discuss its location here, we'll have someone bring it to a secure location."
He thought about the Crook's statement. "You three - Scientist, Merchant, Procurer we'll say - should discuss what you may need to examine the item." Aaron wished Celest was here, she might have some ideas. So far, the aliens seemed impervious to everything while in their armor and strong enough to rip people apart. One of them was some sort of angel even if reports were accurate. "Does anyone know what they look like outside of their armor? Are we sure they can't be reasoned with?" He asked the group gathered before them.
Personally he intended to keep fighting until the end, but he couldn't do it without Celest. Not anymore, not after the massacre that they had witnessed. This was nothing like the fight he expected. A handful of indestructible metal armored people with devastating weapons, not the thousands of ray gun wielding green-skinned aliens he thought were coming. Fights that can't be won were pointless, and he didn't want to be a part of that. For now, it seemed possible to win, or at least make them decide it was a waste of time to come here.
"What we need is someone on the inside." He said suddenly. "Someone needs to gain their trust, learn their secrets."
Rubi's head perked up after hearing Grant. "I can handle that." She said, stepping up to the General. "I already made quite a name as a mercenary and advanced through the ranks quick with the Syndicate. I'm sure enough of the collaborators can vouch for me to get a bit of a head start within the invaders organization." She looked at the others in the group to see if there was any noteworthy objection. "That is provided I can trust you guys to not shoot me in the process."
'SSSST!" The procurer hissed, "Shut up Soldier. We don't need to know who you are. This meeting is enough of a risk as it is. If you say you can handle it, leave it at that and we will trust you. I don't need to remind you that people in our situation tend to get tortured before they are killed. The less identifying information we have about each other the safer we all are."
"What we DO know," The scientist said, trying to change the conversation, "Is that they are human, or at least humanoid. People have seen them take off their armor entirely, then the armor moved on its own. It is likely some kind of mechanical armor that supplements the user's speed and other abilities like...."
"Super hearing? Fuck, They don't have that do they?" The Procurer said, sounding panicked.
"No... that is unlikely. Sound can only really travel so far. Even if it was enhanced I don't think they could hear us anywhere," The scientist said, "We saw them share some liquor with the soldiers they forced to fight fires.... soldiers reported it was a lot sweeter than what we have here. Perhaps all that armor has made them soft on the inside? We know they must take the helmet of the suit off to eat and drink. I think we can also safely assume they must leave their suits to sleep comfortably. As for their power source? I can only speculate... but it is far FAR ahead of anything we have here."
"There is another Issue," The general said, "One that needs to be addressed first. "Reginald Braith, a general in the Osman Government's military, is gathering up soldiers and scouts. He is almost certainly doing this FOR the invaders, rather than doing this to fight them. Our scouts have already seen him entering and leaving the flying ship that has parked where the governmental palace used to be. While he doesn't have a mechanical suit, he can still cause us a lot of harm."
Rubi's quick response to Aaron's statement unnerved him. He wasn't sure if he trusted her not to give them up to save herself, due to her mercenary history. How would the invaders be able to believe her without a show of loyalty? The scientist started talking and disrupted his thought process with new information. "You say they take off their armor at times, that they look human? How can that be possible if they're from another world?" He thought he knew because he believed the stories about man traveling the stars, though some thought it was myth. Most honestly just didn't care where they came from.
The scientist's knowledge was helpful, though. The invaders need food and water, and they drink alcohol. The idea that the armor could move independent of a pilot did complicate things somewhat. Could they just hide in the ship and send their armor after them? No, Aaron thought. No, if it was that easy they would have just done that. His thoughts moved to the general's issue. A collaborator in the government, the very thing he had accused them of. The irony was not lost on him.
"This Reginald Braith needs to die. Any way we can make it look accidental so they don't know there's a rebellion still? If they don't know we exist they can't look for us. We could capture him, but I would prefer an example made of him." He said in response to the general.
He stared at Rubi for a moment before speaking. "You were a mercenary. How do we know you won't betray us? Most people would probably side with the group likely to win, and that's not us." Aaron said, but not in a harsh tone. "Tell us why we should trust you with our lives. Tell us why you want to volunteer for this." Hopefully hearing her reasons would clear up the matter.
"A man deserves to die facing his enemy," The general spat.
"We are a bit beyond that now Mr. General," The procurer said, a bit of amusement in his voice.
"Maybe we share a common ancestor? It is suspected we aren't native to this planet. Or perhaps they look like us because this is the form best suited for intelligent life? I'm afraid all I have here to offer is speculation. Same with their armor, perhaps it is hard to control remotely? Or maybe they need to be near it for the armor to obey their commands...." The scientist added.
"That is great you guys, but we should deal with the Braith problem immediately. It seems our Rebel does not trust our Soldier, and I would love to hear assurances from them." The merchant said.
Aaron's response seemed to unhinge Rubi. "You know how many opportunities I had to simply shoot you and collect a very hefty bounty on your head?" She hissed, glaring at him through the darkness." More than you'd like to believe. If I was going simply join the winning side, I would've offed you day one instead of helping you win several major battles against superior government forces, get you right on the door step of the Osman capital, then set half of the god damn city on fire on a damn suicide mission to help your sorry ass assault. I also would've let you and girlfriend get slaughtered when whatever the hell we're facing started invading the camp and killing everyone in sight. So if you want to start questioning my loyalty now, Rebel, you picked a bad fucking time."
Aaron was a little surprised at the sudden outburst, but he showed no reaction whatsoever. He had hoped to hear more about why she had joined him in the first place so the group would trust her more. Cleaning his throat, he took a moment to consider his response. "Maybe I wasn't clear. This group has no reason to trust you. I'm just trying to get you to tell them why they should trust you. Whether or not I trust you is irrelevant." He said calmly. The rebel had no intention of responding to what she said. He knew she had kept his army fr om being destroyed in the last battle, but he thought she underestimated him a little. Her chances of killing him on day one might not be as high as she thought. "Now, is that all the assurance you're willing to give to these men? That you could have killed me anytime?"
"I can't afford to be choosy now." The merchant said.
"There is a reason why we aren't sharing our names Aaron Grant," The procurer added, "If we don't know who each other is, and don't know where we're all hiding, we can't turn each other in if shit goes south. The two of you have the unfortunate problem of also being wanted by what was the Osman government... "
"I think what he is trying to say, is that this is how we build trust. Have the soldier show that she can work for us and build up both of your credibility." The scientist said.
The plan to get them to trust Rubi seemed to have backfired. Now Rubi was pissed at him and they were questioning both of them. Time to issue an apology. He was still hoping Rubi could explain why she was fighting, which would ease his fears, but it seemed this was a bad way to find out.Turning to Rubi, he said, "I apologize for questioning your commitment to the fight." He looked at the general. "You all are right. We have no choice but to trust each other. Regarding the issue of Braith, I would love to personally put a bullet in his head. But the Procurer is correct. We are past that, and standing in line shooting at each other is the wrong tactic. We have to fight dirty."
"We'll have to off him outside of the ship with as a little of a scuffle as possible obviously," Rubi started to contemplate out loud, ignoring Aaron's apology but acknowledging his statement on Braith. "If make make it clear that someone is outright killing collaborators it could put the invaders into a more aggressive stance to root us out, and that would be the last thing this little fragile resistance needs. We'll have to make his death look natural or find a way to shift the blame elsewhere, perhaps in his own little army he's building up... Unless you all would prefer making a statement that we'll make it hell to be for the invaders. I can probably handle Braith either way if needed."
"Kill him so hard his ancestors will feel it," The general said, slamming his fist against one of the book shelves nearby.
"As much as we would all love to see that, the longer we can go without them knowing about us the better," The procurer said, The merchant nodding in affirmation.
"And what do you think Soldier?" The scientist asked, "Killing Braith publicly and openly would send a strong message."
Rubi thought for a moment. Going loud this soon could strike some fear but the unnecessary heat would make things a lot more difficult in the long run. "Unless we're truly set on making ourselves known to the public and the enemy, best we make this easy for ourselves right now and try to kill him without drawing attention to ourselves. Like I said, the last thing we need is to get hunted down this early. Once we find some way to directly fight the ones in those suits, then we should start being more heavy-handed with our operations."
At the mention of 'making oneself known', one of participants in the clandestine meeting who had been content to remain quietly in the hallway of the great library up until that point closed the dusty book he was reading by candlelight with a definitive 'clop' sound and rose up from the wooden stool he had been sitting on. Even in the purposely dim lighting, the elder stood out like a sore thumb, his slightly hunched posture beneath a thick, brown overcoat only slightly diminishing the fact that at 7' tall he still towered over the other citizens assembled there. Many knew him as that odd old man by the salty mud flats that generally kept to himself... but Aaron was better acquainted with 'Ned', having the honor of being one of the first people on the planet who believed his story about the alien pod that had crashed into his house several years ago.
The look on his wizened, angular features, beard long and pate balding, was a mix of concern at the subject at hand and a hidden regret that could not be shared as he flashed a slightly wrinkled smile to Mr. Grant. His eloquent voice, though, flowed out into the chamber, "Gentlemen and women, there may be an important factor you haven't yet considered."
Deciding it was best to let Rubi talk, Aaron just listened. This debate was dragging on far too long for his taste. Their positions were clear, the majority favored an indirect approach for now. He couldn't understand why they were still talking. Before he could voice this opinion a noise startled him. The thought that the meeting had been compromised was quickly replaced by complete confusion. Too surprised to think about it he blurted out a name. "Ned!?"
Despite being somewhat distracted by the conversation, Rubi whipped around to see the towering old man approaching. Her revolver was half-way out of her holster before Aaron bleated out the new arrival's name. "Rebel, you know this man?" Rubi asked, still trying to keep the motif of not yelling out each others name. The revolver was slowly placed back into its holster, but her hand never left the grip as she eyed Ned. "What are you babbling on about?"
The elder approached near to where Mr. Grant was standing with a slow, steady gait, the echoes of his footfalls seeming unusually light for such a tall fellow. "Mmm.. it's been awhile, Aaron -- Or should I say 'Rebel', now?" began Ned with a respectful nod of his head. "You've come a long way since then... and I suppose now everyone has proof you were right all along about the aliens being up to no good."
As the hermit felt the eyes of Rubi upon him, he then glanced her way with sharp, marine blue ones. "I know things may seem bleak at this moment, but I have an important secret I felt it was time to break my silence about." He cleared his throat for a moment, before continuing and pointing off into the distance. "There is actually another piece of alien technology on this planet, that has been hidden here for many years. Not the cocoon pod you know of. Rather, a battle suit of metal from the stars, like they wear..."
"Why not bring this up earlier?" The scientist asked,
"That does not change our course," The general said, speaking up over the others, "One suit to their Ten? Maybe if we could duplicate it, or if it came with some weaponry that would work against them."
"Not that we aren't glad to hear of this suit!" The scientist piped back in, "Where did you find it?"
It was hard for Aaron to believe that Ned was standing in front of him. How did he even know they would be here? He thought he was just a strange old man, but apparently he was more than that. The initial shock wore off quickly. Ned's revelation surprised him almost as much as his unexpected presence. He finally managed to regain his voice. "I second what the scientist said. Why not bring this up before? It surely would have helped me in unifying the planet." The general's statement was true. One suit wouldn't do much to even the odds, and he was fairly certain they couldn't replicate the technology anyway. The technology needed to make it must be hundreds years beyond them, maybe more.
He spoke up again, this time with more conviction. "Like the general said, our course is the same, with one exception. That suit is now our top priority. Rubi can deal with Breith while we recover the alien suit and the cocoon.. pod."
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