Chapter 17

“What have you got for us Riga?”

“Nothing good I’m afraid...”

“Let’s hear it.”

Sumiye braced herself above the defunct map and ran her tongue across chapped lips. The lip balm she normally kept on her person still in a locker back at Varza.

“In more positive news we think we’ve narrowed down the castle you’re being routed to.”

“You don’t sound very enthusiastic.”

“Layout’s a real doozy. Lots of avenues for them to attack.”

“Go ahead.”

“As you may recall from the joint briefing we threw together, Morg started constructing these castles as part of his bid to win the hand of the socialite Lamella Faepeur. Who just so happens to hail from the city of Prauth.”

“A fun bit of trivia I suppose.”

“Then you’ll love this. Care to guess what Prauth is best known for?”

“...”

“It’s festive traditions. The most popular of which is the celebration of the vernal equinox. The festivities themselves culminating in a prolonged parade through the city.”

“Where is this going?”

“Well, it became common knowledge that the parade was a much-cherished event for Lamella, and in an attempt to appeal to those sympathies Morg designed a castle capable of serving as part of the parade route.”

“Part of? You mean he intended to purchase land along the route to build on?”

“Part of meaning the procession would literally pass through the castle itself as part of the route. Effectively making Lamella part of the celebration while also giving her a front row seat to the festivities.”

“A gatehouse then?”

“In practice yes. But this one would need to be a bit wider than customary to accommodate both the floats and performers safely. It also needed to account for the presence of spectators. Namely those who didn’t have the connections to earn a spot on the allure or on one of the bartizans.”

Sumiye found herself visualizing what such a castle would have looked like the day of the parade had it come to fruition. A warm clear day with a gentle breeze. The clank of champagne glasses held delicately by well-dressed socialites. The thrum of the distinguished marching band leading the procession, barely audible over the roar of anticipation coming from the crowds huddled along the inner walls. Among them young children sat upon their father’s and older sibling’s shoulders. Mothers laughing at their antics as they distribute treats or admire the architecture around them. All in all a peaceful scene that would bear no resemblance to what reality had in store for them.

The others in the call were the ones to break her from the reverie.

“We’re the procession then.”

“And Cloud Nine our eager spectators.”

At least Jericka seemed to have perked up since the last check-in. Whatever the reason.

“Roughly how much space will we have to work with upon entering?”

“It’s wide enough that a box formation would be viable. Anything larger would require airtight communication and careful maneuvering. Keep in mind that dropping your top speed is inadvisable per the data we’ve collected.”

A box formation referred to Crusaders arranged into rows of two, although with a three Crusader convoy only the front two Crusaders would move parallel to one another. The third centering itself between the others in the rear. Not a terrible idea given the circumstances. At the very least it created a strong side for the front Crusaders, allowing their deck officers to focus attention on the edges. The drawback to this formation was that it went against Riga’s recommendation by lowering the convoy’s top speed. Alternatively the slipstream a stack formation created made it the fastest option, though it also meant stretching the defensive capabilities of the convoy. Specifically the size of each zone an officer was responsible for.

“Distance between gates?”

“275 meters...give or take.”

“...!?”

“I’m gonna have to look into this Lamella chick after we arrive in Riga! No way she was worth building fifty of these things!”

“According to the interviews we conducted this castle in particular made heavy use of the pre-existing limestone deposits. The tradeoff being that they needed to leave a handful of the limestone towers within the passage intact to maintain some semblance of structural integrity.”

Sumiye pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

“So a box formation won’t be viable then.”

“Apologies, my intent was to convey the width of the gatehouse through a metric that you could easily visualize. It wasn’t meant as a recommendation. I’ll be more mindful going forward.”

Lautnor once again chimed in to run some minor damage control.

“Don’t sweat it, we know we’re keeping you guys busy—”

“Apology accepted. Now, when can we expect to actually come across this structure? Because I’m of the opinion that Cloud Nine will save this gatehouse as a last resort. Especially when you consider that no mention of it is made in any of the reports we poured over.”

“Don’t put all your eggs in one castle...or something like that.”

“The ‘gatehouse’, as it will now be referred to as, is located a third of the way through the current route. Just ahead of the fourth check-in. Prior to reaching it you will pass by two more castles that are roughly equidistant apart. The first of which is derelict, to the extent it will no longer act as a serviceable launch point for approaches or volleys.”

“At this rate the LCF might not need to do anything about the castles after all.”

“The second is sat high up on what could best be described as a limestone motte. I should mention this castle is among the smallest that we collected intel on, likely due to the labor cost of moving materials and equipment up the site.”

“Plenty big enough to serve as an effective lookout...”

“They’ll see us coming from a mile away, literally. And that would include whatever formation we settle on for tackling this ‘gatehouse’.”

On paper using the motte solely for surveillance made sense, but such a passive strategy strayed a tad too far from Baugh’s influence for Sumiye’s liking. A consideration that bypassed her filter and flowed in the call.

“...that’s not how I’d do it.”

Everyone in the call went silent, expecting the head CO to grace them with an explanation. This included Lautnor, who despite being in the same bridge, felt the need to turn around and make sure his colleague was still there.

“Miss Endellion?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking that an approach would be the preferable move in this case as it could place restraints on preparations for the ensuing castle.”

“Lock us into a less favorable formation you mean.”

“Let’s not let it slide that she finally called it a castle!”

“Don’t forget our intention to decipher their drums. That’s not something we can readily spend resources on while holding off a gauntlet. And knowing the signals won’t do us much good once we’re inside the gatehouse itself.”

“Seems there’s a lot we’ll need to consider...”

“Then we had better get started.”

“Nice to know we’re on the same page Commander.”

Lautnor nodded to his head CO before moving over to the cluster of speaking tubes.

“Updating the crew takes precedent. They need to know what we’re up against.”

“I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to learn that they get to take part in a parade...”

*

In hopes of easing his troubled mind Gliel sat off to the side and watched as Cade performed his inspection of the cargo. Specially prepared crates for preserving lab specimens he’d come to learn. It would seem his friend referring to Mennarouple’s situation as dire was an accurate statement after all. And coming to this realization now of all times only made him even more restless. That nervous energy translating into restless leg syndrome. Something the younger man he was sharing the space with took notice of.

“What’s the story Penton? Must be a good one if it ends with you boarding a Crusader bound for a Galen Run.”

Cade made the inquiry without looking up from what he was doing, slight indifference in his tone. But regardless of how the engineer actually felt about it, the last thing the crew needed was the station officer’s miasma permeating the lower level.

“I actually didn’t know it was a Galen Run until the last moment...that’s when your friend found me.”

“Somewhere else?”

Gliel hung his head as he recalled the exact circumstances.

“I got tunnel vision after I overheard the destination was Mennarouple...”

Cade sealed the crate he’d been inspecting and rested a forearm on his knee, his eyes flicking over to the distressed man before he pushed off the ground.

“And what’s in Mennarouple?”

The lanky man sighed as he sat back up, removing his glasses and using the uniform that hung on him loosely to wipe the lenses.

“There’s this girl—”

“There always is.”

“It’s not like that... at least I don’t think it is. Our parents were longtime business associates. Foisted us on each other regularly to keep us out of trouble. We didn’t have much in common. She was just so much more mature than me. Might not be saying much since I was the type of kid who clung to his mother like a shadow.”

“Can’t say I relate, but go on.”

“Few months back she contacts me out of the blue. Apparently she found out through her folks that I was working for the federation and sought me out in the directory. Got summoned over to admin at the end of a shift for that first call.”

“Filling out the paperwork that made me exempt from listing a contact in that directory remains one of my more fruitful afternoons. Lux and Wash on the other hand, they love receiving calls from randoms and insurance companies.”

Gliel paused in response to the non sequitur before continuing.

“The call began under the pretense of catching up but devolved into choked sobs when I broached her current situation. Turns out both her and her daughter have been victims of domestic abuse at the hands of the child’s father going on years. Called me up hoping she could escape to the past for a bit.”

“Resigned herself to her fate then.”

“Doubt it even crossed her mind to ask for my help. Who can blame her. I’m the guy cowering in the underbelly of a Crusader after all. In that respect not much has changed since we were kids. I think she just needed an outlet so she wouldn’t feel so isolated.”

“...”

“The calls started coming on a regular basis, always around the same time of day. We’d talk about my work. I’d try to distract her with stories about guys like you. Field service personnel who traveled everywhere experiencing all sorts of things. But I just couldn’t separate what was going on behind the scenes. Finally struck me that she was only a convoy away. So, I decided I’d try betraying expectations for once and doing something about it.”

Cade let the man’s story sink in as he stared in the direction of the ladderway. His expression betraying little of his thoughts on the matter.

“Selfish reason to jump on a Crusader isn’t it.”

“No, it’s not for me or anyone else onboard to decide whether someone’s reason is a good or bad one. Besides, out in these parts, we take all the help we can get.”

“Your friend mentioned something about that when she dragged me inside. Is it really that unusual to field a full roster?”

The engineer pulled out what appeared to be a card with something scrawled on it and scanned it briefly before returning it to one of many back pockets.

“Let me put it this way. I’ve been part of the LCF for two years and can count all the times I’ve been part of a full roster with one hand. And even those few times only came to pass because it involved some of the Federation’s larger business partners.”

“You’re saying they can afford to pay extra to ensure their cargo has all the necessary resources to reach its destination.”

“Correct. Because when it comes to regions outside of Upper Luridia, the only realistic way of fielding a full crew roster is through financial incentives. But even then those incentives tend to be reserved for personnel requested by the Convoy Commander at the behest of the client.”

“I guess my invite must’ve gotten lost in the mail...”

Cade smirked, more a byproduct of their romantic feeling daring enough to attempt a joke rather than the contents of the joke itself. The smirk didn’t last long however as a sound comparable to distant thunder reached the ears of both men in the cargo bay.

“Their earlier than expected...”

“Was there any mention of a storm along the route?”

“Clouds are rolling in alright.”

Gliel wasn’t quite following but stood up all the same noting the subtle change in Cade’s demeanor.

“I’ll be in the engine room. You stay put. Whoever comes down first will tell you what to do.”

“...right!”

“No need to look so panicked. First visit, stack formation. It’s the guys in back who’ll be seeing the most action. Use this as an opportunity to acclimate for later. You’d be surprised how much it helps.”

*

“The approach is moderate in size, strictly Volts and Hussards.”

“Do we have eyes on a drum major yet?”

“We’re on standby on that front.”

One of the disadvantages of running a stack formation was that the front two Crusaders couldn’t always discern what was happening in the rear. Factor in the abundance of limestone outcroppings sandwiching the route and Crusader C274 was practically isolated from the rest of the convoy. Rather than stress over this fact Sumiye removed one side of her headset and strained her ears.

“But I do recognize this drumbeat, it’s a sped-up version of Baugh’s call to arms.”

“You’d only mention the sped-up part if you thought it was relevant to their strategy.”

“Speed us up and let’s find out.”

Lautnor lowered the mic of the headset and took up position beside the pilot.

“Reversing lever up two, target a cutoff of around 19 percent. Any lower on this stretch of the route and we’re liable to collect a few nicks.”

“You got it.”

The CC placed a steady hand on the shoulder of his pilot.

“I’m sure I don’t need to say it but follow closely. Redcliffe knows how to pick his lines.”

The pilot nodded and settled into a sweet spot behind the lead Crusader. Meanwhile the rest of the bridge waited to see how their visitors would react.

“Reporting no immediate changes to speed, numbers or approach formation!”

The rhythm being played by the talking drums had slowed and become staggered, however.

“Increase cutoff to 25 percent, and I want officers on both forward Crusaders on the platforms.”

“We’ve got eyes on the drum major; they’ve been spotted maneuvering towards the front of the pack!”

Packs tended to be troublesome as raiders often used them as a screen to obscure the gunner’s position. The drum major probably one of many shifting around.

“Officers are in position Commander, but the party is being careful to avoid they’re line of sight.”

“Instruct C274 to drop smoke down broadway, but no engaging. I’d like to gauge their coordination.”

Launtnor needed to create more scenarios that required a response from said drum major. Even if the chances of this visit resulting to an actual confrontation were slim, they could still use the encounter to further the deciphering process. Granted Cloud Nine could be following a similar thought process and feeding them misinformation. Or in this case temporarily employing an alternate language for their talking drums. One they didn’t intend to employ during later visits.

“Is that wise Commander? This landscape is already putting us at a disadvantage in terms of visibility.”

“It’s because of the landscape I’m trying this. Just like us their options for evasion are limited and I’d like to see how they account for it. We also need to acclimate the crews to combat in this environment.”

Everything the Commander was saying checked out, and yet Sumiye couldn’t help but feel something wasn’t right. To top things off the voices of the talking drums weren’t resonating with her like they normally would. Seeking some assurances she stepped out of the bridge, snatching binoculars off the console in the process. She trained them on the back right side of the convoy and waited for the plumes of blue smoke to appear. Curious to see if the raiders would try and escape the billowing clouds at the risk of exposing themselves to the platforms.

Within seconds smoke began to spew from the rear Crusader, and immediately the drumming came to a halt. The rhythm hadn’t died off awkwardly either. Every drum had stopped in unison in response to the smoke. Sumiye rushed to the other side of the deck to check the opposite side of the rear, but still nothing. She turned to the headset

“Kircher, report! Did the approach stall?!”

“I...don’t know...it’s like they just, disappeared.”

“Hold off on dropping additional smoke, we need to figure out where they went. I don’t like this.”

“Understood.”

The CO headed back into the bridge to get the commander’s thoughts when a troubling transmission reached the main channel.

“Reporting! Party members have appeared on either side C362! They’ve got us flanked!”

“What...?!”

*

Alongside Lux, Youn had been one of the deck officers sent down to the platforms on orders from the CC. Naturally they’d argued over who’d get stuck on the platform with a defunct tether point. And after a best of three contest of fox-ken, Youn had been granted the preferred platform. From which he still couldn’t make out the approach. Though he could hear the drumming coming from the rear. A reminder of their unwelcome company.

In the meantime he took note of how at their current speed the limestone towers rushing past them practically blurred into one large continuous wall. As if they’d been dropped into one big maze. The breaks between towers only visible if Youn really focused, and even then, he couldn’t be certain if they were large enough for a bike to pass through.

So preoccupied studying the environment was he that it took the security officer’s brain a moment to register that the drumming had stopped. Leaving only the hum of the Crusaders and the chatter of his colleagues above him. Instinctively he turned back towards the rear of the convoy in search of a reason but instead double taked when his eyes caught movement just past the other side of limestone wall. And given that the LCF were the only ones with permissions to travel through this region, the identity of those lurking in the breaks between towers had little room for interpretation.

“I’ve got movement on my side!”

Youn trained his rifle on the growing number of figures opposite the wall as the station worker poked his head out the doorway behind him.

“Is everything ok?”

“Nope. Faust! You seeing what I’m seeing?!”

He’d directed the question at the front deck above him, where the usually taciturn officer was posted. But even Faust knew better than to stay silent during visits.

“Don’t shoot until they’ve passed through.”

“Obviously!”

Before Youn could inquire about the other side of the Crusader the talking drums found their voices again, and from a much closer range than before. The men then watched in surprise as with each successive beat of the drums a pair of raiders appeared from the shallow openings, the closest of which raising their bucklers in preparation for a response. The deck officers were happy to oblige.

It didn’t take long for the entire front end of the formation too explode into an exchange of drumbeats and rifle fire. The other side of the Crusader experiencing a nearly identical lead up to confrontation, effectively splitting the crew’s response to the threat.

“Faust go help Lux! I’ll have our prairie dog assist me from here!”

“Prairie dog?!?”

Whereas Youn had Faust assisting him from the get-go, Lux’s only aide will have been the fill-in CO who was likely handling a rifle for the first time. At least the prairie dog was technically a member of the security division. Granted he hadn’t gone to the trouble of probing the man to see if he had any practical experience subjugating threats. Let alone asking his name.

“Get out here and provide cover fire during reload!”

The gangly officer shuffled forward as he fumbled with the safety on his rifle, bumping into the doorway and nearly Youn in rapid succession. Youn stuck an arm out to stop the man’s forward momentum, pushing him back slightly.

“Tether, you got one?”

“Yes—I mean no! I’ve been issued one, but don’t have it on me!”

“Take mine and attach it to the point behind you. I expect Wash will take some liberties to get us out of this shitshow in short order.”

With his rifle tucked underneath one arm, Gliel began hunting around his colleague’s belt and drop pouch for the chord in question. All the adrenaline in his system making it difficult to locate and unclip the tether. To say nothing of attaching it to his own belt and then the tether point. But once he did the rest came naturally. A result of the formalized training sessions and accuracy assessments carried out at the station at normal intervals.

This wasn’t a practice unique to Station Varza either as there was a precedent for members of the security division, field service or not, to keep their marksmanship skills honed in case of emergency. Now whether that practice would translate to the field came down to each individual's propensity for performing under pressure. Or in this case, under fire.

“Whoa there! Save some for the rest of us guy.”

While Gliel welcomed the roundabout encouragement, he attributed most of his current success to the fact the enemy was still organizing and had to operate from an awkward position. Riding slightly ahead of the convoy at present.

“Tag out.”

Gliel released the breath he’d been holding and took a step back. From there he checked the witness hole running the length of his current magazine. He confirmed he had two shots remaining and turned his attention back to the coalescing force in front of them. A force that seemed content to weather the barrage coming at them from the platform. Youn, also noticing this lack of urgency, held his fire a moment.

And even he had to give Cloud Nine credit. Because having party members who were disciplined enough to remain on the defensive in the face of enemy fire was commendable to say the least. Especially when it sounded like a full-fledged firefight had broken out on just the other side of the Crusader. To Youn this meant each group was operating under the instructions of a different drum major. How they could differentiate which drumbeats came from which drum was beyond him though.

“Points!”

The warning had sounded from the speaking tube, prompting the deck officer to backpedal into the doorway. His support, panicking slightly at the thought of being left alone on the platform, attempted to follow suit only to be stopped cold by the connected tether. Youn signaled for him to lower his center gravity by squatting down.

“It’s fine, you’re already connected by a tether! And don’t turn your back to the enemy!”

Evidently their prairie dog either didn’t hear the call out or didn’t know it was short for tether points. As in, anyone close to a railing should locate and attach their tethers to the nearest tether point or risk being thrown from the Crusader.

Pilots often relayed such warnings when it became necessary to take evasive maneuvers on the fly. On cue the Crusader lurched forward before veering to the left side of the passage. The party members reacted accordingly and scattered to avoid a collision. All except for one unfortunate soul who panicked at the sight of the encroaching cruiser and tried to duck back through the spaces between towers. They failed, colliding with the rock face hard enough to be un-saddled before disappearing somewhere underneath the convoy.

Youn watched this unfold unfazed, Gliel cringing away from the gruesome sight. The remaining party members rebounded quickly however, baring arms in anticipation of the signal to attack. And while he couldn’t confirm the exact nature of the directive, the drums did sound again from somewhere behind the convoy. At the same time the Crusader began to lurch in the opposite direction as before. Seemingly giving ground to the would-be attackers.

But to his surprise that space was immediately filled by Crusader C083, the command Crusader, effectively disrupting whatever strategy Cloud Nine had cooked up by chasing the approach away once more. Except this time their only means of escape would be retreating through the gaps between towers or allowed themselves to be funneled towards the rear. In which case Crusader C274’s deck officers would be waiting to pick them off.

Recognizing the shift in momentum, the drum majors sounded for a temporary retreat to reorganize, cementing a multi-faceted victory for the LCF. After all the enemy had not only failed to capitalize on their surprise flanking maneuver but also alerted the crews to one of its approach strategies. They’d similarly betrayed the drum rhythm for withdrawing among several others, putting the CO’s that much closer to deciphering the talking drums. And all of this prior to encountering one of the castles strongholds. Stacking these small victories would also go a long way in building confidence among the crews. More so for those experiencing a Galen Run for the first time.

If they really wanted to be optimistic, there was a chance this blown opportunity could serve as an invitation for further discourse among Cloud Nine’s leadership. But something told Youn things wouldn’t be that easy. Field service was all about these constant fleeting shifts in momentum, and the final victory didn’t go to whoever cumulatively held it the longest. It went to whoever happened to capture it last. This battle of attrition was only getting started.

*Important formatting note; the italicizations I use frequently in the story to signify transmissions doesn't carry over when copying and pasting. Which is why I would recommend following the series over on Royal Road as well. As to why I don't take the time to fix it? Truth be told I've been copying and pasting this entire time and didn't realize the problem until an update ago. Seeing as I don't have the time to go back I figured I'd just keep it consistent. Plus I'm lazy.