Bloodsworn

Chapter 2.31 A New Guard

31.

“Describe these beasts again,” Victoria ordered as they all stood in the retrofitted hangar bay. Soldiers had quickly stripped the trucks of everything they had loaded up and Rutledge was in fine form as she ranted about the lost research. Erak felt a stab of doubt in his heart as he saw the keen interest in his Queen’s eyes.

The creatures were abominations. Violent and cruel with no lingering hints of a higher intelligence. Erak was the first to suggest rallying everyone they could spare and purging the woods around the facility.

Sammus launched into another explanation of what the goblins were like, shooting nervous glances at his sister, Princess Aloria. The large woman stood with her hands crossed against her sternum and a foul glare that threatened everything it landed upon. Captain Illyria was sitting cross legged on a crate with her sword on her lap, a faraway expression on her face. The last of the group was another elder dwarf.

Her wispy beard and deep, craggy, expressions hinted at her age. Sammus had whispered that she had been in charge of the small settlement before Victoria had arrived and claimed it. Her name was Bruna the Younger. Erak had an interest in seeing what Bruna the Elder looked like.

“Captain Illyria, is the Sword of Empire ready for her first mission?” Victoria said as Sammus finished recounting the details again, for the fifth time. Nevia had disappeared like smoke when she had seen the wall of high ranking officials arriving, but Erak couldn’t as easily sneak away.

“Sword has flown thousands of missions across eras. Her cannons are mostly disabled and under repair, engines are operating at less than ten percent full power, and her hangars are…non functional for the most part. We have a pair of shuttles working out of a single hangar bay currently. Aside from transportation, we’d offer little to no fire support and if anything decides to come at us, we’d be a sitting duck.” Illyria rattled off the tragic state of the ship in matter of fact tones.

“We can help with that. I have a dozen engineers who have finished their work now and can begin helping with repairs,” Bruna said. Her voice was deep and husky, strong besides her age. Her class, Administrator, was in the high teens and had yet to repair the ravages of age.

“We’d appreciate all the help we can get. The travel time would be roughly four hours. The shuttles can hold twelve people comfortably, about twenty uncomfortably.” Illyria stopped and looked at Erak.

“Sixteen with Erak in the shuttle.”

“A joint ground and aerial assault. Ground soldiers moving in on the flanks while the drop soldiers land in the depot itself. We’ll form an evac point there. I can lead one of the pincers and Aloria the other,” Erak signed to the group.

“Simple. We need the supplies more than we need to exterminate the threat. They are far from here and I doubt they’d travel far. Starvation will take us sooner than these goblins. The soldiers will hold the outer edge of the forest while the secondary units load the supplies and we empty the depot. We use our vehicles to disengage and retreat if the numbers become too unbearable,” Aloria agreed.

“What are our forces looking like?” Sammus asked.

“Not good,” Aloria grunted. She turned her head and spat on the floor before taking a deep breath and reciting the totals by memory.

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“Three full strength companies of the Royal Guard. A battalion of regular Imperial soldiers, and three companies of our newly formed…militia.” Her disdain for the militia was apparent.

“Who leads the militia?” Erak asked. Aloria was the commander of the Royal Guard detachments still alive and Victoria had appointed several Glacies officers to be in charge of the regular Imperials.

“You are, Erak,” Victoria said with a wide grin. Erak felt his stomach drop and had to repress the urge to rub a hand across his face.

“The militia is…rough,” Sammus whispered to him.

“Why has no one told me this?” Erak asked the others.

“We didn’t have time. We thought of Torpin taking command of them, but you recovered quickly enough from your wounds. You will retain Nevia and her platoon, but the rest of your soldiers will be from the volunteers. They have some training and they all have combat experience now.

“I will be taking raw, untested soldiers into the battlefield?”Erak asked in disbelief.

“If we had veterans, we’d give them to you. Aloria’s guard will take one of the pincer moves and Captain Keller will take two companies of regulars for the second pincer. Erak will hold the depot with the militia.The objective is the supplies in the depot with a secondary objective of retrieving the last of the research. Professor Rutledge will be given a five man team from my own personal guard to see to that objective.” After that they got into the gritty details of how they were going to do it.

What times they’d launch, which vehicles they’d take, weapons, timetables, food, water, and a thousand other small items that needed to be tended too. Erak knew nothing of the new companies that had been shoved into his lap and turned to Sammus.

“That was fouly done, but I have faith you can take them and make them something worthwhile, Erak,” Sammus said as the two stepped to the side.

“I’m appointing you as my Quartermaster.”

“Erak, I’m a prince.”

“The seventeenth prince.”

“Not anymore. I’ve lost quite a few siblings. I might be even in the top ten now,” Sammus said, but Erak could see he was wavering.

“I need your aid. You have a habit of finding gear and my men will undoubtedly need it. Bribe Snowbeard and his apprentices. We will need blades and armor. Will need officers to command it too.”

“You won’t give the executive command to Nevia?”

“No. She will be busy enough with my personal detail. We shall be where the fighting is thickest. Arrange to meet with any officers they’ve chosen or appointed, we leave to cleanse the forest in five days. We’ll need to be organized by then.”

“Five days isn’t much time. Not enough to whip them into shape.” Sammus looked doubtful and Erak couldn’t help but agree with the prince.

“Just get them to my quarters by tonight.” Sammus nodded his head and took off, rushing into the depths of the dwarven stronghold. Illyria appeared by Erak’s side near instantly, looking up at him with hard eyes.

“How does it feel to order around royal blood?”

“Job needs to get done. I don’t care who’s doing it,” Erak clarified his position.

The wild princess threw her head back and laughed, long and loud, drawing looks to them. She wiped away a few tears that trickled out of her eyes and smiled at him with a feral edge.

“You may see it that way, but they don’t. Now that the emergency of the demon invasion is at least temporarily suspended, people are looking at you. The nobles are worried, the soldiers and citizens adore you. They worship your strength and power. They all whisper about your deeds already. This militia is a trap. They want you to fumble and fail. It’s also an opportunity.”

“I’m not a fool. I am a warrior and have no desire to play these games. I honor my oaths.” Erak responded back angrily.

“The Conqueror started off as a warrior himself. Sword wished to remind you that she owes you a boon and wants to talk to you when you board. Think carefully, Erak. She’s the oldest thing on this planet.” Illyria left as abruptly as she had arrived and Erak was left to stew on her words. He dismissed them after a moment and focused on his current objective. Turn over six hundred civilians into something resembling a disciplined fighting force.