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CHAPTER 3 continued... was way too big...
The archangel entered the bay, armor scratched up, but fully functional. Corden noted he would want to change the configuration for something more long ranged. He wanted to keep his jump jet mobility and the luminus configuration would be best. He would need help and an idea came to him. Backing the mech into its bay, he powered it down, and jumped out. A top the gang plank, he called out to those gathered around.
"The valley is now cleansed. All night haunts are dead, we now stand able to walk in the night, safe from harm!"
Cheering greated him as he made his way down. He took off his cooling vest and donned his robe. He saw the guides had been busy ripping into crates, examining manuals, learning how certain computers worked, and digresting whatever written material they could get their hands on. Their repetitive continued training over centuries had helped them adapt. It would not be perfect, but it would do. Corden motioned to Deback.
"Adept, I would have you learn something new. Follow me."
They made their way over to the other bay. In front of a fresh suit of Se'irim battle armor, Corden reached in and entered a code to lock out the weapons. Then he motioned to Deback and explained how to enter the armor. This was another leap of faith. He needed another hand to change out the configuration and he could test Debacks will. As deback entered, Corden explained how the suit would accomdate his form. In fascination after being suited up, Deback moved one of his arms.
"Whoa, be careful. You now command battle armor that is capable of what you saw four nights ago. The weapons are disabled for now. Now close the hatch by pushing the right most button with your tongue." The hatch closed. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes I can." Came a voice from an external speaker.
"If you hit the left most button with your tongue, that will release you from the charging station. You now have full automony. Now hit the second from right button." The SRM rack disengaged and fell to the ground.
"That should prevent any snagging from chains and lines. We are going to change out my mechs weapons configuration. The last two nights haven't been kind to the amor plating. One weapon is now out of ammo too. I will join you shortly. Get use to the feel as I am going to suit up myself."
Corden made his way over to the tengu armor. He fired it up, dropped the medium laser it had, then made his way to Deback. They proceeded into the mech bay to begin their work. Eight hours later, the weapon pods had been changed out. In place of the invictus configuration now sat the luminious. One ER PPC in each arm, four medium pulse lasers in the torso, and two more smaller ones there too. Corden was pleased with Debacks performance. The battle armor moved with him naturally without a VDNI. The training of riding a night haunt must have translated or he was a natural.
Corden then engaged the jump jets on the Tengu and landed on his mechs torso. He turned around and looked at Deback.
"The archangel can carry battle armor into battle. There are points to connect to too allow rest and battery recharge. Since you do not have jump jets, you will have to climb the legs, here, here, and there."
Deback made it up on the first try. It seemed almost natural to him. Clinging to the side of the torso, Corden showed him where to hold onto and to plug into the charging port. He then released the hand actuators and landed on the deck.
"I am going to get out of this armor, wait here."
Ten minutes later Corden was in the cockpit.
"Deback, hit the second from the left button three times then speak. You should be tied into a communication channel."
"Hello, you there?"
"Good, we are now connected. Any time you or I speak, we will hear each other. We are going for a ride and some testing."
The archangel stepped out into the day light. The guides had been busy outside. They had gone out and starting collecting claws, teeth, and spines. If there were any to be found. Corden had made a mess of the valley. The caracasses would attract others in time, but they would likely be from the mountains. The next area of cleansing.
"Hang on Deback, I am going to go for maximum speed."
Corden pushed the mech to its running speed of 54 kph. Over the channel he heard boyish cries of fun laughter. "Wee!!!" This pleased Corden. The adept was doing well from his transition from a handler to an adept of the Word of Blake. He listened well to instruction and seemed to take in all the information he gave. When he asked how something worked, Corden explained fully how it operated making sure to demystify any idea of magic. The change over of the mech had taken time, but it was worth it.
He had spoken more in depth of Blake's word and the correlation of the nobels to the successor lords as they worked earlier. Then Corden made a realization. The handlers were like the clans. A human caste based eugenic abomination that glorified war. Corden as manei domini had been created as the ultimate sanction against them. To drive them from inner sphere, annihilate them from existance, and exterminate them at their home worlds forever. But that had not come to pass as the successor lords dissolved the second star league and choked the third transition from existance. If it would not happen naturally, they were to force it to happen by bringing blakes judgement to those that stood in its way. Cut off from that mission, Corden applied himself best he could.
"Hold on Deback, I am going engage the jump jets."
One hundred tons of metal flew into the air and Deback squeaked. As they came to the ground, Corden feathered the fall and kept on running.
"That was amazing!"
"You will get use to it. I prefer to have this maneuverability. It will serve us well when we go out to the towns."
"What, so soon?"
"Yes, we are at war. I will not sit idly by and let the nobels just sit. I want you to dismount when I come to stop." Corden slowed the mech to down and Deback dismounted.
Corden backed up the archangel a few steps and aimed at a boulder. He discharged both ER PPCs, lightning flashed, and the heat spiked in the cockpit. Nothing he couldn't handle. Then he engaged the lasers. Ground turned to smoke as foliage burned. Again heat spiked but way less. Finally he backed up some more, engaged the jump jets and aimed at another boulder. This time he fired everything. Heat spiked, warning lights came on, and reactor shut down sequences activated. Corden mentally over rode it with a thought and he controlled the descent of his mech. It crunched heavily with over heating sluggish leg myomers. They held and he did not fall. The heat was exasperating, but the blessed pain shunt helped him ignore the pain. Fifteen seconds later the heat had been fully disappated.
"Deback mount up, we go forth into the mountains to cleanse more from here..."
-----
In the darkness of space the wreckage of the jumpship received a HPG transmission. It would have alerted anyone if they could have heard it in the atmosphereless bridge. The computer recorded the transmission, logged it, and flagged it for errors. Then it relayed it to the dropship. Four minutes later the dropship received it and a light began to blink on the bridge. Aaron was there when it called for attention. The manuals he had gone over told him it was for a radio signal. Despite Corden's insturctions of not touching anything on the bridge, he felt he could operate this with no problems. He hit the play button....
-----
Three days into the mountain hunt, Deback noted some strange heat signatures, relaying them to Corden they both realized they were human. Corden made his way to them and when in better range zoomed in on them. A man was holding a monoscope up at Corden and he knew they both could see each other. From the way the man dressed, it was a guide. Corden saluted them with one of his arm barrels a few times till the man waved. Corden made his way over to them. They were definitely agitated with the metal machine coming up to them. WHen he made it close to them, he opened up his speakers.
"It is me Corden. I see the guides elected to send another expedition. I have been cleansing the valley and mountains of night haunts. It is completely safe to goto the dropship. Aaron awaits there."
"Thank you Corden, you had us worried, and what is that are you in?" As the guide pointed at the mech.
"It is a celestial mech. Archangel to be precise. Man riding in a machine as one. Now go, I will meet you there eventually, I have a few more passes to make."
By the time he got back to the dropship they had arrived. outside Aaron and the original party were swarming over one of the legs. Upon exiting his mech and stepping outside he learned very good news. The leg was repairable! It would take some fit and finish. Resources from the caves, but it would allow for the dropship to take off again! Maybe move it closer to Baltmare. But there was something else that demanded his attention. A transmition had been relayed from the jumpship. Hope filled Corden. As they ascended to the bridge and discussion ensued.
"I listened to the transmission Corden."
"You did what? You violated my trust by doing so by touching anything up there."
"Yes and no. You tell us what to do, but you need to let us explore. We have been transcibing manuals and texts over the centuries. Hell we have even created mock replicas of various pieces of technology. You have no idea what it is like to pretend to hit buttons and look at a wall that says nothing to replicate a small craft. Trust the guides Corden we are not idiots."
"Perhaps I have misjudged you. Deback I had taken a leap of faith with and has turned out to be a trust worthy adept. I apologize for my, misgivings. I should be a little more lax. It is just the Word of Blake has been controlling technology for a long time. We are a little skittish letting others who have not touched it in a long time to do so"
"Thank you, but you should know this transmission is not what you think it is, I will let you decide for yourself."
They stepped onto the bridge and Corden hit the replay button.
"This is Paladin Kendricke, Republic of the Sphere. Your transmission and may day has been received. Help is on the way for any survivors. Corden, manei domini, when we arrive you are to surrender yourself for judgement for any war crimes you have committed. The jihad is over and Terra is free of the Word of Blake. The Master is dead, Apollyon is dead, the Word is dead. You lost. Expect us in the coming weeks or month. Paladin Kendricke, out."
Paladin? Republic of Sphere? Corden had never heard any of those terms before. Terra had fallen again?! Did that mean? No, impossible. He had only just left a few months ago. The jihad could not have just ended just like that in that time. The logistis of such a thing would have been collosal and impossible. There was utter confusion going on at the time he left. Corden plugged in his VDNI into the console and examined the message more in depth. There were logged errors with the HPG transmission. The date was wrong. It was... fourty years later than what he expected. Then it hit Corden like a brick. The misjump, the sense of extended long minutes. Had the misjump locked him in hyperspace for decades? Spitting him into the future? He had heard of rumors of vessels found years later that never arrived at their destination. Their crews alive and chronometers off by a year or two. That would mean... had the third transfer have happened? He could only wait at this point.
"What does it mean Corden?"
"It means nothing at this time Aaron. It might mean the jihad was a success or it could be a deception. For now we proceed as planned. I leave for the towns tomorrow. I will clear the way of any night haunts and then judgement will be rendered."
Corden and Deback rested for the rest of the day. Come night time, Deback suited up and attached himself to the archangel. Corden brought his mauser 1200, extra power cells, and the memetic cloak. He placed them in his cockpit and then fired up his mech. Then he transmitted codes to Deback's Se'irim. His weapons armed.
"What is happening Corden. My weapons are now online."
"You are a natural in that armor Deback. I have seen how you have handled it in maneuvers and the limited time we have doing mock weapons fire. You now have the ultimate sanction and trust of me adept. From now on. No more limits. No more barriers. You have proven yourself to me. Now we go to end a war and bring judgement."
Then they proceeded into the night. Corden estimated that it would take them 5 hours to get to Baltmare at maximum speed.
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