Codename: Freedom - Book 5 - Chapter 2

“Open our eyes, Big Sis,” I called as the countdown timer reached zero.

Mel’s men were lined up at the mouth of the tunnel beside Harrison’s cuddle-bots that were now armed with mounted mini-rails. They were exactly what they sounded like. Electromagnetic rail-gun tech was mixed with old minigun tech to create the bullet-breathing dragons of the heavy weapon, highly mobile, small-armored unit segment. His snipers, psionic riflemen, and the stealth unit were lined up as well.

The metal gate blocking the tunnel groaned as it began rolling up from the floor. The feet of our simulated Ekseliksi opponents were right there waiting for us. There were hundreds of them.

Destiny appeared above her master drone as a mature young woman in a military standard ballistic suit with her hands wrapped behind her back. Her blond hair was back in a tight braid, mimicking Victoria’s. Her micro-drones swarmed forward with a motion of her hand, diving in under the gate as they spread wide. As soon as they were all safely inside, she confirmed through the leadership channel. “Set.”

Before the gate had even risen high enough to reach out enemy’s waist, Victoria gave the command, “Open fire.”

Rail-rifles, psi-rifles, and psionic casters unleashed on the unexpecting enemy. It took a second for the mini-rails to spin up, but once they did, ten trails of steel lasered into the psionically shielded enemy. There were specially ceramic rounds that were more effective against such shields by being less affected by it and penetrated deeper, but much of the enemy’s front line had rank E shielding. This level of psionics was potent enough to make up for most of its natural weaknesses.

So what if their Apotho, psionic shields, could block steel rounds. Soldiers still had to deal with the sheer kinetic force behind the thousands and tens of thousands of rounds traveling at hypersonic speeds. E-Fields and Pshields had revolutionized the battlefield, making normal footsoldiers difficult to kill, but that didn’t mean they were invincible. Shielded ragdolls were still ragdolls. The fighting force aligned against us at this first stage of the event was leveled before we could even see their faces.

There was moment. Several had survived. Beyond psionics, physical enhancements were now a part of the simulated Ekseliksi soldiers’ toolkit.

Everyone ceased firing while the mini-rails kept at it. The tunnel’s terrain was designed to be impossible for vehicles, even mechs. If we wanted to put forth the effort, we could try to brute force our way through the terrain to utilize the cuddle-bots. They were one of the most mobile small-armored mechs, but it would slow us down as much as it would help.

The mini-rails were locked into a strict firing pattern. Instead of moving, the cuddle-bots took aim into the depths of the tunnel at the next group of the enemy. They were hunkered down behind low-lying rock outcroppings. Destiny had gained enough details to inform us that there was a company of one hundred waiting. As natural as the rock formations looked, it was obvious the Devs were just doing their job and making this a challenge.

Mel’s men led the charge to either side of the tunnel. It seemed to vary in width between fifty and one hundred meters. He led from the front on the leftmost side, while Jerrek and Isamu was at the head of the right. Our rank E casters bombarded any of the surviving Ekseliksi soldiers. They were pinned down with the bullet storm raging overhead. It wasn’t long before they moved on.

The range of the cuddle-bot mounted mini-rails was impressive, but it wouldn’t be long until they’d have to retire so that we could march in force.

“You ready?” I sent a private message to Barrell.

Glancing in his direction, I watched as he inclined his head but didn’t look in my direction. His medium brown complexion had darkened in the last six months thanks to much of our military training being outside. He looked maturer. Fiercer. He’d always been built like a runner with longer legs than torso, but his frame had filled out. He had wide shoulders and massive thighs.

Barrell

Rank: Captain

Atk: D+

Phys: D+

Psi: E

Tech: E

Def: D+

Phys: D

Psi: E?

Tech: E

“I’m just happy to get to do something in this one. It’s like the old timers say, ‘Life doesn’t start until psionic rank E.’”

“What old timers are you talking about? Psionics were new to us the last time I looked. Are you secretly Ekseliksi?” Was I uncomfortable calling him out for something I was personally guilty of? It didn’t sit right, but it was the life I had chosen.

“Blah. It just sounds like something a former special operator would say while reminiscing about the old days.”

“If you say so. Do you often visualize yourself as an old man and go around quoting yourself.”

“Ouch. Someone’s grouchy. Let this old man give you some advice. When facing the wraith of Prodos’s Warrior Queen, grovel. Beg. Do whatever it takes to make the rest of our lives easier. It would also be pretty funny to see you acting like a subservient man-child.”

“I’m sure it would.” Taking another glance, I saw Barrell looking at me with a grin so wide it was blinding.

“Okay, you can put those teeth away.”

Of course, he did just the opposite.

“So you’re ready?” I asked.

“If I want some real stories to tell when I get older, I better be. Let’s do this.”

The second company of Ekseliksi were taken out quickly with help from the mini-rails. The shape of the tunnel made their further use impractical. They spun down.

I took off at a jog before the order was given. Kline, the Left Hand, had the same idea. I saw him at the head of his column of men. He’d let his beard grow until it was getting gangly. I just made him look even wilder. The idea was to travel as far as possible into the tunnel while sticking to the walls as far as we could to keep our men a smaller target and launch our assault from less direct angles. Only when the enemy’s retaliation became too much would we take the center of the tunnel and form up.

We were in a much better position this time to compete with the other battalions. It was incredible what a matter of three months could mean. If we competed in the first quarterly event now, I was sure we would end up in the top three and even be able to compete for first place. That was the difference between five hundred rank E psionic users and five.

This event wasn’t just about who could make it to the end with the most men alive, however. It was about speed. Despite Vanguard’s first two participants unlocking D rank psionics, I was sure our pace at clearing the beginning stage was as fast as any of the others. It was the transition to the next push that concerned me.

Major Jeff Wright and his men from Lethal Accord were still a force to be reckoned with. There was no guarantee we could kill the enemy and push our way through the tunnel at the same speed they could. Then there were two battalions with Krato level psionic users. It was a completely new concept to most, but my training with Aeneus Raptis was still ongoing. If it were a race between me and him, there was no way I could win.

That didn’t take things far enough. If he had to face the same tunnels alone, I was convinced he would beat all the battalions combined.

I knew that these knew rank Ds were not him, a Krato that had earned his rank. But their potential dwarfed ours. At least, it seemed that way.

Before we reached the third company of Ekseliksi soldiers who’d conveniently found defensive positions in the tunnel’s terrain, my vision lit up with phantom outlines of all the enemies in the area. Destiny had finished her scan. Enemy beacon was active.

My face lit up, but that wasn’t all.

“Shortest route found,” Destiny announced to the leadership channel. Glowing arrows appeared on the ceiling through our augmented headsets.

“Right hand,” I said, making an announcement to the companies under my leadership. “Let’s go.”

“Lucius, what are you doing?” Victoria demanded through the command channel.

“Winning. I need you to trust me, Colonel.”

“You promised me.”

“And I’m fulfilling my promise. If we don’t win this event, Vanguard is over for us. So let’s win.”

My rarely used SizzleTech E-Field buzzed into life with the whole of Barrell and Mel’s companies. There were three hundred of us in total. The energy shields made psionic abilities impractical even when they weren’t turned on because of the bangle’s placement and how the metal reacted with psionic energy. That was why Mel’s casters were carrying psi-rifles. It focused the energy, getting past the interference. However, there was one psionic ability that remained completely unaffected. The one most people got when they first unlocked psionics. Trusty old Fotia. In other words, psionic strength.

Mel’s men were lining both sides of the tunnel closest to the enemy. They charged the closest Ekseliksi, battering them with E-Field covered fists. With their psionic strength backing them, they were shrugging off most damage while turning the battle into a brawl.

I hadn’t warned Kline of what I was planning, but he didn’t need me to. As soon as he saw up make a move, he charged to the center of the enemy’s defensive formation to run interference.

A moment later, Victoria commanded Prodos’s Left Hand to do what was already his aim. It was a cheap way of excusing Kline’s actions and exasperating my own.

So like a bunch of psionically strengthened brutes in energy armor, Barrell and I shot past Mel and his men without any intention of stopping. The Combat Development Team I’d put together hadn’t only been experimenting with the many uses of psionics. This was one of our many discoveries. Harrison was responsible. We were basically energy tanks that could make full use of the speed psionic strengthening could grant us. It made racing through the enemy line a breeze as if there were a race to win.

As soon as we made the line, Mel’s men disengaged and joined us. With enemy beacon active, three hundred of us rushed forward, following Destiny’s directions.

Barrell was running at my side, but soon Mel joined us from the left flank. His rank E psionics had surpassed my own.

Psionic Status

Psionic Level: Rank E

Psionic Energy: 1.67 million (Units)

Psionic Power: 356 (Maximum energy use per second)

Psionic Recovery Rate: 10.6 (Units of Psionic Energy recovered per second)

Mel’s Psionic power was now over 360. Barrel was still in the 320s, but we were all still making consistent progress.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone I didn’t expect. Isamu joined us on the right flank. Jerrek with his blue mohawk atop his ballistic helmet was with him.

I had a thought. We were a bunch of idiots that had no business being here, yet here we were. I remembered our early days training under Achilles. Except for Jerrek, we’d all been there. It was like one of those early runs that we just couldn’t help but turn into a competition.

After everything we’d been through, I knew it wasn’t a fair assessment. Those young men from a year and a half ago no longer existed. We’d been through far too much. And so, against all odds, we approached the next company of Ekseliksi we every intention of running right over them.