On the road again with the convoy behind me.

Turns out we didn't need to switch out cargo bots. There was a nearby train station and we were able to just dump everything into a bin. Just to further demonstrate how utterly insignificant the taxes we collected were, a train stopped briefly and collected everything in one of its huge cargo cars. Everything the humans spent so much time and effort gathering merely amounted to the cargo space of a single car in a freight train of truly megalithic scale.

'It doesn't matter how pointless it all is, it is my task to do.' I reminded myself firmly.

At this point I was just treading old ground again. Robotnik doing pointless things for the sake of cruelty and control. Me being helpless to really do anything other than what I'm told and it being utterly my fault I was here in the first place. It was something I had to accept was my fate, had to accept I could do nothing about it without risking death and yet…

'It's difficult to accept even now that this is just going to be my life going forward.' Musing glumly I leaned back and let Lady handle the driving. 'Robotnik's first flesh and blood enforcer. Sure he's only got me doing minor jobs now but later… Robotnik has always been at least fairly successful in his schemes initially before Sonic gets a handle on it all. Which means I'll be handling conquered populations and assaulting minor military holdouts. And speaking of Sonic…'

The idea I'd have to basically enslave other people and maybe kill some to make examples was gut churning enough, not even getting into the fact I knew I was spineless enough to do it just to save my own hide. But eventually I'd have to face Sonic, the Blue Blur himself, hell, Tails, his kid sidekick would still be pretty damn bad news for me. That hedgehog was faster than supersonic jets and could turn on a dime on top of that. He could throw himself at robots covered in armor plate and the bot would be the one that lost. What did I, a regular mobian even covered and equipped with Robotnik grade equipment as I was, could hope to accomplish against him?

'Bruise his knuckles maybe? Cause him to trip and fall by bleeding all over the floor?'

Wish I had someone else here to share my cynical levity with. It might have made the inevitable mach speed pummeling less anxiety inducing to think about. Sure we would have been still miserable but at least we would have been miserable together. We could probably commiserate over shattered bones and pulped flesh. These badniks have a certain level of personality, sure. But the lack of ability to speak makes them lackluster company.

'... I wish Alfa was here.' A rather unexpected thought popped into being. Pondering it more, the thought made sense. We had started to genuinely get along near the end there. At least that's what I felt was going on. Alfa had stopped taunting me, well stopped maliciously taunting me anyway, and had gone out of his way to help make my job easier. And there was no avoiding the fact the little monkey bot had saved my life.

'I… regret not being able to take him with me?' It was a surprising realization.

Alfa was a machine and not even the full release version of one, he was a prototype that Robotnik found amusing to keep around. Yet somehow not being the end result of a development cycle made the little monkey bot special. He didn't have the full functionality that the other coconuts had and yet here he still was, a veteran machine that survived encounters with Sonic and GUN. Even failing that he still managed to get fixed up enough to never get scrapped in the end. He-

'Wait, IT not HE.' Correcting myself I shook my head and returned my attention to the road.

This time the road was paved though it was also a bit of a struggle to fit the cargo killers on. My expectations of Settlement M1993 were proving to be spot on. Taking up every spare bit of space in sight were vast fields of farms. It was not an unfamiliar sight to me as my own home village did a lot of farming. Traditional mobian communities did a lot of foraging but winter was always around the corner and there was only so much you could hunt, fish and gather in winter months. It paid to be prepared and well stocked with pemmican and dried meats.

'Hmm… they're farming multiple things.' All around me were wheat fields but in the distance I could make out the change of coloration in distant fields. 'Makes sense, you can harvest millet twice in a year compared to wheat. Millet bread isn't as tasty as wheat bread but food is food.'

It was a good thing to see such vast fields, this community was obviously going to only be able to offer me food as their taxes. No matter what it was always going to be a percentage of what they had and not a set amount. The sight gave me hope that what I would have to do would simply be a painful blow, not a lethal one. Still though the fact I would be shaking down fellow mobians… a ball of dread and ice was growing in my chest.

It was going to be a struggle to make this look genuine…

As we neared the settlement it was increasingly clear that this was a place forcefully established by Robotnik. The entire settlement was made up of prefabricated homes in double lines forming a square with one sole structure that stood out. Sitting at the front of the community was obviously a town center of sorts though it was little more than two sets of prefabs welded together.

Movement drew my attention back to the fields and I began to notice mobians running through them back to the town though I also saw a few faces staring out from between the stalks as we drove past. Imagined accusatory expressions filled my mind and I avoided looking at anyone. There was little doubt the expressions would be imaginary for much longer and already I felt guilt settle in my heart like a heavy stone.

'I'm sorry.'

I allowed myself this brief moment of weakness for soon I wouldn't be able to afford it for both myself and for others.

Like in the mine the people had noticed our presence and a panicked energy seemed to fill the town. What upset me however was the smaller shapes amongst the adults, unlike the mine this was a settlement and children were present. It was a relief to see them rushing to their homes to disappear inside. I wasn't sure if I could have maintained the immovable enforcer act in the face of children but I'd have no choice but to try.

Fellow mobians began to gather before the town center reminding further of the humans in the mine but with one clear difference…

'Where are their taxes?'

Narrowing my eyes I scanned the area as the cargokillers slowed to a stop just outside the settlement but the rest of my escort followed me in. Flying badniks filled the skies as they took up positions over the settlement, a score of motobugs charged before me and came to a screeching halt before the waiting crowd. As Lady eased to a halt some distance away from the crowd I came to a frightening realization.

'Are they unable to pay their taxes?!' Already my heart began to pound at the thought. 'But there are so many crops growing out there! Why wouldn't they have anything gathered and ready!?'

Slowly I dismounted Lady as I considered the implications of this. While the taxes were percentage based they also had a threshold for how small that percentage was. Circumstances caused people to have so little income that Robotnik was effectively owed a pocketful of material? Didn't matter, the threshold meant there had to be a certain amount taken as dues. If they didn't have spare crops on hand to give up as taxes they had to make up the shortfall with anything of value they had on hand. Failing even that, I had to find a way to get Robotnik's dues by any means possible. If even that failed? Then I had no choice but to punish the settlement, every man, woman and child no matter how good a reason for the shortfall was.

Walking towards the crowd I kept my pace slow and gave another scan of my surroundings. There was still nothing, no pallets of gathered foodstuffs ready for shipment, nothing at all. Thinking that perhaps they simply had it all stowed away and out of sight I looked to the crowd and immediately regretted it. The near omnipresent fearful expressions on the gathered mobians told me that there was no taxes. Other expressions were ones of disbelief and betrayal, the very things I had feared to see.

It was a good thing that my goggles were polarized as I had little doubt my eyes were utterly failing to hide the dismay I was feeling right now. As it was, trying to keep myself from openly frowning was an exercise in futility so I didn't bother. Not wanting to make things worse for myself I kept my eyes locked firmly on the sole person that didn't look upset.

She was some kind of dog mobian breed, maybe a coyote? She was cyan furred with white shoulder length hair and gray eyes. She wore no clothes save for gloves, socks and shoes and none of which were without signs of repeated patching and repair. She was also rather dirty, dried muck covered her form but especially around her hands. She did not look fearful at all. Her hands were clenched tightly into fists and she stared towards me with steely determination.

I came to a stop a few feet away from her and struggled to find my voice. My heart dropped like a stone as I stood there like an idiot and blankly stared at this brave mobian woman. It was only when another mobian woman in the crowd loudly burst into tears, rapidly hushed by a man holding her that I finally stopped making a fool of myself.

"Where… are your… taxes?" I forced out despite feeling like I came down with lock jaw.

It was also completely not what I intended to say, I wanted to introduce myself and try to maybe ease the mood with easy going charm. I must look like an utter idiot who can barely talk. The only thing I had going for me was the implied death threat from all the badniks with me, not that it was an advantage to be proud of!

"Sir, I am Wylla Coyote." The woman introduced herself. "There are issues with Eggman's taxes we need to seriously discuss. Please follow me inside."

Silently I followed Wylla, suppressing the urge to swallow as I did so. Hoping against hope that there was some easy to handle or even irritating but surmountable reason for why their taxes weren't gathered. A smaller octus scuttled in after me as I entered the building and I frowned as I realized that not even Saffron was small enough to get inside this building without smashing through a wall. That was an oversight as while any of my badniks could batter down these walls there may be a situation where they can't, or can't do so without hurting me. It had me wishing Alfa hadn't been left behind, I could just have it given any upgrades it wanted. Just getting a new badnik in Alfa's size was a perfectly suitable option but it wouldn't have Alfa's sheer experience.

The town hall interior was little more than a wide open shared office space empty of anyone aside from Wylla and I. While the material and make of the structure itself was new and sturdy enough the same couldn't be said of the furnishing. The various blinds either were missing blades or had them bent. The furniture was old and worn, repaired multiple times with scrap or local bits of hand carved wood. The desks were covered in stains seemingly so old they were embedded into the material. There was only one computer, every other desk was covered with papers and folders.

Standing in the center of the room I watched Wylla walk to every window, doing her best to close each blind that eventually cast the interior in a yellowish shade. At the final window she seemed to slump and sigh before straightening up and walking over to the sole desk with the computer. It sat in a somewhat isolated corner of the room with two chairs, one behind and one in front. I walked over to the desk myself but did not sit, I felt way too full of agitation to relax at all.

Wylla sat at what must be her desk and turned her computer on, the device releasing clicking noises along the stutter of a fan hitting a stray wire repeatedly before building up speed. She gave another sigh and turned to me, content to let her computer warm up and eventually finish turning on.

"Sir… may I ask your name? You never gave it." Wylla asked politely.

"I am Reginald." I stated simply.

"Is there… how may I refer to you, sir?"

"I am Doctor Robotnik's Underboss, sir is fine." I answered while trying to remain patient but ultimately failed. "Where are you taxes, Wylla Coyote?"

Wylla took another breath and glanced at her computer to see that it still was turning on.

"I can only begin to explain the situation, sir." She replied. "Without the stored data-"

"Then begin, Wylla." I really wanted to rip the bandaid off this immediately, the sooner I did this the sooner I could get myself out of whatever fresh nightmare I found myself mixed up in.

"Doctor Eggman had relocated us just before spring began." Wylla began in a calm tone, absent of any implied critique. "The fields you see around us were not fields when we first arrived. It was all forest yet we would have no choice but to turn it all into farms. We have done this with great effort and managed to plant enough food to get us through next winter."

"But you have nothing for me now?" It was clear where this was going the more she talked.

"Yes, sir." Wylla nodded. "We've foraged and hunted to just keep us alive and working but we've yet to get a full harvest of anything."

"What went wrong?"

"Sir?"

"Correction, what have you done wrong?"

Walking over to a window I bend down a blade of the blinds to gaze out over the fields. Carefully looking over the nearby wheat field I study them for a moment. Based on their appearance they were roughly two and half months along. While we were decently northward and would have a shorter growing season if there was one thing any mobian community never rarely lacked in it was crop variety.

"Are you growing only wheat?" It was a struggle to keep my voice even, the sheer indignation I felt at this community only growing one type of crop was intense. Especially a single harvest crop this far north.

"Our seed stores had gotten broken into and fouled by birds." Wylla explained with a long suffering expression. "We only had two kinds of seeds left in any practicable amount. What little other seeds we were able to save will have to be grown for several years before we have enough for full fields again."

"What was the other type and why aren't you growing it?"

"We are growing it, it's just that it isn't something we can eat."

Still staring out the window I looked over the fields and saw a field of said other crop close enough just to make out some details. When I realized what exactly I was staring at it practically begged belief.

"You're wasting field space on smokeleaf?"

Technically designated a medical plant for export reasons, it didn't take a genius to figure out what it mostly would be used for. Alongside that smokeleaf came in an immense amount of varieties as different breeds were created over the ages based on growth time or climate restrictions. Each kind apparently has a different flavor and potency if rumor was correct. I couldn't attest myself as I only tried smoking once in the past and currently was out of the human brand I had looted.

"Why?!" I couldn't hold in the growl this time. So far the situation was just looking utterly fucked and I would be doomed to react in an extreme manner!

"We have more than enough wheat to get through the winter months and then some." Wylla said in a resigned tone, her voice this time accompanied by the sounds of keyboard tapping. "It's just that none of it is finished growing. We had space to spare and anxious hands looking for work. I was convinced that it was a good idea."

"That doesn't change the fact that you are now short on your dues to the Doctor." I stated gravely. "Unless you have enough spare food on hand to fill in for the shortfall I will have to take measures in response."

"I… understand." Wylla's voice this time was strained and I heard her rise out of her chair. "But I also understand that you aren't a machine. I believe… we can come to an arrangement."

"An arrangement?" I scoffed and turned towards her. "You do not understand what yo-..."

I found my voice dying off as I stared and tried to make sense of what I was looking at. Wylla was standing in front of her desk now, leaning back against it with eyes half lidded. Still confused I was only realizing just what exactly was going on when she raised her hands and slowly began to tug on the fingers of her gloves.

Eyes firmly locked on the slowly removed glove I just barely caught sight of a smile though I sure as hell didn't know what she was happy about. In utter mortified fascination I watched as silky blue fur was slowly exposed. It was only when her fingers were starting to show that my mind suddenly woke up from the shock.

'No, no, no, no, get out of here!'

Spinning on my heel I immediately made for the door. My cheeks felt flushed, utterly burning from the mortifying experience causing me to grit my teeth in response. I heard the slap of shoes on the floor and felt a weight impact my back.

"Wait!"

Looking over my shoulder I was met with Wylla's tearing expression. Much more concerningly she had yet to put her glove back on and her BARE SPIRITS DAMNED HAND WAS TOUCHING MY BACK! Something like a phantom burning sensation settled on my skin where her hand was despite the fact there was armor plate in the way. It took everything to not just immediately slap her hand away, instead I settled for the far more measured response of firmly grasping her wrist and forcing away the offending limb.

"Please just let me explain!"

'Do so without touching me, woman!'

A high pitched whining noise emitted from just beside me and I glanced over to see that the octus had primed it's snout to fire an energy bolt. Motioning it to stand down with one hand I turned around to face Wylla fully.

"Then do so without further attempting to bribe me." I bit out tensely doing my best to keep my gaze locked on her face.

"Yes… okay." Wylla said quickly before pulling her glove back on to my silent relief. "We may have enough spare food in everyone's pantries to pay our taxes but it would be famine and starvation! We can only range so far out for foraging and hunting before it's considered an attempted abandonment of our assigned settlement! As it is we've practically stripped the land with what we've already gathered! Please understand, Underboss! We can't survive winter on bread alone! We'll all die of scurvy before the new year, let alone spring!"

She wasn't wrong, if all the settlement had to persist on was wheat come winter they'd all be dead by spring, if they didn't get desperate and start eating one another that is. This was putting me in an incredibly awkward situation, er more so after what just happened anyway. I wanted to help, the idea of taking everything these people had and leaving them to starve because it was Robotnik's dues was wrong. But to do them a favor, defy Robotnik and undercut him would just mean my death and him sending someone else down here to make these people pay for their "insolence" in pain and lives.

To not help would be wrong, to help would be suicide.

And yet…

'I'll be leaving children here to starve if I don't do something.'

"My job is to retrieve what Doctor Robotnik is owed as his dues." I stated firmly to a quickly despairing Wylla. "You seem to have nothing of value in this settlement save that which keeps you all alive."

"Underboss, I'll-" Wylla looked on the verge of begging, her hands clasped beseechingly towards me.

"Tell me about the smokeleaf." I quickly interrupted. "Is it finished growing?"

"Uh… yes, for at least a week now." The coyote blinked at me in confusion. "But why? We can't eat it, it isn't of value to us."

"Clearly you are wrong!" I pointed sharply in her face. "It's of value enough that despite the pointlessness of it people here convinced you to grow it anyway, to grow whole fields of it! And I will be taking ALL OF IT!"

Turning on my heel I made sure not to ruin the play I was putting on by glancing at the badnik. Robotnik was watching, maybe not currently but he would be eventually checking on my work. Maybe if I implied that there were hidden alternative reasons for growing the smokeleaf he'd agree with me taking it instead of the food.

Stepping outside I was met with the sight of the crowd still mostly gathered together, fearful anxiety suffusing the air as they waited to see if I'd be taking all their food. I gave a sharp whistle and waved Lady over, the badnik immediately speeding over and kicking up mud and dirt as it did so. Climbing into my seat I called out loudly.

"DEPLOY THE BADNIKS!" I bellowed with a wave. "WE'RE HARVESTING THE CROPS OURSELVES!"

Hiding a wince from the cries of dismay from the crowd at my words I drove Lady out of the settlement. I probably should have worded that differently as they likely thought I was grabbing the as of yet ripened wheat. From above the badnik horde deployed from the dropships and swarmed the settlement briefly before quickly marching out into the fields.

Bringing Lady to a stop just out of the settlement at the edge of a field I watched the badniks swarm out and through the wheat fields. Realizing I probably should have also ordered them not to crush any of the still growing crop I made to do so only to realize that the bots were making their ways between the furrows. Bit of a surprise though a welcome one, I had thought anything made by Robotnik would take any chance to crush and destroy.

Suddenly there was a rush of birds flying out from a specific spot in the field, seemingly startled by the badniks. Frowning, I stood up and leaned forward to get a closer look.

'Were those mobians in the field there?'

"Thank you for this!"

Startled out of my thoughts I looked to the side to see Wylla standing just off to the side of Lady. A thankful expression emblazoned on her face as she held hands clasped together towards me.

'Dammit woman, stop making it sound like I'm doing you a favor!'

The only way this was going to work is if Robotnik thought something was up and I was just doing my duty as his crony to disrupt it. If he thought I was trying to be clever and do my fellow mobians a favor I'd not only be up shit creek without a paddle I'd be without the boat as well. That wasn't even getting into the whole situation where I was offered a… bribe, yes let's call it a bribe that's nice and sanitary. If he thought I was susceptible to bribes and other forms of corruption, how would he take it? Not well to be most likely. Especially since he might be of the belief I was here out of genuine loyalty, no reason to undermine that or give him any further reason to be suspicious.

"The will of Doctor Robotnik is my duty!" I replied firmly. "And part of that duty is preemptively disrupting suspicious activity and I have much to be suspicious about! 'Anxious hands looking for work' indeed!"

"Of course sir, I'll work harder on keeping a tighter ship." Wylla said with a quite clearly unconvinced smile.

I had an urge to draw a gun on her or perhaps whip Lady around and rev its engines threateningly at her. But there was such a thing as trying too hard so I simply scowled and stared back over the fields. The mobians I had spotted earlier hadn't run back to the settlement, instead running further out towards the distant tree line. Were they running away? If so I'd let them, there was all the chance in the world that this act wouldn't work in the end. After dealing with me the badniks would be back to collect the Doctor's dues in blood.

'Well here's hoping that won't be the case…'

Many hours later I was on a paved road.

It was dark now, the collective eye lights from the badnik convoy lit up the night. The cargokillers were partially laden down with the crop of freshly harvested smokeleaf. There hadn't been a convenient train stop to unload them this time but that didn't matter, the next stop on the list had its own train station and I could unload there.

In fact, said stop should be just over the next rise.

Metropolis, one of the furthest northern cities in North Arcadia. Once a proud and advanced UZA city but now a languishing holding of the Eggman Empire. Its shining state is only really maintained by its oppressive garrison of badniks.

Also known for having a name as creative as our planet's one.

But what really drew the eye was the section of the city that lit up the night even compared to the city itself. My ears were just able to pick up the carnival music just over the wind as I stared at the distant sight of an amusement park the size of a city block with rides to rival skyscrapers.

'Well time to tax more humans.'

With that thought I ramped up the throttle and sped towards the city.

-TBC-

Author Note: One bout of food poisoning and reading marathon later and I am back.

Ladies and gentlemen I am proud to say I have finally finished reading Archie Sonic and I couldn't be more mournful of the fact there will never be another issue. I even find myself missing the Pender era insanity. If only I could marval again at a whole city of super-advanced-do-nothings once more…

And Green Knuckles! Who could forget the spectacle that was Green Knuckles, the microwaved wonder baby messiah of the world!

Anyway! Near the end of the comic I finally came across names for the continents which are quite obviously different from my own. I was tempted to go back and soft retcon everything but decided that the different names were my own little stamp to show that this version of the world of Sonic the Hedgehog is different in its own ways. You know, beyond the fact that Eggman has a mobian minion tagging along now that isn't a merc or ally of chance and convenience.

This is oddly freeing as I can move forward without worrying about getting the details exactly right. I still want to do right by people looking for references but I can happily fiddle with things too.

I have started reading IDW Sonic and all I can say is, WOW! What a strong first arc! The metal virus was an amazing story arc and mixed in were two new favorites I've grown to adore, Tangle & Whisper.

Hopefully this time I can get the next chapter out a bit quicker. I'll admit some things in this chapter were giving me trouble to put them to 'paper' so to speak.