Thirty-one
Castle Grayskull
Eternia
28 September 2017
A tech meeting was called late in the morning by Gabriel Burns to report on a breakthrough in how to deal with the upgraded Unit Six Sixty-six Shadowdemon. He did not give anything away as to the nature of the breakthrough, preferring to wait until the meeting to answer questions.
The Sorceress attended with Teela in tow after the pair had freshened up. Thanks to the small spell Sorceress used the night before, all evidence of the beating Teela had received at the claws of General Rattlor had all but faded away.
The pair stood off to one side in the command center while Gabe fussed about with the large vertical holo-displays. He and the Val-kyrie techs changed the subject of the three displays several times before finally setting up one of the best ones for his lecture. Sorceress silently observed the activity, wondering where Adrian was and why he was not here.
More people arrived. General Hammond was accompanied by King Randor, his wife and children, Colonel Markson, Captain Takamora, and Blain Robards, who headed the scientific research section of Guardian Command. Queen Silvara, Commander Harana, General Rongar, and Sagan attended virtually seated at the conference table. Their images were lined up on the far side facing the holo-displays.
Seeing everyone assembled, Gabe began the meeting.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Gabe began. He noticed Rongar barely stifling a yawn. Whatever the time was at his location, he might have been sleeping. "A revelation came to us in the night that may point the way to destroying Unit Six Sixty-six." He walked over to the three holographic images on display near the conference table.
The first display was the internal schematic of the upgrade Shadowdemon, showing just how terrifying the new machine was. Next, was the exterior image of the same machine. Both images were derived from the information Hawk stole from the computer of the underground base on Orellia. The third display showed the image of Guardian War Wing.
"What do you see when you look at the external displays of the Shadowdemon commander and War Wing?" Gabe asked the assembled group.
"A weapon of war?" Doctor Robards volunteered.
"Basic and to the point, but not what I'm looking for," Gabe said with a slight touch of condensation. It was no secret there was no love lost between the two. He pressed on before anyone else could offer an opinion. "This image of War Wing is indicative of their armor. Smooth, no seams, small profiles of the vulnerable joints."
Gabe moved over to the image of the rebuilt Unit Six Sixty-six. "Here we have a robot built on the same scale as a Guardian battlesuit, but it lacks the technology and armor of a Guardian. Note the chest armor plates. On the Shadowdemon we examined, the chest plates opened up like a flower. Six Sixty-six was constructed in the same manner."
"But the operators get in and out of the suits through armored panels. We've seen that often enough," Colonel Markson said.
"Correct," Gabe confirmed. "As I said before, Unit Six Sixty-six does not have the same technology installed in the six suits. While some of it is used in ways not originally intended. Like creating seams in the Etherium alloy to facilitate entry and exit. This is accomplished using the micro fabricating system each suit is equipped with."
"So, the Guardians are more advanced than this new Shadowdemon," Blain said, evenly. "So what?"
Clamping down on his irritation, Gabe said, "So that is the unit's weak point. The point where the four chest plates come together." He looked at the Sorceress, adding, "Your idea."
"So that's what he was talking about," Sorceress muttered.
"And how are we supposed to get close enough to punch through?" Blain scoffed. "Energy weapons simply bounce off them, as the young lady told us she saw during the attack on Palace Eternia," The doctor gestured in Teela's direction.
We? Colonel Markson thought. Don't recall seeing your ass going into harm's way.
"Doctor," Sorceress said, her voice quiet yet sounded like she was speaking right into your ear. "You were invited into my home so that you may take valuable information back to Earth to prepare for the coming fight. Do not abuse the privilege."
Staring into the woman's icy gaze, Blain swallowed whatever reply he might have made.
"So, what would it take to penetrate the armor?" General Hammond asked to move things along.
"Well, the explosive-tipped rounds from pulse rifles are most effective against the Servators. All they do is make shallow craters in a Shadowdemon. Aside from the new rocket launchers, it would take a 108mm depleted uranium sabot round to destroy a Shadowdemon," Gabe answered. "However, we don't have any M1 Abrams tanks available. A 30mm shell from a GAU-8 Autocannon. Jack and Nick's team managed to get the prototype gun pods for Gatling Arm ready for deployment. But the autocannon does not have the accuracy needed." Gabe looked pointedly at Blain.
"Yes. Um, we have tested pieces of armor sent to Earth for analysis. Chemical composition of the material is still weeks away at best. However, .50 caliber rounds do considerable damage if the shooter can hit the same spot repeatedly. That rules out machine guns. Only the Barret rifle chambered for that caliber will do the job. However, the shooter will also be required to use the experimental explosive-tipped round the armorers have created," Blain explained at length. "Maybe explosive-tipped rounds plus Gatling Arm's new gun pods will be enough."
The colonel turned to General Hammond. "I believe I know just the man for the job."
The Queen Mother spoke up. "Are you referring to the young man who gave a few of my snipers a run for their credits on the shooting range?"
"That very one."
"It all sounds plausible," Sagan added. "If you get the unit to cooperate."
"A tall order," General Rongar said. "We are dealing with a Shadowdemon that has evolved sentience and is augmented by the brain of our greatest general. His knowledge and experience give the AI a distinct edge."
"And yet War Wing got in a few good blows against it," Colonel Markson reminded Rongar. "Damaged it in a few locations."
"Yes, but what was the cost?" Rongar said. He knew several Guardians were out of action as a result of the battle on Orellia, but no specifics had been included in the report submitted to him.
Everyone who had intimate knowledge of the systems installed in the Guardian battlesuits knew they were not equipped with inertia dampers. It had been speculated that an intense close-quarters battle could cause injury to a suit's operator, not to mention damaging the suit's internal mechanisms.
"Speaking of Cobretti, where is he?" Doctor Robards demanded. "He gave you the idea about the armor and then disappears?"
Gabe let his irritation if the man show. "We traded tasks. He gave me the idea about the potential weak point, and I gave him our progress on refining Wing's plasma rifle's discharge. As you are aware, War Wing's rifle is designed to fire a wide beam of energy. Blitzkrieg's rifles are designed for pinpoint firing. Narrowing War Wing's rifle blast will focus the incredible energy of it blast and make it easier to erode a Shadowdemon's refractive coating and destroy it. Last I saw Cobretti, he climbed inside the suit so he and the AI could simulate different focusing lenses for the rifle. Something the suit can do better than I with the equipment I have currently at hand."
There was no mistaking the admonishment in Gabe's tone. Despite Blain being the overall head of the Scientific Research division, it was the people assigned to the division that made it effective. Nick and Gabe recruited people who were not only book smart, but also who had street smarts, as it were, in thinking beyond what the schooling taught. Blain was mired in the bureaucracy's need to produce results. He got out of pure science as he moved up the ladder into supervisory positions. Rumor had it Blain had not been a good scientist to begin with. His skills as a supervisor, and leader of the people, left a lot to be desired, as well.
"Doctor," Sorceress warned, her voice icy. Blue eyes like chips of ice drilled into Blain.
"So, what's our plan here," Commander Harana asked, diverting attention before something bad happened to Doctor Robards.
"Well, if the ghost of General Alton can convince Unit Six Sixty-six to make a strike against Castle Grayskull, we will know where to defend," General Hammond said. "However, we have no way of knowing if the enemy is gathering, or in what direction its forces will go."
"We are not completely in the dark on that," Harana said. "After plotting every attack we know about to date, we have been able to extrapolate a possible rally point the enemy is using. It is one of three areas my people have been able to discover with reasonable certainty. All three are located in empty space far away from the known travel routes. At present, the sensor net is picking up indications of vessels gathering at one of those points." The commander checked the data pad in her hand. "It would appear that whatever plan General Alton put into action is working."
The holographic emitter in the center of the conference table flickered to life. An unremarkable section of space resolved in the holographic field. A densely packed collection of white dots appeared a little off-center with more streaking in at random intervals.
It certainly looked like a rally point. The location was within half a solar day's flight of Eternia, Etheria, and a dozen other systems. Including Earth.
No one would know where those ships would strike until they started leaving. Even then, the Val-kyrie sensor net could only project possible courses from that location due to it being outside normal space lanes and trade routes.
All they could really do was watch and wait for the ships to move out. And hope they headed where they wanted them to go.
"The Third Fleet is in position," Rongar reported. "Admiral Conlin reports he has a few stragglers that will make his position in less than a day."
"I have six battlestars in final preparation now," Silvara said. "All are armed with capital missiles."
Sagan whistled appreciatively.
"You haven't used those in almost a hundred years," Rongar said. "You really think those are necessary?"
The Queen Mother and Commander Harana exchanged hesitant looks. "Based on probably figures of the capabilities of Unit Six Sixty-six's real capital ships," Silvara answered, "six battlestars armed with two dozen capital missiles apiece may not be enough."
Sagan choked, " Not enough? Two of those monsters can blow a dreadnaught in half. You really think those are necessary?"
"Unfortunately, our models on probable power levels of a modified mark V battlestar indicate one vessel may be a match for the mark XX," Harana explained. "Hopefully, the additional power sources used in the battlecruisers have an upper limit in a mark V hull. The only way to do it is by taking out the spaces normally used for an organic crew and replace them with the addition fusion cores."
"What kind of timeframe are we looking at?" General Hammond inquired.
"I would get assets into place as soon as possible," the Queen Mother advised. "Once this fleet starts moving, we will have a matter of hours to prepare for battle. Defiant is already on er way to the edge of the Eternian system. Commander Mundu will take up position on a relatively straight line to this rally point. Hopefully, we can catch them with her in front of them and Fontaine's task force behind. There is another asset to bring to the fight, but I'm not sure the message was received in time."
"What sort of asset?" Rongar asked, not really expecting an answer.
"I would rather not say. If it shows up, you will know," Silvara answered.
Once Eternia arrived from Earth Charlie Platoon, all the ordinance they would need could be unloaded and set up inside and outside the castle. Additions to the strike team being assembled aboard the Defiant would also arrive. Commander Mundu had indicated needing about a dozen people to fill out the four assault ships being readied to board Unit Six Sixty-six's flagship. At best, Colonel Markson had ten people. It would have to be enough.
King Randor said he would travel south to drum up support from his friend, Chief Carnivous. While the Qaedians would not have the firepower to take on Shadowdemons, they might be able to handle the force of Servators accompanying the demons. Carnivous would not send his people blindly into a meat grinder, but they did know the southern section of the Evergreen Forest. If anyone could mount an offensive in the forest, the Qaedians could do it.
Colonel Markson had ideas for setting up remote sentries outside the castle. The only unknown factor was from what direction the Shadowdemon force would attack. If Unit Six Sixty-six used the tactics of General Alton, it was likely the demons would not approach from the east and west like the first time. The Sorceress could annihilate them with the energy projectors. That left the forest approach.
Shadowdemons could not move stealthily through the forest. They were a blunt tool. Hit the enemy hard and repeatedly with demons until the target was destroyed. Effective, in a crude sort of way.
No doubt Chief Carnivus and his people would know of traps that could delay the enemy machines. Trouble was, was there enough time for King Randor to get to the Qaedian village and return with a force of warriors to set those traps.
The numbers were starting to fall. Only time would tell how much was left before all hell broke loose in the Eternian system.
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