Neanderthals.
That was not Adam's word for the day, but it was enough to cause him and his entire crew to stare at their current predicament with deep frowns and questioning looks.
He alone had a thousand questions, and even more so Professor Hendrick, who was immediately called to study this particular specimen.
Homo Neanderthalensis, the closest relative to our own Homo Sapiens, members of the Homo Genus.
If what they were seeing was true, this individual Neanderthal that they had captured and locked in a glass cage was watching them with the same intensity they watched him with, and the fact that he could take on Dire Wolves barehanded gave a terrifying premonition that this was no simple meeting between two related races.
Time Travel? Otherworldly Humans? Some sort of Rune Power going wrong?
Adam desired to know sooner rather than later, but all communication attempts were rudimentary and focused on basic needs. If the Neanderthal wanted food, they would provide it. Verbal communication proved ineffective, and attempts at it invariably ended with him becoming frustrated and lashing out in rage, only to be immediately subdued by taser bolts.
The Neanderthal learned later to reign in the anger, but something wasn't right about this whole thing from the start, and so Adam had to conduct a thorough backtracking for the last few days.
✧ ✧ The Last Few Days ✧ ✧
This day was no simple day; it was the day Adam finally took out his biggest miniatures for summoning.
Since the day Captain Creed brought him so many miniatures, Adam had painted many of them to perfection, but he still faced problems with logistics, specifically food and energy production.
However, after the activation of the Holy Furnace, all these problems almost disappeared, as the white holy flame dancing above the furnace pushed the entire system to maximum power with zero drawbacks.
If the situation were to worsen, Adam had decided on a fourth base location that would be reserved for power production, one using Plasma Generators rather than Solar Power, but that wasn't needed any time soon.
Regarding the War Factory, Adam had around seven V-Bug miniatures. One of them was already summoned in a modified variant for Captain Creed's use, but it was a pain to fuel it up since it needed the production of specialized Blazer Cells that required their own specialized charging station.
In the grimdark future of mankind, the Solarium was reliant on electric cars, which were powered by large replaceable batteries that looked like AA batteries, like those used in children's toys and household appliances.
In actuality, this started from a joke that originated back in the early 2000s when Warforge Inc., Wartopia's holding company, was struggling through the Dot-com market crash to the point where it was saved by a deal struck with Kittengizer, a world-leading battery brand manufacturer, by dropping actual Wartopia single-piece figurines that made quite a sale in certain parts of the world, but were openly criticized by the original fans. The advertisement of that unholy alliance featured the mascot of Kittengizer, the cat people, helping Solarium troops power up tanks and walker crafts with AA batteries, and after a few editions, it was gradually adopted into the lore, as Kittengizer made Warforge sign deals to include these images in rulebook covers, cementing them in the main lore.
This cemented the joke that Solarium vehicles were powered by large AA batteries, and despite the Fourth Edition trying to rebrand them as Power Tanks back in 2006, one silly statement from a Warforge Creative Director during a Comic-Con event cemented it once and for all.
But dealing with those highly active battery rods was no easy feat. The War Factory was the only building that could unlock such a technology, and even Captain Creed's ride would need some serious modifications in order to be powered like the Crawler Construction vehicles, which had low-intensity batteries that focused on power rather than supporting explosive weapon systems and the like.
Once that factory was established according to the parameters of the Sacred Code, a few more blueprints for the charging station were provided, and it was all finished in three days after the Base Bastion was completed.
Adam had summoned the remaining six V-Bugs: three of which were regular light vehicles with no armor, designed for quick deployment and support fire; two were H-Bugs, the heavily armored variant, designed for deep tours; and one was a W-Bug, also known as the War Bug, a fast two-person variant with crazy speed, moderate armor, and a ton of rocket launcher pods on its back.
{ A/n: I've taken inspiration from this kitbash design on Reddit URL. You can think of this as the H-Bug. The V-Bug is an unarmored version with a frame over exposed seats, while the W-Bug is moderately armored with Five Rocket Pods inspired by the Rocket Buggy of the GLA Faction from C&C Generals game. A.I. edited images will be added at the notes with full attribution to the original designer u/Pax_acrylica. }
The V-Bug was a versatile vehicle in terms of modifiability, and throughout the years, many fans created versions of their own, so it wasn't a bad choice to start with any version of this vehicle since, in a way, a V-Bug can be turned into any kind of Bug and back again; just kitbash and go wild.
For the first time in a while, Adam finally fainted from the exertion of summoning this number of minis, but going from a man who would faint from summoning one Trooper to summoning two vehicles per day was already impressive.
As for the energy situation, large Battery Rods were manufactured like normal Blazer Cells, filled with Fluxgel, charged with electricity, then put into a Supercharger to turn them into active rods. As they were slid into the very secure chamber at the back of every vehicle and then linked to the Blazer Engines, the vehicles came alive with powerful hums that were both silent and menacing.
This was green power at its core with minuscule carbon emissions, but looking at those supercharged Blazer Rods as they glowed a menacing red made many smile wryly. Calling those things green and eco-friendly was like calling hippopotamuses cuddly animals. (spoiler: they are some of the meanest animals on the planet, to the point where they started thriving in Africa after D-Day, making short work of monsters and other invaders around the Nile basin.)
With the V-Bugs and the supercharging technology taking their place as the most notable change, Adam authorized the first operation beyond base borders for the future Strike Force Ajax, asking Sergeant Ajax Wills to join a trial run with a patrol force, taking an armored H-Bug for a ride.
"But before that, allow me to introduce your team." Adam said, meeting with Ajax in the large Mustering Bay in the center of the Bastion.
"Sir, I've been working on a team and…" Ajax shifted uncomfortably, but Adam raised a hand.
"This is not a team we're forcing on you; it's an optimal patrol squad for this task I'm giving you. No combat, no dangerous situations. I'll have you assume leadership and see how you adapt quickly."
Ajax looked troubled for a while before nodding.
"Alright, sir." He said, looking at the others standing around, "Which of those gentlemen will I be rolling with?"
"I'll let you pick from them if you like, but there should be an officer in your team no matter what." Adam turned, introducing his, "Here is my nominee, Corporal Hammerhead, Venusian Grunt, one of the finest men I've ever had the chance to fight beside. He would be the commanding officer on the ground."
Ajax looked to see a man clad in bulky armor, a mix of medieval plate and modern tactical armor, carrying an LMG Blazer.
Ajax and Hammerhead were already familiar with each other, prompting them to exchange a firm handshake. He then turned to Adam while glancing at another soldier.
"If I may, one of the troops I've been scouting is present." Ajax said, pointing, "He's the young man over there with the highest total score in boot camp. I believe his name is Bolt."
Adam, Kave, and, most importantly, Megan, reacted with wide eyes to the unexpected nomination. Megan's face nearly turned pale, but upon the mention of her younger brother, Tommy Dorsett, who stepped forward with an awkward smile, her distress was visible to all.
Ajax seemed to have caught the sudden change of expressions, and immediately looked between the three, waiting for an answer.
"He's what? 15?" Kave asked, causing Ajax to look at Tommy wide-eyed.
"16." Tommy immediately corrected, before looking from Adam to Ajax, "Sir, I'm up for this; I have the best scores in simulation and shooting range. Even in the previous sims, I scored right below Kave."
"Kid!" Ajax turned away from Tommy. "I can't just…"
"Sir, please. My father is a U.S. Marine; I was going to follow in his footsteps in a year. He already promised a consent letter when I turn 17; this is just a year early. I will still be a Bellarium Marine; it's all the same."
"You haven't talked to me about this!" Megan stepped forward, eyes glaring at her little brother, who somehow appeared taller than her just now.
She remembered him as being shorter than her less than a year ago, but their damn family genes seemed to have picked the right time, coinciding with his System Awakening.
"And you're his sister." Ajax concluded, then turned to Adam, "Which makes you…"
"His soon-to-be brother-in-law." Adam replied before getting an identical unamused glance from the siblings. "Ouch!"
Tommy Dorsett was one of the individuals who thrived most in Adam's Solarium. He trained, passed on his first try, scored high enough that the Sacred Code recommended his specialization as a Marine, and showed so much commitment that many squad leaders were actually hunting for him, especially the Martian Hunters and the Asteroid Nauts.
And if that wasn't enough, Tommy decided to be a little too daring with Adam.
"Sir, you can't just bar me from dangerous assignments just because of my sister." He said loudly, making sure the Wartopians around the place heard him clearly.
Adam squinted but simply chuckled in the end.
"First, you are already posted in the trench for eight hours every day. I never bar your stupid ass for anything." Adam stepped forward, subtle annoyance in his eyes. "Second, you're not in any place to tell me what I can and can't do."
Tommy appeared nervous the moment Adam got close enough to him, feeling the weight of the Justiciar, who once shot a recruit in front of him for desertion.
"Third, I'm leaving the decision to Sergeant Ajax." Adam said and looked at Megan, who was surely hoping for him to stop Tommy.
Adam wasn't going to stop him, though; he was actually pleased Tommy was selected by Ajax, but since he was young, Adam wasn't sure how to react to it himself. He knew that the Dorsetts would enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps from the age of 17 as a family tradition, with Megan and her older sister being an exception, while they still tried to follow a military scientific career, following their mother. It would also be dishonorable for him in front of his troops, especially since he was a Justiciar, to bar a family member from dangerous assignments, and he was very conscious about his relationship with his troops.
Therefore, giving the choice to Sergeant Ajax was the safest way for him to proceed. After all, he promised the man to let him form his own team.
But as Ajax was about to voice his opinion, a feminine voice echoed in the large area.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! These young blokes never play fair, do they, Lieutenant Justiciar Sir?"
Walking in tight military pants, with a well-rounded butt and thick thighs that carried the medic insignia (thus saving lives by default), a proud bust supported by a pistol harness, and a blonde high ponytail hairstyle, she entered with a seductive smile.
Following her was an Asian young man with a digital tattoo on his face, famous among Wartopians who held special beliefs regarding the Sacred Code.
Adam looked at the two with a wry smile.
"They never do." He said, turning to Ajax, "The last two members of the team, Privates Fish and Chips."
Ajax couldn't ignore the British accent coming from Fish, but the names of the two made him grimace.
"As in…" He tried to ask, but Fish cut in.
"Right then, love. I was having a go at getting this moniker sorted, but once the rumour mill starts churning out the muck, it's a right bugger to shift, innit?" She offered a handshake to Ajax. "Name's Yvonne, but until they start calling me Angel or anything decent, we're stuck at Fish."
"Nice to meet you, Fish." Ajax accepted her handshake before shaking Chips' hand, who was rather silent.
Yvonne Brown was unlike Tommy Dorsett, a dark horse no one was betting on. After surviving the Krant assault, she focused on her strengths and pursued the specialization of a medic before emerging as a very talented trooper among the Earthlings, despite starting at the lowest score among the recruits, earning the nickname Fish from "shoveling shit."
"Despite the names, Fish and Chips come as a pair. Chips is a Wartopian Drone/Radio Operator; Fish is an excellent Medic and a decent shot. However, their other assignment is being your film crew." Adam explained.
"Oh!" Ajax nodded and understood why Adam was pushing this specific team on him.
"Chips has the skills for filming good footage, while Fish has been a social media influencer, so she will be directing." Adam added, "Originally, I had them in your support team, but if you choose them for your main team, you'll have us assign you a different specialized support team that will make all future operations much smoother."
"I like the sound of that." Ajax nodded to Adam, then turned to Tommy, "Kid, I'll have you know, you were on my list just because of your score. I don't think I can take you to battle with a good conscience, but since this is a patrol, I have no better alternatives for now."
"I won't disappoint you, sir." Tommy saluted with excitement.
"Alright." Adam faced the team he assembled before hitting the hood of the H-Bug beside him. "Here are your orders. Your team will hit the road to the south and avoid contact with monsters at all costs. I want reports on all places we can't see. Sergeant Wills will be a leader in spirit, but Corporal Hammerhead will decide the 'what' and the 'how'. Bolt, Fish, and Chips, you three know how to survive and follow orders, so I expect no accidents."
"Yes, Sir!" The five gave Adam a firm reply.
"Last but not least, this beauty here is your H-Bug. It may look compact, but that beast can and will save your damn lives. In the next few hours, this is your home. Defend your home, and it defends you."
"Yes, Sir."
"Get to it then. Your patrol is given the green light. We'll keep the comms on."
Adam opened the door to the H-Bug, and the team approached their new war machine with anticipation and glee. It had a tight interior, an efficient design, firing positions, and a lot of ammunition and supplies prepared, even the Blazer Rods could make it warm for days.
It was a luxury apocalypse ride, and on top of it all was a sweet Blazer mini gun that made Hammerhead fall in love all over again.
Positions were assigned: the central driver's seat went to Fish, the firing turret to Hammerhead, with vertical rather than horizontal backseats, enough to take four fully equipped men. Bolt and Chips were on one side, while Ajax was on the other.
The engine hummed with power as Fish revved it with a grin, and the team set off with haste down the hill from the base into the monster lands.
✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧
Read the next chapter for Free here and 10 Premium Chapters ahead.
Join Discord for spoilers and chat.
URL below