Sigma/Star

Chapter 96: The War in the North Part 6

Ardwen scrambled into action upon seeing the results of Porter's fight with the Mahari. This was all in line with his plan and he couldn't be distracted by something like feelings. He immediately began issuing orders to the closest units around him, broadcasting to each leader he could. It had been a shock before that they had responded to his original requests and listened to him, even though he lacked any sort of high ranking. Compared to a general, Ardwen was essentially a normal soldier in rank.

And yet the armies responded. Both the Enian and Artisan pilots were now under Ardwen's command, and he trembled a little inside with both excitement and nerves. The plan was not complex, nor would it be difficult to execute, and perhaps that was the reason why the rest of the forces had fallen inline with it so quickly. With the new gap opened up in the Jahari lines, a strong enough surge, focused into a spear formation, would be able to push deep into the enemy ranks. From there it would be a matter of splitting them in two and then bringing in the secondary forces from either side, creating two pincers, or a trident. It was all mapped out on Ardwen's viewscreens in front of him, but drawing it and actually succeeding were two different things.

There was a hum across the battlefield as the various Goliaths began to shift and move, forming up in front of Ardwen to lead the charge. The "tip" of the spear, so to speak, would be Porter and Chase, who would use their strength and speed to push deep into the Jahari quickly, letting the rest of the soldiers pick off the Bahari left behind. Ardwen let out a deep breath, gripping his controls tightly. He felt his own sweat on his chair, his hands clammy from anticipation and his nervousness. What was wrong with him? This wasn't new to him at all. He was the top student of Saint Maurius, the best and the brightest, and the leader of the Crisis Rescue Unit. He had formulated several plans before, executed them, all without this kind of reaction. How hard could it be to mobilize an entire army?

* * * * *

Porter struggled to get onto his feet, wavering back and forth a bit before he stabilized. He had exhausted most of his chi in his battle, but it wasn't like before. He had still retained an internal reserve that he could draw out to keep him conscious, something he had worked on intensely with Shotuku through many hours of hellish training. If he was still awake, he would be able to recover quickly and get back into combat, so long as he didn't have to exert himself too much in the next while.

The youth glanced over at the smouldering corpse of the Mahari. Chase's fires had singed the edge of the hole in its chest, and every so often some of the red liquid in the ruptured core would bubble and spill over. The Bahari who had been nearby when the behemoth had been felled had immediately backed off, showing the first signs of trepidation amongst the swarm. It was not necessarily a reaction of fear, but more of shock, of a tactical retreat meant for analyzing the opponent further. The hive mind must have underestimated the power of the human army and now it needed time in order to recalculate. That didn't give Porter much of a window for recovering, but at least it was something.

Porter couldn't believe what he had just endured to bring that monstrous Mahari down, and in the end it hadn't even been his blade that had slayed it. While he could certainly take all the credit in the damage that had been dealt to it, he certainly would have been killed had Chase not intervened. And Porter felt no anger. Maybe before, in a previous time, there would have been resentment at being shown-up by Chase, at his brash and bragging style, but now there was nothing but relief. Relief and friendship. Could someone even feel friendship? Porter didn't know of any other way to describe it but he clung to the emotion in his chest. This was what he imagined it would feel like to have a family, to have his brother come pick a fight with his bully, to have a father pat him on the shoulder and comfort him, to have a mother embrace him and tell him everything would be ok. This feeling that pulsed in his heart was one he had craved and longed for his entire life and it had taken him until now to even realize he had it at all. And for Chase of all people.