Book 6. Chapter 20: Marching out
When we had the chance for comfortable bed with an overwatch from Feathers and a town filled with guns pointed outwards in every direction, we all took it. Unfortunately, we didn’t even have time for breakfast before Marsella had us all running out of the town and onto the road. Which was an entire feat of its own.
Not the part of actually getting us out of our beds and eating on the road. Pampered and spoiled by occult and relic armor as my crew and I were, all of us were still Retainers deep down. Waking up at any alarm and being instantly active was what could separate living through an environment breach or never waking up again after pressing the snooze button. Getting all fourteen of us on the march was child’s play.
Also Wrath and Father didn’t sleep, so Marsella wasn’t waking up fourteen people, just twelve veterans. Maybe eleven - I wasn’t sure if Captain Sagrius slept or not.
What couldn’t be easy for Marsella to organize thirty others and a good handful of machines into bringing munitions, supplies, tracking gear and everything else that was part of the job - all done overnight and ready to expedition out by the time Marsella got to getting the knights up. The machines might have been easier to rouse around, but the rest of the people were a mix of civilian supports, airspeeder pilots and crew carried on the back of machines, and Chosen knights to cover them.
The objective was to get to the Deathless basecamp, loot everything, bring back their airspeeder and other goodies. And roll over anyone that tried to stop us. Safe to say she wanted the Deathless dead and out her backyard as fast as humanly possible.
“Significant military power has appeared in the town’s favor, and it has arrived for a small window of time.” Wrath countered, walking next to me as our troop marched to the end of our destination. “Were I in her position, I would also attempt to make as much use of that as I could. Her logistics and planning are optimal thus far.”
“Oh, I get that completely.” I said. “Especially against an enemy that can keep coming back and back again and again, they might need extra time to have a lesson sink in. What makes me think there might be a little more is the… extras. Like the particular food she brought with her.”
Wrath looked over to the woman in question. “I fail to see any issue? Rations are always brought with soldiers, and I find it admirable that she has elected to come herself despite being a non-combatant.”
I didn’t really know how to explain it any better, so I shrugged and watched as Marsella set up a foldable chair in just the right spot for a perfect view. Then make sure she had a wide umbrella at the right angle to give her shade, and an attendant next to her was setting up a foldable table. Another was already bringing items to mix a drink. The last one came with a bowl, and a stovetop. Still hot with puffed kernels. That’s what I meant by having a hard time explaining it.