Chapter 10

Roxanne called a full meeting of the team in order to discuss progress on the various items they’d chosen to study and to see whether or not it was time to bring to a close the current mission and move on to a settled Orc world.

“We have studied much of their technology,” Tchac’trar, the Veda in charge of their small group, buzzed through his mandibles. “Much of it will be useless to us as it requires a bio-interface in order to make it work, although we magic users can override it, just not efficiently.”

“Can we use what we have learned to prevent it from being used against us?” Roxanne asked.

“Yes, we have the information in preventing its use here,” he replied handing over a Veda memory crystal, which although looking different to ours, had been formatted (the closest I can come in English) into being universally read by Mages.

“No doubt they will counter it at some stage, so we’ll save it for when we really need it,” Roxanne replied, giving a two-armed Veda arm position for thankful respect. (As opposed to the regular four-armed version).

“We believe we can now crack the shields on Orc buildings,” Seiðkonur Harmel added to the discussion. “The combined knowledge that Draíochta Sinnead’s people brought to our group enabled us to find a way to breach their defences ... at least, the ones they use here anyway. We now intend to look at their personal shields as they appear to work in a very different manner.”

“My thanks to you both,” Roxanne acknowledged.

“From a biological position, we understand the physiology of the creatures we have come into contact with,” Xi gave her position. “Sadly though, combatting them or influencing them mentally is a very different matter as they use neuro transmitters linked to pheromonal cues from their leaders, coupled with encrypted radio channels built naturally into their flesh by design. Currently all we can do is communicate with them, but so far there hasn’t been an instance where we’d want to.”

“So, without a complete set of data for each individual Orc leader, we cannot tell one of their creatures what to do,” Mage Serena added.

“There must be an underlying command structure built into an Orc or Orc controlled creature’s brain surely?” Arch enquired.

“If there is, it’s well hidden, although reading their thought’s is not easy at all, save the surface ones,” Xi admitted.

“Kidnap a leader and let the Seers loose on him?”

“Other than at a base surrounded often enough by thousands, most Orc leaders in the field are well guarded, sometimes by tens of thousands, even a Squad-boss has a hundred Orcs around it and they aren’t the ones we need to mentally dissect, Arch.”

“It was a thought,” he chuckled.

“Brianna, how is your group doing?” Roxanne asked after it was clear the medics had nothing else to add.

“Their biotechnology is straightforward enough ... well, we know how they do it, but it’s not something we would probably care to try on ourselves. Basically, they have combined various techniques along with cloning to produce a series of one size fits all form of biotechnical weaponry and armour along with other aspects of security such as sensors. Even the doors and door frames of their buildings are alive and can sense if the Orc approaching has the right to enter or is with an Orc who has the right to enter. Same with their sleds, they appear to be able to rapidly clone any number of biotechnical parts to form or control constructs, most of which appear to be in mental distress and hoping for oblivion,” Brianna explained at length.

“How do they actually get these constructs to obey commands?” I asked.

“Autonomic mental commands, a bit like your heart muscles work automatically and speed up and slow down depending on the stimuli and release of certain chemical cues,” she explained.

“So, the higher functions of these constructs are just along for the ride and aren’t necessary?” Roxanne asked.

“They are required to keep the base tissue healthy, we think, but have no control over the automatic functions.”

“So a lot of it is reflex reaction?” Arch asked.

“Some of it, yes.”

“Is there any way to get the higher functions back in control of the automatic ones?” Xi asked thoughtfully.

“We’re working on it, though as with anything Orc, it’s not straight forward and it’s not like we could tailor a virus to do it for us, most of these poor creatures have no contact with the outside environment.”

“Do they have any latent Mage talents, like telepathy?” I asked.

“Possibly, though I doubt you could make them emergent,” she replied with a wry smile.

“No, I wasn’t thinking that, just that the brain is capable of self-repair under certain situations, capable of re-learning, as it were.”

“A telepathic repair virus, John? Are you serious?”

“All we need do is tell the brain to reset, the nutrient gel it lies in will provide the resources,” I shrugged.

“We’d need to capture one...” Brianna began thoughtfully. “I’m not saying it’s possible, but it is an interesting idea, John.”

“If we were to capture an Orc sled, can they track it?” Roxanne asked, looking interested.

“If we were to disable the internal radio, no, they don’t use radar or the like and we can cloak from orbital detection,” Xi replied.

“How would we deliver such a ... virus? Arch asked.

“Seer gestalt scan, we know they can detect it, so we add a little extra to the pot,” I replied.

“Interesting idea. We’ll try to get a hold of a sled as we plan a few other surprises for them,” Roxanne nodded.

Crnnch stood before the Higher Adepts, waiting to hear his fate. That there had been no detectable approaches to scan the Omniscient had lessened his status, he knew this, yet could not be faulted for being too cautious, considering what had happened to Hortcha.

“So, no attempts to even approach the base to spy upon us?” The (presumably) senior of the Higher Adepts asked.

“That we could detect, no, though there were plenty of pin prick attacks elsewhere, some of them very effective,” he replied.

“Interesting,” the other Higher Adept mused.

“I may well have overestimated their abilities,” he admitted, head bowed.

“Or they are better than we supposed,” the senior replied. “Unfortunately, lack of proof does not help us, though on this no blame will attach to you as the death of Hortcha was a serious matter and required caution.”

“One worrying matter is the now dearth of magical creatures everywhere on this globe,” Crnnch added politely.

“As in?” asked the Junior.

“I’d thought to find more, but the various habitats we’d expect to find them in are all empty, as if they found a way to leave by crossing worlds, something they have never done in the past, likewise with remains of the planetary scum.”

“As if something permitted them an escape?”

“Yes, Higher Adept, exactly that.”

“Most perplexing. Keep the patrols up and see what can be found. We will take this information to the Senior Adept and let him decide.”

“At your command, Higher Adept.”

“I have a target for your squad, John.” Roxanne stated after summoning me.

“Yes, Mage Roxanne?”

“The Orcs are sending out exploratory missions to forested areas. Apparently they have noticed our efforts in evacuating the semi-magical creatures. I want you to prepare an ambush at this site where they appear to be heading and try to grab a sled. Use the Loegrians and Azurans to assist and take along Tu’tar’s people, they may finally get the fight they are spoiling for. I’ll keep you updated if it changes,” she finished with a chuckle.

“Average of fifty to a sled and no Waarg or eviscerators spotted nearby either,” I mused. “Seems eminently doable.”

“Aye, that’s what Arch and I thought too,” she nodded.

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Just be careful, John.”

“As ever Mage Roxanne,” I chuckled hearing her snort slightly in disbelief.

“Do we have a plan, other than kill everything that moves?” Clara asked, with a sly smile.

“Whilst that plan is always a winner, it does leave open the chance that the Orcs could summon aid, which is why we’ll be targeting the Ground-Boss and the Squad-bosses. That done, we’ll possibly resort to killing everything that moves, though it would be more elegant to not let them know how we did it,” I replied with a smile of my own, knowing Clara’s proclivity for getting in the midst of a fight.

“My people can take them down, John,” Ilzik announced.

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say, my friend,” I chuckled.

“We’ll leave you a few though,” he replied with a grin of his own at Tu’tar.

“It will be interesting to see if their prowess matches their physique. My people find sparring with hu’mans and Fae to be limited,” Tu’tar replied.

“Thank you,” I replied in wry tones. “Once we’re dropped off through the portal we’ll move to this position here and the Loegrians will encircle the position, but will wait for the signal that the ground and Squad-bosses are down.”

“No problem, John,” Dunon nodded.

“Teali, your people are the go to hell plan if the Orcs try to break out en-masse.”

“Yes, they’ll probably try to go down this valley here,” she replied, pointing it out on a map.

“Yes, but allow some of your sanctums to hold the ground here and here too,” I pointed out a couple of less likely escape routes.

“I doubt they’ll try them, but I’d hate to be wrong,” she said thoughtfully.

“Xi, it will be up to you to control the sled, whilst we block communications.”

“Yes, John.”

“OK, sort your gear; we’re leaving in fifteen minutes.”

At the appointed time the assembled forces were streaming through the hidden portal in our first real attempt to take the battle to the Orcs.

Carefully moving through the thick, almost jungle-like, forest we moved towards our assigned positions, the non-magical amongst us being guided by Seer Melanie, until the reports came back that we were all in position. I then sent the Drow under the command of Ilzik through to seek out and destroy the Orcs’ command and control arrangement with their grunts.

Half an hour passed quietly, though the tension was high amongst all those I was passively scanning. Finally, I received word that the Drow were now moving against the Orc leadership and to prepare for combat.

‘It is done, friend John, ‘ came a mental message from Ilzik.

‘Are your people clear?‘ I asked.

‘Yes, we are clear, ‘

“Take them out!” I ordered both mentally and over the radio system we used.

The Loegrians opened up first, their technology able to home in on any Orc moving through the jungle. Yet still they weren’t able to get them all, though it was clear the grunts, with the ground and Squad-bosses now out of the picture, were going on instinct alone. They did not so far seem inclined to retreat and were seeking out from cover where they thought the Loegrians had been shooting from, often throwing a serious amount of firepower roughly in their direction, despite the over two kilometre distance the Loegrians had been firing from.