Rebirth Of The Deathjack – Act II

(Rebirth of the Deathjack – Act I)

(Rebirth of the Deathjack – Act III)

Act II: Lick Your Wounds

Koldun Kommander Aleksandra Zerkova dove to the side, landing heavily on the bare rock. The wind was driven from her lungs, but she was able to just barely avoid the 10 ton warjack that flew pinwheeling past her through the late autumn air. Gasping for breath, she watched the blue Ironclad tumble over the nearby cliff’s edge. She felt her connection to her last remaining warjack — an antiquated, but well-maintained Destroyer — start to recede as the last of the coal in its fuel hopper was consumed. The massive construct’s heartfire guttered and died, causing it to sink to one knee.

The howling wind began to fade, and the glowing runes around the Khadoran warcaster faded with it. Zerkova watched with pride as the remains of her force dispatched the final few Cygnarans, whom had nearly driven her faithful Khadorans from the sheer cliff during the cowardly ambush. Zerkova walked to the very edge of the cliff, looking down to the jagged rocks a hundred meters below, spitting at the mangled, smoking remains of the Cygnarans’ Ironclad.

She turned, her shoulders drooping slightly as she let out a sigh. The Cygnaran dogs had pushed her a considerable distance away from her coal wagon, and it was going to take a while to get enough coal here to reactivate the inert Destroyer. Looking around, she counted herself lucky that the ambushers didn’t have a warcaster among them. If even a journeyman Warcaster had accompanied the Ironclad and Hunter they had faced, this hard-fought victory would have been a grisly defeat.

Zerkova spotted movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned her head toward the grime-stained battle-mechanik that was approaching.The man stopped a few paces away and snapped to attention, saluting smartly before delivering his report.

“The Juggernaut’s a total loss, Kommander.” he began, “The first shot from the Hunter went clean through the boiler, and once the Ironclad got a hold of her…” the man trailed off and shrugged. “All it’s good for is scrap and spare parts. As for the Destroyer, it’s only got enough coal and water left to make it maybe a quarter-mile, and that’s if the terrain is flat and level. In this area, we’d be lucky to get half that. No way it’s making it back to the supply wagons.”

Zerkova lowered her head slightly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she considered the information. She looked the mechanik in the eye, speaking with a calm, deliberate tone;

“Take Private Mrowka and go to the supply wagons. Tell the supply drivers where we are, and bring back as much coal and water as the two of you can manage. We’ll get the Destroyer going again and rendezvous back on the road. While you’re at it, collect any dog tags and personal effects you can find on the fallen. Their families will be honoured, and rejoice in the knowledge that their loved ones’ sacrificed themselves for The Motherland. Dismissed.”

The mechanik saluted and ran off, tapping the young Private Mrowka, a Winter Guardsman, on the shoulder and bidding him to follow. As the two men disappeared into the woods, Zerkova turned again to the edge of the cliff. Sitting down on a nearby rock, she began to draft a report for her superiors back in Korsk. The High Kommand would not be pleased to hear that the Cygnarans had encroached this far north into Khador. She wrote quickly, often pausing to think back through the chaos of the battle, trying to remember even the smallest detail that her superiors would want to know.

***

6 Ozeall Trineus 609 AR- South of Hellspass, Gozytska Velozkya.

To: High Obavnik Arbiter Vasily Dmitrilosk; Supreme Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk

From: Koldun Kommander Aleksandra Zerkova

On 6 Ozeall Trineus at approximately 2 hours past noon, my company and I were ambushed in the mountains south of Hellspass, while in transit to Skirov. In addition to myself, my contingent consisted of the following assets:

Juggernaut Warjack 583/1/4/JZ-03

Destroyer Warjack 547/1/DZ-08

6 Winter Guardsmen under the command of Kapitain Yuri Zaitsev

3 Warjack Mechaniks

1 Greylord Ternion commanded by Koldun Boris Petrok

The enemy forces comprised of at least one squadron of the Arcane Tempest. The Gun Mage officer commanded one Hunter Light Warjack and one Ironclad Heavy Warjack. The enemy also included a unit of Rangers from the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service, who have been increasingly active inside The Motherland’s borders of late.

The ambush occurred at the end of a narrow valley bordered in thick trees and brush that opened into a sizable clearing. Upon entering the clearing, the Juggernaut was struck in the boiler by an armor-piercing shell. At this, my forces moved up a steep hill at the edge of the clearing in an attempt to gain the high ground. I called forth several windstorms to give my men some cover for our advance up the steep slope, screening my infantry from enemy fire. Enemy rounds still found their mark, however. Runes were visible through the wind and dust, marking them as Magelock rounds. We lost Privates Simonyev and Zietsev before we could reach cover.

As the two Winter Guard fell, two enemy warjacks emerged from the trees, evidently being controlled by the commander of the Gun Mage unit that followed behind. The Greylord Ternion bought us some time by encasing the heavy Ironclad in ice, allowing the Destroyer and Juggernaut to close in and destroy the Hunter.

When the Gun Mages advanced, I was able to strike the officer down with a burst of wind. The Greylords then mopped up the remainder of the unit. My battle mechaniks worked to keep the Juggernaut operational, finishing repairs on the boiler just as gunfire erupted from the trees, felling every mechanik but Koldun Petrok and Mechanik Adka.

I invoked a massive windstorm in the area to prevent further enemy fire, driving the remaining enemy forces to retreat back into the woods. The enemy Ironclad managed to put the Juggernaut out of commission. One of its hammer strikes re-opened the rent in the steam boiler, just as our Destroyer slammed into it and flung it over the cliff.

***

Zerkova looked up from her writing as she sensed a presence behind her. Drawing her weapons, she spun around quickly. She relaxed as she saw Mechanik Adka approaching from up the cliff. She rose to her feet, and glancing behind him, saw the small handcart of coal and water that he and the young Winter Guard managed to manhandle through the woods. The grizzled mechanik snapped to attention.

“We’ve got enough coal and water to get the Destroyer running, Kommander. It’ll take some time for it to build up the head of steam needed to become mobile, but once we get the heartfire going, you can re-activate the cortex.”

Zerkova stood, and followed the mechanic to where the Winter Guardsmen were loading coal and water into the inert boiler of the Destroyer. Once finished, they stood back as the mechanik did a final check. Satisfied with the ‘jack’s repairs, he re-ignited the boiler.

They all heard the water starting to boil after a few minutes. A glow appeared in the machine’s visor, gradually brightening until the Warjack’s boiler was fully operational. Zerkova stood in front of the massive construct, closing her eyes as she opened her mind to it, murmuring the incantation to activate the cortex. She felt the familiar sensation of her awareness splitting into two as she opened her eyes, seeing herself and the cliff behind her through the Destroyer’s optic system. Satisfied that the ‘jack was fully aware, she collected the small bag containing the identification tags and personal effects of those that fell in battle, and ordered the mechanik to tell her when the ‘jack was ready to move. Turning to the Winter Guardsmen and the Greylord, she ordered the three to patrol the area.

Walking back to her previous spot near the edge of the cliff, Zerkova bent over her pad and continued to write.

***

Casualties of the Motherland:

Warjacks and Mechanika

Juggernaut Warjack 583/1/4/JZ-03

Troop Casualties

Winter Guard Kapitain Zaitsev, Yuri – 600-49-49381

Winter Guard Private Andreivich, Viktor – 604-54-581148

Winter Guard Private Ivanovich, Aleksander – 603-559-46841

Winter Guard Corporal Petrovich, Aliosha – 606-057-54647

Master Mechanik Yurikovich, Pachek – 601-568-54318

Apprentice Mechanik Grigorovich, Kosara – 606-044-84714

Greylord Siriova, Ilyana – 602-458-47108

Greylord Dalmatovich, Dmitri – 602-458-57621

***

In the fading light, Koldun Kommander Aleksandra Zerkova finished her somber duty of cataloguing The Motherland’s honoured dead, and returned the ID tags to the small cloth bag she had kept them in. As she stood to stretch her back, stowing the pouch in a pocket of her tunic, she was struck an odd sense of dread; an eerie feeling that something malevolent was nearby, and coming closer. Reaching out to her ‘jack, she allowed herself to see through its eyes, and her actions unconsciously mimicked the Destroyer’s as its head turned to scan the area. She flexed its limbs to test how close it was to being able to move.

The warcaster’s hands dropped down to her weapons as she caught a fleeting glimpse of movement at the edge of the trees. The old jack turned its head, just as a shadowed form darted out of the woods, headed directly for the Destroyer.