The Shadowcat trudged back to the resupply area.
Our initial results hadn’t been spectacular so far. Sure, we’d taken down some of their Strikefighters, and one of the Greater Carnotaurs.
Seeing the enemy across the field - Lesser Carnotaurs massing in ranks, and Grizzelloid Tanks not bothering with their stealth - didn’t fill me with confidence. The nine remaining Greater Carnotaurs were meandering around their lines, acting as if they had all the time in the world.
Which they did.
If they rushed us, right now? We’d lose.
The accidental shuttle collision had killed as many enemy troops as we’d expect to face in a normal battle. That was maybe one-hundredth of the forces the Hierarchy had deployed so far. The rest were assembling, steady and confident, behind their layers of shields.
A swarm of Lyxian Rovers had disgorged from some of the shuttles. Hundreds, at least. Like the tanks, they weren’t bothering with their stealth at the moment - possibly to avoid being run over by the much larger Grizzeloid Tanks.
Nor were the infantry lacking. Small formations of Grizzeloid warriors stood ready, flanking the Rovers, accompanied by their Lynxian counterparts.
<Belessar>: Tell the Rapid Response Division to keep an eye on the Lynxian infantry. Chances are they’ll go invisible once the fighting starts and try to slip into the base.
<Nanocloud>: Pemberley already did that. Squads from the 2nd Light Armoured Brigade are assigned to track the Lynxians, while Green’s men from the 1st focus on the Grizzeloids.
<Belessar>: What about the tanks?
<Nanocloud>: If they leave the safety of the shields, the hope is to insert the Third Armoured Brigade in between them and the objective, while the artillery pounds away from range.
<Belessar>: The Third Armoured won’t be able to hold up against six hundred Grizzeloid supertanks.
<Nanocloud>: Hence the word ‘hope’.
<Belessar>: Who blocks the Carnotaurs?
<Nanocloud>: Us ultras. Of whom there are quite a few who want to talk to you right now.
<Belessar>: I’m on my way.
The ultra staging area was shortly behind the lines, and a beehive of activity. Different superheroes - and not a small number of supervillains - were flouncing around in their costumes, some more animatedly than others.
A ‘pop’ in the air as one familiar ultra teleported on top of my suit. To be specific, on the shoulder of my suit.
“Hello, Devilmade.”
“Hello yourself, Belessar. Looking good in the new outfit!”
“You’re looking good, too. Glad you could make it.”
“Why, Belessar, I wouldn’t miss a chance to ride you.”
I groaned mentally - Devilmade, for all her courage, was an incorrigible flirt. “We’ve got another target-rich environment today. Think you can keep up with it?”
“Absolutely. Whaddya need done?”
“Maybe drop off some explosives behind enemy lines, spread a bit of mayhem. We’ll see.”
“You do promise the nicest things.” Devilmade sat down on my shoulder, making herself comfortable.
As I stepped into the staging zone, dozens of faces - familiar and unfamiliar - stared up at me. Given that I was the size of a two-storey building, that wasn’t unexpected.
To my surprise, I wasn’t the tallest thing there.
A giant of a man - fully thirty-five feet tall - marched up to me, holding out his hand. “This one is Ogarr,” he boomed. “Ogarr the Giant. You are the one known as Belessar, true?”
When a three-storey building wants to shake hands with you, the mere two-storey building acknowledges. “Glad to have you, Ogarr. I take it you’re a Herculean?”
“Yes, Ogarr is very strong. Ogarr will crush the enemy with his bare fists.”
The giant was dressed in a sea of fabric - the stretchy kind - but little by way of armour. That wouldn’t do. “Ogarr - do you have a suit? Protection of some kind?”
“Ogarr does not need a suit. Ogarr is strong enough to handle puny mortal weapons.”
I cast a quick Observe.
OGARR THE GIANT
CLASS: HERCULEAN / SHAPESHIFTER
LEVEL 40
ON NORMAL DAYS, MILD-MANNERED BANK TELLER <NAME REDACTED> LEADS A LIFE OF COMFORTABLE ANONYMITY. HOWEVER, WHEN THE NEED ARISES, HE MANIFESTS THE PERSONALITY - AND FORM - OF THE ONE AND ONLY OGARR, THE FIRST OF THE NEW GIANTS. HIS STRENGTH IS OF A HUNDRED MEN BECAUSE HIS HEART IS PURE.
ALSO BECAUSE HE’S THIRTY-FIVE FEET TALL, AND WEIGHS TWENTY TONS.
HP: 125,000 / 125,000
STR: 500 DEX: 100
CARRY CAPACITY: 8 TONS.
OGARR’S GIANT FORM IS ON A TIMER, AFTER WHICH HE WILL RETURN TO HIS PUNY MORTAL FORM. TIME REMAINING: 03:44:18.
“Ogarr,” I asked slowly, “do you have a weapon?”
Ogarr frowned. “No guns needed for Ogarr. Too tiny.”
“I don’t mean guns. Can I offer you a spear? One that you can use to really hurt the aliens?”
“Ogarr thinks spears too small. Break like matchsticks.”
“This one is different. It’s more than twenty feet long.”
Ogarr grinned. “That Ogarr like. Not matchstick.”
<Belessar>: Send the Speartruck.
<Nanocloud>: The what?
<Belessar>: There’s a truck on which I packed my special spears. Let them get the No. 7 Giant Spear.
<Nanocloud>: … wait, you numbered your spears?
<Belessar>: It was preferable to having to come up with names.
<Nanocloud>: I can think of some names right now. For you, not the spears.
<Belessar>: Just send the truck.
The Speartruck was a flatbed trailer with my Giant Spears concealed under a tarpaulin. As it pulled up, I pointed to the Number 7 spear. “Ogarr, can you pick the biggest and longest of the lot?”
The Number 7 Giant Spear was the result of a vain hope on my part. Once, I’d thought of scraping together enough titanweave from the wreckage of the Xeranai Battleship to build the next upgrade beyond the Wolf Armour - the Panther Class Battlesuit, which could carry three times as much as the Wolf.
Sadly, that idea had fizzled out as governments across the world refused to part with Titanweave. Plus, working Titanweave required a few more levels in Chemist than I had at the moment. However, the Number 7 Giant Spear had been built for the eventual day when I had an alternative that could work.
Like most spears of yore, it wasn’t too hard to use. A twenty-five foot pole of steel held together with nanofibre weave and cord, and securely welded to a spearhead of sharpeded fullersteel, it was meant for giants to fight giants.
Why wasn’t I carrying it myself?
Because the damn thing weighed six tons. The whole Shadowcat, fully loaded, weighed slightly less than five.
Like I said - a vain hope.
However, Giant Metal Spear Number Seven seemed to suit Ogarr perfectly. The massive ultra picked up the spear with a grunt, whirling it around his head.
“A fine weapon!” he exclaimed. “Ogarr shall name this spear Gae Bolg! With it, Ogarr shall inflict wounds on the mighty beasts that tread this land!”
…. In fairness, that was a much better name than Giant Metal Spear Number Seven. “You can have it,” I sighed.
“Ogarr thanks the mighty Belessar for the gift of this fine weapon!” The giant twirled the building-sized spear like a schoolgirl's baton, nearly chopping off the top of a nearby banyan tree. “Ogarr has no gift to return to Belessar…” The corners of the giant’s smile drooped.
“After the battle,” I replied hastily, my brain racing. “I’m mostly interested in the Greater Carnotaur skins, anyway.”
“Then Ogarr shall preserve the skins of those beasts for Belessar!”
<Nanocloud>: You have a fan!
<Belessar>: How come I’ve never met Ogarr before?
<Nanocloud>: New ultra, duh. First appeared last month, trying to stop an armed robbery. This is his first alien battle.
<Belessar>: That’s… not good. He’s never fought anything his size or bigger before, I suppose?
<Nanocloud>: Not according to his bio. I’m guessing he got the call and felt compelled to come?
<Belessar>: With no preparation, no prior training, no briefing beforehand…
<Nanocloud>: Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
I watched as the excited giant swung his spear experimentally a few times.
He wasn’t bad. In fact, he was halfway decent.
Then again, he’d be fighting Greater Carnotaurs. ‘Halfway decent’ wouldn’t cut it.
“Ogarr,” I called out. “I’d like to offer you another small gift.”
Minutes later, Ogarr the Giant was covered in slabs of fullersteel. The improvised armour had been tied to him by strings of nanofibre cord, with giant flat slabs of the metal covering his torso, his back, and smaller slabs covering his arms and legs.
The slabs were yet another of the ‘supplies’ I’d brought along this time. Originally, the plates had been intended to act as temporary walls, in case a platoon or two needed cover and there were no convenient walls.
In essence, Ogarr was wearing giant fullersteel plates covering various parts of his body. Not cleanly, and there was no way he’d be able to wear it for long,
The giant looked skeptical. “Ogarr not sure this will help.”
“It will,” I promised him. “When the Carnotaurs try to slash, or bite, or stab, take the blow on the metal and not your skin. The metal can be replaced.”
“Ogarr not afraid of the beasts!”
“It’s not about courage, Ogarr. Look, when the Carnotaur stabs the plate, what do you think happens?”
Ogarr’s eyebrows twitched quizzically. “Plate bounces on Ogarr’s stomach?”
“The Carnotaur’s claws get stuck. Hopefully. At which point you stab them in the eye.”
The light dawned on Ogarr’s face. “Clever Belessar! Ogarr will try this trick. Ogarr will kill many beasts with this trick!”
“Good luck, Ogarr.”
As the giant trudged off, happy with his new spear and armour, I noticed a crowd of ultras had gathered to watch us.
<Belessar>: Why is everyone staring?
<Nanocloud>: It’s not everyday you see a giant mech giving giant weapons to a giant.
<Belessar>: Don’t they have a battle to prepare for?
<Nanocloud>: And talking to you is preparing. Just ask Ogarr.
In hindsight, I should’ve expected that.
<Nanocloud>: The Hierarcy are still getting their troops sorted out behind the shields. The remaining Strikefighters have gone to high altitude and are staying out of reach of our pilots - not that it would make a difference. We don’t know when they’ll be ready, but we’re reinforcing like crazy.
<Belessar>: Might not be enough. This is as bad as Tanisport.
<Nanocloud>: Without the battleship and without half a million civilians in the way, so maybe not. They’re being cautious, and the base is definitely a military target.
<Belessar>: We won’t just abandon it.
<Nanocloud>: Pemberley says it’s an acceptable fallback option - if they just destroy the base and leave, we can rebuild it in a couple of months. However, if the break out and threaten the city, then we have a problem.
<Nanocloud>: Meanwhile, I’m sending you the list of ultras that have reported in so far, along with their powers. See what you can make of it.
PARTY MEMBER NANOCLOUD HAS SENT YOU A MESSAGE.
LIST OF ULTRAS REPORTED IN:
ADELAAR - INVENTOR
CHAINCALLER - SUMMONER
DEVILMADE - SHIFTER / TRAVELER
FALCAO - INVENTOR
FELINE QUEEN - SUMMONER
HAGANENOKEN - HERCULEAN
HIFARA - ELEMENTAL
HYPNOSCAR - MASTER
IRON JOE - INVENTOR
KALCHAKRA - SAVANT
KALTHOR COLDSTAR - SUMMONER
KATARUSISHU - MASTER
LAFAYETTE - SUMMONER
THE LIGHTNING TWINS - SHIFTERS
MIRANTIBUS - MASTER
MIZUNO GASUKEI - ELEMENTAL
MORROWSTAR - FLYER / RANGER
MELODY HARMONY - HEALER
QUANTOSPHERE - INVENTOR
OGARR THE GIANT - HERCULEAN
RAHUKET - ELEMENTAL
REDCROSS RHYTHM - HEALER
SHADOW - SHIFTER
STAALHUID - HERCULEAN
TSUYOIKEN - HERCULEAN
VERSCHWIDEN - SHIFTER
WOLFMAN - SHIFTER
ZORKA BOUSCH - INVENTOR
<Nanocloud>: Sorted alphabetically for your convenience. Adding the two of us, there’s thirty major ultras arrived so far, not counting the ones still trickling in.
<Belessar>: Two healers - that’s good. Some of these aren’t people we’ve worked with before, though.
<Nanocloud>: Which ones?
<Belessar>: Kalthor Coldstar, Zorka Bousch - wait, why are those names familiar?
<Nanocloud>: You remember the Ultrahuman Convention in London? Those two asked Unity out.
<Nanocloud>: As I recall, she finally went out with Quantosphere instead.
<Belessar>: … because I told her he makes diamonds in job lots.
<Nanocloud>: Let’s hope they don’t nurse a grudge.
<Belessar>: Any more of Unity’s jilted lovers here?
<Nanocloud>: Just Devilmade, but she seems to have moved on fine.
<Belessar>: Fair enough. I remember Kalachakra - he’s sort of an economic advisor and part-time astrologer, and Shadow is a shapeshifter. Wait - they’re completely unsuited for a battlefield.
<Nanocloud>: This is an attack on their home country, Belessar. Every Indian ultra worth their salt is going to show up.
<Nanocloud>: They’re assembling in the major cities and waiting for Travelers to report in.
<Belessar>: Shouldn’t the ultras from nearby cities have reached sooner? I think there are two pretty large ones near here.
<Nanocloud>: Mumbai and Pune - this is halfway between them. There’s about thirty ultras in Mumbai alone.
<Belessar>: So why aren’t they here?
<Nanocloud>: The non-Traveler, non-Flyer types are stuck in traffic.
<Belessar>: … you have got to be kidding me.
<Nanocloud>: Kalachakra is arranging choppers to fly out more, but there’s a shortage of those too. Stratospheric Guard HQ says to expect two hundred more ultras in the next two hours.
<Nanocloud>: Although a few are dropping out after hearing reports of what we’re up against.
<Belessar>: Fine, I’ll see what can be put together with the resources on hand.
<Nanocloud>: Just like cooking, right? You use the ingredients you have.
I chuckled, then started casting Observe over the ultras I didn’t know.
SHADOW
LEVEL 5
CLASS: SHIFTER
SKILL: THE HEROINE WITH A THOUSAND FACES
SHADOW CAN TAKE ON THE FEATURES AND BODY SHAPES OF VIRTUALLY ANY WOMAN. THIS WOULD MAKE HER AN EXCELLENT INFILTRATION SPECIALIST, EXCEPT FOR HER ACTING SKILLS, WHICH ARE TERRIBLE. LIKE, REALLY TERRIBLE.
SHE HAS LITTLE INTEREST IN COMBAT, BUT IS KEEN TO BREAK INTO THE FILM INDUSTRY, AND IS STUDYING FILM TECHNOLOGY AT THE SATYAJIT RAY INSTITUTE.
KALCHAKRA
LEVEL 14
CLASS: SAVANT
AN EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT OF HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY, KALCHAKRA IS AN ECONOMIC ADVISOR TO THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT. HOWEVER, HE SUFFERS FROM A TENDENCY TO BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY, AND A COMPELLING NEED TO PERSUADE OTHERS THAT IT WORKS.
HARMLESS, UNLESS YOU ACTUALLY LISTEN TO HIS PREDICTIONS.
THE LIGHTNING TWINS
LEVEL 18 / LEVEL 18
CLASS: SHIFTERS
THESE TWO SIBLINGS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INSEPARABLE. BORN CONJOINED, SEPARATED AFTER A DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL SURGERY, THEY STRUGGLED WITH HEALTH ISSUES FOR YEARS UNTIL GAINING POWERS.
THEIR POWER ALLOWS BOTH OF THEM TO TRANSFORM INTO A CHARGED ELECTRON CLOUD, ENABLING THEM TO DELIVER MASSIVE ELECTRICAL SHOCKS OR IONIZE THE BODIES OF WHATEVER THEY PASS THROUGH. WHEN TRANSFORMED, THEY ARE IMMUNE TO MOST FORMS OF DAMAGE. HOWEVER, THEY ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO POSITRON RAYS, WHICH WILL INFLICT DISPROPORTIONATE DAMAGE TO THEIR ELECTRICAL FORM.
WHEN TRANSFORMING BACK TO THEIR NORMAL FORM, THEIR BODIES ARE COMPLETELY HEALED OF ANY DAMAGE (INCLUDING THE HEALTH ISSUES ORIGINATING FROM THE BOTCHED SURGERY WHICH SEPARATED THEM).
HYPNOSCAR
LEVEL 18
CLASS: MASTER
ONE OF THE FASTEST HYPNOTISTS IN THE WORLD, HYPNOSCAR CAN IMPLANT A SINGLE FIXED BELIEF IN AN OPPONENT’S MIND WITHIN THREE SECONDS. THE BELIEF WILL WEAR OFF WITHIN TEN MINUTES, BUT IN THAT TIME, HYPNOSCAR CAN CONFUSE, BEFUDDLE, OR GENERALLY MISLEAD PEOPLE INTO DOING VERY STUPID OR VERY DANGEROUS THINGS.
A GREAT BUDDY FOR PRANKS, A USEFUL ALLY FOR COMBAT MISDIRECTION.
FELINE QUEEN
LEVEL 15
CLASS: SUMMONER
HP: 90 / 90
MP: 1080 / 1200
THIS TEENAGER HIDES HER INEXPERIENCE AND YOUTH BEHIND THE MASK OF A MATURE WOMAN. HER POWER LETS HER SUMMON ALL MANNER OF CATS, BUT SHE PREFERS TIGERS. BIG TIGERS, ALL EAGER TO HUNT.
NUMBER OF TIGERS SUMMONED DEPENDS ON HER STORES OF WHAT SHE CALLS ‘WILLPOWER’. EACH TIGER SUMMONED REDUCES HER AVAILABLE MP BY 30.
CURRENT PRIDE: 4 TIGERS.
Another ultra who used MP? Could she possibly have an interface like mine?
INTUITIVE LEAP: FELINE QUEEN CANNOT VIEW HER MP IN AN INTERFACE, BUT CAN SENSE QUALITATIVELY HOW MUCH IS LEFT.
Oh well. I turned to the next ultra standing nearby.
The gently smiling woman was a familiar face, if you followed the news at all.
MELODY HARMONY
LEVEL 30
CLASS: HEALER
AMONG THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL HEALERS, MELODY HARMONY CAN HEAL THE WOUNDED BY SINGING TO THEM. HER NATURAL VOICE ACCELERATES THE HEALING PROCESS OF THE HUMAN BODY, RESULTING IN RAPID REGENERATION OF DAMAGED TISSUE.
SADLY, THIS EFFECT IS NOT CONVEYED BY RECORDINGS OR MICROPHONES.
MELODY HARMONY HOLDS THE WORLD RECORD FOR HIGHEST INSURANCE PREMIUM PAID FOR A HUMAN VOICE.
“Thank you for coming, Melody Harmony.” I spoke directly to the healer. “We appreciate having you here.”
The superheroine inclined her head gently. “I will always be where I am needed, Belessar. Let me know where you need my help.”
My gaze swept across the remaining ultras, Observe firing at rapid frequency.
RAHUKET
LEVEL 15
CLASS: ELEMENTAL
AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER, RAHUKET GAINED HIS POWERS DURING A LUNAR ECLIPSE. THIS LONAVALA-BASED ULTRA HAS THE ABILITY TO GENERATE A CLOUD OF PERFECT DARKNESS. THE CLOUD BLOCKS ALL VISUAL AND OPTICAL SENSORS, MUFFLES SOUND, AND INTERFERES WITH RADIO AND ELECTROMAGNETIC COMMUNICATION.
CHAINCALLER
LEVEL 24
CLASS: SUMMONER
CAN SUMMON GIANT CHAINS TO WRAP AROUND AN ENEMY, RESTRICTING THEIR MOVEMENT. THE STRENGTH OF THE CHAINS VARIES, BUT IS STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD A SINGLE GREATER CARNOTAUR IN PLACE AT A TIME.
KALTHOR COLDSTAR
LEVEL 22
CLASS: INVENTOR
A SPECIALIST IN CRYOGENIC WEAPONRY, KALTHOR COLDSTAR HAS BUILT A VAST ARRAY OF FREEZE RAYS, ABLE TO REDUCE THE TEMPERATURE OF A TARGET TO ABSOLUTE ZERO. LIMITED BY ENERGY OUTPUT AND CANNOT PENETRATE SHIELDS.
ZORKA BOUSCH
LEVEL 19
CLASS: INVENTOR
ZORKA BOUSH IS THE PERFECT ANTI-VEHICLE SPECIALIST. HIS TRADEMARK ANTI-CARNOT BOMBS CAN SHUT DOWN ANY ENGINE, REACTOR OR PROPULSION SYSTEM WITHIN A HUNDRED-FOOT RADIUS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE MORE ADVANCED THE SYSTEM, THE SHORTER THE DURATION BEFORE IT CAN BE RESTARTED.
IN CASE YOU WERE THINKING, YES, HE CAN SHUT DOWN A GRIZZELOID STEALTH TANK - FOR EIGHT SECONDS.
UNTIL HE RUNS OUT OF BOMBS.
A veritable mixed bag of ultras so far. Not much of a common theme, but definite promise in their powers.
An idea began to crystallize in my mind.
“Rahuket?” I asked.
The ultra in question jumped at the sound of my loudspeakers. “Yes, Belessar?”
“The darkness you generate. How big can you make the cloud?”
“Er… I can fill a room, any size room, but in open air it fades away quickly.”
“There’s no size limit on the room? Could you fill a stadium?”
“An indoor stadium with a roof, yes. Open air venues, no, the cloud wafts away too fast.”
“Can you generate a bit and show me?”
Wordlessly, Rahuket waved his hand. A black fog began to spread, rapidly, covering the ultra in darkness for a second. Then, it began to fade away.
INTUITIVE LEAP: RAHUKET’S CLOUD OF DARKNESS NEEDS A SURFACE TO ANCHOR AGAINST, TO PUSH BACK AGAINST ITS EXPANSION, BEFORE IT CONCENTRATES. WITHOUT CONCENTRATION, THE CLOUD OF DARKNESS CANNOT START TO SOLIDIFY AND INVOKE ITS MORE POWERFUL EFFECTS.
With that, the pieces clicked into place.
<Belessar>: Anne - brief the artillery. I want them to be ready to launch a bombardment on my order.
<Nanocloud>: Where?
<Belessar>: You’re going to give them target locations. Inside the shield.
<Nanocloud>: Andrew, it’ll bounce off.
<Belessar>: Don’t worry. I have a plan.