(eng) Jonathan C. Gillespie - Tyrant Strategy 02 by Shattered Son

Author:Shattered Son [Son, Shattered]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

• • •

Like a black blade thrusting skyward, a column of smoke rose to assault the clouds over the Army’s camp. Pieces of wood frame and burning fabric fell for acres around, slapping into tents and sending people running for cover.

Something terrible had happened at the Army’s central supply depot. As the first responders and firefighting teams arrived around the engulfed remnants of the prefab structure, they were met by the terrible sight of living flames screaming and stumbling around the area.

Then the stored ammunition went up. First a batch of artillery shells detonated in place, breaching and igniting field weapon cells, which sprouted green and blue flames that danced among the others like macabre peacock feathers. Then the powder-based ammunition joined the chaos.

A medic’s head was shattered by shrapnel. Wooden stocks of weapons charred and cracked. The heat was so intense the all-metal, newer-model bullet-feeding and field weapons warped or even melted.

They couldn’t do anything for the wounded for several minutes, couldn’t do anything but take cover, as the rest of the munitions cooked off. Everyone was pulled back, back, and still “Back!” away from the volcanic spectacle. It was in this crowd that Cynthia arrived.

When the worst was over, the firefighters doused the pieces of structure still left standing. Then the gravity of the disaster began to settle over the camp, like the ash still drifting down from the death’s cloak hanging above. She saw Fujita, finally, at the edges of the push of people, a small bubble of space around him formed by Maxwell and the other elite guards. Fujita looked on the scene like a man watching the funeral pyre of a loved one.

His main store of supplies, carefully built up for the coming battles, had just been obliterated.

She caught up to him, and waited while Fujita said something in hushed tones to Maxwell. Then he turned and noticed her.

Her anger was gone. She wanted to embrace him. She wanted to tell him their chances weren’t ruined. But there was a problem: She believed they were.

Around them, the wounded screamed and cried as they were carried off.

“What...?” she began.

“We don’t know,” said Fujita.

“An accident?” she asked.

“I’m going to find out.”

She saw something at his feet. He reached down to the ground and picked up a piece of still-smoking wood. He looked at it as if it held some secret only he were privy too.

“Colonel Salazo is in that trailer?” asked Fujita.

Maxwell relayed that over coms.

“Yes, Sir,” he answered. “They said he’s asked about his supplies, but he hasn’t asked to leave.”

“Bring him to the MCC,” said Fujita. “And summon all commanders.”

He paused beside Cynthia as he started on his way back. She expected something more. If not words about Hopeful, then at least a promise things would improve.

“You vouched for Stephanie Reynolds to take over Logistics,” he said. “Send her to my command center, too. Our need for shipments just increased somewhat.”

He stalked off, his escort forming up around him.

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