From One Engagement to Another

"Einherjar Hrefna, reporting in."

Staring out over the burning field filled with bug carcasses, I waited for the response from one of the Chief's in orbit as I ensured none of the Chukanids had survived, though the moment my earpiece crackled to life I began to stow my Ullr.

"There should now be marks on the map, Einherjar Hrefna. The Chukanids have begun the third wave of attacks, and now that it is in it's early stages... Let's stamp these bugs out before they have a chance to become problematic, eh?"

Checking the terminal on my wrist, I studied the world map and appraised the targets closest to me, reading the information and processing it in mere seconds; another Hatamoto Class Chukanid was nearby, there was a horde of these bastards gathering in a nearby cave system and preparing to emerge to strike at nearby Outposts...

Sorting through the targets, I eventually confirmed the request for more support at another Outpost and said "Chief, inform Outpost Surtr-Frey 01 that I shall be arriving in ten minutes. Those mechs can be brought to bear against the upcoming wave more effectively if they are given enough time."

"Confirmed! Make haste, Einherjar Hrefna, and may the winds favor your hunt! Chief Borimir out!"

The old man's voice was cut from my earpiece a moment later, leaving me with the crackling of flames and whistling of the winds as I stood on the cliff overlooking the carnage I had just had a hand in wreaking.

I took a few seconds to take it all in before stowing my Ullr once more and tapping a few buttons on the terminal, accessing my gloves and boots schematics so that I could activate the climbing spikes, which would allow me to scale the cliff and reach the bottom before I could hitch a ride over to Outpost Surtr-Frey 01.

"Outpost Thor-Frey 12, Einherjar Hrefna reporting. I need transport over to Outpost Surtr-Frey 01 effective immediately. Preferably a transport with 30mm Blitz Rounds."

Stabbing the spikes into the stone, I began my descent and waited for a reply, which came barely thirty seconds later as one of the Merkismathr responded with an affirmative and gave me the transports location.

It took barely a minute to get down the cliff and to reach the outskirts of the Outpost, and the moment I approached the front gates they swung open to reveal a bustling location filled with specialized soldiers; loaders, mechanics and drivers of all kinds rushed around to prepare for the upcoming wave, and the various vehicles inside of the Outpost were being refitted with weaponry as they began to shore up the Outpost's defenses.

Heavy loaders were being armed with 20mm Fragmentation Cannons, flatbed trucks were given various turrets ranging from 10mm Chainguns to 40x46mm Grenade Launchers, and finally there were the four proud Muspeli Mortar Tanks situated in the middle with dozens of shells waiting to be loaded.

Vel Risi Company specialized in mechanical warfare by far, but everyone here was armed and trained in a myriad of combat styles, hence why even the lowly maintenance workers and janitors were armed with combat blades and 7mm caliber pistols; enough to defend themselves, and if they were creative enough, more than enough to survive.

Everyone else was making use of the more standardized 9mm caliber weaponry, be it pistols, SMGs or rifles, and some even had 12 gauge shotguns strapped to their backs; everyone here was armed and ready to fight, though the difference between their standardized weaponry and my more customized Ullr, Vidar and Skadi was clearer than night and day.

That wasn't the most telling sign though; everyone in the Vel Risi Company wore grey and blue uniforms that were multipurpose for cold and heat, but I was running around in a slick black full bodysuit made from a kevlar type material that was further enhanced by the power shield that I wore on my hip, which was capable of blocking up to .223 safely, and potentially block something around .308...

Not that I would ever want to try, but hey, just knowing it *might* block something like that was relief enough for me, though I was rarely close enough to a fight for that to matter, and if I was in a shootout against another sniper... my shield wasn't going to do anything at all.

I was amongst the more lightly equipped Einherjar's in terms of armor, but the black bodysuit was still a sign of my rank above the rest of the rank and file of Vel Risi, meaning my presence was a bit surprising to those that hadn't been aware of my involvement earlier.

Many stopped for a moment to stare and press their fist over their heart to salute me, and all glanced at me as I rushed through the Outpost swiftly, my presence worrying them as they wondered if another horde was en route immediately, though the moment I climbed onto a grav transport they heaved a sigh of relief.

"Approximately 4 minutes and 53 seconds to Outpost Surtr-Frey 01, Einherjar. Additionally, we have ten crates of 30mm Blitz loaded as per your request."

The driver lifted the flatbed truck into the air and began to take me to my next engagement, their eyes focused on the skies ahead even as they asked "If I might be so bold, Einherjar, what do you need 30mm Blitz Rounds for? Those are mech caliber rounds..."

With the wind blowing through my hair and the stench of burning Chukanids no longer assaulting my senses, I basked in this freedom that reminded me of home, remaining quiet as I both enjoyed this ride and also searched for something to say.

Giving or receiving orders was simple, but interacting with people was... harder, even for the current me, but... well, it would be rude to not respond, so I murmured "I'll be requisitioning one of the Tyr Class Mechs at the Outpost for the wave to come."

Despite having to wait for that answer, the driver nodded and thanked me before focusing on zipping above the trees to reach our destination, giving me the silence I was comfortable with as I sat amongst crates of bullets, feeling like I was back home already...