Howl: A World at War Novel (7 page)

“
That's true,” Nora admitted. “I mean, that
is
the reason we're studying the whole thing.”

“
I still think that you're capable of figuring out what's real and what isn't,” Liz said. “Like, we
know
how things are supposed to work in real life. And when they don't quite match up it's pretty easy to spot the difference.”

“
Kind of like the uncanny valley?” Anna asked.

“
Yeah, like that, but without the creepiness factor,” Liz said. “It's not like it creeps you out or anything, but you can tell it's not really real, if that makes any sense.”

“
Like being able to tell the difference in taste between a natural and artificial sweetener?” Miko asked.

“
Yeah, exactly. The fake one isn't bad, it's just that you can tell it's different.”

“
The fake one in your example also gives you cancer, so I'm not sure that's the best analogy,” Selene said.

Liz smiled and shook her head. “You know what I mean.”

“Oh, no. I definitely get that, and I think you're right.”

“
I think so to,” Nora said. “The only thing that stops it from going into the uncanny valley is the fact that there's people in it. They're the ones that add quirks and personality into the world.”

“
Half our adventures came about because we're all maniacs,” Miko agreed.

“
I guess that people are what make it a world,” Selene said. “Without them it would be pretty empty otherwise.”

Selene had forgotten why she hated bowling. Now she remembered exactly why. Yet another ball careened to the left. She managed to get three pins.

“
Am I hallucinating this?” Miko asked as she sat back down beside her.

“
Gah. Bowling was one of the only sports that I wasn't good at,” Selene said. “I just can't get the ball on target for whatever reason.”

“
Well, at least you can hit some of the pins,” Liz commented as they watched Anna go. The ball barely made it half way down the lane before it went into a gutter. She and Selene were running neck and neck for last place.

“
Well, you can always drink more and see if that helps your equilibrium,” Nora said. “At least that's the highly questionable advice some family members have given me.”

“
Does it work?” Liz asked.

“
Haven't tried it, but pretty sure that the answer to that is no,” Nora said. “Not that I'd really take advice from some of them.”

“
You'd be much happier even if you are still missing,” Miko said with a laugh.

“
Of course you would say that,” Selene said.

“
What can I say?” Miko shrugged.

“
Wonder what the rest of the guys are doing,” Selene said.

“
They're at another Cubs game,” Nora said. “Still clinging to the hope that they might be able to sneak into the playoffs. Of course, they're playing St. Louis.”

“
Yeesh. It wouldn't even be worth going to the game if they gave away the beer for free,” Selene said.

“
This is when being a Yankees fan pays off,” Miko said.

“
Bandwagoner,” Selene said.

“
Hey, I'm actually
from
New York.”

Liz looked up and watched Anna throw her second ball. She managed to hit several pins this time. “Well, that's an improvement, at least.”

Miko stood up. “My turn. I'll try not to smoke you guys too badly.”

“
Oh just go. You've been hanging around Selene too long,” Nora said with a grin. She and Miko were battling it out for the lead. Liz was having a middling but respectable showing, while Selene and Anna were trying to stay out of last place.

“
You got six on the second ball,” Liz commented.

“
Yeah, I'm slowly but steadily improving,” Anna said.

“
Better than me,” Selene said. “Maybe I should take that bit of advice.”

“
What advice?” Anna asked.

“
Drink a lot,” Nora said.

“
Not sure that's the best bit of advice, but OK,” Anna said.

Selene leaned back and sighed. “How long has it been since we spent an evening outside of the game world?”

“Jeeze, must have been a week and a half,” Nora said. “That sounds pretty bad once you think about it.”

“
No worse than watching TV every night,” Liz said. “I mean, we're actually
doing
something.”

“
Technically we're doing the same thing as someone watching TV. We're sitting there and observing. The difference is just in the sense of how immersed you are in what you're seeing,” Anna said.

“
Yeah, but at the same time we've actually built something, even though it's in a virtual world.”

“
You sound like you're taking pointers from Danny,” Selene said.

“
It's a valid point, though,” Nora said, standing up. “And I guess it's my turn to go.”

The rest of them watched her go. She threw a hard ball down the center of the lane and hit the foremost pin right on the nose. Strike.

“Man,” Miko said.

“
Oh gosh, I feel so bad for you,” Selene said sarcastically.

“
Right, so where were we?” Nora asked as she came back. Liz got up for her turn.

“
The value of stuff in a virtual world?” Anna said.

“
Oh, that,” Miko said. “Are we talking about the argument that things in a virtual world have less meaning than something in the real world?”

“
Yeah, that,” Selene said. “Not an easy topic to define.”

“
Well, I think it's pretty simple,” Miko shrugged. “Things have a value that we assign them. Why's gold worth anything? It's just a pretty rock.”

“
Put that way, I guess we really can't feel weird about spending a lot of our time in the game world,” Nora said. “I enjoy the time I spend there a lot, and I guess that's what's important.”

“
At the same time, we can't stay in there all the time. You need some variation sometime,” Selene said.

“
Definitely,” Nora said.

“
Variety is the spice of life,” Anna added.

Miko snickered. “There has to be times you lose at something.”

Selene scowled with an air of mock-offense. She got up to take her turn. “Yeah, yeah, enjoy your victory.”

CHAPTER 7

Valkyrie

“I hear the game went poorly,” Liz said through the radio link. She was sitting on the starboard bench seat. Zach occupied the port one, while the helicopter cabin was occupied by two pilots from Raven, Rielle and Cole.

“
That would be an understatement,” Zach said. “The worst part was the game was tied going into the seventh inning. Then the bullpen imploded again and they gave up seven runs.”

“
I'm going to hear a lot from Danny, aren't I?” Liz said. “I'm not even all that interested in baseball. I'm more of a Brewers fan anyhow, truth be told.”

“
Ugh, not the time to bring that up to him,” Zach said.

“
Is that why you didn't bring him along,” Liz said.

“
No, he took the platoon for a raid,” Zach informed her. “They got good information that there's a supply convoy moving valuables out from Old Chicago. They're going to catch them out in the open and blast them.”

“
I'm surprised that you didn't send me along as well with my platoon,” Liz said.

“
They'll be able to handle it themselves,” Zach said. “Besides, this is going to be important, and I need you here with me. I don't have Nora, after all.”

“
Still need an adjunct, eh?”

“
Hey, it gives me someone to counterbalance me so I don't make stupid decisions. And it gives me a more dignified air. Especially since you're from another company. That's got to mean something.”

Zach and Liz were flying to a meeting with the alliance led by Ronin Company. Ronin had decided they wanted to have greater cooperation with Hydra, and had put out feelers to see if that was possible. Many of the companies in Hydra were still wary of Ronin; after all, they weren't sold on the way they operated, or that they were capable of taking on Ragnarok for a sustained period of time. However, the original five members of Hydra were receptive to the idea. Anything that drew Ragnarok's attention was good for them, and they wanted to see what it would take in order for that to happen. Even Gina, who was one of the least enthusiastic about the possible cooperation with Ronin, saw the whole thing as a good chance to take. In her mind, Hydra could use Ronin like a shield, deflecting attacks away from themselves and letting another take the brunt of them.

They weren't going to bring it to the council's attention until they had a concrete agreement on the table that was agreeable. The sheer dislike for Ronin meant that any proposal made without actual plans was going to be stonewalled by some of the more obstinate companies. Zach couldn't exactly blame them for that either. Ronin was probably looking for an opportunity to exploit Hydra, just as they were doing the same in return. That was the ugly nature of politics in this game, and Zach wasn't terribly bothered by it. Coupling that duplicity with the amount of sheer dislike for Ronin meant that many companies would actively balk at the prospect of working with Ronin.

Much of that had to do with the rigid style of Ronin Company, along with the way that they were organized. Ronin was headed by Levi Kanagi, who controlled every aspect of the company. Ronin was equipped a certain way, fought a certain way and was organized a certain way. There was little room for flexibility in their doctrine, and that was because of Levi's hands on approach. Nothing was allowed to pass without his notice, and that had extended to trying to form an alliance. The unaffiliated companies might have hated Ragnarok, but they hated Levi's way of doing things just as much and refused to join, even with Ragnarok at their doorsteps.

Then again, they had simply formed up into their own alliance and hoped for a miracle. Black Wolf, Redd Foxx and Sacred Sword had been proactive and had put themselves in a good position. With the addition of Grizzly and later Hephaestus they gained a strong power base, which they had leveraged in order to bring the rest into the fold. Once Ragnarok had taken their strongholds they had little choice but to join Hydra or disband. That wasn't bad for them, though, since they gained access to a large treasury, armory, advanced technology and the greatest player-owned fortress in the region.

But Ronin was an entirely different story. They had managed to form their own small alliance, which was fighting Ragnarok for all it was worth. They weren't slouches either; The alliance included White Tiger, Dogs of War, Ascension and the recently formed Paladin, all of them good fighters. If this was a movie then they would be the true underdogs. For all the talk that they were outnumbered, Hydra had just as much power as Ragnarok. They were the two juggernauts in the region going head to head, while Ronin was simply struggling to stay alive. It was a minor feat in and of itself that they were still going and were a major thorn in the side of Ragnarok.

There thankfully hadn't been any major disputes between Ronin and Hydra. It was likely due to the fact that Ragnarok was such a threat; it would be a waste of time for them to fight each other when their real enemy was still strong. At the same time, their cooperation had also been limited. The attack on Fort Baldr was a good start, but there was plenty more that could be done.

Zach was especially keen on better cooperation with Ronin. Hydra didn't have any bases in the north; their territory extended no further north than the southern end of Old Chicago. If his troops were going to operate up in that area they needed a place to stage their raids from. They could possibly try to find a secluded place deep in Ragnarok territory, but that was inviting trouble down on them if they were discovered. They would probably have the Valkyries paying them a visit.

Cooperating with Ronin was probably the best option. It would give them a measure of safety, since any place they would be operating from would be guarded by Ronin troops. Coordinating with them would also be easier, which would make joint operations more practical if they wanted to do that. It would also serve to strengthen Ronin's position, which served in Hydra's best interests.

Even so, there were a lot of people in Hydra that were leery or even outright opposed to the idea. He had gotten approval for it anyhow by way of a loophole that Danny had suggested. The council had unanimously voted to authorize Zach's command to use any means at their disposal to disrupt Ragnarok in the north. Danny had astutely pointed out that cooperation with Ronin would fall under the umbrella of those orders, and so Zach was going to do everything in his power to make sure that happened. Others might not like it, but even the most obstinate among them admitted the value of the plan. There was simply too much to gain to let prejudices get in the way, as much as that might annoy some of them.

They weren't going to be the only problem. Zach liked Levi as a person, but trying to negotiate with him was like trying to get blood from a stone. He would probably have much better luck with some of the other company commanders, along with some of his subordinates that he would listen to.

That was their objective now. They were flying to meet with a couple of their representatives in an outpost in the western end of Ronin's territory, away from the fighting. As far as he knew, they would be meeting with three representatives; Rafael of Dogs of War, Tafari of White Tiger and Sam from Ronin Company itself. Levi hadn't been filled in on the details yet; they wouldn't bother until there was a solid proposal on the table.

“Hopefully this goes better than the last time we tried to negotiate,” Liz said, referring to the disaster at Ronin Fortress several months earlier.

“
Are you thinking ambush?” Zach asked.

“
We're in the middle of nowhere, so I don't think so,” she said. “I'm more concerned with us running into a brick wall with them.”

“
Sam's a good one,” Zach said. “He's been our main contact through this whole thing. Tafari's the practical type, and he wants to do something to hurt Ragnarok. He'll go along as long as the plan is solid. As for Rafe, well, I'm honestly surprised that he hasn't jumped ship and joined us yet.”

“
Still, this might be a tough sell,” Liz said.

“
They need ammo, and we can produce that,” Zach said.

“
Are we going to be able to produce enough is the question,” Liz said. “We're already pretty stretched trying to provide enough for ourselves and to sell on the market. Plus, if we give them that we're cutting down on the number of people that actually need to buy it. That's going to hurt us when we're trying to get fusion batteries.”

Zach grimaced to himself. He hadn't thought of that. “Well, what are your thoughts?”

“Would we be willing to give them schematic designs?” Liz asked.

“
I thought of that. The problem is, if Ragnarok realizes that they're likely going to go after Ronin to get them. And while that might buy us some time, we'll eventually have a much more heavily armed enemy on our doorstep. We don't exactly have many throwaway ones we can offer.”

“
I have a feeling that they might be insulted if we offered them anyhow,” Liz said. “They'd want the big guns, and I wouldn't want to give them up. My other suggestion would be to offer them aid in the field. Like, we'll agree to perform a certain number of raids for them in exchange for a base.”

“
That
sounds like a good idea,” Zach said. It matched up with their objective of keeping Ragnarok off balance as well. Plus, it would help to prop up Ronin as well, which in his mine was going to be important.

“
So do we want to offer only that?” Liz asked.

“
Yeah, that seems like the best bet,” Zach said. “If they don't go for it we'll find another way. But I think it will work.” In his mind the exchange was worth it. The agreement would cost Ronin nothing and would gain them a force that they could use to attack Ragnarok's weak points.

“
We're one minute from the landing point,” Cole said.

“
Thanks Cole,” Zach said. “Ready for this?” he asked Liz.

“
Just as long as there's no shooting, we'll be fine,” she answered.

“
It's at the far end of Ronin territory. I don't think that's going to be a problem unless they betray us, and that's not going to happen. Whatever else you can say about them, they're loyal, and they take their word very seriously.”

The outpost below them was small, little more than a converted house and a garage surrounded by a log wall about eight feet high. There was a sizable courtyard in within the stockade, though, and that was where they landed. Three figures moved out to greet them as he and Liz unbuckled themselves.

One of them offered his hand, a soldier with Ronin's insignia on his shoulder. “Good to finally see you in person again,” Sam said.

“
Likewise. It's been a little hectic down in the south,” Zach replied.

Tafari was up next. He was a heavy built for strength. He towered over the rest of them, and his dark skin looked like it hid a ton of muscle underneath. “Good to see you again,” he said.

“And good to see you too.”

Rafe was last. “Hopefully this goes better than last time,” he said as he shook Zach's hand. He was a sniper, medium height but thin.

“I can't imagine how it could go worse,” Zach said.

They finished introductions and headed inside the main building of the outpost. Sam lead them into one of the larger rooms. There was a table and a half dozen chairs inside. Sam, Zach, Liz and Rafe took a seat. Tafari leaned up against the wall.

Sam spoke up first. “Alright, so you want a base inside our territory,” he said plainly.

“
That's correct,” Zach said. “We want somewhere closer to Ragnarok territory so we can strike further into it.”

Sam nodded. “I'm guessing that you want to have a base on the river, so you can also use it to launch boats out of. I think that it should be at White Tiger's fortress. That's on the river, and it's heavily guarded so Ragnarok isn't going to be able to pull sneak attacks.”

“Can Ragnarok get across the river?” Liz asked.

“
We control the only crossings, so no,” Rafe said. “The only way they can take them is by using a lot of troops, and that leaves them vulnerable to you guys. They also have to cross the river before they attack, so they're penned into a small area where they're sitting ducks.”

“
Do they have boats?” Zach asked.

“
Nothing major. They can send small raiding groups across, but they're nothing we can't handle. Plus, they're pretty lightly armed. If you have a couple of your craft patrolling the river they're going to be pretty hesitant to cross.”

“
We're willing to raid some places for you, in exchange for the base,” Zach said.

“
Good. That's going to be a lot easier to sell,” Tafari said.

Zach looked at them, confused for a moment. “What, were you just going to give it to us for free?”

Rafe shook his head and grinned. “Well, I wouldn't exactly call it free...”

Tafari shrugged. “You're going to be raiding Ragnarok. That helps us no matter how you slice it, and that's what we need. I'm more than happy to help you however I can as long as you're hurting them.”