Chapter 181: (The War) (2/2)
”Yeah. You get any new people?” the Terran asked.
Ekret nodded. ”Some Terrans. Smokey 'No is swapping a brigade of 3AD to me and me to them.”
The Terran nodded. ”Give you guys some in house heavyweights, give Trucker some scouts. Divisional reorganization.”
”Are you worried?” Ekret asked.
The Terran nodded. ”The bioweapons are all over the place. That acid, it eats warsteel, or at least softens it up. We haven't encountered that before and maintenance is trying to figure out some kind of counter method. Warsteel's been a standard for like eight thousand years and it's making the armor manufacturers practically stroke that they're going to have to come up with something better.”
Ekret shrugged. ”It's the nature of weapons to overcome armor and the nature of armor to overcome weapons.”
The Terran laughed. ”Ain't that the truth. Finding out about that acid was bound to happen sooner or later and the armor designers have been sitting on that particular laurel for a long time.”
One of the Ordnance techs jogged up. Another thing that Ekret had noticed. It seemed like Terrans jogged or ran everywhere.
”Sergeant,” the tech said.
”Sup?” the Ordnance guy said.
”We've found four coaxials put in the wrong place. Driver's coax where the TC's should be and vice versa,” the tech answered.
”You tell Maintenance?” he asked.
”Not yet,” the tech admitted.
”Get to it instead of yakking at me,” the Sergeant said. He looked at Ekret. ”Better get back to work.”
Ekret nodded then watched the two Terran's jog away, shaking his head. He looked over and saw Cheapshot and two green mantids waving at him from his own tank. He moved over and climbed up it.
”Any problems?” he asked.
”Fan three refused to turn on, turned out that someone forgot to put the wiring harness together. They were nice enough to leave a note reminding someone to hook it together,” Cheapshot said.
One of the new mantids 936, flashed a few icons.
”And someone drew a human dick on the side of the gunner's sight,” Cheapshot translated.
Ekret sighed. ”Of course they did.”
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V CORPS MEMO
Rearming and reorganization in progress. Telkan-1 has been approved as new Corps Area of Operations. Local planetary government has agreed to determine locations of training and military bases.
First Telkan Marine Division will be undergoing vehicle training now that vehicles have arrived.
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MANTID FREE WORLDS
You're SURE about this data?
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TERRASOL
I think I know warsteel when I see it.
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
How is this even possible?
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
When a mommy warsteel molecule meets a daddy warsteel molecule and they love each other very very much...
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Hardy har har.
Seriously? Warsteel?
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CYBERNETIC ORGANISM COLLECTIVE
Yup. Pure warsteel. Stays liquid for quite a while.
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
We suspect it might have to do with that Daxin guy and his troops.
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TERRASOL
No. It would have cooled already after they left.
It's the kid's people.
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BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS
Yeah, I don't exactly see how.
The song isn't exactly ”I'm gonna git you suckah” you know what I mean?
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TERRASOL
Naw, it's the kid's people.
Trust me on this.
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MANTID FREE WORLDS
All right. We believe you.
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DIGITIAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS
The Cowtaurs find out about it, they're going to do everything they can to take it away.
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
Which is why we're formally requesting V CORPS (Old Metal) and VII Corps (Old Metal) and 5th Marine Expeditionary Force (Old Blood) to be stationed in system and reinforced.
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Hey, you want the 9th and 51st Warrior Harvests? We like deserts.
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SKY NEBULA ALIGNMENT
Yeah, no shit. You only fought with TerraSol over the mistaken belief they wanted shitty desert planets in red giant systems.
Nobody but YOU wants those.
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TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
GAH! Holy crap! How long have you been there?
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SKY NEBULA ALIGNMENT
A few days. Took awhile to get the transmission hooked back up. Old protocols and codes.
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
Is he always this nervous?
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MAN-CYB-DIGI-BIOLO-TERR-RIGE-SKY-MILIN
YES!
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TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
LOL
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