Aeon Legion: Labyrinth (50 page)

An artillery shell landed
nearby, blowing a fully grown pine tree into pieces. Terra threw
herself to the ground, covering her head as debris pelted her from
the explosion. The sounds of several more artillery shells now
whistled in the air, growing louder.

The
aeon edge and shieldwatch is a nearly unbeatable combination.
Biological, chemical, and nuclear warfare can all be rendered
ineffective so long as a soldier can control a force as fundamental
as time. Whether it is the aerial supremacy of the 21st
century, the use of armored
divisions in maneuver warfare, or the fluid combat of biomorphic
wars, none can defeat time. Only singularity technology can match
singularity technology. Even in post time warfare fought between
singularity equipped armies, the force that controls time will
overwhelm any other factor, as time is so fundamental to change. Time
changes weapons. Weapons do not change time.

-Excerpt
from
Core
Stratagems of Post Time Warfare, by Time Queen Ananke the Unbeaten
.
Currently on the required readings list for the Aevum Academy Legion
Training Program

S
everal
more
artillery shells smashed into the ground near Terra. She darted
out of the forest into a flat open snowfield before regretting that
decision.

Four main battle tanks in a
line formation turned their turrets towards Terra while her Sped
vision saw snipers and artillery sitting atop of a hill in the
distance. The snipers shot at her with both solid slug projectiles
and orange glowing energy weapons.

Her stasis shield blocked the
shots, stopping the projectiles aimed with accuracy at her head. Just
as she drew back, deafening explosions tore the ground near her as
the artillery zeroed in on her position. Before the tanks could fire,
Terra Sped her movements and ran back to the forest just as the roar
of the jet engines could be heard in the sky.

Terra hid behind a large tree,
but an energy blast blew the trunk apart just above her head. She
moved away before a solid slug punched through the lower trunk. After
Speeding her movements again, Terra retreated further into the
forest. She escaped as the tanks fired, turning that part of the
forest into a cratered wasteland.

Despite the cold, Terra
sweated from both the exertion and the heat from the surrounding
fires. Gunships hovered overhead and soldiers rappelled in near her
location. When they reached the ground, they took cover and shot at
Terra trying to flush her out into the open where the snipers and
artillery would get her.

Terra gritted her teeth while
drawing her aeon edge. The edge glowed blue as she charged the
nearest group of soldiers. They scattered for cover.

“Hold!
Don't let her break through!” a soldier yelled. He wore armor
painted in a white camouflage pattern with his face covered by a
solid armored mask with no eye holes.
He
raised his weapon to fire.

Terra Sped her movements and
slashed right through the man in a blur of motion. He fell to the
ground. Two others drew knives and moved to attack Terra, but she cut
through them before fleeing into the forest.

She
ran a long way before she stopped and sheathed her aeon edge. After
catching her breath, she looked at her shieldwatch. It read
Trial
of War
.
Still panting, Terra propped her back up against a tree and rested
until someone tried to garb her from behind. Terra contorted in the
assailant’s arm and used her center of gravity to throw the
attacker. The assailant twisted in the air with an unnatural speed
and landed on her feet.

Terra drew her aeon edge and
Sped her movements, but paused when she saw the attacker was another
tiro.

“I had imagined that
unfolding much more smoothly,” another tiro said who stepped out
from behind a nearby tree. His tanned skin and facial features
reminded Terra of Zaid. “Identify yourself.”

“She is with Zaid's Team,
Javed,” Roland said as he walked out into view, standing ankle deep
in snow.

Javed nodded and the rest of
his strike team moved out from their hiding places.

The tiro that Terra had thrown
stood before dusting snow off her shoulders. “I thought you said
any stragglers would be easy to disable?”

Javed spared the tiro a glance
before facing Terra. “I am sorry. The enemy has sent in spies
before. We were suspicious when a tiro showed up so late. Are there
any others behind you?”

Terra shrugged. “I don't
know. You are the first friendlies I've seen so far. I just got away
from some weirdo with a gun.”

All the tirones exchanged
glances. “Samael,” they all said in unison.

Javed motioned for Terra to
follow. “Come with us. Our base is not far.”

They all moved fast, Speeding
their runs in quick bursts and only stopping when an enemy gunship
flew overhead. After it passed without incident, the trip back was
silent. Terra was about to ask where they were going when they
arrived at the camp.

They had built their camp on a
high glacier that overlooked the forest. An umbrella like stasis
field projected above it and Terra saw several artillery shells and
missiles frozen in it.

Terra pointed. “What's
that?”

Roland nodded to the huge
stasis field around the camp. “The Legion was kind enough to
scatter a few supplies for us before the Trial of War began. Too bad
the enemy found most caches, either moving them into their fortress
or destroying them.”

“We are low on supplies
though,” Javed said, approaching another tiro. They began walking
through the camp. “Weapons?”

The tiro shook his head. “Not
many. We got one more anti-air grenade. The heavy stasis shield is
still holding, but the power won't last more than a day or two.
Unless they hit it with another tactical nuclear weapon. The first
three took out most of the power. The food is almost gone as are any
extra stasis cells. Unless the enemy raids us again, we may last
until tomorrow afternoon.”

Javed shook his head. “We
can't wait that long. The Trial of Time is ticking down.”

Terra gestured to the
battlefield beyond. “Who is the enemy?”

Javed looked to the forest
they had just left. “Mostly Kalians and Heclians. A few others.”

Terra raised an eyebrow. “I
thought they were our allies?”

Javed shrugged. “They are,
but this is a war game. Every year the Helcians and Kalians send
their new recruits to fight with the Aeon Legion in the Trial of War.
They even get live rounds. We have to find the gate and escape,” he
said before waving for everyone to follow him.

Terra joined Roland who
entered a central white steel bunker. “How did they make this?”

Roland shrugged. “One of the
devices made this. It works like a shieldwatch, but on a larger
scale. The other teams set this up.”

“Other teams?”

Roland sighed. “Zaid and
Hikari have already fled through a gate. The enemy destroyed it
before I got through. Now I am trapped here with the stragglers.”

Terra fell silent. Was she
that far behind? She had thought she did well considering that the
Labyrinth had attacked her the moment she walked in and had yet to
relent. In fact, now that things had quieted she struggled to stay
awake and noticed her many aches and pains from the past trials.

They gathered in a large room
as Javed projected a holographic map of the salient in the center.
“We have finished scouting and found no remaining gates.”

Another tiro pointed at the
map. “Which means there is one place left we haven't checked.”

Javed sighed. “Right in the
middle of the enemy camp.”

“Camp?” Roland said while
staring at the map. “You mean fortress.”

Terra had to agree with
Roland. The Kalians and Helcians had built a well guarded fortress on
top of a glacier opposite their own. Guard towers ringed a high
concrete wall topped with razor wire. A large, reinforced bunker
stood in the center of the camp and was likely built over the gate.

Javed pointed to the map. “We
can get past the gunship patrols and the armored force, but not the
towers and walls. Whenever we get that far the enemy brings too many
soldiers against us.”

At that point the remaining
tirones fell to arguing. Fatigue had loosened their tongues while
whittling away their patience.

A tiro stepped forward. “That
is not the worst of it. My strike team made it all the way to the
bunker the day before. Elite units guard the gate. We barely
escaped.”

“Elite units,” another
scoffed. “Our enemy only has numbers on their side. I don't see how
these elite units are any threat.”

One pointed her aeon edge at
the map. “I still say we wait them out. Ambush them so we can draw
them away from their fortress. Once we bleed them enough, then we
move in for the kill.”

Javed shook his head. “The
Trial of Time is counting down. Besides our enemy receives daily
supplies. We do not.”

A tiro glanced at Terra.
“Perhaps we just need to wait for more strike teams to arrive? How
many are unaccounted for?”

Javed shrugged. “I don't see
how we could overpower them even if they were all here. Every day we
grow weaker. We must attack soon. By tomorrow at least.”

Roland regarded the map while
he rubbed his chin. “Swords in the enemy camp would rout them
quickly. You see how the enemy has cleared a firing range? If we
could get past that, then we could cut through them with ease and
make haste to the gate.”

Terra looked closer. All
around the glacier where the forest had met it was now a cratered
wasteland. One side bordered a frozen lake while another was a sheer
ice cliff.

Javed pointed to the
wasteland. “That is what makes it so difficult to approach. They
have the lake mined so we can't take that route without going slow
and exposing ourselves to attack.”

“What about a night attack?”
one tiro asked.

Javed sighed. “We tried once
already. They have search lights and night vision. Heat sensors also
dot the approach though we do know that they monitor most of their
devices through the towers. They have a blind spot at the glacial
wall, but we can't climb the cliff.”

“I could,” Terra said
softly.

Everyone turned to her.

Terra shrugged. “Well I
could. Am I the only person here who finished the advanced climbing
course?”

One tiro, the one she had
thrown in a grapple, glared at Terra. “Liar. I know you are the
lowest scoring tiro in the whole Academy. Maybe Hikari could do it,
but not you.”

Terra scowled as she felt her
temper rise. Lack of sleep had not helped smooth her bluntness. “I
am not lying! I may not have a lot of points, but I finished all the
climbing courses even if the rest of you were too cowardly.”

Roland winced at Terra's
comment.

The girl gripped her aeon edge
and faced Terra. “Take those words back or I'll take your tongue.”

Roland walked in front of
Terra. “Of course she takes it back,” he said, putting on his
best smile before turning to Terra. “You apologize right?”

Terra hesitated. In truth, she
wanted to beat that stupid girl senseless, but Roland's pleading look
stopped her. She remained silent.

Roland turned back to the
others. “Yes. I can vouch for Terra Mason. She is indeed a skilled
climber as I ought to know for she surpassed even me.”

Terra stared at Roland as her
brow lowered.

Javed shook his head. “It's
impossible. Even with a shieldwatch. You would run out of power
before you made it to the top.”

Terra faced Javed. “No it's
not. People climb ice as a hobby in my time without a shieldwatch.
Besides, one test for the advanced climbing course involved scaling a
glacier.”

Roland grinned and pointed to
the map. “Tiro Mason can scale the cliff. Once inside the fortress,
she could disable one of the towers opening a small gap in the
defenses. Thereupon we fell them with our swords after their lights
are extinguished. In the confusion, we conquer the gate and escape. I
know this will succeed for I have seen it before.”

Javed rubbed his chin. “I
don't like gambling our entire force on the lowest scoring tiro in
the entire Academy.”

Roland laughed. “Because of
points? The centurions revealed the points to be a farce. If you are
that worried then I can meet her at the walls. There is a frozen
river that runs along the glacier. A whole team could not sneak past
the patrols there, but one could. Tiro Mason could meet me at the
walls and let me in. Between the two of us, we could extinguish the
lights to allow the rest to storm the enemy fortress.”

All eyes turned to Terra.

Terra stepped forward. “I
can do it. I can climb that cliff and get inside.”