Something hit Phyllis with a heavy ‘ping’ sound, and she toppled with a grunt. An instant later, the unmistakable sound of an anti-tank rifle rolled overhead, echoing across the valley. Jada snarled and leapt forward, raising her mace.

She sent one man flying after striking him in the chest, before slamming the mace down onto another’s head. The Knowle whipped around in the formation of militia, killing or maiming with each strike, moving deceptively fast for her size.

Cole opened fire on me, at nearly point blank range.

“No!” I screamed, as I lunged for Cole and got shot several times in the center mass.

I gripped his rifle, ignoring the bullets it pumped through me, and yanked it out of his hands into the dirt. Cole’s eyes went wide, and he backpedaled, hauling his sidearm out of its holster.

Before he could raise it, I slapped the gun out of his hands and took another step closer. The man fumbled at a knife, but his eyes went wide and he froze as he fixated on my wounds. Rifle fire filled the air around us, and I took several more rounds to my back and side with a grunt.

I staggered, and Cole raised his knife. The tendrils on my suit whipped back and forth, repairing damage and blocking any potential route to me. I stood tall while the painkiller flooded through me again and fuzzed all sensation.

Then I grabbed Cole by the shirt collar and shoved him down to the ground. I kicked his knife away and stopped to glance at the battle, standing over the top of him.

My hobbs were impervious to any damage, and were carefully returning fire, using only single rounds. The hobbs with handguns bunched up in front of the hobbs with rifles, to allow them steadier aim. Rayna shouted orders and guided their movements. By comparison, the militia numbers were dwindling rapidly at the fence, each of them scrambling into cover.

Jada turned back to watch me with Cole, having wiped out his squad single handedly.

Phyllis roared up onto one knee, her mech tearing the air as she fired her cannon. Two men in tacti-cool gear at the fence vanished in gouts of red flame, blackened bones, and scorched clothing scraps.

Another heavy round smacked into her mech, and Phyllis grunted again as she rolled to the side. She started firing at the fence-line, from her belly. The now familiar sound of the heavy sniper rolled across the encampment, chased after by the hard metallic ‘ping’ of the round bouncing off her armor.

“Oh where are you, you little fascist,” she muttered. The oversized mech was flat on its stomach, gun arm resting on a small hill. “Oh, guck-guck, there you are!”

She fired, and a man blasted away in flames on a rooftop in the compound.

“Tell them to stop, Cole, or there’ll be nobody left,” I said.

My hobbs moved past, forming a line in front of us. Their shields flared blue when struck, in small, localized patches, and none of them was injured, or even sought cover.

“Tell them to stand down, captain!” I shouted.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!” he finally shouted into his com unit. It was strapped to his shoulder, and he leaned to speak into it. “Stop shooting dammit, they’re all shielded!”

I nodded and swept over the battle again. Rayna and her hobbs were standing in a line in front of us, weapons at the ready. Phyllis gathered herself, standing up out of the dirt and aiming her gun at the fence line. A scattering of dead bodies littered the immediate area, surrounding Jada and her dripping mace. Cole was the only survivor of his group.

Zach’s escort had turned to fight and been put down. Zach himself was still hobbling toward the fence as quickly as his crutches and injuries would let him.

“Dammit Cole, I didn’t want anyone else to die today,” I said with a sigh. “You ready to talk yet?”

“Yes, yes! Stop killing my people!” Cole shouted, hands in front of his face.

I reached a hand down to help him up, and he just stared at it. “My people aren’t shooting anymore. Your people killed themselves, every single time they attacked me and mine without cause. Get that through your thick skull if you want to eat tonight!”

When he still didn’t take my hand, I clenched my fist and pointed at him. “Look asshole, you caused all of this, being the dirty-job errand boys for an alien mega-corp, against your own people. You know how few of us are left?” I swept an arm at his fence, now filled with smoldering holes from Phyllis and her cannon.

“Even fewer now. I came here to feed your people, Cole! Why’d you shoot at us?” I yelled, leaning over the downed man.

“You can have the guns!” he shouted. His hands quivered in front of his face.

I stopped, blinking rapidly, and standing up straight. “What?” I asked.

“We’ll make the trade!” Cole yelled.

I stepped away, letting him scramble back and recover to a sitting position.

“You can have the guns,” he said again, defeated.

My head tilted to the side, and I stared at the man. “This is an uncharacteristically wise decision, Cole. Makes me suspicious.”

“You were right. About everything you said, you were right. We did those aliens' dirty work for them. They said we’d become part of the affiliate, have protection and supplies, independence, back-up when we needed it. But you wouldn’t die!” Cole glared up at me from the ground.

“They wouldn’t pay, even took some of our people when we complained. Called it an exchange program, but we stopped hearing from our people a day after they were taken. Now they won’t give us the food they promised, and we can barely afford to keep our people fed, selling our guns to them,” Cole shook his head and grunted as he got to his feet. “Guess I’d rather you have them than Dearth is all.”

I stared at the man for a long moment, letting him see his own reflection in my helmet. “Alright, Cole. I believe you. Let’s go get your people fed.” To Rayna, I shouted, “We’re good! Let’s move in!”

Thankfully, the truck they had shot and killed was the one we used to carry Phyllis, so we left it and got the other trucks moving forward. Most of the hobbs stayed on foot, walking escort in case of more violence.

Cole moved ahead of us, speaking into his shoulder and relaying instructions. I listened to all of them, making sure he wasn’t trying to set us up for an ambush. Fortunately, he seemed to be acting in good faith since his failed attack.

We arrived at the gates and were led inside by a very sullen group of armed militia members. None of the militia pointed their guns at us, and we were allowed inside the fencing without any more trouble.

His people were visibly dirty, soot and mining dust coating their clothing and faces. Most of them looked like they had been underground working. Women and children were mixed in with the men, and most males in the compound were armed. Plenty of the women were too, but the standing force was primarily men. All human too, every single person in the compound.

Any boy that looked to be over the age of twelve years carried a rifle across their backs. Several had handguns as well. Cole’s people emerged from the various buildings on the lot, fearful and cautious.

As we approached, there was a commotion, as several family members realized their men were dead. The militia members themselves had to hold back the families, and I saw one take a rifle away from a young man who stared at us with unmitigated fury and hatred.

“Well Cole, we are just off to a great start. Can you control your people?” I asked.

Ads cycled out, secret police agencies and murderous-looking “control” bots. I shut them down immediately.

“Easier when fewer of us are dead on the ground, but yes,” he retorted.

Cole stepped out in front of us and raised his arms for his group's attention, as the hobbs slowly wheeled in through the gate behind us. “Everyone stand down!”

The growing crowd responded. Uncertainty seemed to fill the air, but most of the rifles lowered. I wasn’t concerned for us, but Cole was in the line of fire. If they took him down, I had no doubt we would have to kill our way to the armory and back.

“I said stand the hell down!” Cole roared. This time, they did. Rifles lowered and so did the defiant gazes. Family members of the fallen still wailed against those restraining them, but I suppose that was to be expected.

I turned to Rayna. “Leave the meat in the trucks for the moment but allow any who approach to have some. Cole and I are going to go get my new guns.”

Rayna nodded, and her hobbs immediately spread out to form a perimeter.

“Hey Phill?” I asked.

Her mech leaned over to look at me. “Yes, dearie?”

“Can I trust you alone with these folks?” I asked.

“Oh absolutely not. You know how I deal with fascists, Tyson, sweetie.” Her altered voice rolled across the open area.

“Okay, but they’re not fascists, Phill. You get that, right?” I replied.

The mech stood and placed its hands on its hips. Well, one hand, the other was a slowly rotating plasma gun barrel. “I don’t think so, dearie. Haven’t you seen the kind of flags they fly?”

Cole went red, and purposefully looked away.

“Phyllis,” I said. “Bygones. Flags aren’t important anymore. Not really sure they ever were. Can I trust you to be the bigger person?”

“Oh, I am now, dearie. I’m very big now. That’s why I’ll deal with them however I see fit,” she said, before taking a long, audible drag on her joint. “You’re not my boss, in case you weren’t aware.”

I turned to face Cole. “Well, that’s as much assurance as we get. I suggest you tell your people not to do anything stupid, like attempt large explosives against her. It might work, I’ll be honest and tell you I haven’t seen that attempted yet.”

He scowled at me, so I continued.

“But the consequences . . .” I left the end of my statement hang, looking up at Phyllis. She was hulking directly in front of the trucks, slowly scanning the lot, smoke leaking from the faceplate. Jada stood at her side, snarling, and clutching her bloody mace.

Cole nodded, blinking rapidly, and looking hard at his own boots. “Follow me.”

I nodded and fell in behind him.