Of course, style did not matter to Trevor. Who had beaten them to the outpost did.
Brewer's scouting party reported, "Got some live ones hiding out on the western side of the compound. We took small arms fire."
Trevor ordered Nina to, "Set us down by the west side."
She complied, easing the Skipper to the ground between the ruined remains of two catapult-like artillery pieces.
Trevor radioed, "Skipper flight one, fly a recon mission around the enemy base. Skipper flight two, stay on station overhead to provide cover for ground forces."
Three of the flying machines banked off to survey the surrounding mountains and forests, another three buzzed about in the sky above with their missiles and guns ready to fire.
Once landed, Trevor led Major Forest and a squad of soldiers toward the buildings on the western edge of the outpost. As he moved, he noticed signs hanging from or fallen in front of the various structures built against the mountainside. While time and damage had eroded the images and letters, he did not need to be able to read them to recognize retail signs.
Yes, this place had once been a shopping center or something of the kind; most recently it served the purposes of the Chaktaw and their quest to eradicate humanity from the planet.
He came upon Corporal Brewer and his three-man reconnaissance team huddled behind debris from the broken perimeter wall.
"Small arms from inside, sir," he reported and pointed toward one of the 'store' fronts that suffered from burn and explosive damage. "Not sure how many."
"Okay, let's check it out. Corporal, keep your team here to cover us, the rest of you follow me, we're going to get close enough for a look."
With his assault rifle held ready and its bayonet gleaming in the sharp afternoon sunlight, Trevor weaved the squad around destroyed vehicles and dead bodies, approaching the occupied building. When they neared the gaping hole where a front door once stood, Chaktaw rounds zipped by his nose and forced the unit flush against the front fascia.
When the shooting slowed, the new Emperor peered in through what might have once been a window. He saw movement back there in the shadows but had to pull back when enemy fire ricocheted off a stone support pillar a few feet in front of his face.
Trevor turned to Nina, his hand held open, and said, "Throw Cam."
Nina produced a softball-sized device from her utility belt and gave it to him. Tiny lenses covered the gray and black sphere.
Trevor took a deep breath, concentrated, and then leaned in again. He hurled the round object into the destroyed building and retreated just as Chaktaw rifles tried to kill him again.
Major Forest held a monitor about the size of a portable video game. She cycled through the available camera angles until she found the picture offering the best tactical analysis.
"There. In the northwest corner. Four of them."
To Trevor's surprise, the Chaktaw hiding in the building did not wear their usual camouflage ponchos. However, he recognized them all the same from his meeting prior to the Battle of Five Armies when the alien commander offered a merciful death to honor the human army's courage.
Just as he remembered, their heads differed from men in that they had big puffy cheeks with wiry hair, almost whiskers. Their scalps lacked any hair in the center. Instead, strands of fibrous thatch circled the edges of their skulls.
The group of four hid in a corner behind overturned furniture and a stack of food stuffs, armed with rifles that fired bullet-like pellets from a magnetic rail gun.
"What do you think?" Nina asked.
He raised his radio and transmitted, "Flight Two leader, you copy? I got some bugs that need to be squashed."
The radio hummed, "Copy ground team, exterminator en route."
"Marking target," Trevor radioed and casually flipped a grenade spewing gray smoke in front of the store. He then moved the squad away.
One of the AATCs banked around and dove. The white and red missiles under its short wings glinted in the sun like talons on a bird of prey.
When they reached cover, Nina said, "I'm surprised you're going to waste missiles on four Chaktaw."
"For these guys, we use a hammer on an ant if we need to. I hate these fucks."
One of the Skipper's rockets shot out and arrowed into the remains of the building, actually flying in the open front door and detonating inside. A muffled clap preceded a bubbling ball of brown and black smoke that poured from the interior.
Trevor immediately waved his men forward and inside, meeting no resistance.
The missile strike ignited a few small fires but the main obstacle to searching the room was the dust left over from the ceiling collapse. Like others on the team, Trevor covered his mouth and nose with his hand, wishing he had brought a mask.
He ordered, "We're searching for anything that could lead us to their main base."
"You find nothing. We burn good."
Trevor shot around at the sound of an alien voice to see two of his men dragging a Chaktaw survivor from the rubble. The thing smiled, apparently happy that humanity would find nothing of use at the destroyed outpost.
Trevor, however, reacted more to the creature's speech than the substance of what it said. It surprised him to hear a Chaktaw speaking his language, albeit in a rough fashion. The Chaktaw-or Vikings-he had fought at Five Armies used translation devices to communicate.
"You speak my tongue? Now this is interesting."
"Yes. Some us learn you words so we can order you around when you defeated."
Nina pulled one of her twin pistols and put it to the creature’s head.
Trevor held his hand up to stop her. "No. No. Wait a moment. This is very fortunate."
"I didn’t think you liked prisoners," Forest said and appeared eager to do the dirty work.
"Oh, I live and learn, sweetheart. I’m sure our friend here-our buddy who can speak our language-I’m sure he would be happy to tell us about their main base, wouldn’t you?"
Nina holstered her gun and said, "We have people, I mean, the old Trevor…he sometimes had people interrogate prisoners. I’m sure they’d be happy to do it again."
"Good. Take our friend back to Thebes and discuss the matter with him. See if you can find out who beat us to the punch here, too."
As the soldiers dragged the prisoner away, the Chaktaw said, "Fromm will destroy your city! He is coming for you. He is coming!"
"Did you say, Fromm?" Trevor stopped them. "Force Commander Fromm? I remember that son of a bitch."
Fromm had been the name of the Viking commander at Five Armies; the one Trevor had killed then held his body toward the heavens to announce humanity’s resurgence.
"He will destroy you."
"I’ll tell you what, buddy, what’s that tradition of yours? Oh yeah, if you tell me where your main base is, I’ll allow your people to surrender and die peacefully. How’s that?"
The Chaktaw did not reply, but the look in its eyes suggested surprise at Trevor’s knowledge of its customs as well as indignation at the idea his people could ever be defeated.
"Take this thing away," Major Forest ordered. "Turn it over to Intel."
Trevor watched them go and said, "I think I’m starting to like this. This is almost fun."
– According to Major Forest, the 'old' Trevor placed an emphasis on decoding the languages of the enemy factions. This resulted in a certain number of translators capable of understanding-to some degree-enemy conversations and transmissions as well as providing for the vigorous interrogation of prisoners.