THIRTY ONE
TIDE TURNING
Even now, the Prophus fight against their own ultimate good. We forgive their ignorance, though their standing will never be that of a true Quasing. That is their penance.
The sacrificing of the Prophus toward ProGenesis is an unfortunate necessity. It is punishment for disobeying the Council and the will of the Genjix. We honor them still, for they are still Quasing, and their sacrifice moves us toward our ultimate goal.
Zoras
Enzo scanned the map as his scouts reported in one by one. It had been four days since the large-scale attack on the camp. Since then, the situation had stabilized, and Enzo’s position was no longer as touch-and-go as it had been when he first assumed command. He had ordered another fifty meters of forest of the no man’s land burned, and after a few more failed probes, the Prophus had all but abandoned their efforts to penetrate the perimeter. Enzo attributed this major turn of events to his superior tactics and leadership.
Two thousand new reinforcements and outnumbering the enemy nearly three to one might have something to do with it.
Zoras might have a small point. Dramatically outnumbering the enemy did give Enzo a slight tactical advantage as well. With plenty of manpower now, Enzo could afford to go on the offensive. For the past few days, his scouts had pushed deeper and deeper into the forest to establish a larger zone of control. With the proper manpower and constant surveillance of a five kilometer radius, there was no longer a threat of surprise attacks.
There had been one raid since, which had ended in disaster for the Prophus. The Genjix were prepared and flanked the attack from the forest. Enzo even came out of that last melee with prisoners, including two vessels. With additional breathing room, he ordered construction of the airfield to begin. Until then, heavily escorted convoys delivering small numbers to the Langtang Airport in Nepal ensured the uninterrupted progress of the ProGenesis project.
Right now, an hour before dawn, Enzo, with a contingent of nearly five hundred men, was pressing northeast through a mountainous forested area a day’s journey from the camp. When the Genjix expanded their zone of control, they discovered several Prophus camps numbering anywhere from twenty to a hundred. These camps were loosely spread out, allowing them to cover large tracts of land. It was an effective tactic for intercepting Enzo’s convoys. His men were now systematically hunting and destroying these camps, taking prisoners when they could and killing the rest.
Yesterday, one of his scouts reported what they believed was the enemy’s main base camp, and Enzo had personally led a sortie. His forces were less than fifteen minutes from the coordinates and had already killed two lookouts. They still had twenty minutes until dawn, which meant that if he timed it correctly, the Genjix could sneak in under the cover of darkness and attack at first light. He ordered his men to spread out into attack formations, and then signaled for Palos and one of the scouts to accompany him to reconnoiter the camp.
After a brief protest about how he exposed himself too much to risk, Zoras acquiesced to Enzo. It was how their relationship had developed. It took time but his guardian eventually realized that Enzo was not like most other fervent vessels who obeyed their blessed ones like automatons. His guardian had come to understand that Adonis Vessels were vastly superior to mere humans. And it was for this reason that Zoras consented that, especially at his young age, Enzo needed to experience what his training could not provide. They were now more like partners, working toward the same goal, if not always seeing eye to eye.
The three crept along the thickets up a hill. Already, the forest was coming to life, and the cover of darkness was beginning to lift. The scout signaled for a stop and pointed at a shadowy figure standing on top of the reach. Enzo nodded and motioned for Palos to stay at his position. This lookout he wanted to take care of by himself.
Again, your youthful foolishness can ruin your great potential.
“Most vessels earn their guardian. I was groomed to be one. I still intend to earn my place.”
A breeze from the mountains swept in, rustling the leaves to mask his movement. Enzo crept behind the lookout and came to a stop six meters away. There, he waited. And just as the lookout let go of his rifle with one hand to pull his jacket tighter to his body, Enzo went in for the kill.
With a lightning first step, he launched himself at the lookout, smothering his mouth with one hand and jamming a knife into the back of his neck with the other. He held the man still for a second and then slowly laid him down on the ground. Enzo focused on the lookout’s eyes as the life left them and then signaled to the others.
They continued up the steep terrain until they reached the crest of the hill. Peering down at the valley below, Enzo saw a sprawling camp, neatly organized and situated under the forest canopy to avoid aerial surveillance. He counted sixty small tents and a larger central tent hung from an old tree. Less than a dozen figures wandered outside.
Large camp. Estimated numbers at four hundred.
“I need some men on the northeastern side. Our flank won’t reach there in time. Need to cut off their escape.”
No time. The sun is rising.
Enzo looked up and cursed. His men barely had time to get to the crest for the attack. He peered over the edge. Sixty meters at a twenty degree angle. The only way to prevent the Prophus from fleeing east would be to get the drop on them and attack at close range. They had the numbers to easily win a sustained battle. His losses would be higher, but he had the men to spare. It was worth the gamble.
Enzo muttered into his comm and ordered his men up. He had originally anticipated a larger enemy camp than this and had brought more than necessary. Still, it was better to assure victory through sheer numbers than have to win an equal battle through finesse.
“No incendiaries until the vanguard reach the camp. Then only onto the far edge,” he ordered as the first line of men crept over the top and began to make the descent. Enzo waited with the sniper teams as everyone got into position. Still, with several hundred people, it was nearly impossible to avoid detection. At about thirty meters from the edge of the camp, the closest Prophus guard opened fire. Several guns must have been trained on him since he was instantly cut down by a barrage.
We are not as deep as we should be. Order the right flank to disengage and circle to the rear.
Enzo did so and proceeded to move with the second wave of men. With the outcome still in contention, the first few seconds of this battle would be key. During the medieval days, Zoras would never voluntarily engage in a fight unless he had more than half the number of the opposing army. With technology becoming so deadly, the number needed to guarantee victory had increased.
The first row of tents was shredded by machine gun fire. Enzo was halfway down the hill when he saw several groups of Prophus flee eastward toward the forest line. Some were caught by his men, but more got away.
Where is the right flank?
“Tomlinson, where are your men? They’re escaping,” Enzo yelled into his comm. There was no response. “Tomlinson, report!” Still no response.
Something is wrong. Prophus numbers are too low.
Enzo stopped near the base of the hill and took a quick count. His men were a quarter into the camp by now. He had seen less than sixty Prophus total. Then he looked up at the ridge line as his men continued to pour into this basin.