"Do you think we should go on ahead to see if there's something that might be a problem for us?" Jessica13 asked. "You know, scout and make sure there's nothing ahead that might be able to ambush us?"
"Not if you plan to rush in there and kill anyone you run into," Windchime said and laughed. "I won’t race in after you to save your ass a second time."
"Once was enough," she agreed. "I think I would be able to keep myself far enough away from the fighting, though, even if I do engage in it. I know to keep my distance."
"Don't think you're dealing with silly pirates here, lassie," Tinker warned. "And it’s unlikely that the rearguards will snooze through a long march or those on watch will simply assume that no one would attack them and so not pay attention. Athena likes to surround herself with the best of the best, men and women of skill and ability who will not be easy to face. Remember, these are hardened fighters. They were Knights once and know how to handle combat. And there will be Athena herself, of course. You've seen how Hammerhand fights. Don't think his counterpart is any less protected, skilled, or effective, and believe me when I say she will not hesitate to cut you down."
She scowled and felt she was being lectured like she had been in the learning hall at Sanctuary. He hadn’t said anything she didn't already know and hadn't considered and maybe even overthought during their entire march. It wasn't like she didn’t know they would likely face Athena and her elite fighters along with her.
Of course she knew it. It was merely that it seemed necessary to keep her spirits up through a little banter with Windchime, especially since she would soon face an unfamiliar threat. Worse, it would be in a small and admittedly fast and agile but still vulnerable support mech and she’d be expected to do precisely that—support.
In the light of that, an attempt to buoy her mood didn't seem too bad, yet Tinker thought she needed a lecture about what they might face. She wanted to tell him he was wrong and should rather encourage her good mood but realized that his lecture was probably prompted by his concern for her. The point of it was that she wouldn’t head into the battle with unrealistic expectations that might prove dangerous.
While she could respect that and appreciated that he was looking out for her, she still didn't like it. She wouldn’t voice her complaint, though, and chose instead to keep her head down, power forward, and make the most of the knowledge he had tried to impart. Despite her good intentions, she did wonder when—or even if—he would stop regarding her like the baby of the family.
"What made you talk about scouting ahead ?" Windchime asked as if he sensed the tension between the two and tried to defuse it somewhat.
"Huh?" Jessica13 asked and snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, I only thought we might want to move closer to investigate that column of smoke rising up in the direction we're heading in."
Both men turned to look at the horizon ahead of them and the very obvious smoke that billowed like a beacon or a warning.
"Fuck me." Tinker grunted annoyance. "How did I miss that?"
"We were bantering, that's how," the other man countered.
Hammerhand hadn't missed it, however, and he had already circled and ordered the Knights into a battle formation. He issued orders while he swung his hammer above his head to draw the attention of the group so they focused on him.
It was how he tended to fight. He used his Hammer, the shield, and his armor to soak up as much damage as possible and hold the attention of the enemy, which left the other Knights free to act with little resistance.
Windchime and a Balthazar took their positions immediately behind their leader and slightly to the side to create the V-formation they used so effectively. Two Lancers formed the rear of the battle line. Taylor, in his Sherlock, had already moved toward the flank, likely in anticipation of a hard, centralized fight that would allow him to cut in if things became too focused. His faithful Watson followed, ready to support him.
The main line, however, was centered around Hammerhand and the others. It was impressive, especially when taking into account the fact that there were so few of them. She had been with them for a while now but was still impressed by how powerful they looked when they advanced in formation like this. Not only that, she’d never seen them practice it and assumed the AIs simply stepped in and directed them into the positions where they would be the most effective or they were so accustomed to fighting together that they needed no orders.
"Jessica13, report in," Hammerhand called over a private comm line.
"Reporting in," she replied. "Where do you need me?"
"It’s time to use the mobility your mech is getting known for," he said in the kind of voice she couldn't help but be inspired by. "Head out and ahead. I need you to travel along our left flank. Stay out of the fight as much as you can and alert Tinker if you see any attempts to circle us. Use that rifle of yours when you can but keep moving if you do. Don't let them get a bead on you."
Jessica13 nodded. "Understood. I’ll head out now."
It was logical that she would report anything she learned to Tinker since he fulfilled the support role. He didn't like to be in the middle of the fight and would stay
