"My brothers!" Hammerhand called and his speakers carried his voice well over the roaring blaze between them. It was hard not to pay attention when he spoke. "Why do we fight?"
It was an odd question and yet a good one at the same time. She wasn't sure why she hadn't thought of why these men would follow Athena to the point where they risked their lives against opposition who could actually fight back. Bullying folks in towns and villages into giving up their resources was all well and good but usually, when faced with stiffer resistance, pirates and the like tended to turn tail and run. To them, it was always better to live to fight another day, and she couldn't blame them for it.
There was no answer from their adversaries and they appeared to be as surprised by the question as she was. The group of Cinders she'd noticed before were flanked on both sides by almost two dozen Lancers in formation, what looked like their escort out in the Wild.
"Why must we fight?" Hammerhand asked again. "You engage yourselves in acts of depravity and evil that would corrupt any living soul, but know this—there is a way out, a way to disengage yourselves from such horrors that you have witnessed and even committed. You have fought for a side you must know to be in the wrong and a group that must be brought to answer for what they have done, but you need not be among those punished. You need not be among those who fall in the name of justice."
She frowned, not at all sure what his point was. There were those who had fought for too long at Athena's side to question her methods and morals now. Maybe there were newer arrivals who could be convinced to turn against her. Or better yet, maybe he considered something more long-term. His words of peace and mercy would resonate in the men and women across from them, and maybe after they'd had time to think, they would see the wisdom of it.
Perhaps, in the long run, there would be those who elected to surrender rather than fight, knowing there was a way out now.
Jessica13 hoped for all those things but somehow doubted any would be the case.
"Instead of fighting alongside a tyrant who you must know will turn against you too, eventually, you could fight alongside the Knights Mechanica as our brothers," Hammerhand continued, took a step forward, and extended a hand to the mechs on the other side of the fire. "Make restitution for your sins. Pay penance for them by standing beside those who cannot protect themselves against those who would take advantage. Your lives and souls may yet be saved from the darkness that has consumed you. You have hurt and killed the innocent, and you must know that in time, you will meet justice, one way or the other. Stand with us and you will be spared and be able to face that with the knowledge that you have done something to right your wrongs. Do not, and that justice will meet you a good deal sooner than you would like."
Athena's knights appeared to confer with one another if nothing else, as their body language seemed to indicate that a discussion was in progress. They didn't look like they would take Hammerhand's offer and really, no one expected them to. Each of them had elected to side with Athena for a reason, after all.
But they would have the offer firmly in mind when he powered through their lines like he was some kind of machine of vengeance from above.
A Lancer finally stepped forward. The hatch twisted open and the pilot climbed out to stand on the shoulder of his mech. He stared at the silent Knights Mechanica and she used the opportunity to study one of the enemy.
Given the numbers Athena had committed to the burning town and again in this location, she had begun to feel that they had vastly underestimated the forces their adversary had at her disposal.
The man opposite looked lean and hungry and was most likely completely shaven as most mech pilots tended to be. He wore a patchwork coat of a variety of colors and mismatched pieces and looked much like the coat Athena had worn on her mech, she now recalled. Most of the scraps appeared to be some kind of leather about the size of a hand each, with a few patches of canvas sewed in as well like they were placeholders.
His helmet consisted of the same kind of work that even displayed a few sections of canvas too and covered his skull. The over-sized goggles he wore made it look like his eyes were popping out and created the impression that the headgear was way too tight.
He started to speak but lacked the powerful external speakers Hammerhand's Excalibur had so it was difficult over the roaring flames between them. She couldn't actually hear a word but it seemed fairly obvious that he attempted to convey the fact that he wasn't open to the idea of being accepted by the Knights Mechanica. He beat his chest and shouted to the other mechs, calling what might have been a challenge and was very obviously an attempt to rally them with far more noise and gestures than Hammerhand ever needed.
Jessica13 pulled her rifle out and looked down the scope to see more clearly. He pulled the helmet and goggles from his head and she realized that his skull was covered in thick black tattoos. They appeared to be rather crude and depicted a wide variety of animals—some of which she had never seen or heard of—but the most distinctive was on his forehead and seemed to look down at him.
It was rough like all the others but the depiction of an owl was unmistakable. It
