It was the result of his enormous charisma that was powerful, even through his mech, to touch the minds and hearts of the people around him. He could encourage them to take actions they never thought they could simply because he inspired them.
And maybe because they didn't want to disappoint his expectations of them. This was certainly something that played a role in her interaction with him, so it was a likely possibility.
It was, she realized, a dangerous kind of power to have over people. Athena probably had something similar—the ability to speak and put the people around her under what she assumed was a kind of hypnotic spell that made them do what she wanted them to. Unlike Hammerhand, she abused that ability. While it was pure assumption, it seemed to be a logical deduction when she considered the issue of the woman’s power over people.
The Knights’ leader moved forward again and made it seem like he joined them in looking forward to their future.
"I understand that the concept might feel a little foreign at first," he said. His voice remained calm and measured but carried a depth and strength that could not be ignored. "The thought that you can choose your own destiny might cause fear, but that is simply part of the beauty of it. None will have a say in how you run your lives—not even the Knights Mechanica. When I ask what you will do with your newfound freedom, you need not answer to me but rather to yourselves. What is that freedom worth to you? Will you fight for it? What would you do to keep it?"
The fear, the excitement, and the tension were almost palpable around them. These people finally realized what they had and the reality of what threatened it. Hammerhand's words showed them the way and they were following through.
"How easy it would be," Jessica13 said in response to her thoughts that vacillated between awe and alarm.
"What was that?" Mini asked. "Do you want me to connect you with someone?"
"No… I was thinking," she replied and shook her head. "How easy it would be for someone to use Hammerhand's ability to influence people for evil. Or bad things, anyway."
"His oratory skills are a little antiquated but very effective," the AI conceded. "I suppose it’s possible that he practices his speeches in his mech where only he can hear them and so improves them before he actually speaks. But aside from that and a few other tricks, it is something some people are simply born with. They know instinctually how to speak in a manner that would help others see their point of view. There are a few genetic components, according to my records, but it is mostly due to upbringing and skills that are learned while very young and improved upon over time."
"I don't think I'd be any good at it," she grumbled.
"You have a great many other skills that make you invaluable," he said. "Your obvious knowledge and passion for those are what make people listen to you when you talk."
She smiled. "Well, you have a pleasant quality to your voice that makes it nice to listen to you as well."
"Your compliment is noted and appreciated," Mini said.
They turned their attention to Hammerhand, who pointed his hammer at the sky in the direction of the balloons that approached the town slowly. They had made noticeable progress and would soon hang over them, but even from a distance, they were an impressive sight—like a very real harbinger of the possible doom they would inevitably face.
"That is what is coming to take this newfound freedom from you," he stated. "They would fight to put you under their control again or, failing that, burn Auburn to the ground to meet their perverse need for retribution. There is only one way to hold them at bay and that is to fight them!"
The people roared in response. Where Barrios had roused them based on deeper, fouler emotions, Hammerhand brought out the best in them. He reminded them of who and what they wanted to protect and what they could do to accomplish it.
They were inspired. There was no other explanation for it.
The clouds rolled closer, hard behind the balloons, and Jessica13 pulled her rifle from her back and attempted to look more closely through the scope.
"I really do need to get a proper holster for this," she reminded herself. "The mag clamp can’t have a very good effect on the metal. It could even warp it if I leave it on long enough."
"That is possible," Mini agreed as she adjusted her view to the plains around Auburn.
The scope still worked well and the software quickly corrected and zoomed into an area where she could see movement. It had simply looked like the grass moving at first and she’d almost moved on. But as the visibility settled and the cloud shielded any glare from the sun, she was able to determine that the movement actually came from a group of mechs that headed in their direction.
"Tinker!" she shouted into the comms. "You might want to take a look at this."
He moved hurriedly to where she stood and took the rifle she offered him.
"You might want to think about getting one of these for yourself," Jessica13 pointed out.
"I don't like firearms or weapons in general," the man said. "Of course, I know they're necessary, but I chose the role of support mech precisely for the reason that I handle weapons only rarely and mostly only to keep them in shape for others to use."
"We'll have to talk more about that later," she said. "But due south…maybe more southwest…there is movement on the hills. I'd say
