"Why will they only attack at nightfall?" she asked once she was halfway up the leg and handed the pieces to Tinker.
"Well, I assume they're not here for a friendly chat. Now hand me the…tumblers, yes."
Jessica13 knew what was needed to install a frequency adjuster and had the tool waiting for him. "Well, by the looks of it, they'll reach here at least an hour before sundown. Why would they wait until nightfall to attack?"
"It's her way." Hammerhand's voice boomed again and almost shook her free from her perch with the vibrations alone.
"That…doesn't explain much," she muttered and hoped he wouldn't hear her.
He did, though, and chose to explain. "Observe the way she has her forces marching in formation like it's some kind of a parade. They have the intention to instill fear and terror prior to the attack. Besides, fighting at night only serves to enhance the feeling of fear for those under attack. Athena sees terror as a weapon to be used to advantage and takes it very seriously."
While they spoke, Mayor Jones rushed to where they stood and maintained high ground to enable him to keep an eye on the approaching enemy.
"Master Hammerhand, if I could have a word?" The man looked tiny compared to the massive Excalibur, which was why he shouted to get the knight’s attention.
"There is no need to raise your voice, Mayor," the Knights’ leader replied, careful not to move the mech.
"The preparations for the fight are underway. I would like to discuss the battle plan with you."
"Our best chance would be to prevent the enemy from reaching the city," Hammerhand asserted. "We will need to control the access points to the town to keep the invaders at arm's length and away from where they can do the most damage."
"If I may offer another plan?" Mayor Jones looked timid at the prospect of even suggesting any changes, but when there was no response from the knight, he grew a little bolder. "There are those among us who feel the battle will be better suited to our particular situation should Lady Hoot's fighters be drawn into the town."
Hammerhand's head twisted to look more closely at the mayor. "Your people would be willing to risk their homes in such a fashion?"
"They feel there will be no homes to risk should we suffer defeat."
Jessica13 and Tinker continued to work as their leader paused to think about the suggestion.
"Using the narrower streets of the town would allow us to funnel them in and counteract the advantage of their numbers."
"You will notice as well that they appear to be armed with weapons better suited to a pitched battle out in the open," Tinker interjected and continued his efforts to restore the Excalibur to full functionality. "Drawing them into a situation where their longer-range weapons would be useless could also prove effective."
She could almost see the gears turning in Hammerhand's head as he inspected the fighting force that approached. "This is true. The rifles, launchers, and artillery would be better suited for a fight out in the open but would be almost fully inhibited by the tight confines of the town's streets. Make it so."
The mayor appeared excited that his plan had been accepted. "Fantastic. We have already begun to plot choke points and set up traps and the like to funnel their numbers even more."
"If I may suggest something, Mayor," Tinker called from where he closed the panels on the mech. "I don't suppose you would have any fertilizer available?"
Jones paused and glanced quickly at the strange old man. "Literally tons. Why do you ask?"
"It can be used to make potent explosives, and if you hold none back for planting, we should be able to give Lady Hoot's men quite a greeting when they arrive at our doorstep."
The mayor nodded resolutely. "I will order that all of it be gathered."
Tinker finished with the last of the repairs and climbed down. "I would advise not to get hit by lightning again, but should it happen, I think you should be protected from all except for a direct hit."
Hammerhand ran another quick diagnostic on his mech. "Tell me, Tinker, if you see as I do. The mechs out there are not the same kind Athena put in the field before. They are untouched by the modifications and paraphernalia the others bore."
The two returned to their mechs and turned to study the enemy force. Jessica13 zoomed into the parade Athena had arranged for their benefit and identified a few mechs with the same kinds of additions and capes as those that had attacked before them. Most, however, looked like they had come out of the box. They were gray or white and possessed none of the ornate decorations their adversary’s raiders usually displayed.
"It could be that these are the better fighters," Tinker suggested. "Perhaps the ones we killed were merely the pawns—the chaff or the disposable pilots."
"That's a comforting thought," she grumbled. She knew for a fact that Hammerhand couldn't hear her this time but when the massive Excalibur twisted easily, the repairs and diagnostics apparently effective, her heart jumped to her throat.
“Actually, these are the Citadel’s forces,” Mayor Jones explained as he paused from sending orders through the radio. “They are not Lady Hoot’s men. The Citadel’s forces prefer to remain underground, while Lady Hoot fights on the surface as their auxiliary. That they have stepped in now is worrying.”
"Either way, we will be ready for them," Hammerhand said and his voice thundered through the town as he and the mayor marched back to inspect the preparations.
"What do you have going on in that mind of yours?" Tinker asked, having obviously waited for the men to move on before he spoke.
Jessica13 scowled. “Remember how we used to set up the comm jammers over Sanctuary’s entrance to make sure attackers had no way to communicate with each other?”
“Remember? I still hold the record for setting it up in seventeen minutes.”
“Used to hold it. I put it up in under fifteen minutes.”
“No
