She recognized the area around Auburn immediately and noted the town itself, surrounded by greenery as it had once been. Much of the vegetation had been burned in the attack but there was some left, at least.
Her gaze moved to a town farther to the north, the one Athena had burned and tried to attack the Knights from. It wasn't as long a distance between the two towns as it had felt and yet somehow, the spire looked much farther away from Auburn than it seemed. It had since stopped sparking with electricity, and she assumed it was because it took too much energy to run it constantly. Even so, it appeared to be about a two- or three-days’ march to reach the location that had been cleared by the Katyusha cannons.
And from there, it was almost a full day’s march to the final destination. It was like they said—no army would be able to march through a full day of being bombarded like that.
The Prophet, however, directed their attention to a section that was a little to the east and well-removed from the range of the cannons.
"If you will turn your eyes to this mesa here, you will note that the city extends underground a great many kilometers. Whether this was intentional or not, this section is beyond where the Katyushas can fire. This, it has been observed, is where the balloons are launched. I believe you interacted with them, and they are a part of the system to remake the world. As I think you are aware, they have found out how to weaponize these effectively."
Jessica13 scowled at the map and tried to understand the logistics of it. There was a small legend on the side, but it would require more study before she understood it all. For the moment, it was best to let the others continue their planning.
Hammerhand leaned closer. "I assume you don't mean that we should simply take the area for their balloons. As effective as they may be, they are also easy pickings for the cannons should they approach."
"True enough, my brave friend, and it is for this reason that I guide your attention toward this area—a lake made by a crater. It is assumed that they store their gene bank under the crater lake, as my spies have noted large heat exchanger towers rising during the drier months of the year."
The landmark was about a hundred kilometers from the spire and an equal distance from the mesa, much like the numbers on a clock face. She couldn't see how they could be connected to the Spire or FEMA City or whatever it was called unless it spanned hundreds of kilometers from the center all around. It would certainly make it bigger than Sanctuary.
"Both would have settlements underground," the Prophet continued. "They would also be connected to the larger structure of FEMA City, possibly through tunnels branching from the main cavern under the spire."
Hammerhand nodded when he saw where the man was going and the point he tried to make. "You think that if we threaten their food supply here in Auburn, take their balloons, and seize their gene bank, we would be able to sue for peace?"
"A just peace would be found, yes, and it would prevent imbalance from occurring in the future as it has up until this point."
"And our only other option would be to simply wait them out and hope we can last longer than they can," Tinker observed grimly.
"That is correct as well."
Levi finished his drink and let one of the nearby attendants take it. "If the Knights and the Prophet's troops were able to coordinate this kind of peace, the New York Western Railroad Company would be in place to make sure that it is maintained. We could enforce it, if you will, with the troops we would be able to provide."
Hammerhand nodded but hesitated for a moment to wait for Tinker to add his input as well, but all the older man could offer was another nod.
"It is a good plan," the Knights’ leader stated firmly. "And a good step toward solidifying peace in the area. We are in agreement."
The Prophet clapped briskly. "Most wonderful. Most wonderful indeed! We should like to begin planning this immediately. You cannot wait for the rain to fall on the desert but must bring the water yourself, as they say."
Jessica13 didn't know who had said that, but it did make some sense to not wait for the rain to fall but rather to dig for another source.
Of course, in this particular case, they appeared to know where the water was. It would merely be difficult to dig.
She wasn't sure how the metaphor held up from that point forward.
The whole group stood from where they were settled on the red velvet cushions. Hammerhand stretched, clearly not used to sitting in that position. The Prophet and Levi both appeared more comfortable and shook hands with each other.
Once Hammerhand was finished, he turned to Tinker and the two quickly began to discuss logistics, almost as if they’d forgotten that Jessica13 was there with them. It wasn't like she had really contributed to the battle plan, anyway.
The word had already spread by the time they reached the other Knights. News that they had found a way to go on the offensive—which was what they had hoped for from the beginning—generated a sense of renewed purpose. The Beast needed to be prepared for the battles ahead, and Jessica13 joined her teammates as they worked to get everything ready. Most of their equipment had been pulled out for easy access during the battle. A great deal of it had been used, as well, and had to be replenished from what could be recovered from the battlefield.
She knew they would probably head into the toughest fight of their lives, which included the two they'd fought over the fate
