Was there any way to compromise in this situation, though?
Hammerhand looked at Tinker, who now paced again. "There is no need for compromise. There are those who need us to intervene on their behalf. We should be able to engage whatever problems assail them, rest, recover, and continue on our way with what resources we can gather from that location."
"That was true when we operated out of the City-That-was," the man responded. "Out here in the wilds, there's nothing to scavenge and nothing to pull out but what bare rock can give us. We have worked with what parts we were able to take from the bunkers and even those are running low. We've pushed hard and don't have the time, parts, or resources for an engagement like that. We're tired, laddie. And you'll find you can't wage this crusade for justice of yours if you're dead or struggling for what we can’t get our hands on."
"I agree," Hammerhand said, his voice loud as he stood to match the other man’s pacing. "But in the end, this is why the Knights were formed. And, to answer your point, we will find the villages or towns that would be able to supply us with what food and resources we need to continue our quest."
"That's assuming we survive the engagement to help them in the first place," Tinker said and raised his voice a little.
"I think you don't give us enough credit," the leader said. "This group would be able to fight any force on this planet. I'd take them against anyone else."
"We do know who we're fighting in this, right?" Windchime tried to interject but they either didn't hear him or simply ignored him.
"There isn’t much we can do if our mechs are falling apart and we haven't been fed in days," Tinker snapped in response.
Tensions began to run high as those who either agreed or disagreed with what was being said argued and each seemed convinced they were right. All of them had good points, and Jessica13 simply couldn't understand why they didn’t attempt to find a way that would work for all of them. If they intended to fight together against outside threats, there was really no point in creating enemies on the inside, right?
She turned to where Windchime stood. Like her, he hadn’t engaged in the debate. Hammerhand and Tinker appeared to have calmed their own disagreement, but it now climbed to a much louder volume among the others in the Beast.
“This world demands every ounce—every scrap— of goodness we have, every last trace of sanity we can muster and give, the promise of brotherhood, and the conviction that there are things to live for," Hammerhand said and gained the support of those who agreed with his every word. "And keeping that promise is the hill I will die on if need be.”
More cheers erupted from the men around, which triggered more debate. It was odd how inspiring the man’s voice could be when he wanted it to, and she wasn't sure why. When he was in the Excalibur, he could make his voice boom all around him and thus made it almost impossible to ignore. But even when he was out of the mech, the low, deep timbre of his voice was somehow as inspirational as when it was magnified around them.
"If I might have a word?" Windchime asked and attempted to make his voice carry above what was said all around him. It didn't work the first time, which forced him to release a single loud blare of the alarm on his mech that overrode every other sound in the room.
That made them fall silent rather quickly as almost every Knight in the Beast had been trained by experience to react quickly and decisively to that particular sound.
Hammerhand and Tinker stopped their conversation to turn and face Windchime. Jessica13 wondered if the man would have to resort to drawing his vibroblades and turning them on to gain everyone's attention.
She was glad he didn't. There was something about the noise the weapons made that made her teeth grate. It was bound to get on everyone's nerves and would either force them to pay attention or prove to be a tipping point that would make things turn from hostile into violent. Given the number of combat mechs around them, things could get incredibly ugly really quickly.
Hammerhand raised a hand—as if there wasn't already silence in the room—and pointed a finger at Windchime. The man stood his ground, although he looked a little like he hadn’t expected the sudden and very effective reaction he’d garnered.
"Windchime," the leader said loudly. "You had something to add?"
"I did." The man looked at each member of the group. "Well, it was really a question to make sure we're all operating on the same kind of intelligence here since I'm not the expert when it comes to logistics. Did you receive the transmission I sent to you of the SOS we received?"
"We received it, yes," Tinker said. "The location was taken into account as well as the source of the transmission which was what allowed us to triangulate the location."
She could tell that Windchime was scowling from his body language.
"But did you listen to the actual transmission?" he asked and his stare was a little more challenging. "Did you hear the contents and actually listen to the description that was given of the mech that led the attackers?"
Jessica13 raised a tentative hand and drew some of the attention to herself. "A couple of the Knights who are still running security outside listened to the description. They talked about how the helm shaped like an owl or a bird of prey was indicative of them being from some of the nearby bunkers, particularly the Eyrie bunker out east?"
She could tell they hadn’t paid attention to her beyond a certain part of her statement which was a little frustrating, although it also meant
