LotS/The Story/Legions of Steel/Capek Major

Capek Major
Curious animals stare at you from the branches of trees or gaps in the undergrowth as you proceed through the jungle. But all vanish when you draw near to them. No more predators emerge to hurl themselves at you. The sun now casts its rays down through the canopy, illuminating your path and warming your skin. Were it not for the potential troubles which await you at your destination, the journey would be almost pleasant.

Then there’s a rumbling, and you sigh. Perhaps you spoke too soon…

More huge reptilian creatures appear ahead of you as you move through the trees, and find yourselves in a glade. Ragnar raises his machinegun.

“No!” says Talia. She grabs Ragnar’s thickly muscled arm, as if trying to drag his weapon down. But the limb barely moves an inch.

“Can feel my bicep any time you want,” he says. “But you can’t shift me. Best surgical enhancements credits can buy.”

“Talia, what’s wrong?” asks the Princess.

“Those things are rackalax,” the gunslinger replies. “They’re herbivores. They won’t attack us. Besides…”

You see the twinkle in her eye, and can’t help but feel that she’s about to suggest something insane.

“…we can ride them.”

Wrangling the Rackalax

“You want us to ride those monsters?” Ragnar asks. But his tone bespeaks admiration rather than incredulity. “You’re crazy. I like crazy.”

“I’m serious,” Talia replies. “On my home planet we used to wrangle them all the time. It’s easy – they don’t even need to be trained. As soon as you get on their backs, you can steer them just like a vehicle.”

“I’m not sure this is wise…” says the Princess.

“Trust me,” says Talia. “It’ll work. And it’ll let us get to the city much quicker.”

“I’m up for it,” says Ragnar.

You and the Princess look at each other. Her expression is dubious, and yours is no doubt similar. But Talia is already issuing instructions, telling Telemachus and Ragnar to tear down some thick vines for use as ropes.

“You planning on standing there, captain?” she asks, as the three of them begin to move towards the creatures, who are now regarding your group with mild curiosity. “Or are you going to help?”

You move to join them. What’s the worst that could happen?

Rackalax Rodeo

Somehow the four of you manage to wrestle the rackalax into submission. Talia leaps up onto one’s back, and stands atop it. Ragnar yanks its head down using the vines they’ve put around it, and jumps up to join her.

Telemachus pulls the other one down by its head, exerting the strength of his mech, and calls for you and the Princess to get on its back. You go first, making sure the beast is properly subdued before clasping her hand and helping her up.

“Don’t think I can ride it in my mech,” says Telemachus. “But my boosters will let me keep up.”

“Remember, when it gets started, just steer it like a vehicle,” yells Talia. Then she drags on her makeshift reins, and her rackalax plunges through the forest.

Telemachus lets go of your rackalax’s neck, and steps aside. You copy Talia’s gesture, and the creature beings to move…

A moment later you’re hurtling over the grassy plain which separates the jungle from the city, Princess Illaria’s arms wrapped around you as she holds on for dear life. Talia and Ragnar’s cries of exhilaration come back to you on the rushing wind. They’re actually enjoying this…

The rackalax under you keeps twisting and turning, as if attempting to head back to the jungle. You struggle at the reins. Have to keep it pointed towards the city…

Robot War

You maintain control of the charging rackalax, and head towards the city at breakneck speed. And as you draw nearer to the settlement, you see flashes of laser fire.

“Someone’s fighting!” Princess Illaria yells, pressing her mouth against your ear to stop the words being lost in the wind or drowned out by the thundering tread of the rackalax.

From the number of flashes, it looks like a raging battle…

You yank at the reins of the rackalax in an effort to slow it down. If there’s combat going on, it would be sensible to approach more cautiously. But the beast doesn’t respond. It occurs to you that you have no idea how to stop it.

The city’s buildings loom up before you, and your trained gaze analyzes the situation. Two forces of robots are battling each other. One is painted in gold and silver, the other in black and red. Laser beams dart between the clashing robots, filling the air with flashes of red and green.

“What should we do?” you yell over your shoulder.

Then some of the black and red robots turn towards you as you approach, and begin firing in your direction. That makes things simple. Talia and Ragnar are already returning fire, the gunslinger standing atop the charging beast and somehow able to keep her footing whilst firing with both her pistols.

The Princess clasps one arm around you in a tight embrace, freeing her other hand for her weapon. You do likewise, clutching the reins with one hand to keep yourself in place, and firing your weapon at the black and red robots with the other.

How Do You Stop This Thing?

In a moment you’ll be in the midst of the battle, and still the rackalax charges onwards without pause. Ahead of you, Ragnar and Talia are leaping from their mount, allowing it to plough into the black and red robots. You should to do the same, but you can’t jump while Princess Illaria is still on its back.

Telemachus appears beside the beast, using his boosters to match its pace, and reaches for the Princess with his mech’s right arm. You might have time to pass her to him, and then leap to safety…

Carnus 9000

The thundering rackalax smash through the black and red robots, scattering them like toys, stomping them into the street. The beasts continue their charge, and become lost to sight behind some of the buildings. You hope they don’t cause too much damage.

You turn, and see Telemachus lowering the Princess to the ground.

“I’m okay,” she says, though she staggers a little.

Ragnar and Talia are exchanging fire with the remaining black and red robots. The gold and silver bots are directing their fire at them as well, and show no signs of aggression towards you. Telemachus wades into the combat, sparks flying as his chainsaw cuts into one of the enemy robots.

“The gold and silver ones are the planet’s troops,” says Illaria. “Not seen those other ones before. We need to find-”

She breaks off, as a rumbling sound fills the air. A large mechanical form trundles from behind a nearby building, a hulking black and red robot sitting atop three huge wheels – a war machine far more imposing than the humanoid ones you scattered with your rackalax. Huge laser cannons at the end of each of its arms open up, firing thick beams of gleaming energy at groups of the gold and silver robots. The blasts blow some of them into chunks of smoldering scrap metal, and launch others through the air, their arms and legs flailing.

Your companions fall back towards you as the killer robot rolls through the street, laser fire from the gold and silver battle bots striking it from all directions.

“What the hell is that thing?” yells Talia, over the sound of the explosions.

“It’s a Carnus 9000!” says Telemachus, with awe in his voice. “That’s what I wanted to get to guard our palace on Gallea! The Fabricatrix who designed it says it’s invincible!”

“Don’t worry,” you say. “Technology never works quite as well as the manufacturers say it does.”

You utter quick instructions to your companions, and the five of you move out to attack.

---

Sparks and crackling electricity fly from dozens of points on the robot’s body, spewed out by ruptured systems. One of its wheels locks in place, no longer turning, and scrapes against the ground as it tries to move. There’s an explosion, and another wheel rolls free from its body, tumbling along the street before hitting a building and flopping onto its side.

The robot remains upright, its central wheel managing to support its weight. But it’s in its death throes. Its torso pivots this way and that, firing its weapons, but its shots go wide – its targeting systems ruined.

Laser fire, along with torrents of bullets from Ragnar’s gun, rip across its surface. Soon its arms fall to its sides, and the red light on its head flickers out as its systems fail.

The gold and silver robots take up firing positions in the street, apparently intending to hold the area against further attack. Their movements and mannerisms are incredibly life-like, and remind you why so many humans find robots creepy. You’re on the verge of attempting to communicate with one of them in search of answers, when a door in a nearby building opens. You raise your weapon, but lower it when you see the people who emerge from the structure. Several of the men and women are wearing the same gold and silver as the robots you fought alongside, and it seems clear from their bedraggled appearances and nervous expressions that they were seeking refuge from the black and red robots’ attack.

Princess Illaria approaches them, and the rest of you follow her lead.

“Chief Assembler Wilex!” she says.

She directs the words to a tall, grey-haired man whose clothing is decorated in gold and silver cogs. His clothes are torn in places, and there’s a gash on his head. You know a little about TALOS ranks and titles, and believe that a Chief Assembler is a planetary administrator, the name a cultural relic rather than a literal description of his role. He’s no doubt the man the Princess spoke of earlier.

“When I saw you on the monitor, Highness, I believed I must have hit my head harder than I thought,” he says.

“With all that’s happened lately,” she replies, “I feel the same way.”

“Hey!” Ragnar strides over, and stands before Wilex. “You owe me credits. I killed those space pirates, and blew up their hideout. Figured you were trying to rip me off when you wouldn’t let me land.”

“You’ll be paid!” the Chief Assembler promises, the words coming in rapid succession as he retreats a couple of steps before the brutish mercenary. “And… and I’ll throw in a bonus for your help here today!”

“That’s okay then,” says Ragnar. He gives a satisfied grunt, and walks off to where Telemachus is examining what’s left of the Carnus 9000.

“I think some explanations are in order,” says Wilex. He beckons for the Princess to enter the building, and you follow in her wake.

---

In what appears to be some kind of council chamber, two tales are exchanged. The Princess tells of the Centurian Collective’s attack on the Sian Empire, and the Chief Assembler expresses his outrage.

Most human factions are wary of TALOS, and the Sian Empire is no exception. Mankind’s suspicion of advanced robots, those capable of thinking and fighting for themselves, is centuries old. During your schooling, you read a theory that it stems from the depiction of robots in old human fiction, who would often go berserk and attempt to overthrow their human masters. And matters weren’t helped by a few high profile disasters which occurred in more recent times, such as the robot fleet which ended up bombing a friendly colony due to a syntax error.

But though the Emperor himself has done nothing to alter the empire’s frosty relations with TALOS, Princess Illaria has made great efforts to improve matters. Thus she has many friends amongst the TALOS leadership. Moreover, the Centurians have often been directly opposed to TALOS’ interests in the UHW Assembly. Thus Wilex’s sympathies are entirely on the Princess’ side. And he seems particularly interested when she refers to the how the Centurians demonstrated advanced technologies in their attacks, well beyond those they were known to possess.

For his part, Chief Assembler Wilex explains the situation on Capek.

He tells you that Fabricatrix Vespasia, one of the highest ranking TALOS officials, came to Capek claiming that she had been authorized to conduct a surprise inspection of its robot factories and planetary defenses. Such inspections being far from unheard of, Wilex took her at her word and gave her access to the command center in Capek Major in accordance with standard procedure. Vespasia then proceeded to shut down the communications grid, seize control of the planetary defenses, and land large numbers of her robot troops. The Chief Assembler and his people had been determining what to do about the situation when Vespasia’s robots attacked.

“So we both find ourselves in the midst of our own crises,” muses the Princess.

“It would appear so,” says the Chief Assembler.

“What do you intend to do?” you ask him.

“We have to take back the command center,” he replies. “I don’t know what her plan is, but we have to seize control of the communication systems, so we can alert our fleets and our other planets.”

Your gaze meets that of the Princess, and you know what she’s about to say even before she says it.

“We’ll do whatever we can to aid you,” she says.