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Chapter 2: In Vain

January 8, 2024 6:12 PM

Derek sighed as his son stomped off. That boy of his... Swanson waited till he was out of ear shot to speak up.

"Not a bad, lad, just an unlucky one. Tha' little trip o' his would've been-" he stopped as Derek gave him a "not now" look. Swanson shrugged and dropped it before turning back to the map on the desk.

"Where was I?...Ahh, Darius' group is in, but Taylor's is still out," Swanson said. Derek nodded before answering.

"That's fine. Taylor had the heavy equipment with her group and took a longer route back. Probably be a few more days before she gets to the watchpost they were heading for," Derek said. The longer path was worth the long trip, though, as the stuff Taylor was transporting was too valuable to put in any undue risk.

"Aye, I guessed as much. Well, looks like yer all gettin back in one piece so I'd wager it went well?" Swanson asked as he moved back toward the fire. There was no need to keep this talk private since everyone in Derek's group would know as well. And all of Swanson's men would know soon enough with them bragging.

"That it did. We managed to stumble onto a Snakes' fuel depot and took it from them. We thought about stealing it, but Darius had other plans. Had the forest it was in set up for a firetrap and then lured the Society in to stomp the gas. Set it off once they had gotten the gas on them along with the rest of the forest. Got five giantesses and five catmonsters along with a number badly burned," Derek said smiling at the tally. Swanson gave a whistle and then a low chuckle.

"Oh that'll stir dem bitches up right quick. Snakes will have more heat on 'em than this deer. Serves 'em right," he said getting a number of nodes of agreement from others by the fire. The sound of knocking came from the rock along with the password. Light streamed in again as the "door" was opened to let in the last of Derek's group into the watchpost. Derek motioned for its squad leader to come over.

"Any trouble?" Derek asked him.

"No. No rumblers and no buzzers. We weren't seen," the squad leader responded, using the slang term for giantesses and fairies. Derek nodded and sent him off to rest as he let the tension go. His soldiers were all safe inside and now he could, finally, relax a little. Swanson seemed to relax a bit too at the good word.

"Good news, was a bit worried that catmonster might have been around," Swanson said as he scratched as his ruined eye.

"Catmonster?" Derek said with a worried look. Swanson didn't look all that concerned and looked to brush the worry off.

"Aye, one was stalken around up there a few days ago. Thing headed inta the Reststop and sleep there fer a night. Moved on in the morning headed toward Hope. Already sent out a warning," Swanson answered.

"Collar?" Derek asked, already guessing the answer with the way Swanson was acting about it.

"Naw, rogue one," Swanson answered letting Derek relax again. Rogue catmonsters were not common, but one would wonder into their territory every so often. Usually, they just stayed out of their way and the catmonster would wonder out of their territory sooner or later. As long as people knew where it was, they didn't cause much trouble. It was when they got in undetected or they lost track of one that people got killed. A collared one, though, a collared one was a Society catmonster. And where there were Society catmonsters, the Society was sure to follow.

By then, the deer had been fully cooked and Derek had his first decent meal in more than a week, though he let his soldiers get their meals first. Outside, fire was a luxury that could not be afforded when the threat of detection was ever present. Cold rations of jerky, dried fruits, and other such things were good enough to keep you going, but didn't fill a person up or provide any real taste. Cooked deer meat, though, now that was a filling and tasty meal. Better still when Swanson broke out some fruit they had gathered to make a full course meal out of it.

With their stomachs full for the first time since they left Hope, and with actual beds to sleep it, the group settled into sleep rather quickly. Most of the beds had two, sometimes even three, people in them. Derek walked along the rows of beds, checking over his soldiers. He smiled as he saw Jacob and Samantha laying together, their arms wrapped up on each other. He had seen them get into a bit of a fight during dinner, but, as always, they made up rather quickly. Derek didn't bother with a bed, his soldiers needed them more, and headed back to the fire. Swanson was there and eyed Derek as he approached.

"Ye need sleep too," Swanson said as he motioned toward a bit of straw laying on the floor. Derek looked at it with a bit of longing, but shook his head.

"Someone has to keep watch," he said getting a slight chuckle from Swanson.

"Aye, an the WATCHpost commander will be doin that. Get some sleep, ye stubborn ass," Swanson said, shoving Derek toward the pile of straw. Derek gave up trying to argue and headed for the straw. He laid down for only a second, but it was long enough for him to fall asleep.

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January 9, 2024 8:23 AM


"Get up! Everyone on your feet and get ready to head out!" Derek yelled out as he walked along the line of beds. People began to detangle themselves and grab their gear, cussing and swearing at being awaken. None of them didn't get up, however, as they all knew Derek would make sure they were good and awake if he had to ask twice. Derek reached the end of the line and looked back to see most of them either up and getting their gear sorted or pulling on their clothing. The Squad leaders were all yelling for them to hurry up as they, themselves got their things on. He left them to get everyone ready as he headed to the door leading through the jury-rigged wall.

Derek pushed the door open and stepped into the main drainage tunnel. The bottom of the pipe still had a small trickle of water running down it while large water stains covered the bottom. Ahead, the pipe split into two paths. One lead away and toward their destination, Hope. A few wooden beams braced the ceiling up while small patches could be seen here and there where the workers tried to keep the pipe from falling apart. The other looked to have collapsed from simple lack of maintenance. Which was how it was supposed to look.

Derek walked up to it and banged on the rubble a few times. The rubble shifted a bit as a piece slid out to reveal the hidden area beyond it. The Phoenix who had pushed the rubble open nodded to Derek as he let him in before pulling the piece back into place. Even if the Society found the Watchpost outside, it was unlikely they would ever think to check a tunnel that looked to have collapsed for a second hidden area. It had been a nightmare to get the rubble to look just right, doubly so since it had to been hauled in from outside, but it was worth it to protect one of their biggest secrets.

Inside the hidden room, Derek found Swanson reading over a report that had just come in from the wire. Beside him sat the wire station with the many copper wires leading from different Watchposts and Hope itself back to here. Beside the wire station sat the large battery powering it, locking into position by a cradle lest it roll over and break someone's legs. The operator was sitting at the station, typing out a message he had next to him in Morse code. He didn't look up from his work as Derek entered.

Swanson nodded as Derek entered and handed him the report he had just gotten. Derek took to scrap paper and read the charcoal writing on it. The report was short and to the point as per usual.
"Taylor group spotted by Watchpost 27. Making slow progress, but no trouble. Estimated arrival, tomorrow."
Derek smiled at the report, surprised it was good news. With Taylor's group now accounted for, the entire force that had headed into Snake territory had made it back. Save those few that had to be left. Still, a lost of only forty to get the Society off their trail AND pit them against the Snakes was a good deal.

"Good news for a change. Looks like everyone made it back," Derek said handing the report back to Swanson.

"Aye, there's more. The southern watches been saying the Society patrols have been pullin back. Looks like Darius' plan is workin," Swanson said before tossing the paper into the nearby firepit. Darius insisted all reports coming from the telegraph be burned the second they were read. For good reason too, as the telegraph was the Phoenixes' ace in the hole should it ever come to full scale war with the Society or any other group. Near instant communication was an advantage few had and the Society didn't need to know they had.

"His plans tend to do that. Its why we let him lead, despite...well," Derek said getting a knowing nod from Swanson. Him and Swanson were the only ones who remembered what Darius had been and what he was really fighting for. Everyone else who had known were now dead...along with so many others... Damn the Society, damn them all...all the original twelve...

"There...uhh...there somethin you wanted to send?" Swanson said, trying to move the conversation away from that topic. Derek shook off his old memories and nodded as he focused on the now.

"Yeah, I mean yes. I need to send a report to Darius that we are heading back to Hope. Can you take care of that?" Derek asked.

"Aye, I'll have Chris send it," Swanson said before the sound of people moving into the pipe began to echo into the room. Sounded like his soldiers were ready to move. Swanson heard it too and forced a smile to his face.

"Ya take care of yerself, Derek," Swanson said as he extended his hand. Derek took it and shook Swanson's hand. He didn't want to leave his old friend like this, so he decided to lighten the mood a little.

"You too, Swanson. Try to leave the scouting to your scouts," Derek said as he turned to the door with a smirk. Swanson gave a bark of laughter before he responded.

"Yer the last person who should be givin me that kind of advice," Swanson said. Derek pushed the rubble open before turning back.

"That is why you do what I say, not as I do," Derek said before hoping down to the ground and leaving Swanson's laugh behind.

Derek entered the pipe again to find all his soldiers ready to move out. Derek nodded to the squad leaders and turned to the assembled people.

"Alright, fall in. We are going back to Hope," Derek said getting a cheer from the soldiers and some happy comments. Derek lead the way back into the tunnel and down the path not blocked off. It would a long trip, two days a least, but it was two days of near complete safety thanks to the water system. They would have to come up here and there to change pipes or to bypass collapsed areas. Those trips, however, were short and unlikely to be dangerous. Each of those places had their own mini watch posts to keep an eye out for anyone and were all pretty far into their territory.

Derek glanced back and saw Jacob falling in with Samantha beside him.  Jacob and Samantha were talking about something, both smiling as they followed along with the group. Derek wondered if Swanson would still call Jacob unlucky if he knew about Samantha. Derek certainly would not have. Derek just wished his mother had seen him with her... Derek fought back the tears as he turned back forward and lead the way into the pipes.

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January 11, 2024 6:35 PM


The trip had taken a bit longer than Derek had estimated. They had arrived on the second day, but very well past nightfall. The long day of travel through the pipes, up onto street level a few times, and back down again, had worn on the group. By the time they had arrived, nearly all of them were exhausted, including Derek himself. 

Most of his group had stumbled into their barracks and flopped onto their beds the moment they arrived in Hope. Those few that didn't were not far behind the others. Derek had not taken that luxury and headed for the Command HQ. Things were a bit blurry about what happened, but Derek remembered Darius had been waiting for him, looking worried about something. He had taken one look at Derek and ordered him to get some sleep. Derek had been too tired to argue and found the first empty bed in the HQ to pass out on.

The next day found Derek recharged and ready for the day. Sleeping in a actual bed really did wonders, even if that bed was a mostly just some straw on sticks, with torn fabric draped over as covers. Derek headed for the kitchen of the HQ and got some eggs and toast to munch on before going to the Command Center

Even this early in the morning, the HQ was abuzz with activity. People were moving about with reports, notes, logs, storage checks, and other such things. Most nodded a greeting or gave a salute to Derek as they passed him, which Derek returned. Being the second-in-command caused some people to think he deserved special treatment and Derek had given up trying to get them to stop.

He entered into the Command Center and found it as busy as ever. The back part of the room, near where Derek had come in, was dominated by three large telegraph stations, the wires of each disappearing into the small holes in the cement walls. One was constantly sending reports, another was always receiving, and the third picked up the slack where it was needed. The operators of all three didn't look up from their work as they tapped or scribbled away.

The side walls had the torn remains of old maps plastered on them. Small nails and other such things were pinned onto them to mark Watchposts, last known patrol areas, and other such things. Every so often, a person would move some of the pins to new areas as reports came in.

The front of the Center had a number of "windows" carved out of the cement. Large slabs of rock were pushed in front of the holes to close them, but most of them were to the side of the windows. The cool morning air and the bright day were flowing in from the open windows as the empty remains of I-75 were silent outside.

In the middle of the room was a large round table with a roughly drawn map of the region covering it. Large wooden pieces were placed on it with letters carved into them. Darius was standing at the edge of the table studying the map and a report he had in his hand. He glanced up as Derek walked up to him and handed him the report without a word. Derek had a feeling this was not going to be a good report. That feeling increased when he saw it was from Watchpost 22, Swanson's post.

"Snake prisoner taken. Reports Snakes in rout. Decimated by Society attack. Main base taken out. Survivors fleeing toward us, Society pursuing. Please advice," the report said, sending a chill down Derek's spine.

"Decimated? Their main base gone... It hasn't even been a week and they are already in this bad shape? Tha-" Derek started to say before Darius cut him off.

"That ruins everything, I know. We were hoping the Snakes would last a month or at least a few weeks. I never imagined they would fall apart that fast. Worse, with them heading for us, they are going to lead the Society right to us," Darius said before letting out a long sigh. He grabbed the block with the Sn written on it and moved it closer to the piece carved to look like a king, Hope's piece, before moving one of the many figures with SS written on it right behind the Sn figure.

"It gets worse. Lindsey just reported that the Society is back to their normal patrols South of us," Darius said before moving another SS piece up closer to the pins that marked the Watchposts around Hope. They were getting dangerously close, now. A few more weeks and they would be patrolling right on top of their Watchposts and it would just be a matter of time till they were found.

"Fuck...So we just wasted two weeks accomplishing nothing?" Derek said as he looked at the map and the reports. It had taken them a week just to find that Snakes' depot and another few days to get the trap ready. Add that with the four days it took to get back, more if you went with Taylor's group, and the trip had been a two week mission.

Darius sighed as some of the activity died down in the command center. People were acting like they were still working, but it was obvious they were listening for what Darius said. Darius turned and moved to the window as he looked out onto I-75.

"Yes...we did," he said without a hint of emotion. Derek was not so calm as he slammed his fist into the table with a curse, knocking a few of the pieces over. All that work, all that planning, and those forty good people, all for nothing. It was Manchent all over again. Dammit...Dammit, Dammit, DAMMIT! He slammed his fist down again as he tried to get his anger under control.

 The activity in the command center dropped off almost completely, save the tapping of the telegraphs. Suddenly, Derek remembered that all the people in the center had just heard their latest mission had been a failure as well. Morale was already low and once this got out, and it would for sure now, it was going to be even lower. He moved up to Darius and got a quieter tone.

"Sorry, I didn-" Darius cut him off.

"Don't be. The people in here are not blind. Even if you hadn't said it, they would have figured out the mission was a failure by the maps and reports. If they were not that smart, they would not be in here," Darius said, loud enough that everyone could hear it. It didn't seem to cheer most of them up much, though. Derek nodded as he tried to keep from letting the despair grip him, instead gripping to his anger.

"So what the hell do we do now? Fucking bitches are going to be breathing down our necks any day now," he asked as Darius turned back to face the inside.

"We do what we can. The patrols to the south can't be stopped, but they can be delayed. If they were to find evidence of activity, they would stop to investigate it thoroughly. Doubly so after what we did to them. Send an order to Watchposts 2 through 6 to move any unneeded equipment south. If they need help, have the South Response Group assist. They are to hide the equipment, but not too well. We want the Society to find the equipment and think they might have stumbled onto a base.  That should slow their patrols progress if nothing else,"  Darius ordered getting a number of people to get back to work. They wrote down his orders and began to look over the southern maps for possible areas to use as fake bases. Darius turned to the rest as he continued.

"The Snakes can NOT reach our territory. They need to be stopped and stopped now. Have Watchposts 21, 22, and 23 send out some scouts to find them. Once they have, have our East Response Group funnel them into the Society or, if that would be too risky, put them down themselves. We want the Society to do most of the killing, though, as the more they find the more likely they are to think they got them all," Darius ordered sending the others scurrying off. The activity in the Center was now back to what it was before and the crushing news had mostly been forgotten, or at least put to the side in stopping disaster.

Derek moved to stand by Darius at the table again.

"Where do you want me and the Central Squad?" he asked. He wasn't quite sure which would require their expertise in anti-giantess combat more, but he was sure they would be moving out again. Darius turned to him and handed him another report, though this one was different than the one before. This one was in code.

Derek decoded the message after a minute and his eyes widened at the message. Looked like Lindsey had been busy doing more than just scouting. But if this message was right...

"Is he here?" Derek asked getting a nod from Darius.

"He arrived yesterday, but I wanted you to try him first. I don't think I need to tell you we need something important from him considering...," Darius said with a dead serious face. Derek nodded in understanding. Someone who made a beeline for Hope like that...

"No you don't. Should we go now, then?" Derek asked getting a nod from Darius.

The two of them left the Command Center and headed down deeper into the HQ. Near the very bottom of the complex carved into the cement were the cells for the prisoners. Most of them were filled with thieves, rapers, murders, and other criminal types that plagued even the Phoenixes. A few moved to the bars and looked about to make some snide comment until they saw who was walking down the halls. One look at Derek and his massive size was enough for them to reconsider. One look at Darius was enough to get them to scurry back into the cell. Darius' reputation was well known even down here.

They stopped at the last cell along the hallway, a solid rock door being the only way in. A soldier was on guard by the door, his rifle in his hands, and saluted them both. He put his rifle away before he grabbed the handle built into the rock along with Derek. Both of them grunted in effort as they hauled it back to reveal the cage door beyond it. The guard unlocked it and let Derek and Darius inside before closing it and pushing the rock back into place. No chances were going to be taken with this kind of prisoner.

The room was nearly pitch black save for a small light in the middle of the room. A man was sitting in a chair below the light and was slumped down in the seat. His hands were tied to the back of the chair, and his feet to its legs, by spider web wires. His brown hair was a mess and looked to have been unwashed for weeks. He wore a set of tattered armor and fur that looked to have never been washed before.

Darius hung back as Derek moved up to the prisoner. As he walked forward, the prisoner glanced up, but didn't look to be able to see Derek in the darkness.

"Who's there?" the prisoner asked as his green eyes scanned the darkness. Derek strode forward and backhanded the prisoner, nearly sending the man and chair tumbling to the ground.

"I ask the questions. Answer and you won't get hurt. Refuse and I will break your fingers one by one. Now, how did you know where Hope was?" Derek asked. The prisoner spit out of glob of blood and glared up at Derek, defiance in his eyes.

"Someone told me where to find it," he answered, despite the defiant look. Derek was tempted to hit him again, but decided to play along for now.

"Who?" he demanded.

"Lena Ranferd," the prisoner said. Derek couldn't help but look shocked and nearly whipped around to Darius. He stopped himself just in time as he got his face back under control. Jesus Christ, how the hell did he know that name?!

"You're lying. Now te-:" the prisoner cut him off as he shouted out.

"I am not, she told me and she said to "Remember the promise of November"!" the prisoner shouted. Derek had no idea what that meant and was about to hit the prisoner again when Darius appeared beside him. Derek stopped and looked at Darius. Darius had a look on his face that Derek had not seen in a long time.

"Who am I?" Darius asked starting right at the prisoner, his face going back to a mask.

"Darius Ranferd, Lena's adopted brother," the prisoner said without missing a beat. Derek looked at the prisoner in shock at him knowing that. No one in the Phoenixes, who was still alive, knew Darius and Rena were related, not even Swanson. How the hell did this random Society prisoner know that...unless...

"And who are you?" Darius asked, seemingly unaffected by this crazy situation.

"Sanders Cutter."

Watchpost Commanders' eyes only. Burn upon review. DO NOT TRANSLATE UPON RECEIVING. Your Commander will translate.

Watchpost Defense Plan:

First, allow me to congratulate all of you on completion of the Watchpost system. This would not have been possible without your support, thank you. Second, because of your new titles and role, I have seen fit to provide all of you with the completed Watchpost defense. This document is to be burned as soon as you have reviewed its information and never to be shared with anyone, including other Watchpost commanders. Failure to comply with this order will be viewed as treason and dealt with accordingly. This information is too valuable to fall into enemy hands.

Watchpost Defense:
As per the agreed on plan, thirty Watchposts have been constructed around Hope. These Watchposts will be named 1, 2, 3, etc up to 30. Watchposts 1-10 are the southern Watchposts with 4-8 focused on I-75. Watchposts 21-30 are the eastern Watchposts and are to watch for Snake activity. Watchposts 11-16 are the western Watchposts and 17-20 are the northern Watchposts. Both of those groups should have little to watch for save the occasional rogue catmonster and Marauder raids, but are no less important. We cannot afford a two-front war.

The Watchposts are NOT defensive bases. The job of the Watchposts are to act as early warning bases to warn of incoming threats before they arrive in out territory. You will not be given the arms or manpower needed to sustain a fight. Should you be discovered, destruction of your telegraph should be top priority followed by escape. Do not attempt to hold a Watchpost, they can be replaced. Your skilled scouts and you cannot.

Response Groups:
Behind each of the four directions will be a Response group tasked with responding to actual threats. These Response Groups will vary in size and equipment and will be based in special barracks hidden closer toward Hope. They are the true fighting strength of this defense and should only be called if the need is dire. Remember, the more people in a area, the higher chance of discovery by the Society and we are not prepared for a full scale war with the Society.

Secondary Watchposts:
A second set of watchposts are set up behind the main thirty. These will be less manned, but act as a second set of eyes to catch approaching danger. They are, also, your fall back points. On each of the copies I sent, I have sent a map with the location of your fallback Watchpost. Memorize it and be prepared to retreat to it. Should it be compromised, fall back to Hope as quickly as possible.

Remember, under NO circumstance is a Watchpost to engage a Society patrol. Your task is to warn us of their approach so we might hide and let them pass us by. Attacking them will only draw them to us and we cannot fight the Society head-on. Use any and all methods you think reasonable to keep them away from your post and Phoenix territory, but do NOT engage them.

I trust all of you understand just what a crucial role you play in the coming years to the continued existence of the Phoenixes. We will rise, but we must not be found before the ashes have ignited.

-Darius

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