The ceremony for the dead was held on Sterling High School’s football field.

There was a stiff wind that came in from the Rockies and brought the first taste of snow with it. I felt Camille shiver next to me. We stood together on the fake grass of the field, a red-and-white Paladin looming behind us. We were fairly far away from the crowd; we didn’t belong among them, we didn’t share their pain or their grief. I was surprised at how many had come, but on further thought it made sense – in a small town like this, losing eight-hundred people meant that almost everyone knew someone that had died.

Mayor Antonio was leading the ceremony, giving a speech about the bravery of the fallen. Honestly, I could barely pay attention to the ceremony, only catching brief fragments as my mind wandered elsewhere.

The last couple days had been… rough, to say the least. Incredibly, I’d managed to keep myself conscious after I’d killed the Prime. Which turned out to be a very good thing, because while the orbital strike had killed most of the Assimilators, there were still a few that had escaped the blast. Not being an idiot, I’d grabbed the Matriarch Larva and hauled my ass out of there as soon as possible.

I spent the next thirty hours or so recovering in the medical bay. Turns out that stims and the medical pods don’t mix very well, so while my injuries weren’t nearly as bad as my first tussle with the Prime, the healing process was really goddamn slow. And exceptionally painful, because the stims also didn’t play well with pain meds and really loved to stick around in the blood stream. That was the last time I was going to take those unless I really, really had to.

What it all amounted to was that I was exhausted, both mentally and physically

I felt a nudge to my side and looked over at Camille, who nodded towards Mayor Antonio. He was wrapping his speech up. His was the last, though there had been others that had gone before him. None that I recognized, and I barely remembered what they had said. With the speeches ending, the huddled mass of people broke into small groups, murmuring amongst themselves. I caught a few glances directed our way and a couple of people came to express their thanks (the armor suit made it pretty obvious who we were), but for the most part we were left alone.

It was bizarre how detached from it all I felt. I’d fought with these people, but I barely knew them. I felt relief that the civilians were safe, and pride that I’d helped, but beyond that it was like I was spectator here. The faces of the townspeople had all started to blend together at some point, like breathing mannequins. I knew the pain they were going through, but it didn’t feel real to me. I was struck again by how much the decision to help them had been for myself. Selfishness wearing the mask of altruism. All things considered, maybe that wasn’t so bad.

“This is my first time above ground since I first got back to Camelot. I missed it out here,” Camille said suddenly, “I missed seeing the mountains.”

She studied the horizon for a little while. I watched her grey eyes wander over the crowd, taking in the faces. Unlike me, dressed in my Paladin uniform, she wore a simple outfit, like any you’d see before the war’s end. She had her hair loose today. Sometimes I forgot just how much of a miracle it was that I could see her like this again.

“I was monitoring the coms during the battle, so I could keep track of where I was needed” she said, snapping me out of my reverie, “And… well, I heard a lot of shit I wish I hadn’t. And I felt like such a jackass, just sitting back in my chair underground. I know its irrational and all that, but still. It’s like I was just playing a video game, controlling all those drones while the militia were getting slaughtered. I feel like I owe it to them to be here, y’know?”

Camille shivered again, not from the cold this time, “I heard a lot of people die, Sam. They’re going to be in my head for a long, long time.”

I squeezed her hand and pulled her close to my side. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I held her like that for a while with my eyes closed.

I only let her go when I felt her shift away from me. I opened my eyes to see Mary approaching, wind rustling in her hair. I raised my hand in a greeting that she returned a moment later.

“So, what happens next for us?” she said without preamble, crossing her arms across her chest.

I grinned. I really did like Mary.

“Well, first thing’s first is we’ve gotta figure out a way to get the Merlin’s wreck back to Camelot,” I said, “that thing was not cheap, and most of the internals are completely fine, so we should be able to rebuild it fairly quickly.”

Mary raised an eyebrow, “I was talking big picture. Are you just going to dick off into the sunset or what?”

I exchanged a glance with Camille, who nodded back at me.

“Well, I was planning on waiting a little before talking to you about this, but fuck it,” I scratched the back of my head, “Thing is, if this battle taught me anything it’s that there is a pressing need for people other than me in Paladins, ‘cause there just ain’t enough of me to go around. So I’m thinking of expanding my little cl-.”

“I’m in,” she replied before I’d finished.

“Man, I spent all morning prepping my recruitment pitch,” I sighed, “You do realize that you’re going to be pretty isolated, right? There’s not going to be a whole lot of leaving Camelot for social jaunts. Or anything besides blowing stuff up, really. Also, the pay is shit, as in it it’s only room and board…”

Mary shrugged, “Ex-special forces, remember? That’s pretty normal for me. As far as pay goes, as long as you can put me in one of those and feed me, I’ve got no complaints,” She jerked her head towards the mech suit behind me. Her eyes narrowed, “Now, I’ve got a question for you. Why me? I mean, I get that I’m pretty qualified, and we’ve worked together well, but frankly you haven’t known me very long, certainly not long enough to trust me.”

“I’m not exactly spoiled for choice here. Fact of the matter is, Paladin training takes a while, and it’s really not easy. I need to get people into those suits, because the Worms aren’t going anywhere and aren’t going to wait politely for us to finish preparing. If that means I have to take some risks, then so be it,” I replied, “but beyond that, as stupid as it sounds I do think that you’re on the level. You don’t seem like the type to stab someone in the back. You’re more like a front-stabber, y’know?”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Seeing as this turned into a bit of an interview, why are you so eager to join up?” I asked. I was pretty curious about it. Mary didn’t seem to be the type to throw herself into something as unknown as what I was offering. Frankly, I was like some guy in a suspicious white van offering candy. Except the candy was big mech suits.

Mary didn’t respond immediately. Instead she turned her gaze to our surroundings, taking in the town to the south of the high school. The tallest building was around three stories. The grey winter sky cast a pallid, washed out color over the asphalt streets.

“I fucking hate this place,” she said eventually.

I stared at her. Not what I was expecting.

“Not just Sterling. Everything out here,” Mary gestured around her with both hands, “this whole culture that’s popped up after the war. Nobody does anything. Most of these people out here worked ‘normal’ jobs, doing normal things, but normal is dead and buried. And let me tell you what, they’re not adapting. Aside from the guards, the farmers, and the scavengers, everyone’s just pretending it’s still normal. Sticking their heads in the sand, waiting to die. Dunno if I can blame them. Why try to make something new if it’s just going to get torn down the second the other shoe drops, the second the Worms remember they can wipe us all out whenever they want? I can’t stand it. There’s a reason I was a runner; that way I didn’t have to stay in one place and look at all these people wasting away out here.

“You want to know why I went to Denver with you? Because it’s the first goddamn time since the war that someone actually tried to do something more than survive. Then, you went out of your way to stand and fight the fuckers here instead of turning tail and running like everyone else wanted to. I want in on that, ‘cause I’m sick and tired of this shit.”

That was definitely the most I’d heard Mary speak… ever. At least, the most she’d spoken about herself, she’d probably lectured me on security for longer.

Camille piped up from next to me, “I hadn’t really thought of it like that, but I get what you’re saying. I lived in Burlington for a while, and it’s like the whole town is a zombie, dead but still moving. Honestly, I probably would’ve fallen into the same trap if I wasn’t so focused on finding this idiot and making sure he was okay.” She gave me a small smile, more of a smirk than anything else.

“That’s a story I’m going to have to hear,” Mary said.

Camille laughed, “Don’t worry, we’ll have story time once we’ve got everyone settled in.”

“Everyone?” Mary asked.

“Yeah. You’re not the only recruitment target. The Red Eagles squad will be joining us. Well, ex-Red Eagles squad I guess,” I said, “They got kicked out for trying to come help out at Sterling.”

“Huh. You sure you can trust them?”

I shrugged, “Eh, probably. Camille pointed out that Berston seemed a little too eager to get me to take them off his hands, so I’m going to have to keep an eye out. Mostly on Aaron since he was pretty loyal to them. But again, beggars can’t be choosers. And I like the squad, which is a big plus.”

“Yeah. I liked them too, they were pretty competent.”

I rolled my eyes, “I mean personality wise, but yeah I guess they were okay at killing stuff.”

“Still can’t believe we’re bringing the hussy home,” Camille muttered, just so that I could hear it. I ignored her, because it was easier that way, which got me a mild pout in return.

“When do you think you’ll be ready to head to Camelot?” I asked Mary.

She tapped her chin in consideration, “I don’t have much here, just some gear that I need to pack. I also need to let Mike, Wade and the Mayor know that I’m leaving. So about an hour, give or take.”

“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

“I don’t think you understand just how much I want to get out of this place,” she said flatly.

“Fair enough. Alright, me and Camille will finish up checking out the Merlin’s wreck and we’ll meet you back at the townhall in an hour.”

Mary nodded and turned around abruptly, walking off without so much as a goodbye. Camille grumbled something in annoyance, and I reached over and gave her hand a placating squeeze.

“So what do you think?” I asked her when Mary was out of earshot.

Camille shrugged, “She kind of gets on my nerves with her all-knowing tough-as-nails act, but she’ll definitely be useful as a Paladin. She’s got more combat experience than any of us.”

“How ‘bout you, Adelaide?” I said. I was wearing an earpiece that was connected back to Camelot, so that she could monitor what we were doing.

“I agree with Camille. She will be a strong asset, and her military background will offer us a unique perspective.”

“Good enough for me,” I replied. I watched her walk off the football field, back into the town. The rest of the crowd was still lingering, but pieces were breaking off. I wondered if maybe this battle would spark a change in them. But that was probably just optimistic thinking.

“Alright. Let’s finish up here. We’ve got some new teammates waiting for us.”

I stood in the middle of the Command Center, arms crossed in front of my chest. The normal amphitheater-style setup had been flattened out, so it looked like an empty room save for the holoprojector. A bird’s eye view of Colorado and the surrounding areas was projected in front of me. The new scanners were active now, which was just really shitty timing. I’d been keeping my eye on the area surrounding Sterling, but it seemed like the Worms weren’t planning on attacking again. There had been no movement from the nearby Hives. What I was most concerned about was the cities.

Each had one of those gargantuan flying craft that we’d seen in Denver, buried just underneath the surface and invisible to the traditional scanners. Camille had a few ideas about them, but they were basically educated guesses at this point. Whatever the case, we had absolutely no counter to those behemoths and the absolutely bonkers number of Assimilators around them, which meant we’d be avoiding any large cities for the foreseeable future.

A mental command spun the image to the town of Hays, the capital of the United Kansas Townships. Another problem without a clear solution. It wasn’t so much that I was hesitating about whether to wipe the slaver fucks out, it was more the how to do it. I had neither the ability nor inclination to manage the aftermath of destroying the (ostensibly) screwed up little society that had developed. I was considering coordinating with the Red Eagles on that front, but after their dickholery at Sterling, it seemed fairly unlikely they’d be onboard for that particular endeavor.

I sighed and rubbed at my forehead. Lots of problems, not a lot of solutions. And a whole lot of information that we didn’t have.

My musings were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A short chime announced that authorized personnel had entered the room. I turned my head to see Camille walk in, leading our newest members. Aaron in the front, followed by Rebecca, Allie, Tom, Jackson and Mary, who were taking in their surroundings curiously. Camille nodded at me and moved to my side. I gave her a grateful look back. She’d been handling getting people settled in and rounded them up for the meeting while I prepared.

“Morning everyone,” I said with a wave as they filed in.

“Morning. Why the hell are you dressed like that?” Rebecca said immediately. Aaron groaned and covered his face.

I looked down at my outfit. It was my Paladin jumpsuit with a custom-made bomber style jacket (matching the color scheme, of course). I grinned at her.

“I was thinking of making this the uniform. You don’t like it?”

She studied me for a second. “Nah, it’s pretty alright. Assuming Camille helped you with the design?”

I snorted, “Please. She has the fashion sense of a dad going through his midlife crisis.”

That earned me a sharp elbow jab and a chorus of chuckles.

“Adelaide designed it, actually,” I said, rubbing my side gingerly. Camille didn’t pull her punches. Or jabs, I guess.

“Where is Adelaide?” Tom asked curiously.

When we’d picked them up yesterday in the VTOL craft, I’d been surprised at how well Tom had adapted to the new leg. I mean, it was phenomenally designed by a brilliant and modest engineer, but it still should’ve taken another month or so for him to be moving the way he was. I had an inkling that he’d be a natural at picking up the mental control part of Paladin piloting.

Adelaide replied over the intercom, “Hello everyone. I am taking care of some last-minute preparations, but I will be joining you for the meeting.” She was still using her AI voice with everyone but Camille and myself. That was going to be another tricky thing to balance in the future.

I clapped my hands together, getting everyone’s attention, “Speaking of the meeting, there’s no use beating around the bush. Let’s get this thing started.”

“Of course, sir,” said Aaron, “And I apologize for my squad’s cavalier attitude, I -”

“The fuck are you doing?” I interrupted.

“Uh,” Aaron said, “I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”

“That shit! I swear to God if you call me sir one more time I’m going to put my foot right up your asshole.”

Aaron frowned, “You’re my commanding officer, I can’t poss-“

“Foot. Asshole. This ain’t the military,” I paused, “I mean technically yeah it is, but I’m not going to be running it like one, got it?”

The was a moment of hesitation, then he relented, “Got it, Sam.”

“Much better,” I said with satisfaction.

Jackson piped up from the back, “We gonna get some seats or something? My legs are going to get tired just standing around.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes, but I smiled.

“I’m glad you asked, Jackson. Would you all mind stepping back a bit?” I said.

I tried to keep my excitement contained as Camille threw me a curious look. I winked at her, then gave a mental command.

A soft mechanical whir sounded, and the room began to shift. Disguised metal plates slid backwards, revealing sleek machinery underneath. From below, a large circle of wood began to rise, its ivory-painted surface polished to a gleaming shine. In the middle was a red circle with a white shield. The table stopped at around waist height. Around it, nine chairs emerged as well, high backed and luxurious.

“You motherfucker,” Allie said with awe, “Did you seriously build a fucking round table?”

“Dude. You’re taking the motif a little far, don’t you think?” Rebecca groaned.

Camille buried her face in her hands, “Oh my God. Is this what you were using the F0-3 and the spiderbots for?”

I cackled with glee and rubbed my hands together, hopping into the chair nearest to me. Out of the wall popped a spiderbot with a video camera attached to it. It took the seat to my left, while Camille sat to my right. Her face was pink with embarrassment, but she was grinning too. I looked around at the everyone else expectantly. I patted the table lovingly.

“C’mon and sit down. She don’t bite.”

There was a moment of hesitation. I savored the looks of discomfort on their faces.

“Too late for regrets now. You’re stuck with me,” I said happily.

With shrug, Tom plopped down, followed shortly by Mary and Jackson. Allie and Rebecca shared a look and an eye roll, then sat as well. Aaron took his seat last, opposite of me. I smiled widely and looked around the assembled faces.

“Let the First Council of Camelot begin.”