(POV Jackson)
"Come on... co-! -zap- ArG fUcK!" I cry and stick my burnt finger into my mouth. What zapped me was my attempt at removing some of the unneeded electronics components from some of the phones we had collected from some of the tech stores.
"Mistress?" Lee asked me, looking up from the reports I had him look through from across the table I was working on, with Jessica reappearing in the room within a moment to check on me.
"I'm fine. Just got zapped." Returning my attention to my IED, which at it's core was a Junta tank round... with an unknown filler. But from the bright yellow head said this was at least H.E. but the shells with a mixes of green and purple, which I can tell are some kind of phosphorus mix... but I count myself lucky it wasn't used at the shell was inside of a locked box within the blow out ammo rack.
"Do you know what your doing?" Jessica asked, "You told us you made these before but..."
"Yes. I made IEDs before, yes they were pre-primed artillery shells ready for us to to turn them into the finished produced but I over saw several being made and even helped." I replied almost hurt by her lack of faith.
"Oh~! Have a cup of cement and harden the fuck up buttercup." Tanya's voice helpfully allowed me an out, but her words made me somewhat nostalgic.
"I'm as hard as they get... but these are just as a pain back then as they are now." I replied and finished... "This one is ready but we need to test it."
"Gave it a number for us to call?" Tanya asked.
"Yea. Something, 123..."
"Does that work?" She asked.
"Yep, the phone is accepting any signal that has those three and only those three. Jessica take it a block away."
Jessica grabs my bomb and left, Lee looks out the window nervous watching his Girlfriend carefully. And his eyes darted to the phone in my hands as I typed the first two numbers.
"So. What are you going to do once you see this works?" Tanya asked.
"Well after seeing it works, next will be to see what the rest of the shells do. Then test them, which leaves planting them and readying more ambushes."
"No a very legal form of war." She replied to my answer.
"Not like I'm a nation state. Ambushes are just force multiplies, plus I won't have to use them if I want. Just their mere existence will slow them down. All it will take is one incident of an IED going off, and all farther operations will have Combat Engineers clearing the way for everyone else."
"Remember they aren't those wonky eyed fuckers you fought before. These are French Elves with a right-wing allegiance." Tanya reminds me. At which I deflate, maybe on some level being back in urban warfare is bringing back old... and need to be forgotten habits.
"Lee calm down, and stop trying to bore a hole through the Phone." I distract myself by calming the death staring Lee, "I'd not that daft to press the last number." I show him the screen and due to inactivity it turned off. Sighing in relief he turned back to his reports.
Seeing Jessica reappear I turned on the phone and typed and dialed the IED.
-BOOOM-
By reflexes we all ducked... well it worked. "Tanya please tell everyone that was me." The frantic chaos as people were rushing through doors and flipping tables expecting an attack.
"Yea... sure. Since." She stopped and raised three fingers and slowly dropped them one by one until.
"We're under attack!" Nora shouted as he burst through the door.
"No we aren't... sorry I was testing my IED and forgot to give a heads up. Sorry that was on me." I sheepishly tell him and grab another shell, phone and my tools.
"So your bombs work?" He asked making sure.
"Yes, I just had to test it. Sorry I failed to give enough warning." I said for what felt like the millionth time, "Please calm everyone down." I tell him.
He and Jessica left the room to calm everyone down.
"Hmm." I pause, "Tanya, the necromancer Lucayan was it? Do you know what spells she has?"
Raising an eyebrow and moving next to me, "What are you planning?" She asked with what seemed to be a knowing grin, "I can only guess... IEDs plus necromancy equals walking bombs... Commander Jackson." her tone turning hostile
I smiled, "Come on, it's not like they could link it back to us. Plus they don't even know if we are the only ones to have taken ammo from their tank."
"No, I think they may just think its us due to the magic shenanigans that it will take to get this idea to work." Her voice cracked, "Well shit."
"Was your voice..."
"Cracking yes, but that isn't the issue. It would be better to keep her hidden as that would be a line that would set us apart from every other combatants here."
Lee raised his hand and once I acknowledged it he asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Lucayan is able to bring the dead back to life." Tanya answered curtly.
"I see. If that was to come out, then we'd been seen as like devil worshipers... but then again, Mistress is seen by her people as a God... you could flip that and saw those she returns are fulfilling their service." He stopped as he noticed our stares. "What?"
"That genius!" I shout, and move around the table giving him a big hug.
His face turning a deep shade of red as my chest was so close, "But... Mis-mistr-ress th-this would only wor-k for your people... I d-don't know how Erian and the rest of the world will rea-react to it."
"Don't worry, I'll figure that part out." I answer him, and petted his head,
But to my misfortune Tanya ruined my hype, "Unfortunately she doesn't know that spell. She still needs to earn some EXP, the best she could do was that little trick were she pulled that cocky fire-wind mage called Sasha."
Though the news that my idea was not possible but I at least should defend Sasha, "True. But she was the best Anti-Tank at the time since we didn't have IEDs, anyway." Turning back to the soon to be IED, I asked Lee a question. "So Lee have you given it any thought in what you want to become within my service."
He didn't answer and finished reading, "Well... as you already know I can't... you know kill again. To be honest what I doing now is rather nice... calming in a odd way. Also you may want to read this." Highlighting something then passing a half finished report, the highlighted part was a Junta Para report about a Erian Military unit operating in a market square, and from the tone and rushed nature of the report.
"So it seems to me that this Erian unit is going off script and broke from high command... interesting." I state and pass her the report.
"A rogue element, military or not is very dangerous." Tanya says her voice having a evil tone, "I recommend we deal with them now rather then later. Getting rid of then now means we could capture more of their supplies like MREs, ammo, arms and armor. If we deal with them later it could mean more loyal elements could take over or even replace them and of cause all the said supplies would most likely be consumed."
"Did you no notice that the report was incomplete. Meaning we have no idea what type of unit they are. At best they are just infantry squad or maybe a section or two... at worst it's a semi-self sustained unit with infantry, mortars, AA and AT."
"Could you have made it sound any worse?" Lee asked nonplus about my worst case.
"What would you prefer me to say? They have a tank?"
"No... speaking of which do you think any of these shell could kill one?" He asked.
"If not then I'll have to find some copper and place that over the IED, the copper will melt through the armor of most armored fighting vehicles, if not... well wheels and tracks will still be destroyed." Tapping the shell I'd get in front of me, "This one will, it's seems to be a mix of an anti-infantry and area denial. This should either isolate the armored vehicle from the infantry or in the case of a APC trap them within..." Exhaling leave my work were it was, "I'm going for a nap... wake me if something happens or I'll get woken by shit going down."
