In Harmony We Trust by Ryan Matthew Harker (chromebook ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“But we have fifteen miles to figure it out.”

It was early afternoon and the lords had traveled about seven miles when Havershom spoke up.
“M’boyos, there’s but one wee t’ go aboot this.”
“What way would that be Havershom?” Quazetkic asked curious.
“One of us is gonna have t’ sneak through an’ disable th’ field so’s th’ rest canna rush in an’ take ov’r,” he replied.
“And who do you have in mind to do this?” Turinoc asked.
“Me,” Havershom lit a cigarette. “Of course.”
“You?” Turinoc almost fell off of his horse.
“An' I s’pose yer big arse’ll do it? Or how aboot ol’ Keriee? An’ who’d lead ya if Quazie got caught doin’ it?” Havershom puffed furiously on his cigarette.
“All right Havershom. You have made your point,” Quazetkic interrupted before the other man could work himself into a fit.
Keriee had allowed himself a small smile at being referred to as old but then he stroked his mustache and asked seriously, “How, exactly, do you turn the force field off?”
Havershom opened his mouth to say something and then shut it again.
Old huh? Keriee thought and smiled to himself.
But Quazetkic had the answer. “There is a small generator sitting next to the canon,” he said. “I thought that it was a part of it at first but now I am sure that it is the stabilizing generator for the field.”
“How can you be so sure?” Turinoc asked.
“Did you pay attention to the four operators?” Quazetkic asked.
“Not especially.” The big warrior had been looking at the werewolves and thinking about how nice it would be to take a few of their pelts home to hang on his walls.
“There is a sequence they go through every time they fire the canon,” Quazetkic ignored Turinoc’s lack of professionalism and continued. “And the last two things they do before the canon fires are fiddle with that machine and then the canon. So it must be the generator.”
“What about turning it back on?” Turinoc brought up.
“Fiddle?” Havershom asked and everyone ignored him.
“Automatic,” Keriee stated.
“That is what I figured.” Quazetkic was happy to have some support.
“Then why’s it not auto t’ fire in th’ first place?” Havershom was genuinely curious.
“I do not know,” Quazetkic said slightly irritated that the man had actually come up with a hole in his argument. “Nobody said goblins are intelligent,” he said and then felt childish.
“No, but Harmony is,” Turinoc growled and made Quazetkic feel even worse.
“It does not matter,” Quazetkic said. “The only thing that is a part of the firing sequence that is not attached to the canon is that machine. It has to be the generator.”
Keriee interrupted, “Not attached? That’s the reason right there. They turn off the generator and fire the canon; the generator’s on a timer and comes on automatically. They don’t have to mess with it again until they’ve finished the firing sequence, which may vary in how long it takes. It wouldn’t make any sense to have it turn off automatically because they may not be ready when it does.”
Keriee’s argument made sense to the lords and they rode in silence for a moment before Havershom spoke up. “Keriee, m’ boyo, tha’s t’ be th’ most words I’ve ever heard ya speak at once.”
The lords all chuckled at this statement and Keriee smiled.
“So how do you propose to turn off the generator?” Quazetkic resumed.
“If th’ thing turns on auto then it’ll have t’ be destroyed,” Havershom said. “Which means n’one has t’ sneak in, we’ll jus’ have t’ hit it wi’ sniper fire, then wi’ it destroyed all we have t’ do’s mop up th’ guards. Piece a cake.”
Turinoc applauded. “Bravo Havershom, master strategist, excellent plan!”
Havershom gave a slight bow from atop his horse. “Thank ya, m’ boyo.”
“Then it is settled?” Quazetkic asked. “We will hit the generator and then rush in with a full force assault?”
The lords all nodded their agreement.
“Good, and then once we have control of the canon I say we give Harmony a taste of his own medicine.”
Again the lords nodded. It was a wonderful idea.
During the following hours the lords rode in silence until Havershom cleared his throat to speak. He had been chain smoking the entire time and hacked up a glob of phlegm before saying, “Y’know we’re gonna have t’leave th’ men behind t’ destroy th’ generator. Those miscreants’ll hear us comin’ a mile away an’ we’ll never stanna chance t’ snipe it.”
“Good point Havershom,’ Turinoc said. “What do you think Quazetkic?”
“I think that we should take a small force and sneak in,” Quazetkic answered. “We will move in, destroy the generator, and then we will have to keep up a holding battle to enable the rest of the troops to join us.”
“Aye. Tha’ sounds like a sound plan,” Havershom agreed.
“Alright then, the three of us,” Quazetkic indicated Turinoc, Havershom, and himself. “Will go in first with two dozen men. Keriee, give us enough time to move in and destroy the generator then bring the rest of the troops. Sound good?” The other lords nodded in agreement so Quazetkic fell back to pick men for the infiltration team.
When they were three miles from the canon the three lords left Keriee and led the twenty-four men chosen as the infiltration team on to the enemy camp. It had been decided that Keriee would wait forty minutes and then follow with a quarter of their almost two hundred thousand men, thereby giving them enough time to destroy the generator before he arrived with an overkill amount of men to secure the area. Once the canon was secure the lords could then send someone back to lead in the rest of their soldiers
Satisfied that their plan was fairly foolproof Quazetkic lead the way to the enemy camp with a great amount of confidence and once they arrived he gave Havershom the signal to take position.


Havershom was well known for his skills as a marksman and had insisted that they could not trust the important task of the generators removal to anyone but himself. He moved out from the other men at a low crouch, his rifle kept close to his body, to seek a clear, uninterrupted view of the generator. He slowly crept through the trees until he gained higher ground. He found a spot with a clear shot and nestled down on the ground, seated the butt of his rifle against his shoulder and put his eye to the scope. He could see the generator below him as the three men repeated the firing sequence over and over.
Havershom tightened his grip on the guns stock and wrapped his finger around the trigger. He memorized the operator’s movements as the canon boomed. After running the thing for so long they had it down to a science and it did not take longer than fifteen minutes between each blast. From what Havershom could see most of that time was spent as some kind of recharge period and in all actuality the preparation only took four and a half minutes exactly, every time. And before the operators pressed the button to fire the canon they pressed the button to turn off the generator, with only a second and a half between each one, every time.
The three men began to run through the firing sequence again and just before the generator went off Havershom began to squeeze the trigger.


“What the hell is taking Havershom so long?” Turinoc growled. “They’re running through the sequence for the fourth time.”
“I do not know,” Quazetkic whispered. He had been thinking the same thing and inwardly he cursed giving the irresponsible lord the sniper position. “Keriee is on his way by now.”
Turinoc growled again, “Has been for at least the last fifteen minutes.”
“I know.”
A second later the canon fired, the generator exploded and the operators were flung backwards through the air.
“This is it!” Quazetkic yelled as he lunged forward and signaled the attack.
The soldiers surged out of the trees and ran full bore into the midst of their confused enemy.
Turinoc waded through men and goblins of lesser stature. Wielding his double bladed battle axe with deadly efficiency he headed towards the werewolves who howled to their feet to only stand a little taller than he. Havershom continued to fire his rifle form the concealing cover of the trees, downing foes with every shot. Quazetkic blasted away with his plasma pistol and saved his drawn sword for falling fiends at close quarters.
Confused though they may have been Harmony’s soldiers were quick to organize and soon gave the lords and their men a run for their money. Scimitar swinging goblins roused into battle frenzy were a main factor in the deaths of the soldiers of light while between Turinoc’s axe and Havershom’s sniper fire the werewolves were annihilated except for a handful that retreated into the evening.
Despite their robust efforts Harmony’s men did not stand a chance and by the time Lord Keriee marched in with his troops the battle was over and the canon won.
The lords gave no mercy and any foe who did not escape were slaughtered where they knelt begging for their miserable lives before being tossed on the funeral cairn that was being lit as Keriee arrived.
“Am I too late?” the old lord inquired of his fellows as he came to join them next to the fire.”
“Not at all, m’boyo,” Havershom smiled and lit a cigarette from a stick he had stuck in the fire. We’re jus’ gettin' ready t’ break out th’ mar’mallows.”
The other lords looked at him with disgust as he happily puffed away at the smoke and Quazetkic said, “Things went smoother than we thought they would.”
Turinoc laughed. “You should have seen the surprise on those bastard’s faces when that generator exploded. They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”
“Indeed?” Keriee stroked his mustache. “I would greatly have wished to witness that.”
“Aye, it was a riot,” Havershom agreed as he ginned like an idiot and lit his second cigarette.
“Well I think this is cause for celebration, “Turinoc boomed as he pulled out a small clay jug from somewhere in his armor. “Anyone care to join me in drink?”
The lords happily passed the bottle around until it was gone. Quazetkic stated his intention of finding some men to bring news of their victory to the rest of their soldiers and strode off to find a messenger.
“What about figuring out this thing and sending a few thank you shots to Harmony,” Turinoc mentioned when Quazetkic returned.
The lords all ambled over to the canon and admired the ingenuity that had gone into its design even if they did not admire the man who designed it.
“She’s a real beaut’,” Havershom let out a whistle. He rubbed his hand down the barrel. “S’how’s th’ guidance syst’m work ‘n this baby?”
“I am not sure,” Quazetkic said as he looked at the controls. “But I have an idea.”
“Well take yer time m’boyo,” Havershom grinned. “We d’nae want t’ hit our friends doon at th’ cap’tal.”
Quazetkic’s spirits were extremely high and he let Havershom’s remark slid. He returned the other lord’s smiles and said, “Do not worry. When I am done with this thing Harmony will be in for one hell of a surprise.”
The four lords all laughed wickedly at the thought.


Absinthe crashed noisily through the brush. Low branches from the surrounding trees whipped her in the face as she pushed them hastily aside.
“Run Abbie!” she heard Candlelite yell in the distance. “Run!”
The young woman redoubled her efforts, pushing her legs to pump even faster as she ran through the woods.