"You want me to join your army?" Tiny asked, surprised by Loyd's request.
"You have a treasure trove of information about both the swarm and your own race," Loyd said, sitting on a bench against the wall. "And I don't know very much about either. I just know humanity is an ally that will help whomever they think gives them the best outcome. Whoever that ends up being will win this war."
"You underestimate both races. My race, which you call Crystalids, can defend against anything you throw at them, the Swarm will tear apart anything they see as a threat, and I don't understand how you think humanity can possibly help you with this war. They lost their one defensive installation when my people destroyed it with an energy crystal," Tiny pointed out.
"Because they've already lost one planet, so they're not afraid of losing another, they have the largest industrial complex in existence, and they have a nearly endless tide of reinforcements coming from deep space," Loyd said.
"How can there be that many of them?" Tiny asked. "They reproduce slowly compared to any other race in my memory and their only strength comes from their intelligence, which I believe to be flawed. What other strengths can they possibly have?"
"The dive system," Charlette stated. "It allows a human mind to take control of an entire fleet if need be, and there's a big fleet."
Tiny chuckled. "So, you're willing to bet everything on a single piece of technology? How hopeless can you get?"
"Who said we were hopeless? If you need proof that the dive system will win us the war, then I can have one of the kids go after a video player for you."
"Alright, while we're waiting for that to happen, I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"What do you plan on doing to me if I do join your army? Will you dissect me or put me in charge of an unwinnable battle?"
Loyd laughed. "You believe those exist?! I've seen unwinnable battles be won by the people who were horribly outnumbered, outgunned and in unfavorable positions. You just have to think faster than your opponent or do something so incredibly stupid you catch them by surprise and you'll win every time."
Tiny thought about that for a moment. "There is a training exercise that I went through during the early stages of my training that I wish to put you through. If you can beat me then I will join you and your army. I haven't decided what happens if you lose."
"Alright, what are the rules of this exercise?" Loyd asked thoughtfully.
Tiny pulled a section of the wall from the building and heated sections making them into a checker pattern. Next, he ripped the railing off the balcony above them and tore it into simple pieces each with their own unique shape.
"The exercise is simple. Each piece has a set range of motion, attack, and price. They also have health and attack power based on their size and thickness. I'll explain each piece's statistics as I set it on the board," Tiny said, putting the first piece on the metal plate. "This represents your commander. They cannot move and have no offensive power. They have only one health point and if yours dies, you lose."
Tiny explained this, handing Loyd his piece.
"You can place them anywhere on the field but I will not know where they are until I enter the same space as them."
"Alright, but what happens if you enter the same tile as it but you can't kill it?" Loyd asked.
"If I reveal it then it's as good as dead," Tiny answered.
Loyd nodded rolling the piece around in his hand.
"Next we have simple infantry. These pieces have one movement, attack, and health. They also only cost one point each and can hit two tiles away."
Tiny handed Loyd five infantry pieces.
"There are two types of vehicles. Aircraft and land-based. Aircraft count as one tile further than their range in tiles from an attacker. Land-based vehicles have one more range than aircraft. Both have the same statistics otherwise. They have two attack power and movement, three health and cost five points each, with a range of three."
"That seems easy to remember. How many points do we start with?"
"Twenty. And you can stack units in the same tile but each one acts on its own," Tiny said. "We take turns moving and attacking with one unit each turn."
"Is there any way for me to upgrade units? Like giving my infantry camouflage?" Loyd asked looking over his pieces.
"Yes, but that costs a point and applies to every unit in your army. Camouflage only makes it so I can't see your units until I'm in the same tile as them, much like your commander," Tiny answered.
"Alright, then I'm ready," Loyd said, putting his pieces on the bench next to him.
"If you cheat, I will know."
"If you left out a rule, I'll know."
The two stared at each other for a minute before Tiny put two aircraft pieces on the board.
"Infantry can't target aircraft until they are right above them," Tiny said.
"Ah, I thought that was the case."
"Then, it is your move since you set up first."
Loyd smiled. "I reveal every tile across the entire board."
Tiny sat there stunned confused about what Loyd had done.
"You never said I couldn't put a piece in the corners; therefore, I can place infantry in the corners of each tile and reveal everything at once," Loyd explained triumphantly. "So, where did you put your commander?"
Tiny placed his commander piece on the board defeated. "You win."
"And you get to join my army."
xX At the other end of the compound Xx
Madeline brushed a strand of her black hair behind an ear. "What're you working on Griffon? You've been glued to that screen since we arrived."
"When we were riding in the worm, I had an idea on how we could make an even stronger muscle strand by combining crystal and swarm. The crystal muscle can't pull as hard as biological muscles but they can withstand the strain they create," Griffon explained turning the computer screen so Madeline could see it. "If we lace the crystal muscles through a worm's muscles, I think we can improve their speed and strength even further."
Madeline stared at Griffon. "You've turned into a mini Loyd, you know that?"
"Do you think I care?" Griffon asked, watching a simulation on his other screen.
Madeline leaned over his shoulder to get a better look.
The simulation had a single set of muscles used to bend an arm. Another arm mechanism popped up on the screen, below the first. Before long, another two showed up beside the first ones.
"So, why is your simulation reproducing?"
"Because more computers are being added to the network and adding computational power."
The two continued to watch the muscle strands start to rip as the arm grew heavier.
"Damnit! I thought for sure that would beat the previous rec-" Griffon's eyes widened as he looked back at the numbers. "That's ten times as much weight as the previous muscle…"
"Yep, you're a mini Loyd," Madeline said. "You've got something to go show him now."
Griffon stood unsteadily, his knees trembling. "Yeah, I do... I've gotta go show him my work…" Griffon grabbed a tablet and walked out of the room starstruck.
"Hey, Griffon, what's up?" Jim was walking down the hall.
"Look at this! I found a way to maximize the strength of our muscles!" Griffon exclaimed.
Jim took the tablet from Griffon and looked at the simulation. His eyes slowly widened as he realized what he was seeing. "Ten times the new-types… How did you manage that?! Crystal muscles can't pull that hard and bio-types would tear themselves apart if they tried."
"I mixed the two. I put supporting crystal muscles throughout the bio-type's muscles."
Griffon took the tablet back from Jim and raced down the hall. "I've gotta go show Loyd! I'll talk with you later."
Jim stood there still stunned as Madeline walked up behind him.
"So, you think we have a second Loyd now?" She asked.
"Aside from Griffon being a ginger midget, yeah, we've got two inventors now."
Madeline laughed. "We've got ourselves a dwarf from one of the old earth games, a cannibalistic monster, a natural leader and hero, whatever Loyd is, and me. I just don't know what my role is yet."
"Oh, come on, sis. You're the emotional support for everyone. You should know that by now."
"No, Loyd covers that role."
"Then, uhm… you're… you're the motherly figure who keeps all the little guys in line," Jim joked.
Madeline laughed. "Yeah right! Linda won't let me get anywhere near them after that misunderstanding with the blowtorch."
Jim grimaced, remembering the charred spots in the kid's hand. "Alright, you have me there." Jim thought for a moment. "Why do you even want a role?"
"I want to have something I'm in charge of instead of just walking around looking for something to do."
"Well, you're the best navigator out of the entire Martian Swarm. Why don't you plot the route we need to take to get to earth?" Sara asked, rounding the corner.