Chapter 80: The War that Waits

The peltasts returned with the dawn of the next day. There they arrived at the gates, having already been opened in advance by the sentries present.

In just a week, Elysium had changed in many ways. More of the old houses had been torn down, the scrap scavenged for later use.

New community housing was built, similar to military barracks. Individuals were given small suites, each with a single bed, a wardrobe, a footlocker, and a desk.

Family units were designed for those who were married or possessed children, but they maintained the same austere, spartan-like conditions.

There were communal facilities for showers, toilets, dining, and entertainment. Each barracks was outfitted with central heating, snow proof roofing, electricity, and water supply.

The deep water well and micro-thermal energy grid that Dean had established acted as the primary energy source. Providing more than enough power for his own home, communal spaces, and the rest of Elysium’s ongoing construction projects.

But even Dean knew that this grid couldn’t sustain Elysium indefinitely, eventually it would need to be expanded.

In addition to the barracks, the walls had been completed, and community storage spaces were constructed to house their excess supplies.

These storage facilities contained everything from raw materials to food, water, gas, and anything else the community needed to survive.

The housing for the hoplites and peltasts, that is when they weren’t outside Elysium’s walls, was separated from Dean’s keep and the Acropolis.

It existed as a fortified medium between Dean’s home and the public at large. Three separate levels of fortification and elevation existed between them.

Because this was the housing for the hoplites, and already had restricted access from the public, the storage facilities were included in this level of Elysium known simply as the Agoge.

The peltasts arrived at the agoge after storing their snowmobiles in its garage. There they returned to their barracks, showered, and changed into a clean pair of clothes.

The uniform which the hoplites and the peltasts wore was three layers. Two layers of ranger green long johns, and one field uniform, which was in a transitional winter and woodland.

While walking around in doors the Peltasts were separated from the Hoplites by the berets they wore. These berets were stained in a bronze brown color for hoplites, and a pewter grey for the peltasts.

Many of the early uniforms worn by Dean’s men were prepared before the long winter began as spares for himself. But in the months since, new uniforms had specifically been tailored to their proportions and fashioned from a blend of the raw materials Dean had prepared.

Dean’s livestock was rapidly expanding ,he had initially started with limited space and selected for hybridization rather than simply singular purpose.

He had cashmere goats for wool, alpine goats for dairy, merino sheep for wool, and giant angora rabbits for both meat and wool.

With the first harvested batch of these materials already produced, the uniforms were made from a strategic blend of hemp fibers and the various types of wool harvested. In addition to this, they were waterproofed by lanolin.

The production of these uniforms had been time intensive, but it allowed for the hoplites and peltasts to operate far more effectively than in clothing that was mismatched to their size and uncomfortable to wear for prolonged periods.

After showering and changing, Zach walked out of the door in his snow camo coveralls, approaching the keep where he was permitted to pass by Todd and one of his hoplites who stood by as sentries.

There he entered Dean’s home and found the man sitting around the dinner table, a wheatgrass beer in hand, and his daily Elysian noodles rations heated on his plate.

Yuki clung to his side, and Brooke sat close by, but not invasive. Katherine sat at the end of the table and was the first to notice Zach’s entry.

“Dean, you have a visitor…”

Dean looked over his shoulder and found Zach standing in the doorway at attention. But Dean didn’t stand on ceremony, instead he looked over at Yuki, who was already running off to the kitchen.

“I’ll fetch another plate for our guest.”

Dean then returned his gaze to Zach and motioned towards one of the spare seats at his table.

“Sit down and eat. You must be starving… You can tell me all about whatever it is you have to report on after you’ve filled your stomach.”

Zach did as he was instructed and took the seat. Eating silently but hungrily from the plate, Yuki had sat down in front of him until he had his fill.

Then and only then did he set the plate aside and begin his report.

“Thanks for the meal… But I’m not sure they want to be present for what I have to say….”

Dean looked over at Yuki, Brooke, and Katherine, giving them a silent nod of his head. And they immediately dispersed. Heading off to the entertainment area to watch some television.

It was only after they were gone that Dean finally responded.

“Alright, tell me what happened.”

Zach spent a solid ten minutes explaining everything they had done over the past week. And concluded on the information regarding the ambush of the Raiders, the confirmed kill of one of the enemy captains, and the way they had staged the scene to taunt the Raiders into moving recklessly in pursuit.

Dean sat there having listened to the after-action report with his full attention. He did not move an inch the entire time, and in the end he simply nodded his head.

“Continue with your operations. The more of them you kill, the less they will be able to keep things quiet among their little federation. Sooner or later they will have to chase after you, and when they do, they will fall into our trap. Take the weekend off and get some proper rest. The war can wait until Monday. After all, our enemies don’t even know who is hunting them yet..”

Zach nodded and silently headed out. Where Dean sat still, by his lonesome, for a long while, reflecting on everything Zach had told him, and where this war was headed.

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