The Winter Tyrant-Chapter 71: The Shape of Power

Over the course of the next few weeks, Dean continued to train his hoplites, peltasts, and militia.

The hoplites continued to train in their usual big five combat disciplines. Evolving into specialized roles.

Hoplite Alpha group had become a quick reaction force. They were trained to rapidly respond to threats to Elysium and its borders.

Hoplite Beta Group had become siege specialists and pioneers. Their goal was to help support Alpha group in defense and maintain internal security during times of peace.

The peltasts, by contrast, continued to refine their advanced education in sabotage, assault reconnaissance, and survival.

And finally, there was the militia who were slower to develop, but they improved with each passing day. Discipline replaced panic. Coordination replaced chaos. Dean made sure of that.

Other than daily combat training and conducting tactical operations. Dean was the mastermind planning the "city layout" of Elysium. Meanwhile, Brooke and Yuki orchestrated the logistics behind his dream.

Whether it was finalizing the erection of the outer walls, or the gradual expansion of their aquaponics greenhouses. Yuki and Brooke worked together, albeit butting heads constantly throughout it all.

At the same time, the re-construction efforts were doubled by the citizens of Elysium. For the time being, Dean preferred creating larger structures, more akin to barracks than to single family homes.

The reason was simple. They had a limited amount of generators, and Dean’s micro-geothermal grid wasn’t designed to sustain such a vast territory by itself.

Because of this, within the walls of Elysium, the old houses were torn down one after another to make way for communal spaces. Maximizing the limitations of power, central heating, food, water, and of course security.

Another month passed before Dean had even realized it, and by then he felt that Elysium had evolved to the point where they were no longer simply subsisting.

Part of the city’s reconstruction included long term food storage, and "granaries." As well as stockpiles of any excess material they had. Whether that be compost briquettes, bio-diesel, recycled glass, wood, steel, stone, or whatever else had been salvaged from the old homes.

With those lost in the early days of winter, and those gained from the integration of Lorezno’s slaves and Brooke’s employees. The population of Elysium was sitting somewhere around 250 now.

They would gather in the communal kitchen in the morning, eating from a large and hearty pot prepared by designated cooks. Washing it down with a nice cup of broth, before going on their work for the day.

Conversations filled the hall each morning; quiet at first, then swelling as warmth and food brought life back into tired bodies.

Names were learned, routines were formed. People who had once been strangers now worked side by side, sharing tools, duties, and the fragile sense of safety that Elysium provided.

There were arguments, of course. There always were when so many people were forced into proximity. But they were short-lived. Nobody here could afford grudges, not when survival depended on cooperation.

Adolescents found themselves thrust into the roles of apprentices, while smaller children were looked after and given basic elementary instruction in math, science, and physical education by qualified teachers. Usually the elderly who were incapable of performing hard labor.

Dean himself was sipping from a cup of coffee at his own table within his keep. Surrounding him were Brooke, Yuki, and Katherine. Each of which seemed anxious, and the reason was simple.

The map spread across the table did not simply contain information regarding Elysium’s current state.

Rather, it contained information that the Peltasts had gathered through their weekly recon missions about the surrounding areas.

One target was marked not far away from Elysium. It was the location of Carver Aggregate & Steel. Several figures had been placed there to represent the number of bandits confirmed inhabiting the building.

As Dean shifted two additional pieces into position, he sighed heavily. The room was quiet for a moment. Everyone at the table understood that what came next would decide whether Elysium continued to grow... or was crushed before it ever truly became something more.

"We’re heavily outnumbered... The Bandits have about 500 men in total coming in and out of the foundry. They seem desperate to get production back online, but haven’t found anyone with the technical knowhow of how to identify what is broken, let alone fix it."

Brooke sighed in relief when she heard these words, but Dean didn’t let it last for long.

"While that is some good news, I’m afraid that is all I have to report. Our enemies appear to have formed a confederation of sorts. With different bandit groups coming in and out of the area, like a base of operations at any given time. Our intelligence suggests that the leader is this man here..."

He shifted a photograph over, taken by one of the drones and printed out on Dean’s computer after the Peltasts had returned and handed over weeks’ worth of reconnaissance video footage and still images.

The man in question appeared to be in his mid-forties, maybe his fifties. His hair was fully greyed out, and his beard had become thick enough that the icy wind couldn’t easily penetrate it.

The man carried a military carbine slung off his chest, one that if Dean had to guess was likely a converted civilian weapon using spare parts found lying about at abandoned police or national guard facilities, just like Lorenzo and his gang had discovered.

The footage showed more than just numbers. Fires burned through the night, groups rotated in and out with little discipline, and arguments occasionally broke into violence.

They weren’t an army. They were something far worse: desperate, disorganized, and numerous enough to overwhelm anything that lacked structure.

Brooke looked at the image and frowned, her gaze shifted over to Dean.

"If you have so many drones watching him, then why don’t you just use one of them to take him out?"

Dean sighed and shook his head.

"Because my drones are finite and not easily placed. They are worth more than just about any single human life, especially that of a hostile. However, even if I did rig one to blow and catch him off guard, it wouldn’t solve anything. Didn’t you hear what I said? The bandits have become a loose confederation of tribal groups. Each with a different man who could take his place after his death. Killing him alone wouldn’t solve our problems, all five hundred of them have to die."

Brooke grew impatient, rolling her eyes the moment Dean said this.

"And how are we supposed to do that, you said we are heavily outnumbered?"

Dean nodded silently. He was waiting for Brooke to figure it out... The conversations they had this last month proved one thing to him. She knew very little about tactical operations.

However, it was not Brooke who answered.

"We can’t lay siege to the foundry... Sieges favor the defenders, and every man we lose is a catastrophic blow to our ability to defend ourselves... So that leaves only one solution, we have to bait them into attacking us, and ambush them."

Brooke looked up and over at Yuki who was staring intensely at the map. Katherine’s mouth dropped just slightly ajar before turning into a subtle smirk while she silently nodded her head.

And Dean... he just patted the girl’s head.

"That’s exactly right. We have the advantage in mobility and heavy weapons. They think they’re safe at their base. So we’ll strike them while they sleep. Launching a mortar strike. When they respond, we’ll ambush them with machine guns. Then we’ll scatter to the wind. We don’t win this in a day. We win it by making them weaker every time they choose to fight us."

Brooke scoffed at the idea, quickly pointing a flaw in its premise.

"And if they hide inside their walls? What then? And what if you launch a mortar that flies astray and hits something critical to the plant’s function? That would entirely defeat the point of this!"

Dean however seemed confident as he moved the figures on his map into position.

"If they hide inside after the first ambush, then they’ll starve. Their stockpiles are low, and my Peltasts already know their precise locations. We can poison them or burn them outright. Just as we did Lorenzo and his men."

Brooke silently sat there, listening to every word that Dean said. Katherine’s words still lingered in her mind.

You are not his equal.

For the first time, Brooke wasn’t sure she could argue against it. Especially as he continued with his plan.

"Either way, without the ability to raid they will starve. And when they starve, they will be forced to break through. They’ll pursue us, I will have them surrounded, overrun, and in the end I will emerge victorious. Believe me, the feigned retreat has worked on greater minds than these fools throughout history."

Brooke sighed heavily after hearing the plan. It wasn’t that she disagreed with it. She was just concerned about a great many things. A month had passed since she first moved in with him. And most of it was spent in a state of intense domestic conflict.

She reflected on everything that had happened. Between her, Dean, Yuki, and all three of them together. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she finally came to a conclusion.

"Dean... I wish to speak with you... alone.... Is that alright?"

The room went silent... and Dean simply nodded his head before following Brooke up to his room.