Futuristic Starpath X: For All Mankind

[ChasmOfOrganicMatter]

Grecyirvic's massive height diminshed very rapidly as he abruptly fell forward, catching himself with his enormous claw hands as carapace shufffled and reshaped itself, massive armored bulk redistributing itself as he went from towering and bulky to something more akin to a very large, somewhat chunky house centipede. Additional limbs previously hidden beneath his armour extended themselves like newborn worms, squirming out of his sides and glistening for a scant few moments. A calvacade of additional limbs lined across his sides and previously retracted antennae emerged not from his head but around it.

He was a little longer now but slimmer and by the speed with which he skittered to the door, freakishly faster. The shadows of bombed out buildings and abandoned vehicles were long enough to conceal his presence as he crept along the dark cast by their withered forms. He was still more imposing than a human gut to the ground, yet he was far diminished in his profile, crawling at the speed at which one might sprint. Bursts of motion carried him to where he was most obscured by shadow and the sight of their still-distant foe.

It was not long before he neared the edges of the bridge, slipping down the slope and to the support structures that held it up. It would not be long before he was beyond their sight yet he had a way of keeping in touch.

Not long before he slipped unto its underside, a pair of creatures emerged on either side of the bridge - the same drones as he had previously employed. Drones that resembled moreso some large insectoid life forms, baseball sized and innocuous as they did not fly but crept along the tops of the arches.

Soon, multiple friendly HUD's would acquire a remove video request - one in the language of the insectoid.

How he was able to not only control them while climbing upside down, attempting to near the hidden explosives, was anyone's guess.

 

[K0mori]

"Well if I get turned into swiss cheese again, I'll be happy to know that I won't be alone in that matter." Mazurek jested in a dry manner, before returning his attention back to Krawczyk, awaiting assignment and orders for his role.

"Nobody's getting shot up if I can help it," Krawczyk replied with less humor than her subordinates had showed. Their near-loss at the prior engagement still playing on her mind, she looked out the window briefly and sized up the challenge ahead. "I don't want to leave you two out on your own again without support close by. That said, the underside of the bridge is probably going to be the safer route once Atlas gets that firehose across the river. I need you both to wait here until we know if that's going to be possible."

He glanced to the others. "Anyone have any binocs? I could slip into one of the buildings nearby, take a peek from one of their upper floor windows." he soon said, "...Anything to make sure the rest of you don't get shot."

The Sergeant started to reach for her rangefinder, when Kang volunteered a pair of binoculars herself. "Here," she said. "Never know when enemy armor might show up again, you should probably keep that," she said to Krawczyk.

"If you see enemy snipers, just call their positions out; don't shoot until I give the order," Krawczyk instructed Caine, not wanting the next fight to begin before all the pieces were in place. Two of Oberto's squad then volunteered to join him, an action that Oberto supported, as they were both capable marksmen. The trio departed the warehouse in search of rooftop access while Grecyirvic slithered out of the room.

 

[bat_hacker]

Atlas watched with consternation as the images from the drone came in. He'd certainly underestimated his task, the underside of the bridge being much higher above the breach than he'd anticipated. In fact, it seemed outright inconsistent based on what had been discussed during the mission briefing. He stepped away from the rest of Squad 9 for a moment and switched his dive suit's comms over to orbital command's encrypted channel. To the others, he appeared to be pantomiming to himself silently in the corner, but his computerized voice was being transmitted over an encrypted line to the flagships in deep orbit around Achenar.

"I am Atlas," he began, "Repeat to me this detail of the hunt plan: The height of the river Mandela relative to the over-crossing."

"Hi Atlas," came the reply. His heads-up display indicated that it was Zoya Volkova speaking, the name of one of the human researchers who had come to Goldloch. She and Atlas had worked together extensively. This was certainly a surprise.

"I'm sorry, Zoya," Atlas continued, "I seem to have contacted you by mistake."

"No, no! Atlas, you've reached orbital command. I requested a transfer to help oversee this operation. Thankfully, they were desperate for qualified personnel. Tell me, how are you holding up down there?"

"I have suffered no injuries, and my suit is undamaged."

"That's good, but I want to know how you're feeling. I know you did well with training and mock engagements but live combat is a whole different animal."

"I am..." Atlas hesitated. Separated from the outside world by a layer of water and armor and dissociated from his emotions in favor of relentless rage and disgust at the upyri menace, it hadn't quite occurred to him that he had been engaged in lethal combat with his sworn enemy once again, this time deep in their own territory. He felt the reality of his situation begin to creep up the back of his neck and his gills flared with a momentary shiver of his nerves. It wasn't fear, something closer to a joyless thrill. He suppressed the feeling, whatever it was, and continued. "I am adapting well to combat above the breach," he said, finally. Zoya began to speak again but Atlas interrupted. "Time is short. I am about to enter the river. I am certain it has shrunk since the time we first laid our plans. I would have been able to reach the underside of the over-crossing. Before, but not now. Please help me to understand."

Zoya shifted a bit in her seat, rereading the transcript of what Atlas had said. Neither the text nor his computerized voice could convey his emotions. It was a shortcoming of the translator, something they didn't have time to implement before Atlas had shipped out, but she knew him too well to accept that he was perfectly fine. Unbeknownst to him, she'd fought against his recruitment to the assault on New Durban. Where everyone else had marveled at his unparalleled zeal and a strict adherence to duty and the chain of command, Zoya had noticed the secret anguish Atlas seemed to carry with him after combat training. He gradually became reclusive, prone to overtraining, and often failed to report his injuries. To her, it was obvious he was masking the pain by devoting all his attention to this... crusade of his. She had advocated for a psychological screening prior to his deployment, but given the tenuous understanding of Fishman psychology a proper evaluation could have taken months. The higher-ups had made their call, they needed boots on the ground, unstable as they may be. Bereft of any other options, she was at least successful at maneuvering herself into a position where she could keep an eye on her friend. Her motives may have been transparent to command, but thankfully their desperation had worked in her favor as well.

"Zoya, please--"

"One moment, Atlas," she replied, "I'm doing a visual scan of the river." She quickly compared the Mandela river using footage from before and after the start of the assault. It was true, the river was much narrower than it had been just a few days before, with no apparent cause. Her current vessel was too far from the planet to get an accurate real-time view of Achenar's surface, so she placed a requisition order for the scan and sent it to the forward line, the dropships and bombers sitting much closer to the atmosphere. To her surprise, it was a Kanad bomber who answered, and nearly immediately. Attached was a short video from about a mile upstream, a fly-by taken from in-atmosphere, of a crater directly on the riverbank that swirled with water and large chunks of concrete debris. The Kanad--named Kayn, according to the signature--was speaking over the video in his native tongue. Zoya had no understanding of the Kanad language, but his tone was shrill and excited, and broken by so much cackling laughter that the auto-translator (burgeoning as it was) couldn't pick up on a single word. Whatever he'd said, though, he was clearly proud of his handiwork.

"It looks like a Kanad bombing run hit the bank of the river," she relayed, "and the water's pooling in the crater. I don't have intel on what building it was, though, may be above my clearance. There's no telling what it may've polluted the water with, or what kind of debris may be flowing downriver... I'll try to get you more info if you can wait a moment."

"I will exercise caution where I must, but I cannot delay. Thank you for your assistance, Zoya. I am leaving now." Atlas's comm signal blipped out unceremoniously. She drew her mouth thin, resisting the urge to read abject dismissal of her concern into his words. While their discussions regarding his recklessness had always been non-starters, he had always told her that he found her compassion towards him incredibly reassuring, a proof that the Fishmen weren't alone in their love and respect for the light of life. She just wished he cared as much for his own wellbeing as he did for others'.

She forwarded the video from the Kanad to her superiors, requesting additional information regarding the destroyed building along with a note to the relevancy of her mission, trying her best to both convey and temper her sense of urgency. If it seemed as though her concern for Atlas was discoloring her perception, she would be removed from her station. Unfortunately, contacting Squad 9 herself wasn't possible either. Like most of the rank-and-file in orbital command, her orders were to maintain radio silence unless the ground troops initiated contact or instructed otherwise by superiors. The best she could do is flag the river as potentially contaminated, but without concrete evidence it wouldn't be brought to anyone's attention unless they reviewed the mission details for themselves. She cursed under her breath, lamenting both that she couldn't do more and that she was assuming the worst. Atlas and the rest of Squad 9 would exercise their best judgment, she would have to trust that.

Back on the ground, Atlas rejoined the rest of his squad just in time to catch the enormous metal golem's transformation into a strange lamprey-like creature and slink away towards the bridge. Unsettling. It was its job, then, to handle the explosives. Atlas took as much of the long rubber tube into the arms of his dive suit as he could, letting the rest drag on the ground behind him as he stood ready to move upstream to the storm drain. With his arms occupied, his speech was stilted again: "I am ready. We may leave. Please protect me. I am slow. I cannot attack."

 

[Infab]

Sam took the binoculars, examining them for a moment as he listened to Krawczyk's instructions. "Got it." he stated, before looking to the two that he'd be joined by. Counter-sniping was a tricky business, anyway. Shoot the sniper before the sniper shoots you. Often, it came down to pure dumb luck. You had to catch the sniper while they were looking elsewhere, or mid-reload. He had to remember what they had taught back on Earth when dealing with snipers. Watch for decoys, and movement after shots. Snipers tended to relocate after taking a shot, to make it harder to get a good shot at them. Snipers also tended to sit further back into rooms away from windows, if they were in a good enough position that they didn't need to move after firing shots. Those would be harder to nail.

But of course, this would all be after they were given the order to kill them. They just needed to spot them for the moment.

As they departed from the warehouse, they took extra care to avoid being caught in the open. Move from cover to cover, one at a time instead of in a cluster. An alley nearby gave them a bit more freedom to move, eventually finding a fire escape leading up to the higher levels of a four story building overlooking the river and bridge. It had a nice diagonal view of the far side of the river, and the buildings which lined it. Now the question was where were good locations that a sniper could set up?

Caine squatted next to an apartment's kitchen window on the fourth floor, using the window's frame and a large steel shelf as cover, and drew the binocs up to his eyes. Checking each of the buildings on the far side, and looking for anything suspicious, as the two troopers with him took up overwatch positions.

​

It was a strange thing, really. Fighting alongside races that utterly despised your kind. With very good reason, of course. The invasions, planetary bombardments, enslavements, genocides, and so on. Attempting to force your genetic origin race to bend the knee or die. Besides the morality of it all being completely horrendous, it wasn't the best of ways to introduce yourself to the galaxy.

There were, of course, Upyri that revolted against the insane wishes of the Imperial High Command (and the Emperor himself.) Most were rounded up and shot for being traitors. Others were placed into penal battalions and sent to 'death worlds'. Worlds that were so hostile that you were likely to die in the first few hours of planet-side life, but selected to be claimed due to rare resources that the planets had. Lucia Rentz was lucky to have not suffered either fate. Her escape came by surrendering to Human forces during the invasion of Earth.

Convincing her human captors of her wishes to join humanity and their fight against her own race was, obviously, difficult. Especially as she was once a member of the Honor Guard, one of the most notorious groups within the Upyri military machine. Her occupation in the Honor Guard, however, allowed a tiny bit of leniency. She was a fighter pilot, instead of a gun-toting monster like the Guard on the ground often were.

She renounced her allegiance to the Empire outright. She used a blade and a lighter to remove her designated serial number, which had been flash tattooed on the left shoulder. She did any and all that was asked of her, to prove she wanted nothing to do with the Empire or its wishes. And eventually, she was given a chance to prove it. Hand over everything she knew about Upyri fighters and other aircraft/spacecraft. Hard points, weak points, munitions, countermeasures, electronic suites, and so on. All the strengths, all the weaknesses. She gave it all willingly.

But then she asked for another way to prove herself, as well. A way which they were completely skeptical about at first, but eventually warmed up to.

They allowed her to fly her own fighter. Supervised, of course, by an officer of their choosing. After all, she was an Upyri. The very thing they had been fighting against.

Now, months later, she had been declared an offical Ace and selected to join in the battle for Achenar. The final colony world still under the control of the Upyri in Human territory. Her squadron was tasked to be a strike group, supporting the Kosoks in their aerial assaults and harassments of Upyri targets on the ground as well as in the air and in orbit.

The invasion had already begun, with forces landing across the planet in an effort to secure key targets and knock the Upyri back onto their heels before they can secure things for evac. Ground fighting would be severe, more than likely, and rumors were already circulating that the Honor Guard ships had been spotted in the sector.

She wondered if the Imperial Intelligence Service had a ship or two nearby as well. Whenever the Honor Guard went somewhere, Imperial spies followed.

But that wasn't her concern. At least, for the moment. Her concern right now was an Upyri Destroyer undergoing minor repairs at a floating repair station planetside, hundreds of miles southwest of New Durban. The vessel's detatchment of fighters and bombers were still active, using the ship's launch bay and a nearby island airfield to deploy when needed to defend nearby key targets from aerial attack.

It would be her squadron's job to take out the fighters and bombers, the airfield, and the destroyer. The Kosoks had more important targets to hit in the area.

"Comms check." crackled a voice over comms. Male, gruff. The officer assigned to her, and the squadron's commander, sitting directly behind her in her fighter. Captain Nathaniel 'Nate' Vickers, callsign 'Archangel'. Humans seemed to love to use biblical and mythological entities as callsigns.

And her own callsign, one Nate had given her, bore a bit of humor behind it.

"Demon. Hearing you loud and clear, sir." she responded, speaking into the muffling breathing mask over her face. She didn't really need it, as Upyri pilots went through specialized genetic alterations to deal with extreme piloting maneuvers and high altitude, but it was where her radio's microphone was placed.

The rest of the squadron sounded off, stating their colorful array of callsigns as they made sure their radios were working correctly. Seven fighters, three strike bombers. All prepped and ready to lay waste to whomever opposed them at the repair station.

 

[K0mori]

Four floors above the ground, Caine found a window that wasn't well secured, and with a bit of prying, he slid his fingers under the edge and unlatched it. He and his two companions for the moment, Pvt Dawson and Pvt Palencia, soon found themselves climbing into a bedroom which, if not for the stale air and settled dust, appeared exactly as it would have when the war began. Framed pictures atop the wide dresser enshrined the elation of young love- two owners who had long fled this planet, as evidenced by the emptied-out drawers below. Moving through the next doorway, the trio emerged into a darkened hallway which led to the other two bedrooms as well as the main living space.

Ignoring the spots of mold and mildew on the walls, Caine set up in the kitchen while the two sharpshooters took up their own position in the dining room. Both areas had a commanding sidelong view of the bridge, which was to their north, linking the western side of the river to the east. Unfortunately, due to the fact that eastern side was their eventual goal, and it was not yet noon, the sun was still working against them.

Caine rolls to spot the enemy position (Marginal): 1/3 - Failed.

With the binoculars he borrowed from Kang, Caine carefully searched the opposite side of the river for the enemy, fighting to focus against the glare without leaning too far out of his cover, where he might make himself visible. The opposite riverfront was densely-packed with buildings, each one a gallery of windows which, due to being on the shady, west-facing walls, were very dark. He looked for several minutes, his blood slowly turning to ice as he feared being shot by someone he couldn't see.

Dawson rolls to spot the enemy position (Marginal): 2/3 - Failed.
Palencia rolls to spot the enemy position (Marginal): 5/3 - Passed.

At the other window, Dawson did the same with his own binoculars while Palencia set up his marksman's rifle on a table. As much as the latter wanted to keep his finger on the trigger as he searched the field with his scope, he forced himself to keep it away, against the side of the receiver. The two men carefully worked together, quietly murmuring to each other which windows and alleys they were focused on, double-checking on what they found suspicious, until finally, Palencia spoke up a bit louder. "There," he said, "There's two in that police station. Top floor. Three windows over."

Caine glanced up at the skyline with his naked eyes and searched for the police station he had seen minutes earlier. Sighting it again, he looked through the binoculars at the same window were Palencia was looking, and sure enough, there was a lack of shine- a sign that the glass was missing, and within, a barely visible shadow moved around.

Dawson made an adjustment to his binoculars and looked again, apparently with stronger magnification. "Oh shit..." he said, "You're right- two of them."

Knowing that the other two were sporting better optics than he was, Caine volunteered to watch the rooftops and higher-contrast areas, while the others watched the windows. After a few more minutes, they found another sniper's nest as well as a currently-unmanned anti-aircraft gun. Caine identified a lone upyri soldier on her belly nearby. Perhaps she was the operator, although she seemed focused on the river at the moment.

Upyri Sniper rolls to keep watch over the riverfront (Unlikely): 2/4 - Failed.
Upyri Sniper rolls to keep watch over the riverfront (Unlikely): 1/4 - Failed.

While the lighting was in their favor, the Upyri marines who were tasked with protecting the entry into their stronghold had one major disadvantage- they did not know when or where the humans or their allies would appear first, and were focused heavily on the bridgehead itself. And in spite of that, even, they were expecting an ordinary, bipedal opponent, not something which slithered on many legs.

Grecyirvic rolls to sneak under the bridge (Marginal): 4/3 - Passed.

At the same time, Krawczyk, Atlas, and AUTO-262 dropped into a manhole to the stormwater drain. The Sargant had promised to protect Atlas during the approach, but they were quickly approaching the moment that the fishman would need to remove his suit and enter the water, which, although shallow, was still close enough to the riverbank to allow Atlas to quickly dive into it. Simultaneously, they received confirmation from Grecyirvic that it was in position under the bridge.

Krawczyk connected to the comms. "Patrol 2, we're about to move in. How's the map look, Oberto? Over."

Oberto's voice crackled through: "I don't know... The Kosoks haven't moved in a bit; they're still a few blocks behind us. Over."

"Makes you wonder if the upyri were saving their best fight for the xenos. What about the air? Over."

Oberto responded a moment later. "You can hear 'em. They're getting angrier. Over."

Rather than ask who Oberto was referring to, Krawczyk went quiet for a moment and listened. The distant shriek of Kosok starfighters gave her a bit of a chill. They were growing louder and more chaotic, meaning that the aliens were beginning to swarm closer to their position. She hoped that their position was well-marked on the tactical maps that the UFS was sharing with their allies. "Well, maybe we'll get lucky and the upyri will have their eyes on the sky. Do we have eyes on the enemy position yet? Over."

"That's affirmative, Sarge," Dawson replied. "We see three enemy positions, five total hostiles with eyes on the bridge... Could be more we can't see. Over."

Krawczyk nodded, glaring at the light at the end of the tunnel. "Copy that. Over and out." Atlas had just set the hose down on the floor of the tunnel, freeing up his appendages for communication, so Krawczyk made sure he was listening. "Atlas, once you take off that suit, grab one end of that hose and get in the water. AUTO will carry your suit up the river bank and under the bridge. While you and Grecyirvic figure out what we can do about those bombs, the rest of the patrol will get ready to move. As soon as we know we can cross and provide support, you'll have the whole Patrol following you to the other side, and we'll bring your suit with us."

There was an intense howl from a Kosok bomber passing low overhead, followed by the sound of anti-aircraft cannons and rockets from the opposite side of the river. This was their best chance to get Atlas into the water without being noticed.

 

[joshuadim]

Mazurek, following orders, had waited back for the operation with Atlas to undergo its activities in clearing the way to cross the bridge. He was anxious to get back into things as his fingers rhythmically tapped his rifle, trying to pass the time as he waited for the word to move on. The screeching of Kosok aircraft gave indication to the soldier how exactly the fighting was going, given how low they were flying and how close their targets were - as the Upyri defences struggled to hold them at bay. "Waiting is always the worst part." Mazurek commented as an explosion sounded off in the distance, before looking at Kang and others that were nearby, "If we come across any Honor Guard, I call dibs on blowing their brains out."

 

[Infab]

The sounds of the Kosok aircraft had Sam a bit on edge. One wrong move, and a bomb or missile could land right on their heads. He hoped they stayed clear of the area, at least, until they moved on and those civilians from earlier were evac'd. Didn't need a whole pile of bodies on their hands. Sam eased up and peaked out the window with his binocs again, looking over at the Upyri laying down near the anti-aircraft guns.

He scratched his chin, wondering just what the soldier actually was. More than likely, it was the operator for the gun near them. Still, there was always the chance it was just another sniper. He had to keep an eye on them, as their attention seemed to be devoted to the river for the moment. Dawson and Palencia would keep an eye on the others. They had better optics, and were better shots, if things got hot. Hopefully it wouldn't get to that point, though that would all depend on their luck.

Lady Luck had got them this far, so it seemed she was on their side for the time being.

He glanced to the bridge, wondering just how far their new alien associate had managed to get underneath it. Hopefully there wasn't anyone watching the underside of it. That'd ruin their plan entirely, and could even cause them to detonate the bridge prematurely.

Sam, why the hell are you being so pessimistic all of a sudden? We'll get through this. Everyone will. And we'll complete the objective.

He shook off the negative thoughts, focusing back on the Upyri next to the gun. His rifle firmly gripped in his other hand, ready to be snapped up to his shoulder and fired if needed.

 

[bat_hacker]

Krawczyk nodded, glaring at the light at the end of the tunnel. "Copy that. Over and out." Atlas had just set the hose down on the floor of the tunnel, freeing up his appendages for communication, so Krawczyk made sure he was listening. "Atlas, once you take off that suit, grab one end of that hose and get in the water. AUTO will carry your suit up the river bank and under the bridge. While you and Grecyirvic figure out what we can do about those bombs, the rest of the patrol will get ready to move. As soon as we know we can cross and provide support, you'll have the whole Patrol following you to the other side, and we'll bring your suit with us."

There was an intense howl from a Kosok bomber passing low overhead, followed by the sound of anti-aircraft cannons and rockets from the opposite side of the river. This was their best chance to get Atlas into the water without being noticed.

Atlas saluted. "I understand my orders. Please remember: I will be unable to communicate with you in your language until I don my armor again. I can hear you, and I know the sound of my name, but I cannot speak or understand your words. The heaven-light is above and will drown my light-speech, but you should be able to see my body if I come to the breach. I will show you."

Atlas made a motion as if wiping his brow sideways with a closed fist. His suit spoke out: "Made whole." He paused briefly before continuing. "That is what I will do if I must tell you my job is complete. It is also possible I will encounter an unexpected danger." He paused again, then held his left arm up, fingers splayed and back of his hand facing forward before pumping his arm downward. Again, his suit read out the word. "Vision." Krawczyk mimicked his motion, presumably to commit it to memory, but pumped her arm a little too far outward, forming something more akin to "frosted". Close enough. "Observe, if I need you to bring me my armor before reaching the other side: Ornamentation." It was a two-handed gesture, somewhat like tugging at the lapels of a jacket. "That should be sufficient. It is my wish that we reach the opposite shore quickly and safely. Safe travels, Krawczyk, AUTO. Give the squadron my best and the upyri my worst."

With that, Atlas took a few steps forward to where the water was about chest-high and began to cycle the water in his suit. The pool was cold and full of particulate. It tasted of industry, volcanism, and upyri blood. It was unpleasant, but he couldn't detect anything poisonous or harmful on the water, and outside of a general particulate warning his suit had no complaints either. The water exchange was complete in around six seconds, and his suit began to open up along seams hidden beneath the armor plates. The water around his head and shoulders spilled out and he gently stepped out of his suit and into the river. He ducked under the water and out of sight for a brief moment, relishing the new water, even if it was hardly fresh. His suit continually filtered its own water supply, kept it extremely clean, and oxygenated it to a borderline-sparkling degree, but it felt cramped and claustrophobic compared to the openness of the rivers and seas. He had tried, in vain, to explain to the human engineers who helped to modify his dive suit that he hardly needed his environment to be so sterile. Atlas's gills did their own filtering, allowing him to tolerate even a significant amount of contamination for hours with no ill effects. After that, sure, he would begin needing some cleaner water to flush the contaminates back out to avoid getting blocked up, but he hardly expected to be in such dire straits.

He also noted that this was "freshwater" as he'd expected. He'd learned the ecosystems of the human homeworld had formed an incredibly stark and rather alien distinction between water with and without salt. Very few species there could survive in both, which struck Atlas as one of the most alien aspects of their world. It wasn't unheard of for a Fishman to have a preference, but to most it was all the same, a difference so inconsequential it hadn't even occurred to most Fishmen that most rivers were freshwater. Fishmen could make their homes as comfortably in lakes and rivers, and quite often did. In fact, prior to the genocidal upyri invasion, there were several "lost tribes" that had become landlocked after settling in lakes that saw their connection to the sea dry up. Fishman history was dotted with incidents where these tribes had been reconnected with the sea after many generations, bringing with them a strange and sometimes beautiful new culture they'd developed in isolation. Sitting in this alien water, the first of his species to ever leave Goldloch, mere months after learning they weren't the only intelligent life in existence (far from it, in fact), it dawned on him how incredibly alone he was at the moment. His experiences here would be like nothing other Fishmen had ever experienced and would permanently mark him as an outlier, a lost tribesman, perhaps with the same difficulties reintegrating. He forced the thought from his mind and affirmed to himself that he would return victorious and unaffected, save for the better, a paragon of his people, a liberator.

He heard his name and a few questioning words from Krawczyk and realized he'd been lost in thought for a few moments and she was likely concerned. He offered a human gesture, thrusting his arm through the breach with his thumb extended for a brief second before swimming around to where the hose lay half-sunk and half-floating in the water from the air trapped inside. Grabbing the nozzle with one hand and his combat knife from his suit with the other, he came to the opening of the drain to peer over the edge. With the river's water-level lower than usual, it was a six or seven meter drop that he would have to make. The river was partially man-made, so its walls were sheer, nearly vertical all the way to the river bed. To be certain to avoid impact, though, he would aim a little further out from the edge. Even after AUTO had removed his suit from the murky pool in the storm drain, he didn't have a lot of room to maneuver, but it would have to be enough. He kicked off, accelerating as much as he could before directing his angle upwards, through the breach, and into the open air and sunlight.

He fell for only a second or two, but it felt like much longer. The air whipped his skin, a cacophony of gunfire and conflict reached his ears directly for the first time, the surface of the river rushed at him from below. Then, as suddenly as it began, it was buried again as Atlas slid beneath the surface with hardly a splash. The storm drain was below the level of the bridge, and hopefully below the attention of any upyri scouts watching his side of the river, but he let his dive take him deep anyway to improve his chances. The river water was even colder than the storm drain's, and just as murky. The current was much stronger than he'd expected, rumbling dully against his body as he fought it and blasting him with irritating bits of silt and detritus. It was not unlike navigating the sea in a storm: Doable, but a struggle. As the momentum from his dive faded, he arced back towards the breach, eventually coming to rest just a few inches from the surface where he could follow the shadow of the bridge to the other side and scan the banks of the river for any trouble. So far, it seemed that no one had concerned themselves with the shadow in the water. He stopped short upon seeing a strange, slithering mass snake its way around one of the pylons far above, but a quick glint of sunlight off its metallic body revealed it as Grecyirvic, seemingly also undetected. Good, the operation was proceeding even better than they could have hoped.

He was about two-thirds of the way across the river when suddenly there were a series of quick thrums that reverberated violently through the water, and quick streaks of light from the opposite shore across the sky. He surfaced in time to hear another resounding explosion ring through the air, accompanied by a loud shrieking whine from somewhere behind him. He looked back just in time to see one of the Kanad bombers come streaking out of the sky, belching huge plumes of dark smoke and icy blue flames as it plummeted, its heart pierced by an upyri anti-air gun. With a deafening boom, the craft struck the center of the river only a few hundred yards upstream from the bridge, erupting in a furious column of water and light and throwing debris in every direction as whatever unused ordinance it carried detonated on impact.

The spectacle was so terrible to behold that only the shockwave thundering through his body snapped Atlas back to reality. The river's current reversed suddenly, pulling Atlas towards the crash site as a mountainous wave began to form at its epicenter. He made a break for the opposite shore but was violently pulled under as the water surged. He tumbled as the water swirled around him, his combat knife was torn from his hand and it was all he could do to hold onto the end of the fire hose as the swell tore through him. Mustering all of his strength, he managed to bring his hands together and grip the hose with both in the instant before it was drawn taut, snapping his shoulders overhead painfully. He hung on for dear life as the world rushed around him, unable to open his eyes against the onslaught of current and chaff. He could only silently grit and hope his strength would hold and he wouldn't be in the path of any waterborne rubble.

 

[Breadman]

Back to waiting for action. Unlike the last few times, there was no period for this to get boring. Every second something new seemed to happen somewhere. An explosion in the distance. Gunfire somewhere ahead. The fight was moving forward and they were going to join the push soon enough. Boyan lit a cigarette to combat the tedium just for a few moments. A habit he picked up at the start of this whole thing, but would probably keep for long after.

A loud shriek from high above made him look at the ceiling to determine where exactly it was coming from due to the lack of a clear view to the skies. The bomber crashed in the river and its payload had detonated loud enough to answer any question to what exactly had happened. Hopefully nobody from their squad was standing near any glass.

"Shit. Did Atlas make it?"

 

[K0mori]

Once Atlas had exited the drainpipe and then his own suit, Krawczyk gave the order to AUTO-262 to retrieve his suit and run it to safety beneath the bridge. The sound of Kosok starfighters and bombers overhead was nearly deafening as they pounded the nearside shore, trying to drive out whatever resistance was left holding up their ground forces.

From his vantage point in the apartment building, Caine watched the enemy snipers for movement, especially the lone watcher near the anti-air gun he had spotted earlier, when it occurred to him that she wasn't moving from her position. The gun behind her revved itself to life and turned skyward under AI guidance, its seat empty beside it as bullets sprayed out the end in a bright flash of light. He barely had time to think about it as a bomber fell out of the sky just outside, shaking the window from its turbulence and plummeting into the water with a impact that could be felt in the bones. The explosion that followed shattered windows across the block in a rippling shockwave and bathed the bridge in smoke, embers and debris. But far worse was the wave across the water which chased it all, right into the path of Grecyirvic, AUTO-262, and Atlas.

​

Grecyirvic, having moved up upon hearing of Atlas' approach, had reached the first of the suspected bombs on the underside of the bridge. Carefully unzipping it to observe the craftsmanship inside, or lack thereof, the alien almost couldn't comprehend the simplicity of the design. The upyri had improvised this weapon, perhaps because the task was so simple, or maybe because they had failed to anticipate the use of Kosok ground forces and assumed they would have more time to hold the human forces at bay. Whatever the case, the bomb consisted of numerous bundles of RDX-based explosive tubes, with their fuses simply tied together at the end to allow for simultaneous detonation.

The demolition fuse trailing out of the bag toward the next placement midway across the bridge, therefore, was the only method of detonating the bomb. There was only one remaining possibility: if the blasting caps inside the explosives were made to trigger in the event the fuse is cut, as a failsafe.

Grecyirvic rolls to determine if the fuse can be cut safely (Likely): 3/2 - Passed.

The alien employed an electromagnetic sensor in an attempt to detect any actively-transmitted signal from the fuse. The sensor would need to be keen enough to detect the pulses through the insulation on the outside of the fuse, but Grecyirvic was reasonably confident that the ordinary demolition cable would offer no resistance to its investigation. Detecting nothing, it then turned toward the explosive tubes themselves. Each terminated in an endcap which had a solitary pin extending through the center, with a hole drilled through said pin. The end of each terminal fuse was simply stripped, hooked, and interwoven with itself. Now fully confident in the inert design, Grecyirvic placed the sensor probe directly against the exposed wire and pin combination and felt nothing.

It was confirmed: the bombs had no failsafe trigger mechanism.

With a mechanical swipe of one of its numerous appendages, the alien cut the master fuse of the bomb before clamoring along toward the next placement. It intended to communicate its success to the human fighters so that they could position themselves ahead of the crossing, but its concentration was broken by the bomber's crash and subsequent detonation. Sensing the coming impact of the water, Grecyirvic gripped onto the trusswork beneath the bridge with every available limb and clenched its body close so that the smooth plates on its back would deflect the wall of water away.

Grecyirvic rolls to resist the water (Likely): 2/2 - Passed.

The water slammed into the side of the bridge, shooting almost vertically against the concrete until it crested at the height of the smoke which had preceded it, falling back to the blacktop of the bridge's road surface with a faint glimmer of something blue and metallic within which seemed to spark idly wherever it puddled. The remained rushed beneath, crashing into Grecyirvic's body as it passed. The alien clung on with all of its strength, resisting the torrent as it thundered downriver toward AUTO-262 and Atlas.

AUTO-262 had begun to sprint, once it had retrieved Atlas's dive suit, and was not distracted nor caused to hesitate by the massive explosion on the far side of the bridge, upstream. Due to its highly-visible profile, the battle droid was an immediate visible target to the downstream sniper's nest, and was fired upon.

Upyri Sniper rolls to use sniper rifle against AUTO-262 (Marginal): 4/3 - Passed.
Upyri Sniper (Sniper Rifle) vs AUTO-262 at long distance: 10 DMG
AUTO-262: 5 HP

A bullet carved a path through the abdominal area of the droid's body, staggering it, but it carried on undeterred as the bridge neared. Only then did the approaching water register to its systems as an imminent threat, and the robot did all it could, diving to the ground and jamming its arm into the silty, exposed riverbed which was left behind when the river ebbed earlier that day.

AUTO-262 rolls to resist the water (Unlikely): 5/4 - Passed.

Somehow, as the water and debris rushed over it, the robot managed to remain almost stationary, its arm acting as an anchor in the muddy floor as it was dragged backwards roughly ten feet before finally being yanked upwards on the crest of the wave and dropped onto its back. It had even managed to hold onto Atlas's dive suit, and within a moment, was back on its feet and recommitted to its mission. With the snipers too distracted to take another shot, AUTO-262 easily reached the bridge and reported its success to the Patrol, followed shortly by Grecyirvic, who reported the first of three bombs defused.

Atlas, already fighting the current of the river, had no choice but to accept the brunt of the water's force as he was flipped end over end, the length of the firehose like an unfavorable sail pulling him downstream. With all of his strength, he held on...

Atlas rolls to retain his grip on the fire hose (Marginal): 3/3 - Passed.
5 DMG
+1 HP from environment
Atlas: 6 HP

The cloth covering of the hose ripped through his clenched fists, tearing the skin and leaving blood in the water, but somehow Atlas held on. As the water settled down around him, he realized he had been carried backwards a dangerous amount, and a terrible pain radiated from his shoulders. He would have an even more difficult time fighting the current, especially as small bits of metal and rock washed past him and impacted his kicking legs. Several tense minutes passed as Krawczyk and the rest of the patrol waited for confirmation that their comrade had survived.

Grecyirvic' confirmation arrived that the bombs were being removed. AUTO reported being in position with the suit. But there was no word yet from Krawczyk or the others who would be in position to witness the fishman's success or failure. Kang stood at the window, her hands covering her mouth and nose as tears began to well in her eyes. Novy's question was the only one which broke the silence.

"Shit. Did Atlas make it?"

Finally, through her rangefinder binoculars, the Sargant spotted Atlas surfacing at the far side of the river under the bridge, hauling one end of the hose up to a pillar in shallow water and laboriously tying it to the beam. "Yes!" she blurted into the comms. "Atlas is setting up the crossing for us! I'm on way, be ready to move! Over!"

Oberto, so excited that he literally hopped into the air and pumped his fist, shouted his reply before turning to the soldiers of Squads 9 and 10. "We're on it! Over! We're taking the bridge. I want 9 on the underside with Sgt. Krawczyk and 10 with me, topside, except our sniper team up top. Dawson, Palencia, Caine - you're free to engage any hostiles you see - and you, Champlin. You come with us. We need as much fire support as we can get out there in the open."

The private froze in place, her eyes wide in terror at the idea, but Sgt. Oberto didn't have time to bolster her spirits. Instead, Kang checked in on her, having dried her own eyes and gotten herself ready for the crossing. "Just keep moving," she told her. "No matter what happens out there, don't turn around, okay?"

Krawczyk burst through the doors of the warehouse moments later and gathered up Mazurek, Novy, and Kang. There was no time to talk as the plan was already in motion. She and her soldiers crashed through the side door into the ally before sprinting across the roadway toward the riverbank at the foot of the bridge. Up above, Caine watched the lone upyri on the rooftop suddenly sit up, looking through her binoculars at the coming signs of the assault. She pulled out what looked like a walkie-talkie, but after several presses, she threw it down in frustration. A chill ran down Caine's spine as he realized he was looking at the one who would have detonated the bombs, had she the ability. Instead, she trotted over toward the stairwell, but Caine wasn't about to let her get away that easy.

Caine (Rifle) vs Upyri Demolitionist at long range: 12 DMG

At the same time, Palencia locked his sights onto the sniper at the upstream side of the bridge and pulled the trigger.

Palencia rolls to use sniper rifle against Upyri Sniper (Likely): 2/2 - Passed.
Palencia (sniper rifle) vs Upyri Sniper: 10 DMG

The enemy took a direct shot to the torso and was knocked onto his back, but he didn't stay there. Clawing his way back up, the Upyri got back on his gun at the urging of his spotter, who had now located the trio in the apartment building.

Upyri Sniper rolls to use sniper rifle against Palencia (Unlikely): 1/4 - Failed.

A bullet crashed through one of the windows and embedded itself into the opposite wall. "Shit!" Dawson spat, having nearly dropped to the ground. "You hit him but the fucker didn't go down. Hit him again!" he urged, keeping the binoculars pressed to his face despite the urge to get away from the window. If the upyri's next shot was more accurate, he doubted that they would be so keen to fight after taking such a hit.

Under the bridge, Krawczyk helped tie the other end of the fire hose to the supports while Atlas returned to his awaiting suit. He would simply wear it as he crossed the water in the same manner as the humans. Then, one by one, they waded into the water, their rifles held aloft as they shimmied and kicked their way along through the murky, silted-out waters. "We should be across at about the same time Squad 10 starts from the other end. If the upyri try to set up any kind of defensive position, we clear them out. Throw grenades if you have to!" Krawczyk barked as they neared the shallow end on the other side.

Something brushed against Mazurek's legs as he tried to find footing, and for a moment he thought he and Novy were becoming entangled with each other, until a mass surfaced in the water close by: a body dressed in civilian clothes leaned into him before rolling away and further down river. Where it had come from wasn't clear; there was plenty of carnage upriver due to the bombing runs. The corporal shook it off, finding purchase on the riverbank a moment later and shuffling up onto the muddy concrete. There, Squad 9 caught its breath, reporting over the comms that they had reached the far side of the river.

Unbeknownst the them, they were the very first human unit to cross the Mandela River into downtown.

Squad 9 had become the spearhead of the operation.

Behind them, Squad 10 emerged from the warehouse and began its push across the top of the bridge. Distant shots rang out as the upyri collectively realized what was happening. The police station, already suspected to be the focal point of the upyri defensive position, suddenly bristled with guns as the defenders rushed to the newly-shattered windows to hold the line.

 

[joshuadim]

At first confirmation over comms, Corporal Mazurek shifted completely in demeanour as he jumped up from where he had been sitting and cocked with rifle. Gone was the somewhat laid back man, in place becoming a soldier bent on getting the job done. As they began to cross the river, he felt and then saw a dead body float down the river. Another grim reminder of this war's costs that made Mazurek all the more intent on spilling Upyri blood. As they reached the bank on the other side, the action began to unfold as Mazurek ducked into the best available nearby cover - a small hill of dirt and sand - and took up position using the earth itself as a steadying point for his rifle. His heartrate, despite the exertion from before in fording the river, now calmed as he entered the familiar vista of battle as he prepared to fire at any Upyri that came into his sights.

 

[Breadman]

Waiting period was over and they were on the move. Boyan inhaled one final time from the cigarette and flicked what remained away. He kept his head down as best as he could without submerging it as they pushed past the waters, ignoring the floating body near them. Common sight on the battlefield and just another reality of their situation. Once they were on dry land, he followed Mazurek to cover. The dirt and sand would be enough for now. All they needed was to kill and suppress any enemies with their rifles.

 

[Infab]

What the hell is that?

A radio?

...Oh fuck, that's a detonator.

Apparently the Upyri trooper that he had been eyeballing the entire time was actually the demolitions expert that had likely wired the bridge to blow. Holy shit. And now they were trying to make a run for it. He took aim quickly, lining up his sights, before firing a shot. It connected, apparently, as blood spurted from the impact and stained the wall next to the stairwell. She wasn't dead yet, though.

He slipped back into cover. That shot likely was seen by a sniper. He needed to move. Different window. Never stay in one spot too long. The others in the next room were being shot at, apparently, after hitting one of the snipers. Hopefully they could finish off whoever they were taking shots at. The less snipers, the better.

He moved out of the kitchen, crouch-walking through the apartment in search of another window facing the bridge and river. From there, he'd check for open targets and lay down suppressing fire.

 

[bat_hacker]

Safely back in his suit, Atlas busied himself shaking the water from his rifle and pistol. Both could still be fired when wet but any unnecessary moisture in the barrel would interfere with his aim. It was also a convenient distraction from his smarting hands. Fishman clotting and healing factors only worked underwater, but they worked quickly. He'd lost a minimum of blood and was already on the mend from his bruises. The process required a lot of energy and, typically, bedrest, but there was no time for that. He consumed a special-made ration just before getting into his suit which would hopefully refund some of the calories spent on the effort of healing.

Thinking of Zoya, he also sent a quick recorded update to Orbital Command. He couldn't afford to speak with them at the moment, but he knew she would be eager to know of his wellbeing. "I am Atlas. We have endured the crashing vessel and reached the far bank of the river. Proceeding with mission."

---

Zoya had been watching the Kosok bombers for a while, and had noted that some of their bombing runs seemingly targeted buildings for which she had zero intel. She couldn't be sure if the bombing operations were just above her pay-grade or if they were bombing indiscriminately. There had been no reports of friendly fire or casualties as a result that she knew of, but it was perplexing behavior. Her interest was piqued when one Kanad bomber craft broke from formation and swooped wide and low, cutting a direct line towards... something. Again, no intel anywhere in its flight path. She watched as the craft accelerated directly into hostile airspace, into the range of the upyri anti-air ordinance. Hostile rockets couldn't keep up with the craft's breakneck speed, but a previously-undetected AI-guided upyri gun turret sprung to life and led the craft's trajectory so precisely that the rounds shredded its center of mass and sent it tumbling out of the sky and directly into the Mandela River, directly next to the causeway where Squad 9 was crossing, where it detonated violently, sending a furious wall of water up- and down-river visible even to the cameras observing the battle from low-orbit.

She froze, unable to process what had just happened. Unconsciously, her hand fumbled her touch screen and brought up the real-time biometric readouts for Squad 9. Atlas, alphabetically first in the list, was the only flat line. She felt sick until she remembered that Atlas's equipment was built into his suit, not attached to his body. Sure enough, the flatline began approximately four minutes before the crash occurred. The uneasiness didn't go away, this could only mean that Atlas was likely in the river when the impact occurred. "Shit," she muttered, "Shit shit shit." She gritted her teeth and dismissed the health readout. She couldn't just stare at her screen, unresponsive, there was nothing she could do for Atlas at the moment, so she started analyzing the bizarre behavior of the Kanad vessel.

Extrapolating its trajectory, she mapped out the buildings the bomber may have been heading for. While there were a few upyri military buildings in that line, nothing jumped out at her as anything worth risking near-certain death over. The pilot, named Velada, hadn't painted a target either, nor had he made any report to command. He may have told his squadmates what he had seen and where he was going, but that would have been over their short-beam communication, signals too weak to be intercepted outside of a few hundred meters. His downed vessel had already been tagged by orbital command, but lacked the details regarding his sudden detour. She took to adding them, along with the estimated flight path and the prospective targets in that direction. Velada hadn't made it to his destination, but he would have crossed the path of Squad 9 and some of the other ground-forces. That in and of itself warranted some extra scrutiny from the brass.

Just as she finished sending the report, Atlas' communique appeared, and she breathed a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She listened. It was a one-off, not an opening of communications, so she could only listen to what he had to say. It was succinct, as she'd expected, saying no more than was necessary. She drew her mouth thin at the word "endured". Fishmen were not very capable liars and were typically adverse to speaking outright falsehoods. Something about their somatic language made insincerity stand out, so they tended to omit, embellish, or understate when they didn't want something known for truth.

She pulled up the biometric readouts again. Atlas's heart rate was back, but it was elevated. His suit was also throwing a few warnings regarding the new water it had drawn in from the river. Red alerts for particulate and bacterial contamination, and a yellow for radiation, likely leakage from the crashed ship. His suit would filter and sanitize the water on its own, but radioactive elements would either have to decay on their own or the suit would have to be flushed. The effects of radiation poisoning on Fishmen weren't well-understood, but a human body in contact with this level of radioactivity would start to suffer ill effects within 12 hours, though they wouldn't be breathing the water they were sitting in. "Endured" wasn't a lie, but it certainly didn't tell the whole story.

"Ensign Volkova," came a voice from behind her, and she flinched. She spun in her chair to see a lieutenant, but one she didn't recognize. She stood and saluted almost reflexively with a stiff, "Lieutenant, sir!" The man seemed a little bemused by the tinge of panic in her voice. "At ease. Name's Fischer, I'm here to relieve you. It's 12:00. Head to mess and get some rest."

"Yes sir."

"Anything to report before I take over?"

"So far no ground casualties in Squads 9 or 10, though there was a Kosok bomber that crashed after breaking formation and pursuing an unidentified target. Went down in the river, within spitting distance of both squads. No clue what it was after." She hesitated. "...A Squad 9 rifleman was in the water at the time of the crash. A Fishman who goes by Atlas, who was injured in the blast and may be at risk of radiation poisoning. His last report indicated that he intends to continue fighting in spite of this, but..."

"Friend of yours?" Fischer asked, raising his eyebrows.

"...Yes sir." Her voice dropped a bit low. There was something disarming about Fischer, but she may have said too much.

"Ensign..." Fischer paused for a moment, chewing his bottom lip and seemingly searching for the right words. "I know you're worried for your friend. That's normal--admirable, even--but this is a war. Atlas, just like every soldier on the ground, knew the risks going in. Nothing's certain down there, and everyone's prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of something bigger than themselves. He believes he's doing the right thing, even if he doesn't come back alive. That's the kind of perseverance we need if we're going to win this. We all need to be committed to our duty in face of inevitable loss, yourself included. It's okay to feel the weight of what we're doing here. It's human to fear loss. You aren't alone, everyone has something to lose here, that's why we're fighting." He paused, looking away briefly, then inhaled sharply. "I can't promise you your friend will be okay, but his chances are greatest when he can count on everyone's support. We can't be deterred or distracted, or let our fear get the best of us. We can only bring our best to the battlefield. Atlas is counting on you to do your job as a part of orbital command to the best of your ability and support the entire effort, not to fret over him."

Zoya had remained silent as Fischer spoke, though there was a near-imperceptible shrinking of her shoulders. It wasn't his intention to reprimand her, so he softened his tone as he continued. "You're not alone, ensign, we're all balancing the conflicts between being a soldier and being human. The brass claims they don't want emotions and personal attachments to cloud our judgment, but they know we're not machines. Any war that's won by sacrificing our humanity is a war we've lost, so don't go kicking yourself for caring. ...I'll do everything in my power to ensure everyone comes back in one piece, Atlas included. Your duty now is to rest your body and mind so you can bring your all to your next shift. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Dismissed, ensign." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "I'll keep you apprised where I can. Until then, assume no news is good news."

"Yes sir, thank you sir."

Fischer nodded silently with a small smile, which Zoya matched before exiting, a little more assured of her resolve.

---

Back on the ground, Atlas had finished his preparations and stood ready with the rest of squad 9. "I am ready to move. Let us be swift and sure, like the point of a knife."

 

[K0mori]

Caine dropped low, walking while crouched across the apartment in search of a different window that would provide him a similar vantage to what he had used in the kitchen. He eventually found a decent spot in what had been a home office before the war. Shoving a small, flat desk toward the window, it fell over so that the flat side rested against the wall. By seating himself, Caine was able to drop the barrel of his rifle onto the edge of the table and protect most of his body. Meanwhile, his two companions moved to finish off the sniper they had targeted once already.

Palencia rolls to use sniper rifle against Upyri Sniper (Marginal): 4/3 - Passed.
Palencia (Sniper Rifle) vs Upyri Sniper at Long Range: 10 DMG

Despite the pressure put on them by the enemy, Palencia and Dawson kept their focus on the target, and with another squeeze, sent a round across the river to deliver a killing blow. The sniper's head snapped backwards from the impact in a spray of blood as his body crumpled to the floor. His spotter picked up his rifle but ducked away, apparently seeking a safer window to occupy.

"Scratch one vamp! Watch your asses on the left flank!" Dawson called out while Palencia prepared another shot. He was speaking to the advancing members in Squad 9, who were now emerging from under the bridge. Following his instructions, they climbed up the embankment on the right side of the bridgehead, protected by the sides of the concrete deck from the sniper posted downriver, sharply on their left flank.

​

The police station was offset slightly to the right, with a ramp leading to the station's garage connected directly to the intersection at the foot of the bridge, which would have allowed quick deployment north or south along the river, or west, to reach the suburbs. It was currently not possible to tell whether the enemy had a larger presence underground in the parking garage.

The ground floor had relatively small and elevated windows, to make it less susceptible to break-ins during peacetime. It made sense that the upyri would fortify the position for their own purposes to slow the advance of the alliance brought against them, and this is where they would make their stand. Eight window casings, roughly five feet off the ground and wider than they were tall, served as the vantage points for the Upyri Marines. The second floor of the building was more conventional, like an office building, as were the third and fourth floors. Thanks to the explosion that had rocked the block moments earlier, the glass curtain windows had been totally shattered, ripping what was left of the skin off the building and exposing the rooms inside, and even though they were cast in shadow, it was clear that the upper floors were unoccupied aside from the snipers on the fourth floor.

Thanks to Pvt. Palencia, one of the two of them was now dead, and the other was abandoning his position to join the others on the ground floor, along with the demolitionist who had been on the roof. This meant that there were at least ten enemy soldiers in the building. However, the thick concrete walls of the bottom floor meant that those who were to the right of the main entrance, on Squad 9's hard right flank, would have a difficult time getting an angle on them without leaning hard into the openings, exposing much more of themselves in the process.

More screeching filled the air above Squad 9 as they reached the top of the embankment, where any further climbing would expose their heads to the marines who were waiting for them. Squad 10, now halfway across the bridge and in moderate range, began firing on the building at the same moment they were fired upon. "Now!" Krawczyk screamed at her comrades, knowing that they had a small window of opportunity to strike at their foes with a semblance of tactical advantage. As chaos began to unfold around them, Grecyirvic slinked ahead and crawled up the exterior of the police station to the second floor.

Grecyirvic rolls to infiltrate the upyri position unnoticed (Unlikely): 2/4 - Failed

His movement did not go unnoticed, and within seconds, both the spotter and the demolitionist who were retreating from the upper floors had located him.

Upyri Spotter rolls to hip fire sniper rifle against Grecyirvic (Likely): 5/2 - Passed
Upyri Spotter (Sniper Rifle) vs Grecyirvic at Medium Distance: 10 DMG
Upyri Demolitionist (Pistol) vs Grecyirvic at Medium Distance: 9 DMG
Grecyirvic: 6 HP
Grecyirvic (Autocannon) vs Upyri Spotter at Medium Distance: 15 DMG

In an instant, the hardened veterans caught the czrektir in a hail of fire which, thanks to the heavy impact of the sniper rifle, blew open its armor-plated exoskeleton and exposed the soft flesh beneath. Several pistol rounds landed in the alien's underbelly as it raised its own weapon, determined to take down the spotter before he could use his weapon again. The autocannon impacted the upyri center-mass, blowing him across the room to the opposite wall, where his arms and legs tore away from him all at once in a stingy, bloody mass. Outgunned and already wounded, the demolitionist spun around and sprinted out the doorway before Grecyirvic could get another shot, screaming about a "roach" on the second floor.

Krawczyk rolls to throw a grenade into an open window (Marginal): 2/3 - Failed
AUTO-262 rolls to throw a grenade into an open window (Likely): 1/2 - Failed
Upyri Marine (LMG) vs Krawczyk at Medium Distance: 8 DMG
Krawczyk: 2 HP
Upyri Marine (LMG) vs AUTO-262 at Medium Distance: 4 DMG
AUTO-262: 1 HP
Caine (Rifle) vs Upyri Marine at Long Range: 12 DMG

Standing and hurling her grenade, the Sargent took a bullet to the ribs from an enemy machine gun before falling back down the embankment. AUTO-262 was struck by the same machine gunner while copying its commander, and both grenades missed their marks as a result, bouncing off the concrete wall and detonating near the intersection at the corner of the police station. AUTO-262 then knelt, a trail of smoke erupting from the hole where the bullet entered- it was amazing the droid was still functioning at all.

The enemy gunner, meanwhile, had exposed himself significantly to lean out the window and get the shallow angle against Squad 9. Caine responded by shooting him multiple times from his vantage point across the river. Wounded, but nonetheless still combat effective, the marine once again took shelter inside the building.

Mazurek and Novy (Rifle) vs Upyri Marines at Medium Distance: 6, 6 DMG
Upyri Marines (Rifle) vs Mazurek and Novy at Medium Distance: 6, 6 DMG
Mazurek: 4 HP
Novy: 4 HP

At the same moment, Mazurek and Novy crested the embankment to fire at two of the foes in the windows directly in front of them while prone. Their shots peppered the nearest two marines, who were equipped with rifles. The two of them returned fire immediately with glancing shots to the helmets and body armor.

Atlas (Pistol) vs Upyri Marine at Medium Distance: 9 DMG

The enemy riflemen who had returned fire on Mazurek and Novy paid for it with his life, as Atlas had been struggling to get footing with his thick boots on the gravel-covered embankment and had opted for his pistol. This proved to be a wise decision as he placed three rounds on target, one of which caught the enemy in his neck. Observing this, Krawczyk unholstered her pistol, realizing that it would have a handling advantage over her rifle in the current situation. She grunted through the pain of her wound to Mazurek and Novy: "Use your pistols!"

Upyri Marine (Rifle) vs Atlas at Medium Distance: 6 DMG
Atlas: 5 HP (+5 added from suit)

Thanks to his suit's protection, Atlas was largely able to shrug off the rifle fire which came from his right as he ducked back below the embankment. He would need to be careful, however, not to allow his suit to be torn open and leak.

Dawson (Rifle) vs Upyri Marine at Long Range: 12 DMG

The rifleman who had taken the shots on Atlas had come from the right side of the police station taking a shallow angle in much the same way as the machine gunner had done a moment earlier. This time, it was Dawson who had snatched up a rifle and joined in the shooting, catching the marine multiple times as he scrambled back into his hole. "Shit, this is just like whack-a-mole," he grumbled, grabbing his binoculars and searching for the second enemy sniper downriver.

Upyri Sniper rolls to use sniper rifle against Palencia (Marginal): 1/3 - Failed

Another shot ripped through the apartment as the second sniper had turned his attention to Palencia and Dawson in hopes of removing his rifle. The bullet embedded itself in the wall directly behind them, and Palencia moved to respond in kind.

Palencia rolls to use sniper rifle against Upyri Sniper (Marginal): 5/5 - Passed
Palencia rolls to use sniper rilfe against Upyri Sniper (Unlikely): 1/4 - Failed
Palencia (Sniper Rifle) vs Upyri Sniper at Long Range: 10 DMG

Palencia placed another bullet on target, striking the enemy in his helmet at a shallow angle. He reared back and clutched at his head, but Palencia knew that he hadn't killed him and took another crack at it. The second shot however missed by a wide margin, as the recoil from the first had ruined his aim.

Upyri Sniper rolls to use sniper rifle against Palencia (Unlikely): 3/4 - Failed
Upyri Sniper rolls to use sniper rifle against Palencia (Unlikely): 1/4 - Failed

Two more shots crashed through as the enemy sniper grew more and more desperate. However, his aim was poor and he failed to hit anything.

With Squad 9 having taken the brunt of the enemy's attack, it was now time for Squad 10 to bring the hammer down on their foes.

Champlin rolls to suppress enemy fire (Marginal): 1/4 - Failed
Champlin (LMG) vs Upyri Marines at Long Distance: 3, 3, 3 DMG
Upyri Marine (LMG) vs Champlin, Oberto, and Hilmarsson at Long Distance: 3, 3, 3 DMG
Upyri Marines (Rifle) vs Champlin, Oberto, and Hilmarsson at Long Distance: 8, 8, 8 DMG
Champlin: 4 LP
Oberto: 4 LP
Hilmarsson: 4 LP
Chou, McFarlane, and Bongani (Rifle) vs Upyri Marines at Long Distance: 12, 12, 12 DMG

Focusing her attention on the left, near side of the building, Champlin began to fire a steady stream of bullets at the windows, hoping that it would prevent her opponents from responding. However, the upyri here were battle-tested and didn't flinch at machine gun fire. As soon as her attention was directed toward another window, the marine inside would reoccupy his previous position, and in the exchange of fire that followed, Champlin, as well as Sergeant Oberto and Private Hilmarsson, were struck multiple times by enemy fire and fell on the bridge. Undeterred, Corporal Chou rallied her fireteam to answer, knowing that they had an advantage in manpower. Sure enough, they picked apart the Upyri position, leaving three dead, before putting their rifles up on their backs and grabbing their fallen comrades to drag them to safety.

As they neared the corner of the bridge where they could finally see the bulk of Squad 9, one final Upyri took to the window with a shotgun.

Upyri Marine (Shotgun) vs Chou, McFarlane, and Bongani at Medium Distance: 3, 3, 3 DMG
Acheson and Kang (Pistol) vs Upyri Marine at Medium Distance: 18 DMG

With a few shaky blasts at the Corporal and her comrades, he held them at bay for a moment longer, until Acheson pushed past them with his pistol raised and emptied the magazine into his window. Following his lead, Kang gripped her pistol with both hands, squeezing the trigger like she had done in basic training and the last upyri on the near side of the building fell over backwards with a new hole in his face.

In total, there were five survivors of Patrol 2's onslaught. Two were on the ground floor at the right side of the building, a wounded machine gunner and a fresh rifleman who was busy reloading. Another wounded survivor with a rifle struggled to reload his gun on the left side of the building, surrounded by his fallen brothers and sisters. A badly wounded demolitionist limped her way down the stairwell toward the ground floor, hoping to link up with the others. A wounded sniper reloaded his rifle from a distant window cursing under his breath.

And then, finally, the Kosoks began to emerge from the outskirts.

Their tanks were large and well-armored, unlikely the vehicles available to the humans and upyri at this stage of the war, as moving them between planets would be difficult and expensive. This was not a problem with the Kosoks, who rolled and marched over the cracked pavement with indifference, their bodies and faces cloaked in full ballistic armor- white, accented in red, as if camouflage was irrelevant to them. The Kosoks were known to operate on so many planets and in so many environments, perhaps it was.

They came to a stop, however, as they neared the causeway over the Mandela river and looked out on the massing of human troops at the opposite bridgehead and against the embankment. Their rangefinders, built right into their helmets, marked the humans as allies. Perhaps they hesitated in that moment because they simply could not believe that a lone patrol had pierced so deeply into upyri territory unsupported.

As Kang and the others slid down the embankment to seek shelter from the sniper and the others left in the police station, she was pinged on her communicator by the commander of the Kosok unit across the river.

"Isk kisk ghodim kadaren da dar vani, gaharim rezet shkema."

Kang rolls to translate Kanad speech (Likely): 2/2

If you... If you have comrades... in the way...
Kang's eyes went wide. "Tell them to move."

Krawczyk looked at her strangely. "What?"

There was no time to provide an answer to the Sargent, as the Kosoks didn't wait for any themselves. A pair of tanks turned their turrets towards the police station and fired, blasting the concrete walls inward and utterly annihilating the remaining upyri on the ground floor, sparing only the demolitionist in the stairwell, who was knocked completely unconscious in the smoke and dust. Grecyirvic, several floors above, had detected the Kosoks' approach tiredly, and knowing the way in which they conducted warfare, quickly lumbered toward the back of the building before slinking trough another broken window and skittering down the back of the structure. The impacts which rocked the building seconds afterward told it that the humans would believe the czrektir to be dead. Since this provided plenty of opportunity for the alien to slip away into another obscure hiding spot, and away from this foreign conflict's direct line of fire, it simply disconnected from the comm network and moved on.

To the rest of Patrol 2, it seemed as if Grecyirvic had been killed in the barrage.

 

[Infab]

About time the Kosoks showed up.

Sam watched as the smoke cleared from the area around the station, making sure none of his own had been caught in the blasts from the tanks. Whatever had been inside likely had been turned to fine mists or meaty chunks. He'd hate to be the ones that had to clean up after the war. He checked his magazine, getting a good count of how much ammo was left inside his weapon, before glancing towards the door he had come through.

Regrouping with the others sounded nice, but there was still another sniper out there. One he was sure the others had wounded. They couldn't move yet until it was confirmed that the sniper was gone. Otherwise, the moment they tried to cross, they could be picked off.

Though, with the arrival of the Kosoks, they might not risk getting spotted and shot by the tanks.

Sam eased away from his position, moving through the apartment again to where Palencia and Dawson were set up. "Kosoks are here, if you haven't heard." he said as he arrived, before looking towards the windows. "Any sign of that other sniper?"

 

[joshuadim]

Mazurek immediately ducked back into cover as his helmet was pinged by enemy fire, gritting his teeth from the sudden surge of adrenaline as he had nearly had his brains blown out - again - by an Upyri. "Fucking shit!" he hissed through his teeth as he prepped to pop upwards out of cover again, but was stopped as explosions ripped through the building thanks to the Kosok tanks. Despite being in cover, and decently far away, Mazurek's ears rang a bit from the blast as he peeped out of cover to look at the devastation wrought upon the enemy.

"...damn." Mazurek muttered as he observed the remnants of the area. "No way anything survived that."

 

[Breadman]

Boyan retreated back behind his cover as soon as the enemy managed to hit him. The armor stopped the bullets, but another barrage like that and he would be down. He was considering how to deal with the enemy at the window when the Kosoks made their presence known. The tank shells ripped through the wall and pulverized whatever was in those rooms. Another hit like that would just knock the whole thing down.

"I fucking hope not. Bastard nearly ventilated my guts."

 

[bat_hacker]

Atlas's boots were struggling to find purchase on the riverbank. The giant wave had deposited a layer of loose silt and gravel that caused his feet to sink and slide in unpredictable ways. The same AI that assisted with his walking and running could help with this as well, but it was difficult regardless. He threw his rifle over his shoulder and let the magnetic holster grab it, then drew his sidearm instead so he could use one of his arms to assist with the climb. He crested the embankment to street level low to the ground, almost on his hands and knees, and took three shots at a muzzle flash coming from a nearby window. A spray of blood and the shadow of a recoiling figure told him he'd found his mark. He scarcely had time to look for his next target when a spray of bullets came from his right. He scrambled back down the riverbank and out of line of sight, but not before taking a pair of rounds to the armored plate on his shoulder. The first had been a glancing shot, too shallow, but the second was nearly dead-on, and Atlas felt a sharp pain as the round cracked the ballistic plate inside. It kept the round from puncturing his suit and helped disperse the force of the impact, but Atlas's arms were still smarting from his injuries from the river. He tasted his own blood in the water for a second before his suit cycled and filtered it out.

Laying on his stomach with his pistol aimed at the bank, he briefly drew a blank on his current situation. This situation wasn't new, he'd seen it during training, a land-fighting concept... Fighting uphill, a very non-ideal scenario, especially now that the enemy was aware of his presence. He watched as Krawczyk and Kang slid down the bank in retreat, and proceeded to follow, though in less of a slide and more of a quick, stumbling drop. As he reached the bottom, yet another massive explosion rocked his body coming from overhead. He drew his rifle and pointed it at the top of the bank, where a large plume of fire and acrid smoke belched forth. Just over the ridge, he could barely see the tops of a Kosok armored division rolling in for some much needed support. They seemed to have dealt with the enemies that were garrisoned in the first building, which would hopefully allow Squad 9 to move to a better position. Holding his rifle at the ready, Atlas got as close to the top of the ridge as he dared, took a knee, and opened comms.

"Caine, Palencia, Dawson. A request: The location of the enemy. If you have it, please provide it. I can assist with the hunt."

 

[K0mori]

Atlas was asking for the position of the remaining upyri sniper, but Palencia and Dawson were too preoccupied with trying to kill the man to answer him.

Palencia rolls to use sniper rifle against Upyri Sniper (Marginal): 4/3 - Passed

With one more blast from the rifle, a bullet flew over the city block between the two shooters, through the window, and into the shoulder of the enemy sniper. The impact tore the limb completely open, resulting in a hemorrhage. The sniper fell backwards out of his position, clutching the wound while sending out a distress call, but quickly passed out from the blood loss. Although it wasn't clear to anyone at the moment, the upyri was beyond saving.

Dawson looked up from his binoculars and down at riverfront. "Negative, Atlas. The enemy is out of action. Over."

Palencia sat back and huffed out an exhausted sigh. "...Fuck, man, Jesus Christ," he said, wiping sweat off his brow.

"Goddamn," Dawson replied, the professionalism he displayed on the comms leaving him as he clapped his buddy on the shoulder and gave a nervous chuckle. "Two versus one? Those fuckers don't know how to shoot."

"Christ almighty," Palencia repeated, picking his rifle up and moving through the apartment toward Caine. "You good, man?"

Caine stood and dusted himself off, joining the two shooters as they began to exit the building. Dawson reminded them that they had left their upyri POW, Reyer, behind in the warehouse on the west side of the river and that they would need to retrieve him before crossing the bridge. Caine spared a glance at the Kosoks who were now greeting the humans face-to-face, and wondered what to expect from them in the coming hour.

---
​

It didn't take long for Caine to get an answer in some form. Entering the warehouse through the side entrance, they approached the upyri where they had left him, bound to a support beam with his arms behind his back. From behind, he seemed to be hunched forward in a strange way, and breathing heavy. Had he been straining to get away this whole time? They circled around to find instead that he was wounded.

"Oh shit, look at that," Dawson said, drawing Caine and Palencia's attention away from the pool of blood and offal at Reyer's feet and up to the scorched patch of body armor over his abdomen. A pitch black burn hole through the middle suggested that Reyer had been shot or stabbed with something incredibly hot- not a bullet, but rather something that would splash and burn up everything it touched. This was the work of plasma, the preferred tool of the Kosok ground forces.

"They shot him in the gut and left him to bleed out," Palencia replied, his expression twisted with disgust. "I don't have anything that can help him, do you?"

Dawson shook his head and reached for his pistol. "Hey," he said to Reyer. "You're dying... You want me to finish you off?"

Reyer lifted his head, and of all emotions in his dying eyes, the trio were surprised to recognize betrayal. He was too weak to spit it out, but it was clear what he would say if he could. Look at what you've done, bringing the xenos here. Instead, he looked at them a moment, knew that they were telling him the truth and that there was nothing they could do to help, and then nodded his head, going limp.

"I'll meet you guys outside," Dawson said, grimly.

"Come on," Palencia said, beckoning Caine to follow him out.

---
​

Krawczyk stared at the burning building while Mazurek and Novy discussed the carnage, trying to figure out if Grecyirvic had survived or not. Her tablet showed no connection to the alien's communications equipment, and so there was no use calling for him over the comm. Her stunned reaction slowly melted into a wrathful one as she turned toward the advancing tanks and the armored soldiers now reaching the nearby foot of the bridge. Climbing up out of the cover of the embankment, she searched the newcomers for evidence of hierarchy, wanting to find whoever was in charge. Kang hustled up to get beside her, anticipating a need for translation, but nonetheless reluctant to deliver whatever vitriol Krawczyk might be about to unload.

Then, one of the Kosoks broke from the formation and walked directly toward the pair. His small size and build suggested that he was a kanad, the most common race among the Collective. His armor, like the rest, was white with red trim, but they noticed the red striping on his arm was more elaborate than those of his comrades. He carried a long and slender plasma rifle, the end of which was speckled with blood as if it were used at point-blank range recently.

Sure enough, this was the commander.

An almost robotic-sounding voice emerged from the helmet, addressing them. "Humans," it said clearly, before switching back to the Kanad language. His words were harsh-sounding and spoken quickly, but Kang got the gist of it.

"He said they'll take point from here and to rest our unit. Sarge?"

"Who are you?" Krawczyk demanded. Kang delicately translated. What do we call you?

The kanad answered quickly. "Naghan. Kisk?"

"Krawczyk," the sergeant replied. "Your tanks just killed an ally," she spat, gesturing angrily between the vehicles rolling to a stop nearby and the burning police station. Kang knew that there was no use trying to disguise Krawczyk's anger, and just translated literally.

Naghan seemed unmoved. "Het veramat."

Kang felt a chill, and hoped there wasn't about to be an incident. "He said, well, basically... It happens."

By now, Caine, Dawson, and Palencia had caught up with the rest of the unit and were beginning to witness the meeting unfolding.

 

[Infab]

Sam had never really met any of the Kosoks face to face. Sure, he had seen them from time to time as the war progressed. Leading an assault, or backing up human operations. A few officers exchanging information with human officers with the help of a translator. Recon operatives transmitting coordinates and video to human troops and vice versa. He had even seen them in the hospitals back on Earth, dropping off wounded and the dead back at the field hospitals to be better handled by human hands.

Kanads had always given him pause, mainly because of their appearances. A bit short, enlongated heads, razor sharp looking teeth. It made him think of a weird fusion of a terran shark and a goblin from the old fantasy novels back on Earth. Some of the other Kosok races were also interesting to look at, each varying greatly in appearance.

It also made him wonder just how the Kanads got to the point where they were the leaders of this massive galactic faction known as Kosokom. Were they that technologically advanced compared to the other races? Or just that hellbent on proving they were the most dominant of the bunch?

They don't seem too different from the Upyri, if that's true. He scratched his jaw, as he watched Krawczyk and Kang converse with the Kosok officer. His eyes shifted to the Kanad, examining their armor and their weapon. Plasma. Nasty stuff. The burns were hard to treat with current medical methods and equipment.

The Upyri were attempting to counter it with more dense armor craftsmanship and shielding, and rumor was they were working on their own plasma weapons to use alongside their newer railgun-type armaments and lasers. Of course, only the elite units like the Honor Guard would get to use that kind of stuff until it was thoroughly tested and made idiot proof for the grunts.

Sam then noticed the blood on the end of the rifle. His eyes narrowed, as his mind shifted back to the now dead Upyri captive back at the warehouse. Genuine cruelty.

"Sarge." said Sam as they neared, "The Upyri POW back at the warehouse is dead. He was gut shot. Plasma burns. We went ahead and ended the suffering."

 

[joshuadim]

Mazurek continued to observe the ruins with a small degree of satisfaction, but was snapped out when Kang began to explain what exactly the Kosoks had said. The response was baffling at first, and left the soldier speechless at first. But that quickly was replaced with anger as Mazurek furrowed his brow and shook his head: "It happens." he repeated aloud with barely disguised disdain for such sentiment. "Fucking asshole. Do you shoot your comrades and allies that often?"

 

[Breadman]

Boyan stood aside as Mazurek became irate over the careless attitude the Kosoks had over their liberal use of firepower. He wasn't surprised that someone up the chain would be careless. Rather he expected it. Nothing much he could do about it without starting an incident, but the other man didn't seem to be concerned with that.

"We're gonna get artillery barraged both ends with you around."

 

[bat_hacker]

Atlas's translator difficulty keeping up with the conversation. The Kosok language would occasionally be picked up as human speech and time would be wasted attempting to translate it. The end result was typically word salad. Auto-translators for Kosok, Atlas had been told, didn't yet exist. Humanity more than had the capability to make one, as evidenced by the marvel of modern technology in his own dive suit, but the Fishmen had been overwhelmingly cooperative in its creation. By contrast, the intergalactic relationship between Kosokom and the humans was in its infancy, despite their close military cooperation and knowing of one another's existence for some time. Up until this sudden alliance, the only humans and Kosoks who could understand the other were niche enthusiasts who began exploring the other's culture as a matter of personal interest, like Private Kang. And, also like Kang, they had all been quickly snatched up by their respective militaries to facilitate the war effort.

Atlas got the gist of the conversation though. The massive alien creature had disappeared, quite possibly slain in the same blast that took down the upyri garrison. Krawczyk and the others were incensed. This was avoidable, an act of negligence. Those responsible were irreverant. Atlas bristled at the idea of dying like that... in such a meaningless way. He had been prepared to charge the building moments earlier. If he hadn't taken a round to the shoulder, he likely would have shared Grecyirvic's fate.

He choked back bile as he realized his life had been saved by an upyri bullet.

Atlas approached the Kosoks so abruptly that one of their soldiers leveled his rifle at him. If he wasn't using his hands to speak, he would have seemed ready to throttle their leader. To everyone's surprise, his normally calm and inoffensive synthetic voice now brimmed with anger as it shouted.

"You contemptable bottom-feeder! Slug of the deepest, most putrid rock fissures! The light is sacrosanct! Much and more has been sacrificed in its name! There is no greater cause! Do not deny them their honor! The spear of an ally must not pierce it! Never! It is anathema! How dare you!"

 

[K0mori]

Krawczyk's face drained of color as Kang translated Naghan's indifferent reply. She couldn't find the words to express her anger. Everything they had fought for to make this moment possible, to allow the Kosoks to march unimpeded across the bridge, ended with friendly fire and a callous dismissal.

"Sarge." said Sam as they neared, "The Upyri POW back at the warehouse is dead. He was gut shot. Plasma burns. We went ahead and ended the suffering."

The Sargent glanced at Caine, and then back to Naghan. There was no point asking whether his unit had been responsible for killing the POW. That much was obvious; she could even see beads of the upyri's blood on the end of his rifle. As disgusted as she was about the loss of Grecyirvic, it didn't surprise her in the slightest that the Kosoks had been merciless toward Reyer. The upyri were equally cruel toward any xeno species they crossed, but it was nonetheless disappointing to see both sides stoop to such lows.

"Fucking asshole. Do you shoot your comrades and allies that often?"

Mazurek brought the discussion back to Grecyirvic's fate. Kang looked alarmed, her jaw hanging open slightly as Naghan looked her way while awaiting the translation. "[He is... He is angry for loss of comrade,]" she spoke slowly and deliberately. "[We all are,]" she added.

With his face hidden by his helmet, Naghan didn't seem to react at first to Kang's efforts. Then, he reached for his jawline and pulled an unseen tab with his finger before rotating a ring which encircled his neck. The helmet changed shape, slightly, allowing the top end to fall backwards at the same time the lower jaw fell forward, the two halves of the shell falling around the neck ring and revealing most of his face and head. A mask still covered his upper muzzle, and goggles lay over his eyes, which were a frightening shade of yellow. His stark white hair was tied into a knot, and his skin was olive green and ugly. A single, long, snaggle tooth hung from beneath his lip, and was long enough to clear his entire jawbone, its tip glinting in the sunlight.

His intense and fiercely predatory eyes locked onto Kang, and he shouted something that sounded unpleasant at her. She replied, stammering, "N- nil."

Naghan continued to yell at her until Krawczyk broke in, putting herself between the kanad and her unit's translator. "That's enough!" she shouted directly into his face, causing the nearby Kosoks to finally pay attention to what was taking place.

"H-he asked me if I though he looked like one of us. I told him no, and he said something like, like... He said something about 'sons and daughters,' I don't know."

Atlas approached the Kosoks so abruptly that one of their soldiers leveled his rifle at him. If he wasn't using his hands to speak, he would have seemed ready to throttle their leader. To everyone's surprise, his normally calm and inoffensive synthetic voice now brimmed with anger as it shouted.

"You contemptable bottom-feeder! Slug of the deepest, most putrid rock fissures! The light is sacrosanct! Much and more has been sacrificed in its name! There is no greater cause! Do not deny them their honor! The spear of an ally must not pierce it! Never! It is anathema! How dare you!"

Naghan stared Atlas down during his rant, looking no less indifferent and cruel the entire time, but nonetheless he tightened the grip on his plasma weapon. Looking back to Kang, he said a single word in English, his tongue carving it out as if it were chiseled into stone: "Translate."

Kang seemed to find her backbone after Atlas' display and stood up straight. "[No. You know already.]"

The kanad's expression changed slightly, as if he wasn't prepared for her to stand up to him. Wordlessly, he yanked on the ring around his neck, causing his helmet to slam shut around his head and hide his face again. He motioned the rest of the aliens to continue advancing, and they did so, paying no mind to the wounded among Krawczyk's battered unit.

There wasn't much choice for what action they would now take. The Kosoks had instructed them to rest, but they would have needed it regardless of their opinion. With the help of Oberto's unit, Squad 9 was back on its feet an hour later, recovering on the safety of the embankment while the Kosoks cleared out the block ahead. The sun was beginning to hang in the early afternoon sky, and they still had several blocks to cover before they would reach the fuel plant. At least, with the Kosoks out in front, the path forward would be much easier until they reached their objective. But the xeno presence would doubtlessly attract attention of the worst type.