Nebulous ambient light darted around within the scintillating fuchsia crystals surrounding the small group of scouts. The light from their crystal lamps bounced off the walls and danced with the capricious reflections of the tense soldiers. The natural and artificial lights shifted colors, creating an ethereal spectacle of colors, but the ragged group could not enjoy the alluring other-worldly sights. Every flicker of light drew the troops progressively more on edge. Their paws never left the hilts of their agate swords. Arcane echoes flinched around the room. The group kept their eyes on the wall, ever vigilant for the tell-tale serpentine movements of the enemy.

"I don't like this Richie. We haven't seen any Corns yet and we've been on patrol for days, whispered a nervous voice.

"Oh Glob, did you hear that?!" Richie replied quickly and nervously.

"What? Where?" Huey's panicked voice quavered and rose to a frantic pitch.

"It's your boingloings. They're saying 'Help, help. We're trapped in Babs's purse.'"

"Shut up," Huey punched Richie's arm, "You've seen the pictures of the bodies! That's what Corns do to their prisoners. Dice, cook and dump 'em off at the gates of Fort Russell. Or at least what's left of 'em. I hear they slow roast you before they eat you. Take parts off you while you're still alive. I'm telling you man, this don't sit right with my gut."

"Stop being such a pup. Back home we deal with those Wolves. These rainbow freaks don't stand a chance 'gainst us."

"Both of you privates better muzzle yourselves or it's 5 Squirts for the both of you. Need I remind you Private Roe that you are a soldier in her majesty's army and need to conduct yourself as such. Do not disrespect your uniform by giving in to such baseless fear. Act like a real soldier." hissed Lieutenant Sharpe.

"Glob give me patience with these new recruits," thought Sharpe.

The two friends quickly fell into silence and party continued marching. Huey didn't want to be there. He wanted to be back on his farm. He didn't belong in a military uniform. But when Richie and Joshua enlisted, he knew he had to. Someone had to make sure they didn't do anything stupid and he knew they wouldn't let him rest until he was dressed in brown anyways. But how did he get assigned to an infantry unit? Why did his drill sergeant think he had the bones to be on the front lines?

LT Sharpe couldn't help but agree with Private Roe. She knew they were marching through occupied territory. They should have been forced to evade at least one encampment by this point. Their scanners hadn't detected any shifts in the amplitudes or frequencies of the crystal lights around them. Where were they? She wasn't sure if her new troops would be able handle the mission. They were already getting nervous and tired from their hyper vigilance and they had not even reached the ORP.

Sharpe glanced towards Sergeant Mastin's large frame. She knew she could rely on the old bulldozer if things started getting interesting. It was a shame he was only a Mastiff; he would have made a fine officer. He had been an indispensable source of guidance and aide when she was first commissioned.

Sergeant Mastin was fiddling around with his electromagic radiation sensor as the group filed through the narrow tunnel. For some reason, his EMRS's scanning radius was greatly reduced. It seemed like it was dangerously low on crystal energy, but that was impossible. In all his decades of experience, he had never encountered a malfunctioning EMR; they were crucial in the fight against the rainicorns and were frequently inspected. The rhodolite power sources they used in the EMRS units were supposed to last for years and he had just changed his before the mission. There must have been something wrong with the EMRS itself, but he didn't know how to fix it.

This is why they shouldn't limit technical training to the Collies and Shepherds.

Mastin didn't notice how much time past as he attempted to fix his sensors. Sharpe, Richie, and Huey were occupied with scanning the crystal walls surrounding them as they moved through the Crystal Caverns. Sharpe thought she saw an abnormal flicker of light as they rounded a corner. She hand signaled to Mastin and her two other squad mates. Private Stevens and Private Drums halted, but Mastin, Tommy and Richie continued padding along. Sharpe started to hiss a command at her preoccupied team mates, when a sinuous form lashed out and speared Mastin in his left side.