Chapter 23: Taking Taetrus

November 17th 15:35, Mactare, Orbit over Taetrus:

"Sir, we're receiving an orbital strike request from the surface." An officer reported.

"Details." The admiral said.

"The 515th is encountering heavy resistance from the enemy. Multiple titans are confirmed to be bearing down on their position."

The admiral raised an eyebrow at that. Multiple titans certainly sounded like a problem. "Why are they calling in an orbital strike? Wouldn't a bombing run do the same?"

"They have already tried that sir." The officer explained. "It proved to be ineffective. Now they are requesting an orbital strike on the enemy force."

The admiral nodded his head, understanding the situation now. "Very well, then. Request for orbital strike approved. Have the Cloud Rider move into position and fire when ready. Be sure to inform the 515th that they will have to withdraw to a safe distance."

"Relaying the order now, sir." The officer responded.

The admiral nodded and directed his attention back to his own battle. "Statues on the enemy fleet?"

"Over half of the enemy fleet has been destroyed, sir. But they are still trying to break through our lines."

Of course, they were. A month ago, a campaign was launched to drive the Dragon Orphans out of Citadel space and back into their Batarian held systems. After more than a year of holding the line, the allied forces decided it was time to go on the offensive and start taking citadel space back.

Within weeks whole systems had been liberated with their D-Orphan populations driven out or exterminated. Taetrus, for obvious reasons, was a top priority, so a large force had been allocated to the effort to fully liberate the planet. With the planet free, the Dragon Orphan infestation would free up the majority of its forces, allowing them to be redeployed to other fronts in the campaign.

The Dragon Orphans were aware of this and were determined to keep their forces bottled up in the Mactare system. "Sir, the Turian 4th fleet has just entered the system along with elements of the 6th fleet."

The admiral nodded. "Good, with their help, we can finally end this battle." He hoped that things were going just as well on the surface.

November 17th 15:57, Taetrus:

"Get down!"

Boom!

Anderson was almost sent back as a gunship crashed down. He got to his hands and feet, feeling the world around him shaking. He felt a strong set of hands lift him up to his feet. "Are you alright, Anderson?" Nihlus asked.

Anderson nodded his head. "I am Nihlus, just a little shaken up. What of the pilot of that gunship?" He asked, looking over at the flaming wreck.

"I can't tell, sir." Nihlus responded. "But I think they may still be alive."

"Then let's help them out before that changes." Anderson grabbed his rifle. "Robert, Victor, cover us while we get that pilot out." He ordered his soldiers.

"Rodger that."

Anderson and Nihlus nodded at each other and set out to do their job. Avoiding enemy fire, Anderson jumps up in front of the cockpit of the gunship. As Nihlus said the pilot was still alive and struggling to get out. "Hold on, soldier. I'm getting you out of here." He said, placing a hand on the transparent material of the cockpit. The pilot took notice of his action and nodded at him. "Nihlus cover me. I'm going to try to get this man out."

"Just be quick about it." Nihlus shouts back as he fires his rifle. "We may have the D-Orphans on the run. But the fighting is getting intense."

That was something Nihlus didn't need to tell him. He could see that for himself. Days ago, they had launched a massive offensive driving the Dragon Orphans back. Whatever ground the D-Orphans had when they arrived had been reclaimed. Eventually, being pushed back to the city where the Dragon's Den had landed. Now they were fighting in the outskirts of that city, determined to fully drive the Dragon Orphans off the planet.

Anderson turned his attention back to the pilot in the gunship. His eyes scanned along with the downed vessel's cockpit, looking for any way of opening it. "Damn it." Anderson cursed under his breath when he found nothing. He grabbed hold of his rifle. "Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way." He lifted the bud of his weapon up and nodded at the pilot. The man returned the gesture and shielded himself with his arms. A moment later, Anderson smashes his gun into the cock forming several cracks. Then he did it a second time, creating larger cracks. Then a third time, and a fourth time. Around the sixth time he brought his rifle down, the cockpit's canopy finally gave way, shattering into thousands of pieces.

Now having a large enough opening, Anderson reached in for the pilot. The pilot took his hand, and with some effort, Anderson pulled the man out. Swinging the man's arm over his should, he helps him get down to the ground. "Think you, sir." The pilot said through labored breathing. "I don't know what I have done without your help."

"Just doing my duty as a soldier." Anderson grunted. With Nihlus close behind, they made it to the others.

Just as Anderson handed the pilot over to their field medic, a flight of bombers flew overhead. Moments later, they heard the telltale signs of them dropping their payload. "Make sure this man gets the proper care." He orders the medic, receiving a nod. Anderson stood up and held his rifle out. "Come on, people, we got an offensive to push." He shouted, signaling for his people to move forward. "Command wants a forward operating base in this area."

"You'll think we'll actually be able to take the city?" Nihlus asked him, running beside him.

"Not today, we aren't." Anderson said. "This is their last stronghold on the planet. They're not going to give It up without a fight."

"I just hope it doesn't cost us a lot." Nihlus commented. They took cover behind some rubble, avoiding a hail of Rc shards.

It was a sentiment that David shared with his turian friend. They had already lost a lot of good people trying to get to the city, and he shuddered to think how many more they would lose in taking the city. "Their sacrifices will be remembered." David said, his squad fired into the crowd of Dragon Orphans, cutting them down. They felt like hollow words in his mouth. "It's our job to make sure they did not die in vain."

Nihlus nodded at him. "Then let's get going." They advanced.

November 18th 05:35:

"We have managed to take the outer edges of the city." Commander Sanders reported. "It will take us another day or two before we can secure the area and move on with the offensive."

General Williams rubbed his chin. "Good to hear. Have the Dragon Orphans tried to retake their lost ground?"

Sanders shook her head. "Nothing major, sir. There have been a few minor attempts. Thus far, none have succeeded. The Dragon Generals appears to be pulling back her forces to a more defensible position."

The terran general nodded at her. "Then our offensive is going as planned. If we can keep this up, we may be fighting at the Dragon's Den within a few weeks."

That was something she wasn't looking forward to. Assaulting the Dragon's Den was going to be a blood bath. "We still have to take most of the city back, general. By the looks of it, we may need more forces to do that." She explained her concerns.

Generals Williams had a thoughtful expression as he considered her words. "We have met with considerable success across the planet, so I may be able to spare some forces your way. Not to mention the Turians are coming in with more transports full of soldiers. They are determined to fully retake this planet, and for that matter, so are we."

"That would be appreciated, general." She said with a sigh of content. "The more people we have out here, the better chances we have of taking the city back."

"Noted, commander." General Williams said. "For now, hold your position, and see about pushing the Dragon Orphans further into the city."

"Understood, Sir." Commander Sanders said, saluting her superior. The man returned the gesture before his image disappeared.

Sanders relaxed as a voice called out to her. "I see your report went well. "Castis Vakarian said, walking up beside her.

"The general was quite pleased with our success." The half-ghoul woman responded. She brought up a display of the city.

"Did you see about getting us more people out here?" The turian leaned on the terminal, his eyes fixated on the city's image.

Sanders nodded. "Yes, the general thinks he might be able to get some more soldiers to our front. According to him, we've had a lot of success across Taetrus."

Vakaraian's mandibles twitched in a manner that indicated his satisfaction. "I'm not surprised, most of the other holdouts are smaller when compared to the forces here in the city. I'm surprised they even bothered with them since the biggest threat appears to be here."

"They didn't want to risk our offensive being flanked by the enemy or them taking advantage of it by attacking our vulnerable positions. Anything that could put our attack at risk or slow it down." Sanders explained.

Her turian counterpart just hummed as his eyes continued to gaze at the city. "I guess that I can understand that. Regardless, when we receive our reinforcements, we can continue with our offensive."

Sanders nodded. "Even if for some reason the general can't spare more people, your Hierarchy is sending more troop transports. Odds are most of them will be diverted to taking this city."

"Again, I'm not surprised. Taetrus holds a special place in the hearts of Turians everywhere. Reclaiming it would be a major boost to our morale." Vakarian zoomed in on where the allied forces were holding their lines. "Until they arrive, we'll have to reinforce our positions in case the Dragon Orphans try retaking their lost ground."

Sanders nodded her agreement. "Good news is the Dragon Orphans appear to be giving us some space to breathe. Our offensive must have them reeling if they're not bothering to attack us."

Vakaraian's mandibles twitched in worry. "What concerns me is what the Dragon General is doing. We're closing in on her base of operations. Surely by now, she must be feeling the heat." The Turian commander turned to face her. "Is there a chance that she will take to the front lines?"

The thought of the Dragon General controlling the D-Orphans on Taetrus taking to the frontlines was a nightmare scenario Sanders had been dreading. Dragon Generals were a true terror on the battlefield, whole battalions could engage them and be slaughtered. If that happened, their entire offensive could collapse, and they would lose the city. "It's a possibility." She said carefully. "However, you must remember not all Dragon Generals are the same. Unlike the regular Dragon Orphans, they can have different personalities. Some are more aggressive than others, while others are more cautious."

Vakarian turned his attention back to the city image. He had the projection moved to where the Dragon's Den was. "And our Dragon General appears to fall in with the latter category. I see what you mean."

Sanders nodded with a smile. "Yes, from what we've seen, the Dragon General appears to be more considerate in how she uses her forces. She's used them in ways that most others wouldn't."

"Still doesn't stop her from throwing endless waves of those monsters at us." Vakarian said bitterly.

Sanders just shrugged her shoulders. "Different she may be. She's still a Dragon General, and swarm tactics have always been their most effective strategy." She said. "Still based on what we've seen of this one. She'll most likely remain at the Dragon's Den until we're right on top of her. Then she'll join the fight."

"That's still going to be a nightmare to deal with." Vakarian responded. "If we are going to have victory, we will need a plan. Are there any records in your people's history that could give us a clue on how to deal with the Dragon-General?"

Sanders sighed. "Once the offensive was announced, I poured over every record of engagements against Dragon-Generals. Trying to find a way we could beat the thing."

Castis turned to face the half-ghoul, folding his arms. "What did you find?"

"Their tough bastards, that's for certain. But they can be taken down." Sanders began to work on the terminal. Bringing up the image of a flat plane with a single red dot in the middle. "Several tactics have been used to defeat a Dragon General. But they all boil down to one of three methods. First." Several blue dots appeared on the plan and charged at the red dot. Most of them vanished as they touched the red dot. "Throwing waves of soldiers at them until the Dragon-General has been eliminated." The red dot disappeared as it was swarmed.

"So, in essence, overwhelm them by sheer weight of numbers." The turian commander clarified. "Excuse me if I'm wrong, but aren't we trying to avoid massive causalities?"

Sanders shrugged. "Like it or not, it does work. The Dragon-Generals are dangerous, but they have their limits. That said, I would rather avoid having to do that." She reset the simulation. "The second tactic you might like better." This time a group of triangles appeared above the plane and flew over the red. As they came over it, small white dots crop from them and hit the red dot causing it to vanish. "We bomb the thing to dust, either with strike craft, artillery, or via an orbital strike. It may require sacrificing a city block or two, but I say the price would be worth it. They can after be rebuilt."

Vakarian nodded. "That one may actually work. If we can lure the Dragon General out, then that would save a lot of lives."

"The only downside is if she gets too close to our lines, we'll run the risk of getting our own people." Sanders explained. "Or if she somehow caught onto our plan, she'll bugger out and retreat to the Dragon's Den."

Vakaraian's mandibles twitched in understanding. "I still say that's better than the first tactic." Then he paused for a moment as a thought occurred to him. "Say I've wondered why haven't we tried destroying the Dragon's Den with this tactic? Why haven't you sent in a few wings of your bombers in to blast the thing? Or fire on it from orbit?"

"It's not as simple as that." Sanders began to explain. She understood where the turian commander was coming from. It would have made their time on Taetrus if they simply bombed the Dragon's Den into ashes. But things were getting in the way of that, both practical and ideologically. "Firstly, a bombing run on the Dragon's Den would not work. Those things have surprisingly good air defenses."

"Air defenses?" Vakarian questioned. "I didn't think those monsters had air defenses.

"That's because they only exist around the Dragon's Dens." The terran commander pointed out. "Get within a certain distance, and those things start to fire off a hail of Rc projectiles into the air, creating a no-fly zone. The only way to avoid it would be to have our bombers fly in low. You can see the problems with that."

"Bombers don't have the maneuverability to move through a cityscape, and they can be picked off by ground forces. Gunships might be able to do it, but I suspect they don't have the firepower."

Sanders nodded. "As for why we haven't tried firing at it from orbit. Well, those things have tough outer shells. Short of a dreadnought's main cannon, nothing getting through anytime soon."

"And we all know how my people feel about using a dreadnoughts cannon on a garden world." Vakarian muttered. They would be able to take out the D-Den but at the same time destroy the city and deal irreparable damage to the ecosystem.

"I understand why the citadel has such reservations." Sanders said, with her mind drifting off the Citadel Conventions and a similar terran document. "The Federation as similar restrictions, unless it's against an extreme threat, WMD's cannot be used on garden worlds. Though those restrictions are lessened on less hospital worlds."

Vakarian remained silent for a while. He turned back to face the terminal. "I just don't like the idea of having to sacrifice a whole city to gain a victory. There are still people in there, and our job is to protect them, not ruin their lives."

Sanders agreed with the sentiment if they started sacrificing the lives of those they were supposed to protect, then what were they fighting for? The realities of war made things foggy. "It's not easy. Sometimes in war, tough calls have to be made. In our previous war with the Dragon Orphans, there were times when we had to sacrifice some of our cities to defeat them. A couple of times, we had to lay to waste to two of our planets."

The turian gaped at her in horror, and an unsettling silence fell over the room. "You destroyed two of your own planets?"

Sanders slowly nodded as the details of that dark chapter in terran history surfaced in her mind. "I don't quite remember the name of the admiral that was in charge. But he came to face to face with two of the worst infest planets in federation space. They were practically swarming with Dragon Orphans with numerous Dragon's Dens. It was in his opinion that taking those two worlds back would have cost billions of lives. So, he chose to have his fleet fire nuclear weapons, blanketing their surfaces. When word got out of what he did, he took full responsibility and was disgraced. His actions are still hotly debated to this day."

The look of horror remained on the Turian's face for about a second before he shook it off. "I hope we won't have to resort to that."

"I share in that hope." Sanders said, keeping her expression natural. "But we both know that in war, sometimes tough calls have to be made."

Vakarian turned back to the terminal, leaning in on the piece of technology. "Every day, I wish that these things never existed. That they never invaded Citadel space."

Sanders remained silent for a moment, thinking over the man's statement. Finally, she spoke. "Vakarian, that is a wish that I and every other Terran alive share. The Dragon Orphans were born from a dark chapter in Earth's history. They have been a source of shame for my people for almost four centuries." She turned her back to the terminal. Crossing her arms, she leaned back, careful not to disrupt the controls. "The old conflicts between humans and ghouls are not remembered fondly by most. If some had it their way, they would erase that history and pretend it never happened. It is the main reason why we are out there. The Dragon Orphans are our responsibility, monsters of our own making." Vakarian was looking at her now, an almost apologetic expression on his face. "But do you know what the most damning thing about them is?" She looked over at her turian friend. "If it weren't for them, humans and ghouls may not be as close as they are now."

"What do you mean?" Vakarian asked.

Sanders smiled. "Before the Dragon Orphans attacked, there was still a lot of tension between humans and ghouls. Even though great progress had been made towards co-existence, there was still a lingering resentment between the two races. Both sides had committed horrific acts in the name of survival. People were not inclined to forget that or let it go."

"So, if wasn't for the war against the Dragon Orphans back on your homeworld. There may have never been a lasting peace?" Vakarian summed up.

The half-ghoul shook her head. "Not necessarily. Looking back, the signs were there that we were progressing towards a peaceful co-existence, but it would have taken much longer. Perhaps even generations."

The turian's mandibles twitched thoughtfully. "All things considered; I think I still would have preferred to live in a galaxy where they never existed."

"Maybe so." She stood up and turned back to face the terminal. The smile Sanders had was genuine this time.

"Now, then you mentioned a third tactic?" Vakarian said, changing the subject.

Sanders nodded. "Yes, I did." She reset the simulation and readied the third. Sic small blue dots appeared around the red dot, they had the letters SF on them in white. "The third tactic that has been used to defeat Dragon generals: and the most successful is the deployment of special forces."

"Special forces?" Vakarian repeated. "Like the Salarian's STG, or my people's Black Cabals?"

"Something like that." Sanders responded. "In this case, we deploy," She paused for a moment as the name of the Special Forces group came up. "We deploy Investigators." A look of recognition morphed across the turian commander's face. "They're the top members of the Dragon Hunter Corp. While they are deployed in several situations, their primary purpose is the elimination of Dragon Generals." The small blue dots charged at the red dot. A moment later, it blinked out with most of the blue dots. Though even with their training, odds are most, if not all, will not survive the battle." She deactivated the simulation and brought the city back up.

"Is there a chance that we can get our hands on one or two of those units?" Vakarian asked.

"They may already be here." Sanders explained. "With our forces closing in on the Dragon's Den, they'll have ample opportunity to engage and defeat the Dragon General. Once she's dead, the rest of the swarm will fall into chaos without her direction."
"And that's when we'll have our chance to finish this." Vakarian said.

"Indeed. Until then, we have our duty." She closed in on where their forces were. "If we can keep the pressure up, on the Dragon Orphans, the better chances they'll have of getting to her."

"And the sooner we can end this spirits forsaken war."

November 26th 18:02:

"Get down!" A soldier shouted.

His united responded in time, dropping to the ground, just as a large piece of rubble sailed over their heads. The unit behind them was not much luck, as they were squished by the impact. Close by, two tanks fired on the offending brute, turning it into chunks.

"Let's move." The commanding officer shouted as the rest of the army rushed past them. The unit got to their rushed in. Over a week into the campaign, the combined forces of the Citadel and the Terran Federation were making a push towards the Dragon's Den.

As expected, the Dragon Orphans were fighting ferociously, making the allied arm pay for every city block they took. It didn't help they had little air support as they were within the perimeter of the den's air defenses. But a line of artillery at the back of their lines and low-hanging gunships helped mediate that problem.

The army pushed forward past the thousands of dead Dragon Orphans, taking city block after block. The Dragon Orphans, for their part, were doing everything they could to halt or slow down the advance.

Without warning, a figure jumped at the advancing army. It landed between two squads of soldiers, a moment later, they were dead. The figure was quickly identified as a Dragon Lieutenant. This gave the combined army a moment of pause.

The Dragon Lieutenant took full advantage and lept further into the army. Only to be intercepted by two figures, both lashing out with Kagunes. The Federation had anticipated the possibility of Dragon Lieutenants and Captains joining the battle.

In response, they deployed several special units trained to engage and defeat the lower variants of the Dragon Generals. They were not as powerful as the infamous Investigators, who were trained and equipped to fight Dragon Generals, but they proved to be up to the job.

As such, the Dragon Lieutenant found itself on the backpedal as it tried to fight off the newcomers. The remaining allied forces came back to their senses and pressed on with the attack on the swarm. Then just as the D-Lieutenant was going in for what it thought was a killing blow on one of its attackers, it fell to the ground. Its upper torso having been separated from the rest of its body. Both figures stood over the dying creature. Once they confirmed the monster's death, they joined the rest of the army in the assault.

Across the city, the same scene plays out. Dragon Lieutenants or Captains would attempt to push back the allied armies. Only to be attacked by the specialist units and be killed or forced back most of the time. Sometimes the creatures would succeed in killing their attackers but would be left in a state that the rest of the army would finish them off.

Still, despite the progress made by the allies, their advance to the Dragon's Den was slow going, and they were being made to pay for every city block.

November 27th 01:27, inside the Dragon's Den:

Larkin was not a happy Dragon General right now. Her plan to have the progenitors and the others spread their forces thin across the world had failed. Now they were pressing in on her den. Thousands of her children were dying now to keep the attacking force at bay. But she knew it would only be a matter of time before they breached her den, and she would have to do battle against them. She was confident in her ability to slaughter vast numbers of them, but she was no fool.

Larkin growled to herself, trying to think of ways to slow the attacking force or even stop it. They would eventually kill her, and her swarm would be left without guidance. In that state, they would be easy pickings for their enemies. But no matter what she thought of, the result would always be the same. The battle for this world was lost.

As much as she hated to admit it, she had been defeated. Now she had a decision to make. Should she join the battle and take as many of the progenitors and others with her when she died? Or retreat from this world? If she went with the second choice, she would have to live with the stigma of being forced back by their enemies. The other Dragon Generals may even try to kill her for her weakness. She clenched her fist as anger boiled over her. She would kill them if they tried, remind them why she was one of them.

Though as she understood it, much the same was happening across the stars. On other worlds, her brothers and sisters were being pushed back by what they had once thought of as weak prey. Some may even have been forced to do what she was thinking about now. A Ruthful smile formed on her lips. They all had underestimated their prey, their enemy, even she. They thought the others and progenitors as weak and fragile. They did not see them as a threat, only something to be devoured. Prey could not oppose the predator. It was the natural order of the universe.

But that was not so. Sometimes the prey could kill the predator. Larkin took a breath and sighed, looking up at the ceiling of her chamber. She felt a presence enter. She looks down, seeing one of her lessers. The progenitors would have called him a Dragon-Captain. She had sent most of her lessers out to slow the advance of the enemy.

The lesser kneeled. "Lady Larkin." He said. "The progenitors and the others have breached the final defense line. They will soon arrive at the den."

Larkin pursed her lips. She had little time left to make a decision. She stood up from her throne. "Ready yourself for," She began. She was cut off as the sound of flesh separating from flesh reached her ears. The lesser fell over his head, falling off in a different direction.

Barely a second later, her instincts screamed at her to jump back. Without a thought, she did as they said. She felt something glide across the surface of her neck. Then she twists around, avoiding another attack, this one aimed at her side.

In a bid to gain some room, she jumps down from her throne and lashes out with her kagune. Several red tails emerged from her back and struck at her throne. Whoever her attacker was, they were quick and jumped out of the way. Her instincts screamed again, she twisted in the air avoiding several projectiles.

She landed on her feet. The sound of other feet hitting the ground reached her. Without having to look, she already knew she was surrounded. She looked up and around to see who would dare to attack her in her den. Six figures surrounded her, all of them progenitors. They all had the scent of ghouls, but there was something off about them. They were somehow different from the progenitors that were more like the swarm. They did not have the weapons that most of their kind had guns she believes they are called.

Instead, they had large silvery objects that gave off a familiar smell. The smell reminded her of her kagune. She stood up, giving the six figures a mocking smile. "Well, this is a surprise." She said. "I didn't expect to have guests so soon." The figures did not respond. The Dragon General frowned at them. "You know it, it's awfully rude to enter someone's home unannounced." Her eyes quickly shifted to the remains of her lesser, then darted back to her attackers. "And killing one of my servants is even ruder."

One of the figures lunged at her, his Bikaku shooting straight for her chest. Larkin easily sidestepped the attack and spun around, and kicked the man in the back, sending him flying towards a wall. The man, though, got control of himself and reoriented himself, landing his feet on the ground, skidding to a halt.

"Now you attack me?" She continued with her speech. "What kind of guest are you?" The man charged at her again. This time he swung out the silver object. Larkin moved back just as a Kagune like weapon emerged from it, almost slicing her chest. The Dragon General did not stop moving, she felt two presences behind her.

She danced around the coordinated attack from behind. Both figures were holding weapons like the other. In fact, all six figures now had those weapons that seemed so much like Kagunes. A faint memory surfaced in her mind, weapons harvested from the remains of the progenitors that were like her, ghouls. Quinques, weapons that were once used to kill ghouls but now are used to kill her kind.

Moving around and parrying the incoming attacks, the Dragon General was able to get a good smell of them. She realized those things did not smell like her kagune or the ones used by ghouls. They smelt more like the projectiles fired by the weapons most progenitors used.

One of the progenitors closed in her intending to slash at her stomach. Larkin smiled at the attacker's mistake. Moving ever so slightly, she avoids the attack, and soon after, her hand was grasped around the progenitor's head.

The other progenitors stopped with their attack and stared at the sight before them. Larkin smiled at them. She began to squeeze her hand on her captive's head. "Such rude guests." She said as the cracking sounds reached her ears. Her captive struggles grew, Larkin squeezed harder, getting pained moans. "Looks like I'll have to teach a lesson in manners."

Crack! Squash! Crack!

Her captive went limp as their head was crashed. That spurred their comrades into action. Two of them leaped at her. Larkin throws the corpse at them; she then jumps into the air right behind it.

She was planning to use her Kagune to cut through it and at her stunned opponents. She, however, did not expect to have the tables turned on her. She barely had time to register a kagune bursting through the corpse.

Reacting quickly, Larkin threw her to dodge the attack. But she did not react quick enough. The Kagune slashed into her shoulder, and Larkin was forced to bite on her lip to keep a pained scream from escaping. She landed on the ground. Before she could catch her breath, several Rc shards flew her.

Her Kagune flew into the air shattering the shards. But one managed to get through her defenses and pierced into her right knee. Her hand was held over her wound shoulder, which was not healing as quickly as it should. Removing her hand from the wound, she examined the blood on it.

In the back of her mind, she vaguely registered the fact that it was her blood. She looked at her attackers as they slowly approached her. Her eyes shifted between them and the remains of the progenitors she killed seconds ago, an almost shocked expression on her face. She had not expected her enemies to defile the remains of their kind, so they get a hit in on her.

They were almost like the swarm in their determination to kill her. Her eyes widened when her mind made that connection. One of the progenitors seemed to pick up on her thoughts. "Kill the Dragon General at all costs." He said, his voice lacking any emotion.

It was then that Larkin realized she had underestimated her enemies. She had expected her attackers to be soft, held back by the strange things they called morals, held back by their fear of her. These six, now five, were nothing like the other progenitors she had seen. They held no fear of her. In fact, not once in the battle did Larkin ever catch the faint's scent of fear. These progenitors were fully determined to kill her at any cost. Even if it meant their lives or having to cut through the corpses of the fallen.

Larkin gritted her teeth as her hand reached for the shard impeded in her knee. With a single jerk, she pulled out the shard and discarded it. She stood straight up, ignoring the pain from her still-healing shoulder and knee. She was done playing with her pr- enemy. Her Kagune swished around in the air. She waited for her attackers to make the first move.

A progenitor charged at her, their Quinque and Kagune aimed at her body. The progenitor never realized they were dead. Three tails burst into and out of the attacker's body. One in the head, one to the chest, and the third through the stomach. With a blink of an eye, she pulled her kagune outwards. The corpse exploded into a shower of blood and gore.

Larkin looked at her four remaining attackers with a neutral expression. They, though, seemed unaffected, even as the blood of their deceased comrade dripped off their armor. The battle had entered a new phase.

The four remaining progenitors charge at Larkin, who met them head-on. The battle descends into a flurry of attacks, dodges, feints, parries, and other actions. To the ordinary human eyes, it would have looked like a blur, as everything seemed to happen all at once. Rc shards were scattered everywhere, and gashes in the chamber opened.

In this blur of action, Larkin was quickly put to her limit. These progenitors were faster and stronger than the ones she had seen before. She was the still the superior being in this fight, but with there being four of them, she struggled. She was glad that she had managed to kill the other two so early on, otherwise, she doubted her odds of surviving. Hell, even now, she had her doubts about coming out of this fight as the victor.

Cuts, bruises, and other injuries littered her body. Wounds that she quickly realized were not healing as fast as they should. The weapons her attackers were using, they had something in them that was slowing her regenerative abilities.

That was something she had to worry about. There was a very real possibility that she could bleed out. Larkin was almost tempted to laugh at the thought. A Dragon General like herself bleeding out to death? With how quickly they normally healed, she never had to worry about such a thing. She would be laughing right now if it weren't so real to her right now.

Good news was that she wasn't the only one taking a beating in this fight. Her opponents' armor showed gashes and indentations, the area around them painted with their blood. She even took the arm off one of them. Looking at them while weaving out of the way another attack, she noticed that some kind of black substance had enclosed itself around the stump.

Once again, she had to admire her enemy's tenacity. With only one arm to hold their weapon, the progenitor kept on fighting, but he was slowing. Larkin saw her opportunity to knock off another enemy.

The one-armed progenitor lunged at her; arm held high to bring his weapon down on her. She moved out of the way, and her claws lashed out. They tore through armor, then into flesh and muscle. The progenitor let a pained noise.

Larkin got behind her opponent and a tail out. The red tail impacted the man's head, and it was torn away from the neck with little force. The head landed and rolled on one side while the body fell to another.

Larkin, though, did not get the chance to savior her kill. Two of the remaining attackers charged at her. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the dead man's weapon and blocked the incoming attacks. Shocked noises escaped from her enemies. Larkin smirked. She pushed up with all her strength, sending her attackers back into the air. They landed and jumped back again, coming side to side with the other remaining progenitor.

Larkin was breathing heavily now, but at least now she had a chance to steady it. Her opponents evidently had been thrown off by her actions a second ago. Her eyes looked around. Their battle had taken them out of the chamber and into one of the many corridors within the nest. Where in the nest they are, she couldn't tell.

Her eyes then landed on her newly acquired weapon. Her hand was wrapped around a cold metal rod, and at the end of it was a large tail-like kagune. It wasn't like her tails. It was longer and thicker. A word surfaced, a Bikaku. She gave the weapon a twirl and a few quick slashes. It was lighter than she thought but still heavy.

She turned her attention back to her opponents. She smirked, seeing that they were still trying to process what was happening. She held out the weapon, pointing it at them. This seemed to shake them out of their shock. "I take back what I said earlier." She said. "You really are good guests. Bringing me such a nice gift. I'll be sure to put it to good use."

This angered one of the attackers as they let out a scream and charged her. "Wait!" One of her comrades said. But too late.

The progenitor went in for the attack. Larkin's smile grew, in a swift motion, she lunged her weapon out. She wasn't used to using it yet, so the attack came out sloppy. But it still did the job. The quinque smashed into her opponent's, stopping her attack altogether and sending them stumbling back.

Larkin did not give the progenitor a chance to recover. Her kagune tore into the woman's stomach, coming out on the other end. Blood splashed on her helmet from the inside. With a twist, Larkin smashed the progenitor into a nearby wall.

Larkin closed the distance shot her hand out. Her claws dug into her victim's chest and, with a quick pull, ripped her heart out. Larkin looked at the still-beating organ for a second before she closed her hand around it, and it exploded.

Larkin removed her Kagune, allowing the dead woman to slide down the wall. Larkin looked back at the two remaining progenitors. She smiled when she smelt the strong scent of anger coming off them. She faces them, with her weapon held behind her.

Both figures readied themselves. Larkin charged at them, feeling invigorated. Now that there were two of them, she felt the odds had finally turned in her favor. Her quinque met with theirs. The two were forced back as Larkin kept up her relentless attack both from her weapon and her kagune.

The Dragon General powered through her tiredness and pain. If she could keep up her attack, she would be able to overpower her attackers and kill them. Only then would she allow herself to relax.

They came into a large chamber, not her throne room. Larkin swung down her quinque, fully determined to crush one of her opponents. Her eyes widened when she saw a small cylindrical object land at her feet.

She jumped back, narrowly avoiding the explosion of fire and metal. Several shards tore into her arms and legs. Hot searing pain shooting through her, Larkin held back a scream. Her ears were ringing the noise of the explosion.

Recovering as quickly as she could, Larkin shot her opponents a hateful glare. When she was about to make a retort, her enemy did something strange. Both figures looked at each other and nodded. They looked back at her and dropped their weapons.

Warning bells rang in her head. Whatever her opponents were planning, it would not be good for her. Holding her quinque tightly, the Dragon General charged at the progenitors, having no intention of letting go through with their plan.

Getting within meters of her enemy, she lunged her quinque forward.

Thud!

The vibrations from the metal rod transferred into Larkin's arms just as her eyes widened in shock. In the moments before her weapon impacted, her opponent's arm was engulfed in red. Larkin watched in both fascination and horror as the figure's kagune fully wrapped around him, forming a crimson armor.

The Dragon General had no time to contemplate what this meant, her instincts screamed out to move. Unfortunately, the impact came before she could act. Larkin felt the sensation of flying through the air for a few seconds as her vision rapidly shifted. She impacts a nearby wall, the wind being knocked out of her and her weapon almost falling out of her hand.

She lands on the floor. Catching her breath, Larkin got to her feet. "What in the world!" She looked up at her attackers and almost gasped at what she saw. She no longer saw two progenitors clad in black armor, appearing weak and fragile to her. Instead, she saw to hulking red monsters with clawed hands as big as her head.

She gripped her weapon, Kagune franticly swished in the air. "What did you do to yourselves?" She asked.

In response, the two monsters roared and charged at her. Larkin barely had enough time to move out of the way of a punch that would have put a hole in her chest. She blocked one, two attacks, almost faltering under the weight of the blows. She leaped into the air avoiding a swiping claw.

A clawed hand grabbed her by her ankle. Larkin yelped as the monster twirled her around in the air and threw her across the chamber. The struggling Dragon General got control of her fall and landed on her feet with a slide. She did not have much time to recover as the two monsters came barreling down on her.

It virtually took every bit of energy and strength she had to avoid being killed by these monsters. She blocked, parried, and dodged every attack that came her. But some attacks were getting through, new cuts and gashes formed on her body, sapping whatever strength she had left. At one point, one of the monsters manages to rake its claws across her stomach. A fatal blow for any other being, even for a lesser Dragon General. Again, had this been under normal circumstances, her wound would have healed.

This fight was anything but normal. Larkin bit back a pained scream, the wound wouldn't kill her. But with her healing ability compromised, it was an injury she could ill afford. To make matters worse, her attacks had little effect on the monsters. Larkin quickly realized that she had to end this fight soon.

Boom!

The whole chamber shook. The monsters were thrown off for a moment. Larkin took advantage and lept back, putting as much distance between her and them. Larkin knew that explosion could only mean one thing. The progenitor army had breached the nest. This fight had to end now. Hasty coming up with a plan, Larkin sends a mental command to her swarm.

The two monsters had recovered and looked around the chamber for her. Their gazes landed on her, but they would not be the ones to make the first move. Larkin darted towards them, Kagune and quinque ready to attack. The two monsters did much the same and charged at her with a roar.

Larkin smirked; she had learned one thing while fighting these things. She had wondered why they didn't transform at the beginning of the fight when numbers were full. If she struggled to fight off two of these things, then surely all six of them would have slaughtered her? The answer was in the change in their behavior.

These monsters were powerful and fast, but they lacked the same intelligence they had before. Their attacks, while powerful, were sluggish and predictable, and a couple times, she noticed that the two monsters almost came to blows against each other. Lastly, she noticed that the monsters were tiring out quickly. Whatever transformation they had undergone had taken a lot of energy. All these factors led her to one conclusion, it was meant to be a last resort tactic to kill her.

Which meant if her plan worked, then she stood a good chance of escaping alive. Had the progenitors retained a small sliver of their intelligence, they would have seen through her plan. Just as Larkin would have reached the charging monsters, she stopped and jumped up into the air.

She flew up several meters, almost reaching a bridge-like structure in the air. Both monsters looked roaring at her. They leaped up into the air, their claws extended out.

Larkin closed her eyes and took a deep breath to concentrate on what she had to do next. As her upward momentum died, Larkin angled herself downward, holding out her quinque. As she began to fall, she spun herself around, giving more power to her attack. Both sides rapidly closed in on each other. Larkin closed her eyes, knowing the next moment would decide between life and death.

There was a sickening squishing sound before the Dragon General landed on the ground. Larkin opened her eyes and looked up in the air at first in surprise. Then a smile grew on her lips as she saw both monsters begin to fall. But one of them had been torn in two, a shower of red drops raining down. However, Larkin did not take the time to enjoy the sight as she made her next move. Using what was left of her strength, the Dragon General spun around and threw her quinque at the remaining monster.

The remaining monster tried to move out of the way of the incoming projectile. But's bulky size prevented it from moving in time. The Quinque impacted on the creature's shoulder, piercing through its crimson armor. The monster roared in pain and fell to the floor with an audible thud.

Then swarms of Dragon Orphans begin to pour into the chamber. Larkin shouted. Just as she planned, "Kill that thing." Her swarm did as she commanded.

The Dragon General turned around. She knew her swarm was not going to last long against that thing, and she was not going to stay around long enough for it to recover. She got a few feet away before her legs almost gave out under her, her vision getting blurry.

Gritting her teeth, Larkin forced herself into a limp. She was going to escape and find a place to hide while her injuries healed. Once that was done, she would have to come with a plan to get off this world.

"Keep firing!" Anderson shouted over the noise of the battle.

They had breached the Dragon's Den and were now fighting corridor to corridor, chamber to chamber. Bodies both friendly and enemy littered the area.

"Sir," An officer close by said. "More units have breached the Dragon's Den. Allied command reports they have the structure surround. Their sending in additional forces for the final stage of the attack."

Anderson nodded. "Very good soldier." He said, gunning down several D-Orphans. He pulled out a grenade, activated it, and tossed it into the swarm.

Several seconds later, the explosive detonated. His unit continued to advance through the corridor.

"We're going to need those reinforcements." Nihlus said next to him. "From what I gather, especially with that large force gathering in the chamber, we're coming up too."

"Let's hope they get here soon." He replied to the Turian.

Anderson had expected a tough fight once they managed to get into the D-Den, and at first, that had been the case. The Dragon Orphans had made them pay a bloody price for every inch they took. Then not long after, most of the Dragon Orphans began to pull back, allowing allied forces to make rapid progress in taking the structure. They were still encountering heavy resistance but nowhere near what they had expected.

Internal scans, though, showed that the retreating forces were gathering in a large chamber. For what purpose, no one could really say. But the consensus was they were readying a final defense and may even be preparing a counterattack.

With that thought in mind, the Allied Forces started to converge on that chamber. If they could kill the Dragon Orphans there and take that chamber, the battle for the den would all but be finished.

"Sir, we're almost at the chamber."

Anderson nodded. He looked over a Thor unit near him. "Ophelia, have your Brimir units be ready to fire what's left of their heavy ordnance."

"Already on it." The Synth said before several shards pierced into the unit's armor.

"Damn it." Anderson cursed, firing at the offending spiker. Then a prowler that had managed to get close leaped at him. He aimed his rifle at the creature when a green Rinkaku sent it into the nearby wall. Anderson finished it with a quick burst from his weapon. "Thanks." He said to the ghoul soldier, who nodded at him.

"Strange," Nihlus commented. 'With how close we're getting to the chamber; you'd think we'd encounter more resistance."

Anderson had been thinking the same thing. They were nearing the chamber where most of the Dragon Orphans were gathering. They should be facing greater opposition. If anything, they were facing less resistance. That did not sit well with him. "They're planning something." He said.

"You don't' think," The turian trailed off, hesitating to finish his thought. "You don't think that the Dragon General is waiting for us there?"

Anderson had a grim expression behind his helmet. That thought had occurred to him too. "Lord, I hope not." He said. "But it is a possibility." He admitted.

"Alright, next question. What are our odds of taking the Dragon General?" Nihlus asked.

"We'll find out soon enough." Anderson answered. They were one corridor away from the chamber.

They turned the corner, expecting another swarm of Dragon Orphans. They found the corridor empty. Up ahead was the chamber.

"Be careful, everyone." Anderson ordered.

"Anderson, do you hear that?" Nihlus said.

"Hear what?" Anderson asked. Then the sounds reached his ears. He motioned for his unit to stop. "Wait, I hear it." The sounds were echoing through the corridors. They must have not heard it over the sounds of their weapons firing. "That sounds like fighting?"

He looked over at Nihlus. "Did one of the other units reach the chamber?"

"I haven't received any reports." An officer said.

Anderson nod. "If they did, we would be hearing weapons fire right now." He said. "Something else is here. Fighting the Dragon Orphans."

"You think they may be the reason why so much of the swarm gathered in that chamber?" Nihlus asked.

"I think you're right." Anderson said. "Private, make a report of this. Tell command we're going to moving in and going to try to scout out the situation."

"Yes, sir."

"Nihlus, I want you and your fireteam to stay here. Hold this corridor while I and the rest of the unit move on the chamber."

Nihlus nodded. "Just be careful. Whatever is in there is dangerous enough to attract the full attention of the Dragon Orphans.

"And I'm about to run headfirst towards it." Anderson said. "Remind me to get a brain scan after this." He turned towards the chamber. "Alright, let's get moving." He shouted, running down the corridor.

The closer they got to the chamber, the louder the fighting got. They got to the entrance of the chamber. Holding out on the sides, Anderson nodded to his people. The group entered the chamber.

The first thing they saw was a red fist exploding out from the back of a brute. "Hold position," Anderson shouted, holding up his rifle.

The fist was removed from the brute as it fell over dead. Revealing a smaller but bulky figure. Anderson keeping his attention on the figure, he looked around the chamber and was shocked at the sheer number of dead Dragon Orphans that littered the floor. Piles and piles of dead D-Orphans of all kinds surround the monstrous figure, several brutes included.

Looking back at the creature, Anderson wondered what kind of monster the figure was if it could kill so many Dragon Orphans. "What kind of?" Then he realized what the monster was.

The monster let out a deafening roar. The rest of the unit aimed their weapons. Thinking quickly, Anderson grabbed one of the soldier's weapons and pushed it down. "Everyone stand down." He ordered. "This one is on our side."

"Sir?"

"Just do as I say." Anderson reiterated. His people gave if a hesitant look before they complied with his orders and lowered their weapons. Hoping he wasn't making a mistake, Anderson looked back at the figure.

It stared back at them, letting out several harsh grunts, deciding what to do. Then it straightened up, a second later, its red skin started to contort and recede. It was almost like watching a snake shed its skin, except instead of the skin falling off, it grew back into the body.

When the kagune like skin fully withdrew, a Terran wearing an unfamiliar armor stood in the place of the bulky monster. Silence reigned over the chamber, with only the distant sounds of fighting being heard.

"What?" One of the soldiers muttered. Anderson smiled; he was just as confused but hid it better.

Anderson walked up to the figure. Coming to a stop, he saluted the man. "Investigator, you honor us with your presence."

The man stared at him for several seconds before nodding and returning the favor. "I was on assignment here." He explained. "Me and team were to eliminate the Dragon General. We failed."

Anderson didn't need to ask what happened to the rest of his team. "What is the status of the Dragon General." He asked. They needed to know if they needed to prepare to engage the leader of the Dragon Orphans on the planet.

"Critically wounded." The special forces operative said. "I highly doubt that she will be able to participate in the rest of the battle. In all likelihood, by the time she's healed, this battle will be over.

Relief flooded over Anderson. "That's good to hear. We'll have to make a report of this to command. While they'll be displeased that the Dragon General is alive, at least they'll be happy to know she won't be joining the battle. Will you be joining us in securing the Dragon's Den?" Even without the Dragon General to worry about, it would likely take the rest of the day to secure the Dragon's Den. But with an Investigator, they could take it much sooner.

The investigator seemed to think about it for a few seconds before nodding. "With the primary target gone, my next highest priority is to aid allied forces in retaking this planet."

So that was yes. "Then let's get moving."

November 29th 12:30, Citadel Council's Private chambers:

"Once more allied forces have prevailed over the monstrous forces of the Dragon Orphans. Yesterday, the Dragon Orphans on the planet Taetrus have been eradicated, and the Dragon General leading them has been defeated. While there are still pockets of resistance from the D-Orphans, military officials are confident that the planet will be secured within the week."

Filtius turned off the Holo-Viewer, tired of hearing the news anchor droning on about galactic news. "Quite the victory we've had." He heard the salarain councilor say.

"Indeed, it was." Filtius said, sounding more than a bit bitter. "Of course, they forgot to mention the cost we had to pay for that victory." The losses they had taken had been greater than expected.

"They still will within the accepted range." Salarain Councilor commented.

He wondered if she would have felt the same if it had been Salarain lives that had been lost. To him, any loss of life was unacceptable. "They also neglected to clarify that the Dragon General wasn't killed in the battle. Only forced to retreat. That thing is still at large." He looked over at his fellow councilors.

The Salarian councilor, Hutow, took a sip from her drink. "All the public needs to know is that the Dragon General has been defeated. What conclusions they come to about that is none of our concern. Besides, this Dragon General will be hunted down. She will not elude us for long."

Filtius was about to retort when Tevos intervened. "Councilor Filtius, when the losses we took on Taetrus and the escape of the Dragon General are regrettable. The retaking of Taetrus is still a great victory for the Citadel. Especially for your people, considering the special place it occupies in the hearts of Turians across the galaxy. I imagine you will have to make a statement soon."

Filtius nodded, knowing the subject had effectively been dropped. "I already have a rough outline planned. I should have something by tomorrow." He explained. Despite the clear setbacks they suffered, his fellow councilors were right. Taetrus was a victory to be celebrated and would boost morale throughout the Hierarchy. "The campaign to retake Citadel space has been going well." He said.

Both councilors nodded. "Indeed, it has. If things continue to go as they are. We could be fighting the Dragon Orphans within the form territories of the Batarian Hegemony." Hutow said. "Though perhaps we could let them keep those decrepit planets."

Tevos rolled her eyes at the Salarian's attempt at humor. "I'm afraid we can't do that." She said. "We'll have to fight them all the way back to their homeworlds. Wherever they may be."

"Speaking of the Batarians." Filtius began. "What are we to do with their former territories when this war is finally over?"

"I say we seize them." Hutow said.

For a moment, Filtius was taken back by the Salarian councilor's suggestion. Then he found himself nodding. "Not a bad idea." He said. "It would be a suitable punishment.

Tevos looked at Filtius with surprise. "Surely you don't mean that? Haven't the Batarians been punished enough?"

Filtius was half tempted to bring up how the irony of the Asari Councilor's statement. Then he stopped himself as he realized how hypocritical that would be. "The Hierarchy will demand some form of reparation from the Batarian people."

"They were the ones to illegally open a dormant relay. In doing so, they unleashed a second Rachnii." Hutow threw in. "The people will demand that the Batarians be punished."

Tevos sighed, conceding the point. "Very well. But at the very least, we should let the Batarians keep their homeworld."

"If there's any of it left." Hutow commented.

"How about we shelve this matter for until this war ends," Filtius suggested. He looked out at the window. The swirling clouds of the Serpent Nebula looked strangely calm. "With any luck, that will be within the decade."

He noticed the asari councilor giving him a sympathetic expression. "Councilor Filtius, we all know how much your people have sacrificed in this war. The Turian Hierarchy will be rewarded for its dedication to the Citadel."

That felt like a hollow promise to the turian councilor. "My only wish is that this war ends, Tevos."

Hutow looked between the two councilors, blinking several times. "I suggest that we move to other matters." She said. "We have much to do before we can call it a day."

Filtius nodded, maybe they would finish early, and he could return to his apartment. He hoped that Rela would be there, she would be able to take his mind off things.

And so the races of the Citadel and the Federation begin a long camgpain to reclaim citadel space and drive them back to their homeworlds. You can imagine once they get to that point they'll be less considerate about holding back on the WMDs. This story is coming to an end, maybe having a five or six chapters left.