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Meeting Room, CSFV Amazon,FTL Space, En Route to Separatist Alliance controlled System of Byzral
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Eiji stood patiently as he examined the battle map currently being projected in the middle of the Amazon's Meeting Room, taking in all the information Admiral Keller and Lord General Yuku'las had planned out for the battle ahead. Only four people were physically present and studying the map too whilst the other dozen or so Naval, Army and Marine officers from other ships were 'standing' in the spacious room in holo form. The holo image of the planet in question was one of many to face the backlash of the failed invasion of both human and Chimeran territory from this so called 'Separatist Alliance', or as the Lieutenant commander had heard in one single word repeated many times even from the crew and fellow officers. Payback.
"Reports we have received back from our scout drones indicate the Confederacy Fleet guarding Byzral is of minimal strength size, so our own will have little no difficulty sweeping them aside. They have also shown a high concentration of war droid units gathering here and here" The Lord General pointed to yellow marked spots of the planet "Scans and images show the population of these areas to be more dense than anywhere else of the planet"
"Their capital city?" Fisher mused the question aloud beside him.
"That is our conclusion" The high ranking Chimeran officer nodded in agreement.
"What of the other marker?" Colonel Hall on the other side of the projector pointed to the other yellow dot on the opposite side of the planet.
The planetary image was then replaced quickly by a set of images showing heavily industrialised buildings surrounded by huge metallic walls, covering the entire landscape of the factory like structures. Eiji had to give their allies credit. This was just one small fraction on how advance the Chimera were compared to themselves, abling to bypass enemy defences underdetected from such long a range whilst having your strong points and positions analysed literally right before your eyes. It was impressive but he also found worrying, since such devices could be used against the UEC and they wouldn't even know about it.
"From the evidence before us, it appears to be a manufacturing district. A large one too. Soldiers of the 8th and 431st Regiments under the command of Commander Hikar'an will assault these facilities at the same time your 32nd, 89th and 115th will attack the city, lead by Colonel Hall" Yuku'las laid at the ground assault plans.
"Hold on a minute sir, what of my Marines?" A new voice entered the into the briefing. Casting a glance over to the owner, Eiji saw it to be Major Cassandra 'Cass' Robson standing beside Hall. Since the death of Demir and being she was his second in command, Robson was promoted and given command of the 20th Marines on a temporary basis. She stood frowning doned in the standard issue Mark 4 Battle Suit in the blue and grey colours of the Commonwealth Marine Corps, compared to the green and black colours painted on the Army's own armour.
"You will be joining the assault on the Manufacturing District" The Chimeran General explained "Usually we would commence orbital bombardment on a heavily fortified position but it is a civilian facility and we are not here to ruin a civilisation's means of prosperity, unless need be"
"Upon exiting from FTL, all ships are to power their main guns right away" Admiral Keller now took over the briefing, explaining the Navy's role in the battle "The quicker we knock out their Naval support, the less likely chance they can send out a distress signal for backup to arrive"
"At least their backup will probably arrive on time" A muttered voice from the Captain of the Canberra could be heard from the other side of the room. The remark was ignored as the Admiral continued.
"Now we know of the class of ships these Separatists use, all fighters and bombers will now know which targets to pick off and will be at the ready to deploy as soon as we enter real space"
"All data will be sent to each ship commander and Army leader on further details of the invasion. Good luck and may the Gods be with you all" Eiji watched all the Chimeran present bow to the Lord General who return the favour, his holo image then disappearing from the connection.
"All except Captains Fisher, Park, Riva and Commander Olsson are dismissed" The holograms of human and Chimeran officers all flashed one by one from the now closed meeting, leaving only himself and the people singled out by Keller's list remaining.
"What's the problem now, Admiral?" Fisher folded his arms over his chest, the other officers too waiting curiously for Keller's reasoning for keeping them back.
"Look, I know there is still...tension over what happened at New Babylon. But right now this has to stop. There will be a time to mend broken relations but right now there is a war to fight. Second Fleet will be ineffective without the full support of its crew and officers"
"The men and women under our command just want assurances they will not be abandoned, again" Eiji heard his Captain put emphasis on the last word, a sentiment he shared and by the hundreds across the ships currently represented in the room. Since the aftermath of New Babylon there was animosity between the surviving crews of the Amazon, Prague, Canberra and Shadow Fist, and of those crewmembers of ships no longer in existence and the rest of Second Fleet.
Even now those two Geneva-destroyers and the single surviving Scimitar-class frigate stayed closer to their cruiser, showing a sense of 'us against them' in the eyes of Command. He was there in the heated exchange between Fisher and Keller before High Captain Tuchar'an's arrival, sharing the same level of anger as the Captain but refrained from giving his own verbal response over a dubious reason that made little sense to him.
It did raise suspicion over why Command ordered the rest of Second Fleet to halt from supporting them, despite Keller's supposed claims she protested over such unreasonable orders. As of yet, and to no real surprise, the reasoning wasn't explained behind such a vague and costly command that resulted in the deaths of thousands of troops and sailors, not to mention five ships and almost losing control of a colony.
"And they won't be, I assure you Captain. We are now at war gentlemen, a time where unity is one of the greatest strengths when battling against those who want our lands and people under their control"
"I understand Admiral, we are ready to take fight back to these Confederate assholes. However to be blunt, I'm afraid trust is something you're going to have to earn back from not just my crew, but the others too"
"I guarantee this battle will be the first steps in gaining that trust again, Christopher. I won't hold you any longer. Let us now return back to the task at hand and get a little payback for their unlawful attack against the Commonwealth and her people" Once her words rang in their ears her hologram faded, leaving the surviving ship commanders of the Battle of New Babylon to exchange thoughtful glances over her declaration.
"Well you heard the Admiral. Let's get back to work" One by one the holograms of each ship commander flicked then disappeared back into the projector, leaving him and Fisher alone as they turned to leave the room. The automatic doors slide open as they left the Meeting Room, walking into a flurry of activity as the Amazon's crew went about their duties preparing the cruiser for the upcoming battle.
Eiji saw many familiar faces down the corridors as he and Fisher made their way back to the Bridge, as well as a couple of new ones who came from the surviving crew members of the ships who perished defending New Babylon. It caused a stir when the 329 survivors all requested to be transferred to either the Amazon or the other ships who fought against the Separatists. Right now though Eiji knew Admiral was correct they had to put their differences aside for now and concentrate on the bigger threat.
Reaching the end of the corridor he pressed on the lift button, waiting alongside the Captain as he thought over the briefing.
"Do you think crew will be able to put the grievances aside for the time being, Captain-san?" He asked Fisher,
"They're gonna have to Eiji. As much as I dislike having to admit it but Keller is right, if we don't work together a lot of people's lives will be put in unnecessary jeopardy" His superior stated, sharing the same professional opinion "Besides" Fisher continued, stopping for a second as the lift doors open and they both stepped in "There shouldn't be this sort of animosity within any Fleet, especially as we are about to participate in the biggest conflict in our history"
"You are correct sir. It's just still fresh in the mind"
"I know Eiji. However, it needs to be put aside and all focus on the Separatists" The lift soon stopped and opened up to the active Bridge, leaving Eiji to take the Captain's words in with serious thought. Everybody was at their stations, working on the Amazon's various systems keeping her up to scratch and battle ready. The outside view was filled of the swirling blue and purple background of FTL or 'Portal' space as the Chimera called it, rushing by them at high speeds.
There were several ships of the combined Commonwealth-Imperial fleet also in view, a couple of Dauntless-class corvette, an Illustrious-class destroyer and the Geneva-class destroyer, Santiago. In front of them was the flagship of Second Fleet, the Leviathan-class dreadnought, Hawthorne leading the advance. The rest of the fleet composing of 45 ships in total were projected in the middle of the Bridge's holo-map, their names and class of vessel tagged above their holoforms. For Eiji it was an astonishing sight he'd never dreamt of seeing.
"Silva, are all ships linked to our communications network?" Fisher inquired the Lieutenant as they approached the data filled map.
"Yes sir, the Devil's Punch and the Kurica's Enlightenment are the only ones left sending their data over to us" Silva reported looking up from his typing into one of the map's external control consoles.
"Good" Fisher nodded then turned to the ensigns at weapons control "Have all Mass Drivers ready and the Particle cannon charged once we exited out of FTL"
"Yes sir" They both answered, starting the preparations of the cruiser's armament.
"Nav, how long until we reach Byzral?" The Captain asked the navigation officer next still having some difficulty pronouncing the alien world's name.
"One hour sir" She replied back keeping her eyes on the screen at her station. Eiji scanned his eyes over the map, checking over the assembled fleet that was considered an experiment of cooperation between the UECAF and the Imperial Military, to see whether or not human and Chimeran forces could work together successfully.
Checking over the fleet he spotted the hologram of the Amazon standing out from the rest as it was highlighted green, positioned at the front next to three Imperial Navy vessels and four fellow CSF warships. They alone could of perhaps took on the enemy fleet guarding this alien world but Command wanted to add a shock and awe factor, or as many within the Commonwealth Space Fleet would call it overkill.
There was no deny the nerves everybody was feeling at venturing out into the unknown beyond the UEC's borders. For Eiji it was oddly exhilarating but anxious at the same time, seeing as there was no information as to what they would come across other than what they had battled already.
The posters and flyers before joining up the CSF spoke of experiencing adventure and exploring new worlds, but he wondered in amusement if the people employed by the UECAF behind them had fighting in a wider intergalactic war in mind.
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Armoury and Training Area, CSFV Amazon, FTL Space, En Route to Separatist Alliance controlled System of Byzral
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"Wooo!"
"Go Nat, show these leathernecks how a real sniper gets it done!" Dan and Michelle cheered beside Ben. They were amongst a small crowd of Army, Marine and Naval personnel watching a little contest between Natalie and a marine sniper called Jensen after an argument broke out over who were the better shots
Ben put it down to nerves over the tension of the coming battle to this new war no one had ever dreamt of ever taking part in. The target range was the place the rival branches decided settle this competition, being it was the only place they could and the neutral Navy sailors were able to decide who the winners are without either side cheating. He hadn't a clue how long they had been watching the two competitors shoot down the fast moving different shaped targets of the range but it helped stow away the anxiety everybody had been feeling since leaving Valhalla.
It was easier for him and those of the 115th since they had got a taste of their new enemy back on the Outer colony of New Babylon but this time they were taking the fight to their own turf, with the Chimera in a part of the galaxy neither had ever travelled so far out to. To Ben he found it strangely comforting knowing the uglies were heading right into the unknown parts of space alongside them.
"Man, she's really putting Jensen through his paces" He heard a marine two feet away from them complimented their friend over the cheering, taunting and the loud shots from the unsuppressed rifles of their choice. Both Nat's and Jensen's faces were locked in deep concentrating keeping their sole focus on the targets popping up from different angles and speeds.
"Come on Jensen, don't lose to a damn hybrid girl!" Another marine shouted on the other side of the crowd. Ben's snapped his head in the direction the marine was standing, seeing in the corner of his eye Michelle and Dan do the same frowning at the offender.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean buddy?" Michelle challenged the marine, not showing any attempt to hide how they all felt at the remark. The marine in question turned and faced them with a few others around him.
"Just saying you wouldn't wanna lose to a ghost child. She'll probably want to use his blood to mark her victory" He sneered getting a few chuckles from his friends around him.
"I suggest you keep your trap shut mate, that's our friend talking about there" Ben warned the lippy leatherneck, the crowd around them soon turning quite over the confrontation.
"Is that a threat, Army puke?"
"Did it take all your brain cells to work that out?" Victor's accented voice entered into the heated exchange as the tension began to rise between the two groups.
"Probably just the thick shit one still left in that dumbass head of his" Dan was the next to mock the bigoted marine, who at this time Ben could see anger flash across his face.
"Well come on then assholes, let's see if you can back those words up"
"Enough!" A new voice entered into the argument, stopping any fight they may have resulted without the intervention "Anders you stow that attitude right now or you will have me to deal with, understood?"
The crowd broke a little giving Ben and the others a view to see Sergeant Hibbert glaring over at the marine named Anders.
"Whatever, let's go guys" Anders scoffed, walking out from the armoury with a trio of fellow marines.
"Asshole" Michelle growled with a hard glare. Everybody's attention was soon brought back to the sniping contest with a few conversations over the spat but it soon wavered back into cheering from the spectators.
"Time's up!" A Naval Engineer called tapping on his UNICOM, stopping the timer he set after being nominated as the referee. Both Nat and Jensen sat up from their prone positions still holding on to their rifles, facing the engineer waiting for the final results of who was the better marksman.
Ben and the rest of the squad went over to Nat as the engineer counted the scores on a console built into the side of the shooting range. He saw one of the man's eyebrows raise then he release a whistle, clearly surprised by the resulted everyone in the room was waiting for.
"Well, well, well. This one heck of a close one" He announced "Marine Jensen you knocked down eighty-three targets"
"Ooah!" A couple of marines cheered and one slapped Jensen on the back.
"Private Stanovich you managed to hit" The engineer said falling silence for a second, then looked their way with a small grin "eighty-four"
"Wait a go Nat!" Michelle congratulated amongst the cheers of the 115th and disappointed faces of the 20th Marines.
"Well done Nat" Ben patted her shoulder "You sure made the leathernecks eat their own words"
"Thanks Corporal" She smiled up at him, placing the butt of her L5 Sharpshooter on the floor to her left side "What was all that commotion behind us about?"
"Just a shithead who's going need to watch himself in future, if he spouts that kind of crap again" Dan said folding his arms over the veiled threat staring out toward the entrance of the armoury.
"Hey" Marine Jensen walked over holding his modified Marksman MK5 sniper rifle by it's stock, gaining Ben's and his whole squads scrutinising attention "Good shooting back there. It's been awhile since somebody offered real competition" He offered an outstretched hand to her.
"Indeed. I haven't had a worthy challenger since leaving Haven for boot camp" Nat stood forward and shook the marine's hand.
"Haven huh?. Well that explains your killer precision. Should've joined the Marine Corps, we always welcome expert marksmen and women in our ranks"
"Not all your comrades would agree with you" Victor pointed out to Jensen.
"Don't worry about Anders, he's just a troublemaking little prick" Hibbert came over, joining into their conversation "It surprises me how he hasn't been kicked out of the Corps yet, but with this war going now our superiors want us to put up with it for now"
It was obvious Hibbert hated it just as much as they did but Ben grudgingly accept putting aside the hostilities between them and Anders. The enemy he, his squad and the rest of the UEC were soon to face was waiting on the other end of their FTL window.
All activity in the armoury temporarily halted and the noise level took a sudden drop as the crackle of an incoming message came through the ship wide intercom system.
"ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL. WE'LL BE EXITING FTL TO THE BYZRAL SYSTEM IN APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR"
"Well, best go grab our gear down in the hangar bay" Ben told the others as the audience began to scatter and head out of the shooting range's exit, muttering amongst each other over the ever closer Separatist system.
"Me too. See you guys around"
"Good luck out there buddy" With that Jensen departed from their company, joining into the crowd of marines leaving the range.
"Word is we aren't joining you on the attack of the capital city" Hibbert spoke up as the range was emptied out leaving just Ben, his squad and the marine Sergeant.
"What's Command got planned for you instead?" Ben asked him out of curiosity.
"We're going with the uglies to some heavily fortified factory district on the other side of the planet"
"Sounds like fun" Dan said folding his arms over his chest.
"Why are the Chimera bringing you with them?" Michelle quizzed next frowning lightly, getting a shrug from Hibbert in response.
"Who knows. Probably to see if humans are effective under Chimeran leadership maybe" He suggested over a list of possibilities for the Imperials choices "Here's hoping they don't use us as cannon fodder. Anyways let's get a move on, the war isn't going to be won with us just standing around like lost Cloven"
"Hmmm"
"I was joking, Private Stanovich" Ben turned his gaze to Natalie who narrowed her blood red coloured eyes at the marine NCO jesting comment. However even he had to admit seeing her Cloven eyes bore into you like that could make anyone uneasy "Right uh, I'll see guys down in the hangar"
"See ya Sarge" With Hibbert's departure it left only them in now quiet shooting range.
"Don't know about you guys but it sounds like we've been given the easy job"
"Come on Hai, all those idiotski simulation training sessions and New Babylon should've made us experts at urban warfare by now" Victor propped up as they all finally began to leave.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but Vic has a point" Michelle said, rolling her eyes at the Serbian who was grinning at her "Most of our training has been in city or town landscapes. It's what we specialise in"
"Having an alien world's capital as our first battle honour of the war wouldn't be too bad either" Natalie backed the others point of view as Ben took the lead them down the corridors.
"Still" The Tau Ceti Lance Corporal complained.
"Don't worry Dan, they'll be no shortage of machines for you to mow down. According to the news the Chimera's information suggests the Separatists have millions of robots in their military" Ben told his friend as they reached the lift to take them down from the Armoury and Training Level.
"Never knew you to be gung ho, Dan" Michelle commented whilst they all climbed into the newly arrived lift.
"I'm not. I just want get those brainless fucks back for what they did to us back on New Babylon"
"We all do mate. At least this time we're fully equipped to deal with them" The short trip in the lift soon ended, opening up to the busy and near packed hangar of the Amazon.
Personnel from all branches of the UECAF were occupied with one thing or another relating to the upcoming battle. Pilots were talking with technicians and engineers going over the Wasp or Reaper starfighters while others were loading ordinance into the Eagle heavy bombers. Ben caught glimpse of the common circular black and yellow sign of nuclear material on one bomb being put into one of the bombers compartments. Marines and a few other one-one-fivers stood by the assortment of vehicles talking to the crews of the Buzzards dropships, Widowmakers and Prowlers but the largest grouping was by the massive heavily armoured and armed beast towering over everything else in the hangar.
"Think they'll deploy the Talos this time" Natalie said as they gazed up at the juggernaut of a walker.
"We have plenty of them now. Could of done with a couple back on New Babylon" Michelle commented as they passed the front thick armoured plated right leg of the heavy walker.
"Well if they do just remember not to get caught under their feet. I doubt anything will remain of you if you get squashed by it" He warned them all from the common hazard repeated to friendly forces of the huge mechanical monsters.
"Sure will scare the shit out of them, don't you think?"
"I don't think machines shit, Hai"
"Shut up Modric" Ben rolled his eyes at the bickering pair. Further down he recognised most of their regiment hovering around the newly constructed secondary armoury on the other side of the cruiser's hangar, going about the same reason they all headed over.
Joining the queue they all except for Natalie waited for their turn to collect their weapons. The armoury officer behind the newly made wide kiosk read off his panel as the soldiers presented their UNICOMs for scanning then were presented with their gear by an assistant drone. The queue soon shortened down for Ben's grab his weapons as he brought his forearm up for identification, watching the blue 3D holo light of the scanner read his wrist computer.
"Corporal Ben Howard, Second Battalion, 115th Assault Regiment. Two P17s and a Razor coming up" The officer said in almost bored tone. Within a few seconds the drone brought over the rifle and two pistols, including several magazines for each gun and a handful of fragmentation grenades.
"Cheers sir" He thanked the officer who only nodded in return as he began reading Michelle's details. Sliding his guns and ammo to one side Ben placed the Razor and P17 ammo clips into the various pockets in his Battle Suit then placed both the P17 Strikers into his holsters, finally moving away from the kiosk grabbing his BM08 Razor by its stock. He went over to a pile of crates near one of the many Buzzards waiting for deployment, taking a seat on one of the metal rectangular boxes as they others followed suit.
Dan carried his XR-015 Hailstorm over and set it on a box next to him, placing one of the mini gun's boxy ammo mags into it's side feed while Michelle went about attaching a trio Hedgehog grenades onto her waist, slinging a M2A5 over her shoulder. Behind them came Victor slapping his Auger MK10 on to his back with some assistance from Natalie who gave her L5 Sharpshooter to the Serb, correcting the way the heavy energy rifle was magnetising to his armour.
"Suppose all we can do now is wait for the fun to begin" Michelle sighed jumping up on the double stacked crate behind him
"Pretty much" Ben shrugged resting his rifle between his knees, taking up what little rest they had left before the cloudy landscape of FTL was replaced by real space and their new battlefield.
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Battle Training Level, HMW Redemption's Fire, Portal Space, En Route to Separatist Alliance controlled System of Byzral
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The practice Arena was mostly quiet other than a few mutters and the clashing of a practice mace and a three edged sword from the blue circled holo mat. Vicus stood by observing two of his warriors compete in a friendly duel, an exercise to help ease off the tension and allowed his troops to participate in. There were over dozen more troops of the 8th Regiment watching too as Pack Master Kilr'us duelled with a young female Squad Leader called Keia Dant'us.
The Commander was so far impressed with the Squad Leader. She performed great agility and flexibility against the more experienced and brute strength of Kilr'us. At first he was sceptic when she answered the Pack Master's open challenge but she had shown great tenacity and skill that earned much respect from her fellow warriors spectating the spar. Not only that her surname continued to plague in Vicus' mind as he was sure he had heard the name Dant'us somewhere before.
He heard the door open up behind him as he kept his eyes on the spar, watching the Squad Leader block an overhead strike from Kilr'us locking her sword against the blunt mace.
"Do you think it is wise for your troops to duel before a battle, Vicus?" Iros questioned as he came and stood alongside him.
"It's only a friendly match to ease the tension" He explained to the High Captain just as Dant'us duck from a side swing, the strike missing her by mere inches.
"Who is winning?"
"Kilr'us, but Squad Leader Dant'us isn't backing down so easily" Vicus said with a small level of admiration for the young warrioress.
"Dant'us you say. Where have I heard that name before" His friend pondered the same question. Vicus refocused back to the fight seeing Dant'us block another heavy strike then return on the offensive, targeting Kilr'us' exposed side managing to clip his left hip. The Pack Master let out a small grunt from the attack but soon parried it away and sent a sweep blow to her legs, sending her down to the holo lit mat.
She quickly rolled out of the way of the downward blow heading her way and shot up to her feet, holding her sword with both hands holding the practice weapon above her head in a fighting stance.
"ALERT, EXIT FROM PORTAL SPACE IN ONE HOUR" The announcement brought the fight to halt.
"I think we shall end it here for now" Vicus approached the combatants "The battle draws near and you'll need all your strength to bring down the Separatists constructs"
"We can still do that with half our energy, Commander" One warrior boasted from the gathered audience.
"Maybe so, but there are a great many of these war droids and our liberation of this world has us attacking a large fortified position. I doubt you'd be able to assault the fortress and battle the machines inside with only half energy" He turned to the hot headed soldier who bowed his head solemnly having his overconfidence deflated, then back to the others "The might of the Empire will be brought down on these cowardly scum like an Ekus on a tree rodent"
"Is it true the primates will be joining us on the assault, sir?" Another raised a question.
Vicus knew this was going to cause disgruntlement but whether his troops like it or not both the Empire and the UEC were in this fight together "Yes. Naval soldiers of the 20th Marines will be accompanying us on the factory district" As expected he heard a few snorts and mutterings of displeasure but it wasn't their place to question High Commands orders, especially over trivial and petty dislikeness to the humans
"Perhaps you forget General Alana Kurica was human" Kilr'us spoke up, silencing all talk "Is it not thanks to her the 8th Regiment has been distinguished and fabled the finest unit in the Imperial Army, and is her lightsaber not imprinted on our banner!. Maybe the Commonwealth humans may not live up to her expectations but do not insult a species that our legendary leader was birthed from"
Vicus felt a little taken aback by the Pack Master's lecture which stunned all around the arena. He could sense the guilt from a few warriors as they were put in their place. A small grin formed on Vicus' face as he looked at all the face of the soldiers, all of whom appeared apologetic but not willing to be open about it.
"Thank you Pack Master. Now get everything you need for the fight ahead, for it will not be an easy one. Dismissed" He ordered to them.
"Sir!" All snapped to attention slamming their fists into their chest and bowing.
"Squad Leader Dant'us. May I have a word?"
"Yes Commander?" She stopped and turned back around, joining him, Tuchar'an and Kilr'us back on the arena mat.
"You performed with great skill and technique. If I don't mind my asking, how old are you?"
"Seventy three cycles, sir"
"That is young for somebody of your age to possess incredible skill with a sword, Squad leader" Tuchar'an complimented the warrioress.
"I had a good master, High Captain" She said with her face, if Vicus wasn't mistaken, starting to blush.
"Who trained you?" Kilr'us gruff toned voice asked her next to all their curiosity.
"Ulia Dant'us. My mother" Realisation finally hit him as the name finally struck his mind as to where he had heard it before.
"Ah, now that explains it. I remember your mother, the best warrioress I've had the honour to fight alongside"
"Thank you Commander. I'm sure you words will mean a lot to her" She smiled and bowed her head to him.
"A shame she is no longer of the military. Is there no way we are able to convince to rejoin the regiment?" Kil'rus questioned her next.
"No, sorry sir. She didn't want me to join the Army but what is the point being trained for combat if you cannot put it to good use?" Already Vicus was taking a liking to the young Dant'us.
"Your welfare was all she cared and fought for Squad Leader. I hope you do not judge her harshly" He told her, fully understanding Ulia's choice as a parent himself.
"No Commander, I do not. Just wish she would stop persisting me in choosing a different profession" Giving a heartfelt chuckle Vicus placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It is a role of mother to worry for her child. Deep down she is proud of you" He gave her a grin "Having a Dant'us in our ranks only reinforces my belief the warrior spirit in our regiment will never falter"
"Thank you, Commander Hikar'an"
"Now, the battle draws near. I suggest you armour up and prepare for the tough fight ahead"
"Sir" Keia saluted him then spun round, departing from their company.
"That is one to look for in the future, Commander"
"Indeed Kilr'us" Vicus concurred with the Pack Master.
"Did you not tell me Ulia Dant'us had a small problem with authority?" Iros spoke up for the first time through the exchange.
"On occasion" He admitted as they all walked out the of the arena "I let it pass because she cared for those under her command. I respected her for it but reined her in when she went too far"
"She had given me many headaches over her antics" The Pack Master sighed "But she fought like a crazed spirit that was inspiration to many"
"I must return to the Bridge" Iros said as they all came to a stop at a corridor "Admiral Keller has ordered all ships to power their main guns as soon as we exit Portal Space"
"An interesting move. It'll knock out their fleet before they could register our presence"
"Yes, but it would not always work. We have the element of surprise on on our side for this battle but as soon as the Separatist are aware of our invasion, it'll not work again as they will be more alert for such actions" The High Captain elaborated "Besides Naval engagements will grow tiresome due to a lack of any meaningful glorification"
"Was there to begin with?" Vicus jested to his friend.
"Without us how are you able to liberate systems and rid troublesome obstacles on the surface and in the cosmos" Iros threw back with a grin, earning a scoff from Kilr'us.
"A debate for another day. We must return to our duties, I need to brief my troops and send copies of our battle plans to a Major Cassandra Robson who now leads the Commonwealthers Naval soldiers"
"An interesting engagement awaits for all of us. May the Gods grant you luck out there Commander" The High Captain saluted him.
"You too, Tuchar'an" Vicus and the Pack Master returned the salute, bowing as he split off and headed down the corridor opposite to their own destination.
Vicus followed the path leading to the weapons chamber with Kilr'us in tow, his mind now on the soon to be counter invasion of the Separatist Alliance. He was ready, his warriors were ready, to bring the wrath of the Chimeran Empire's military down on these beings who used machines to do their dirty work.