Skyline Above New Mombasa

Year: 2552

Time: 1 hour After Invasion of New Mombasa

Kirsuss was double checking all of her gear as she rode in the Phantom with her squad; the Prophet of Regret's assault carrier Solemn Penance was staged above the human city and served as an ad-hoc base of operations for the majority of troops clearing the city. It was a mess; aside from the poor intel that we had going in, trying fight effectively in a city of this size and density left too many variables. Everything was a double-edged sword; alleyways left too many flanking opportunities, high rooftops made for perfect ambush points if we had to cross through an open road or a wide open plaza, the amount towers in city could contain numerous amounts of enemy troops that we would have to clear out if we wanted to make sure we could properly hold an area without hidden troops reporting our movements or preparing an ambush to push us out before we could get a proper foothold. Granted we could just obliterate all the towers but that would cause a host of logistical problems that would inhibit movements for our ground troops and that still didn't guarantee there wouldn't still be enemy troops that would cause us problems.

Granted we could use the same tactics against the enemy but we were at the disadvantage due to the lack of intelligence we had on the area. The humans were weaker than us and we had superior technology but that didn't mean they were fools. An enemy that had weaker and fewer troops but had a superior tactical advantage could easily defeat a stronger and more numerous force. Thankfully we only had to push the humans out just enough for our ships to move in and begin the excavation process, then there would be nothing but a crater left in place and the current inconvenience would no longer be an issue for us. And thanks to the ships in orbit keeping the human's ships at bay and the destruction of their orbital defense platforms we would have the advantage of air superiority.

As we approached the skyline of the city Commander Callus' voice began broadcasting on all channels. "This is Commander Callus to all lances, in preparation for the excavation of the artifact we will systemically push the humans out of the most problematic areas of the city; the smaller areas can be ignored since they will be destroyed during the excavation. Since we have the element of surprise and the humans have not had time to prepare, they have minimal ground forces to defend against us."

A basic map of the area then appeared on the holographic display in the Phantom. "I will take personal command of the main force and create a staging area on the ground for our forces and lead the charge. I shall leave my majors in charge of the squads outside of the main conflict. You all have your orders; failure or disobedience shall be met with severe punishment. Praise be to the Prophets who guide us on The Great Journey, Callus out."

I looked over at Lotan, "He may be a zealous lunatic but he is still a solid commander."

Lotan responded, "True indeed and his plan is sound; once we push the humans out of the main areas of the city, any pockets of resistance will flee or be destroyed once the excavation begins."

Soon after Callus had given his orders one of his Majors began broadcasting on our channel, "Burning Lance you are being directed to what our scans show to be some sort of manufacturing area outside the main city. While not a critical area of importance it has been determined that if there are any humans in that area they could pose a possible risk of flanking our main staging area to which they then could hit Commander Callus' forces from behind while he is clearing out the humans' defenses. Your orders are to clear the area of any human forces and hold until ordered otherwise. Steel Lance will then come in to reinforce your position to ensure no humans are able to push past you. I am sending you the location you will be holding now. Praise be to the prophets and cut down all heretics who stand in the way of the Great Journey." The communicator went silent and our objective appeared on our map.

I moved up to the cockpit to speak to the Kig-Yar piloting our Phantom and look out the front window. "How far out are we from our objective?" The pilot spoke in a shrill voice. "Very close leader, very close. Where you want to land?"

I looked out ahead and searched for a good place to disembark and soon spotted an obscured closed off area behind a warehouse that would make a good hiding place for our Phantom.

I pointed to the area for our pilot, "Set us down there." After landing we gathered our equipment and disembarked.

I gathered my allies together and spoke to all at once, "Alright everyone here is how this will go;" I pointed at the Kig-Yar with a needle rifle, "You, climb up to the rooftops and scout ahead. Alert us of any human positions you see so we are not taken by surprise."

He saluted, "Yes leader, my eyes will see all." He then began scrambling up to the top of the warehouse we landed by. I then addressed the rest of the unit. "We're going the rest of the way on foot as to not alert any humans. Unggoy, you will all move up the center of the road and you two Kig-Yar will move in front of them. Keep your shields up at all times to avoid being taken by surprised by any snipers. Lotan, you and I will be on the opposite sides of street and attempt to stay out of sight. Any questions?"

No one spoke up.

"Alright good; remember that we are not just soldiers, we are the tools of the prophets who will carry us forward on the Great Journey to salvation. Fight with faith and valor and no heretics will be able to defeat us." All of the unit cheered from my short words of inspiration. "Alright, everyone move out; we must move quickly to ensure the humans don't have a chance to ambush the main force."

Nothing would keep Kirsuus from winning this battle; this was one step closer to her embarking on the Great Journey and achieving eternal salvation.

Author's Notes: Hey everyone, hope you all like the new chapter! Starting to get back into the groove of everything. Updates might be a bit slower as I want to try and make longer and more rounded out chapters but I want to try and keep trying to get new chapters out at a regular pace. I'm very passionate about this story and want to give everyone an enjoyable read. Let me know your thoughts, any and all feedback is appreciated!