Well, here I am with another chapter! I really don't have any big news or anything like that, just continuing the story which many of you still enjoy. Other than that, onward!

Chapter Nine: Death Ground

Bo'link System. 2nd of Storm 423 A.E.

The surging green energies of Caliphate engines dissipated among the spinning ruins of flotsam and debris from the destroyed fleet yards, the graveyard of corpses and ships silent as pickets and sensors pushed outward. A few light impacts flared against barriers, rippling a light green as Nesha'tov added her weight of sensors and data to the scans.

Rippling with defensive batteries and secondary weapons, the newly constructed Dreadnaught was believed to be a counter to the Coalition capital ships. After all, the main weapon could concentrate plasma energy into a melting lance of light, a direct copy of the Seran's main weapon that had proved itself devastating to the Caliphate in the past.

Fleetmaster Tril'va sat in his elevated command chair, his sash of medals and military station easily seen by all despite the bathing green lights of battle stations. The warning klaxons had ended, but he would not risk a lowered defensive stance. Clasping his clawed hands, the coloration of his throat sac remained neutral, matching the majority of his scales.

An image of Bo'link hung on many screens, the former sacred world now scarred by war. No lights emerged from the darkened side and the central mountain ranges sat silent, devoid of their people.

"Those vermin filth. To think they dared raise their hand against our sacred worlds or our god" Van'lik uttered, the holy priest showing his visible rage as his throat sac glowed crimson.

Tril'va kept silent for a moment, letting the religious morale priest utter more curses against the Seran's.

"Sensors. Report" he asked with a growl. Seeing one of their worlds in such a state did anger him, but the lives were already lost. The best course was to gather information…despite his extreme reservations of this campaign.

A technician turned, his scales a splotch of blue, pale green and some white. "Fleetmaster. No enemy ships or craft are in the system. Same with the planet"

Van'lik scoffed upon hearing the report. "Hmph. The coward vermin fled at the might of our fleet"

"Perhaps. But why would the Seran's invade, destroy our armies, then simply abandon a healthy, living world? They could have easily established military bases or outposts, yet they left nothing"

Tril'va thought, his caution practically screaming in the back of his reptilian mind. "The Seran's are not fools, that is very apparent. Could they have fallen back to assist the other races untied against us? Or simply to resupply and repair their vessels? To simply abandon this front is very un-nerving"

"Fleetmaster! Pickets are detecting multiple slipspace ruptures! Approximately one hundred across the system!"

"Show me" Standing up, the seasoned officer was at the tactical holographic display, his eyes blinking the incoming information. The Cog ships were engaging the small picket, a mixture of destroyers and a few frigates. In terms of numbers, the picket only wielded twenty ships, most of them expendable as the Seran's tore into them. Icons and reports flooded in, the Caliphate icons disappearing one by one, marking the destruction of several vessels over the next few minutes.

In ten minutes, the small exchange was over.

"Fleetmaster. The Coalition ships have retreated into slip-space. Only three survivors from the picket are transmitting"

"FOLLOW THEM! We can not allow this stench of vermin the chance to escape!" Van'lik screamed, pointing to the screen as his emotions grew even brighter with rage.

"Only one hundred ships? We know they have more than that. And just turning to run after such a tiny engagement? The Coalition is known to stand and fight while taking horrific losses against us. To just flee after the destruction of a mere handful of ships is unheard of"

Once again, his instincts howled, the whole situation feeling absolutely….wrong. Tril'va made up his mind, going with what his instincts told him. "Prepare the fleet to fall back to Le'hak and maintain a defensive posture. The safety of our sac—"

The clicking of weapon safeties rang around the bridge, the atmosphere becoming a stifling tomb as the guards to Van'lik pointed their lancer rifles at the Fleetmaster.

"You…you coward! You dare to turn and run from a broken enemy! This is a betrayal of the holy word of our god and the church! Take him away and lock him in his quarters! I'll decide if he's worthy to beg the Supreme priest for forgiveness after I bring the Coalition to destruction!"

Fleetmaster Tril'va stared down the barrel of the rifle wielded by one of the massive, armored guards, the male almost twitching with anticipation. Maybe if Tril'va was younger by thirty years he would have tried to fight, but he had come out of retirement for this.

"Very well" Stepping away from the table still glowing with the light of this system, he walked toward the bridge door, the doors sliding open with a hiss. The two guards stepped in behind him, their armor and green tinted eyeholes menacing.

One wrong move and he would be put down before his corpse was tossed out an airlock. Continuing to walk among the dank and humid corridor to his quarters, Tril'va knew deep down that ruin was upon the fleet.

Watching his guards escort the coward and traitor away, Van'lik quickly took the command chair, his silken robes swishing among the recycled air as the bridge crew watched emotionlessly.

"Inform the fleet that the church is now in command of this holy mission. Any resistance will be dealt with harshly" Grinning maliciously, the priest finally would have the opportunity to destroy the vermin filth once and for all.

"Pilot? How long will it take to reach the beautiful paradise our troops secured in the first months of the war? The vermin named it Convel I believe?"

The pilot rapidly input calculations, fearing for his life as the priest stared at him with a barely suppressed menace. "A…approximately five weeks at full speed"

"Then plot a course. We will break these vermin and take this world for our god, showing that we are the supreme race to oversee all life"

Half an our later, the massed fleet under the new leadership of the church, numbering nearly thirty eight hundred vessels left the tomb of Bo'link and surged southward, bringing fresh war to the Coalition.

Sera. New Ephyra. 4th of Storm. 423 A.E.

A blanket of snow from a fresh storm blanketed New Ephyra, dazzling under the harsh winter sun as the populace dealt with the new year. Several of the taller buildings shimmered in the city, creating a mixture of ice and glass.

But away from the cities and towns covered in snow, many areas of the planet still lay undisturbed by human hands. Many of the ruins still dotting the surface had become covered in the yearly ice storms and harsh freeze, creating a serene beauty.

But none of that mattered to Chairman Izabel Diaz and the upper echelons of government. Once again sitting around the large table in the subterranean bunker below the streets of New Ephyra, Diaz studied the current situation with a scowl.

She didn't like it. Not one bit. But she had to trust her naval commanders and admirals that it would work.

The floating representation of Coalition and Caliphate space, along with Asari borders were color coded for ease of understanding, but it was still a hated picture as the massive fleet of nearly four thousand enemy vessels drove southward to the original borders. Several Coalition naval units were launching attacks, infuriating the enemy before falling back to the next system in tiny hit and run tactics.

"Are you sure this will work, Fleet Lord Stratton? Because if it doesn't, we risk Oceania again. Possibly Tri-Ostri if they manage to find that world as well. Our people haven't sacrificed so many losses just to open up the borders"

"It's already working, Chairman. Admiral Carmine of the 4th fleet is stringing them along, keeping far enough ahead only to bait them along on a predetermined route. We've even left some derelicts and ships too damaged for repairs in some of the systems on the path to Convel. With this, we hope to draw them in" High lighting a certain section of their territory, Stratton continued.

"The temperament of their religion coupled with how blatantly racist these monsters are practically ensures they'll take the bait. Even if they have a capable commander, our understanding of their government predicts they will force whoever is in charge to counter attack and take our territory no matter the risk. They see us as vermin after all"

"And your positive they'll drive toward Convel?" Diaz inquired, her eyes studying the floating representation of light as it zoomed in to the devastated system. Currently, the survivors had been evacuated after the liberation, leaving an empty world of ghosts and graves.

It would take decades to bring it back to a pre-war status.

"The Toads want it bad. With how their species evolved, Convel is like a prize jewel to them in terms of environment. We believe that it matches their homeworld to some degree. Leading them there while feigning low numbers, abandoned ships and a broken command will hopefully make them throw caution to the wind"

Stratton worked the controls, highlighting the multiple positions of the Coalition fleets that would be hiding in wait among the stellar matter and multiple worlds and moons of the star system.

"The 5th, 3rd, 4th will ambush them. The 2nd will be in reserve, waiting to exploit the enemy loss once they turn and flee. Hopefully, the survivors will be so broken they lead us directly to one of their worlds"

Izabel tapped a slender finger against the table, her gaze scrutinizing the plan. "Are those fleets in Convel right now?

"No. They're secondary weapons are being upgraded with increased range capabilities. In another three weeks they'll be ready to completely saturate any enemy vessel with a range that matches our destroyers torpedo capabilitiesa"

"Good. Our naval losses have been heavy" Izabel commented. After all, the battle of Adek had been far from perfect. Mistakes had been made in space and on the ground. Mistakes that lead to heavier casualties.

If it hadn't been for millions of Asari slaves on that world being used as potential hostages, Diaz would've just ordered every city turned to rubble and be done with it.

But then, if she had and the Asari found out, it would've led to cries of genocide and war crimes against the Coalition. And unfortunately, the help of the Council was needed at Toad Two.

"Of course, the 1st fleet is still undergoing repairs and reinforcements while the assembling 6th fleet nears completion. By late spring or early summer, that fleet will be ready for war along with the rebuilt 1st"

"Excellent" Typing a fresh command into the touch screen set into the table, the woman's momentary mirth was replaced by annoyance as a news clip played. A news clip from the Citadel that showed a craggy, grumpy looking Krogan with a long facial scar.

"That's right. I talked directly with the Seran ambassador and he told me that the Cog is considering to let Krogan fight along side them! It will be a glorious undertaking of war! Not only that, but service will guarantee a plot of land on Pandora" Grinning, the Krogan was asked another question, but Diaz paused it mid word, not caring about the rest.

"Now, this situation is a problem. Our embassy, and notably, Ambassador Almstead has been flooded by inquires and information updates the last two weeks. From the initial core of two thousand Krogan, the number of candidates as surged to nearly thirty thousand, including Terrans. May I remind you all that we just signed a treaty forbidding settlement on Coalition worlds" Her voice and tone was cold, but many in the chamber were quite used to the Chairman's temperament.

The minister of Colonial affairs spoke up, his shrug noticeable. "It's not like Pandora is a hidden world, Chairman. Even the Reach Accords would allow possible colonization by the Asari and other races after the war. After all, Pandora is technically not a Coalition world at the moment due to a lack of any habitation by our people. But with the Batarians crushed, we could send some of our refugees to Pandora and start settlement. While it would increase the likelihood of alien inhabitants, it would also increase trade in the long run. After all, that planet will sit on a direct trade route. Letting some Krogan fight and die for us in exchange for some plot of land is a small price to pay"

Izabel tapped a few buttons, bringing up a list of names. A list of names that now numbered over thirty thousand.

"The news has spread like wildfire even before we could answer. Over twenty thousand Krogan have signed up on this ledger along with this…Urdnot Wrex who started the whole thing. Then we have mercenary companies of Asari, honor tainted Turian's, a few Salarians along with nearly thirty five hundred Terrans. Including the disgraced General Williams from that Shan-xi world of the Alliance"

"Terrans? Some of them want to fight for the Cog?" another man asked with a small hint of derision.

"Apparently. Perhaps they do have some backbone for war after all. But that's beside the point. What options do we really have with this?"

"Well, if we say no, we could be labeled as paranoid racists against other species, possibly lumped in the same category as the Batarians. Plus, denying this proposal after it's already become news would make us look damn foolish to some" A general spoke, his eyes studying the list of names before he continued.

"Agreement to this venture will give us some extra infantry for the next battle. Could use them as first wave shock troops. Plus, Krogan physical abilities are top notch. They're hard to put down and that battle rage of theirs could put some fear in the Toads"

"And the settlement proposal?"

"Pandora is an empty world. Hell, most Coalition planets are. I say we have them sign up for two years of service with an addendum that if the war isn't over by then, they have to fight until it's done"

"Allfathers" Izabel cursed. She really hoped the war was done in two years. But then, the locust war had lasted nearly two decades. The war would end when it ended.

"What about transporting these soldiers for hire? Their food and medical needs? Also, where would we train them?" a middle aged female officer asked from further down the table.

"We could send one of the fleet transports to the Citadel since it's relatively close in terms of galactic locations. With it being a central hub, these volunteers can gather there easily. Our transports are repurposed colony ships, they have enough room for training and drills. Load up those gathered at the Citadel and avoid our inhabited systems. Have them train on board until the next ground invasion is ready to kick off" Stratton shrugged needlessly, the fabric of his uniform lightly rustling.

Chairman Diaz found herself slowly nodding. It wasn't a bad idea. And honestly, it's already rampant as common knowledge anyway. Still, she was positive Councilor Tevos was laughing about the whole thing.

"Very well. Somebody draw up a service contract for those willing to sign up and fight. Send it to the embassy as soon as possible" Leaning back once that was ordered, Izabel then breathed out a fresh breath of air. "Now, lets draw up a plan for colonization of Pandora with our refugees and some of those damn Asari still hanging around in the Reach system"

The Citadel. Coalition Embassy. 5th of Storm, 423 A.E.

Jonathan Almstead massaged his temples, trying to fight the headache as he sat behind his desk. The sheer amount of accusations, requests for media interviews and statements, even the visits from the Council on occasion had been exhausting.

Hopefully that would end now that the C.A.G. (Coalition Auxiliary Gears) Act had been issued, bringing a flood of volunteers.

Casting his gaze over his desk and the soft glow of his personal computer, Urdnot Wrex read the contract on a data pad, which was a sensible thing to do. Signing it a minute later, the Krogan grunted as he transferred the file.

"You really didn't help by proclaiming this to every reporter on the Citadel"

Wrex gave a knowing smile. "Didn't say that I couldn't, did you? Plus, now the call went out to even more Krogan and others wanting to fight"

Jonathan scoffed. "I'm sure the promise of a plot of land on a garden world after two years of service didn't have any effect on your fellow Krogan's decisions to fight, either"

Wrex gave a grunt of a chuckle. "Even if most of those warriors of Tuchanka die, the ones that live will become very wealthy. A piece of land with clean water, healthy soil and air? It will be a paradise compared to my homeworld. A few years of war is a small price to pay for that" Placing his forearm across the desk, Urdnot grinned, his reptilian face a story of centuries. "So. When do I get my lancer? I really want to use it on my enemies" The following dark chuckle painted a picture of just what Wrex wanted to use the Coalition rifle for.

Jonathan leaned back, interlocking his fingers across his lower chest. "My guess is after you board the fleet transport and her escorts. They'll arrive in three weeks so make sure your affairs are in order before then. I doubt the navy will wait for those who waste time"

"Fair enough" Standing up, the hulking Krogan simply left, leaving the office empty for the moment. Contemplating what this collaboration would mean for the future of the Coalition, Jonathan was interrupted by the chiming of his door.

"Come in" He replied wearily as Councilor Tevos walked in, her stride full of purpose and energy. Waving her toward the open seat across from him, the Asari sat with a teasing grin.

"Be honest, Ambassador. If that Krogan hadn't spouted about this to the news, Diaz would've said no and killed the whole thing"

"Couldn't say. I wasn't deemed important enough for that meeting" Almstead shrugged.

"It must be galling to her. Especially with a portion of the colonization fleet now given permission to settle on Pandora in the coming month"

"You do realize that those Asari will be treated as 'residents' and not 'citizens? Granted, my government will make sure that the appropriate laws are followed, but they really won't have a say in politics or any of that for years, possibly decades"

Tevos grinned, her smile infectious. "Still, the fact that she's allowing settlement on a claimed Coalition world is quite the turn of events"

"You're just loving this aren't you? You and the Terrans. You know over three thousand of them signed up, probably will have more before the navy arrives to take them into the butchery of this war"

Tevos mood faltered for a bit, the war always at the forefront of her mind.

"Still. I just wish your people were more trusting of us all. That fact that it takes a full blown galactic war to even let your long lost cousins settle on a single Seran world…it shouldn't be like that"

"Can you blame us for being cautious? Or paranoid?" Jonathan stood, walking toward the window as transports and vehicles flew by, their engines and lights burning with a soft glow. "Maybe after the war, some of those Terrans and my own people will intermingle, possibly marry and produce offspring? That would be something"

A freight transport hummed by, the vibration of the window minimal.

"Have you heard that the System's Alliance is fast tracking the 2nd fleet to join the upcoming attack at Toad Two? They're even sending two hundred fifty thousand ground troops to assist in the invasion"

Jonathan slowly nodded, the motion almost missed by Tevos. "I did hear that. I can't speak for every Seran, but if they come through that battle with a victory, that will be a big step in proving themselves to the Cog"

Tevos decided to shift the conversation away from the Terrans. "What of the Coalition Navy? We really haven't been apprised of the situation since the Batarian's surrendered"

Sitting back down, the ambassador tried to get comfortable in his chair. "That is something you'll have to ask the Chairman and her ministers yourself. All I know is they're planning something. As to what, who knows?"

"Damn"

Tevos huffed at the curse, knowing that Chairman Diaz wouldn't be exactly forthcoming about a future operation until it was ready to launch. Especially against those genocidal fanatics. But then, the caution was warranted. After all, the Caliphate managed to download and learn the location of every world the Council and Alliance owned. If the Coalition wanted to keep tight lipped about whatever they were planning, Tevos really couldn't do anything about it.

Some days, she almost wished all of them were just as paranoid as the Seran's with hiding their territory. If that had been the case, millions of Asari would still be alive.

"Maybe we should consider purging the location of our worlds from the galactic codex after the war?" Tevos blinked at the idea. "Goddess, I'm starting to think like Diaz"

The Citadel. 29th of Storm. 423. A.E.

A chaotic gathering of males and females flooded the dock, the extended ramp leading up to the massive fleet vessel. Over a mile long with twenty decks, the former colonization ship could put the Destiny Ascension to shame in terms of size.

But only in size. The transport was completely without weapons, using all the interior space for life, environmental and emergency supply manufacturing. Capable of transporting one hundred thousand Seran's, the aliens gathered would not meet that force limit.

Approximately forty three thousand volunteers had gathered for this venture, all with different personal reasons.

Wrex looked around, pleased that nearly over half the forces gathered were Krogan. Asari and Turians stood waiting for their turn to enter, the shouting of Seran's directing the flow rising over announcement speakers. A few Salarians talked rapidly in front of him, by the looks of it, mercenaries eager for a payday. His eyes traveled to a small group of Quarian's, their suits old and drabby with stained helmets.

Stepping forward as the line moved, Wrex shook his head. On one hand, the Seran's weren't discriminating which was good. But on the other…?

"Salarians and Quarians are squishy. I doubt any of them will survive the first battle with these fanatics" Wrex shrugged. Not his problem. It's their risk.

Turning his head the left, the next column of people were mostly Terrans. Some looked like former military, but most appeared to have nothing but the clothes on their backs.

"Hey, Terran. Why you sign up?" Wrex asked a young man with dark hair.

The male looked his way, almost surprised a Krogan was talking to him, the promptly shrugged. "It's a better deal than the Alliance military. Combat pay along with a plot of land once this is over? I'll be set. I'm gonna bring my whole family from the slums of New York, bring them out of poverty"

"You could die in the first minutes you know? I hear these Caliphate are vicious"

"Better then being stabbed by some junkie over a few cans of food or a place to sleep. Once I heard they were taking volunteers, I scraped the few credits I had together and bought a one way ticket to the Citadel and signed up. Simple as that"

Wrex nodded. A lot of Krogan were dirt poor, living in the blasted ruins of Tuchanka. From what he knew of Earth, a lot of their major cities were overflowing with homeless and unemployed.

The line moved, the flow of men and women constantly moving as the Seran's guided them into the ship.

Wrex couldn't see outside, but the fleet transport had already left the Citadel, escorted by a cruiser squadron. If any of them could see the exterior of the hull, the large vessel was already in Slip-space, the swirling blues and purples rushing by.

Not that it really mattered to the Krogan as he stood toward the front of one of the assembled ranks of raw troops. It was a chaotic mix of Turians, Asari, Terrans…even a few Drell. None had been separated by race, just gathered in the bay of the ship. Looking around, he found it down right spartan in terms of aesthetics. There were no decorations or frills, something that would be noticeable on Asari ships…maybe even some Terran vessels. Casting his gaze up, the ceiling was low, indicating that the decks above and below were laid out in a similar manner.

Which made sense, he had seen the large elevators, five of them spaced apart along the length of the ship. Obviously used for transporting large amounts of people or materials between the twenty decks of this ship.

Wrex found it impressive the Seran's actually landed this type of ship groundside during invasions or colonization efforts.

A Seran approached, flanked by a small squad of helmeted gears. Clearly an officer by the dress of his uniform and gathered medals across his right breast, the older male stopped in the center of the bay, his gaze studying the assortment of species. His hair was a midnight black, matching an equally dark beard and mustache. He could've been in his early thirties based on the lack of wrinkles or stress lines, but the Seran's were almost like the Asari in that regard. He could be nearly seventy like Chairman Diaz. While taller than most Terrans, the officer did appear a few inches shorter than several Krogan.

Obviously well muscled and athletically fit, many could tell this man was a field officer just with a glance.

His voice boomed, enhanced by the ship wide communication system that reached all those gathered.

"I am General Alex Valera. For the next twelve weeks, you will all train to become Gears in the Cog. I do not care where you are from, what you did before this, or your reasons for being here. Your only purpose now is to prepare yourselves for war!" His words were like a gunshot, but quickly left in the past as he continued. "Many of you have different physical abilities than my own species, even different dietary needs as in the case of the Turians. We have planned for this. However, I want you all to survive your training. I will not tolerate any recruits being endangered due to miscommunications based on those needs. If a situation arises, inform your instructors" He took a momentary pause, clasping his hands behind his back. "Needless to say, but I will say it. Any attempts by an individual or group to steal or acquire Slip space technology on this ship will result in myself personally shoving you out of an airlock. You're training to be infantry. None of you even need to be near this vessel's engines at any point during your training" Casting his gaze among the front ranks, the Seran didn't lock eyes with any of them.

"Report for training at zero six hundred tomorrow morning. Dismissed!" Turning, the officer quickly stepped away, escorted by the tiny phalanx of Gears.

Drill Instructors began to shout, calling out assigned groups and numbers as the volunteer forces began their first day in the Coalition.

Coalition Colonization Vessel Three. Enroute to Oceania. 4th of Gale. 423. A.E.

Urdnot Wrex couldn't contain the smile that graced his large face, his reptilian lips curling upward. Sitting on the steel floor of deck number seventeen, the Krogan was with his assigned company, each member with a brand new Lancer rifle before him or her. They were learning to assemble and disassemble the weapon, a much needed skill for any soldier on any battlefield.

The Turians and Asari…they seemed to have the most trouble with chemical, gunpowder weapons. But the Terrans and Krogan? It was far more natural for them.

"Remember! A soldier that neglects their weapon will die! Caring for your weapon means you will have a chance to live against the enemy! You will all learn every component, every aspect of your rifle! You will care for it like it's a tender lover!" Drill Sergeant Dess Rossi stalked up and down the ranks, her glare falling on anybody foolish enough to mis hear or not follow instructions.

Her voice was loud, a bark of harsh femininity that brought the weight of fire. "After you kill an enemy with your lancer, proper maintenance is required! Bone chips, skin and flesh will jam the chain if you do not properly care for your rifle! Today, you will clear any blockages and reassemble your rifle! Once you complete that task, you will repeat it until you can do it with your eyes closed! Only then will you be ready for live fire exercises!"

An Asari struggled nearby, dropping the chainsaw cleaning pick while mildly cursing.

Rossi stepped on the cleaning tool, looking down at the Asari. "Rapidity is key! The time between battle could be days, hours, or minutes! Clearing jams and gristle with efficiency will prolong your life! Failure will mean death! Do you understand, recruit Janutis!?"

"Yes, Drill Sergeant Rossi!"

"I will not tolerate negligent care of equipment! Five laps around the bay! Sergeant Havontich! Keep pace with this recruit!"

"Ma'am!" another Seran replied loudly before pulling a baton and rushing toward the Asari. "Get running, recruit!"

To her credit, Janutis ran, pumping her legs in earnest for the minor infraction while the male assistant drill sergeant kept a quick pace, his mild threats pushing the Asari along the wall that traveled the majority of the ship.

Wrex finished the assembly task at the same time a few Turians did the same. Giving a low grunt, the Krogan began to disassemble the lancer once more, fully aware of the Drill Instructor's gaze.

She moved on, barely content with Wrex's motions.

C.C.V. #3, 6th of Gale, 423 A.E.

Wrex clutched his lancer, maintaining his position along the length of the entire company. A Terran was to his left while a Turian was to his right, each carrying an identical rifle. The training on deck seventeen, along with the rest of the ship continued almost non stop, the Seran's pushing everybody from dusk to dawn on a twenty six hour day.

He had to grudgingly give the Turian's credit…they loved this stuff. The marching order and drills, the training. They were bred for it. But some of the younger Krogan, they argued…and the whole company would pay for it which in turn created animosity.

He already had to encourage them to listen, most of the time with a few headbutts and yelling during their lone hour of down time before lights out.

"EYES FRONT!" Drill Sergeant Rossi bellowed over the back ground noise of other companies training. Satisfied that nobody wandered their gaze, the bellowing woman walked along a length of robotic dummy arms, each holding a lancer weapon.

"Today, you will put the lancer chainsaw bayonet to use! These dummies will simulate the average strength of a Seran male! If you are unable to win this practice duel, then you will die against the Toads! Because unlike today, they will not give you a second chance!" Picking up a lancer herself, the instructor approached one of the dummies as the blades automatically started to churn. Raising her own weapon, the clash of steel and sparks howled as Rossi planted her feet and pushed forward, eventually winning the duel. Stepping back, she turned to the assembled recruits.

"You will only aim your lancer at the practice dummy! If I see any of you waving these weapons of war around or attempting to recreate a lancer duel, I will drop you as a threat to the rest of the company! Do I make myself clear?" She asked with a bellow of her vocal chord's.

"Yes, Drill Sergeant!"

"My ancestors used the old Mark Two Lancer against the locust horde! You will learn to use the chainsaw until the screaming of metal is music to your ears!" She noticed a female Turian lightly shift her feet. "Recruit Vardos! You have volunteered to show the company how it's done!"

The Turian approached, holding the lancer as instructed while spreading her feet, giving her body a wide base of support.

"When you find yourself in a chainsaw duel against the Toads, your stance can mean the difference between life and death! A strong footing means you can put more muscle and mass behind the weapon, greatly increasing your chances of survival!" Rossi's voice softened for a moment. "Activate the chainsaw recruit. and engage the dummy"

The Turian flipped the mechanized switch along the side of the rifle, the teeth churning with a harsh whine.

"HYAAA!" Bringing the weapon down, the dummy reacted on automatic as the chainsaws sparked and screamed with shards. Vardos pushed her weight forward, finally overcoming the opponent as it powered down, giving her the victory.

"When you are on the battle field, the lancer bayonet will create a stomach churning spray of blood, gore and bone shards! We will train on literal meat bags after you all prove you can flip a damn switch! Step forward!"

The company stepped forward, soon filling the recycled air of the ship with the sharp screams of chainsaw teeth sparking and clashing.

The Krogan loved it, many of them chomping at the bit to use it on flesh dummies that resembled the real thing. That part of their training occurred three days later, much to the horror of several Asari and Terrans.

Convel System. 13th of Gale. 423 A.E.

Admiral Carmine hated being the bait to these damn toads. Weeks of being chased, launching minor counterattacks among the void of dead systems and sparkling vapor of nebula while entering pre-planned systems with visible 'wreck's' had been simply a pain in the ass.

At least she managed to sell the feigned losses as her fleet was still only at seventy percent capacity.

Seven hundred and twelve ships hung above Convel, the planet showing no signs of habitation. Yes, the urban ruins were down there…along with the graves of nearly thirty million Seran's.

It was a reminder to herself and the crews manning the fleet that these monsters needed to be exterminated.

Gripping the handrails surrounding the main holo table, Alya's stare was almost unblinking as the mass of enemy warships entered the far reaches of the star system. Coming in from galactic north, the Caliphate numbers still sat around thirty six hundred.

"Sam. Have they detected the other fleets?"

"It appears they have not. Whoever is in command must be quite eager to destroy your fleet and retake Convel" Fiddling with a tiny lancer, the A.I. rippled with code as she highlighted the Coalition fleets in hiding.

Admiral Trescu and the 5th fleet were hiding behind the massive moon, the natural satellite easily capable of keeping one thousand naval vessels hidden behind its mass. Their icons glowed orange, color coded for ease of reference as they waited.

The 3rd fleet under Admiral Chiaki Akari had entered the storm wrought atmosphere of Convel VII, the gas giant of swirling blues, reds and purples surrounded by a stunning ring of ice, vapors and tiny asteroids. Waiting in ambush, the interference from the atmosphere was the perfect hiding place to close the door on this trap.

With the 2nd fleet waiting in the void of interstellar space, they could be in system within the hour if things got bad. But by all appearances, the Toads were charging into a killing field. Looking down at the floating system, Alya knew this plan had a high chance of success. But even if they destroyed every ship here, the Caliphate still had more.

"They're damn fools" Alya commented with contempt as the enemy warships continued to burn across the system for the graveyard of Convel, almost manic with the desire to destroy her command and take the planet for their false god.

"I'm not detecting any picket forces. However, visual sensors had detected new builds of Dreadnaughts along with altered designs of cruiser class ships. The standard wave of suicide corvettes are pushing ahead, no doubt to try and destroy us while the main fleet picks off the survivors"

Carmine wanted to rush forward, to meet them in a titanic battle, but that notion was a foolish one. The trap hadn't been sprung and if she suddenly shifted position, it might tip them off and ruin this whole effort.

The 4th fleet would have to sit here and wait for a suicidal enemy to begin their attack run.

At least the carrier forces had already launched, waiting for the signal as they hung around the reverse side of the planet.

"The suicide craft are pulling ahead. The main enemy fleet is following closely in support. Estimates place them in supporting range of each other as they enter our own weapon range. ETA is forty three minutes at sub light speeds"

"Then let them come" Alya finished. She contemplated sitting back down in her command chair, but she couldn't. She had to check and double check, the hidden stress of coming combat forcing her to keep busy. Carmine had no disillusions.

Some of her ships would die today.

But if things went well, the Toads would suffer far worse. Taking another look at the dispositions and the approaching enemy, she found the minutes of time ticking away almost insufferable. And there wasn't anything she could do about it until the Toads opened fire.

High Priest Van'lik preened with pride as his ships slid through the dark, their engines burning a harsh green among the bathing light of the distant star. The constant attacks had been annoying, filling him with a renewed hatred of the vermin hordes. But he had to admit the losses had been minimal overall.

A wounded beast would claw out in desperation, but in the end, they would die.

He lightly smiled at the comparison, because the Seran fleet was corned and trapped, their backs to the holy world of Convel. The minimal joy disappeared however when an exterior camera centered on the spinning flotsam of the many vessels that had died here during their rightful conquest. Silent wrecks of broken hulls, pieces of armor and glittering shards of frozen vapor and bodies hung there, forgotten by all.

"A dark day for the might of our god" Van'lik lightly whispered. Praying for the fallen souls of his brethren, he knew that they were enjoying the afterlife.

"High Priest. The enemy fleet appears to be taking a defensive stance around the planet. They're waiting for us to enter weapons range"

"Then let us not keep them waiting. Destroy the filth"

"Yes, High Priest!" the officer almost shouted in fear as he began to relay orders to the many squadrons and officers across thirty seven hundred vessels.

The first wave of suicide corvettes increased their speed, the engines burning on overdrive. Even if the radiation leaked and killed the crew, they were already dead anyway. None of them would retreat unless directly ordered.

"I want to support our holy brothers. Make sure we can fire on the vermin craft as well, ensuring their destruction"

A few of the officers cast wary glances, but all obeyed as the main fleet approached the curvature of the massive moon. Passing a few silent wrecks, all ships began to cycle targets.

The first wave of corvettes, nearly one thousand strong fired their plasma torpedoes as the trapped Seran's opened fire, hoping to sow destruction.

Searing beams of light erupted from the capital ships among a wave of sprinting torpedoes, thermic lances, and standard MAC rounds, claiming dozens of the suicide craft as they sprinted directly behind their munitions, eager to drag the vermin into the afterlife.

Torpedoes and defensive laser fire flashed among the void, hundreds of the warheads detonating against enemy munitions in burning waves of dissipating energy.

Strike fighters and bombers raced from below the planet, rising from the southern pole to launch a wave of sprint missiles into the charging monsters. Nearly fifty of the corvette craft died in a matter of seconds, their plasma payloads bursting with a green glow among the chaos of laser fire, crashing shells, and bursting warheads.

"NOW FIRE! FOR THE WILL OF KLORTA AND THE SALVATION OF ALL LIFE! EXTERMINATE THEM!" Van'lik roared from his seat.

"Yes sir!"

The remainder of the Caliphate fleet opened fire, a massed volley of slugs, long range torpedoes from their destroyers and the focused beams of plasma energy from the cruisers and dreadnaughts.

Anvil Gate rocked from the staggering hit of plasma, the lance burning away nearly half of the shields in one blow. Relays blew, the cascading power feeding back in a blow of sparks as Alya pitched forward.

"What the hell was that!?" She barked, her flagship firing four beams of harsh light, killing a cluster of corvettes as they continued to charge into the teeth of fire.

"Plasma weapon, ma'am! A new type!" tactics roared as the enemy dreadnaught fired, a slicing beam of green energy striking Anvil Gate. Armor sizzled or was simply burned away on the port side while chewing through the hammered shield, a ship length wound that ripped open several compartments with a glow of melting armor. The crewmen in those sections were lucky to be sucked into the void as the heat from those weapons melted the flesh of a very unfortunate few.

"Target the enemy flagship!" Carmine sneered as another blast of sparks erupted from a terminal. The Hammer of Dawn glowed from the aperture, then erupted as four beams of high energy raced across the dark. Slicing through a few charging corvettes, the enemy took evasive action as only two of the beams burned against Caliphate shields, flaring them with a devastating blow.

Anvil Gate's defensive net flared and burned with desperation as near misses staggered the massive vessel, striking down several dozen incoming warheads as the battle started to turn toward the desperate.

More beams of light sliced through Seran shields along the line, gutting three Battlecruisers in as many seconds. A longshot cruiser combated a distant counterpart, both ships exchanging beams of green and thermic lances that resulted in a horrific draw. Ripped open and leaking air, the opposing enemy officers were content in simply surviving the encounter while laser defensive fire cut down the incoming swarms of torpedoes.

Bursting warheads of plasma walked along the destroyer line, ripping apart nearly thirty vessels while crippling even more. A stricken Battlecruiser tried to limp away, but three charging corvettes broke through the defensive fire of anti-shipping warheads to smash against her hull.

An expanding ball of green energy roiled in the dark, marking the death pyre of Pine Barren, her crew killed in a flash of light.

High Priest Van'lik glowed with pleasure even as the enemy flagship fired another quad beam of destruction at his vessel. Taking evasive action while screened by ships willing to sacrifice themselves, his survival was guaranteed. A grazing lance of yellowish red brushed their shields, rocking the vessel, but it was minor compared to the damage and losses the vermin were suffering.

"How long until we overwhelm them?" He asked among the bathing glow of battle stations. The Klor'vian at sensors stirred, interpreting the unfolding battle.

"Enemy losses appear to be nearly fifty destroyed, another one hundred to two hundred damaged to some degree. We have lost more, but the majority are corvettes"

"Excellent! We'll control the system by day's en—"

"SIR! BY KLORTA SIR!" The officer at tactical screamed out, his throat sac turning an almost pale white in fear and dread. His yellow eyes burned with utter loss and horror, the fresh data unfolding before his eyes.

"What!? What is it!? Can't you see we're about to win this battle!?" Standing up quickly as his flagship rumbled with return fire, the priest was annoyed at being interrupted. Approaching the tactical display table, the tiny planetary system of light particles momentarily rippled.

His heart and joy immediately sank to the lowest level imaginable. A vermin fleet was pushing from behind the massive moon of this planet, aiming for his right flank. Further out near the gas giant that they had passed on entry into the Convel system was another full fleet, each counting nearly one thousand warships.

"They…tricked us" the priest whispered in horror. "Impossible! They're vermin and not fit to exist! They can't think with intelligence like us!"

"High Priest! What are your orders!?" the officer yelled, his fear reaching a fever pitch.

The enemy racing past the moon would be reaching them in less than a minute.

"SIR!"

Van'lik became frozen with indecision. He simply hadn't planned or even conceived that the Seran vermin could launch such an operation.

"I…I…I'll consult with the church!" Running from the bridge, the male ran with swirling robes and dread making his scales slick with fear.

Admiral Trescu sat at his command chair, his grin almost hungry at the meal before him. It was an officer's dream to catch the enemy unaware, and they had done it. His fleet was at full strength, her crews and vessels at top notch efficiency.

Pushing toward the exposed flank of the genocidal toads that had foolishly taken the bait, Trescu uttered a simple command.

"Fire!"

A wave of MAC slugs, thermic lances, fusion torpedoes and searing lances of Hammer of Dawn fire lit up the void between fleets, a wave of destruction that would be impossible to avoid.

Some Caliphate ships did try, but their attention had been on the battle around Convel, not on the moon. A mistake that they would pay dearly for as they desperately tried to turn and face the new threat.

Laser batteries burned with desperation among the outer ships, their defensive fire silently burning among the vacuum. Hundreds of the incoming sprint missiles were stricken down, a wave of sacrifice that rippled with dying warheads.

It wasn't enough.

MAC slugs smashed and rippled shields, their weight joined by the burning thermic lances of Trescu's cruisers. Eating through hull and crew alike, the heat of those weapons crippled several dozen Caliphate ships in the first few seconds…just as the massed volley of fusion torpedoes and Hammer of Dawn fire arrived to bring about a true butchery.

The screening destroyers and frigates stood no chance against the massed firepower as nearly one hundred and eight craft were consumed among the bursting fusion suns.

"Maintain position with maximum barrage. I don't want any needless losses" Admiral Trescu ordered with simplicity as the 5th fleet continued to lay down a hell against the vile Toads. The barrage of shells, Hammer of Dawn fire and massed munitions continued like an unending hammering, creating a killing ground. A second wave of torpedoes and upgraded sprint missiles flew into the ravaged flanks of the Caliphate fleet, snipping at the heels of massed shell fire and burning lances of energy that seared smaller craft in half.

A plasma cruiser tried to engage the massive Ephyra, but didn't get the chance as the Monitor fired four beams of searing energy at the vessel, slicing through its shields and hull with a horrid ease of destruction. Breaking in half, the Klor'vian crew spilled into the void as their ship died, only to be consumed by fusion fire as the dying vessels burned among the roiling energies of a tiny sun.

Fleetmaster Tril'va staggered onto the bridge behind the crewman that had fetched him. Alarms blared as a few relays burst, creating a haze of acrid electrical smoke. The ship rocked heavily, a pitching of damage from a light cruiser exploding nearby, the shockwave of fire and debris smattering the struggling shields. Rushing to the tactical display, the old officer slammed a curled fist onto the railing as his veteran eye took in the unfolding disaster.

"That fool! He led us right into a killing ground!"

"Fleetmaster! The third fleet will be upon us in three minutes! Our fleet has lost nearly four hundred ships with another two hundred damaged! The corvette fleet is fully engaged with the Seran's around the planet!"

It was a disaster of epic proportions.

"Order the surviving corvettes and destroyers to cover our retreat! All ships are to prepare for FTL immediately! Those that fall to damage will be abandoned!" Tril'va snarled in anger. They were too damn close to that massive moon. If he attempted FTL now, his command would simply fly into the natural satellite. They needed to turn their backs to the enemy in order to escape. But if they didn't do it now, all of them would be destroyed.

The only saving grace was the initial Seran fleet around Convel was still busy fighting the Corvettes and the destroyers slated for sacrifice. If they failed before he could retreat, the entire fleet was doomed.

"DAMN! DAMN! THAT FOOL! He didn't even take the minimal amount of caution!"

"All ships are to take a full defensive posture! Survival is our only goal!" He shouted to comms, the orders instantly relayed as more of his ships blinked out of existence among burning suns. His flagship bucked, the shields flaring and dying. A thermic lance bore through the hull, melting armor and dozens of crew men in a flash as the large vessel ponderously turned. Defensive lasers and escort ships protected the wounded vessel as she streamed atmosphere and vapor. A plasma cruiser exploded nearby, taking all hands as no less than six super heated beams of orange light burned through her engines.

An attack intended for the Fleetmaster and his flagship.

Grunting as the flickering barriers struggled against impacting debris and bodies of his men, the old officer offered a silent prayer to his god.

The third enemy fleet was less than a minute away, and his command was shrinking by the minute.

"Fleetmaster! The corvette fleet is being decimated! Reports of early detonations and computer failures!"

"It's their electronic warfare A.I! We cannot do anything for them!"

Eighty six more ships fell out of formation along the turning flank, their engines fluttering from extreme damage before a fresh wave of sprint missiles and MAC slugs tore them apart.

The harshness of fusion suns bathed the night as the 5th fleet continued to bombard the desperate enemy, the Seran admiral maintaining a strict battle line above the sterile moon.

"Sir! We've completed the maneuver! Third enemy fleet will enter weapons range in thirty seconds!"

His flagship rocked with another hit, two shells buckling the exposed armor and killing dozens more among the lower decks. Air streamed from the fresh wounds, spilling into the void among dying ships and burning defensive laser light.

"Get us out of here! NOW!" the fleetmaster bellowed with a harsh roar. Engines surged with crackling energy among the tattered fleet, building to a charge before snapping into the folds of FTL velocities.

In the span of a mere hour, the battle claimed two full corvette fleets along with nearly seven hundred main line vessels of the Klor'vian Caliphate. With barely one thousand ships left, the enemy had been dealt a devastating disaster that could have easily been avoided if the proper chain of command had been left in place.

"Fleetmaster. Nearly a third of our ships are reporting moderate to critical damage. All corvettes are assumed lost. Nesha'tov has suffered several hull breaches along with two hundred thirteen dead or wounded. Shields are holding at ten percent"

"Ensure we pilot a random course toward Le'hak. We cannot let the Coalition follow us to one of our sacred worlds. If they manage to track us, they will enact the same horror upon the population as Bo'link"

"Of course, Fleetmaster" the officer bowed with a clutched fist to his breast.

Throat turning a crimson red, Tril'va stepped away from the holo table. "I will be contacting the church of this unfavorable development. Hopefully we can muster a naval response in time" Leaving the bridge, Tril'va marched to his private quarters and the secure terminal. Sitting down, he activated it, bringing communications with his government.

The image of Supreme Priest Y'larv stared back, his gaze almost condescending of those he deemed inferior.

"Fleetmaster Tril'va. I was under the impression that you had been relieved of duty for failure to carry out church doctrine. Where is High Priest Van'lik?"

"He led us into a killing ground and fled the bridge to hide in his quarters. He failed the church and the word of Klorta"

There was a momentary flash of anger behind the eyes of his superior, but they were rapidly crushed. "Were you able to achieve victory against the vermin horde? They hold a sacred world that rightfully belongs to us"

"It was a trap meant to drag us into full destruction. If I hadn't taken command and retreated at the time, the full fleet would have been lost to the enemy" He paused his words, then plunged into the next statement. "Supreme Priest. We must suspend any future offensive operations until we can replenish our losses. Also, we must prepare Le'hak for the possibility of attack. Any naval vessels must be employed with my command to protect our sacred worlds. But even then, it might be too late. The vermin…were largely spared of losses in this battle and will no doubt bring overwhelming force against Le'hak"

Y'larv blinked slowly, his inner thought contemplating life or death for such a statement.

Tril'va waited, not daring to breathe as the holy representation of their god thought things through. Retreat against any species was unheard of, but then, their previous campaigns of extermination had been against creatures that swung sword and bow. Not a species that mastered spaceflight and massed weapon fire.

"I will approve any spare corvettes and repaired ships to join you in the defense of Le'hak. Unfortunately, the Council beasts are no doubt preparing their own battles against us. We must protect the sanctity of life from these creatures and their vile pollution" The supreme priest paused for a moment, his gaze working on another thought.

"Ah yes, dump the coward Van'lik out of an air lock. The church has no place for such failures. For the glory of Klorta, Fleetmaster"

"For the glory"

The communication ended, Tril'va immediately scowling with a relief of a sharp breath. If they had simply fallen back to Le'hak and waited, he could've achieved a victory or at least a temporary stalemate. Now…? Now he would be lucky to stop them from burning that planet to ash.

Sighing, he knew that when the time came, he could not retreat. If he did, he would simply be executed for failing to protect a sacred world of their god. The next battle he fought would most likely be his last.

Admiral Trescu glossed over the after action report of the battle, his eyes quickly taking in the data of lost ships and damaged vessels. It was unfortunate that the 4th fleet took losses, but the ratio was heavily in the Coalitions favor. One hundred and twelve ships lost with another three hundred and eight suffering varying degrees of damage.

Not bad for the destruction of nearly twenty six hundred enemy warships. Of course, two thousand of them were simple suicide craft. He was more interested in the main fleet losses the toads suffered. Notably, the best way to exploit such a devastating blow to their naval forces.

"Von? Have you calculated the likely path of the enemy's retreat?"

The floating cube of light rippled with code, his voice clipped and precise. "I've calculated an eighty three percent chance they are retreating to the Blaze system, then will most likely take a random course back to their territory. Of course, with the superiority of our slipspace drives, we will be able to intercept them before they can retreat from our territory.

"Excellent. Inform Admiral Akari that we will immediately pursue and destroy them now that the Convel system had been secured"

He didn't like leaving the 4th and their battered ships to take care of their own rescue, but he had already wasted nearly an hour mopping up the enemy. Any further delay would be unacceptable. Plus, the 2nd fleet could assist and escort them for repairs and refit.

"Sir, Admiral Akari is ready for the jump. Waiting on your signal"

Trescu didn't need to say anything important for entering Slipspace, this wasn't a Terran science fiction show. Simply giving a nod of his head, the pilots carried out the task. Beyond the hull of Ephyra, two full Coalition fleets with a grand total of two thousand and twelve vessels slid into the spatial ruptures of swirling blues and crackling lightning, eager to punish the fleeing foe.

Blaze System. 19th of Gale. 423 A.E.

Glittering ice covered Blaze IV, the extraction industries and domed outposts on the planet abandoned or simply destroyed in the early days of the war. The fifth fleet hung above the frozen world, the crews waiting in anticipation for the arrival of the enemy. With the swirling magnetic field of the planet, the ships would be hidden from long range sensors, simply mixed in with the back ground noise of the star system.

Admiral Akari had positioned her squadrons across the system to ensure a wider net, most notably at the outer reaches of the star system. While there weren't any belts of rocks or swirling clouds of gases to hide their presence, there really wasn't a need.

After all, the Coalition was waiting to engage the enemy once more. A bleeding, running enemy that would fight to just escape their clutches. Positioning her firstt squadron well out of the orbit of the desert world, Admiral Akari waited to spring the attack, the tenseness of her crew like a coiled snake waiting to strike.

Still, it didn't change the fact that COG vessels were now nearly twice the daily speed of their enemy, which meant that for the last three days, they were simply waiting for the Toads to arrive. A fact that churned among the enlisted crew that the war could be finally turning around. Morale was high after the victorious trap at Convel, surging with the knowledge that Seran fleets would soon be on the offensive again to bring war to enemy shores.

Even if the Council only managed to take Toad Two, that would tie up significant forces. A situation that many would gladly exploit.

Akari studied images of the planet, the detailed images showing the ruined cities and towns across the dry world of sand dunes and land locked seas. It had been a young colony, only a few million calling it home before the war. Still, it had been thriving and growing as the coastal areas and river deltas proved especially fertile for settlement.

Now? Now the world only held a few garrisons of Gears, the surviving civilian population long since evacuated to the interior.

It made her furious. All they wanted was peace, yet an enemy of religious fanatics decided they were only good for extermination.

None would receive mercy.

Sensors stirred, the woman at the station rechecking before raising her voice. Tapping a few keys, the crewman confirmed. "Ma'am. Pickets are confirming FTL signatures approaching the south-eastern edge of the system. Estimated time of arrival ten minutes"

"Aza. Can you give me the likely entrance point?"

The tiny rippling star form of the A.I. floated at the tactical table, its blue surface streaming with tiny code lines as it computated the available data far too quickly for Seran minds. Highlighting a sector of the star system devoid of natural or artificial constructs, the A.I pulsed a light glow. "I calculated a sixty three percent chance they will appear in this sector. Adjoining stellar sectors have a lower probability"

"That will have to do. Order the fleet to converge on these coordinates. A small jump is authorized"

"Right away ma'am" the pilots responded as the 3rd moved to ensnare and trap the incoming hostiles. Obviously, the 5th fleet under Trescu moved as well, the officer's eager to crush this foe in the coming hour.

Emergency crews had been working non-stop across his battered command in the efforts to simply patch the major damage. Nesha'tov alone would need a space dock to repair the ragged wounds in her hull and armor.

"If we can find a system to stop and conduct hull repairs, that will greatly increase our chances of survivability. Far too many of my ships are damaged. Further combat is out of the question"

Fleetmaster Tril'va sneered with satisfaction. He had dumped the high priest and his guards out of an airlock the day before during a momentary halt of their FTL. A pleasurable experience to witness as the foolish Klor'vian begged for forgiveness before being sucked out in the harsh vacuum of some desolate system.

The mirthful memory was quickly replaced with dread and fear as his fleet dropped out of FTL at the edge of the Coalition colony system. A need to plot a random course to their own territory meant smaller jumps then adjustments, an action that incurred far greater risks to them all. Of course they could plot a straight line to Le'hak…and lead their enemies straight toward that sacred world of their god.

"FLEETMASTER! SERAN FLEETS ARE CLOSING! THEY'RE OPENING FIRE!" Tactical yelled in horror.

Tril'va scrambled to tactical, the enemy bathed in red icons while outnumbering his forces two to one. They had formed a half ring around them, already waiting for the chance to strike.

"Prepare for immediate FTL! We cannot afford to battle them here!" the officer bellowed, knowing that if he did, only destruction awaited them all.

Laser batteries immediately surged from the Caliphate ships, a dancing flaring of lights that stabbed the night and incoming missiles. Beams of plasma green and harsh reds of Hammer fire crossed the gap between the capital ships, the impacts burning away shields and melting armor among hastily flung munitions.

A trio of Thermic slugs smashed against a nearby plasma cruiser, ripping the previously wounded ship open along the flank, spilling crew and vapor into the void.

The massed volley of fusion warheads and torpedoes slid across the silent night, locked onto multiple targets as the Toads hastily turned toward a fresh heading among bursts of light and early detonations. Twelve of the heavily damaged craft, a mixture of destroyers and frigates failed to protect themselves in that vital moment, their existence snuffed out among the detonation of miniature suns. The massed weight of destructive power flew through the crumbling defenses of the left flank, detonating among eighty three wounded ships, including three plasma cruisers.

Most were reduced to spinning flotsam and gutted scrap, their hulls a gnarled twist of metals and floating bodies among flaring bursts of fusion light.

Only four would live to escape.

Nesha'tov bucked under fresh blows, her shields barely holding against the burning beam of red energy. She returned fire, a sizzling stream of green melting through the hull of a Seran cruiser, ripping away the top three decks in a horror of melting metalwork and extinguished crew.

"FTL COURSE PLOTTED, FLEETMASTER!" The pilot screamed out, his fear palpable as three standard MAC shells battered their failing shields, one of them breaking through the hull near a laser defense cluster, killing the battery crew in a flash of light and destruction.

"Then get us out of here!" He roared out as an arc of electricity surged through a nearby station, arcing and killing a crewman. The stink of cooked flesh among the humid air was thick as the pilot input the commands.

Surging green energies built up at the engines, glowing brighter before the Flagship and the other eight hundred and seventy three surviving vessels entered FTL, burning desperately from the system.

By hideous chance, a Caliphate destroyer's line of travel crossed the evasive path of the battlecruiser Nightshade. The impact was titanic, a silent orb of spreading explosion from the titanic speeds and mass of the impact. All hands were lost while several nearby Seran vessels bore damage to their shields due to proximity.

Fleetmaster Tril'va slumped in his command chair, the burning stench of electrical fires filling the air along with the palpable stink of defeat.

"They beat us to that system. Which means the rumors of their increased speed are true. Trying to evade and outrun them will only see us whittled down. Our only chance is to reach Le'hak before the Coalition and try to muster a naval response before they arrive"

"Fleetmaster. We lost one hundred and thirteen vessels. Most were already damaged, some heavily from the battle at Convel. Nearly half of the fleet is in need of repairs"

Nodding slowly, the officer clasped his clawed hands as he glanced at one of his officers. "Our destination?"

"CCL-432, Fleetmaster. Heavy with asteroid fields and nebula gases. We should be able to take shelter there and conduct emergency repairs"

"Good. Maintain course" Weary with exhaustion, the officer leaned back, once again cursing priest Van'lik for his unforgivable folly.

Admiral Trescu read over the list of losses compiled from the 3rd fleet, the worst being the total destruction of Nightshade. All in all, only fifteen light vessels had been destroyed with another thirty taking light to heavy damage in the hasty skirmish.

An acceptable payoff for destroying nearly ten percent of the Caliphate fleet.

"Von? Have you extrapolated their course?"

"My predictive algorithm suggests only a twelve percent chance they are heading directly toward Toad One. Unfortunately, their line of travel will take them past the pre-war borders. Depending on their next destination, the calculated drift could place them in nearly a dozen different star systems"

"Is it safe to assume that this fleet represented a substantial offensive force?"

"There is a high probability, Admiral" The floating cube replied, his surface rippling with tiny letters and numbers.

"Which means their nearest enemy worlds could be stripped of any naval assets, leaving them essentially defenseless. A far greater prize if we can find them before this half beaten fleet of fanatics reunites with their military" Making a decision, the veteran officer spoke.

"We will advance to Toad One…Bo'link I believe is the enemy name for that world. Once there, our fleet will advance along a broad front to find and destroy any Caliphate industry, shipyards or colonies. If we locate a substantial world, we will call for the invasion force assembling at Oceania and pacify the sector. Admiral Akari will maintain pursuit of the enemy, harassing them relentlessly"

Von rippled, his hue changing from black to a dull orange. "There are several risks and unknown factors Admiral. Possibility of ambush or heavy naval assets is high"

"That's part of the risk. We simply cannot wait while the enemy buys time to rebuild their forces for another strike into our territory. Besides" He smirked, his green eyes burning with retribution. "They deserve extermination for their crimes against the Coalition" Adjusting his tunic of black and gold, he leaned back in his chair. "Inform the fleet and Admiral Akari of our plan. I'm sure she'll be eager to annihilate enemy vessels"

Within the hour, the assembled might of the 5th and 3rd fleets entered the rippling, swirling blues of slipspace to wage direct war on the enemy.

Le'hak system (Toad Three) 1st of Heat 423 A.E.

Fleetmaster Tril'va had failed to lead the Coalition away from the inhabited world of his people despite his monumental efforts. Weeks of evading, hasty repairs along with the terror of combat against a superior foe had drained his crews of morale…of fighting spirit.

And the losses. By Klorta the losses his fleet had suffered were gruesome. Three hundred and eighteen beaten, air bleeding wrecks had reached the false safety of Le'hak and her shipyards. The rest had been destroyed or sacrificed as the Seran's hunted him day after day, week after week.

At least they had been pumping out new corvettes and ships for the navy, but he knew it was too late.

This world was doomed.

Coalition pickets were already poking at the outer system, a minimal presence for now, but the fact remained they had found this beautiful world of life.

Standing at the tactical display, his bridge crew stank of fear and weeks of unwashed bodies. The humidity helped, but environmental controls were only running at sixty three percent efficiency. Studying the system and the inhabited world of his species, Tril'va had elected to maintain a defense around the planet and its two moons with the remnants of his command.

The church had sent two thousand fresh corvettes, but the loss of over three thousand ships in the last few months had been devastating. The suicide craft were easily and quickly replaced, but warships…took longer.

If they weren't facing half a dozen space faring species and just the Seran's, reinforcements of fleets would have flooded in. But odds are, the Council would attack soon. The military simply couldn't abandon their other worlds for if they did, they would be lost as well.

"I can at least find relief that some of the population has already taken shelter in the subterranean bunkers. Many won't survive, but some will continue the fight"

Glancing at the planet spinning outside the armored windows of the bridge, Tril'va felt the serenity of its beauty and abundant life. The two main continents were spinning toward the night side, following the lone sub-continent and its strands of islands. Lights of civilization glowed from that smaller landmass, indicating multiple cities of his people and their unwavering dedication to protecting the environment.

Breathing deeply of the musky air while turning away from the view, the fleetmaster tried to think what his enemy would do.

His best option was to get the Corvettes among the enemy before they could react. Simply letting them charge into the maws of massed firepower would accomplish nothing. The Seran's had adapted to that tactic as evidenced at Convel. A lone fleet could easily weather that massed storm if prepared.

"Perhaps a trap of our own?" Thinking feverishly, he could come up with only one possible solution, and that would only delay the inevitable. Looking across the table at his tactical officer, Tril'va tried to focus despite the fatigue and looming threat of coming death.

"Or use a similar Seran tactic? They love to use their slipspace drives to appear among our formations and sow destruction. Perhaps we can do the same with our own ships to a degree"

"Calculate an optimal strike with our corvettes using FTL speeds against the Coalition fleets" Studying his current force dispositions, Tril'va's scowl deepened. Just waiting in the orbit of Le'hak would accomplish nothing. The Seran's would just open fire, not concerned with the damage or loss of life suffered on the world below.

His officer looked up, his scales of brown and splotched greens coated with a sheen of humid air. "Fleetmaster" he rasped, his calculations playing out in a simulation.

At best, based on Coalition capabilities, he could expect to deal fifteen percent losses against the Seran's.

That was nowhere near enough to satisfy him. "Run it again, but with our forces deployed here and here" he simply pointed, hoping to increase the chances of incurring heavy casualties. The simulation ran again, resulting in Tril'va unleashing a reptilian grunt of approval.

It would have to do.

"Send orders to deploy immediately. We will only have once chance to strike, so implore that mistake's will not be tolerated" Bracing his hands against the railing, the fleetmaster took one last look at the sacred world of Le'hak, knowing it would soon burn.

Le'hak System. 2nd of Heat. 423 A.E. (Sixteen hours later)

Ephyra slid out the spatial rupture, the Monitor class warship one of hundreds entering the outer fringes of the star system. The 5th fleet was spread across hundreds of miles of empty void, the warships and squadrons taking positions in their defensive envelopes. Situated below and above the planetary elliptical, the fleet was soon joined by the 3rd entering half a million miles away.

Pickets swept their sensors before them, taking in fresh tactical data of the six planet system as the two fleets held station among whips of stellar matter. For the most part, the uninhabitable worlds were pretty standard. Two gas giants of swirling purple and blue, a desolate rocky world with an ammonia atmosphere. Its only notable value was the massive sprawl of a shipyard hanging above that poisonous world and the other industries.

But the prize was the third planet and it's two moons. The transmissions coming off that world had significantly dropped, but everybody knew the Klor'vian's were there.

"Sir. The enemy fleet is gone. No signs of any enemy vessels"

Adrian Trescu grunted from his command chair, the report dismissed. "Like hell they would just leave a planet like this for us to find. It would go against their fanaticism. No, our advanced pickets detected nearly two thousand of those damned suicide craft yesterday. Which means they have to somewhere" Scowling, he could guess that his enemy counterpart was trying to set a trap of his own, but where would the strike come from?

"A surprise charge from one of the gas giants? Hidden behind the colony itself? A massed suicide run from the inner system after we begin bombardment? Where are they?"

He didn't like the implications that the Toads were adapting a new battle plan or tactic. They may be genocidal fanatics, but they weren't dumb.

They just had a foolish system of government that fell before the might of religion. A guaranteed way to lose a war such as this.

"I want all ships on full defensive readiness. Ignore the colony for now, that can wait. We must secure the system first"

"Sir" comms relayed as the orders were sent out. The Coalition vessels began to move further into the Le'hak system at sub-light, their engines burning a harsh blue among the silent sea of void.

Sensors flared among the combined fleet ten minutes later as they crossed the orbital lane of the outer gas giants, the large planets several million miles away. Among the roiling upper atmosphere, a full fleet of suicide craft broke from the storms, their engines surging with a buildup of energies.

"SIR! Caliphate vessels are emerging from the gas giant's atmosphere! They're preparing to jump!" the crewman shouted out as more sensor data was fed to the flagship. "A second fleet has appeared from behind the fourth planet near the shipyards! They're readying jump drives!"

The massed fleets of the Caliphate entered FTL in the next five seconds, leaving nothing in their wake as they targeted the Seran's for destruction.

Von took immediate action, the A.I. slaving the controls of the Ephyra and the 5th fleet in an attempt to avoid the suicidal enemy. It was a massively taxing effort on his part, the computational duty alone coupled with actually steering the ships in a frantic download across the command network.

The frightening thing for the floating cube was that while he could track the pathways of the charging ships in FTL, they matched his efforts to some degree as they turned at light speed velocities. An act that no doubt liquified the crews from the sheer gravitic forces.

Not even the Coalition could turn their ships in slipspace. It was a straight line between to points. Studying Caliphate engines had concluded they worked on that universal principle just like any other engines that flew a ship among the stars. To fight against it meant a crew turned to jelly at worst or incapacitated if they were lucky. And judging by how suicidal this species was for their religious beliefs, it was safe to assume they were already dead during that first light speed turn.

Von did the best he could in the seventeen seconds of time he had to calculate the optimal chances for survival, but even so…it was going to be dreadful.

Of course, the Seran crews among the 5th fleet realized what was happening as the officers ordered a pre-emptive fire of secondary fusion warheads at their extreme range, coupled with a follow-up secondary barrage.

A wave of fusion suns bloomed at the outer edges of the defensive envelope of the 5th fleet, their heat and fire mixing in with a greenish hue of plasma detonations as the Caliphate vessels flew into the detonating wave of munitions.

Still, something always will get through even the best defense, and today was no exception.

Three hundred and twelve of the corvettes made it through the wall of exploding suns, their speed far to fast for Seran eyes to track. Unleashing their payload of plasma torpedoes at the last moment in a deadman's switch of destruction, the Toads ensured a slaughter of life.

Even as Seran defensive batteries screamed with desperation and hacked dozens of the incoming munitions from the void, more bore down on ships, their mass exploding against shields that flared with damage. Hull sizzled and melted among one hundred thirteen ships, the weapon eating away at bulkheads with a vile, glowing heat.

Of course, that was nothing compared with the suicidal impacts that ravaged the 4th and 2nd squadrons of Trescu's fleet. Tempest Haze, one of the newest Dreadnaughts to be commissioned in the last half year, took three plasma laden craft to her flank at faster than light velocities. The explosion of plasma ripped through the middle of the ship and near the bridge, gutting the vessel while killing the command crew in a flash of light and heat. Two thirds of the crew died with them, the melting hull spilling bodies, gases and debris to vacuum as she lost power.

A gnarled, twisted wreck of broken latticework that glowed with damage, it was a miracle she survived at all.

The Battleship Razor Hail bore a brunt at the forward bow, the explosion of plasma and impact crumpling or simply destroying the bridge and every forward compartment in a flash of green and spreading debris. Gasping with open wounds, it was like a third of the vessel had been cleaved away, leaving nothing but glowing armor and slagged hull. Sister cruisers Overwatch and Guardian each took three charging craft…a loss of all hands as the twin ships disappeared in a maelstrom of glowing energy and kinetic forces unable to be weathered.

By some miracle, the cruiser Sniper and her battlecruiser escorts escaped total destruction when the Toad ships charging for them suffered a catastrophic containment failure. Detonating a mere thousand feet away, the two ships still lost shields and suffered significant damage from the expanding cloud of plasma, but they survived.

Still, the 4th and 2nd squadrons suffered horrendous losses, each gutted to less than forty percent combat capability in less than a minute as two hundred and ninety three ships were consumed in the desperately vile tactic. With another hundred and thirteen ships damaged to varying degrees, the 5th fleet had suffered a devastating loss of life and vessels.

Ships floated among debris fields, hulls ripped open as interior bulkhead glowed. Spinning flotsam floated in the void, surrounded by the frozen corpses of Serans lost in the attack. Engines flickered, engineering crews desperately trying to keep their ships alive and powered.

"Aza! I need a targeting solution now!" Admiral Akari roared out, the losses stunning to herself and the crew.

"Sending solution to the fleet. Secondary enemy formation will be in range in thirty seconds. I Recommend a full fusion barrage immediately"

"Do it!" The normally calm and composed woman shouted, her palm slapping the armrest of her chair.

The 3rd fleet erupted in preparatory fire, a massed wall of fusion torpedoes and sprint missiles that flew through the inky blackness of the solar system. On a direct course with the remaining enemy, their speed and distance from the fourth world would be their downfall.

Simply put, they should have massed at one point instead of spreading their effectiveness.

A vast majority of the Caliphate ships simply couldn't avoid the massed wall of warheads that detonated before them, the velocity ripping apart hundreds before they even reached halfway to the fifth fleet. Coupled with the remnants of the 5th laying down several fresh barrages of missiles, the night sky glowed with detonating suns over the next few minutes as the enemy tried to force their way through.

Nesha'tov suffered a failure in her engines, dropping out of FTL as the secondary attack faltered and flamed out among the massed fire of the Seran's and the assistance of their A.I. Spouting air and water vapor from numerous hull breeches, the Dreadnaught was a sorry state.

Fleetmaster Tril'va knew these were his last moments, but he supposed his last battle had bore more fruit than expected. After all, he had destroyed nearly half a Coalition fleet in a single action.

"Drive toward the enemy flagship. Ensure one last strike for the honor of Klorta" He rasped among the billowing smoke and electrical fires. His officers complied with the final order, the main weapon of his ship glowing a disgusting green. Twin beams of hateful plasma shot from the weapon, burning across the void to smash against the Ephyra's shields. Keeping a sustained effort, the energy ate through the shields, melting and scarring the outer hull. Three laser defensive clusters were destroyed among that lancing plasma fire, the sections burned away as the remnants glowed with a sickening green.

Turning as her left flank bled air and vapor, the Monitor's own weapons glowed as her Hammer of Dawn fired four beams of heated energy, the reddish orange lances boring through the charging flagship. Killing the fleetmaster and his bridge crew, the Hammer of Dawn pushed through the floating wreck, ripping the Dreadnaught in half along its spine.

Dying as she split and disgorged crew, Nesha'tov joined the graveyard of ships while her wounds glowed.

Adrian Trescu sat silently in his chair for a moment, the casualty reports flooding in as his face took on a hard scowl. The enemy still had tricks up their sleeves, and he had paid for it despite his caution. Search and Rescue was already underway among his tattered command, doing their best to save those trapped among the gnarled wrecks.

"Admiral Akari will secure the system. Once it's determined there are no more enemy ships, she is to begin a full bombardment of the Caliphate world"

"Yes sir" the comms officer replied in acknowledgement, his voice hollow. After all, the navy had lost somewhere between thirty and forty thousand lives taking this system…a harrowing loss among a war that loomed without end.

Le'hak. 30th of Heat. 423 A.E.

Urdnot Wrex entered the drop pod with a grunt, the other Krogan already strapped in and waiting. Shouting and orders were floating around the bay as the 2nd C.A.G. division loaded up among the pods of the Kaliso assault transport.

It was a mixed division, the Seran's not particularly caring about ancient feuds between clans of Krogan, or if a Turian was jumping with one of the few Quarians that had braved the training.

"I heard that we get to drop right along some veteran combat divisions. Seran's that already fought across Toad One" The other Krogan mentioned casually as Wrex secured himself.

"I had heard that too. Means we don't have to worry about green troops getting in our way. It's better to fight among blooded troops"

The pods door slid shut with a hiss and lock, securing the two larger beings. The sensation of movement was felt by both as the single use pod, along with thousands of others that slid along tracks to be jettisoned into the high orbit of the world.

Wrex felt himself spinning for a moment before the targeting computer re-averted itself, the tiny window giving a flash of vision of the world below.

Some portions of the planet were on fire, massive storms that consumed ruined cities, towns and forests alike. After all, the Seran's had unleashed a brutal bombardment across the world, a near month long of expending munitions and softening up any targets they could identify.

"A billion of those fanatics lived down there"

Wrex grunted. "Not anymore"

The wait was minimal and without fanfare, the pod falling toward the planet in a massed invasion that numbered nearly two million Gears and supporting elements.

Fire licked at the exterior, flames dancing as Urdnot Wrex plummeted to the world below. Howling wind and friction passed the pod, shaking the two Krogan with a constant vibration. Joined in a falling sphere, the 12th battalion of the 2nd C.A.G. homed in on their target drop zone.

It was directly north of a river that cut through one of the southern most cities, the churning ribbon of water cutting through half the continent on a western pathway to the ocean. Cutting through several towns and bombarded urban centers, this river was the first major obstacle to take.

Slamming through a half broken roof, the drop pod skewered to the left, punching through a supporting wall before resting at a haphazard angle. Wrex quickly grabbed his lancer as the door exploded off its hinges. Falling with a clang, the two Krogan stepped out into the blasted ruins, the rotting corpses of several dead aliens covering the stone floor of this former structure.

The skyline was cracked, ruined structures standing like broken teeth as the first wave continued to land among the devastation. To the left, or Wrex's south was the river, the quay's cracked and crumbling from the massive bombardment. Buildings along the bank were a gutted mess of ruin, their facades crumbling brick and stone to the streets below.

The stink of rot and death filled the air, almost choking with vileness.

A slight shifting of movement in a gutted building across the roadway had Wrex moving before he knew it, his mass falling into cover below a window sill. Glass crunched below his boots as tracers and gunfire popped, small arms raking his position.

"Heh. Finally!" Popping up, the massive Krogan returned fire, a smattering of rounds flaying the air as alien yells and shouts erupted over the noise. Ducking back down, Wrex shifted to the left, his bulk hugging the broken doorway as his partner fired a few rounds, trying to keep the enemy busy.

A drop pod fell into the street, the door flying off with a tiny explosion. The Toads holding the second and third floors of the building opened up with murderous fire, killing the soldiers within before recentering their efforts on the invaders.

Rushing footfalls joined the two as several Turian's and Captain Kaga Mumi arrived, giving an increase of firepower in the shattered ruins of this city. A former Asari commando, the captain was well versed in biotics as she erected a kinetic barrier that expanded in half a circle, the rippling blue energy field taking constant hits.

"MOVE!" The purple skinned Captain yelled, her voice straining under the gunfire hammer blows.

Wrex charged out of the doorway, rushing in a low crouch across the cratered road with six others following close under the protective dome of Captain Mumi. Gunfire spattered the barrier, reflecting a rippling blue as Wrex reached the blown out window of the former business. Running up the small incline of rubble, Urdnot breeched the first floor.

"VERMIN FILTH!" A Klor'vian charged with his own lancer, his armor lined with green lights and covered in dust. His facial scales were a splotch of brown and vomit green while yellow, vertical eyes narrowed in rage. The chainsaw howled as Wrex answered in kind, his lancer blades spinning as both soldiers clashed among the ruins of the store.

"Eat shit and die!" Urdnot yelled as sparks flew and churning teeth howled. Pushing his mass forward, the Krogan strained his muscles as his face bore a snarl. Breaking through the duel with his superior strength and mass, he plunged the lancer into the shoulder clavicle of the alien. Howls of agony reverberated against the walls as green blood sprayed in an ichor across his chest plate and lower chin, decorating it with gore.

Finishing the execution, Wrex grinned as his emotions rose. "Yes…YES! It's been too long since I've tasted war!" Crushing the remains underfoot, he ran toward the stairwell with rivulets of green gore running down his armor. Thundering up the employee passage to the second floor, another enemy fired downward at him.

Three bullets slammed into Wrex's battle plate, staggering and enraging him. Charging with his chainsaw churning once more, this second enemy didn't have enough time to avoid death as the rifle was brought down at the shoulder, creating another horror of spraying blood and gore with churning teeth.

"Hehehehe…that was a messy one"

Kicking the corpse away, Wrex took cover behind a low wall of brick as several enemy troops fired from positions of cover among the second floor. Hunkered down in the heavily damaged stairwell and attached hallway, a gap of damage in the nearby exterior wall would allow most to see the next building they would have to secure.

"Take them out! Sergeant Florinius! Take your squad and clear that third floor!" Mumi yelled as she took cover next to Wrex, the Asari momentarily popping up to return fire at the enemy.

"Yes sir!" A nearby Turian shouted over the heavy gunfire as he rushed up the third flight of steps with another ten men and women.

Another Asari screamed, her voice a shrill howl of agony as a burst caught her in the chest, the armor unable to withstand the ravaging effects of that many rounds. A few grenades tumbled through the air, most of them landing along the opposite side of the wall. One however, made it to land among two Turian's and a Salarian at the far end of the building, the burst of plasma energy a nightmare of greenish heat that ate at flesh without care or mercy.

Only one of the Turian's lived to howl in agony, his hands clutching the stump of his leg while gunfire flew and popped through the air. His flesh and armor burned green, the plasma eating at the wound.

"Damn! Medic!" Mumi hollered as she gathered a biotic warp field in her hands. Launching the ability from cover, the rush of blue energy slammed into three of the Toads across the room, sending them flying against the wall.

Fire momentarily slackened, an opening for the auxiliary Gears to lay down their own fusillade of rounds. Gunfire raged, the echoes of noise so loud it rang the ears of all. Obviously, the trio of Klor'vians that had been stunned were gunned down without mercy, the enemy soldiers unable to recover as their comrades were whittled down and killed in the ensuing firefight.

The room went silent, only a few lasting gunshots ringing from above as Sergeant Florinius cleared the third floor. Captain Mumi stood, walking over to the two dead. Retrieving their tags, she pocketed them as their combat medic treated the ghastly wounds of the Turian still clinging to life.

One thing as an Asari Commando, and now, a Captain in the Cog had taught her was casualties would happen. Raising her left wrist, the modified omni-tool glowed.

"We'll use this building as a temporary shelter for wounded and as a rally point" Highlighting the co-ordinates, she sent it to her scattered company that had fallen across the area. Looking up as Sergeant Florinius reappeared with splatters of greenish blood across his armor, the Turian reported.

"Captain. The building is secure. Lost private Solin and Private Hagen has minor wounds"

"Alright. Establish a defensive perimeter and sight lines. Place the wound—" An explosion rocked the far wall, greenish heat licking at the shattered brick as dust and smoke filled the air. Two Terrans that had been near the wall were tossed, the blast flinging them across the floor. Both groaning from the concussive blast, they both suffered broken bones from effects.

Gunfire poured into the gaping maw, a steady stream of machine gun rounds that shattered the air and dug into the walls along the length of the building.

"Stay down!" Wrex roared out as he ran to the crumbling wall wound, his mass crunching fresh brick and mortar. The gunfire was a murderous crescendo of noise while the soldiers stacked up on either side or crawled to safety. Taking a quick peek around the ravaged wall, Wrex was treated to the sight of the next building across the alley crawling with several more enemy soldiers.

It was a gutted mess, half the floors collapsed to the north in a slanted pancake of debris and rubble. A gaping maw from the opposing second floor held a machine gun crew, the two Toads hastily firing as riflemen put up a constant stream of rounds across the tiny gap. At the last window on the left was a Klor'vian with a large weapon, the alien shouting something to his loader.

"Somebody snipe that rocket team!" Urdnot hollered as he slightly exposed himself to fire, his rifle chattering. Pulling back with little to show for it, the Krogan reloaded, dropping a spent magazine to the floor with a clatter.

A Terran rushed to the stairwell gap, the human from Earth taking a crouch as he and a Turian started to lay down a barrage of rounds across the gap.

Captain Mumi could feel the dust clinging to her skin as the latest firefight raged between the two buildings while her ears still rang from the blast.

"Grenades!" She yelled as an order. Grabbing a simple fragmentation, she stepped out and threw the orb like a pitcher, the bomb landing inside the opposing building with several others. Stepping back as fast as she threw, a round cracked past her face, the bullets passage a wave of air.

She tried not to think how close to death she had just been.

The blast erupted a second later among howls of wounds and shrapnel, silencing the machine gun in the other building.

Wrex leaned out again, putting ten rounds into a Klor'vian attempting to reach the machine gun. His breast plate cracked and ruptured under the barrage, death the only option as his comraded kept up a constant pressure.

Still, rifle fire erupted from several windows as the Toads kept up a steady exchange of rounds.

"Urdnot! Take some men and try to flank these bastards!" the Asari Captain shouted as she took his place, the female alien building up another warp attack.

"You got it" Rushing down the nearby staircase, Wrex took a few Krogan and Turian's with him, the large Krogan rushing to the front of the building. Stepping onto the road, the group moved along the store front in a rush. Coming to the corner of the building, another alleyway loomed.

Clogged with rubble, the next building had fully collapsed, blocking the narrow path.

"Through the building" He grunted as reports of battle echoed from multiple points across the urban center. Entering a doorway, the collapse had created a narrow passage of fallen beams and debris like a haphazard tunnel. Reaching the end, it led to the north-south pathway between buildings. Looking south, the firefight between the two groups still raged, a horrible crescendo of noise and tracers.

The corner of the building was missing, the bombardment damage easily identified as Wrex switched to his Gnasher. Loaded with Thermic shot shells, they would be devastating in close quarters as the group rushed forward into the gap.

A three round burst from a Klor'vian snapped past Wrex's ears, the Turian behind him literally losing his head as it exploded into a blue mush paste. The body fell among the rubble as Wrex fired, the thermic shot punching through the enemy armor in a blaze of melting fire. Working the lever, he fired again, killing the beast before taking cover at a pillar. The others took places among the ruins, some behind other support pillars and others behind furniture.

Gunfire raged, snapping and popping from the hostile aliens on the ground floor as the two fired off exchanges. Popping out, Wrex fired another slug at a charging toad, the enemy trying to close with it's lancer churning and screaming.

The upper half of the helmeted alien's head disappeared into a burning paste, but Wrex really didn't care as he retook his cover. "You three! Toss grenades!" He yelled out while bullets snapped past him. Working another slug, Wrex fired again, the buckshot burning into the far wall.

Enemy grenades sailed through the air toward his position, and the Krogan was not foolish enough to wait for them. Running to the right, bullets slammed into his flank, staggering the large Krogan with a grunt of pain.

Getting shot, even if the amor stopped it still hurt like hell.

Plasma bursts burned where he had stood, the splashing green energy eating at materials with a hiss like acid.

Fragmentations burst among a trio of Toads, blowing them apart as a fourth was ravaged by shrapnel. Rushing forward as the last two enemy tried to retreat to the stairs, the Turian's lay down a fresh hell of gunfire, mortally wounding the last two.

Stepping forward, one of the Turian's flipped the switch of his lancer, plunging the screaming blades into the last wounded.

"Spirits…that is really messy" Private Meldus muttered with a hint of horror. Wiping a few speckles of gore from his silver plated chin, he quickly crossed the room to the enclosed staircase. Gathering, the five remaining soldiers checked weapons while gunfire raged above, the steady staccato of machine gun rounds a constant thunder.

Wrex glanced at Private Vorge, a fellow Krogan from the Juksor clan.

He had a scorcher, the weapon gripped firmly in his massive hands while the tank of jellied napalm hung from his back.

"We get up there, hose em' down. These guys are pissing me off"

An explosion rumbled the ceiling, raining down dust as Vorge grinned, the younger Krogan eager to prove himself in battle.

"I'll roast us up some frog legs" chuckling morbidly, Wrex led the way up the staircase, their footfalls a thunder of noise.

Not that the enemy would hear over the roar of gunfire and combat.

Stepping onto the second floor landing, Wrex took cover at a low wall of sand colored brick, the interior room a crumbling mess that angled downward to his left from bombardment damage. Vorge ran forward into the main room, already aiming the nozzle of his weapon at the Klor'vian firing line hunkered down at the exterior wall of the building.

"Burn!"

Napalm erupted from the nozzle, a squirting flame of fire and heat that washed over the tiny garrison of alien troops. There had only been five left, each intent on killing Captain Mumi and his fellow comrades in arms.

Howls of screams and burning flesh erupted, the vile stench of meat washing over the gathered Gears as the Toads writhed and died. Stomping the head of a fallen foe with a sickening crunch half a minute later, Wrex called out from the rubble strewn hole.

"Captain. Building secured" Waving a hand, he made sure not to fully expose himself just in case.

The Asari poked her head out from cover across the alleyway, her purple tinted facial features covered in dust and grime. "Maintain position. The rest of the company is pushing toward us from the west along the river. We'll link up and establish a proper line with the rest of the battalion" Letting out a weary sigh, the former commando turned her gaze skyward as several main fleet transports began to lower through the atmosphere toward the devastated city along the southern coast.

The noise of war was a constant thunder around them, but for the moment, Wrex and his company could take a small breather.

Le'hak, 19th of Bloom, 423 A.E.

Coalition forces had advanced quickly across the southern half of the first continent, a line of advancement that surged across the farmlands and forests of this enemy world. Aside from the initial landings three week prior, most enemy contact had been minimal as those bombarded, ash clogged cities only served as a temporary measure.

Unfortunately, those wide open plains and gentle hillocks to the south had fallen away to heavily wooded hills and low mountains that stretched East to West. While not towering, they were a significant physical barrier for the Coalition and their military campaign to exterminate this species. Coupling this with numerous rivers, lakes and several swamplands wedged between valleys had ensured a drastic reduction in advancement.

Obviously, the fleet parked in orbit had revisited heavy bombardment on the hills, including Hammer of Dawn fire that charred the woods and surfaces to charred kindling. But most of the veterans knew that the Toads had dug in, turning the entire low mountain range into a fortified line of subterranean bunkers, pillboxes, emerging artillery gaps and interlocking fields of fire for any who approached.

It would be bloody digging them out, no matter what.

Sergeant Lea Kaliso hated this place.

Don't get her wrong, she hated this whole damn Toad planet, but this particular town really pissed her off.

"Well…if you could still call it a town" She idly thought as the deluge of rain poured down from the sky. Bluish lightning cracked with thunder across the evening sky, mixing in with the constant rumble of artillery hitting the enemy positions across the valley.

Rainwater leaked through the broken floorboards above, spilling through multiple gaps as her nearby squad attempted to stay dry in the bombed out basement of this former home. Most of the upper floors were missing, simply pulverized during the initial orbital bombardment as the sky continued to pour buckets of water.

Even part of the basement had caved in, but her Gears had adapted, digging out a trench line to the next home one hundred feet away. In fact, the entire hill and town was held by the 9th Tri-Ostrian Rifles, with the 6th company of the 17th Battalion taking the eastern flank.

Across a narrow valley of burned out vehicles, pavement, and scorched earth, the 2nd C.A.G. Division held the next series of hamlets and hills, connecting the line.

Lea internally shrugged at the thought of Turians, Krogan and Terrans a few hundred yards away, fighting the same enemy as her. As long as they fought, she really didn't care where they came from.

The artillery stopped, almost on time as more lightning cracked the sky.

A small temptation to study the area between her position and the Caliphate held hills to the north was quickly crushed.

They had snipers picking off stupid fools raising their heads, just like they were doing the same. Besides, they had aerial drones if she had a need to study the charred landscape of ash and destruction between this town and the enemy.

"Man. Why can't fleet just hit them with the Hammer? Burn these bastards out so we can stroll in?" One of the new men to her rebuilt squad complained.

Lea continued to sit on the wooden chair in the corner, hidden under several planks of wood that attempted to keep her dry. Looking at Private Vanochek, she shook her head.

"They already did that. Along with standard MAC and even Thermic slugs. Our probing attack yesterday proved that they still hold those hills and are dug in deep. Just like Toad One" Scowling as some water dripped down her face covered in tattoo's, she decided to check on the rest of Lima squad as the rookies continued to bitch about the weather and lack of fleet efforts to make their lives easier.

"Damn kids" walking in a hunched crouch, she wanted to make sure the Thermic Lance team was sighted properly. Lea knew they were since she just checked an hour ago, but the weather was shit and those guys only had a tarp to keep them dry.

Walking past several Gears that had filled out 6th company since their last battle, she really didn't know any of them, only going by the names stenciled on their chest plate.

Odds are, more of them would be dead by the time this planet was pacified. What was the point in knowing people that would die soon?

Arriving at the gun pit, the two Gears had been talking quietly, water leaking down from the tarp as multiple sandbags gave a tiny sense of cover and concealment. At least they were fully enclosed in their armor, keeping them dry from the elements.

"Any movement?" Kaliso asked simply, her voice carrying a sense of exhaustion.

"Nothing Sarge. Just rain and ash. Makes for a great soup to feed the Toads"

"I'd shove it down their fucking throats" Earning a small chuckle from the two men, she studied a small screen that had been propped up in the corner, the early sensor net constantly scanning the valley before them.

All it showed was images of a hellscape, churned up by war.

Leaving, Lea continued her rounds of the squad, checking on the men and women under her command before returning to that bombed out basement.

The attack came at midnight during the worst of the storm.

Artillery pieces and Caliphate mortars that had been hidden in depressions, dug-outs, or protected bunkers opened fire across the whole line with some of the larger artillery pieces rolling out past hidden blast doors.

Plasma bombs and standard shells rained down from coast to coast, a hellish thunder of shrapnel, steel, and vile energy that could melt a Seran. Bombs fell among trenches and observation posts, killing and maiming those unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And the noise…it was like being under lucifer's hammer as the ground shook and reverberated under the massive, continent spanning barrage.

Lea Kaliso hugged the dirt wall like many others as bombs burst, the soil a rich stench as mud and dirt covered her. A plasma bomb plunged into the trench line to the West, a cacophony of screams and howls rising for a moment among the falling rain.

She wasn't afraid to admit the terror clutched at her heart and mind as a nearby shell landed in the churned soil twenty feet away, kicking up a plume of dirt and mud that rained down.

Counter-battery fire had responded quickly, trying to knock out the Caliphate abilities as the hated aliens continued to bombard the line.

A plasma bomb burst in the basement of the nearby house, killing five Gears in a flash of green light, not that Sergeant Kaliso could do anything about it.

For a full hour, the Toads kept up the barrage of artillery, the bombs killing and maiming indiscriminately while rain continued to pour down.

When it stopped, the silence was deafening to Lea as the ringing assaulted her ears.

"UP! UP DAMMIT!" She roared while yanking a stunned Private Vanochek to his feet. "Get your rifle ready solider!" Running along the shallow trench toward the Thermic Lance Team, she quickly found what was left of them spread across the gun pit, their armor, training and experience unable to withstand a burst of shrapnel.

It was a grotesque sight, but Lea didn't have time to mourn them as the ravaged sensor net flared with alarms.

Movement.

Rushing toward the depression between the sandbags, her eyes widened as Toad infantry was momentarily lit up by a flash of lightning, their numbers a terrifying prospect.

She activated comms, her voice a strained crack of fear and stress. "This is Sergeant Lea Kaliso! Toads in the open! Toads in the open! They're attacking!"

Looking at the nearby Thermic Lance laying on the floor and splashed with some blood, she found it undamaged by a miracle of fate. Picking it up, she sighted the massed assault of Caliphate infantry surging across the land and near the ravaged hi-way between the hills.

Firing, the superheated charge lashed out among the night, blowing up among a knot of enemy infantry while spreading pieces of them through the night air and falling rain.

Gunfire reports started to ring out, mixing with tracers all along the line, but the Toads did the same, their rifles like pinpoints of deadly light as they started to run and hop.

She hated how high these bastards could jump.

Reloading another charge, Lea fired again into the churned valley, the splashing damage consuming three of the enemy and maiming six more. Unfortunately, they kept charging forward, their battle cry rising above the sound of battle and screaming gunfire.

"FOR KLORTA! DESTROY THE VERMIN!"

Kaliso didn't have time to load another lance as bullets snapped into the opening and among the sandbags, the enemy fire horribly accurate. Abandoning the post, she re-entered the main trench line as Gears stood and fired over the top, their rifles chattering.

"There's a million of them!" Vonochek screamed out as he fired, his rifle a chatter of ear numbing noise.

Stepping up next to him, Lea leveled her own rifle, targeting the mass of enemy as they continued to charge across the cratered landscape. "Just keep firing!" Sending a long burst downrange, she thought one of the monsters howled in pain and rage from her efforts, but there was so much crap flying around it could've been anybody.

Several machine guns began to chatter, a hellish ripping of tracers and lead that began to chew into the enemy formation.

But the enemy kept coming, a mad, religious fervor that united their species to commit a constant stream of atrocities against sentient life across the galaxy.

Lea's rifle clicked empty, the Sergeant ducking down to reload as random bullets cracked above her. Vonochek screamed with a gurgle, a random round ripping half his throat away between his helmet and chest piece. The combat material was weakest there, and he really didn't have a chance as he fell backwards.

"Damn! Hol—"

He was already gone, the blood a furious pumping as his hands went limp. Leaving the body, Kaliso reloaded and began to fire over the lip of dirt once more. Bullets and bursting grenades flayed the trench line and advancing enemy, but their madness compelled them forward toward destruction.

A toad jumped, his powerful legs making him soar over Kaliso before landing on the haphazard corpse of the dead rookie. Stumbling with his footing, that moment sealed his life.

"DIE YOU MONSTER!" Lea roared in hatred to this vile enemy. The Toad tried to raise his rifle in time but failed to block as Lea plunged the churning teeth into his shoulder. Sparks flew against the armor…then green blood and flesh that sprayed gore across the combat veteran. Screaming erupted from the Klor'vian, but it was short lived as he came apart, the remains falling away in horror.

Another few Toads jumped into the trench further West, engaging several Gears with chainsaw bayonets and gunfire. Running up as an enemy managed to saw through a Gear from her squad with a horrific spray of crimson and screams, Lea flipped her lancer and plunged it into the back of the beast with the teeth churning once more.

"EAT SHIT AND DIE!"

The Toad's stomach erupted in gore and blood as Lea lifted upward, a long carving of flesh through the chest cavity that literally split the alien in half. With the pieces barely falling away, she shot another of the Toads in the back with an eight round burst, the bullets shattering the armor as it fell to the mud. Stomping its head in with ease, she rose to the lip of dirt.

"Don't just stand there, fight!" Opening fire into the charging mass as artillery began to fall among the clusters of aliens, the Gears poured machine gun, rifle fire, and thermic lances into the charging enemy as the battle raged and raged among the falling rain and cracks of lightning.

Morning brought a bathing sunshine to the land, sunlight pouring down on the carnage of bodies blown apart, shot, or mangled beyond recognition. A sea of corpses covered the valley floor between the enemy armies, a mess that would soon stink and rot to vile proportions.

Not that it mattered to Sergeant Kaliso as the line of Centaur M.B.T's pushed forward along the broken roadway, their mass pushing or crushing vehicles on the counter-attack to the Caliphate held hills.

The lieutenant was dead, killed during the massed artillery barrage last night. Half of Lima squad was either dead or wounded, cutting their effectiveness in half. Unfortunately, 6th company had suffered numerous casualties during the battle, which was why Lea found herself in charge of 4th platoon for the time being.

A pillbox dug into the side of the hill to the left of the highway opened up, a chattering of rounds that sparked and pinged off of the furthest tank. The turret rotated, a concussive blast of noise and shell responding in kind to blow apart the tiny fortification.

But it wasn't silenced as some brave Klor'vian fired a rocket laced with plasma, the high speed munition slamming into the Centaurs side in a flare of light and noise. Eating at the armor, the tank stopped and fired again while acrid smoke belched, the shell caving in the pillbox and hopefully killing the alien.

Sadly for 6th company and the entire 9th Tri-Ostrian Rifles, they didn't get to advance along the roadway. No…they got to cross the churned wasteland of broken corpses, shell holes and mud while the fresh reinforcements flew above on the vertical lift Ravens. Their twin, turbo-lift engines howled as they speared forward to the hills, settling low to disgorge troops from above.

Bullets snapped out from bunkers, a scythe of tracers and machine gun rounds that dug into several men and women, maiming and killing. But it was broken and ineffective.

After all, that attack they launched last night had gutted them. A foolish, straightforward tactic that wasted lives on a massive scale.

"They should have just waited for us to come to them. At least, that's what I would've done" Lea momentarily thought as she ran in a crouch across uneven ground. The bodies of twisted aliens were everywhere, tripping many Gears just by happenstance.

Rushing toward a recessed bunker that was hidden in the fire blasted slope, the Toads inside fired with another machine gun, the tracers flying above her head as Lea dove among a knot of corpses. The green gore of entrails filled her nostrils, a wretched sight and stench as she crawled.

"STAY LOW AND KEEP ADVANCING!" She shouted as the bullets cracked above her head. Crawling forward, she tried to ignore the fact she was literally crawling through a sea of corpses.

At least she wasn't the only one.

A thermic lance burned above her head, slamming into the machine gun nest, the superheated material earning alien screams as it ate flesh and burned scales.

"UP!" Surging to her feet, Lea sprinted across the landscape as random rounds cracked past, reaching the slowly rising hills half a minute later. Climbing the ascending dirt among charred trees, she reached the bunker. Resting on the hill to the left, Lea primed a grenade as several other Gears of her squad finally arrived.

Alien voices shouted inside, anger and hatred among the guttural, dark tone. Throwing the grenade inside, it burst with a bang as the aliens screamed.

"Sarge! We found the door!" a helmeted female roared above the pulsating sounds of combat and gunfire.

Sliding over as fire spat from another slit bunker further up the hill, Kaliso joined the group in a narrow, L-shaped cut between two mounds of dirt. Protected by the surrounding walls of dirt and supporting logs, it was practically undamaged. Comprised of heavy steel, the blast door obviously did its job despite the horrific bombardment of the fleet and artillery.

"Charges! Rip that door!" Lea shouted in command. Moving out of the way as a man carrying breeching charges rushed up, the Gears took cover a minute later as the explosive blew, the shrapnel and blast traveling along the narrow twist of pathway.

"GO! GET YOUR ASSES INSIDE!" Kaliso shouted, waving numerous Gears through the fresh breech as machine gun and rifle rounds continued to track across the battered valley. Several crumps of mortars and plasma rockets screamed form further West, enacting more suffering and death.

Rushing inside, the passage was dank and dark with minimal lighting while reports of echoing gunfire reverberated among the walls. The pathway to the right sloped downward, matching the hills exterior while leading to a lower level of hard packed stairs of stone and concrete. Lea ignored it for now, the task of securing the upper floors a priority.

Rushing forward, the female Gear ran along the wall before ducking into a small room, the interior lined with bunks. A dead Klor'vain was inside, shot to death as bullets and screams roared from ahead. Leaning around the beam of supporting wood, Lea shot at a Toad switching positions, her bullets smashing armor but failing to kill the beast as it stumbled behind a series of crates.

"VERMIN FILTH!" A guttural, reptilian voice howled from beyond, belonging to quite the large Toad equipped with a large tank on his back. Helmeted lenses of green glowed as the alien aimed a nozzle, the tip lit with emerald.

It erupted in a greenish, blobbing super heated flame of plasma, cooking three Gears alive as they screamed in unimaginable agony. Spreading the cone of plasma across the bunker hallway, the Toad laughed at the suffering it committed. "KLORTA WILL SEE YOU DESTROYED! HAHAHAHA!"

Lea could only take cover, her form hiding in the small bunk room as licks of plasma roared past. Sputtering out, she immediately leaned out and fired a ten round burst at the monster, six of those rounds smashing through the collarbone while three more punched the plasma tank, the large cylinder flaring with damage.

It exploded in a ball of green, the Toad blown apart into a limb spewed ichor that splattered the nearby walls.

Kaliso flung a grenade for good measure, the small orb landing near the wounded alien she had shot before. Shrapnel ripped the creature apart, maiming three others by happenstance.

Moans and screams of badly wounded men and women only added to the horror of the smell, the stench making Lea want to vomit as she stepped out of safety. She barely managed to keep it down while crouching near a man, his leg a charred mess of green material and charred skin that still sizzled.

"S…sarge…"

"Stay quiet" Applying some Kelto med-gel to the worst of the leg, the private screamed in agony at the salve.

Footsteps of rushing troops were coming from further ahead, accompanied by alien taunts and grunts. Their armor glowed green along with the eyeholes of their lenses, adding an insidious look to their advancing forms in the low lighting.

Looking hastily around for help, Kaliso found herself alone, the only one's alive wounded and crying for help from the plasma thrower attack.

"FUCK!" Running forward to a pile of crates, the Sergeant threw a thermite grenade in the hopes of slowing down the counter-attack. Tossing a flash-bang seconds later, she ducked down as the flashbang burst, flashing the corridor with light. Moments later the Thermite blew, sending burning shards into armor and flesh.

Alien howls were her que, Lea popping up and laying down a full magazine into the group of aliens.

She killed five, but the other seven managed to reach cover, laying down a barrage of rounds from alcoves and tiny storage rooms. Bullets smashed her cover, the ping of rounds a deadly noise as she frantically reloaded.

Private Hallet still had his boomshot, despite the fact most of his body was cooked meat. Scrambling for the weapon from the dead Gear, Lea made sure it was loaded with a pop of the cylinder.

It was.

"You're dying Seran! Your whole species deserves extinction!" One of the Toads taunted, the alien firing a long burst that kept Lea's head down. She was pinned down by a constant stream of rounds, the enemy no doubt already rushing forward.

Kaliso blind-fired the Boomshot, not really caring where the projectile landed. Spearing through the air, it burst against the right side wall of dirt and supporting beams, spreading a cone of shrapnel and concussive force to toss two of the aliens to the dirt floor.

Popping up, she fired the next round in the grenade launcher, aiming directly at a Toad rushing up.

He blew apart into a green paste of flesh and bone, the ichor splattering as Kaliso fired again and again and again, her efforts killing the entire alien squad in a cone of bursting shrapnel, shards and spreading flesh.

"MEDIC! We have wounded here!" a Gear yelled, the thunder of fresh footfalls filling the hallway as reinforcements arrived.

"Third and Second Platoon! Secure the lower levels!" Captain Galwich shouted, his helmet covered in mud and grime. "First Platoon, advance and secure this floor!" Stepping before, Kaliso, the Captain slumped slightly, the sight of so many dead and wounded from his company no doubt weighing on him.

"How are you, Lea?"

"Alive, sir. But most of my squad isn't" She didn't realize her hands were shaking, but the Captain saw. Her eyes were filled with horror, her voice a crack of stress from the horrific losses of her squad and platoon.

Another push today and she might break.

"I'm relieving you of duty for twenty six hours. Report to the battalion aid camp back in town. Rest, eat some warm food and take a shower. If you see the need, the battalion psychiatrist is available"

Lea shot up, her tremor gone with anger. "Captain! I can still fight! The enemy is breaking and in retreat!"

"You're at the end of your rope, Gear! You will be relieved by force if necessary for two days! Do I make myself clear, Sergeant!?"

Lea felt her hand shaking again, looking down at the trembling gloved palm. "Sir" Walking briskly past the Captain, Lea stepped outside.

Smoke burned from several Centaur Tanks along the cracked and cratered hi-way nearby, the wrecks sitting along charred vehicles. Distant artillery boomed, sending shells further ahead to the next series of hills and low mountains.

The charred landscape was a sight from hell, especially with the bright sun started to rot the fallen aliens that choked the valley floor.

Lea had no doubt they would be left there or simply burned by Scorcher teams later on, just to deal with the stench.

The risk of disease and sickness would be too great, especially if they were reduced to this slow slog along every hill and fortified bunker.

Ambling toward the span of roadway, Sergeant Kaliso found herself sitting on the charred hoot of a ground transport, the driver inside a mess of rotted scales and crawling insects. Running a hand through her hair, Lea found herself exhausted as grime coated her facial tattoos.

Her hands still shook and trembled.

"Hard day?"

Looking up, Lea was surprised to see an Asari Captain, the purple hued alien just as filthy with grime and flecks of blood as herself.

"Yeah…you could say that" Grasping her hand, Lea tried to control the shaking. She should report to medical at the rear, but the act of walking seemed lost to her for the moment.

"Captain Kaga Mumi. Second Company of the twelfth Battalion, Second C.A.G" Extending the hand, the Asari tried to smile, but the last few days had been hell for all.

Lea studied it for a moment, then shook it while another rumble of artillery bloomed through the sky. "Sergeant Lea Kaliso. Sixth Comapany, Seventeenth Battalion, Ninth Tri-Ostrian Rifles"

Looking past the Asari Captain, Lea eyed the approaching column of fresh Gears, marching in perfect uniformity. They were clean, no visible blemishes of shrapnel of bullet damage across any of their armor. Some joked, their joviality easily heard as officers lead them to the advancing front and next series of hills.

"Rookies. Poor kids" Lea muttered in sorrow, knowing the many of them would see the hell that this war was.

"I thought I knew what war was like as an Asari Commando. Fighting Batarian pirates is nothing compared to this" Going quiet with regret and sorrow, both females didn't say anything as tanks burned nearby with horrific pops.

The stream of replacements continued to march past, the churning Gears of War grinding forward.

Phew! That was another long one! Hope everybody enjoys it! Next Chapter will deal with the Council/ SA assault on Toad Two so expect more war, carnage and battle.

Also, hope nobody gives me grief over skipping the bombardment of Le'hak. I figured most readers can visualize what happened to most of the cities and towns.

AND! If you happen to read "Shifting Through Realities" I did update that recently so check if out if you'd like!

As always, read, review and enjoy!

This is the Happy signing off!