Chapter 9: Flexible Objectives
June 20, 2228.
The Crusade had started in the best way possible: two worlds reclaimed in the same day and with losses much inferior than the projections suggested. Now it was all about fighting a world after the other, with the Zann Consortium reportedly sending in even more troops to defend its investment in the Sector.
Still, morale was high among the clans. After honoring the dead and throwing a party, the warriors were ready to proceed toward the next stage of their campaign.
But first, Sabine watched the ceremony in front of her with a certain trepidation. Several Wren warriors had gathered in a circle at the center of which there was Tristan standing in front of a knee-sitting Moreena. The Duke was reciting a formula in Mando'a.
"Your peersjudged your strength...Worthy."
Each warrior was holding a durasteel spear, and they hit the ground at unison once the Duke said that last word.
"Your honor...Untainted."
Another resonating clang.
"You walked with us in the fires of battle. Shed the blood of our enemies. Protected our kin, with courage and dignity."
Then one of Tristan's guards walked forward, carrying the main item of the ceremony. The Duke took the pile of clothing and armor scales in his hands and prepared to hand it over.
"Will you follow the path of Mandalore?"
"I will." Moreena replied firmly.
"Do you accept to obey your superiors and to guide your juniors?"
"I do."
"Then rise as a child of Mandalore."
The warriors lifted the lances and yelled a word of welcome a couple times while Moreena stood up and received her new armor. A light one, but it was still a sign that she had been accepted by the clan. She would fight and maybe die for her new kin and they would do the same for her.
As Moreena held the neatly gathered clothing, the armorer of the Wren stepped forward and put on top of it the final touch: a mandalorian helmet, partially built with the beskar gathered by the community in the last two years.
"Moreena Krai." Tristan finally proclaimed in Basic. "You are now part of Clan Wren. May you bring honor to yourself and to all Mandalorians."
"I will, Lord Wren." Moreena replied firmly.
Tristan declared the end to the ceremony and all the warriors proceeded to quickly go and congratulate Moreena for her achievement. After all, in those days, there weren't many outsiders who actively sought to become a Mandalorian, especially a fully-grown adult. Moreena smiled and returned the words of appreciation until the crowd dispersed and Sabine could finally talk with her.
"Welcome to the clan, sis." she complimented.
Moreena huffed amused and excited. "It's honestly strange. Until a few years ago, I used to actually fear the Mandalorians. Who would've guessed I would end up here."
"That's understandable." Sabine replied. "We haven't exactly made ourselves likable, during the eras. Though, it's probably thanks to the Jedi if we have started to rethink our ways of interacting with the rest of the galaxy."
"They may have given you the idea, but it started with you guys." Moreena noted. "I'm glad to be here, Sabine."
Wren chuckled. "Wait until we get to Mandalore before saying that. Once this is over, I'm afraid we'll have to work our asses off to rebuild it."
"That's what I'm here for." Moreena returned a bit smugly.
"All right, ladies." Tristan suddenly intervened. This is nice and all, but we need to plan our next move. Moreena, get suited up, Sabine come with me."
The two women nodded and complied with the Duke's instructions. Sabine in particular felt a grip on her heart since she knew what their next target was. They both walked out of the small courtyard where they just held the ceremony, which was inside the small base that the Wren clan set up in the new colony on Zanbar. They thus headed toward the real center of the colony: a reinforced building that served as the main headquarters for the expedition.
Inside the central room there was the command center, which included several makeshift terminals that reminded Sabine of the first rebel bases, with all the mainframes basically uncovered and cables all over the pavement, then at the center were a series of holo-tables from which several counts were planning their operations along the whole Mandalore Sector.
Without the need to be reminded, Sabine looked straight at the next target of the expedition: her own homeworld of Krownest.
She stared at the hologram of that icy planet, which still held the fortress of Clan Wren on its surface.
"Any news from the scout?" she asked.
"Yes. They only found a few surveillance satellites, but no Consortium ship or base of any kind. It would appear they have stationed a garrison right in our stronghold, plus some orbital cannons." Tristan explained, not hiding a hint of resentment at the thought that those pirates were occupying his house.
"You don't sound much convinced." Sabine observed.
Tristan slightly shook his head. "Our scanners show that the Consortium fleet is amassing around Kalevala, which is the only planet from which they can still receive enough supplies from their boss and prevent us from reaching Mandalore, but something doesn't sit right in my mind."
"You think there might be a trap?"
"For sure. However, we still can't get the real identity of whoever is commanding the Consortium's forces. If I knew that, I might be able to try and see through whatever scheme they are preparing."
They were interrupted as Byro Wren, a warrior of the house and Tristan's closest friend, approached them.
"Duke, may I?"
"Speak up, my friend." the Duke invited gently.
"A delegation of mandalorians just showed up at the spaceport. Tristan they...they are members of clan Kryze."
The Duke and his sister were left speechless, just like the other nobles who heard that announcement. The siblings looked at each other, wondering what they should do, then Sabine asked "Did they say what they want?"
"Their Count, Korkie Kryze is 'humbly asking' for a meeting with you. He says they bring their allegiance, but also a message."
Tristan hummed in thought, pondering on what could this possibly be all about. Clan Kryze was thought to have been destroyed after they had launched a suicidal attack on Naboo, shortly after the fall of Mandalore. Now the nephew of Bo-Katan just emerged out of nowhere with a consistent number of warriors?
"I want to see them, first. Bring me to them."
"This way." Byro said, extending an arm toward the exit.
The two Wren were thus led outside the command center and toward the landing pad outside the walls, which had been reserved exactly for unexpected guests.
The pad was now occupied by a Kom'rk freighter that was painted indeed with the colors of clan Kryze. A delegation of fully armored warriors was standing in an orderly line, with one of them standing a little bit forward with the banner of the clan. And standing in front of all of them, with his helmet removed to show his shaved face was the leader. Tristan and Sabine recognized that he was much older than the pictures they had available, but he was Korkie Kryze.
Tristan walked up in front of him, while Sabine retained a respectful distance behind her brother. At that point, Kryze made a respectful bow. "Duke Wren of House Atin. Clan Kryze offers you their respects. I am Korkie Kryze, current Count Kryze."
"I bid you welcome, Count Kryze. This is is truly a momentous occasion: we believed that your noble lineage had been lost."
"We went very close. Our journey has been very unusual. We would be most honored to join this Crusade, but first we are here to deliver a message. A proposal, actually."
"Then would you mind to voice it in front of the Counts? They all deserve to hear it."
"As you wish."
So the meeting was moved to the Wren's hold, where Tristan went to sit on the quasi-throne in the main room, with Sabine on his left, Asha on his right and the Counts gathered around while Korkie stood in front of him. The Duke thus asked to narrate what the Kryze clan had been up to in the last three years, and Korkie was sincere: he detailed everything from their attempted attack on Naboo, to them fighting in the Unknown Regions alongside Thrawn and the allies of Iulius out there. The other Mandalorians already knew something thanks to Jordan and Darvos' reports after the fight against the Kett, but it was just a fraction of the news. And for sure, the Mandos had mixed reactions about this.
"Are we really going to trust them?! They work for the enemy!" Count Ordo rumbled at the end of the narration.
"An enemy who had the Darksaber not too long ago." Count Eldar replied. "And they were prisoners. Can we blame them?"
"Besides, they haven't been fighting against us or our allies, in the meantime." Asha intervened. "But I'm more curious as to why the Lord-Protector allowed you to come here. I doubt you could have simply slipped away."
"Indeed, Duchess Atin, we are here because the Lord-Protector asked us to deliver a proposal for peace."
Korkie had dropped it so quickly that the others needed a moment to realize what he was implying. But while everyone looked around stunned, Tristan maintained a composure that surprised Sabine.
"What exactly does this proposal include?" he asked unfazed.
"The Lord-Protector wishes not for a recovery of hostilities between the Empire and our people. As a sign of goodwill, he not only has allowed us to come home and reinforce the Crusade, but if you, Duke Atin, were to swear that you will maintain neutrality after the recapture of Mandalore, the Lord-Protector is not only willing to recognize your government as legitimate, but he has also prepared two gifts for you: a new cruiser, built by our allies in the Unknown Regions and to which power I can testify myself...also, Imperial Intelligence has uncovered the identity of the Consortium's commander in this Sector."
The room entered in a state of turmoil. Enraged shouts filled it. Even Sabine turned toward her brother. "Tristan, you can't be seriously consider…!"
The Duke, however, was clearly pondering it. And while Sabine was finishing her plead, he stood up and rose his hands to demand silence. "Enough!"
His voice was enough to attain the desired effect. Once silence had returned, Tristan exposed his argument.
"Brothers. I understand your doubts on this matter. After all, Iulius Tanis is the man who destroyed Mandalore and reduced us to vagabonds in the first place.
"However, I invite you to calm your minds and think about this logically. The harsh reality is, that when we will reclaim Mandalore, we will have to focus entirely on the reconstruction. Right now, our forces are enough to fight a simple group of pirates, but I want you to remember that Tanis is still on our border, and it is the same man who wiped out our fleet years ago with just a fraction of our strength. Besides, I'm sure you all heard about his recent victory at Roche."
Sure everyone did, and those two records alone seemed enough to make the more belligerent relent about their purpose.
"We cannot afford to continue the war against the Empire. No matter if this will enrage our allies. We will continue our commitments to the Jedi, for they are the ones who helped us the most in our time of need, but in our conditions it's impossible to restart a large-scale conflict. We have no economy or industry to speak of. We would have to basically become puppets of the New Republic. Is that what you all want?"
"No!" everyone said spontaneously.
"Then it's settled." Tristan said after a moment of silence. "Count Kryze, will you deliver the message back to the Lord-Protector?"
"You might do it yourself, if you wish so." Korkie proposed as he showed a holo-projector.
The communicator chimed quite suddenly, but as Iulius saw Korkie's ID he realized that the plan was going smoothly. He quickly tidied his suit and went in front of the desk, where the projector could capture his image. Soon, a blue reproduction of Tristan Wren appeared in front of him.
"Duke Wren." he greeted.
"It's Atin, actually. I'm Wren only as a Count." the other one explained with unexpected patience, an auspicious sign.
"My apologies. I'm still not very knowledgeable of noble titles."
"You may just call me Wren. I don't really care that much."
"Thank you. So, I assume you found my proposal to be of your interest?"
"Indeed. Our people only wishes to reclaim our homeworld and rebuild in peace. But is neutrality all you are asking?" Tristan asked a little suspicious.
"I assure you, Lord Wren, that I have no interest in your world. After all, I am the Lord-Protector of the Mid Rim, and Mandalore is out of my jurisdiction. Besides, the Consortium is a thorn in the side of the Empire, as well. I couldn't be more pleased that someone else is crushing it. As Count Kryze certainly announced, all you have to do is to give me your word that your people will not attack my forces in the future, and not only will I gift you some additional firepower, but I will also reveal the name of the Consortium's commander."
Tristan briefly closed his eyes and made a silent breather. For sure, he didn't like making deals with the man who had destroyed his planet, but he clearly realized that the circumstances dictated that he did that.
"Very well. You have my word. The Mandalorians will not continue the war on the side of the UACT. However, we will maintain our commitment to the Jedi and their peacekeeping missions."
"That is perfectly fine, by me. So, as promised, there is a new cruiser on the way. Finally, the name of your opponent at this moment is Corvin Kray."
Tristan pondered, but then shook his head. "I don't think I ever heard about him."
"Not surprised. He was a simple Captain in the Republic Navy. After the Clone Wars, he decided that he could make a better living as a pirate, and he has infested the Mid Rim since then. Even I have had a hard time tracking him down. I can tell you this, however: do not underestimate him. He is extremely skilled with surprise attacks." Iulius then grabbed his datapad and quickly relayed a mail. "I'm sending you the track record we have on him. I hope you will find it helpful."
Tristan received it on his wrist-pad and looked it up quickly.
"I must ask, though: why are you helping us? You could very easily sit this one out."
"As I said, we have a common enemy. Plus, I don't think any of us stands to gain anything by keeping hostile relations."
"I suppose so. Then I accept your terms."
"Excellent. Then I can only wish you good fortune."
Tristan made a small bow. "Just to be clear: I still think you're hiding something. But I will take any advantage I can to secure the future of my people. I wish you good luck, as well."
After the hologram was gone, Iulius drew a sigh of relief and went back to his chair. Now that was one of the major issues of the moment taken care of.
But of course, by no means that meant he could take a rest. Now he had another matter to attend to after receiving a certain message the day before. He made sure he had completed all the desk duty, then had his security detail prepared and out with him.
Twelve minutes later, he was at Fel's house. He polished his suit and chimed, followed at short distance by his guards. Not long after, the door opened and revealed a maid, who was startled to find out who was in front of her.
"Greetings." Iulius said to help the poor girl's mind move on. "I need to speak with Commander Fel. Is he at home?"
"Oh, Master Fel just went to pick the little master at school. He should return shortly. But please, Lord Tanis. Come in."
"Thank you." Iulius politely replied and walked inside as the maid informed the rest of the staff, maid by two more of her colleagues.
"Uura, go inform the mistress." she said to a Twi'lek girl.
"Right away." the other one replied, then bowed to Iulius and headed upstairs.
"Can I offer you something, my Lord?" the head-maid asked after accompanying him toward the sofa.
"If you happen to have some brown tea, I would be very grateful." the Lord-Protector kindly replied.
"Leave it to me." the woman replied with a bow before heading for the kitchen.
Some three minutes later, Iulius heard frantic footsteps running down the staircase, and in just a moment Wynssa Starflare appeared, wearing a green dress that, despite clearly being used as a home outfit, was quite dashing, which reminded Iulius that he was in front of the greatest diva of the Empire.
"Lord Tanis!" she greeted with open arms and Iulius stood up in respect.
"Madame Fel. Dazzling as always." he complimented. "I apologize for arriving unannounced."
"No problem at all. I'm sure it's important...Uura, would you please ask Ghilsa to add another cup of tea?"
"Yes, Madame."
"Please, Lord Tanis, make yourself comfortable." Wynssa added as she reached for one of the two armchairs. "I'm sorry to make you wait, however Soontir will be back very quickly."
"No problem. After all, I didn't announce myself."
"Is there an emergency?" Starflare asked a little worried.
"I can't get into details." Iulius replied diplomatically. "But I do need your husband for an assignment. And I won't be lying: it's dangerous and it will keep him away from Naboo even longer than usual."
Wynssa was hardly happy to hear that, but as the devoted wife of a soldier, she knew that this was part of the job description.
The head-maid finally brought in the tea on a tray. Iulius noticed that the teapot was only half full, which surprised him for a second, but Starflare's words quickly reminded him of what was going on.
"I'm sorry I can only offer you this, my Lord. But with the rationing going on…" Starflare said with sincere contrition.
Iulius rose a hand in a conciliatory gesture. "It's all right. I'm grateful you're sharing what you have."
He let Wynssa pour the tea into the two cups and they both drank. Yet being reminded of the rationing he had to introduce the month before made Iulius' mouth bitter. The Core had not only stopped supplying military hardware, but it was also demanding more taxes, which had forced Iulius' administration to focus most of the resources on military production while introducing a rationing on civilian goods. He only noticed then that the street outside was quite empty, because not many people had a reason to go out given the lack of commodities or entertainment.
"Only a few months ago, this city was bustling with life. Now look at it…" he murmured a little disheartened.
"Yes. But once the war is over, people will finally be able to enjoy their lives once again." Starflare replied, trying to sound optimist.
They spent some other five minutes, with Iulius praising Wynssa for her latest movie and her replying with modesty. Then, finally, the main door opened and revealed Soontir and Jagged Fel. The Baron had been clearly warned by the guards outside, but was still unable to process the fact that the Grand Admiral had come to his house all of a sudden.
"Lord Tanis!" Jagged instead greeted with the enthusiasm of childhood as he rushed next to the sofa.
Iulius smiled benevolently. "Hello, young Jagged. How was school?"
"Good! Today we learned the first verse of the Imperial March."
"Impressive!" Iulius replied. "Keep it at heart, young man. A national anthem is part of the soul of a good citizen."
Jagged's face literally shone as he made a euphoric salute. "Aye, sir!"
Iulius chuckled softly and returned the salute.
"All right, little soldier." Wynssa said with a loving tone as she approached the kid. "Lord Tanis now has to speak with your father. Come with me."
"Yes, mom." Jagged replied eagerly. "Bye, Grand Admiral!"
Iulius waved his hand with a smile, then once the mother and son were gone he turned toward Soontir. "Your son is very energetic."
Fel smirked proud. "I'm sure he could become a great officer as well as an actor with no effort."
"For sure. Now, I'm sorry I barged into your house but may we speak in private?"
"Of course, sir. Follow me, please."
Fel brought Iulius inside his small office upstairs. After passing a maid doing some cleaning, the officers made sure to seal the door and insulate the room to avoid any chance of eavesdropping.
"So, what's the issue, now?" Fel asked.
"Relax, Commander, it doesn't mean that your shore leave will be cut short."
"That's reassuring."
"I received a message from Thrawn, yesterday. The war with the Grysks is at a turning point: after defeating the fleets that were invading the Chiss Ascendancy, our allies in the Unknown Regions are preparing a counterattack into the main territory of the Grysks. The Grand Admiral intends to take their homeworld and defeat them once and for all."
The news left Fel a little surprised. For sure, he remembered the Grysks and the whole adventure of the 101st in the Haeleus Sector, but after nearly two years he had almost removed that front out of his daily worries.
"I know this is quite sudden, but I would like to ask the 181st to go and assist this final strike." Iulius requested.
Fel pondered on it. This certainly wasn't a request that he expected while on shore leave. Nonetheless, he was a soldier, and he needed to assess everything about this request.
"Did Thrawn ask you for this?"
"He said that he can manage with what he has, but that any help would be 'much appreciated'. After reviewing all his reports about the Grysks' battle tactics, I concluded that you and your pilots are everything and the best I can afford to lend him."
"I'm flattered, sir. But I only have a Wing, are you sure we will be of any real help?"
"You saw Thrawn in action, too. Do you really think he would waste your talents and your lives?" the Grand Admiral asked calmly and confidently.
Fel thought about it and then chuckled. "I suppose not. Are you going to be fine without us?"
"I'm not planning any major operation, for now. Besides, if the Grysks are finally defeated, the 7th Fleet will be finally freed up. I think you'll agree that we need them, and we need Thrawn for the Empire to survive."
He wanted to add 'I need his help' but eventually decided against it.
That was a no-brainer even for Fel. "I can't disagree. Very well, we'll make it happen."
"Thank you. Thrawn said they will attack in nearly a month, so you and your pilots can enjoy some R before leaving. Would you like for me to inform them?"
"Only if I'm there to talk to them."
"Perfect."
June 21, 2228.
Another day another fruitless day of searching the Governor. Jordan was honestly getting real tired. His crew and the Normandy one had just come back from a raid on an imperial hideout that had turned out to be completely booby-trapped and they had escaped only because Thabo sensed the danger and made the explosives set off from a distance.
Yet Governor Setumb remained as elusive as a shadow. Intel indicated that he was capable of moving from the besieged capital city of the planet to various active fronts. Clearly, he wasn't the average political lackey: this man had one hell of a military background, which shouldn't have been surprising given the fact that he was a personal friend of Iulius.
Demoralized from returning empty-handed once again, the crews dismounted from their convoys inside the FOB they had departed from that morning, only for Jordan and Jane to be reached by a junior officer who saluted them and reported "Majors. Admiral Shepard requests your presence on the Amerigo. We got a shuttle at the ready for you."
Though a bit surprised and puzzled, the two Spectres didn't hesitate to follow the Admiral's command and after giving their crews the order to stand down, they mounted on the shuttle and were quickly brought up to the Amerigo, which was stationing in orbit. Quickly enough, the two officers were led toward the bridge, but they were quite surprised to see that most of the crew was waiting outside.
Guessing that John wanted to speak with just them and the command staff of the ship, Jordan and Jane went in.
Yet, they weren't expecting to find the Emperor himself and his brother waiting around the holo-table.
They promptly made the salute as the door closed behind them.
"At ease. Please, join us." Francesco invited cordially.
The Majors obeyed, and that point Jordan said "We didn't expect your presence, Your Majesty."
"I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble, but we have a major development." the Emperor calmly explained.
John thus took the word. "The Bothan Union recently sent a messenger to the UACT. They have given us some trusting proof that one of their units has found a way to find and capture the plans for the new Death Star."
The Spectres were stunned. "Sounds a little too good. What's the catch?" Jane asked.
"They did say that the plans are into an imperial fortress world." Claudio explained. "But as you can imagine, acquiring that data is our highest priority, right now."
"Of course." Jordan replied. "So, what are our orders?"
"The intel came from the Feygeri Unit, they're the elite squadron of the Bothan Network. We will meet them on Utapau and plan a joint strike to capture the plans." John informed them. "We don't want the Imperials to be too alarmed, so we will have to rely on the Amerigo and every stealth ship we have to transport the strike force."
"Not to mention, these are the only type of ship that don't have to worry about fuel." Riccardi added. "Wherever we need to strike, we will get there."
"Precisely." Francesco replied. "The Republic and the other allies will lend us some of their best teams, but I need you two and the Feygeri to take point. For the moment, reach Utapau and meet with them."
"Yes, sir. But what about Eriadu?" Jordan asked.
"We will send other Spectres to continue in your stead. Not that we have any real clue as to where the Governor is, anyway." the Emperor replied more with formality than conviction.
"Anything else pales confronted to this task." Jane reminded. "But we will get those plans."
"That was never in question." the Legionnaire replied firm.
"Then get back to your ships and recall your crews." John ordered. "We are leaving as soon as you're ready."
The two clacked their heels. "Sir, yes, sir!"
June 22, 2228.
The new cruiser was indeed amazing. Despite having the firepower of its class, many tasks had been automatized, so that it only required a crew of 400 people who had already been trained by Clan Kryze. Sabine had been more surprised to learn that this 'Vangrat' class had been built by the Chiss and the Carunoans in cooperation, and that they had five more like this one. Yet that was another reason that made this gift extremely weird: Iulius could have easily just given them some old imperial ship and the mandalorians would have been grateful anyway, given how desperately they needed weapons. Why would the Lord-Protector send them an experimental ship, when it was clearly going to be reported to the UACT?
The ships sported new UV lasers that had easily cut through the target dummies and missiles equipped with a special jammer that, in theory, should have disturbed any point-defense system trying to shoot them down, however the mandalorians had refrained from wasting those missiles for a simple test, so she didn't know for sure.
What she knew was that they had finally reached the Krownest System. From the screens on the bridge, Sabine could see the icy planet that had given birth to her and where her family's own fortress still stood, yet it was infested by pirate scum.
"I almost can't believe it." she said next to Tristan, who was sitting on the command chair of the cruiser, now renamed Burcyan, friendship, in the hope that it could sign the reconciliation between the mandalorian people and the Empire.
"Yet here we are." her brother replied somberly. "Now it's time we take it back...is your team ready?"
"And waiting." Sabine said with vigor.
"Good. Then let's get started. Shipmaster, the fleet is in your care until we return."
"Yes, Mand'alor." the warrior of Clan Farr acknowledged.
The alert was sent throughout the fleet. The transports had the order to prepare the ground troops for immediate deployment. In the hangar of the Vangrat, all the warriors of Wren, Kryze and a mixed group from other clans, were preparing to descend and start the reconquest of Krownest.
"My brothers and sisters!" Tristan announced, exploiting the fact that the entrance was from a catwalk up high, from a point where everyone could hear it if he spoke loud enough. "It's time we take our next step in the retaking of our worlds. Below us stands Krownest. For many of you, and for me, this planet is home, and its occupation by these vile pirates cannot be allowed to continue.
"We are the spearhead that will first penetrate their flesh. We must first disable their outer defenses to allow our ground forces to land undisturbed. Then, we will reclaim the fortress on the surface. Also, if any of you is thinking of holding back just because that is my house, forget it: if the pirates force you to do so, don't hesitate to burn the surface structure to the ground. The real fight will happen in the underground levels. Be sharp and stay with your comrades, for together we are unstoppable. Onward!"
"Uh-rah!" a chorus echoed briefly before everyone rushed to their shuttles.
"All right then. You take the cannon on the north, while we strike from the south." Tristan then said to his sister.
"The North, uh? You want me to use the underground passage?"
"For all we know, they might have discovered it and closed it already. But if there's a chance that it's open, I will make sure you and your team get a chance to infiltrate from there."
"All right, then. Let's take back our home." Sabine replied with a firm determination and perhaps a bit of enthusiasm.
"Good hunting, sis." the Duke replied with the same positivity.
Sabine thus headed toward her assigned Kom'rk, where a strike team that included Moreena and Ketsu was waiting for her.
"I can't remember ever seeing you in full armor, Ketsu." Sabine quipped.
"I prefer to stay light, but that's kinda hard to do on a damn snow planet." the other woman complained weakly. "This better be doing the trick."
"As long as your vital support works, you should be okay." Moreena said optimistically.
"Yours too, Mo. Are you ready to make that armor a little less shiny?" Wren pepped up.
"Absolutely. So, what are our orders?"
"We will strike the orbital cannon north of the fortress while my brother leads the main force on the south. While they focus the attention of the Consortium on themselves, we will try to infiltrate the fortress through one of the hidden passages."
"Will it still be open?" one of the warriors asked.
"That's a bet we need to take. If it's not, then we would have to resolve to a siege, but we don't exactly have all that time." Sabine explained. "So, if we can't find a way in, we will have make a new one. No matter how, we need to take Krownest before we're pinned down and become vulnerable to an enemy counterattack."
"We're with you, Bine. Till the very end." Ketsu reassured.
"Good. Get us in." she finally said to the pilot.
"Go and fasten your seat belt, then." the warrior replied as he ignited the engines.