The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

The Next Order of Business

Naryan was about to reply when:

"We've got activity back here, boss," Tanner said in a low voice. "I think the traitors are trying to make a break for it."

"Stingers only, Tanner," Naryan tightly directed even as she turned and pointed first at Galloway, then pointed towards the entrance into the space. Nodding her understanding, her sergeant quickly redeployed the squad to positions around the entrance.

"We need that sonofabitch alive to stand trial before the Conclave!" Then she herself was moving to join her legionnaires at the entrance.

Just in time; even as she slid into place, there came sounds of a fairly large party moving into the main market space. And as quickly they heard muffled exclamations of dismay to find dead psionics and drained humans close to the hidden entrance to the lilith storage area. Then sundog rounds were ripping through the walls all around them, the radioactive munitions glowing dully as they buzzed past the ducking Force Recon legionnaires.

"We are being fired upon," she whispered to her Kali. "Can your scanners isolate targets via their weapon discharge?"

"Affirmative," the Kali's AI chirped in reply.

"Force Recon, tell your Kali's to use the weapon discharge to locate targets and return fire!" Naryan hissed before doing that very thing.

There was a brief pause while the squad gave instructions to their weapons. Then, with sundogs buzzing all around them, they turned their weapons towards the main space and let their Kali's speak their language of death.

A brief flurry of return fire then silence.

"Targets eliminated," her Kali reported in that tiny voice it had. Just in time:

"FRA, Extraction Team," a new voice came over the comms. "We heard weapons fire on approach. Is the area secure?"

"Affirmative," Naryan said as she slowly stood out of her crouch before looking down at her armor to check for embedded sundogs. Spotting a couple, she drew her combat knife and levered them free to drop to the ground. A look around her told her the squad was doing the same.

"We are holding position in the storage chamber."

"Acknowledged, FRA. We have spotted the downed guards marking the entrance and are moving in. ETA: two minutes."

Nodding in acknowledgement even though she couldn't be seen by the approaching extraction team, Naryan turned her attention to her other sergeant and Second Squad.

"Tanner. Sitrep." And found silence instead of a reply filling her comms. "Tanner, are you reading me? Sitrep!"

There was a rustle of unidentified sound for a moment. Then:

"We got the bastards, boss!" Tanner exclaimed and there was no mistaking the note of triumph in her voice. "Popped 'em with the Stingers one at a time as they came through with their go bags. Romanescu, Sextant, all of them. Fourteen in total. We got 'em, boss, we got 'em! I can't wait to tell Lash that we got the bastards!!"

Lash slowly nodded as he folded his arms, Tanner's excitement putting a smile on his face. Not only had they captured Romanescu and his filthy traitors, but Kassidy's efforts to destroy the base were, in large part, successful, the Silver Legion reporting light casualties and the Valkyries reporting none. And it was all thanks to his former mentor's dying gift.

"Well done on that pathway through the base, Inaya," he said, looking over at the Indian lilith who stood beside him looking determined in black Qos Viran fatigues. "You put Captain Kingsguard exactly where she needed to be!"