"Remnora was always a difficult part of the Empire. Due to the Act of Sovereignty, signed by Emperor Ghenadie II back in... hell, it's been nearly 1000 years. Anyway, that Act granted Remnora control over its homeworld without having to bow to Imperial jurisdiction. It worked for a while. However, what do we do when its governing body decided to turn against the Empire? Legally we couldn't do anything. So, my father sent in the Army to occupy and subjugate Remnora. Under the circumstances, we had every right to invade. I think the Republic knew that - anticipated, even - and they had time to prepare."

Glory 38, 960 ISY
Remnora System, Remnora II
Orbit, IAN Liberator

Sergeant Isaiah Welhan

It may not be the homeworld of humanity, but Remnora had a certain appeal to it. Situated within a relatively dense cluster of stars, the Remnora System was discovered centuries ago by Imperial scouts and mining fleets. At the time, the cluster had been the frontier of the old Haromian Empire. Today the Remnora System, Remnora III specifically, is the regional capital of the Mid Worlds. Remnora II, however, is a more complicated issue.

When first discovered, the scouts had reported that there was fighting in the system when they had arrived, and that soon escalated into the Empire learning of an ongoing war between the two global powers. For a short time, the war was put on hold with the arrival of the Empire and with meetings between the rulers of both states. Split between the United Kingdom of Espica, Genitene, and Pronino in the north, and the Tribal Federation of Senzovona in the south, the two nations were roughly split between species. The north were primarily feline, and the south was canine.

Once the fighting started again, the Empire came to the aid of the United Kingdom. Bombarding advancing Federation soldiers from orbit with nuclear weapons, the advance was halted, and the Empire deployed to fight them off entirely before the mushroom clouds even dissipated. This incident became known as the Haromian Intervention on Remnora. In all about a dozen Haromian soldiers were killed in the fighting, and peace came to Remnora II. Today the nations were united into one - the Remnoran Stellar Republic - and that nation was standing against the Empire; the fools.

While it can't be solidly pinpointed just what prompted the Republic to strike against the Empire on Algagi, it was clear that they wanted a war. They razed the main city on Remnora III just days prior, and the Emperor has authorized full use of force. The reason for the razing after the several days of a tense peace, or so it was suspected, was due to the shooting of protesters on Haroma that were protesting in favor of complete Remnoran independence by National Guard forces. That was a mess, but it still seemed to have sparked outrage within some parts of the Empire, and mostly at Remnora.

The Drop Troopers, numbering only about 2,000 in all, would be dropping into Espica, behind the siege lines. The Army had arrived just days prior and had begun their siege of the capital. They would be taking orders from the Anean commander in the area, supported by the scanning of the fleet. Originally, they were going to be disrupting supply lines, but the attack on Espica needed additional support. The Remnorans defenses in and around the city had proven a bit too tough for the assaulting forces to handle.

From aboard the Liberator, Remnora looked unusually welcoming. The planet is largely green, with only a few areas of blue seas. Unlike many other habitable planets, most of Remnora was a connected landmass. Most of that landmass also remained as dense jungles that made navigation a nightmare, if not outright impossible, for anything more than the average foot soldier. It is similar to the Great Astrapolis Forest on Haroma, however Remnora's jungles are actually mostly charted from orbital scans.

My attention was pulled away from the window as the Colonel came over the intercoms, reporting that the drops would begin within the next five minutes. The pod bay was already a flurry of activity as the different squads were getting in position for the drop at their assigned pods. Each squad kept together mostly though. Since arriving at Haroma, it was decided - by my father, of course - that I should get the third stripe and become a Sergeant. I'd refuse any promotions for a while after this. Either way, Bravo is now up to almost full strength, and Bran, Masako, and Raimo had kept close.

"Ready?" Raimo asked as he stepped up alongside me at the window.

"No." I said, forcing a smile out. "First combat drop. Are you sure you won't run away from the bullets when they start flying?"

"Only if you run too. After all, if a Welhan runs, I guess something is wrong." Raimo shot back, a comment that got a small laugh from the both of us. "We'll be at the pods. Let's just get in and buckle up."

Raimo gave me a quick smack to the back, which only hit the armor plates there, and then walked back toward the pods. I stood there for a moment yet, waiting as I thought over just what this would have to entail, and then turned around to walk to the pods. The rest of the squad had already climbed into their pods, and there was one empty one for me. The doors would only close once the drop was less than a minute out.

"Attention troopers." That was the Colonel. She seemed nice enough, but she was also commanding just a troop transport instead of a proper warship or unit. The Army fielded a handful of transports that it kept under its command, so the Colonel of the ship was essentially the Captain. "We will be commencing drops in the next five minutes. The Imperial Marines will be assisting in combat operations as well and are dropping now. Proceed to your pods and be ready for deployment."

This is a hot drop, right into a combat zone. According to intelligence, it is being used as an anti-air and an artillery base. We're going to take it out. Bravo and a squad from another Drop Trooper company would be making the assault. The Remnorans aren't expecting this, so we have the element of surprise for a few moments. It has to be a rapid assault though. Once we clear this base, the rest of the troops can be dropped in more safely, and proper naval support can be brought in. There are a few of these bases around Espica, and they'll all be hit simultaneously.

The last open pod was across from Raimo, and I climbed in with some hesitation. Exercises and training was completely different from what they were doing now. There hadn't been a combat deployment of the drop units for centuries, and so far this one would be the first of this conflict with Remnora. The minutes ticked by relatively slowly, and the only warning of the drop was a short, loud buzzer. Immediately the pod door slammed closed and the restraints on Isaiah dropped into place. Each pod had its trajectory pre-programmed and it should keep the squad together so they can get on the ground.

Like a railgun, as that was the best comparison, the pods were launched magnetically from the ship, starting from the rear and working forward. I heard the sound of the launching pods approaching rapidly and simply gripped the bars where I could. The front of the pod had a reinforced window to allow the soldier inside to view the planet during the drop. It wasn't exactly safe, but dropping from orbit in a piece of metal wasn't either.

Nothing could truly prepare the body for a combat drop. Many times before, I had been a part of a drill, tests, and other procedures for this. He had done one practice drop, but that was knowing that they were going into a relative calm, with no real danger on the other end. This was entirely different. On the other end was a warzone and likely death. As the pod began its descent, it was clear that Remnora was just as much of a mess as expected.

Outside the pod, the remains of various Navy ships, mostly Remnoran but some Imperial, floated in the low orbit, slowly losing their momentum and falling back down to the planet. In all I counted a dozen different destroyed warships in the descent. There wasn't much to see other than the exchange of fire in the far distance, toward the northern orbit of Remnora. Before I could truly focus on what I was seeing, the pod descended into cloud cover.

As the pod punched through the cloud, the battlefield below was clearly visible. The great city of Espica spread out in all directions, with the fringes in flames, with flashes of explosions visible. The city was definitely under siege, and the Remnorans were no closer to winning the war than they were during the first Intervention so many centuries ago. That would be a lesson for these creatures. As the city drew clearer, I closed my eyes. He didn't want to see his impact into the city, since he knew he'd be feeling it.

The pod shook several times as rounds exploded near it. I only gripped the handles within more tightly and closed his eyes. It didn't help. Another round struck fairly close to the pod, and almost knocked it off course. Pieces of shrapnel plinked off the pod, but ultimately didn't penetrate. With eyes closed, the sound of the flak was drowned out, though it felt like the drop was growing ever slower. After what seemed like another ten minutes, the pod finally slammed into the ground. The passenger compartment's shock absorbers moved the entire chamber to compensate for the strike so that I wasn't killed on impact.

In the moment before the door blew open, I unlatched my rifle from its holder and started to pick it up. The air pressure built up in the pod detached and launched the pod door forward. The weight of the metal slab hit and killed one Remnoran on the other side. With the surprise I still had, I was quick to run from the pod with rifle in hand. The door had slammed into the ground in such a way as to give some cover some distance ahead. I ran for that while a Remnoran turned to fire on me.

The string of bullets hit me mostly in the chest, but the armor's shields absorbed the impacts and deflected the rounds. That bought me time to slide behind the cover that the door provided. Around me, the sound of gunfire multiplied as the other troopers were pressing forward. Behind the door, I checked my HUD to locate the rest of Bravo squad. Bran had landed near my position, and Raimo and Masako ended up some distance away with the other squad. That was fine. We were pressing on two sides and we'd meet at some point.

"Welhan!" I heard Bran shout at me. That took me out of my focus on checking the situation around me.

"Bran, move up to... there." I said through the squad comms. With a thought, the armor processed the order and passed it to Bran directly. "I'll cover you."

Bran gave a nod toward me as he ran out from cover and started advancing across the flat, open field ahead of us. I stood up from the cover slightly. No one was really aiming at Bran, but I still fired a few shots from my rifle toward the Remnorans I could see. A few had fallen back to a nearby anti-air vehicle and the sandbags around that. The anti-air emplacement would be a prime target, so I marked it with a thought as Bran made it to his cover and waved me forward.

I climbed over the door and ran quickly across the field. I didn't want to be caught in the open. A Remnoran had taken aim at me while I ran. I raised my rifle to take the shot to at least him get him back down, but Bran got to them first. His laser hit the Remnoran in the chest, setting their armor alight and sending them to the ground screaming. I could hear that even over all the other sounds of fighting. As before, I scrambled behind the cover of Remnoran sandbags. Even today, they are effective means of protection against small arms.

Again I checked the situation around us. Two other Drop Troopers had landed near Bran and I, and I am the ranking soldier on this side of the park. With a thought, I moved the two under my temporary command until we regrouped with the other troopers. They'd get a ping that they were moved under my command temporarily and my location would be sent to them. This was a system made for less intense engagements, but I had everything done in just seconds.

The two human soldiers, Boveri and Popov, grouped with Bran and I. "Alright, Boveri, Popov. Head forward." I said while looking over the cover. "Go there." I marked a location to the left of the anti-air emplacement, in such a position that it would cover my flank. "Bran, you're with me. We're taking out the emplacement. Think you can handle it?" If his helmet didn't obscure his face, I am sure he'd have had a look of annoyance at such a question. "Alright, let's move."

I let Boveri and Popov move forward first, and then I followed Bran out. With only about a hundred feet between the emplacement, and ourselves. There was no need to run at full speed, but the four of us moved fairly quickly across the park. Boveri and Popov made it to their sandbags first, and opened fire on what appeared to be Remnoran soldiers that were withdrawing back into the city. Since I am smaller, I had made it to the emplacement first. That wasn't a good thing, as the Remnorans immediately opened fire on me.

I fired a few shots as I dropped down into one of the trenches around the emplacement, but a Remnoran to my left - a wolf - knocked the rifle from my hands with a strike that would've broken an arm if I didn't have any protection. He had an arm raised to strike again as I reached for my pistol, but ultimately it never hit. I fired one shot before I saw Bran jump onto the wolf. I heard the yelp of the wolf as the bear slammed him into the ground, then stomped on their chest. I used the moment to grab my rifle from the ground again. I had just enough time to fire to the left over Bran's back at a Remnoran that had appeared from around the corner. The shot missed, but it made the Remnoran retreat back around the corner.

"Stay left. I'll go right." I thought at Bran. Being an empath was useful for this as well. It was easier to project a thought at someone that speak it in times like this.

As Bran headed left I heard a laser shot immediately. That was probably that Remnoran that I had missed. Moving right around the circular trench, and I ran into one Remnoran that had thrown down his rifle when he saw me. I hesitated for just a moment and lowered the rifle somewhat. I was actually surprised when he seemed to be genuinely surrendering. Unfortunately for him, my orders weren't to take prisoners. His eyes widened in fear as I put the rifle to my shoulder again. The laser round hit him in the chest - unarmored - and I could swear I could hear the flesh and fur sizzling and bursting from the superheated beam. Whatever the case, he no longer posed a threat.

I moved along the right side, and I reached Bran at the end. With the trench clear, the emplacement was effectively taken, but the Remnorans could be back once we pulled out. There was no sense in leaving the equipment. Bran had the heavier weapons and equipment, since he could carry it. The two of us walked into the actual weapons pit, now empty, and Bran removed one of the charges that we were given. I simply walked around and checked all directions while he got it set.

"We're good." Bran said after just a few moments. "Sixty seconds. Let's keep moving."

I did another check of the situation, and saw that the other squad had taken out two of the anti-air emplacements. They were closing on the artillery. We had one more emplacement to take before we'd be moving on those guns. Bran led the way from the trench while I started issuing orders. Boveri and Popov would move up to the next emplacement, and start harassing them. Bran and I would be just a few seconds behind them.

Bran ran up the ramp out of the trench and up to the surface, and I followed him closely. It would be about a minute before we caught up with the other two. A gentle hill led down to the second emplacement. This whole operation is a bit ridiculous, sending nine soldiers to take out a somewhat fortified position. I'd just hope that Command makes use of this park once we take it to turn it into a forward base. The park is just big enough to do that, and the Remnorans... probably wouldn't expect that.

Within a minute of running across the park, Bran and I had arrived to Boveri and Popov taking snap shots at the Remnorans in the emplacement. At least they followed orders. Since I had taken the first emplacement, I figured they might as well do something finally. "Boveri, Bran, Popov, head in to the trenches and clear it. I will give you cover. Make it quick. We need to keep moving." I said while I kneeled behind a low sandbag wall.

They all followed their orders properly, and I followed their progress on my HUD map. A few red dots would pop up, and then disappear as quickly. The small indicators for the shields and armor integrity showed shields take a hit once on Bran, and almost completely dropped on Boveri. Satisfied that they are fine, I turned my attention to the whole area. The other squad had pushed into the artillery, and the vehicles all are marked. Several are marked as destroyed already.

"We're clear." Bran said from behind me a few minutes later. It took about as long to clear that one as it took Bran and I to do the other one.

"Good. Let's move up and regroup with the other squad." I said as I stood from the sandbag wall and moved at a light jog across the park.

The rest of my squad followed behind, keeping some distance between all of us. Being closely grouped is asking for disaster. I had kept a close eye on our surroundings, expecting a few Remnoran stragglers to take a few shots at us. None did, which is at least somewhat surprising, but I won't complain. It meant that we'd have a clear move to the artillery positions. This is the longest part of the strike. We had to move down a hill, across a small flat area, and back up another hill. A wooded area sat at the top of the hill. On the other side of the forest, the trenches and artillery positions sat.

"Bravo Squad to Epsilon Squad, are one of you there?" I said. I knew the name of the other squad - Epsilon Squad - but I had little other information.

"Epsilon lead here." The other voice said. I think I know the voice, but voice distortion over comms could do that. "Where are you guys? We're having all the fun without you. I also have two of your guys with me. Are Pops and Bov with you?"

"Yeah, they landed right near us." I said. "We're coming up the hill opposite your positions. What does the artillery area look like? What resistance are we going to run into?"

"Minimal. Looks like we're fighting mostly militia and conscripts. They broke as soon as we landed up here." Epsilon Lead said. "Many have fled. Not sure about your side, but I read all of you alive and fine, so I assume the resistance was still minimal."

That explained why the one Remnoran tried to surrender immediately. And now that I thought about it, the one wolf that attacked me was the only one with armor that I saw, and an actual rank patch. "Light resistance, yes. Carry on Epsilon Lead, we'll be on your position within five minutes."

I knew it'd be less than that, but it couldn't hurt to overestimate it just in case we run into a few problems along the way. The four of started to walk up the hill, and I saw some movement in the woods ahead. One bush had moved slightly, and I could almost feel something up there. I lifted a fist to stop everyone, and we all took a knee. I waited for a moment, watching the forests, and then gave a motion to keep moving. Ultimately, it was nothing, I suppose.

As we crested the top of the hill and started into the forest, I saw movement again, but I didn't act on it this time. It wouldn't be out of the question that the movement is just the native life. I could see the artillery positions on the other side of the forest, now not too far away. We'd be there in about a minute or so at our current pace. A few Remnorans ran through the trenches in front of us, but none of them seemed to notice us as they fled in opposite directions. Or maybe they did notice us and were just running while they still could. There was no point in wasting charges on them.

A series of four explosions sounded nearby, one after the other. I stopped the squad for a moment while I tried to pinpoint the direction. I did notice that all of them detonated with a timed precision that could only be expected from charges... and someone hitting the detonator multiple times in succession. That sounded like Raimo, probably. He'd do something pointless like that, when one press would set them off in succession.

"Epsilon here. Artillery is cleared. Thanks for the help Bravo." Epsilon Lead said. "Sending you a waypoint to meet. I'd like my squad back, and I am sure you want yours."

Not particularly. These two seemed capable enough. I'd trade one for Masako, at least. She could at least see. "On the way." I said, holding back a remark I wanted to make about not being on hand to assist. They clearly had it handled since we scared off the resistance.

It took two minutes of navigating the trenches before we reached the point that Epsilon sent to us. They were there first, of course, and seemed at least somewhat impatient. As I drew closer, I saw the transfer of command pop up on my helmet, and I got Raimo and Masako back in exchange for the other two. I noticed Epsilon Lead was also human, which is always good to see. But all of Epsilon Squad is human. That's a bit of an oddity, but I wouldn't question it.

"There you are Bravo." Epsilon Lead said. "Staff Sergeant Welhan." He said, and that put the pieces together, though it seemed odd that he didn't notice either.

"Sergeant Welhan." I said. That got a few odd looks between our two squads. Even if we were in a warzone, I took a moment to turn my visor tinting off to show my face. "Good to see you again Abi. And good to know you're about as much of an asshole as I remember."

Abijah is my brother's full name. Crown Prince Abijah. Staff Sergeant Welhan. He could probably spend half an hour calling out all of his titles and ranks at this point. I called him 'Abi' because he hated it. Such a name is but a small revenge for the preference that the rest of the family showed him constantly. He would be Emperor and I would be a prince. So be it, but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

"Isaiah?" Abijah said. "I'll be damned. Explains why you couldn't command worth a damn."

If we weren't in a warzone, I might have hit him for that remark. "I have three months into this shit show and I am a sergeant. Perks of royalty I guess. I still have no real training for this."

"Oh in that case, let me revise my assessment. It was sloppy and inexperienced. With a show like that, maybe it was a mistake to make you a squad leader. It's a miracle you even made it through basic training, let alone Drop Trooper. Perhaps you should have kept working on the piano. You might have been good at something." Abijah said with a smug grin that I wanted to wipe right off his face. Berating me in private I can deal with. But him doing so in front of other soldiers, including my squad? Unacceptable. "Now, I have actual soldiering to do. Try not to get shot." Abijah said as he walked off with his soldiers.

A silence within my squad was almost overwhelming even in the middle of a battlefield. "Bravo to Command. Espica Western Park is clear. Send in the Navy." I said. If Abijah wasn't going to take the credit, I absolutely would. He'd still be listened to in the end.

Bran was the first to say something. "Why would you let him speak to you as such? We'd never let family talk down to family like that. He insulted you. Why not fight for your honor?"

He had a point. Ultimately though, I'd probably be treated as some sort of outcast from the family if I actually attacked the crown prince, no  matter the context. My father already did that, and he didn't need more reasons to justify such. I wasn't a full powered Empath like him or Abijah - both of them are Tier IX True Empaths, and I have been rated as a Tier VIII, though with some anomalous readings - so I got some worse treatment for that. Of course my brother got the training to learn to use the empathic abilities. I had to resort to personal trials. I'd manage, ultimately, but it is a bit disheartening to see that my brother hadn't changed at all. It was also a good reminder of why I had joined the Army.

"Because that's not how we do it in the royal family." I said. It was a bad answer, but Bran gave a slightly understanding nod. I think he knew what I meant by that. Or maybe I am wrongly assuming that I know him better than I really do.

"Command to Bravo Five. Excellent work." The commander said. I never cared to learn his name. It ultimately was irrelevant for me. "We'll be bringing soldiers in to reinforce the park. Hold the position with Epsilon Squad until relieved. ETA to the first transports will be... fifteen minutes I think."

"Understood sir. We'll get ready. Do we know if the Remnorans are going to mount a counterattack?" I asked while I directed Bran, Masako, and Raimo toward a line of sandbags and shallower trenches with a good overview of the north side of the park.

"Orbital scans are showing that the local forces are in disarray. A few professional forces are heading your way with armor. They may arrive before reinforcements. Do you need supplies?"

I checked Bran's equipment, and then Raimo's. Raimo had the rocket launcher and the bag of rockets still, and Bran carried a heavy machinegun on his back. The latter probably wouldn't hurt an armored vehicle much, but it would slow them I am sure. "We should be fine for a limited time." I said as I dropped down into the trench with the rest of the squad.

"Understood. ETA fourteen minutes. Hold position." Command said before cutting comms again.

"Alright guys, we're tasked with holding this base. Fourteen or so minutes until reinforcements arrive. We probably won't meet much resistance." I said. The partial lie was always good. Knowing that we'd be fighting a tougher fight, possibly, I started to focus some energy into bolstering the morale and determination of the squad. Being an Empath is a great thing. "Raimo, Bran, keep ready with the heavy weapons. Command said that there are a few armored vehicles. They may head toward us once the fighting starts. Masako, if you have a shot, take the shot. Just be aware that we may not get a resupply for some time. Be careful, all of you, with expending our cells."

I looked down at my own rifle. The power cells had a 50-round charge at full power. I still had 24 charges left on this pack. Since they are so heavy, few of the power cells are carried at a time. I am able to carry about three extra with me without it weighing me down too dangerously. All of the packs are only about six inches long, an inch or two thick, and four or five inches wide, but they weigh about 10 pounds each. No one wants to carry too much weight, even if the Warfighter armor enhances strength and endurance. The upside, if one can remember to keep them, is that the power cells are rechargeable.

Masako fired first, the red laser flashing out across the battlefield and into the second floor of a building. "Sniper. Caught him at the last second." She said as she went back to watching the area ahead again.

Ahead of us, I could see a few Remnorans approaching from the road, with one of their IFVs accompanying them. These were the professionals, judging by the armor and armament. The Republic had access to the same weapons and equipment that we wore, though usually it was marked up enough to make it difficult to acquire. These approaching soldiers had the old Warfighter X armors. They wouldn't have shields, but they can still take a few lasers and keep going with the armor absorbing it all.

"Alright, here they come. Raimo, when you can hit the IFV, take the shot. Bran, I hope you can aim. We're going to hit the infantry." I said while I put my rifle to the shoulder and lined up the sights on the lead soldier. His armor had all the markings of... Remnoran nobility. Now that's certainly interesting. That meant that these soldiers were a personal house guard. "Watch this lead one. I think we should try to capture them, not make the kill. His armor is too ornate to not be able to tell them apart from the rest. Again, keep him alive." I switched to the NCO channel. "Bravo Five to Command. We have eyes on a Remnoran noble. I can't tell what their hous-"

Masako must have switched her scope over to the soldier. "Neophytos."

"Correction." I said, giving a nod to Masako. "Remnoran noble sighted with the Neophytos crest on their armor. We're going to attempt a capture if it won't risk our safety."

"Understood Bravo. Capture if possible. Good work on the sighting. We'll pass this up the chain of command." Command said as they cut the comms again.

Bran took the first shot, and it hit the Neophytos noble in the leg, dropping them to a knee. I knew that was an intentional wounding shot, and I'll smack him for it later. The one shot got the attention of the rest of the soldiers. I followed up Bran's shot by firing a three-charge burst on the first soldier to try to help the noble. All three lasers connected, and the soldier crumpled to the ground, with several melted holes in the armor.

Finally, the Remnorans returned fire from five hundred feet out. As I expected, most of the bullets were flying all over and hardly accurate at that range. A few Remnorans were smart enough to take cover behind cars as Bran and I opened fire with much more precise shots. Of course, we were mostly trying to suppress the Remnorans, to keep them down. To accomplish that, I flipped a switch to fire more rapid, far lower power beams. The Remnorans wouldn't know the difference, but I will save some charge on my cells.

Raimo fired his rocket launcher after some delay. The rocket managed to hit the IFV in the front, doing minimal damage to its frontal armor. What it did accomplish is give the IFV's gunner a place to shoot at. Its autocannon opened fire on us immediately after the rocket, and the exploding rounds forced Bran and I to stop our suppression and get back down into the trench further.

"When I said 'take the shot', I meant one that'll disable it!" I shouted at Raimo over the nearby bursts of the autocannon rounds. This trench ran the length of the north side of the park. While the spot we are at would be the definite direction that the Remnorans would advance, we could still pull back. "Alright, keep with me. We're falling back to the east side of the trench." Keeping my head down, I stepped back from the trench wall and moved to my right, toward the eastern part of the trenches. "Bravo Lead to Epsilon. Where are you all?" I said.

"Epsilon Lead here." Of course, Abijah got more formal now. "We're taking heavy fire on the south side. I have wounded."

There isn't anything I can do about that. I don't have a squad medic. "Understood. We're at... ten minutes to reinforcement. Contact Command to see if they can get anything here quicker. I am moving my squad. We're suppressed over here."

"Understood Bravo Lead." Abijah said. "I'll contact you if we have to fall back."

The trench I moved down dropped down slightly, and we entered a covered section of the trench. It would be more defensible, but we wouldn't have anywhere to fall back to if the Remnorans began to beat us back. According to my map, everyone was still following me, so I kept moving without telling them to stop. We passed through the covered area into the circular trenches that made up one of the emplacements, one that Epsilon should have destroyed. But it looked like they did a rather poor job of that. The anti-air gun looked like it still had some function to it. The barrel looked undamaged, as well the important parts.

"Raimo, Bran, get on that gun." I said as I highlighted the gun. "See if it can work. If it can, take out that damned IFV if you can. Masako, stay with me. We have to hold off the Remnorans."

I let the three of them pass me. To slow, or stop an attack on the side, I pulled a grenade my waist. The plasma grenade would have the power to collapse the trench. I hit the button to activate the pulsing green thing, and then tossed it aside. With my back turned on the grenade, I moved toward Masako's position. The explosion had the effect that I expected, and I gave a sigh of relief. Finally, something went right, even if it's minor.

Masako continued firing on the approaching Remnorans, taking the controlled, aimed shots that I would expect of her. Not all hit, but it slowed the Remnorans. I dropped to a knee a few feet away from her, with this shorter section of the trench providing as much cover as it could. I could only see a dozen Remnorans down the gentle slope. The Neophytos noble still was on the field and giving commands.

"Epsilon Lead to Bravo Lead. Command has no resources to spare. We have to hold position." Abijah said. "Are you facing noble troops too? Looks like Neophytos troops."

"Yeah, and we got one in the noble armor even over on our side. We'll be capturing them if possible." I said while I took a shot at that noble again. His powered armor, combined with the lower power shot I fired, simply deflected the laser, but it got his attention.

"Firing!" Raimo said. Behind me, the large bore anti-air cannon fired a round, instead, out toward the IFV. The rounds were meant to shred aircraft after a high altitude detonation. They probably weren't meant for anti-armor, but it was better than nothing. The blast of the gun, as it was right over my head, was almost deafening if the compensators in my helmet didn't... well, compensate and block out the waves.

The round slammed into the side of the IFV. The explosion was considerable, and some pieces of shrapnel came back and hit Masako and I harmlessly. A silence dominated, but I think that was my helmet more than a sudden calm. The dust started to clear almost immediately, and I could see the treads of the IFV were broken, and the IFV itself had considerable damage on the side. Many of the Remnoran soldiers looked wounded, though few were dead. Their protection was far more considerable than the average Remnoran. What caught my attention, however, was the noble pulling a sword from his back.

"Masako, if he gets too close, wound him. Do not kill them." I said. I knew how Remnorans fought. The noble would rather go down fighting than from such an explosion. If he charged, the other soldiers would follow. Over squad communications, I said, "Raimo and Bran, get down to us now. We're going to have a charge I think."

They didn't need to say a word. I saw them moving. As soon as I finished the sentence though, I watched as the noble started his run toward us, aided by the powered armor. A handful of the noble's soldiers followed alongside. Masako kept her aim on the noble, and I fired on the charging Remnorans. Most of the shots hit them, stopping them enough for Raimo and Bran to finish them off from a slightly higher ground.

Masako's rifle fired, and my attention turned toward her, and the hulking form bearing down on the trench. A large portion of the armor's abdominal plates on had been melted, and he was probably injured, but it didn't stop him. He ignored Masako and moved toward me. I drew up whatever empathic power I could in the moments before he arrived in an attempt to manipulate his mind to withdraw. The attempt only hit a mindshield, and a moment after I was thrown back against the trench. I could feel that the chest piece had bent in the middle, but it didn't do much damage.

My mind cleared enough under the impact that I was able to duck out of the way of a punch. As I scrambled to the ground, away from the noble, Masako took another shot at full power, and I looked back in time to see it hit them in the chest. That one made them stumble back, but they still kept walking toward me. I pulled my pistol out and took aim at the noble, but didn't fire. It still seemed to stop him.

I mustered the power I had to mentally shout at the noble. "Down!" It had some effect, as I saw him wince in pain somewhat. When I got back to my feet, I shot the pistol at the noble's head, with a very low power shot. It deflected, but the force still dropped the noble to the ground. I could sense that he was hurt, but not critically. He'd live. "Helmet off." I shouted at the noble as he started to sit back up. "You're not being killed. I won't give you that."

I could hear him growling even before he took the helmet off. Once unsealed, he tossed the burned helmet off to the side. "Happy now?" Of course, it was the snow leopard Baron Neophytos himself. My father would love this capture, and I'd damn sure take the credit for capturing a hostile high value target.

"Baron Neophytos. Well met. I just wish it was under better circumstances." I said as I turned my visor tint off again. There was an honor code of sorts between nobles. I am sure he wouldn't do anything untoward at this point.

"The black prince." Neophytos chuckled. Many of the nobles knew me as "the black prince" as a poor play on the metaphor of a "black sheep" of a family. "It explains the empathics. Good try."

"Bravo Five to Command." I said. "I captured Baron Neophytos."

"Command here. Excellent work." The commander said. Reinforcements are about five minutes out. What's your status?"

"North side is largely clear now. Their assault has been beaten back." I said as I looked out at the short-lived battlefield. "No injuries."

A pause on Command's end was probably them communicating with Epsilon Squad. "North side confirmed clear. Ground forces will be in the area within the hour. Remnoran troops are falling back across the western line. South side of the park is also clear. Epsilon squad has two dead and one wounded. Stand in position until reinforcements arrive. Transfer the Baron to their shuttles. They're being notified of the prisoner transfer."

"Will do Command. Bravo out." I said, taking advantage of the chance to do the same to them for once. I looked down at Neophytos. "Up. You're heading back in a few minutes. Don't resist and this will be much easier on you." The Baron stood up, though he was certainly pained in doing so. "Bravo, on me."

I was going to ignore the order to stay in place. If the Remnorans are in retreat, then they likely wouldn't try to attack us again. The squad, with Neophytos directly behind me, and the rest behind him, walked out the trenches and back to the surface level of the park. We'd just wait in the flat areas and hope that the shuttles would land there. We deserved a small break. Two squads, one understrength, taking on a fortified position with considerably fewer losses than could be anticipated is noteworthy.

"Epsilon Lead to Bravo Lead. Reinforcements are almost here right?" Abijah asked.

"Four minutes, probably less, now." I said.

"Good. I have wounded over here. A couple casualties too. Could you help us out and get them moved for extraction?" Abijah asked.

There were several remarks I wanted to make for that question. I could be an asshole about it. In fact, I would. "Negative. Your performance was sloppy and inexperienced. You'll have to suffer the consequences. Over." And with that, I closed communications. One small remark like that just felt good. I didn't care that it looked bad on me.

The shuttles arrived almost perfectly on time four minutes after I closed communications. Four large craft dropped down and landed where there was room. At least a company's worth of Army troops disembarked from the shuttles and scattered to new positions. It still seemed odd to be seeing so many soldiers taking care of an operation that we won with less than a dozen.

"Bravo Squad, you're being pulled out. Emperor's orders." Command said. "Board the marked shuttle."

That wasn't a good sign. If my father was here, chances are something rather ridiculous was about to happen. Knowing him, we'd win this fight, and he'd give some sort of speech to the people of Espica. And, knowing them, my father would get fired upon by militias that had gone undetected. Maybe. Still, I can't complain about being pulled out for a short time. If the Remnorans are retreating, then we don't have much to fight that the regular Army can't handle.

The shuttle closest to the squad was marked as our destination by Command. The five of us walked around and climbed aboard. A pair of Imperial Guards were on the shuttle. Their appearance confirms that my father is in the system, like a fool. An Emperor shouldn't be on the front lines of a war when not absolutely necessary. I removed my helmet, and set it in my lap. The constant flow of information got tiring. With the helmet off, I realized how loud everything really was. We waited for some time, and I was going to ask why, but Epsilon Squad arrived with their dead and wounded. Abijah didn't even look in my direction.

Once everyone was strapped in, the shuttle began its rise. These light troop shuttles could hold about twenty soldiers at a time; a normal strength platoon. "Two princes. Crown Prince, and just a prince. Interesting." Bran said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah? What's so interesting?" Abijah said with a flare of anger, but it did fade off as he stopped.

"Two princes deployed into a dangerous situation." Bran said, not wavering. He impressed me sometimes with not being afraid. Most Vervortians showed the Welhans deference. Bran did not. "A suicide mission, almost. One has a temper and sense of superiority, the other is quiet. It's an interesting difference, between two members of a family, especially when one will be the Emperor one day."

"Temper?" Abijah said, raising his voice, and apparently not seeing what he was doing.

"Indeed." Bran said. "Just an observation. Might I recommend reining that in? You'll probably command more respect for that."

"Isaiah, put the bear into line." Abijah said, pointing at me with anger.

I only smiled and shrugged. "He's bigger than me. I don't intend to get killed."

Abijah clenched a fist, but ultimately didn't unstrap as the shuttle continued its flight into orbit. I definitely like Bran now. Few would say anything like that to a royal, let alone the Crown Prince. I would have to talk to him when we had some time either way. A few things had to discussed, such as actually thanking him for saving me from the wolf at the first emplacement, but also some of his conduct. For now though, he had my approval.

The shuttle flight from the base didn't go into orbit as I had expected. Instead it simply flew us back to Fort Vanguard; the Imperial military base on Remnora that was just... there, really. It was a foreign assignment for anyone that ended up there, but ultimately it only served as a foothold on Remnora. Since the war started, it's the center of all operations in the Remnora Cluster, and is seeing a new frenzy of activity unseen since it was built centuries ago.

We set down on one of the pads for the shuttles. Medical staff awaited our arrival. Once the door dropped down, the medics were on board and getting the wounded and dead out. Military Police followed them and took Baron Neophytos. Finally the controller allowed us to disembark once everyone else left. While Bravo left, and the one remaining Epsilon soldier stepped off, my brother stayed on the shuttle. Knowing him, he was being pulled out of combat entirely. Command gave us a plain text objective to head to the armory for recharge and rearming, then we'll be redeployed to aid friendly troops in the southern Espica Province.

I knew that in the south there are several towns, but also the estates of many of the Remnoran royals. My guess is that at least one called for help. So naturally they'd send in soldiers that are slightly better armed and trained. It made sense.

Glory 39
Remnora II
Espica Province

As midnight on Remnora approached, we were given the order to move. A very light shuttle was called to pick all of us up for the redeployment. Only my squad would be moving to assist what I found out is the Origenes royal guards at their estate. I didn't have much in the way of details, but it made sense that we'd assist them. Unlike many Remnoran noble families, the Origenes family has always had pro-Imperial leanings since the Act of Sovereignty. Several members of the family hold Imperial titles as well, which means keeping them loyal is of vital interest to the Empire. That's why I am going as well; a Welhan directly helping would look better than just a regular soldier.

It took two hours of flying for the shuttle to reach our destination. The Origenes Estate. Situated nicely in the middle of the South Espican Plains, the estate is a large complex of buildings, laid out and designed to look like a traditional palace from long ago. The biggest difference is that the entire complex had tall walls around its property, and those walls had soldiers on them. At least that's how I remembered it from when I last visited it. Now the estate lit up with spotlights in the skies, and the walls themselves illuminated their surroundings for a long distance. They called it a "war mode". It looked almost intimidating.

Our pilot landed us in a flat area at the center of the complex, and the door dropped down. Once the light turned green, the four of us walked down the ramp into the well-lit landing pad. A pair of soldiers already started to head toward us. As the light got better, I saw them actually escorting a rather tall woman with them. I didn't have to guess as to who that is. The group of three stopped in front of us as the shuttle lifted off.

"Duchess Origenes." I said, giving a slight bow to the large lion woman. She stood about seven feet tall, and had a generally large physique. The Origenes family were known for their size and strength, especially in the women. "Thank you for letting us into your estate."

The Duchess returned the bow. "It is I who should thank you. What is your name, trooper?"

"Sergeant Welhan, ma'am." I said. I turned off my visor tint, again, since I forgot it was even active, and not necessary at night. Things were made much brighter, and I made a mental note to check that from now on at night.

"That explains the formality. Welcome back to the Estate, Isaiah." She said before turning around and beckoning us to follow. "Come. I'll give you an overview of the situation here. It's not as dire as your commanders told you, I am sure."

As Origenes walked off, I slung my rifle over a shoulder and followed her. The quiet in the estate was pleasant, though the skies toward the north had a red glow from the fighting in Espica. Such is the reality of war, I suppose. The Duchess led us through the gardens that made up the center of the complex, with the palace itself at the east side. That was something about the sun rising in the east and being aligned to it. I think it was something like that anyway. Either way it's silly Remnoran beliefs, so I doubted there was any sense in it.

"I understand Neophytos was captured?" The Duchess said, breaking the silence as she led us into the palace.

I had been through the palace before. This door brought us into a large, extravagant foyer which served as the central hub for the entire building. It didn't impress me. I was more curious how she knew the Baron was captured, but it wouldn't be out of the question that my father broadcast it in an attempt to make the nobility stand down on Remnora. "Yes, we captured him in Espica. He put up a bit of a fight." I said.

"It's unfortunate." The Duchess said as she opened the electronically locked door into the underground section of her palace. "House Neophytos used to be considerably skilled soldiers and leaders. They also used to back the Empire. Ever since the younger took over, it's been a mess of plots and betrayals. It's a shocker his own soldiers didn't kill him."

"We killed them first." Raimo said from the back, even going so far as to laugh a bit.

I didn't say a word at that, and nor did the Duchess. I knew she wanted to make a remark about speaking when spoken to toward Raimo, but she held it back. It's different for me, being royalty, and the Origenes family being former royalty. Instead, the five of us descended the stairs into the basement. At the bottom of the long staircase, we made a right down a shining hallway. This looked almost exactly like some of the newer Army command centers. That also wouldn't surprise me. Being close with the Emperor would have benefits. By close, I know that my younger sister is married to one of the Duchess' sons.

After a walk down the hallway, we made a turn into a room that was almost identical to the command center of Algagi, if much newer and better cared for. At the middle was one of the prototype battle computers that Astrapolis Electronics was working on. Some had been making their way into the military, but very few. They are incredibly expensive still. For a Remnoran noble to have one? Well, it wasn't that unbelievable.

"Our situation is actually rather secure." The Duchess said as she tapped the table and brought up a hologram of the complex and the surrounding area, plus the village two miles away. "Out here we have long sight lines and the equipment to halt attacks before they get to our walls. Internal defenses can intercept most incoming projectiles. Really the only reason we'd send soldiers outside the walls is to ensure secure of Smallpoint."

The hologram showed all of the things she stated. The guns appeared on the walls, along with the defensive complements, and the effective range in all directions on the defense weapons. She even had anti-air weapons to secure the airspace in the immediate area. I'd argue that she had anticipated this fighting and stocked up for a defense, but I wouldn't want to insult her either.

"So what are we here for then?" I asked, verbalizing a thought that went through my mind the moment I saw the map and the lack of any threats. I expanded on that further. "We got a call for help and deployed here to assist. So what are we here for?"

That got the Duchess to chuckle a bit. "Insurance, let's say. A few Drop Troopers helping to bolster the defense? Well, it's helpful. Plus one's a prince. Would the loyalists dare to attack me with the risk of bringing forth the full wrath of the Emperor?"

"Yes." I said. That thought was supposed to be stay quiet, since I knew that my father wouldn't have any sort of extra aggression if I were killed. "Or, rather," I corrected myself, "perhaps they would." The Duchess nodded at that. "So what do we do then? Stand around on watch? Relax?"

I heard a small 'hmm' from the Duchess, which was followed with a short silence. "You're essentially on loan to me until the Espica Province is occupied, according to the deal I struck with your father. I don't anticipate any fighting, and I have no issue with royalty visiting the estate. Your squad is welcome to stay as well. I will have a section of the barracks put aside for you. I have just one requirement."

"Yes ma'am?" I asked. I was somewhat curious now.

"Make sure that if you all enter the palace in the coming days that the armor is kept clean and free of dirt and other such things." The Duchess said. "I can't blame you for it now, but it's a pain on my servants to clean such things."

"Yes ma'am. I'll make sure of that." I said, though I wanted to tell her to go to hell. It also wouldn't be fitting of a prince to say that to a Duchess, especially one like Origenes. Given her size in both height and mass she could easily tear me in two with or without the armor.

"You're all dismissed then. One of my soldiers will meet you at the top of the stairs." The Duchess said as she kept working on her computer.

I took the hint and didn't bother with any other formalities. She wasn't my actual commander, no matter if we were "on loan", so I wouldn't salute. She's of lesser status than I, so I wouldn't show undue respect toward her as far as nobility goes. I turned away from the computer and signaled for Bravo to follow me as we left the command center. I had paid attention to the way we came in, and I climbed the stairs back up to the surface level. Despite the electronic lock on the other side, the door slid open as we reached it. As the Duchess said, a soldier waited for us at the top. He saluted me as I stepped out, and I made sure the rest of Bravo could exit without any problems.

"Sir, the Duchess has instructed me to direct you to the barracks." The soldier said after I gave a salute back.

"Lead the way then soldier. We'll be right behind you." I said. In the moment being close, I was able to size up the Origenes equipment. Despite the computer down below, he carried the old Greymane-Knighthold ballistic Class B assault rifle, and the armor was the Remnoran version of the Warfighter Mk. VIII. The Mk. VIII is an old model, no shielding, build for ballistic protection, no electronics. It's very basic. If all of the Origenes soldiers were armed like this, then they wouldn't last long against a proper Imperial force. No wonder Origenes stayed loyal to the Empire; she knew that fact all too well.

The walk from the palace into the barracks took only a few minutes, and we were directed into a room in the barracks much like the one on the Liberator in terms of size. It would be comfortable enough, especially if we're ultimately not fighting. I took advantage of this opportunity to get my armor off finally. After going on a full day in it, it grew tiring. Now that we are in relative safety, we may as well enjoy it while we can.

"So I guess this is the part where we stand around and wait for something to happen?" Raimo asked he got out of his armor.

"More or less." I said as I sat on one of the beds. Compared to the beds on Algagi and the Liberator, these were actually soft and high quality. No wonder noble soldiers couldn't fight worth a damn. "Knowing the Duchess, I'll be speaking with her more than I'd like."

"Must be nice being royalty huh?" Raimo asked, though with a tone that I could tell was mostly joking. "Get to spend your days drinking tea with a Duchess instead of fighting."

"That's my brother." I shot back with a chuckle. "I am sure the Duchess would rather shoot at things than drink tea. You saw her. She'd probably be able to rip Bran in half."

"I take offense at that." Bran said. For once, I also heard him laugh. That was new. "I am sure we'd have a nice, long fight where both of us batter each other. I like to think I couldn't be broken that easily."

"Everyone likes to think that." Raimo said. With Raimo right next Bran, I'd have to say it wasn't a smart remark. Bran's hand reached out and smacked him, which made Raimo fall over.

"Especially Remnorans." Bran said, even growling at Raimo. I spent enough time around Vervortians to know that the tone Bran used was mostly for show, rather than a serious growl.

"Keep it civil you two. I don't want to have to clean Raimo off the carpet." I said. "The Duchess wouldn't appreciate that, I am sure."

We exchanged a bit more banter as we wound down for the... morning. It was always weird trying to adjust to the varying day lengths of a planet. Remnora has a 30 Haroma-hour day. Haroma has a 24 hour day. The Imperial Standard is the equivalent of just under 17 Haroma hours. The Imperial Standard is ten, forty-minute hours in a standard day, and then 400 days in a year. The year is split into ten, forty-day months. It's an odd mess meant to standardize Imperial times. It only helped the military and the freighters. Every world used their own local times.

I was the first to lay down on my bed to get some sleep. I set the alarm on the phone I tucked into my uniform pocket to a few hours ahead. When the sun rose on Remnora, I'd like to actually be awake to survey the area around the estate. That would give an idea of what the fields actually look like, and where the best vantage points are. Plus it would be time for the typical Remnoran breakfast, or whatever they call it here. Despite Raimo's joke, I am sure the Duchess would like company of another noble for even just a tea. It would be a respite from the politics, probably.

It was easy to get to sleep once I toned out the other three. The fight in Espica had exhausted me more than I had thought.

Vigilance 6
Espica Province

Eight days at the Origenes Estate and the surrounding countryside and Smallpoint had grown tiresome. With no communications from Command, I could only assume that Espica was captured and Command was solidifying its hold on the city before expanding into the countryside. It made sense. Still, for as comfortable an assignment as this may be, it wasn't without some dangers. The people of Smallpoint were mixed in opinion of the Empire. However due to the needs of the Duchess, I took advantage of the chance to go on patrol with her soldiers in the town. Our rifles stayed on our backs, and he helmets came off to show a trust in the people.

Today, the sixth day of the month of Vigilance, we are doing the same patrol, but along the north side. Apparently, some farmers had reported unknowns stalking around in the hills and fields, disappearing when they are noticed. To show that we would respond, an Origenes squad and my squad are looking into the sightings. I am almost certain it's Imperial scouts, but I won't say that. I'd rather not put everyone at ease unnecessarily. Since it's possibly a hostile force, we are with our helmets and weapons in plain sight and readiness.

So here we are, in the fields just a mile or so north of Smallpoint. I think we're about 100 or so miles from the southern suburbs of Espica. Origenes gave us a pair of Remnora built light vehicles to get around more quickly. If there was more sand and if I was driving a vehicle that didn't feel like it'd fall apart when I turn the wheel, this would feel like Algagi all over again. Just with less nuclear weapons, I suppose.

The Origenes soldiers had stopped at the farmer's house that, according to them, had reported the movement of unknowns in the area. For some reason the native Remnoran tongue isn't included in my translator implant, so there's no way to actually communicate with them. So Bravo Squad has gone from recon, to front line assault, to escorts, all in a matter of weeks. I guess I shouldn't complain. The less dealing with Remnoran natives, the better. At least they aren't loincloth wearing tribals like some of the Remnorans further south, over the equator.

"Let's place some bets on not finding anything." Raimo said from the passenger seat. "I'll put down ten on this being a waste of time and the farmers just seeing things." To make it clear we were going to use cash, Raimo pulled a ten credit bill.

I am driving, as usual, so I just glanced over at him. I wanted to tell him we're not going to bet on something like that. "I'll put ten on this being a waste of time because they're going to be our soldiers." Like Raimo, I shuffled around in my pockets and removed my own ten credit bill.

"Now that's a specific one." Raimo said. "But I'll take it. Why do you say that?"

"We haven't heard from command yet. I am sure we have scouts coming this way." I said. It seemed reasonable enough in my mind.

"Alright, fair." Raimo paused to look back at Bran and Masako. "What about you two?"

"Ten on us finding Remnoran regulars." Bran said. I saw Raimo hold his hand out, and Bran dropped a ten into his hand.

"I think you're all idiots and that you're all going to be wrong. And I am doubling down." Masako said. While I had taken that as a joke, she still put, instead, a twenty into Raimo's hand.

Bran, Raimo, and I all pulled out another ten and threw it into the pot. "Alright, we got our bets. I say there's nothing, Izzy says we're going to find our people, Slavo says we're going to find hostiles, and Masako thinks we're idiots." Raimo said with a chuckle.

"I say we give Masako the whole pot now. She nailed the idiots part." I said.

The Origenes squad leader, a sergeant, walked back toward our vehicle and tapped on the door to get me to open it. Once it swung open, he said, "Alright, farmers said they saw black armored people in their field last night. Faces were obscured. When the man put a light on then, they saw a red glow in the hands, then they person disappeared, heading north. The plants were moving as the person ran through it."

"I feel like I am going to be seventy credits richer." I said before looking back to the sergeant. "Sounds Imperial, Drop Trooper maybe. Anything worth noting to the north? Where would someone hide?"

The sergeant looked confused, probably by the credits remark. "There's a cave to the northwest, up in the hills. It's easy to locate. If someone was hiding in the area, that's where I'd hide."

"You're leading the way then?" I asked, getting a nod from the sergeant. "Alright, I'll stay behind you then." The sergeant nodded again and then returned to his vehicle. While he walked back, I closed the door and then watched them. "I feel like he was lying." I said. "We'll see though. Raimo, put out a call using our DT codes on the local band. Let's see if we have recon in this area."

Raimo didn't acknowledge, but I could hear him speaking shortly after. Once he got through putting out the first call, the Origenes vehicle had turned around. As I said I would, I kept following them down the dirt road. We stopped as we reached the pavement to allow a truck pass. I suppose that even in a war zone, freight needs to be moved about without interruption. Once the truck passed, we made a right back onto the road to head north again.

To our right, toward the east, farm fields stretched on for miles, broken only by the tips of mountains far in the east. To our left, the hills formed the natural barrier for which this two-lane road ran next to. The hills aren't large, but there are a few cliffs, and a few trees scattered about on them. I could see the dirt paths leading up to the handful of houses that were built in the hills, but none are of any consequence. Were it not for the fact that we're invading an occupying, I'd say that this is a pretty idyllic countryside. I could see why the Origenes would live here, if I ignored the obvious tactical benefits of the estate's location.

It took about twenty minutes before the lead vehicle turned off the road onto a dirt road. I could already see the cave he mentioned. The top of the large entrance is easily visible from the road. I slowed down to make the left turn onto the dirt road, and saw that the Origenes vehicle slowed down. I could see why as I turned. The dirt path has a blind hill once I got to the top. The Origenes vehicle sped up as it went over, so I followed at about that same speed. They were probably playing it safe so they didn't drive into a trap or something. Makes sense.

At the top, I saw that the entrance to the cave looked... like a cave. I mean, I can't have insight into everything, can I? I am a royal, I never dive into damned caves if I can help it. Especially not on foreign worlds. Especially not on foreign worlds that we are invading. If I had the choice right now, I'd throw one of those drones that the actual recon units get to play with and never set foot into the thing. With my luck, it'll probably collapse. Man, that'd be a hell of a way to go too. 'Prince goes into cave, gets stoned'. No, that'd be a bad headline. I hate fucking caves though. Too many possibly bad experiences wrapped into one. Dark, cold, dangerous, and this one is probably full of bats or something.

"I guess we're here then." I said as I parked my vehicle behind the Origene's vehicle. "Disembark and let's see what the plan is. Hopefully we get to stand guard." I climbed out of the vehicle, then added, "Raimo, you get anyone?"

"A bit of static from an unknown source, but nothing of note." Raimo said as the four of us walked toward the other four Origenes soldiers.

"Looks like we're going to have to go in." The sergeant said. "Cave is actually smaller than it looks. Since you have the equipment, we can stand guard out here. You four will have better luck than us."

I wanted to scream 'no' at the prospect of going into the cave. But he knew I am royalty, and I'll be damned if I represent Anean royalty poorly. "Sounds like a plan." I said, masking the hesitation I had. "Any idea how deep it goes?"

"At most, about two hundred feet down." The sergeant said. "There's a few side rooms that had been dug out a while ago, and a drop off that hasn't been explored. Watch out for that ledge. Last thing anyone wants is to fall down that."

"Noted." I said. So, dark, dangerous, and possibly ending when it's least expected. Well at least there's no bats, as far as I can tell. "Let's go then. Low-light visors on." I said over squad communications as we turned to enter the cave.

My visor came on as soon as we started into the darkness and it an excellent job of illuminating everything in front of me. The dark faded away under the artificial visor that the helmet projected, making it almost look as if it were illuminated normally. Of course I expected a monster or something jump out because it's a fucking cave, but I could see nothing of the sort. As the sergeant said, I saw a few tunnels that were obviously excavated.

"Raimo, keep trying to raise someone. Bran, check that room." The waypoint popped up over the entrance to the room as the three of us stopped to let Bran check. Bran took a step into the room, looked around, and then backed out again. He gave me thumb up. "Alright. Let's keep moving." I said. After I let Bran get back into the group, we continued walking deeper into the cave. Two more rooms jutted off from the main cave. I marked those two again, sending them to Raimo and Bran to do a quick check.

"I don't like this." Masako said. "Something feels off here."

"Agreed." I said. "Masako, watch our backs."

"Got something." Raimo whispered over squad communications.

I walked over to Raimo, and he had stepped back from the room to let me pass. With the visor, I could make out a figure sleeping in what appeared to be Drop Trooper armor, but the armor also has significant damage and didn't fit right. Even the laser rifle that is propped against the wall looks damaged. The helmet on the ground had part of it removed. As I stepped closer to the sleeping person, I saw that the armor was made for a human, but the individual sleeping is a fox. That answered the question.

"Get up!" I shouted at the fox. They woke up suddenly, and scrambled. Almost trained, they reached for the rifle, but I pushed it aside and then dropped a knee down into the fox's chest, causing him to yelp. "Stay down. Who are you?" The fox shouted something in the native language, of course, so I smacked him. "I know you understand me. Struggle, and I end you."

With that, I released the pressure on his chest and stood up, pulling the fox with me to his feet. It was now that I realized he is rather young, since his height barely reached my chest. It also explained why the armor is such a terrible fit. I made sure Raimo took the lead while I pressed the laser rifle to the fox's back. We're going to walk him out, and he will cooperate. It's as simple as that. I'll let the Origenes soldiers do the interrogation for me, and then see if I can't get the native language downloaded to my implant.

In the few minutes it took to get to the exit again, the Origenes soldiers had already started pacing around, as if standing and waiting was too boring for them for more than a few seconds. It sounded about right, knowing how some animals are. I pushed the fox to the ground, and he fell with about as much grace as... well, a fox in a suit of armor that's far too large for them.

"I think we found our target." I said after the fox hit the ground. "Have fun interrogating them. I can't speak the language."

One of the Origenes soldiers grabbed the fox harshly by the arm and yanked them back to their feet. From across the way, the sergeant said, "Alright. Good. Let's head on back then."

Everyone climbed back into their vehicles, and I realized two things as I sat in the driver's seat. One, I realized that that whole thing was entirely anti-climactic. I had expected some sort of great search. Instead, we found the person sleeping and I got to manhandle them a bit. And, two, I realized that Masako was right. We are idiots. And it wasn't one of the two obvious possibilities.

"God damn it Masako." I said aloud, after realizing the second one. I didn't even have to look back to know that she was grinning at the fact she managed to take some of our money. In that way, she's a typical cat. "Alright, let's head on back."

The trip from the cave back to the estate took far less time than I had expected. It was partially because we were moving fast, and part because we had nothing to really look out for. It was another successful operation with the soldiers of House Origenes. It is good to know that not everyone on this planet is trying to kill us. Just a large amount of the planet's population is trying to kill us. And even more of the planet itself wants to see us dead I am sure. I am happy I haven't seen the native life yet.

When our vehicles passed into the estate, static finally filled my comms, and the HUD showed it came from Command. It's about damned time they got in contact. "Command to Bravo Five. Are one of you out there?"

"Bravo Five Lead here." I said. "Go ahead Command."

"Good to hear from you. I know you've been at the Origenes Estate for the last week. We're reporting that the Remnoran soldiers of the Espica Province have announced their surrender." Command said. I could almost sense a sort of subdued excitement at this. "The Espica Province is ours, Sergeant. New orders will come down within the next few hours. Standby for that. Command out."

It did feel good to have a proper victory. Espica, I know, was kind of bloody for us, but we still prevailed, even against Remnora's best soldiers in the capital. It is a start of the Remnora campaign at least. I stopped the vehicle next to the Origenes vehicle and we were given the all clear to go back to the barracks, that the fox would be handled accordingly. I didn't even care what the fox was doing so long as some retribution came of it.