The Dreadnought Mk XI was abuzz with activity as Arthur stepped out of his room, cd in his newly upgraded armor. The matte-bck pting gleamed under the room’s lights, its streamlined structure reinforced with Alloy SA-I, making it far more resilient than the standard ECHO gear.

  Arthur flexed his fingers, feeling the seamless integration of the new servos and enhancements. The armor didn’t just feel stronger, it felt like an extension of his body, facilitating much more smooth movement and flexibility.

  As he left his room, a whistle cut through the air.

  “Damn, what the heck is that,” Leo said, closing the door of his room as he gave Arthur’s armor an appraising look. “Did you steal some experimental tech while you were gone?”

  Elena folded her arms, her sharp gaze scanning the details. “Upgraded pting, no movement noises… Did you get it modified?”

  Samir let out a low chuckle. “This is some next-gen stuff. You gonna tell us what’s under the hood, or do we have to wait until you save our asses in battle?”

  Arthur smirked. “It’s an upgraded model, ECHO Mk II, if you will. It’s reinforced with a new alloy I created, it has a much more efficient energy distribution system, improved kinetic dampeners, and integrated adaptive shielding.” He tapped the chest pte. “It’ll take a lot more to punch through this now.”

  Arthur continued. “This is a prototype, and if I show it performs well on the battlefield, the UFE might just standardize it for the ECHOs.”

  Elena hummed in approval. “Well, as long as it keeps you from getting killed, I’m not compining.”

  Leo cpped his hands together. “Alright then, Lieutenant, lead the way. We’ve got a mission briefing to attend.”

  Arthur rolled his eyes at the title, still not used to it. “Let’s go.”

  …

  The briefing hall was packed. Rows of ECHOs stood at attention, their armored forms creating a sea of bck and gray. Overhead, a massive holo-dispy projected a tactical map of their destination, a star system at the edge of human-controlled space.

  Commander Elise Tarken stepped forward and the room immediately fell silent.

  “Listen up,” Elise began, her voice sharp and commanding. “Our next battlefield is Zeta, a barren star system on the outskirts of our gaxy. No atmosphere, no civilization, just a wastend used as a staging ground by both us and the Chimerians.”

  She gestured to the dispy, highlighting one of the pnet’s surfaces in the system. “The enemy has been making significant advances in this sector. Their forces have been testing our defenses, and intel suggests they’re pnning a rge-scale assault to seize control of this region.”

  The map zoomed in, showing various marked positions.

  “Our objective is to reinforce the troops already stationed there, fortify key positions, and hold the line against any incoming assault. Expect heavy resistance, the Chimerians won’t hold back.”

  Arthur studied the map, noting strategic locations. The star system has a total of five pnets and one of them is a gas giant. The pnet where the human camp is located is itself nothing but jagged rock and deep craters, an unforgiving battlefield where cover would be scarce. The Chimerians excelled in these conditions, their war machines built to adapt to such terrain.

  “We deploy in one hour,” Elise continued. “Check your gear, finalize your loadouts, and get your heads in the game. Dismissed.”

  The room erupted into movement as squads began making their preparations. Arthur turned to his team.

  “Looks like we’ve got work to do.”

  Leo stretched. “When don’t we?”

  …

  The massive Vanguard had its hangars filled with rows of drop ships and armored personnel carriers. Arthur and his team boarded alongside dozens of other ECHO squads, the air thick with anticipation.

  As they settled in, Arthur caught several gnces thrown his way, some curious, some skeptical, and others intrigued. His new armor was drawing attention, and he knew word would spread quickly.

  Elena leaned in and whispered, “Looks like you became the center of attention again.”

  Leo grinned. “Of course. It was bound to happen…Arthur shows up with some fancy new armor that looks like it belongs in a cssified bck ops program.”

  Arthur ignored the chatter as the ship's doors sealed shut. The engines roared to life, and the ship lifted off, merging with the fleet leaving the Dreadnought Mk XI.

  Several jumps ter, they arrived at the Zeta System.

  The view outside the viewport was stark. Five pnets orbited a dim, red star, one of them a swirling gas giant. Zeta-5, the third pnet, was their destination; it was an ashen sphere riddled with impact craters and trenches carved from meteor impact and years of warfare.

  Arthur exhaled slowly as the fleet began its descent.

  …

  The camp was a sprawling network of fortifications, temporary command posts, and weapons depots, all built into the rocky terrain. Thousands of space marines moved with purpose, loading weapons, and preparing for battle. Among them were ECHOs, hundreds, no, thousands gathered in squads, their distinctive armor marking them as elite forces.

  Arthur’s team stepped off the drop ship, their boots crunching against the barren ground.

  Samir let out a low whistle. “Well, this is a lot bigger than I expected.”

  Leo nodded. “They weren’t kidding about reinforcing this pce. Feels like we’re getting ready for something big.”

  Arthur scanned the camp, taking in the sight of heavily armed war mechs stationed along the perimeter, they even had orbital artillery installed and primed for defense, and squads of ECHOs preparing their gear. The sheer scale of the operation made one thing clear, this wasn’t just another skirmish.

  The Chimerians were coming. And this time, it was going to be a war.

  …

  Deep Space – The Chimerian Fleet

  Beyond the Zeta System, a vast fleet of Chimerian warships loomed, their jagged, obsidian hulls gliding silently through the void. The Zevarak-css battleships, titanic vessels built for pnetary sieges, halted at the system’s edge, unable to push further due to the overwhelming presence of UFE orbital defenses.

  From their underbellies, tens of thousands of drop ships and fighters detached, swarming like locusts as they ignited their thrusters and hurtled toward Zeta-5. The pnetary defenses immediately responded, orbital railguns, auto-cannons, and missile silos tracking their movements, firing relentlessly.

  Bright streaks of light nced through space as anti-aircraft fire ripped through the enemy formations. Many dropships exploded mid-journey, their remains spiraling into the desote space of the star system. But for every one that fell, several more slipped through the storm of fire, evading destruction with erratic flight patterns or sheer numbers.

  Within minutes, the barren surface of Zeta-5 was no longer empty. Tens of thousands of Chimerians emerged from the surviving dropships, common soldiers, heavily armored elites, and even a handful of Commander-css warriors.

  The invasion had officially begun.

  …

  Zeta-5 – UFE Forward Camp

  Arthur and his team stood at the edge of the camp, watching as squads of ECHOs and mechanized units scrambled into position. The air was thick with tension, the distant impacts of orbital strikes creating ripples in their hearts.

  Samir exhaled. “Alright, that’s a lot more than I expected.”

  Leo let out a low whistle. “So much for this being a simple reinforcement mission.”

  Arthur was silent, his sharp gaze locked onto the horizon where plumes of dust and smoke were beginning to rise.

  Commander Elise Tarken’s voice crackled over their comms. “All units, prepare for engagement. The Chimerians have nded in force. We’re deploying counter-offensives immediately.”

  Arthur turned to his team. “We’re moving out.”

  The VTOLs roared to life.

  The sky above Zeta-5 was chaotic, bzing wreckage from destroyed dropships plummeted to the ground, tracer rounds and missile trails crisscrossing the air.

  Arthur and his team sat inside one of the hundreds of VTOLs weaving through the aerial battlefield. Each VTOL carried squads of ECHOs and elite UFE marines, their weapons primed for immediate combat. There were also fighter jets roaming the skies of Zeta-5 tracking and shooting down dropships, and fending off the Chimerian fighter jets.

  Inside their transport, Elena was going over satellite visuals on her wrist dispy. “A rge Chimerian force nded in the northern quadrant, near those crater ridges. I count at least fifty elites, a few hundred foot soldiers, and a… commander css one.”

  Leo chuckled dryly. “Oh great. Because a hundred of those freaks weren’t enough, now we have to face a commander.”

  Arthur remained calm. He had already mapped out their nding zone, double-checking it against Elena’s readings. The ridges provided some natural cover, but the terrain was still unforgiving, too exposed. A bad engagement could get them wiped out.

  Arthur looked at his team. “We’re not going in guns bzing. We coordinate with the other squads and hit them with a stealth assault before they can form proper battle lines.”

  Samir grinned. “Now that’s a pn I like.”

  The VTOL suddenly jolted as it neared the drop-point, buffeted by turbulence before stabilizing. Over the comms, the pilot’s voice confirmed:

  {“All strike teams, prepare to drop.”}

  Arthur tightened his grip on his rifle. “Here we go.”

  …

  The VTOLs descended fast, deploying their squads in staggered formations across the craggy battlefield. The moment Arthur and his team’s boots hit the ground, they moved swiftly into position.

  Elena took point as their sniper and scout, already crouched behind a boulder, her scope scanning enemy positions.

  Arthur, Leo, and Samir coordinated with the other squads, positioning themselves along the outskirts of the Chimerian nding zone. Their enemies were organizing, setting up defensive positions around their dropships.

  Arthur activated his comm. “Elena, status?”

  Elena’s voice was steady. “Multiple squads moving into formation. The elites are staying close to the rger dropships, but the grunts are spread out to secure the area.”

  Arthur processed the information quickly. “We take out their formation before they solidify. Snipers and long-range specialists focus on their shooters. The rest of us hit the foot soldiers fast and hard before they know what’s happening.”

  Elena exhaled. “Copy that. Taking the first shot.”

  A single suppressed crack echoed.

  Far in the distance, a Chimerian squad leader’s skull exploded, his lifeless body crumpling before his men could react. Simultaneously, the other snipers took out the others before they could sound the arm.

  The ambush had begun.

  Arthur has already detected lifesigns of fifty five elites, a commander and two hundred thirty three grunts through his ‘Map’, with their number they should be able to take out the Chimerians if he took out the commander swiftly.

  He gave the signal. “Move in.” As he took out his sword and activated the psma edges.

  The squads surged forward after engaging their stealth modules.

  Arthur moved like a shadow, his upgraded armor moving stealthily across the battlefield, cutting down Chimerians before they could react as he went for the commander, and quickly stuffing the dead bodies of the Chimerians in the spatial orb in his suit. It was done to buy as much time as they could before the Chimerians noticed their ambush.

  ***

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