The Battle for Creation: the War for Solitas (IC, MT-FFT)

[The Remnant Axis]

The Battle for Creation: the War for Solitas

December 4th, 88 AWR (After War for Remnant)
Port of Argus, Anima
(Currently under Axis annexation)

After having devastated the rail system between Mistral, and at the large port city of Argus which stood between the two continents: the sea between them was the only wall to destroying the last true bastion of hope in Remnant: something that even the Axis themselves believed that they couldn't handle alone. The size of Atlas itself was expansive, fully militarized to the point where anyone with a sensible mind in the city would note that they live in an open prison, only guarded by the almost 500 feet tall and 100 meters wide around it, constructed with the highest amount of Dust-powered defenses that could be enabled in such a short time: all construction and development was focused on the massive walls basically to keep out the Grimm. However, neither sides anticipated what support would be in store for them.

Currently rested in the port are the new additions to the Axis fleet: with the seizure of all Atlesian assets in the north of Anima, the final fleet construction of airships docked about the city of Argus, which suffered without the luxury of Atlas' defenses. A dozen frigate airships, Atlesian made, finishing their repaint into a sleek black with red detailing, alongside the 4-6 others kept in reserve from the Axis fleet originally, alongside the criminal mastermind Roman Torchwick's pirate flagship he's loaned for the operation. Aboard, the cadre of Cinder Fall and her team were at a briefing of the operation, given to them by the strategist behind the operation, Dr. Arthur Watts.

Rested in the enclave of the Atlas Academy, is the final division of training at the Academy: because of staff losses, budgetary constraints, and low morale, classes of Huntsmen, former individuals of Remnant whom hunted the Grimm freely before the Axis arrived, are as shapeless and similar to the Atlesian soldiers they trained all alongside, with little to no semblance training, aura mastery, and with no chance at all now to do so, there were only few left that had such abilities in Atlas: the women of the Schnee family, former heiresses of the Schnee Dust Company, had little to no regret leaving their estranged counterparts, the current CEO Jacques Gele and heir Whitley Schnee, to their floundering resources. Leading alongside the Schnee matriarchs, is the stone cold, deeply depressed James Ironwood: having blamed himself on all of the major losses to the Axis since the Battle of Beacon, and now waiting for the eventual moment of his death, Ironwood only hopes that everyone else dies with no pain or anguish: only with valor and peace to them.

And between the middle of them, resting on the cold tundra between the Axis forces and the Atlesian defenders, is the wasteland that is Solitas: the continent which Atlas lays on. The ports all around are abandoned, the caves underground are filled with Grimm and the dead, and nobody else remains all around. Every fort which remained all around was scuttled for their machinery and armories, and obliterated as quickly as possible to not allow the Axis any way to benefit on the land all around Solitas, at the cost of the loss of most controlled territory to only controlling Atlas, the overcrowded population of the walled city with no more development of the city until the war is over, and then the fact that it gave nobody hope to see their homes, forts, and lives torn apart.

That is, until rips begin to form around the areas between Atlas and the coast, snippets of Salem's reach into another part of her plan: controlled chaos in the Altesian continent, luring potential allies, enemies, and destructors to the continent with the promise of the reward: use of the Relic of Creation, stored under the caverns of Atlas Academy and only accessible by the Winter Maiden. When all is over, the reward shall be divided in some way or another.

Neither side knows if it all would lead to hope being established in Remnant, or if it establishes the end of Remnant as they all know it: but at all ends and to all means, it leads to Creation.

[The Litan Imperium]

Grand Inquisitor Kaetus and his chosen force commander, Clyde Vickers had just finally finished all of the last second pre departure checks that would be necessary before the departure. Vickers, while wearing his tactical gear and signature ballistic mask, had entered the lead mobile headquarters vehicle. He climbed to the 3rd level and approached a man in black armor vastly different from the other Inquisition Personnel in the room.

"Our officers have confirmed that all soldiers are present, both Daniel Burr and Captain Brooga has confirmed that our mercenary support force has arrived, supply has made sure that all weapons and ammunition has been accounted for, and all vehicles have been checked and cleared for usage by the grease monkeys. The rift to Remnant is open and we're just awaiting your que to enter, Grand Inquisitor" Commander Vickers said.

"Excellent work commander, tell the men to prepare to enter the rift to Remnant Immediately. There has been enough time for all personnel to be at their assigned posts and units for this operation" The grand inquisitor said before ascending to the roof of the command center, and looking over the camp. He then activated the commlink in his helmet and broadcasted to all the soldiers preparing to leave. "All Inquisition forces, all predeparture checks have been completed and all personnel are to be at their posts. We are to now begin entering the rift to Remnant. Remember everyone, be professional, do whatever Salem and her associates tell you, and represent the Inquisition and the Imperium to the best of your abilities."

Inquisitor Kaetus still stood atop the mobile command center as inquisition forces moved through the rift.

---

The last of the Inquisition expedition had passed through the rift, with it closing behind them. The force had arrived to the Axis Controlled port city of Argus and began setting up a FOB without delay, despite the major difference climate with Remnants climate being much colder than that of the Imperium. The grand Inquisitor was once again quickly briefed by commander Vickers on the state of the inquisition force.

"Sir, I would like to inform you that all inquisition assets have successfully passed through the rift and a Forward Operating base is being established." Vickers said before receiving a nod in approval from the grand inquisitor, Vickers wasn't finished however. "Sir I've got something to say, I know this may come across as out of line but I know that a lot of our troops are thinking the same thing. That being Why in the Hell are we even here? Isn't this something Aurelian and Valerius would send the army for?"

Keatus' face may have been obscured by his helmet, but Vickers knew there was a face of anger and shock at his comment was behind the visor.

"Commander Vickers, you would do well to remember your place here. The Imperator gave me an order to handle this situation in remnant, and I have given you orders to help ensure that the sitization here is handled. At no point did I ask for your opinion on anything, or take up that insubordinative tone with me. Do I make myself clear commander?" Kaetus with a not-so-subtle hint of anger.

Vickers nodded in acknowledgement, saluted the Grand Inquisitor and took his leave in order to avoid Kaetus' wrath. Kaetus then went back to the command center and activated the communication terminal.

"Queen Salem, this is grand inquisitor Kaetus of the Litan Inquisition. The Imperator has ordered me to lead the force that is to aid you in this conflict against Atlas. I have currently had my forces set up a forward operating base as the Inquisition staging area. I'll send you the location if you or one of you associates wish to speak in person."

[Eodor]

IESS Retribution
Command Centre

"All our troops are needed for the assault on Tycon, none can be spared."

Seven Imperial Generals, each clad in black dress uniforms emblazoned with various golden symbols of rank and medals, stood around a large metal table which displayed a map of the Milky Way galaxy. The planet Tycon was marked with a large rune, stating simply: "Target". The usually total void of space outside, visible through the Command Centre's main viewscreen, was filled with ships, from the mightiest Dreadnoughts hanging silent against the blackness, to fighters zipping back and forth between them. This was no standard fleet movement, it was the staging area for the largest singular assault ever undertaken by Retribution Command's forces.

"We have to send someone, a battalion at the very least," Marshall-Lord Yuri Reddicks, commander of VI Sector Front, was the only one of the seven supporting an expedition to follow the message of "Salem". His comrades had continued to resist, repeatedly citing the necessity for troops at Tycon.

"There is too much at stake," stated one of his fellows, Front-Commander Lance Lilianis, "if we remove any soldiers from the Tycon operation we risk going in and being outgunned. High Commander Uluvan would..."

"Would I?" The voice of the Imperial High Commander was met with a stunned silence, all save for Marshall-Lord Reddicks, who laughed.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," the High Commander said, "we're sending a force," this earned a triumphant nod from Reddicks, "but only a Company. It's all we can spare. Well, go go go!"

Solitas

The company, with their two tank armoured support, passed through the rift opened in the underbelly of the Retribution, emerging into the cold wastes of the continent referred to as Solitas. The two tanks created a perimeter for the company to gather around the captain, Alexander Ulan.

"Alright Fusiliers," he began, voice distorted through his helmet, "we're here on a mission arguably more important than the attack on Tycon. We have been ordered, by the High Commander himself, to assist the city-state of Atlas in defending a powerful relic, one it is believed could have the power to cause serious damage to the Irenton Empire if it falls into the hands of our enemy. We will be facing forces far in excess of what we've brought, vast armies of soldiers and tanks, and a so called 'goddess of darkness'. But we will not surrender, retreat is not an option. Urah!"

His speech was met by a chorus of 'Urah!'s from his comrades, who set about gathering together their equipment and loading onto the tanks. Enough spare batteries and parts had been brought to keep the tanks running, in theory, indefinitely. And enough ammunition and power supplies had been packed for the soldiers to fire non-stop for hundreds of years straight. In spite of this, Captain Ulan still believed it was not enough, but he was not one to argue with the High Commander, especially with the latter's reputation.

"Corporal!" he shouted to one Fusilier with a large pack attached to the back of his armour, "send a transmission to Atlas, tell them we're on planet and will need directions."

The corporal gave a salute and extended the antenna on the pack, which reached almost twice his height, and opened a blue pad on his right forearm. Tapping a button, he began to speak into the transmitter connected to his helmet, "Atlas, Atlas, this is Omicron-A2, military force from Irenton Empire. Requesting assistance regarding location. Repeat, where are you, over?" The transmission was instantaneously beamed all across the planet, to be picked up by anyone who could access the frequency.

"Alright Fusiliers, we are cleared hot, let's get these engines rolling and ready to move."

[Netherspace]

On a road a few miles north of Atlas, a small caravan had stopped for the night. The traders sat around a fire, joking and telling stories. The miles were tied to a stake by the side of the road, happily eating their hay.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Across the road, the very air seemed to stretch and swirl. Then, a portal tore open, like a piece of paper being ripped in half.

One by one, about fifty people wearing black hooded robes filed out of the portal. They lined up in five rows. Then, one last man came out and stood at the front of the formation. He was the tallest of them all, at around seven feet, and his robe was gray. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood. Around his neck was an amulet containing two large, red gemstones.

He looked around the caravan, and then pointed at one of the carts. His hand was skeletal and almost the same color as his robe. “This belongs to Ghamid now.” He waved his arm around, gesturing to the entire caravan. “All of this is Ghamid’s property.”

One of the traders stood up and stepped forward. “Now, I don’t know who you are, and who this ‘Ghamid’ is, but you go back through your portal and tell him none of this is for sale.”

“I am Kaum, the prophet of Ghamid, God-Emperor of the Void. And, we are not here to buy anything. You will give it to us immediately.”

“No! You are not just going to come here and tell us to hand over everything we own!”

Kaum sighed. “Very well then.” In a singular, lightning-fast motion, he pulled a knife out of his robe and threw it at the trader, stabbing him in the heart. His corpse fell to the ground, and his blood dyed the snow dark red.

The other traders screamed and ran out into the frozen tundra. Kaum ripped the amulet off its chain, crushed it in his hand, and threw the two gems on the ground. They began to grow larger and change in shape, until they had formed into two winged, humanoid demons. ”KILL THEM!”

As the demons flew off to hunt down the fleeing merchants, he turned around and gave orders to the cultists. “Twenty men shall go into the city with the captured caravan, pretending to be merchants from a faraway city. They will fill one cart with food, and that foodwill be theirs to eat, and not sell. Another cart will be filled and left here. One tenth of the rest will be poisoned and sold. The twenty men shall also stay in the city and convert people to the truth that is Ghamid, and raise an army to fight a war of terror.”

As he finished, the demons returned, carrying the torn, bloody carcasses of their prey. They dropped them in a pile near the fire pit.

“The other thirty will stay with me. They will set up camp and wait for another caravan to pass. They will burn these bodies as a sacrifice to Ghamid. Now, go and do the work of the God-Emperor.”

The cultists went to their duties, and soon, the caravan was ready to go. The mules did not seem to notice the change in their masters, as they were mere animals. However, the people of Atlas would definitely notice the change, once Ghamid had his way with them.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

High Legionnaire Ordocvai

It was time.

The tear had appeared exactly where the men in the high castle predicted it would appear, and now, it was time to go unto the breach and into a new world, a galaxy away. You see, the Imperium was located solely in the Triangulum Galaxy (and solely controlling it), and only had a few long distance routes to the other major galaxies in the local group, even then, those would take many months to travel, not to mention that Remnant was on the far side of the Milky Way, making it even more difficult to get there in time for most of the conflict. The rifts from Salem were a godsend, allowing for instantaneous travel to the faraway planet.

Now he, and the other nine in his group, would go forth. With a quick stride, he passed through the abberant tear in the space-time continuum. And was greeted by a familiar sight, pine trees and the ground, both covered in snow. It was just missing massive and logistically nightmarish marshes and he would’ve thought that he had come back to the Imperial Capital of R’lyeh.

The sound of a rippling rift disturbed his thoughts, and he turned. He was greeted with the sight of his men going through the portal, ordering themselves in a horizontal line in front of him, then saluting him. He nodded, there was no time for formalities.

One of his men must have noticed something, and he was of course, informed. “Sir, I see smoke arising from the direction of that hill,” the Marine then pointed at the hill in question, “I believe the origin of that smoke is just across it.” the soldier had concluded, and he nodded once more.

“Then what are waiting for?” he said to his men, “Let us go forth men, IA CTHULHU FHTAGN!” he shouted. He was given an equally as loud “Ia Cthulhu Fhtagn!” from his men. And they climbed the hill, and down below they saw another rift, and what seemed to be cultists at the bottom. His enhanced hearing allowed him to hear whatever was being discussed down there. Something about a God-Emperor? A foolish notion, there was only one God-Emperor, chosen by Cthulhu himself. He had to resist the urge of rushing down there and cutting them in half on the spot, and he did so successfully.

“Men,” he began speaking, “Ignore these heretics, we have bigger fish to fry.” and they continued down the hill, he now had a clearer vision of what these cultists were, and the beasts in their company. “Daemons, but not the acceptable kind,” he had thought as he continued down the hill, “No matter, no harm shall come to them, for now...”

As for the cultists, they would see ten giants in black armor going downhill. They lumbered not, and walked like regular people.

[Netherspace]

Kaum watched as the Legionnaires marched along and laughed. “Look, my brothers! Look at what the Cthulhists have sent! Ten men! Ten! Ten to our fifty, plus the demons! And they plan to simply march them into Atlas and conquer!” He laughed again, louder this time. “Cthulhists, if you can hear me from up there, the God-Emperor Ghamid challenges you to think! And if you think, you will know that you must surrender and go mad! For he is dark and infinite, and he is greater than any Old Ones or Dreaming Gods, For he never rests! He is constantly hunting, plotting, and devouring! IA GHAMID!” The cultists then crossed their arms over there chests, and shouted in unison, “IA GHAMID!”

Then, Kaum turned back around. “Commander Shodullah, is the caravan ready?”

One of the cultists saluted. “Yes, my lord. The foods have been separated and poisoned, as ordered. We are ready to go.”

“Then do so.” He picked up a bottle of the poison that they had used. “Ah, Theilionin. The perfect toxin, is it not? Cheap, easy to manufacture, and slow-acting. They won’t know what happened until they’re lying under a sheet with a tag on their toe.”

“Of course.” The cultist climbed into one of the carts and snapped the mules’ reins. “Moving out!” The caravan would arrive at the gates of Atlas in only a few hours.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

High Legionnaire Ordocvai

They casually strode forward, ignoring the cultists snide remarks, well, for now anyway. And "now" had just ended. "Foolish cultist, an Marine is worth more than million of you will ever be." he spoke in his distinct gravelly tone of voice, slightly distorted by the respirator in his helm, "And a greater daemon of ours is worth ten of us.". They continued on, towards the direction of the caravan, the cultists most certainly had poisoned it. He would then grab a couple of raw meat slices from the caravan. Lifting his helmet slightly as to not reveal him, only his mouth, then he, ate them whole? Lowering his helm, he ordered his men to start moving, then he looked back the cultist. "Ia Cthulhu Fhtagn.". The men then started running, their various augments going into overdrive as to let them go forward at superhuman speeds. It seemed like they would arrive at the walled city in an hour or so.

Back at the rift, it had begun widening, and it wasn't long before a Gap Closer came past, more specifically, the latest model of the war machine, a GC-Type Anti-Infantry Tank of the 11th Model. On its sides sat Riflemen, about 4 there were. The quick Anti-Infantry Tank then sped off into the way of Atlas.

Reinforcements:
1x GC-Type Anti-Infantry Tank of the 11th Model

• Including drivers armed with weapons

4x Riflemen
please check factbooks for information

[The Litan Imperium]

At the Inquisition FOB in Argus

Wanting to leave the Grand Inquisitor's presence and avoid his wrath, Commander Vickers decided to begin setting up operations in Solitas. He went to the Impromptu Airfield for the Expedition's aircraft, and went to the area designated for the scouting group. Vickers Approached 5 Mantis assault dropships with a group of Inquisition Owls lazing around and trying to look busy, and who promptly snapped to attention when he arrived.

"At ease gentlemen, this ain't an inspection" Vickers said with a sneer hidden behind his mask. "I've got a task for you all. We've been receiving reports of rifts occurring all over this sector and it's confirmed that there are foreign forces coming out of them. We've picked up on three rifts so far, you all are going the one closest to us and investigate the 5 klick radius area in order to locate either any traces of the force that came or the force itself. You are to scout out these enemy forces, Salem already told us who's an ally so don't worry about making contact with them. If the enemy force looks manageable enough, you are cleared to engage. That doesn't mean pick a fight with a division sized element with full air and armored support, we don't heroes right now. Is your task clear or do I need to reiterate anything?"

The group of 10 men all stood in silence and the commander took their silence as compliance and ordered them in their way. All of them went to their respective mantis dropships and the engines were hot in a few seconds and all five were in the air five minutes after the brief.

---

The small flight group had made it's way to the coordinates that they received, and managed to find a company sized element not far away. They proceeded to maintain a two kilometer distance in order to avoid detection

"This is Talon lead to HQ, we have positive ID on an unidentified company sized force. They number at around 144 personnel and two tanks, the grunts are wearing some strange looking armor that I've never seen before and those tanks look better than anything we've brought. Sending images of the unit and awaiting orders." One of the Mantis pilots said on the Radio to the FOB.

"Those markings are consistent with Irenton forces, Salem never listed them as one of our allies. Intel managed to intercept radio chatter and we're pretty confident that They're moving to assist in Atlas' defense. I'm confident in the Mantis dropship's anti armor and speed abilities, You are cleared to engage." Commander Vickers said over the comms before hanging up.

"You all heard the boss, we are weapons free."The leader said to the other 9 Mantis operators. "You all know the drill for this, hit them with the Hellbringer AGMs and the rocket pods from a distance and start strafing runs on anyone left standing. Keep your flight patterns unpredictable and pop flares if someone gets a target lock. Let's make this happen and get back to base before chow."

All five locked onto the tanks and each launched two powerful Anti armor missiles at the tanks. Followed by a volley of unguided rockets from each of the dropships.

[Torrocca]

A bone-rattling chill swept across the frozen Torrossiyan steppe, driving the freezing snows of a particularly abnormal blizzard across the bodies of thousands of people and vehicles. In the area where a terrible anomalous rift had torn into the fabric of the great northern continent, life had stirred awake with the constant buzzing presence of military personnel, scientists, and government officials as they all tried to make sense of what happened. Every day, thousands of tonnes of materials and thousands of personnel were shipped to the region and brought to the location by every possible means the Republic could afford; from what little those at the top understood from the numerous probing operations that'd already occurred over a series of weeks, the very existence of everything they knew was at stake thanks to what awaited them beyond the rift. In accordance with security protocols for potential end-of-the-world scenarios—which were once seen as a joke—the media was forced into a complete and total blackout, reservists and militias were called to readiness, and the economy quickly shifted itself to the needs of the People's Defense Ministry. Citizens across the Republic expressed their fears and worries as much as they could, but their fears were only regarded with the vaguest of responses. The government could only afford such vagueness, after all, as not even they understood the true scope of what they were facing.

Among others, Representative Kuriv—the most recently-elected leader of the Republic—stood outside as the freezing blizzard snows dashed across his bearded, war-scarred face. He had been among the numerous others present at the rift almost as immediately as the government had discovered it; understandably, he was as frightened as anyone was by its other-worldly presence. Now, he and most of those there to study and observe the rift waited to see off the 223rd Siege Division of some thirty thousand soldiers, all of whom were mobilized and ordered to go through the rift to prevent the impending crisis that awaited the entirety of the Republic—and elsewhere.

My God... we may just be sending them all to their deaths... Kuriv thought, staring wide-eyed down the long, winding column of armored vehicles and trucks that were all prepared to cross dimensions.

"My grenadiers are ready to do what they must, Mr. Kuriv," the division's commander, General Syov, said, placing a gloved hand on the worried Kuriv's shoulder.

"We should be sending more."

"That rift is unstable enough as it is. Pushing through too many may cause it to collapse entirely. We can't afford to risk it."

"We can't afford to risk the lives of every man, woman, and child in Torrossiya, General. We know what's potentially at stake here."

"Yes, we do. Which is why my grenadiers are more than prepared to give their lives for this cause."

Kuriv sighed. "I hope you're right, General. We absolutely cannot fail, here, either way; an unimaginable evil waits to befall us if we do."

"What comes after we pass through, then, Mr. Kuriv?" General Syov asked.

"We'll have reinforcements ready, assuming this anomaly stays stable. After you and your troops are through, I'll make a proper, official address to the people; they must know."

"If that's what you wish, then so be it."

"Good luck, General." Kuriv extended his hand to Syov, and the two shared a brief handshake. "Go and get to your troops."

As Syov left the side of Mr. Kuriv, the representative of all the Torrossiyan people resumed staring at the thousands of vehicles poised to cross dimensions; already, even as Kuriv had spoken to General Syov, the column began its long drive through the rift. Even as he presented himself as stoically as he could, his thoughts continued to linger on the doubts he had of the operation. There'd never been such great stakes in all the man's many years of life, and so he could only feel fear even as the faintest glimmer of hope marched forward toward doom.

---

"All callsigns, this is Guardian-Actual; be advised, we're about ten kilos away from and on fast approach to the Atlas. Maintain your spacing and watch your sectors until we're inside the city. Out."

"Driver, you pick that up?" Lieutenant Zyanov asked the man next to her, Corporal Parov, setting aside the radio's phone to look through their APC's camera optics.

"Yes ma'am," the Corporal replied, staring ahead at a screen displaying a FLIR-style thermal image of what was ahead of them.

"Good. Keep us at this speed for now, then."

"Yes ma'am."

"Gunner! Any contacts yet?"

"Negative," Private Eyov, the crew's gunner, replied.

"Keep your eyes peeled. I want to hear that autocannon singing if anything tries to hit us."

"Understood, ma'am."

The crew itself quickly fell to silence as Zyanov gathered her thoughts. From all that she could see, the frozen wasteland the entire division drove through was no different than her northernly home in Torrossiya. Luckily, from within the thick, layered composite walls of their troop transport, she didn't have to worry about freezing thanks to the general interior warmth. Not that that was a particular concern, as she—like every trooper in the division, in fact—wore some manner of a thick winter uniform reminiscent of what their grandfathers and grandmothers used to wear a century prior, during all the great wars of the world and during their many civil conflicts. She grimaced at the thought of it, feeling as if their heroism overshadowed her entirely. Those thoughts, however, quickly subsided as the grenadiers at the back of the vehicle—all armed to the teeth with heavy battle rifles or machine guns, grenades, missile launchers, and all sorts of tools and other essential gear for this operation—sang a patriotic tune to lift their spirits. Even Corporal Parov sang right next to her, and she found herself quietly humming along to their collective cadence as a little smile crept across her face and her fingers tapped against the armrest of her chair. She seemed to forget, for the briefest of moments, that she sat inside a machine of death, whose roaring engine rattled the vehicle's spacious interior and kept everyone warm, as she and the troops around her shared a little moment of happiness.

---

General Syov stared out the windshield of his personal jeep with a distant, irate look. "Are you certain the people of the Atlas know we're arriving?" he asked his aide, Colonel Dyskov.

"Yes, General," Dyskov replied as he drove on. "We swore to them our total and complete support on one of our probing operations and gave them more than enough details to verify who we are as we arrive, on Mr. Kuriv's orders. They'll see our flag displayed proudly on our division's lead vehicles."

"Good, good. I had my worries for a second, there. At least this way we know the troops will be guaranteed safe passage into the city immediately."

"Of course, General."

"We'll need to make haste quickly with preparing the defenses, of course; I want to keep everything we have within the city perimeter. We can easily turn every street and building into a death trap for whatever tries to breach it."

"Yes, General. We'll give the enemy hell, whatever it may be."

"Of course. That is, assuming they can even get past our artillery. I want our guns and missile batteries kept near any building which they can be hidden away inside; they're essential to our success here."

"An excellent idea. I'll inform the troops immediately on that."

"Good, good. I'll get more detailed orders to the other officers so that they can prepare their sectors properly."

"Of course, General."

"Just keep up this pace, now, Colonel; the Atlas' soldiers will let us through into their city when they see us. If not... well, we'll know."

"Understood, General."

[Pax Cybertronian]

The Viceroy Harbinger, a Decepticon Doomsday-class warship, flew gracefully throughout space. It seemed to resemble that of an Earthen falcon in terms of its design, though it mostly pertained to a somewhat alien appearance. A red, silver and gold Decepticon called Flashblast, who seemed to transform into some type of frigate, walked over to the commander of the vessel, who was scrolling through a holographic interface.

Flashblast knelt down and commenced his report. “We’ve detected a rift originating from the planet Remnant,” Flashblast confirmed. “However, sources indicate that our ships may be too large to fit through the rift without said rift closing on itself. However, I believe that we can deploy dropships and send them through the rift.”

The commander, Bludgeon, who had opted to use a Pretender shell resembling that of a skeletal samurai at the present moment, stopped scrolling through the interface and selected an option on the “Celestial Bodies” section, and then delved further into the Milky Way. After a few more selections, Bludgeon chose a planet called Remnant and brought it up, causing a large holograph to be projected in the centre of a nearby table.

Bludgeon got up and began to walk over to said table. “The planet Remnant seems to boast these Grimm creatures. We haven’t seen them elsewhere – so far at least. But, more importantly, we’ve discovered that Remnant boasts the four Relics, and it could be possible to eradicate those fleshbags called humans once and for all if we unify them.” Bludgeon was silent for a minute, before banging on the table. “We shall go to Remnant, join forces with both sides and persuade them at one point into handing over the Relics – and snuff them out once and for all,” before laughing a ghastly skeletal cackle.

“Shall I ready the drop pods for deployment, Master Bludgeon?” Flashblast responded.

Bludgeon cackled gleefully. “Sure, sure. But remember this Metallikatan edict for the battle ahead: “Swing as agile and as graceful as a roboswan, yet attack as viciously as a stampede of jurassanoids.” Remember that, my disciple, and we shall remain attuned to the One True Path of the Ultimate Warrior!” Bludgeon walked over to a nearby Primal shrine, unsheathing his katana, and stabbed it into the ground. He would then crouch down and begin to mutter a prayer under his breath.

While Bludgeon in the middle of his prayer, another Decepticon – this time a greenish and purplish jet who transformed into something resembling that of a Decepticon heavy transport jet - ran into the room. “Lord Bludgeon,” he shouted, “we’ve detected a rift opening outside the Viceroy Harbinger!”

Bludgeon growled under his breath as he pulled his sword out of the ground. “What could be so important as to interrupt me whilst I’m praying to my shrine?” Bludgeon walked softly over to the green and purple Decepticon and drew his energo-sword close enough that it barely did not touch the Decepticon’s face. “To interrupt me during prayer… Beatdown, this rift had better be important.”

The Decepticon hesitated for a second before responding. “I believe that this rift is connected to Remnant in a way. Maybe if we go through it, it’ll lead us to our desired target?”

Bludgeon, instead of pulling the sword away, held it closer so that it would touch the Decepticon’s olfactory sensor. “One thing you will learn, Beatdown, is that you never interrupt me either whilst I’m honing my skills as a student of Metallikato or whilst I’m praying. You would do well to know that in the future, you fool, or else... well, all I’ll say is that the consequences of that… would be grave.”

Bludgeon growled under his breath, pushing past and ignoring the shivering Decepticon next to him, and chose to walk through the door to the main cockpit – a room resembling that of a large Star Destroyer often seen in Human Confederacy warships. Beside him, several Decepticons, most of them Minibots though there were indeed some Macromasters there as well, scurried around the controls and computers in the lower command sections of the warship issuing commands and responding to given orders as expected. Walking up to the centre of the bridge towards a purplish chair bearing a Decepticon insignia on it, he reclined inside the chair, which bequeathed him a magnificent view of space. Stars and planets were aligned throughout his view, never fading nor succumbing to destruction by whatever cosmic phenomenon.

Perhaps today would be the day he would be able to let his Mayhem Attack Squad have some fun. Who knows – maybe the Wreckers were on that planet?

He turned his skeletal samurai head to face a nerdy Decepticon who shared the same bodyshell as the Autobot Rung called Lightfire. “Lightfire, it’s likely that the rift will close if we cause it to use too much effort,” Bludgeon ordered. “It’s the same logic as traversable wormholes, is it not? So…” Bludgeon chuckled unnervingly to himself. “We’ll deploy around 50 Decepticon soldiers to the coordinates and have them all arrive in dropships so the rift doesn’t close. We can then send in reinforcements and won’t have to rely on the organics there to let us get reinforcements. Of course, that’s presuming we don’t load the coordinates into our processors and send it to the Harbinger Viceroy, that is. Once there, we’ll divide our forces and set off for wherever Salem or Atlas are. Have the ship dock at a nearby station carrier.”

“Yes, sir,” the Decepticon responded nasally, sniffing slightly whilst pushing up his glasses. “I’ll assign the 50 or so Decepticon troops to you. They’ll arrive soon in the hangar, my lord, and we can let you off.”

“Why, only the finest and most bloodthirsty Decepticons, of course!“ Bludgeon growled proudly in response. “Only the best and most capable of my troops should come along! What purpose would I have, sending in the weak and the cowardly! The reputation of the Mayhem Attack Squad is great – we’re notorious for our strong and vicious members; no use in letting that up, is there?” Bludgeon then cackled loudly as he transformed into his tank mode and rolled down the warship towards the hangar.

---

In the hangar, two Decepticons lounged about as they awaited Bludgeon’s arrival. One of them, a yellow and green Decepticon called Stranglehold, who was a regular winner of the Intergalactic Cybertronian Wrestling Federation (ICWF) competition, twirled his gun around and placed a strut on the wall. The other Decepticon, a green and blue Decepticon who transformed into a motorcycle, called Garrotte lazily smoked a cy-gar. “When the hell’s he gonna get here?” Stranglehold grimaced. “I wanna go fight someone! Bring me back to the good ol’ games of the Intergalactic Cybertronian Wrestlin’ Federation!”

“Didn’t you get banned for like a decade for cheating?” Garrotte questioned, tilting his head slightly. “Something about drugging a strong competitor of yours and accidentally setting the ring on fire in the process?”

Simultaneously embarrassed and angered, Stronghold shouted at Garrotte. “S-shut it! No one ain’t ever needs to know! Besides I can come back now, right? Well, they ain’t gonna remember in a couple of millennia, are they?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can just simply jump back in with ease,” Garrotte responded calculatedly. “First, Dichroma will be pissed; he probably hasn’t forgiven you for getting booted out of that wrestling competition for a decade. He more than likely lost quite a bit of shanix on betting your victory. Second, people aren’t going to cheer for you if you just massage your ego and gloat about your many victories – even those you achieved through cheating, which are numerous… though you might if you actively played as a heel instead of a face…”

Stronghold was about to bark a response back at Garrotte when Bludgeon walked down, several Mayhems following him as well. “Commander,” Garrotte said respectfully.

Bludgeon stopped walking when he reached the centre of the hangar, in front of an array of Decepticon dropships. “Gentlebots and gentlefembots! Today, I bring to you a new battlefield – the planet Remnant! Why should we, the powerful warriors of the Mayhem Attack Squad and our allies, be deprived of our right to a good war? Why should Scorponok and his crew get all the fun while we deign for a good war? We have been without a good, long battle for a while now, and it’s time we showed these organics who’s boss! I’ve sent you all the plan, and you are to follow that. To. The. Letter. I know you’re all just itching for a battle now, as every good Decepticon and follower of the One True Path will feel to a point, but this is a battle involving deception and subterfuge. It’s a high-risk venture for high rewards – claiming the Relics in their possession! Unfortunately, some may be out of reach for now, but that won’t be for long, my Decepticons – for humanity, allies of those accursed Autobots, shall be wiped out! Remember: upon arrival, we must be divided, for we shall pass off as Decepticons divided by war!”

“Enter the drop-pods,” Bludgeon ordered, “enter the rift, and the battle shall commence! Long live the Decepticons!”

The Decepticons cheered raucously as they entered the pods. Once they entered, the doors to the dropships closed. After being given the go-ahead, the dropships would rocket out of the Harbinger Viceroy towards the rift created by Salem. After crossing the boundary of no return, the dropships blasted into the rift itself, sending them towards Remnant.

---

The rift opened up near to Solstis, which seemed to be where everyone was destined to meet up at, dropships slammed into the ground, causing small quakes as they did. After the initial ruckus, nothing happened for almost a minute. The first of the dropships finally opened.

Bludgeon.

He looked around, surveying his surroundings – he seemed to be surrounded by nothing but a cold tundra. “Hrn… this reminds me of the planet Thessin…” Bludgeon grimaced. “Nothing but ice plains and tundra. Probably some yetis as well. Then again, if we really need it, we can pull in some sort of station… then again, that could destabilize the rift.”

Bludgeon turned to the rest of the dropships. “You can come out,” Bludgeon said. “Nothing but organics and ice. Everywhere.”

Bludgeon held his wrist to his mouth, activating a communication terminal in his wrist. “Lady Salem, this is Bludgeon, commander of the Mayhem Attack Squad. We are, unfortunately, divided due to political divisions. My Mayhems will back you, though there, sadly, will be a contingent heading off to aid Atlas as well. Bludgeon out.”

Bludgeon deactivated the communicator and turned to his men. “Now, we shall commence the trek to Salem’s area. Our forces will split up around that time. We can say that we were walking together out of necessity, especially since this is an uncharted planet.”
The Decepticons would then travel in a pack, heading towards Solstis. However, they knew that to execute their plan to the best of their extent, they would have to separate sooner or later. Bludgeon would lead the pro-Salem forces, while Snarler would lead the pro-Atlas forces.

[Eodor]

Solitas

"Captain, aerial contacts sighted, coming straight towards us."

"Everyone off the tanks, do not engage until we're sure of hostility."

The company of Fusiliers jumped from the tanks, weapons ready and eyes on the approaching aircraft. The tanks aimed their cannons upwards, keeping the approaching contacts in aimed sight at all times, whilst the multiple pulse guns protecting them rose from their ports. The convoy came to a halt, with Fusiliers filing out around the tanks.

"Detecting missile lock on the tanks!" A Fusilier shouted, before opening fire on the aircraft with his machine gun, his fellows quickly joined him, with rifles, machine guns and four rocket launchers.

One of the targeted missiles missed, striking instead a squad of Fusiliers, killing one outright and blowing the lower half off another. The rest impacted the armour of the two vehicles, sparks flew and armour was scorched and dented, but was not breached. After all, the Skirmisher tank had not remained in service for over 7500 years by being susceptible to explosives. Before the smoke had even cleared, the tanks both released a volley of plasma cannon fire, each firing two shots from it's twin cannons, aimed at the approaching craft.

"Gunners, switch to screen!"

The tanks released another volley, before being struck by the unguided missiles, these shots exploded into a cloud of blue plasma, melting anything that came through it. The enemy missiles still struck home, blowing squads into the skies, and severely injuring several soldiers and killing others.

"Convoy! Full speed ahead, get us to the city!"

The remaining Fusiliers continued their suppressive fire on the gunships, whilst the convoy began moving again. Some carried their injured or dead fellows on their backs, with others providing cover fire from the flanks.

[A m e n r i a]

Winter Section, Imperial Harem, Empire of Amenria
Sunday, 9 December, 2046

Five teenage girls, all equipped with deep blue winter gear and on a snowmobile, lined up before a group of older women. One of the older women, a black-haired Korean in her early twenties who goes by the superheroine name Fragment, stepped closer to the teenagers. "Any questions before you go?" The teenagers looked at each other, anticipating one of them to say something. They all remained silent, however, before their half-sister continued. "Good, I'll keep comms on from here. Don't hesitate to tell us if you need help, okay? Oh, and Hanbyeol.." Fragment turned to one teenager in particular, who had long, blonde hair, a brighter skin colour than her other sisters on snowmobiles, and slightly thicker lips. "...Try not to cause too much collateral damage." Hanbyeol grinned. "I'll try, eonnie, but I still wanna blow those Remnant freaks to nothing but colourful sparkles!" The blonde youngster giggled despite the macabre remark she just made. Fragment just sighed and smiled. "Alright, alright, just do your best and good luck, and don't forget to recite the basmalah!" With that, the first attack party Amenria sends is dismissed, their snowmobiles turning back, heading towards an open portal to...

Solitas

The snow-covered landscape was not unlike Amenria's Harbin or Jilin, so the girls of the Sorrority were not so uncomfortable. Not long after they crossed over to this universe, they received a transmission from Fragment. "I've detected other portals from different universes opened in the last few minutes...The worst part is, one of them seemed to carry Decepticons. Stay alert and take no detours. Your destination is Atlas." Fragment's transmission ended there.

One member, who had more meat on her bones than her other sisters, drove ahead of them, signifying her leadership. With eyes still fixed forward, she ordered the gleeful 16-year old Hanbyeol. "You're faster than all of us. Set your snowmobile to autopilot and scout ahead of us. Don't shoot anything while you're out there." Hanbyeol, whose super name is Superstar, nodded and did as told. She took to the sky, flying with a loud whistle akin to the sound of fireworks being shot at the sky, leaving a rainbow trail which dissipated in seconds.

[The Litan Imperium]

Solitas

The AGMs had, for the most part, hit their designated targets but miraculously had little effect on the enemy tanks. The enemy soldier's then began to open fire in the direction of the gunships with small arms and rockets to little effect due to the distance between them.

"Positive but ineffective hits on enemy armor, repeat positive but ineffective hits on enemy armor." The pilot of the gunship "Talon 5" said over the radio channel to the other pilots.

The tanks then began firing blasts of plasma towards the squad which exploded into a corona of plasma that was sure to damage anything to go through it. The plasma blasts still moved slow enough for the pilots to evade and the lingering corona was visible enough to avoid.

"Plasma firing tanks immune to our missiles? We're gonna need bigger guns to take these things out." The lead Pilot said to the rest of the squad. "That doesn't mean we can't still go for the infantry component. All Talons, focus fire on the infantry forces. Keep your flight patterns unpredictable and pop flares if someone gets a target lock." He then ordered to the rest of his unit.

The gunships then hit the afterburners and quickly closed the kilometer gap between them and the convoy. They then began strafe runs, focusing in the infantry, with their 30mm chain guns and .50 cal miniguns. The pilots made sure to specifically target wounded soldiers and anyone carrying wounded soldiers. The gun runs lead to 40 of the infantry forces being killed and multiple being wounded. The pilots were able to do a good enough job of evading the tank blasts, until one unlucky pilot partially flew through a plasma cloud which melted one of his wings and the tail of his gunship.

"THIS IS TALON 4! I'M HIT! SAY AGAIN, IM HIT! WE'RE GOING DOW-" The pilot screamed over his comms before crashing into the ground.

After seeing one of their gunships shot down, the rest Talon began to disengage and stop their attack. Moving to circle and protect their downed ally. This break in their attack allowed the Irenton convoy to speed away towards Atlas.

Talons 2 and 5 landed and their group of 16 owls poured out and moved towards the wreckage. Prying open the passenger bay revealed that all The Owls inside were dead. The pilot and gunner were still alive in the cockpit due to its reinforced frame. The two survivors and all the dead were loaded onto the two gunships before they took off. The Talon lead was distraught and angered at this squad' s loss, but he kept his composure.

"Let's head back home, the commander won't be happy about our losses. Hopefully our findings and intel on enemy capabilities will be enough to make up for this." The leader said before the four aircraft headed back to the FOB.

[Ruskland-Preuben]

High Legionnaire Ordocvai

His running, as well as his thoughts, were interrupted by the sounds of launched missiles, then it shifted to the noise of explosions and screaming men. He held his open palm high as to signal his men to halt their sprint to the city, this skirmish was one they could join. "The sound of screaming and the orchestra of war makes me euphoric..." he thought as he stretched his neck left to the right, making a few tense joints pop. "Alright men, we've got a skirmish on our hands," he then made a growl that sounded quite daemonic behind his respirator, "What do you say we make them taste Rusklandr steel?". His men's shouts of "IA CTHULHU FHTAGN!" was drowned out by the firing of a heavy plasma weapon, and when they died out, the baleful blue glow of super-heated gas as well as the sound of rapidly expanding air touched upon their eyes and ears. This sent all of them into a controlled frenzy, and they began their march upon the rear of whoever was shooting the plasma, and they were greeted by the sweet sight of an old rival retreating like the cowards they were. The False Imperium, Irenton.

"I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!" his frenzied shout was capable of being heard for miles around, no doubt many different kinds of troops, enemy or ally would converge here, if that were to happen, well let them! His mace will crush whatever armor they wore! "Soldiers of the False Imperium! Hear me!" he shouted, this time not as loud, "If you wish to live, fight! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! CHOOSE!". And he and his nine other men charged at the retreating group and into the Fusiliers, and he himself embedded his, nah, he had practically lobbed off the head of that poor Fusilier with his mace. "CHARGE MEN!" he rallied, forcing his group to push harder into the enemy, "LET NONE ESCAPE!". The sight of blood upon the virgin snow was making him crazed, his blood boiled, his skin was tense, and his bones ached, and they were all in unison screaming for more, more blood for Cthulhu, more skulls for the skull throne, more, milk for the corn flakes? He shook that last one off, there were infidels to split in half.

His eyes then registered another party in the air, and they as well were retreating from the fight. His heavily improved eyes told him that those planes were from the Litan Imperium, a close ally of Salem, and he bellowed out once more, his voice reaching miles like his previous shout, "LITANS! WHY DO YOU RUN!" he shouted once more, he has probably blown a few enemy and allied eardrums by now, all acceptable losses of course, those could be healed in due time, but for now, he had a message to deliver, "HELP HAS ARRIVED! TURN AROUND AND FIGHT BACK!". As he was shouting, some Irenton soldier foolishly charged at him, a High Legionnaire. He caught the mortal by the neck and held him up high, before decapitating him by splitting the head clean with a chain-sword. This head he skewered upon one of his horns, as to send a message.

Blood, screaming, blood, screaming, and more blood and screaming.

[Eodor]

Solitas

"Third platoon, rally!"

As the rest of the convoy continued moving, 32 Fusiliers turned to face the approaching Rusklandrs. In all men, self-preservation was a strong urge and in the Fusiliers that was no different. But it was a choice between either the destruction of the entire company, or the destruction of one single platoon and a soldier of Irenton would sacrifice himself to protect his fellows.

Or at least some of them would.

Five of the soldiers panicked and began running back towards the moving tanks, whilst the other 27 fired everything they had into the Rusklandr troops. It was apparent their weapons were nigh useless, especially with such unconcentrated fire. The convoy, however, continued retreating, making as quick a path as possible towards Atlas, pinning all of their hopes that the city would protect them once they arrived.

[The Litan Imperium]

Solitas

As the inquisition gunships began heading back to their base, their sensors picked up gunfire and 10 unknowns moving towards the convoy that they attacked earlier. As well as hearing an ungodly loud voice yell "LITANS, WHY DO YOU RUN!"

"Sir, sensors are picking up ten unknowns moving on the convoy." One of the pilots radioed to the squad leader.

"Hey one of you in the passenger bay, open the door and tell me what you see back there. I wanna know what's calling us out." The Talon lead said.

One of the owls in the passenger bay opened the rear ramp and pulled out his binoculars to see what was going on. He was greeted to the sight of 10 hulking men in black advanced yet demonic looking armor tearing apart the Irenton infantry with savage looking weapons and their bare hands.

"Sir, I see ten unidentified juggernauts in some kind of power armor giving these Irenton absolute hell." The Owl said to talon lead through an open hatch.

The leadrr thought to himself, the enemy of my enemy is my friend and it may be worth speaking to these individuals to at least ensure they're on the same side.

"Talons 3 and 5, take the casualties back to the FOB and give the commander a report on our findings. Talon 2, you and I are staying back to help out these guys and speak to them after the fighting done. The grand inquisitor would want us to try and establish some kind of positive relationship with these guys if they're no allies of Atlas. Make it happen everyone!" The talon lead radioed to the rest of his squad.

As ordered, talons 3 and 5 continued on their way to the FOB while talon lead and talon 2 flew back to the fight. Wanting to decrease the chance of friendly fire, both gunships landed and each deployed their small squad of Inquisition Owl commandos. The Owls began engaging the terrified Irenton soldiers alongside the massive demonic looking super soldiers. The Talon leader himself handed weapons control to his pilot and exited his gunship to enter the fray with his plasma pistol. Both of the gunships then lifted off and engages the remaining forces with their .50 cal miniguns.

In stark contrast to the brutal and bloodthirsty melee fighting of the unknown soldiers, the owls took a much different approach. They preferred to spread out and engaged the enemies with their plasma rifles and machine guns. They were largely unfazed by the flesh ripping, blood, and screaming as the training that owls went through did an excellent job of desensitizing them and jading them towards such things.

The Talon leader himself casually walked through the battlefield towards the soldier he though was in charge of the ten man group. He then began to speak to the warrior as he was violently tearing a soldier apart.

"Hello stranger, it seems you and yours aren't too fond of these allies that Atlas has found for itself. Hopefully you don't mind us joining you on the ground and afterwards we can discuss your business here." The Talon leader said before shooting an irenton soldier without looking.

---

Inquisition FOB at Argus

"Eight Owls dead and one Mantis gunship downed, Kaetus isn't gonna like this. Anything else you want to add?" Commander Vickers asked one of the talon pilots after reviving the last of their AAR.

"Well, talon lead decided to stay back with talon 2 in order to assist the ten unknowns and possibly negotiate with them." One pilot said.

"Kaetus is gonna wanna know what they talked about when they get back, make sure you tell then to expect an audience with the grand inquisitor when they return" Vickers said before waving then from his makeshift quarters inside a cargo container. "Plasma tanks and power armored demon soldiers? We're going to need the Inquisition's best for this battle." Vickers said before adding to his reinforcements list.

"Let's take a look at the list now:
- 200 Inquisition Black Swans (Anti magic inquisition soldiers)
- 750 Inquisition Starlings (Inquisition Combat medics)
- 350 Inquisition shrikes (psychic Inquisition operatives)
- 500 Inquisition Eagles (Inquisition morale boosting agents)
- 1 MAWLR (Massive Artillery Walker Long Range)

Hopefully the grand Inquisitor authorizes my list of reinforcements. Though I doubt the MAWLR will get approved." Vickers said to himself before putting the document away and summoning the commander of the Crows, Commander Karen Tsang.

"Karen, I'm gonna need your crows for a special mission. I need them to scout out two key items for me. A massive convoy force that we detected coming out of a rift and the actual city of Atlas itself. I need key intel on both as in numbers, combat abilities, speed of travel on the convoy and current level of readiness for the city. Stealth is of the essence for both, I don't need to lose 100 crows attacking a 20,000 man enemy force or putting Atlas on high alert to the point that they attack US here at our base." Vickers said before lifting up his mask and leaning slightly towards the crow commander "Can I count on your operatives Tsang?"

"I'm almost offended that you had any semblance of doubt Vickers. We'll get it done and have reports on both as soon as possible." Tsang responded before giving Vickers a Litan Salute and leaving to go to her agents.

[Kash Island]

Atlas Territory: Conglomerate Outpost AKA Kissers Stop

It had been quite the journey for the small expeditionary force that the Conglomerate has sent to Solitas. A rushed deployment for a small contingent of Conglomerate Security Forces. They had a simple mission, establish and outpost and ensure safe passage for Atlas and other Allied forces in the area as well as provide constant feedback to allied forces if they should run into any enemy forces. Commander Kisser was the supervisor of this corporate military operation and he, along with his teams of Contractors and Duplicants, would ensure they performed their duty to the Conglomerate and it's employees. There outpost was neat, they had brought a platoon sized element of combat troops along with the necessary drivers for their vehicles, which were now parked neatly under the saving grace of the stealth pillar they had deployed. It's small nano-cloud providing a holographic screen that reflected the environment, there outpost would not be detected by naked eyes. There trucks supply had been unpacked and neatly stacked inside a damaged building which was serving as their headquarters.

Kisser gave a quick nod to himself as he surveyed his outpost, he had positioned the Morningstar within close proximity to the pillar, surrounding it with fabricated barriers, digging it in. It scanned the skys, hoping for a poor soul to fly by. At least two teams were constantly on the move around the outpost, making sure security was tight. The Combat Duplicants didn't speak much except for their inhumane radio chatter coverd by their eerie glowing helmets, the Contractors were far more lively, cracking jokes even to each other. One of the five contractors that he had brought was perched up in the roof of the building with a Type 41 Caseless Sharphooting System. His stealth augmentations made him a ghost...but always watching the static defenses which had been erected. The snipers eyes peered over the Security Constructs, the machines simply glowing and remaining silent, sometimes moving after picking up a random heat signature.

" Tower" Kisser stated calmly to the Sniper on the top story " You just let me know if we have a breach in the wire, on that thought" He reply switching his communications to all members of the contingent.

" Kisser here, any approaching forces will be relayed to me for confirmation, if they present a hostile intent or act you are weapons free...I got your back." He stated before leaning forward, observing the HUD images forming from the Contractors and Duplicants, switching every so often and looking from their point of view. He picked up a cup of coffee and took a hot sip. Kisser then began to plan a scout mission to gather intelligence, he had two Pumas which were excellent for the job and struggled with sending them out as a pair or separate to different locations. In the faint distance he listened and could hear the chattering of weapons...from who, he did not know, this entire mission was spooking him out.

On such short notice, he was walking his men into a lot of unknowns...


Current Corporate Assets at "Kissers Stop"

5x Infantry Teams
-25 Combat Duplicants
-5 Conglomerate PMC's

2x Security Constructs
-Anti-Armor Laser Streamers

5x Bruin Armored Hover Cars
3- Thermopulse Autoguns
2- Phased Plasma Guns

2x Puma Hover Bikes

1x Agitator Corporate Attack Skimmer

1x Morningstar Mobile SAM

3x Bison Hover Truck
1- Carrying Stealth Pillar and Minor Supplies
2- Carrying Majority Supplies

[The Litan Imperium]

At the Inquisition FOB in Argus

The Grand Inquisitor, after spending several hours with his high ranking officers, left the lead mobile command center and went to the modular building that served as his quarters. He then went to his personal terminal to begin writing reports on current events to keep on record. Before he even really started, he was interrupted by someone loudly banging on the door to his quarters.

"It's as though manners and proper etiquette are dead concepts even within the ranks of the Inquisition." Kaetus said to himself before getting up from his desk and walking to the door and being greeted by his force commander. "Commander Vickers? What is so important that you felt the need to interrupt me in my personal quarters?"

"Sir, I just wanted to catch you up to speed on today's recent events. I dispatched five of our Mantis gunships carrying 40 Inquisition Owls and operated by 10 Inquisition Ravens. They were tasked with investigating one of the rifts that have been popping up all over Solitas and spilling out foreign soldiers. Apparently they engaged a small convoy of around 140 enemy soldier's accompanied by two tanks and engaged them. They retreated after killing around 50 or 60 of the convoy infantry and one of the mantis' was shot down by a plasma projectile fired by one of tanks. While retreating, the convoy was suddenly attacked by 10 " demonic supersoldiers" and two of the mantis' remained to assist the 10 unknowns and the other two flew back here to give me the sitrep." Commander Vickers said in a rush manner. "After receiving the report, I felt it necessary utilize the crows to recon the forces coming out of the rifts before deploying valuable combat resources. I spoke to Commander Tsang and she has sent agents to scout out two major targets of interest. 2 Spirit stealth VTOLs have been sent check out a 20,000 strong convoy that we detected coming out of a rift and 40 crows and 4 spirits to recon the city of Atlas itself." Vickers then added after catching his breath.

The grand Inquisitor simply nodded wordlessly in response to the masked man's report. "Anything else you wish to add commander?" He then asked.

"I have a request for reinforcements in this conflict after receiving the report from Talon team and reports from Inquisition security teams I've had reinforce Argus. These are the following reinforcements, the last one though I doubt is within your grasp.
- 200 black swans
-750 starlings
-350 shrikes
-500 eagles
-1 MAWLR

I also want to add the Garthatiah white Legion to this list. Their advanced equipment and experience with the Blackstone I fell would make them a group that it wouldn't be idea to have at our disposal. Also our Ultor forces have requested that we obtain 8 of Ultor's AB destroyer Close Air Support Crafts. " Vickers said to the Grand Inquisitor before returning to a position of attention, one of the few times he has done so.

Kaetus thought about the repercussions of accepting Vickers request. If such a large number of Inquisition Personnel were sent through the rift as well as the military resources that Vickers requested, someone would take note. Worst case scenario being Aurelian pulling the Inquisition from Solitas and hand it over to High Commander Komari Valerius and the Litan Military. Kaetus then rationalized that the benefits of Salem and the Axis as even stronger allies outweigh the risks.

"Very well commander, I'll grant your request and see if colonel Vega can spare one of his battalions. I'll also see if I can get us that MAWLR, if what your saying is true then I'll see to it that the Inquisition is prepared. Do not make me regret this decision commander, the consequences will be quite... Severe ." Kaetus said while leering at Vickers, who simply left Kaetus' building without a word and Kaetus simply went back to writing his reports.

---

Solitas
"Spyglass 2, I have I eyes on unknown convoy. Activating surveillance equipment and deploying cloaked recon drones." One of the VTOL pilots said to the other.

Both of the spirit VTOLs had been tracking the convoy, flying high and out of their view, finally finding it and activating their stealth systems. The VTOLs possess a multitude of Jammers to hide them from detection as well as being made from materials Similar to that of stealth bombers and even possessing a cloaking device.

"I'm looking at a division sized element on our hands. This is way more than that little one that talon squad attacked earlier today. I think we actually could handle this group much easier than the other ones. Most of their gear, both infantry and vehicles, looks inferior to ours. I'm also seeing that a majority of the convoy is APCs, IFVs, and supply trucks. I'm only seeing a small amount of combat vehicles in comparison to support vehicles and I haven't spotted any aircraft." The second pilot over the comms after seeing the footage from his recon drones

"They've got numbers, for now, but we've definitely got the tech advantage here. I say we head back and get another gunship squadron, four dragon assault dropships and about 50 Mantis'. Our armor should easily hold against those IFV guns and any missile or rocket launchers that any dismounts have. Tanks might pose a threat to the dragons, but that's what all those countermeasures are for. And at the speed they're moving at, we could get a force up and airborne in maybe half an hour and at the convoy in about the same time." The first pilot responded back with a smirk, thinking of the mayhem that would be upon the unknowing convoy below as essentially flying tanks bombard them from above. "Have the drones attach a few locator beacons to the some of the convoy vehicles and I'll get on the comms and see about getting that squadron airborne."

"Roger that. Having the drones attach beacons, no way the squadron is gonna lose them now." The second pilot said as the drones stuck around 15 beacons along the convoy vehicles.

"HQ this is Spyglass 1, we have eyes on the convoy and are ready to send a SITREP to the force commander." The first pilot said over the comm.

"Hang on, I'm patching you through now." One of the communications techs said before patching the pilot to Vickers. "SITREP, send it" the commander said after being patched through.

"Sir we've got eyes on the convoy that we detected earlier. We're looking at a division sized element with mostly APCs and IFVs, very few dedicated combat vehicles and no aircraft have been spotted. Our recon drones have shown us that their weapons and vehicles are outdated compared to ours. I recommend another gunship squadron attack, 4 of the dragon assault dropships and 50 Mantis gunships. We dropped some locator beacons on the convoy so we can track them." The pilot relayed to the commander.

"Inferior weaponry? Well that's quite the turn around from the other group we hit. I think this outta be a morale booster for the flyboys after the last attack. I'll relay The info to commander Erimond and the squadron'll be airborne and on the move in about half an hour. Go ahead and come back home, nice job guys." Vickers said before sending the orders to Erimond, who got the entire squadron in the air in around 10 minutes. After that 10 minutes, the squadron of 4 dragon dropships and 50 Mantis gunships was on the move and flying to those beacons.