Chương 75: Arc 1 - Chapter 52 - No Man’s Land

"Quit wasting time. Stash your packs here and grab only what you need," Morin instructed as they watched Venn disappear into the distance.

"We're moving fast and light. And grab some explosives; we don't know what we're up against with that artillery." Taking Morin's advice to heart, Thea unburdened herself of her bulky backpack, leaning it against the trench wall. Rifling through it one-handed, she thought, ' Wish I had both hands free for this...' Thanks to her Finesse, she nevertheless managed to pull out two extra capacitor magazines for her Gram, a couple of shaped charges, some moldable explosives, and her lone plasma charge.'

This should be more than enough. At least, I hope so.' Securing her chosen equipment to her armour, Thea checked twice, then thrice, to ensure everything was tightly fastened. Losing these supplies on the mission was not an option. As she rejoined her squadmates—each of whom was making final adjustments to their own gear—Morin broke the silence.

"Time's up, Strike One. Double-time it. We're on the clock." Before anyone could respond, he pivoted and ran down the trenches, leading the way to the east side of the battlefield. Almost in unison, the rest of the squad followed, weapons at the ready. Though Thea had been slightly delayed by her surprise at Morin's abrupt exit, her proximity to him allowed her to keep pace with the rest of the squad.' So this is what it's like to run with seasoned Privates. Should be interesting,' she thought.

Just then, Viladia piped up, "Yo. You mind sharing how you dodged that laser? I've got something to offer in return—the best Gold Ability I have! Seriously though, your trick would be a game-changer for me! Please?" Caught off guard by the direct, sincere query, Thea was intrigued. After all, finding good Gold and higher ranked Abilities to strive for was pretty much at the top of her to-do list, going into T1.

"Um, sure. Though, it's not really an Ability. It's more like an instinct—a feeling in my chest, like a pang, telling me to dodge." They continued their swift trek through the trenches, Viladia falling into a brief, contemplative silence next to her. Wondering how her new squadmate would take the news, Thea glanced over, only to find Viladia's gaze fixed on her intently through the visor.

"Ahh…! Sorry! It's really not an Ability! Like I said, it's more of a… feeling," Thea stammered, uncertain how to navigate the weight of Viladia's stare. At that moment, Viladia dramatically smacked her own forehead.

"Ah, of course! Why didn't I think of that?! Just listen to my 'dodge-the-deadly-laser' feelings! Wow, you've really helped me out there, Patchwork. Thanks a ton!" Even without a massive amount of experience with social cues, it was clear to even Thea that Viladia's tone was positively dripping with sarcasm. With a furrowed brow, Thea responded, "I'm being entirely serious! It's not an Ability. My best one is only Silver-rank." Viladia let out a resigned sigh, her tone shifting to something more sombre.

"Ah, I figured as much. Don't take it personally; I've been having a rough go on recent missions and got my hopes up about a newcomer's crazy feats. But what you've got, those instincts or whatever they are—I'd kill for them. Literally." Feeling an uptick of intensity emanating from Viladia, Thea stumbled slightly as she distanced herself fruther from her new squadmate.

"Killing me won't give you those instincts! That's insane!" Viladia laughed as the intensity abruptly disappeared.

"I know, I know. Can't fault a girl for thinking about it, though…" Her demeanour changed abruptly, a surge of excitement filling her voice, as if she just remembered something important.

"Hold on! You're a Wielder, aren't you?! Those instincts are Psychic-related, right?! That means I can get them too, when I unlock the Psychic stuff! What's your Path?!" Thea felt a wave of confusion wash over her as Viladia's words tumbled out.' Wielder? Psychic stuff? Path?' She thought back to her System 101 lecture with Professor Pierce, which had barely scratched the surface of these topics.

The professor had given some brief warnings about the risks associated with psychic abilities and asked them all never to become a Psyker, but the details were sketchy at best.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Thea finally admitted, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"I mean, Professor Pierce mentioned something about Psychic Abilities in the System 101 Lecture, but it was mostly warnings, not... whatever this is. Wielder? Path? You're losing me here, Viladia. I honestly have no idea what any of that means." Viladia seemed to deflate a bit, the earlier excitement fading from her voice.

"Ah, you're that new then... Never mind. That's a bit too much to explain right now. We'll have time to go over it later, assuming we survive this mission. You should get a full rundown fairly soon anyway; the UHF probably realised you're a Wielder a while ago. I'd imagine they're waiting on someone qualified to read you in. Once you figure out your Path though, please let me know, so I can follow it too!" Feeling slightly out of her depth, Thea could only nod and hum an agreement.

The mention of surviving the mission brought her back to the urgency of the task ahead, and she re-focused on the trenches unfolding before them. But in the back of her mind, Viladia's words lingered, adding another layer of mystery to an already complex world.' I'm a 'Wielder' then? What does that even mean …?' The journey through the trenches quickly took on a grim tone as they moved closer to the eastern edge of the battlefield.

Strike One passed dozens of UHF Marines who had managed to crawl into the trenches after their shields had been destroyed or compromised, only to ultimately succumb to their wounds alone, only surrounded by the earthen walls of the trenches. The ground beneath their feet was often saturated with the blood of fallen allies, each step producing a disquieting squelch as they navigated the grim tableau of death and carnage.

Thea found herself contemplating whether to put on her full-mask, which dangled from her right-side rig; the overpowering scent of blood threatened to seep into her consciousness.' High levels of Perception aren't always an upside, huh,' she mused absent-mindedly as she blindly continued following Morin's back in front of her. Fortunately, the dismal scenes were sporadic rather than continuous.

The 32nd had been understaffed even before the second ambush commenced, leaving insufficient numbers to populate the entire length of the trenches with casualties. So, while unsettling pockets of devastation did punctuate their path, they were fleeting. Thea decided to simply power through the occasional waves of putrid air whenever they crossed a stretch that wounded Marines had managed to reach, opting not to try and fiddle with the full-mask with one hand, mid-run.

About five minutes after they had initially set out, Morin suddenly halted, raising his hand to signal the rest of the squad to stop.

"We're here," he declared, as though the meaning of 'here' were self-evident. Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of Strike One, he sighed and elaborated.

"Look, this is the point where we'll cross over to the Stellar Republic's lines. There are few remaining UHF positions in this area, so the risk of drawing unwanted attention is low. Venn is also coordinating a diversion to cover our advance." Einor was quick to question the plan.

"So you want us to waltz through no-man's-land into enemy territory? Aside from maybe 'Patchwork' over here," he gestured broadly towards Thea at his side, who was too astonished that the new nickname had stuck to protest, "who's going to manage that? Are you out of your mind?" Morin gestured toward Viladia.

"That's why she's here," he said, leaving it to her to flesh out his terse response. Viladia's grin was visible even through her opaque visor of her pitch-black armour as she theatrically gestured with her hands, like a magician about to perform a trick at one of Lumiosia's festivals.

"I'm the resident stealth expert! I'll use my Ability to cloak us all. We'll walk right through no-man's-land, take out the artillery, and head back. Easy as that!" With that, she struck an odd pose, arms and head raised towards the sky as if offering a prayer to the sun, concluding her explanation. Thea couldn't help but smirk at Viladia's flair for the dramatic, finding it reminiscent of a certain Lieutenant's love of showmanship.

"Enough of… whatever that is, Viladia," Morin chimed in, waving his hand as to indicate 'all of what you just did' before continuing, "Game-faces on, Strike One. Her Ability might hide you, but it won't make you bulletproof. So try not to get killed before we reach the other side. And stay close; the Ability has a limited range." With that, he stepped up to Einor and handed him two injectors. Briefly inspecting them, Einor's eyes widened, "Focus Boosters?!" Grinning, Viladia mimed injecting herself.

"Yep, they're for me. My Ability's Focus cost is too high to sustain for the entire crossing, so you'll have to administer these mid-way. Courtesy of our Staff-Sergeant, so don't lose them." Einor glanced at Morin for confirmation and received a nod. Securing the precious injectors in his belt, he addressed Viladia, "Just to clarify, you haven't used any Focus Boosters in the past 72 hours, right? We don't want you combusting in no-man's-land."

Viladia gave Einor a thumbs-up, and Morin clapped his hands to recapture their focus.

"From now on, no squad comms. They probably have a scrubber scanning for transmissions that aren't where they should be. Move quickly, but be discreet. If you can, help Viladia by minimising your spatial footprint. We want to get over there in one piece more than we want to get over there quickly." When Einor and Thea simply stared at Morin, he sighed once again, "I mean, be stealthy.

Her Ability works by masking the things that aren't stealthy about you, so the more you are naturally stealthy, the less the Ability will need to work. That's called a spatial footprint, as it doesn't just refer to your overall capabilities of remaining unseen, but also what you leave behind when passing through an area; footprints, smell, residual traces, etc.

"Don't use any Abilities, unless absolutely necessary. Focus and Stamina usage is hard to mask, if there's someone out there specifically looking for it. They're mostly locals, meaning unintegrated Soldiers, local to the planet—not counting towards the Stellar Republic's deployment numbers—but there are some confirmed sightings of T1s among them, so we can't be too careful." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Thea's eyebrows shot up at the mention of locals and how they interacted with the System's ruleset of battlefields as a whole, ' Locals don't count at all? That means we've lost an entire Company for what…? Nothing? We haven't killed a single Stellar Republic soldier that was actually deployed through the ruleset so far?!'

"Okay," Morin resumed, "Viladia, get ready and signal when you are. I'll inform Venn we're set to go." With no more words, he touched his helmet near his ear and began speaking softly into the integrated comm system. Viladia moved to the edge of the trench and closed her eyes, humming a mysterious tune. Thea didn't recognize it, but as she listened, she felt inexplicably energised.' Is this another one of her Abilities?' Thea pondered, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Everyone in the squad appeared to know their roles instinctively, leaving Thea feeling completely adrift. Even Einor seemed to be preparing in his own quiet way, eyes closed and utterly still.' Is this a routine operation for them? Or is this just what it means to be a seasoned Marine?' Thea's unease was palpable as she stood among Strike One, a team that seemed leagues ahead of her in experience and skill. Fortunately, the moment of awkwardness was short-lived. Morin broke the silence.

"It's starting. Viladia?" In response to his unspoken question, Viladia extended her arms out wide, then clenched her fists and began drawing them together with great struggle as though wrestling with the air itself.

"Get closer," Morin instructed, nudging Einor and Thea toward Viladia.

"A smaller 'bubble' will give us better stealth." Finally, Viladia's arms met in front of her, and the world seemed to dim abruptly, as all sounds became muffled and distant. A translucent veil enveloped them, heavily obscuring their vision beyond its four-metre radius. It was immediately apparent that they'd have to continue onwards in a tight formation.

"Alright, let's get moving. The less we strain Viladia's Focus, the better. And do whatever you can to reduce your spatial footprint," Morin advised and reminded the squad before signalling for Viladia to lead the way. With a fluidity that spoke of experience, Viladia vaulted out of the trench, her confidence in her Ability evident as she moved brazenly onto the no-man's-land outside the trenches. Einor quickly followed, and Thea was next, unwilling to be the last one lingering in the trench.

Morin emerged after her, his massive gun slung over his shoulder, much like the first time Thea had seen him. Once back on level ground, a wave of anxiety washed over Thea. Her past ventures outside the safety of the trenches—and beyond the protection of Lucas' Stalwart shield—had not exactly been safe. However, this anxiety lessened quickly as she surveyed the interior of Viladia's protective bubble in which they now stood.

Inside the bubble, Thea's view of the outside world was like peering through a wall of thick, swirling water. Every shape was distorted, contours melted into undulating forms, and colours bled into one another in a kaleidoscopic haze. Even so, she could discern that the battlefield was far more animated than previously. Bursts of gunfire—both incoming and outgoing—registered as muffled, warped echoes that reverberated inside their confined space.

Flashes from hundreds of muzzles and the blinding explosions of rockets and grenade launchers appeared as diffused, glowing orbs, their light struggling to pierce the bubble's filmy barrier. Tracer rounds, normally so clearly visible, were transformed into sluggish streaks of light, zigzagging erratically before vanishing into the haze. The bursts of heavy machine-gun fire were reduced to distorted, lazy luminescent arcs.

Even the normally ear-shattering roar of the explosive weaponry was softened to a dull, distant thud. Soldiers, either friend or foe, were almost impossible to make out, appearing more like shadowy figures sketched hastily on a foggy canvas. Amid this distorted, aqueous panorama, it dawned on Thea that the heightened activity and vigorous exchange of fire were likely the distraction Staff-Sergeant Venn had orchestrated for them.

The gunfire was more persistent, the counterfire fiercer, and the tempo of combat had undeniably quickened. It was as if both sides had surged in intensity, as though roused by some unseen signal. While Thea appreciated the opportune timing, allowing their small team to slip through no-man's-land with greater ease, she couldn't shake thoughts of the grim cost this diversion would exact on the remaining members of the 32nd Company—and Alpha Squad.

They had all been on the defensive from the outset for good reason: They were outmatched both in terms of manpower and positioning. Against the Stellar Republic's superior numbers and positional advantage, mounting such a massive distraction would almost certainly result in significant UHF casualties. As Strike One started their journey through the no-man's-land between the two sides, Thea tried her best to minimise the 'spatial footprint' that Morin had continuously cautioned about.

She carefully navigated the blackened, scorched ground of the battlefield, making sure to step as lightly as she could, as to not require too much assistance from Viladia's bubble to mask her passing. Much to her surprise, she found herself leaving no footprints whatsoever, as she did so.' Is this what my [Agile Stealth] does? It straight up removes footprints if I try to be stealthy? Or is it Viladia's bubble that's doing that…?'

As they were still close to the trenches and the chance for any Stellar Republic's soldier to spot them from this far away was vanishingly small, Thea stopped her stealth movement for a moment, just to check whether the bubble was actively masking her footprints inside of it already or only after they passed through the outer layer of it. Immediately, she got her answer, as her footprints showed up right where they should have been.' So it is my [Agile Stealth] doing all the work here. That's awesome!'

Only then did she notice the footprints left by Morin and Einor, who were attempting to walk similarly light-footed behind Viladia. She brought her hand to her face ever so slowly, as to not cause too much noise or distortion in the air as she thought, ' I could've just looked at their footprints instead of risking it like this… Get your shit together, Thea. Focus on the mission!'

Returning to her previous modus operandi—leaving no footprints in her wake—Thea continued to peer through the aqueous veil. Much to her dismay however, she found herself completely unable to make out anything of note. As they trudged across the open field toward the Stellar Republic's lines, the complete sensory deprivation began to gnaw at her. The numbness that was still enveloping her entire body and the lack of tactile feedback for her every step was only further adding to the uncomfortable feeling.

It was akin to being stuck in a tiny room with no stimuli to speak of, except the constantly rising tension of potentially dying from a stray bullet at any moment. The pressure continued to mount, until she started having trouble concentrating on her steps, leaving behind footprints more and more often. Noticing her waning concentration, Thea mentally rebuked herself, ' Shit. Thea, pull yourself together! There's nothing you can do right now! Focus on your stealth, help out Viladia!'

This mental shake-up momentarily refocused her, but her attention began to drift again shortly thereafter. Eyeing the dim lights racing past outside the veil, blurred by the bubble's barrier, an idea struck her.' What if I...' Focusing on her vision, just as she had done to break through the illusion tech of the Stellar Republic, Thea quickly found her vision continuously improving and finally piercing through Viladia's veil.

Immediately however, she realised her mistake, as Viladia began to pant heavily, exclaiming in a strained voice, "Someone's breaking through my veil! I have no idea how they found us!"

The squad's collective posture tightened instantly, well aware they were trapped in the perilous expanse of no-man's-land. There was no easy way out. Thea immediately relinquished her enhanced vision, even going so far as to close her eyes, mentally berating herself, ' I am such a fucking idiot! What the fuck am I doing?! Why did I not think of the fact that the veil would have protections from being seen through?!'

A sigh of relief from the front confirmed that Thea's recklessness had been the cause of the momentary crisis.

"They've moved on. I think we're in the clear. But let's pick up the pace; that took a significant toll on my Focus," Viladia noted. Morin responded with a simple grunt, motioning forward as if to say, 'We're adjusting to your pace, Viladia. Lead on.' Feeling grateful that no one was paying attention to her, Thea could practically sense her cheeks redden with embarrassment.' What is wrong with me? That was by far the dumbest thing I've ever done. It's not like I wasn't aware this was likely going to be the case?!

Is it the fucking drugs or am I seriously just that stupid…?' Just as Viladia had said, they picked up the pace, which ended up being helpful for Thea's mental state, as she had to spend more effort on making sure her steps were stealthy and her [Agile Stealth] would function properly.

About three hundred metres out from the Stellar Republic's lines, she also heard a familiar chime play in her head. [System]: "Agile Stealth has reached Level 1."' Well, can't say I'm not gaining a lot from this mission. Just the experience from being part of a squad with seasoned Marines is more than worthwhile, but I won't complain about—' Her internal monologue was abruptly cut short by a sharp pang in her chest, a premonition of imminent danger.

Reacting instinctively, Thea lunged forward, extending her arms to grasp both Einor and Morin as she fell. She hoped that her relatively light frame could exert enough force to also pull Viladia off balance, as she lunged towards the stealth expert's back. Both Einor and Morin, caught entirely off guard while mid-step and focused on minimising their spatial footprints, couldn't prevent their descent. They toppled over, destabilised by Thea's unexpected manoeuvre.

Viladia, who had been leading the formation, was equally unprepared. Weighed down by the collective mass of Thea, Einor, and Morin, she had no chance of maintaining her footing. A chorus of startled gasps and grunts filled the air as the four of them collectively hit the ground. Just in the nick of time, a volley of gunfire whizzed through the space their heads had occupied mere moments before, tearing into the bubble above them. The gunfire that tore through the bubble above them created a peculiar soundscape.

As the rounds entered and exited the bubble's barrier, their sounds were muffled, as if stifled by a thick layer of fabric. However, inside the bubble, the supersonic velocity of the bullets created an unsettling series of cracks that shattered the air, amplifying the tension of their close call. Slowly gathering themselves from their unceremonious tumble, the members of Strike One shared looks of bewildered gratitude. Viladia was the first to break the silence.

"That was way too close for comfort. Patchwork, you've got to tell me about your Path as soon as you figure it out! Whatever it is, it is so insane! I need it!" Einor and Morin exchanged glances, then turned to look at Thea with raised eyebrows, clearly intrigued by her uncanny ability to sense danger. Morin grumbled under his breath, "That explains why Venn wanted her with us. Fucking Psykers..."

Lying flat on the scorched ground as bullets continued to zip through the air above them, Viladia's voice took on a more urgent tone.

"As much as I'd love to discuss uncanny abilities and Paths right now, we can't stay here forever. While we're probably not their targets, they could still adjust their aim at any moment. And stay quiet. Every time we speak, I can feel the Focus get sapped right out of me!" Without waiting for a response, Viladia began to crawl forward, setting her sights on the Stellar Republic's lines. The rest of the squad, still a little dazed but increasingly aware of the precariousness of their situation, followed suit.

Their progress was slow and deliberate, each movement calculated to leave the smallest footprint possible, both literal and metaphorical. Thea, meanwhile, was once again stuck in her own mind, ' So Venn added me to the squad, knowing I was a Wielder? Or a Psyker? I don't really understand… Is a Psyker a Wielder? Or a Wielder a Psyker? Or are they completely unrelated to each other altogether…?'

She wished she could ask Morin about it, as he seemed to know more about the whole Psyker situation than she did, but as Viladia said, they couldn't afford any further drain on her Focus—partially because of Thea's earlier misstep, of course. After crawling approximately fifty metres closer to the Stellar Republic's lines, they cautiously rose to their feet, having moved beyond the immediate danger zone of intersecting gunfire.

Viladia signalled that they were now about two hundred metres from the enemy lines, gesturing for them to prepare for the next phase. But what did 'getting ready' entail, exactly? Thea realised she hadn't thought about how they would actually infiltrate the heavily guarded enemy territory and make their way into the Azure Forest. They had to cross several lines of reinforced Stellar Republic soldiers, before they could fully disappear into the forest, after all.

Noticing her confusion, Morin communicated the general plan through a series of hand gestures: 'I - Ground - Up - We - Cross.'' So he's going to create some form of platform; like a walkway over the enemy lines? Like my [Skystep] but for a group?' Thea mused. Seeming to catch her train of thought, Morin grinned beneath his full-face helmet and added a few more gestures.

'Cross - Time - We - Drop - Run - Forest.' He then gestured toward the grenades hanging from Thea's belt and his own bandolier, giving her a thumbs-up, and mimed an explosion with his hands. Thea pieced it together quickly.' So the plan is to walk over the lines, while practically invisible, drop our grenades, and then make a run for it into the Azure Forest?' A feral smile crossed her face as she imagined the utter carnage they would cause.' That does sound like a lot of fun...'