Chương 79: Arc 1 - Chapter 56 - Final Destination I

As the pain surged through her body, Thea revised her earlier scepticism.' Perhaps Kara wasn't excessive with the drugs after all,' she thought. Despite the discomfort, she knew her mission was far from complete. Shoving the pain to a remote corner of her mind, she refocused on the task at hand: Scouting out the compound ahead, the final destination of Strike One's mission. The pain in her body was growing stronger, but it was not yet incapacitating, allowing her to push forward.

Raising her Gram's sight back up to her eye level, Thea zeroed in on the compound in the distance.

The walls were made of a robust material resembling rock-crete, forming an imposing square perimeter. Standing at an approximate height of five metres, the walls loomed too tall for her to see over from her current vantage point. The immediate vicinity around the compound had been meticulously cleared for about 100 metres in every direction, devoid of any shrubs or potential cover. This deliberate arrangement would make any attempt at a stealthy approach exceedingly complicated.

As she scanned the area, she noticed multiple patrols of Stellar Republic soldiers diligently making their rounds around the compound's exterior. Zooming in for a closer look, she quickly picked up on an important detail—the soldiers on patrol were duplicates.' That means there are integrated soldiers inside,'she mused.' Based on the amount of effort they put into this base, considering the Seeker minefield earlier, I'd wager that integrated soldiers are all they've got in there.

They wouldn't let unintegrated soldiers defend such an important position…' Her eyes continued to dart across her scope, capturing additional details that might come in handy. Each corner of the compound was equipped with a large floodlight that appeared capable not only of illuminating the cleared zone with blinding intensity at a moment's notice but, judging by the advanced technology evidently incorporated into the design, potentially serving additional functions beyond mere illumination.

Functions that Thea could not even fathom to guess at this stage. She also spotted what appeared to be a sensor array near the main gate, hinting at advanced security measures beyond mere physical patrols. Taking note of these details and several subtler ones, Thea lowered her Gram and let out a resigned sigh as she pivoted back to face the rest of Strike One.

Observing the squad deep in discussion about their upcoming infiltration plans, she seized an opportune pause in the conversation to interject, "We've got problems." At her words, all eyes shifted toward her, and Morin signalled for her to elaborate.

Thea launched into a meticulous briefing, her natural aptitude for scouting shining through as she touched on key points: The rock-crete walls that prevented visual access to the compound, the cleared zone around the perimeter that left little room for a stealthy approach, and the floodlights that seemed rigged for more than mere illumination. She also drew attention to the patrolling guards, who she identified as duplicates—a sure sign that integrated T1 soldiers were inside the compound.

"We have two viable approaches as I see it," she continued.

"First, a full-frontal assault. It's high risk, especially given the lack of cover, and we'll probably have to deal with those T1 soldiers inside as well. We'll need to blow through those walls, then fight whatever is inside and make our way to the artillery.

"The second option would leverage Viladia's stealth abilities to infiltrate the compound and possibly disable some of their defences, before the fighting starts. This second option would rely on Viladia being able to keep all of us stealthed up until we reach the compound, however…

"Either way, I don't see us getting around a shootout at all, with the amount of security this place has. It's just down to how far into the assault we want to start shooting, really." Morin considered the options briefly, his eyes narrowing as he weighed the risks and benefits. Finally, he spoke.

"We go with the stealth approach. Einor, give Viladia as much of your focus as you can using [Focus Link]. She'll need all the help she can get." Then, turning to Thea, he added, "You'll stay behind and act as overwatch for the team, as well as a backup sniper. Take out anyone that might catch us off-guard and cause some additional confusion." Before Thea could protest, Morin cut her off.

"Look, you only have a DMR, which is ill-suited for close-quarters combat to begin with. Your hand isn't exactly in great shape, either, and it's clear you're not at your physical best right now. That's not even mentioning the fact that the weapon in question is fucking glued to the very hand in question as well! Staff-Sergeant Venn chose you for both your scouting and sniping skills; if I know him at all, he foresaw a likely need for backline firepower in this situation. So, you're on overwatch. Understood?"

Taking a moment to evaluate Morin's rationale, Thea found that she couldn't refute any of his points.' I really would be a hindrance more than a help, wouldn't I…?' With a resigned sigh, she nodded her agreement.

"Understood, sir." As Morin pivoted back to Einor and Viladia to hash out the specifics of their infiltration plan, Thea's mind swiftly recalibrated. Her focus shifted from contemplating approach vectors to identifying ideal overwatch positions. If she could gain enough elevation, she could potentially look over the five-metre rock-crete wall encircling the compound, providing crucial covering fire for the team even once they were inside.

Then it clicked—the grappling hook auxiliary modules integrated into her Spectre armour! They would allow her to ascend one of the azure trees flanking their momentary hideout, transforming its towering branches into an ad-hoc sniper's perch. Thea quickly approached one of the sturdy-looking azure trees. Her HUD presented her with an aiming reticle, as she manoeuvred through the armour's module options at her wrist, which she used to carefully target a cluster of branches about ten metres up.

A split second later, the grappling hooks launched from concealed compartments in her forearm armour, anchoring themselves firmly into the tree's sturdy branches above. But as the hooks retracted, pulling her upwards, a sharp jolt of pain radiated through her body. Though the armour's health monitoring system was designed to modulate the speed of the ascent based on what it calculated the user's body could sustain, it wasn't calibrated for her increasingly acute pain levels.

Still, she gritted her teeth and endured, determined to assume her new role as the team's guardian angel from above. Despite the jarring acceleration, Thea landed with practised ease on one of the thicker branches. For a moment, she allowed herself to revel in the nostalgia of the situation. Being up high like this, perched on a precarious surface, took her back to her days navigating the dilapidated buildings of Lumiosia's undercity.

It reminded her of one nerve-wracking chase involving a UHF Major, the only time she had nearly slipped and fallen to her death—too panicked to place her feet carefully as she navigated the decaying structures. She chuckled at the memory and muttered quietly to herself, "I do wonder whatever happened to that Major…? I owe him a lot. I hope he's doing alright. I'd love to meet him again someday, to thank him properly…"

Making herself as comfortable as possible on her lofty perch, Thea kept her grappling hooks anchored to the tree, ready for a quick descent if the situation called for it. She then raised her Gram's scope to her eye level once more. From this elevated position, she sought to glean any additional details about the compound that she might have missed before, feeling slightly stupid to not have thought of using her grappling hook before giving her scouting report.'

I definitely am not ready to be a proper scout quite yet,' she thought, as she gazed through the scope at the compound for a second time. As she swept her scope across the interior of the compound, Thea's eyes widened at what she saw. The Stellar Republic had excavated a massive depression into the earth to camouflage their artillery, a tactical choice that suddenly clarified why the pieces had been completely invisible from outside the walls.

Nestled within this hollow were four gargantuan artillery trucks, each equipped with eight thick launch tubes. Upon closer inspection, the artillery pieces exhibited more than just brutish size—they were also technologically advanced. Crafted with unmistakable T1 materials, the gleam of specialised alloys and the shimmer of advanced metals gave away their quality.

The launch tubes themselves looked like monstrous cannon barrels, reinforced with solid T1 plating and decked with a menagerie of readouts and control systems at the back of the trucks. Continuing her survey, Thea noted four smaller, prefab structures within the compound. These makeshift buildings likely served as barracks or command posts. Patrolling the interior were at least a dozen guards, each clad in armour that, like the artillery, was unmistakably composed of T1 materials.

The exacting fit, the gleam of the surface, and the additional gear they carried all screamed 'advanced,' solidifying in Thea's mind the kind of enemy they were up against.' This is going to be hard... really hard. These Stellar Republic soldiers look even more advanced than the ones I fought on Rog'An Prime two years ago,' she mused, her eyes scanning the compound relentlessly. Then, another detail snagged her attention—a fortified enclosure near one of the prefab structures.

It housed an array of sophisticated communications equipment, with multiple satellite dishes and antennae pointed skyward. The setup looked capable of jamming electronic signals or, perhaps, even hacking into enemy systems, adding yet another facet of complexity to the mission at hand. Seeing this, she muttered, "Thank fuck we didn't use any comms this entire time. Morin was right: They would have likely been able to track our comm chatter, based on that setup.

We'll need to take it out too, if we want to make sure the UHF can take this battlefield without issues…" After a final sweeping glance through her Gram, Thea released her grappling hooks from the tree. She descended rapidly, wrapping her left arm around the trunk to break her fall while her gauntlet clawed into the bark for additional control. A jolt of pain shot through her as she touched down, but she brushed it aside, as a familiar sounding chime rang in her head.

[System]: "Armour of Resolve has reached Level 1." Thea stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the notification pop up. She raised her hands in exasperation to the canopy above and muttered, "Fucking really, Allbright? After everything I went through, this is what finally gets the level? Come the fuck on…" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Setting aside her momentary frustration and equipped with this critical new intel, Thea knew it was time to reconvene with Strike One and plan their next moves carefully. As Thea walked back towards the group, who had distanced themselves slightly behind a group of closely grown together shrubs, she saw Einor panting heavily, blood dripping from his eyes and ears to the ground below. Alarmed, she raised her Gram, before continuing into the clearing.

Passing through the shrubs with haste, she finally laid eyes on Morin and Viladia, who stood next to Einor. Thea offered them a confused look and asked, "What happened here? Is Einor okay?" Surprisingly, it was Einor who responded, catching his breath as he spoke.

"Yeah… All good. I wanted to give Viladia as much Focus as I could for this upcoming part.

"With [Focus Link] active, it's easy to lose track of your own Focus value or time, so I had the squad leader physically remove me from Viladia once I started showing signs of Focus exertion." Gesturing to the blood trickling from his eyes and ears, he added, "Thankfully, he's very attentive. I'm down to 6 Focus, so that's all we're going to get out of me for this one. All up to you now, Viladia."

Viladia offered a playful thumbs-up, which once again conjured images of a certain Lieutenant in Thea's mind, "You got it! Thanks a lot for your assistance, Squad Medic. I'll be sure to make good use of your Focus; you will not be disappointed!"

"Take a breather, Squad Medic. I have the feeling that Patches over here got some more intel to share, based on her inability to stand still," Morin fell in, gesturing towards Thea. At that, she suddenly realised that her whole body was shaking slightly, something she had subconsciously hidden by shifting her weight from one foot to another, moving her arms in seemingly nuanced, yet superfluous movements and similar.

It was an ingrained reflex; the inevitable tick that came with the life of someone growing up inside of an undercity. In an environment that preyed on vulnerability, one was not allowed to show any signs of weakness whatsoever. Be it fear, indecisiveness or, as in this case, pain. Learning how to mask those signs in your own, unique, way had not only been a natural consequence, but a necessity. For Thea, this translated into a facade of restless energy whenever she was close to revealing her own weaknesses.

Feeling called out, Thea experienced a severe uptick of acute embarrassment and anxiety. Sharing this side of herself, this ingrained coping mechanism from her undercity days, felt wrong —almost sacrilegious.

Before her embarrassment could morph into a more severe anxiety however, the logical part of her brain chimed in, now no longer shackled by the medicine Kara had administered, ' Morin interpreted my restlessness as eagerness to share crucial intel, not as a telltale sign of there being something wrong with me.' She reminded herself that her specific tick was quite literally designed to hide such weaknesses. Chances were, only those with similar backgrounds or trained professionals would ever read into it.

Taking a deep, albeit hidden, breath to steady herself, Thea spoke up.

"Morin's right. I have some additional intel that you all need to hear," she began, making eye contact with each member of the squad to ensure she had their full attention.

"From my vantage point on one of the trees, I could see quite a bit more inside the compound. They've got a dugout section where they're hiding the artillery. There are four massive trucks, each fitted with eight launch tubes. The construction material is clearly T1; I could recognize the unique metallic hues. Makes me wonder just how heavy their ordnance is." Morin cut in, his chin resting thoughtfully on his armoured hand.

"Eight tubes, and unmistakably T1? That narrows it down to either the 'Gibel' or 'Owama' models, unless they've whipped up something entirely new for this operation." Pausing, he appeared to mull over the information before continuing, a trace of puzzlement colouring his words.

"What's strange is that both the 'Gibel' and 'Owama' have the capability to strike targets 60-70 km away with downright surgical precision.

"Why didn't they just blanket our landing zone? They could have hit us before the SADD was even operational, assuming they were in-place similarly early as the ambushes were. This doesn't make any sense…" Turning his gaze back to Thea, he inquired, "Patches, were there any signs that the artillery had been recently positioned there? Tire marks, indications that the compound walls had been temporarily disassembled and then put back together—anything of that nature?"

Taking a moment to focus, Thea sifted through the details she had observed in the compound. She felt grateful that her memory seemed to be functioning properly again, even if the escalating pain in her body made concentration a challenge. Still, at least her thoughts were mostly clear now. Answering Morin slowly and methodically, as she summoned the precise images in her mind, she said, "There were residual traces that could be tire marks. It looked like someone tried to obscure them.

They didn't do a perfect job, though; I could still spot some areas where the marks were visible, especially near the outer wall at the back of the compound. It's like the team responsible for obfuscating the tracks missed a few spots." Internally, she berated herself for not considering the importance of this detail sooner. It was another sign that she still had much to learn as a Scout.

The whole point of her role was to notice the overlooked, but here she was, only realising her oversight after being directly prompted to think about it once again. Morin's eyes widened slightly at Thea's detailed response.

"I'll be honest, I didn't actually expect you to catch any of that. It was more of a long shot question, so colour me impressed," he said, nodding appreciatively.

"Your intel helps narrow down the timeframe for the artillery's arrival—sometime after we touched down but before that second ambush." Pausing, he continued, "And it's unlikely they moved those trucks in as a direct response to the ambushes themselves. They would have had to come from somewhere—most likely Nova Tertia or maybe a nearby military installation.

Even if we account for the fastest logistical support the Stellar Republic has, we're still talking many hours, likely days, to get those artillery pieces here." Morin's gaze turned contemplative as he mulled over the situation.

"So the question becomes: Why bring in such heavy firepower here? Just to catch any of our reinforcements off-guard? But that would only work once, so what's their gameplan…?" Shifting his focus back to Thea, he gestured for her to continue with her breakdown of the intel she had gathered, "Regardless of why: They won't exist for much longer, so it's a moot point to think about. I'll inform Venn after we're back from the mission. Continue with your briefing, Patches."

Thea paused briefly before replying, organising her thoughts.

"They have four temporary structures inside the compound. It looks like field command posts or maybe barracks. Guard patrols inside are solely T1 Soldiers; their gear is unmistakable.

"The outside patrols have exclusively duplicates, so don't bother with them. I've already checked them." The moment the words left her mouth, Einor, Viladia, and Morin exchanged puzzled glances. Viladia was the first to interrupt, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Wait, you checked the duplicates? As far as I know, there's no known method to precisely identify duplicates from the original." Thea nodded, "Yeah, I used my insti—Psychic Powers to do so. If I intend to shoot one of them, I'll know whether they're real or not." Thea kept quiet about the fact that it only worked if there were multiple of the same duplicate nearby, however. She didn't want that hole in her detection to get out into the world.

Viladia's eyebrows shot up, a complex blend of emotions crossing her face—surprise on one hand, and on the other, a mixture of envy and an inner fire that hinted at her deep-seated desire to unlock her own Psychic Attribute. The rest of the squad also registered their amazement; Thea's revelation could profoundly change their mission approach. To this however, Thea was oblivious, as her gaze had briefly darted down, as if she were visualising the compound layout once more.

With the fresh image in her head, she quickly drew a rudimentary outline of the compound in the dirt of the forest's floor. That finished, she pointed towards the outer perimeter and indicated the patrol routes she had observed, "What concerns me is the area around the temporary structures. The patrol routes and structure layout make it difficult for me to keep an eye on you once you're in there. My line of sight will be severely compromised." She went on to add another important detail to the drawing.

"I also spotted specialised comms equipment, which is probably their hub for coordinating both internal and external communications. If we don't disable that, they could easily call in reinforcements or worse, pinpoint our locations if we attempt to use any kind of comms." Concluding her detailed report, Thea looked at Morin.

"If we're going in, I think we need a multi-pronged approach. Someone needs to take out that comms hub while another team focuses on the artillery. Any assault will be a massive risk; they're heavily fortified and not simple unintegrated soldiers… But if Viladia's up for it, we might be able to use her stealth abilities to disable the comms, while the rest of the squad takes on the artillery?" She ended with a questioning tone, probing for any additional pointers on the plan.

A heavy silence fell on the small clearing for a short while, before Morin's voice cut through it like a knife through butter, "About as good of a plan as any, really. We'll do it like Patches says. We'll move up under the cover of Viladia's veil, then split up after planting the first charges at the outer perimeter walls.

"Einor and I will stay behind, closer towards the artillery, while Viladia continues on with her veil closer towards the comm station. Viladia will blow the wall first, remaining hidden, to draw their attention. Then we blow our side and rush in. That should give us a small window where they're confused about our exact location and allow Viladia to get in unnoticed, once the shooting starts on our side. Patches, you take out anyone that might look like they'll get one over on us, clear?"

Thea briefly felt the urge to speak up about wanting to be part of the team that went in, but quickly drowned that part of herself. She clearly remembered Morin's earlier words about her role and the logic in them was irrefutable. Instead, she replied, "Crystal, Sir." Both Einor and Viladia similarly affirmed their understanding of the plan, before the squad started double-checking their equipment.

Just as Thea was meticulously examining her sidearm, her eyes trailing over every mechanism after confirming her Gram was combat-ready, Viladia sauntered up to her.

"Hey, Patches. Regardless of what goes down on this op, we're still squared away for our date, aren't we?" Thea's eyes widened and her pulse quickened, caught entirely off guard. She sputtered, "D-date? I—um, what are you—What?!" A hearty laugh erupted from Viladia, echoing through the tension-filled air.

"I'm talking about that agreement we made, remember? The one where we swap notes on Psychic stuff?" A wave of mortification washed over Thea, painting her cheeks a vivid shade of red. She stammered a meek affirmation, "Ah, yes. That. Absolutely!" Viladia winked before turning around, her laughter still lingering as she sauntered off to finalise her own gear. Left in her wake, Thea shook off her embarrassment, refocusing her attention on the mission at hand, albeit with a warm flush still tinting her cheeks.

Five minutes later, Thea was perched up high on her rudimentary sniper's nest. Strike One had just split up for their mission, with Einor, Morin and Viladia making their way towards the compound under the cover of Viladia's stealth Ability. Thea had to admit, scoping out the area where she knew that the rest of her squad had to be, that her Ability was downright terrifying. Despite her exceptional Perception, she couldn't even spot a molecule of the hidden squad's advance.

Only her inst—Psychic Powers were tingling in alarm as she looked towards the right spot. Having learned her lesson during the earlier leg of the journey however, Thea refrained from trying to pierce through it. Instead, she checked up on her Status, to make sure she knew exactly what she had available to use in the upcoming, and final, part of the mission. [Status] Thea McKay - Level 4. 26 - Contribution Points: 117.

55 / 440 - Unspent Attribute Points: 0 HP: 116 / 123 - Stamina: 76 / 155 - Focus: 91 / 215 - TBD - TBD Class: None - Specialization: None - Title: None - TBD - TBD"Hmm… 91 Focus isn't a lot, but it's enough for one Sensory Overdrive and either a [Sky Step] or [Penetrative Shot]; although the latter I can't actually use with my Gram. It would have to be my Icicle. 76 Stamina is enough for two [Improved Sprint]s or one and a [Sky Step].

Choices are slim, but I'll just have to make do," she concluded, mentally cataloguing her Abilities and remaining Resources. Turning her attention back to her scope, Thea conducted a rapid scan of the compound, verifying that all details aligned with her earlier observations. Satisfied, she swept her left hand across her wrist to activate the Nanobot Swarm feature of her Spectre suit. [Nanobot Swarm (Illusion) - Integrity: 37. 8%] A quick glance at the digital readout showed that the Swarm had marginally replenished itself. Whether this miniscule uptick would prove significant, she had her reservations, however. She also double-checked the detonators on her waist one last time, reminding herself of the exact positions that she had hidden each of her explosives in. If anybody tried to get close to her, they'd be in for quite the party.

As a final step in her preparations, she took the full-mask dangling from her waist and secured it to her armour, creating an airtight seal. Given her solitary position as the squad's overwatch and sniper, she couldn't rely on covering fire should the need to don the mask arise in the heat of battle. An added advantage was that the mask silenced her pained groans and increasingly laboured breathing as the pain radiating throughout her body continued to intensify…