Late at night:
The capital town, temporarily constructed by the Engineering Corps, had been fully occupied by the Federation's Expeditionary Mobile Infantry. Over a thousand DR-4 Viking dropships were stationed inside and around the town, prepared to load exoskeletons, AMWS rifles, and other collected ammunition and supplies.
The remaining two hundred-plus cloned soldiers had been captured by the mobile infantry and were now confined in the cargo bays of the Viking dropships.
Meanwhile, the star-filled sky above frequently lit up with streaks of high-energy beams and electromagnetic projectiles.
Through the data stored in the cloned soldiers' personal computers, the mobile infantry learned the grim truth: their Expeditionary Fleet had already been wiped out long before they entered the planet's atmosphere.
What appeared to be an ongoing "intense battle" in near-planet orbit was actually the Blood Angels Legion of the Human Empire engaging the Arachi insectoid fleet.
The Arachi's sudden "visit" had forced the Blood Angels to divert their attention away from the ground conflict, leaving the auxiliary clone forces to contend with the Federation's mobile infantry.
As for the captured Federation vessels and personnel, they had been systematically transported to various spaceports on the planet's surface.
The nearest spaceport to Lyon and his forces was roughly 200 kilometers away.
Faced with this situation, Lyon and Maggie proposed selecting an elite strike force to swiftly seize the nearest spaceport. By freeing the once "high-and-mighty" Federation crew members, they could also reclaim the Expeditionary Fleet's ships to facilitate their evacuation from New Hope.
At this stage, the remaining 30,000-plus mobile infantry soldiers had come to regard Lyon and his team of non-commissioned officers as their leaders.
The surviving officers, both colonels and lieutenants, reluctantly complied with Lyon's leadership. With their power diminished and their former commander, Honard Thompson, deposed, they had little choice but to cooperate.
Once the plan was finalized, Lyon equipped the 226th Combat Platoon and their comrades from other units with fully enclosed exoskeletons, AMWS rifles, and .30cal intelligent machine guns.
This effectively upgraded the 2,000 mobile infantry under Lyon and Maggie's command into a well-armed elite force.
Any thoughts of rebellion from the remaining officers were rendered futile due to the now insurmountable gap in power between the factions.
Shortly afterward, Lyon, Rego, Ace, and several non-commissioned officers formed a command group, leading over 1,000 infantry outfitted with new gear aboard the Viking dropships. Their mission: to launch a surprise assault on the nearest spaceport.
The remaining mobile infantry forces were ordered to stay on standby. Once Lyon's strike team secured the spaceport, the main force would board the Vikings and transfer to the site for evacuation.
Within moments, the twenty-plus Viking dropships carrying Lyon and his team disappeared into the night.
In truth, the information and intelligence they had acquired were intentionally planted by the Investigation Bureau.
There was no "Arachi space fleet."
The moment the Arachi attempted to intervene, 99% of their forces had been annihilated by the flagship of the Gene Primordial fleet.
The million bugs that managed to land on the surface had done so to orchestrate a scenario where the mobile infantry and cloned soldiers would be compelled to negotiate a ceasefire. This would also allow Lyon to obtain the AI system and advanced weapons.
The ultimate goal was to ensure the safe evacuation of the 30,000 mobile infantry from New Hope.
To that end, the Investigation Bureau fabricated a narrative that multiple spaceports existed on the planet and dispersed the Federation's captured ships to these various locations.
In reality, the nearest spaceport, like the capital town, was a temporary "showpiece" built for this operation.
Unlike the capital town, the spaceport had been constructed with greater attention to detail, making it appear more authentic.
Fifteen kilometers south of the spaceport, the Viking dropships unloaded Lyon, Rego, Ace, and the 1,000 heavily armed infantry before hovering on standby.
Boosted by the speed enhancements of their exoskeletons, the infantry advanced swiftly across the desolate sand, closing the distance to the spaceport.
Behind Lyon, Ace couldn't contain his excitement and exclaimed over the squad comms:
"Sergeant! This gear is amazing—easy to use, durable, and just perfect!"
"Agreed," Rego chimed in.
Lyon's helmet displayed a variety of data and vitals on its screen, along with simplified text instructions and voice tutorials.
For someone accustomed to Atlas products like Lyon, the functionality wasn't surprising. However, even soldiers like Rego and Ace, who were new to the system, found it intuitive and easy to adapt to.
Atlas's individual soldier equipment and systems were so automated that the user's primary role was simply to move and pull the trigger.
As a result, the 1,000 infantry equipped with advanced weaponry now rivaled the combat effectiveness of pre-Empire private military forces.
In fact, they were arguably better suited for fighting the Arachi.
"Keep it down," Lyon reminded Ace. "It's not time to celebrate yet. Save your enthusiasm for when we've escaped New Hope."
"Yes, Sergeant."
The group pressed forward in silence, covering the 10-kilometer stretch of desert with ease.
In the past, the mobile infantry would have expended half their combat effectiveness before even engaging the enemy.
Now, they had used only 1-3% of their exoskeletons' power reserves.
Upon reaching a sand dune, they crawled to the top and observed the temporary spaceport ahead.
Twelve Federation transport escort ships were docked on either side of the main building.
A heavily damaged Paris-class frigate was also present, undergoing repairs by Hextech maintenance drones.
Lyon immediately deduced that the Paris-class frigate had been deliberately damaged and stationed here.
Its firepower was more than sufficient to singlehandedly destroy the twelve escort ships. By leaving it behind, the Investigation Bureau ensured Lyon and Maggie would have ample "leverage" for their rebellion.
Using intel provided by the AI system, Lyon planned to escape to a remote star system for "repairs and rest."
If the Federation pursued them, the AI could expose Honard Thompson's incompetence online, damaging the Federation's reputation.
The spaceport's defense force consisted solely of cloned soldiers, with no "living" auxiliary troops or Blood Angels present.
Only about 200 cloned soldiers were stationed there, over half of whom were guarding the roughly 2,000 captured Federation crew members held in the open area of the spaceport.
The captives, though confined, were well-fed and hydrated. Restroom facilities in the nearby buildings were accessible, though escape attempts during such trips were futile due to constant surveillance and the sheer disparity in power between unarmed prisoners and fully equipped cloned soldiers.
Rego, observing the weak defenses, remarked, "Looks like the Arachi fleet stretched their forces thin. Otherwise, such a critical facility wouldn't be so lightly guarded."
"Maybe it's a trap?" Ace speculated.
"We've already taken the capital town without resistance. If they wanted to ambush us, they had plenty of chances," Rego replied, though he remained cautious.
Lyon, gripping his AMWS rifle, stood and said, "This shows the Empire understands priorities. To them, we're kin. The bugs, however, are a universal enemy.
"Snipers, eliminate the sentries. Designated marksmen, provide cover. The rest of you, form squads and spread out. We'll assault the spaceport and clear all defenses within ten minutes."
"Yes, Sergeant."
The troops followed Lyon's orders.
From atop the dune, snipers equipped with large-caliber AMWS rifles locked onto the sentries using their helmet systems.
Bang! Bang!
With precise shots, the sentries were neutralized.
Tat-tat-tat!
Designated marksmen began providing suppressive fire as the assault teams advanced.
Within moments, Lyon's troops breached the spaceport. Machine gunners wielding .30cal intelligent machine guns opened fire, quickly overwhelming the defenders.
Unbeknownst to Rego, Ace, and the others, the cloned soldiers had detected their approach long before the attack. However, they were under orders to stage a "surprise defeat" and complied without resistance.
For the clones, death might have been the ultimate release.
By the time the main mobile infantry force arrived, Lyon had not only secured the spaceport but also freed the captives, including familiar faces like Carmen Ibanez and Xander Barro.
Ultimately, 30,000 soldiers, along with the freed Federation personnel, boarded the ships and successfully escaped New Hope.
Their next destination: a remote frontier colony, where the seeds of rebellion would continue to grow.
Meanwhile, in Universe "13," another Lyon could sense the arrival of a "brother descending from the heavens."
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]