Skyfire Avenue

Retaking a planet took time. In the meantime, there might be lives to save.

This fight was different from the ones they’d engaged in before. The aliens they fought before were infected mutations controlled by progenitors. They were weaker, mindless creatures. This time they were battling real aliens, doughtier foes who wouldn’t go down so quickly. It was important not to forget that there were some creatures among them strong enough for interstellar flight. When the railguns were up and running, their goal would be to deal with those.

“Aye, aye!” Lin Guoguo replied. Immediately a pale golden aura sprang up around her suit.

As she had grown stronger, so too had her psionic capabilities. With the help of her mecha she was able to scan a vast area without much effort. Lan Jue had some psychic abilities of his own, but they weren’t near as discerning as Lin Guoguo’s. To him human signatures would easily be lost among the sea of angry alien minds, so the task fell to his Amazon.

Star Division swiftly and effectively fight through their enemies, making safety a priority. Lan Jue had commanded that teams were to proceed in twos to watch each others’ backs. They were to maintain close defensive formations as they searched.

Specifically, they maintained a flying wedge formation. This allowed them to change directions quickly and attack in any direction. It was also stable and defensible.

As had been the case from the beginning, teams were led by stronger Adepts. At the heads of the triangle were ninth level or Higher Adepts who, with their mechas, were more than a match for any normal alien they came across.

Tang Xiao led his team at the head of the brigade. His tactics had evolved from the rolling ball of destruction from before. Although it was effective, it was also slow. Him and his team kept close and followed the structure outlined by his superiors.

One of the creatures came charging their war, a beast that looked like a lion. However, the similarities to a typical lion were scarce. The alien corruption was a hundred meters long with a fierce and frightening air. Its front legs were thick as oak trees. At a glance the human fighters knew it would be a tougher one to kill.

“Ey? This one kind of looks like Jin Tao! More handsome, though.” Tang Xiao’s voice was teasing and condescending, but he didn’t waste time. His mecha was the first one to race forward.

“What noise is this piggie making now?!” Jin Tao’s angry voice crackled through the communicator.

Although their constant bickering would lend one to believe otherwise, the two young men worked marvelously together. Both their squads had only improved over time and performed excellently.

“I’m going in first!” Tang Xiao cackled. His mecha was already blasting forward at top speed toward the lion-like monstrosity.

The beast responded with a guttural roar. It lifted one of its front paws to swipe at the squad leader.

Within his cockpit Tang Xiao chuckled darkly. His pudgy mecha didn’t juke or dodge and simply let the attack come. What followed was a strange scene. All of a sudden, Tang Xiao fell from the sky. It tumbled out of control like it’d been knocked out of commission, though there were no signs of damage. When the lion struck it, the suit stuck to its paw like a piece of melted candy. Then, it dissolves into a liquid and slithered up its leg.

The lion, surprised and confused, roared at its arm. Like a cat with tape stuck to its foot the beast kicked and swiped the offended limb to try and flee itself, to no avail!

Another roar thundered through the area, though this one was not from the creature. Another lion joined the fray, smaller than the first and made of metal. It launched itself at the alien like a pale yellow thunderbolt and landed on its head.

“Don’t steal my kill!” Tang Xiao shouted.

“Does it have your name on its forehead?” Jin Tao fired teasing barbs back at his rival as they fought together.

Although Jin Tao’s mecha was much smaller that its opponent, the energy it put out was staggering. A blinding yellow aura hung over its metallic body. Glinting alloy claws dug into the monster’s head.

Just then, a host of metallic spikes shot through the monster’s mandible from below.

“Mine!” Jin Tao and Tang Xiao shouted in unison.

Jin Tao pulled his claws apart, tearing open the alien’s forehead. But he didn’t find what he was looking for.

Tang Xiao laughed victoriously. In a flash his fat mecha suit was on the ground again and in formation. He waved his hand at Jin Tao, a glittering vital crystal clutched within.

“Goddamn, gloating are we?”

“So? I made the first move, it was your greedy ass that tried to take it from me! I’m just making sure you know you failed.” Tang Xiao, as usual, knew how to push the right buttons.

“Shit, I loathe you!” Jin Tao howled.

“Move aside and stay out of my way.” Tang Xiao cackled as he and his team shot forward.

“Fat-ass!”

“Dumb-mutt!”

They continued to rag on one another as they fought.

“Will the two of you give it a rest? Shut the hell up!” The harsh voice immediately silenced the two young men. The only one who had that kind of pull over them was Tang Mi!

Tang Mi understood the dynamic between Jin Tao and her older brother. They were natural rivals, but although they loved to trade barbs they fought well together. All this talk of kill-stealing was nonsense. Both of them had agreed to share the credit for their teams’ exploits before the battle. What purpose did their bickering serve? None, but they couldn’t get enough of it. They were quiet for now, but their bickering was endless.

A bolt of lightning tumbled from the sky, killing a beast that was lurking underground near the squad. That kill belonged to the Driver, to ensure his people didn’t fall into its trap.

Skyfire Avenue surged ahead, overcoming all obstacles. But Lan Jue face grew darker with every inch forward. They were strong, and their progress was fast. In part, this was due to the help of Lan Jue and the two other captains. Yet Lin Guoguo could find no trace of human consciousness.

This made Lan Jue’s heart sink. It meant it was likely all humans have been wiped out before they’d arrived. Swallowed up and used as fuel for the aliens’ evil plans. It also made him uneasy, since their long-range telescopes had certainly picked out human on Monteux. So why were they pulling humans onto the planet’s surface to fight? If there was some plot, the enemy was going to move on it soon.

Boom–! An explosion rang out, and an alien fell from the sky.

Railgun fire! Installations were going ahead as planned. It was good news – the first success opened the door for the second.

Right now, Lan Jue’s job was to make sure Star Division didn’t get in too deep. Some aliens were too much even for mechas. They were the sort that were capable of fighting out in space, and were too dangerous for Division soldiers to take on by themselves.

This was also why Lan Jue wasn’t in the thick of it. He had to save his energy for that eventuality. He wasn’t there to fight, just to make sure things went smoothly. Star Division had to be protected.

Monteux’s recapturing continued without a problem. Losses were kept low. However, the other two planets were less fortunate.

A huge number of aliens had waited for them to land. Once they did, the humans were immediately thrown into a frenzied and intense battle for their lives.

For the North, Terminator and Chu Cheng were responsible for a planet each. However their numbers were limited, and they were losing men to overwhelming enemy forces. Close to one fourth of their soldiers were shot down on the approach, and only about half of those survived the crash. The waiting alien forces set upon them the second they got out of their ships.

Thankfully things were looking good out in space. Humanity’s forces had taken control of most of the area. Those aliens which hid behind the planets didn’t dare stick their heads over the horizon. The moment they did human cannon fire blew them apart.

Admiral Kang Hui stood in his office, sternly giving orders. “Turn on the scanners. Find those planets.”

The eight bastions closed in, but kept their distance from the front lines.

Kang Hui had anticipated the ground forces finding resistance. By Kang Hui’s estimations most if not all of the humans on these planets were gone. Callous as it was, it meant they should have been using their ships to pummel the surface with orbital fire. Even the weaker ships were capable enough to clear out large numbers of aliens at a time.

But the pressure was too great. The people wouldn’t have it! And he understood their thought process; if they were willing to sacrifice their people now, who’s to say they wouldn’t be the next one Northern guns were turned on? So, it was decided for them that survivors had to be rescued at all costs. However this tied the military’s hands, and cost them the lives of their soldiers.

Thankfully, though, things still seemed under control.

The eight bastions came ever nearer while the fleets cleared the way ahead. Kang Hui couldn’t think of any tricks the enemy could use to turn the situation around.