“Mr. President, I learned from Peterson Base that the Ranger-Minuteman Task Force has gone through the alien portal known as the Bridge. We have been able to establish a connection with our forces on the other side, but the connection is weak. We believe this is because the Bridge energy is providing interference, so progress reports will be slow.
Director Bill Miller of the FBI has reported that Internet Monitor Group (IMG) PLs have successfully tricked the general population about the result of the explosion the other day at the facility. They are monitoring the situation and will create a report if events in Raymon Base become trending again.
As your advisor, I highly recommend we host a meeting regarding the path we will take after the military establishes a beachhead on this alien planet. I understand most of the Cabinet and Joint Chiefs of Staff prefer keeping the Bridge and Alagore a secret from the general public. While I conceded to their point of view until the situation is more favorable and I agree we should go public in a position of strength, I do believe it would be wise to go public as soon as possible.” - Counselor to the President Jane Murry
March, 4th, 2048 (Military Calendar)
Temple of Indolass, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie,
Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore
*****
Captain Mathew Ryder felt a crisp feeling throughout his body before fading as he exited the Bridge.
Once through, he saw a glossy chamber that Fraeya described. Unable to spend time analyzing the ancient surroundings, he heard the intense echo of the heavy machine gun fire. His HUD quickly picked up the IRiSS and Bigdog in front of Comanche, to which they had already advanced. There were a few corpses on the floor, victims of their sudden attack.
The other members of Comanche appeared seconds after he did. "Everyone accounted for?"
"All members are accounted for," Barrett replied.
Ryder confirmed all ten members of Comanche made it through, which included Fraeya. Besides the elf girl, everyone was in their forest with green and black battlesuits. They all had their dark gray VISORs down that covered their eyes.
Hearing the sound of battle, Ryder saw that the robotic soldiers had completed their objective, clearing the first enemy defensive line. Now, they were advancing toward the exit, giving the Minutemen breathing room as they organized.
"Fraeya,” Ryder said. “You said there might be other paths within this chamber? Where do we begin?"
"That is correct," Fraeya said. "They should be further down the chamber."
"Alright, Comanche, you know what to do."
Comanche advanced as the other Minutemen Combat Fire Teams started to appear. Once those teams regrouped, they quickly caught up and joined the robot squad as their orders were to tackle the enemy while Comanche followed Fraeya to find a flank.
As Comanche drew closer to the robotic force, Ryder saw one IRiSS explode in half from some energy weapon. Another front armor plating was burnt and scarred from an energy bolt. The rest had similar burn damage or projectiles on their armor. While doing their job, they couldn’t hold on forever.
Viking and Razorfist Teams reached the robotic squad first and opened fire. The enemy was barricaded near the exit to hold off the American forces. Once the other CFT teams arrived, an intense firefight within this large chamber began as both sides attempted to gain fire superiority.
"Fraeya," Ryder said. "We need that opening."
The elf girl placed her hand on the wall and slowly slid across the smooth surface. "I need a moment. I am looking for a dip. It is easy to miss."
Not thrilled he had to wait, the captain ordered some of his team to take cover for the destroyed Bigdog and provide protection. Through their battlesuit feed, he saw the exit of the chamber and the barricade the enemy infantry was hiding behind. Parts of the barricade fortification glowed blue from the installed crystal.
The Minutemen and IRiSS opened fire at the glimmering fortification, but the 6.8mm merely ricocheted off. From what Ryder could tell from the team feed, this enchantment hardened the armor to be strong enough to shatter as it impacted the hardened shield.
Hearing one of the other captains from a Minutemen team, two Bigdogs came forth. They sprayed .50 calibers from their M2 Browning’s into the fortification. The first few rounds were shattered; however, the continuous stream of their heavy machine guns quickly shattered the crystal, and the barricade started tearing apart.
The enemy seemed surprised by the sheer firepower and began to retreat as their fortifications were destroyed. However, a bright pinkish-white glow covered the path as they exited the chamber.
A group of the other Minutemen fired at the pink-white glowing field; however, the bullets bounced off harmlessly. The two Bigdogs engaged in the same field with the same result. Someone over the radio stated that the enemy deployed an energy shield.
The Comanche captain already knew what would happen next. The enemy will consolation, and they push through. The enemy had to understand that the US wouldn't sit passively back, so they correctly prepared a trap.
Glancing toward his VISOR HUD, the captain noticed that he had low bars on the DEFNET. While a connection was coming through from Earth, it was nowhere near this bad, and if they were not in combat, he might have made a joke that they were back in the 90s. Traditionally, a US soldier would always be connected to the network thanks to its massive satellite and terrestrial installations; however, there was no such infrastructure on Alagore to rely on. While this was mentioned before the attack, the reality only hit him that much of their Itlian network would become worthless.
The only reliable element seemed to be the localized radios that the military kept within Itlian, a relic from the pre-digital world, just like how most military vehicles are still analog, so they would still be functional after an EMP attack. While the military heavily utilizes digital infrastructure to make their forces highly efficient, it has always been a nightmare if this network suddenly goes down for whatever reason. While unintentional, that decision saved the Army's effectiveness in this world.
"Fraeya!" Ryder said once he rejoined his team.
"There." Fraeya placed her hand on a section of the mantellic-marble smooth wall. That section then melted away into the ground. Not onto the floor but to the sides, into the rest of the wall.
"That was freaky," Higgins said.
"How did you do that?" Gonzales asked.
"My primary magic is Geomancy," Fraeya said. "Remember, while we were waiting for your people to open the Bridge on your side, I had months to study these walls. I noticed there were these hidden digits within the walls-."
"This isn't the time for a history lesson," Barrett said.
"Twins, take point," Ryder ordered. "Let's go, Comanche." He spoke through TEAMCON. "Ghost-Lead, on my six. All other Minutemen, standby to assault."
Comanche, Ghost, and two IRiSS rushed through the small corridor. At the end of the hallway was a stairway, which everyone quickly ran up as there was no apparent alternative path. The pathway was pitch black from the lack of an external light source. The room was only lit up by everyone's flashlights that were built into their helmets. They noticed that the strange marble-like smooth walls had disappeared and turned into stone walls.
They encountered a large room when they reached the next level of the stairway. This room was attached to a thin passageway leading to another room further down. Along this thin hallway, there were strange designs carved within them—pillars with the exact details. Down the thick passageway, many sections on the right wall had different types of carvings shaped like large windows.
"I knew it," Fraeya said. "I knew those were balconies."
Rommel King turned to face the elf girl. "You said you knew where they were."
"Well, I knew they were; I just did not have proof. I am sorry; I did not mean to mislead anyone. I just wanted to help."
"Now what," Forest asked. "It does not matter if they were balconies if we cannot shoot from them."
“C4?” Ford asked.
“Nope,” Barrios said. "The structure is too tight. The blast would be directed toward us so that I wouldn't recommend it."
"I can do it," Fraeya said. "As I said, my primary field of magic is Geomancy. All I must do is use a spell and carve out the rock. It just depends on how thick it is."
"Then that is what we are doing," Ryder said. "Ghost, head down to the other side so we can catch them in a crossfire. Higgins and Gonzales, get the two IRiSS, and I want you four to help Fraeya carve out the rock. Everyone else, once there is an opening, engage at will."
Everyone left to follow their orders. Fraeya placed her hands on the first rock formation, her hands glowed, and it began to crack. The sides that connected the builder to the rest of the structure fractured. Higgins and Gonzales struggled to push one of the carved sections out. An IRiSS lowered its weapon and quickly assisted in the stone's dislodgement. Soon enough, that carved section of the passageway was opened.
Benjamin Ford engaged when the opening was cleared while the other half of the team carved out additional sections for Comanche and Ghost to fire from. With help from Fraeya and the IRiSSs, enough sections were opened for the bulk of both teams to engage.
Ryder rushed toward one of the first openings and got a good view of the temple grounds. It was also pitch black, having almost no natural lighting except for the enemy energy weapons, a small energy bubble shield, and starlight.
Switching to the night vision setting on his VISOR, he saw the enemy below. Like on Earth, the enemy clothing hid most of their thermal signatures. The only ones he could confidently confirm were the mages casting the energy shield and other magitech weapons.
"Get in the game, Comanche," King said.
Wallace took his M250 and began raining fire support on the below enemy positions, catching them off guard. Comanche joined the fight as more windows opened, forcing the enemy to see cover. It was clear that they were not expecting to be flanked from above.
Both IRiSS robot soldiers took position and fired their machine guns in bursts. While their artificial intelligence was not as advanced as many would believe from science fiction, they have come a long way from the early models to where they understood how to operate within squads and how to prioritize targeting. The general rule is that if anything shoots at the Americans, the IRiSS fires back.
"Ford," Ryder said. "See those two mages with their hands glowing. Take them out."
Sergeant Ford nodded and kneeled next to the second window. He loaded a grenade into his M320 launcher. He then stood and fired it at the defenseless mages below. The explosion killed both mages, and the energy shield fell after, opening the mountain chamber to the world.
The next moment, a half dozen IRiSSs exited the chamber as they fired their M250s, forming a defensive perimeter. Among them were the Bigdogs, which engaged the enemy hardened enemy bunkers.
The situation started looking bright as the American forces broke through the enemy's first line of defense. That was until a bright light blinded his HUD that appeared at the center of the enemy formation. Once Ryder VISOR adjusted, he witnessed a small artificial tower with a massive glass ring on top of it. He was looking and glowing like an old Tesla Tower that he saw in the online channels. At the center were three different colored crystals.
Half a dozen lightning strikes suddenly scarfed the battleground, destroying the IRiSS and Biggods outside the chamber. From the radio reports, Ryder heard that two Minutemen were casualties from the strike as they were too close to the impact zone.
"Fraeya," Ryder said. "What the hell is that?"
"It is an amplifier," Fraeya said. "Battle Mages use them to amplify their spells."
Staring at the Amplifier, Captain Mathew Ryder realized that they would suffer high casualties when the 5th Rangers came through because of that choke point. He then heard his XO comment that they spotted the enemy reinforcements.
Taking his M31 scope, Ryder studied the battleground. When that Amplifier was activated, it illuminated the entire area, but now everything faded to darkness. He was what King was talking about, a large gathering behind some ruins for a counterattack - as Colonel Hackett predicted.
Like their assault on Earth, he noticed many species within their ranks. A mix of Vampires and J’avais. He saw additional types but couldn’t correctly make them out.
To his shock, the captain saw a group of engineers aiming at a ground bass cannon. He could not get a good view of the enemy artillery piece, however, the design looked similar to one of those old ballistas. However, he also saw features from one of those old anti-tank guns from World War Two.
Near the loading hatch, the ballista glowed. Realizing what was about to happen, Ryder yelled, "Incoming!"
The enemy ballista fired. Besides a long javelin-like projectile, the cannon blasted, and the projectile quickly impacted the mountainside structure. The impact was powerful, shaking the room both teams were in. Some of the Comanche fell to the ground from the blast. One of the sections was destroyed as rubble fell on Ford. Forest and Gonzales rushed over and pulled his comrade back onto his feet.
The glass rings around the Amplifier glowed bright white before the operating battle mage directed the energy toward the chamber entrance, trapping the Minutemen inside. From the energy shield to the large orb on top of the weapon platform was an energy connection that continuously fed into the wall.
“Hey, elf,” Barrios asked. “I recall seeing that color the first time we tango with them.”
“That is raw mana energy,” Fraeya said. “Atomacy magic is the baseline and can be used in such a manner. Most mages move away as the higher spells are hard to-.”
“This isn’t the time for an education,” King said. “What can we do about it?”
“As I said, it is raw mana being utilized as energy,” Fraeya replied. “While Atomacy magic can be useful, it is hazardous to channel this much.”
“I see that energy flow feeding into the energy wall,” King asked. “Can that mage still attack us?”
“I do not think so,” Fraeya said as she scratched her head with confusion, not understanding where the Warrant Officer was going with the questions. “From what I understand, one mage can do one spell at a time, so more likely.”
“I see.” Rommel King approached Ryder, placing his hand on the captain's shoulder, and pointing to the Amplifier. "Boss, have Ghost focus fire on that weapon platform. Have the rest of the team cover Bruno and me long enough to ram an M4 Carl Gustaf into it."
Ryder quickly figured out what his XO was planning. Firing a rocket in these tight quarters was too dangerous as the rocket blast would impact them. With the new opening, thanks to that ballista, they could drop below and get a clean line of sight.
"Do it, but take both IRiSS," Ryder said. He then moved down the line of his team toward Fraeya. "Barret, get Comanche suppressive fire on that enemy position. Ghost, throw everything you have at that Amplifier."
Once he reached the elf teammate, Ryder said, "Good chance that mage will throw another fireball at us. Can you do anything about it?"
"Yes," Fraeya said. "I field in Geomancy and Hydromancy. But there is no way I can compete against that."
"You don't have to," Ryder said.
Ghost Team opened fire on the Amplifier, getting the Battle Mage operator's attention. Ryder watched as the two IRiSS dropped down. Once the two robots landed, the first one opened fire on the nearby enemies.
Two J’avais swordsmen charged forward, so the other IRiSS grabbed the first attacker and rammed him into the rubble. The other swordsmen cut through, damaging much of the armor plating. Seeing the opening, the swordsman thrust his sword into the robot's side.
While this severely damaged the IRiSS, the robotic soldier thrusted its hand into the J’avias neck and then rammed the body into the wall. The robot grabbed its M250 and provided cover fire when the nearby threats were neutralized.
Rommel King and Bruno Barrios successfully dropped to the temple grounds and took cover by the IRiSSs. His team opened fire at the Aristocracy soldiers who were taking cover within the temple rubble. A short but intense firefight ensued as each side tried to gain the advantage.
On top of the Amplifier, a giant fireball formed. It then streamed toward both teams. Fraeya then cast a stream of water, creating almost a blanket that impacted the fire stream.
“I thought you said they couldn’t do two spells simultaneously?” Ford asked.
“Another mage must be using it,” Fraeya replied.
While the water spell did weaken the enemy attack, the enemy spell easily overwhelmed Fraeya's magic and impacted the mountainside, creating an extensive firewall. This forced most of Comanche and Ghost to seek cover or risk being consumed by the intense inferno.
The Amplifier prepared for another attack, but a rocket flew directly into the side, impacting the glass ring. This resulted in a massive explosion that created a chain effect of a secondary explosion. The Amplifier was then engulfed in flames as the structure collapsed.
The main obstacle was cleared, and Ryder ordered Fraeya to put the firewall below while everyone else continued to engage the enemy. He then accessed all teams over the radio and said, "All Minutemen, we're in business."
Once the firewall disappeared from Fraeya's water magic, two BigDog exited the chamber. They fired a dozen fragmentation grenades into the plaza below, causing a chain reaction. The resulting explosions broke apart the enemy defensive perimeter, allowing A Squadron of the Minutemen to exit the chamber and storm the enemy position.
With the enemy line disorganized from the drone attack, the Minutemen quickly took out what remained of the enemy forward positions. While the Aristocracy were determined soldiers, they were going up against some of the best soldiers the Army had to offer. Those not overwhelmed by the Minutemen attackers quickly fled their position and headed deeper into the ruins.
Now that the beachhead was secured, Ryder focused on the next stage of the operation. They confirmed a large force at the heart of the temple and prepared for a counterattack. He knew each Combat Fire Team needed to engage the incoming enemy to allow the Rangers to enter the battle.
"Alright, Comanche," Ryder said. "Down below. We need to secure the right flank until the Rangers arrive."
The team headed to the damaged opening and jumped below, rejoining King and Barrios. When Ryder leaped down, his battlesuit absorbed most of the fall damage - without it, it was more likely that every team member would have sprained an ankle or bone. When the captain stood up, he saw the damaged IRiSS lying on the ground with smoldering energy bolts, destroyed.
As Commache started leaving, a second artillery shell from the ballista impacted the mountain structure.
"These people mean business," Wallace said as he looked up.
"So do we," Forest said.
Staring at the chamber entrance, Ryder saw the headlights of the first Archer, a heavy infantry fighting vehicle. It rammed into some of the Amplifier ruins to clear a path. Once it stopped, the ram closed, and Rangers stormed out and rushed toward the nearby intersection. They passed a few enemy-dead and ruined structures that littered the area.
The team stopped by a few ruined buildings. On the other side, they saw the enemy regrouping and advancing on their position for their counterattack. The forward hostiles took up firing positions.
What baffled the Comanches was that they saw. The enemy infantry was deploying a shield wall, like the armies of old. In one giant line, encompassing most of the street, they started marching in a disciplined manner, approaching the American position.
"Fraeya, what are they doing?" Barrett asked.
"I think those are swordsmen," Fraeya said. "I am not a military expert, but it is common for armies to deploy soldiers with shields to protect the circilmen. Then the circilmen provides cover for the advancing swordsmen."
Seeing the advancing infantry, Comanche formed up and engaged the enemy. To their frustration, what they encountered on Earth had the same effect here, that their first volley didn't punch through. Each shield glowed differently after being impacted by their 6.8mm. However, with enough focus, their projectiles pierce through.
Some of the shields had a small hole in the side. From them, an energy bolt fired toward their position. Ryder assumed this was to allow these shieldmen to utilize some range weapon to add additional pressure. In conjunction, enemy circilmen returned fired, forcing Comanche to take cover.
“What the hell are those things?” Ford asked.
“It is like they are firing a freight train,” Forest said. “Avoid getting hit.”
While taking fire, Comanche re-engaged by peeking from their cover or using the 2D vision system - where a camera on their M31 connected to their VISOR to provide an additional mod to fire.
The enemy shield wall slowly fell, making the enemy replace the gaps with additional infantry or condense. This would have been fine; however, the enemy circilmen were proving to be a major hassle, requiring many of Comanche to focus on them, not the approaching force. With how close the swordsmen were and how long it was to whittle them down, everyone started to feel the pressure that they were about to be overwhelmed.
"That explains why they use them," King said. "They are applying pressure on multiple fronts."
The captain also quickly figured out the enemy's tactic. The enemy ranged units, or circilmen, as Fraeya called them, provided suppressive fire for the forward forces to advance. In contrast, these shield units added immediate pressure as they approached. Once they get close enough, the enemy could storm and overrun their position.
"Focus fire on the shieldmen," Ryder said. "Don’t aim for the center mass, as that seems to be where their enchantments are the strongest. We know after a few shots they go down, so be efficient."
Comanche focused on three shieldmen at a time as the enemy approached. The first few rounds would be deflected but stunned the target. The second or third either weakened the target or straight out killed them. The issue was that they couldn't engage them fast enough while keeping their heads low from enemy sniper fire. Remembering what happened to Wallace from that Akuma – being sliced in half during a training simulation and his encounter with Kallem, he didn't want to risk a real-life repeat of that situation. Especially the fact that he already knew how much stronger vampires are.
Knowing that friendly reinforcements were behind them and their position was intangible, Ryder ordered Comanche to return to their original position. One by one, each soldier left their position and relocated to protect their comrades.
When Ryder reached halfway to their original position, he stopped and kneeled, providing suppressive fire. He saw the IRiSS providing cover. The enemy targeted the robotic soldier as multiple energy bolts and flechette impacted it, causing it to explode.
The team reached the plaza's edge and saw a platoon of Rangers exiting the chamber - just arriving from Earth. Finding the ranking NCO, the captain directed them toward the incoming enemy and ordered them to secure the intersection.
The enemy reformed their formation and advanced from the street into the plaza. The swordsmen took the forward position while the other ranged units continued to provide suppressive fire.
The Rangers joined in with Comanche and engaged the incoming enemy. As the enemy fanned out to engage the Americans, an airburst exploded above them, instantly killing the center mass of the enemy formation. The others could not respond before two additional rounds exploded above them, wiping out the forward units.
The Archer Infantry Fighting Vehicle advanced with another one following behind. The two infantry fighting vehicles with the Alpha Company, 5th Rangers, continued the assault and recaptured the intersection.
"That thing just took all those warriors out in seconds," Fraeya said with shock in her tone.
"Your people in this world might have made melee warfare reverent again," King said. "But a cannon is still a cannon."
When the first Archer turned to face the street from where the enemy came from, it was impacted by a ballista round. The armor was damaged, with many of the external modules destroyed and leaving a significant dent within the armor; however, the vehicle was operational.
“As you said,” Wallace said. “A cannon is still a cannon.”
Ryder knew the fifty-ton war machine could take a beating, even if the enemy had some type of anti-tank weapon platform. Unlike APCs, IFVs are designed to support the infantry in combat. Still, the heavy vehicle would only last for a while if that weapon was left unmolested, making him realize that taking those weapons out needed to be their number one priority.
“Comanche,” Ryder said. "We are going hunting. We need to take out that ballista before it takes out our Archers. Fraeya, do you know a path we could use to flank it?"
"Question," Fraeya said. "What is a flank?"
"Never mind," Ryder said. "We will head down the center as that's most likely where the ballista should be."
Acknowledging their mission, Comanche rushed through the destroyed plaza, passing the Rangers pouring through the Bridge, stepping over destroyed structures from the Amplifier. They entered the ruins of the temple.
What was left of the temple barely provided any protection. Comanche was forced to stop by a strange arcing pillar. To his surprise, it differed from the rest of the ruins, seeming more natural than artificial. It was clear the temple was also designed around these arcing pillars.
Ahead of Comanche was an opening that they could take. However, the opening left the team vulnerable to enemy weapon fire, making the situation more complex. They needed to get through without getting picked off by snipers while quickly getting through before the enemy ballista could take out their armor.
"Ryder," King said. "I hate saying it, but we'll have to leapfrog across."
"Agreed," Ryder said. "Get the Twins to provide cover. The rest, I want two by twos."
"Can I help?" Fraeya asked.
"What can you do?" Ryder asked.
The elf girl looked around and placed her hand against the wall. The wall fractured apart. "I can fire these as projectiles."
"Good enough."
The Twins received their orders. They first bumped into each other's fists before preparing themselves. Eger Wallace fired in bursts against the Aristocracy, while Bruno Barrios did the same. Fraeya took the fragments and started thrusting them toward the enemy.
With the two providing cover, Comanche started rushing to the other side of the opening. When it was Ryder's turn, he ran through the opening. A combination of different types of projectiles zipped past him.
Once he crossed, Ryder took a defensive position and fired his M31, covering the Twins as they started traveling.
When all of Comanche was clear, Ryder told Higgins to report the enemy position so the Rangers could deal with it. The unit continued the path, engaging multiple hostiles. Ryder was impressed by how determined these soldiers were to defend this temple from their invasion. The Aristocracy was making the US fight for every inch.
Comanche pushed through, being forced to toss two fragmentation grenades to dislodge a group of bunkered-down hostiles. With that final defense line naturalized, they reached where the enemy artillery piece was.
The enemy artillery did look like a ballista Ryder saw in online historical documentaries. However, there were crucial differences. Besides a crossbow, it had a long tube like a smooth barrel cannon. It also had small barrels on each side, and the weapon platform looked like a skeleton, lacking armor, which he found strange as the infantry of this world were heavily armored. In addition, it was mostly made from metal rather than wood, as he expected. There were parts of the weapon he couldn't identify at first look, making him wonder what unknown technologies the people of Alagore had invented.
Whatever similarities the weapon platform had from history were soon dashed. When the ballista fired, it fired with a powerful intensity to it. The loose debris around the artillery price shook from the sheer force. The barrels glowed when fired, but then the light faded away.
Knowing they were targeting the incoming Rangers and Archers, the team didn't need an order to act. Sergeant Bruno Barrios grabbed his Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle and aimed it at the enemy ballista. As he fired, a battle mage spotted them and cast an energy shield around their position.
The energy shield deflected the rocket, causing an explosion far sooner than intended. However, the raw power from the blast caused the spell to implode, knocking the mage onto the ground. Seeing the new threat, the remaining enemy infantry turned to the engaged Comanche, turning the ballista around toward them.
A firefight began shortly as Comanche protected Barrios as he reloaded.
Ryder noticed these enemy soldiers, only two were carrying those circiletum. The rest held these long, slim, spear-like staff firing energy bolts at Comanche. This made him wonder how many different types of weapons the world's armies employ.
"Ready for round two," Barrios said.
"Hold on," Fraeya said. "They would just block again."
“Honey,” Barrios said. "If I don't, they would just kill us with that thing."
"Hold on." Fraeya aimed her hands toward the enemy position. They glowed light brown, and she raised her right hand. The ground under the Aristocracy's position broke apart. This causes them to either fall onto the ground from the sudden destabilizing of their footing or seek cover. Regardless, this prevented the enemy from firing their ballista at Comanche. "You are safe to try again."
Now that Barrios had a clear line of sight, he fired his recoilless rifle at the ballista. The rocket impacted the enemy weapon platform, which resulted in a large explosion.
The soldiers of Comanche cheered as they heard the crackles from what remained of the ballista. Besides being the red-orange flames that they would see on Earth, this also had a mix of white and blue within it, something that Ryder noticed with other destroyed magitech weapons like the Amplifier.
"Knock it off," Barret said. "We still have a job to do. Now let's go."
Comanche displaced from their position and headed toward the sound of battle. They quickly saw the enemy in an intense firefight with Alpha Company, holding them off.
Seeing the opportunity to flank the enemy, Comanche opened fire, catching the hostiles off guard. Mathew Ryder saw a Vampire barking orders, working on redirecting his rear guard to counter his team.
Seeing again that the enemy has a complex chain of command, Ryder directed his team to focus on their leadership. With a few well-placed shots from his M31, the enemy officer fell.
That was the final breaking point for the Aristocracy's force. The rear guard broke formation and began retreating into the nearby hills. The soldiers fighting the Rangers noticed their comrades fleeing, and so, too, they ran.
"They are retreating," Wallace said.
"Give them a hard kick on their way out," Ryder said.
Comanche formed up and started picking off retreating enemy soldiers. Alpha company soon joined in after mopping up any stragglers.
The Archer rolled up between their forces. The vehicle's 50mm cannon rapidly fired into the retreating enemy.
As the last survivors left their view, Ryder turned and saw the intense damage on the Archer's armor plating. Many sections that were impacted by the ballista and energy weapons were smoldering. Many of the exterior weapons, sensors, and other attachments were damaged from previous impacts. A sight that while the vehicle was battered, it still stood firm.
Looking back at the final retreating enemy as they disappeared at the tip of the shopping hill, Rangers and Minutemen started cheering throughout the line. Reports from the other units stated that the enemy had also fled. The Temple of Indolass is now in American hands.
Ryder felt a sense of relief and confidence. The enemy was almost as alien as they could get, with weapons and abilities Earth does not have. However, the first real battle was a US victory. On their turf. He was proving that they have a place here. That they can win.
