"The team at the observatory confirmed that the signal has stopped," Aurelia said, but Lanto could sense the distress in his adjutant. Her eyes remained downcast as she reported, shoulders slightly slumped. "Our long range spotters confirmed that the detonation destroyed a thirty meter section of the signalling tower at the apex, along with a large section of the terrain around it."

On the display in front of her two images appeared, heavily magnified snaps of the Scraegar Labyrinth from a distance. One of them looked just like it always did – a snaggle-toothed wall of monstrous crags and gullies. On the second, however, he could see the flattened top of one of the ridges, and the huge billow of dark smoke that smeared the sky above it.

"Looks like Lieutenant Brackenshaw cut its head clean off," Colonel Hackley said, shaking her head with a sad smile. "May her soul swim safely."

A murmured echo passed around the table, the assembled officers and ministers looking suitably sombre.

"And the enemy?" Xanthus said after a moment. She looked to Aurelia, her voice calm, her hands clasped together on the table in front of her.

"Enemy forces have pulled back from Crescentscar and the Scraegan warrens further south. They're consolidating their positions in the areas around the ship that they have full control of. It would appear that they didn't expect quite so much resistance, either from us or the Scraegans."

Lanto leaned back, sipping at his coffee. The Brekkan blend wasn't as strong as his preferred roast back at Rubicon, but it was passable. Aurelia's hands moved gently over the controls of the console, showing the redrawn map of Rychter's southern regions. The victory at Crescentscar – if one could call it that – had only softened an already brutal blow. Most of the settlements reclaimed in the war against the Scraegans just a few short months ago had been abandoned again, and the casualty lists from the battle were still being collated.

His gaze drifted briefly, caught by the dawn of the new day beyond the window. Ensconced in the heights of Brekka's Forge, it fell to this select group to carry their civilisation into its next steps. Xanthus sat across from him, Marshall Llewellyn and his command staff to the right; Bosede, Hackley and the ministers, Khazwari and Yanfoukis to the left, along with two senior officers from the Brekkan Blackwaters.

And Aurelia, here to summarise the whole sorry state of affairs. The loss of Lieutenant Brackenshaw had hit her hard, it seemed, and Lanto couldn't blame her. A twinge of guilt settled in the base of his stomach; the knowledge that his scheme to destroy the alien antennae had cost them a heavy price.

It was easy to weigh up the numbers, and tell himself it had been the right decision, but that didn't make it taste any less bitter.

"Long range spotters are keeping an eye on their activity from a safe distance," Aurelia continued, marking out the vantage points on the map. "We only have limited knowledge of activity around the ship itself, but along the perimeters they've begun erecting what we believe to be static defence towers."

More images sprang up on the display – stills captured from extreme range by the intrepid scouts still braving the badlands. Lanto leaned forward a little, placing his coffee to one side as he stared. Grainy but definite, he could see the forward-arching towers of blue-black, each one shaped like a scorpion's tail. Aliens could be seen in some of the shots, laying some kind of cabling, surrounded by small groups of Crawlers.

"It appears our new neighbours are here to stay," he murmured grimly.

"This war is only just beginning, Minister," Xanthus said, her voice like iron. "We might have pushed them away from Crescentscar, but they chose to withdraw. They are gathering their strength, and they will return. They will come for Crescentscar, for Brekka, and then the rest of this planet. Of that you can be certain."

"Destroying the signal mast was a tactical victory," Hackley put in, "but I agree. We've bought a little time, that's all."

The scout colonel deftly took control of the console display, fingers of her right hand twisting.

"Each of these towers appears to be fitted with a larger version of the heat cannons carried by the individual alien soldiers," she continued as she brought up a three-dimensional tactical map of the area around the alien ship, punctuated by reds and blues and greens.

"We assume the cables you see are power lines feeding back to the main ship," one of the Blackwaters put in. "Our long range ground-penetrating radar shows extensive subterranean Crawler networks all around the ship. They have tunnel systems linking up a series of underground chambers, including some we theorise are large enough to contain nests."

"Nests," Llewellyn said, his voice grim. "A nest would suggest a queen, yes?"

Hackley shook her head. "We can't say for certain, but it's a possibility."

"If there are more queens aboard that ship..." Bosede tapped his index finger against the table uneasily. "If we allow them to dig in and multiply, we'll be overrun. We cannot afford to wait."

"No," Xanthus agreed. "We cannot."

"What of the Scraegans?" Lanto asked. "Surely, whatever else has happened in the past, they are our allies now?"

An uneasy quiet greeted his statement and he leaned back in surprise. "No?"

"We are on the same side," Hackley said carefully. "But whether they can be relied on as actual allies in a coordinated campaign remains to be seen."

"You did it against the Crawlers."

"That was different," Llewellyn growled. "There was a single target, and the enemy was not organised. Tactically, this requires a more complex approach."

"We would be fools not to try," Aurelia snapped, before clearing her throat awkwardly as a torrent of irate stares washed over her. "My apologies, but the Scraegans are the only allies we can have. They have the numbers and the firepower. Trying to do this alone is... questionable."

Lanto nodded. "I agree."

"In principle, so do I," Minister Khazwari put in, giving Llewellyn a pointed glance.

"After the tower was damaged, they withdrew to the edge of the Scraegar Labyrinth," Hackley said, a deft flick of the wrist swinging the map to focus on that section of the planet's surface. More red dots marked out the enemy positions that had been identified. "They're still entrenched deep, and so far the Scraegans haven't been able to dislodge them. There are still skirmishes breaking out along the contested areas, but so far there hasn't been much movement."

"We should speak to Sergeant Vannigan," Aurelia continued. "He has more joint combat experience with the Scraegans than anyone, and has developed a... camaraderie with the warrior he calls 'Grunn'." She paused, her lips pressed together for a moment. "The one that brought Lieutenant Brackenshaw and her soldiers back to Brekka for burial."

They traded glances around the table. Lanto certainly had not been expecting such a thing to ever happen. He didn't know if the Scraegans even conceptualised death in the same was humans did, but apparently they placed enough importance on the body to have some level of understanding.

"We will detail a small task force, along with Sergeant Vannigan," Xanthus told them after a moment. "Whether we can coordinate with the Scraegans on the kind of scale required to be effective remains to be seen, but it would be irresponsible not to try."

"And while Vannigan is playing politician," Llewellyn grunted. "What is our plan? We might share a common foe, but I am not about to rely on the Scraegans to save us from these creatures. Nor will my men." His command officers muttered their agreement, and he nodded, turning to look at Xanthus. "So, what are our orders?"

"We are going to regroup," Xanthus answered sharply, casting an acid look at the marshal. "I've already passed the word to the north for fresh arms and supplies to be sent to Brekka. Rubicon's Commissariat will pass emergency legislation for conscription and militarised economic measures to increase our output of ammunition, arms, vehicles and Hunter-Killers. This legislation will be put to all Commissariat assemblies in the north." She paused, glancing at Khazwari. "I trust Brekka will not need to be convinced?"

"This city lives under perpetual conscription as it is," Khazwari answered. "The people here will fight. They are used to it."

"Good. Because we're going to need every last one of them." Xanthus looked to each person in turn around the table. "While the mobilisation efforts are underway, we will draw up full tactical plans for an assault on that ship."

"Commissary-General, I would like to make something clear. To all of you. Winning a battle will not be enough," Bosede advised. "We need to wipe them out."

"And we will." Xanthus rose from the table, and clasped her hands behind her back, facing the assembled leaders with a mask of fury. "Once we have gathered our full strength, I promise all of you that we will wipe this filth off of the surface of our planet. And when the last of those foolish enough to come here are drowning in the River, we will not stop."

Bosede looked at her strangely. "What do you mean."

"There is only one way for Rychter to be truly safe." She jabbed a finger towards the sky. "We know they came from out there."

Lanto's eyes widened. "You... intend to follow them into space?"

"That is correct." Xanthus' eyes blazed.

"But, the resources for such an undertaking... where would we even beg-" Minister Yanfoukis stammered, but Xanthus cut her off.

"I'm well aware how it sounds," the commissary-general snarled, "and I don't care. I don't care if it takes decades. I don't care if it takes centuries. Everflowing, I don't care if my bones are long drowned and no-one around this table lives to see it. When we are finished here, we will chase these creatures out of the very skies, and ensure they can never return to our world."

||

THANK YOU FOR READING. WOULDN'T HAVE WRITTEN THIS WITHOUT YOU - ESPECIALLY BIG THANKS TO ALL THE REGULARS VOTING AND COMMENTING EVERY CHAPTER.

NOT GONNA NAME NAMES BECAUSE I WILL INEVITABLY MISS SOMEONE OUT, BUT JUST REST ASSURED I SEE ALL YOUR COMMENTS, AND THEY ARE HUGELY APPRECIATED. Y'ALL ROCK.

AND BECAUSE THIS ALL HAS GOTTEN A BIT OUT OF HAND, THERE'S GONNA HAVE TO BE A BOOK 4. WATCH THIS SPACE TROOPERS.

STAY AWESOME.