Ardwen scrambled into action upon seeing the results of Porter's fight with the Mahari. This was all in line with his plan and he couldn't be distracted by something like feelings. He immediately began issuing orders to the closest units around him, broadcasting to each leader he could. It had been a shock before that they had responded to his original requests and listened to him, even though he lacked any sort of high ranking. Compared to a general, Ardwen was essentially a normal soldier in rank.

And yet the armies responded. Both the Enian and Artisan pilots were now under Ardwen's command, and he trembled a little inside with both excitement and nerves. The plan was not complex, nor would it be difficult to execute, and perhaps that was the reason why the rest of the forces had fallen inline with it so quickly. With the new gap opened up in the Jahari lines, a strong enough surge, focused into a spear formation, would be able to push deep into the enemy ranks. From there it would be a matter of splitting them in two and then bringing in the secondary forces from either side, creating two pincers, or a trident. It was all mapped out on Ardwen's viewscreens in front of him, but drawing it and actually succeeding were two different things.

There was a hum across the battlefield as the various Goliaths began to shift and move, forming up in front of Ardwen to lead the charge. The "tip" of the spear, so to speak, would be Porter and Chase, who would use their strength and speed to push deep into the Jahari quickly, letting the rest of the soldiers pick off the Bahari left behind. Ardwen let out a deep breath, gripping his controls tightly. He felt his own sweat on his chair, his hands clammy from anticipation and his nervousness. What was wrong with him? This wasn't new to him at all. He was the top student of Saint Maurius, the best and the brightest, and the leader of the Crisis Rescue Unit. He had formulated several plans before, executed them, all without this kind of reaction. How hard could it be to mobilize an entire army?

* * * * *

Porter struggled to get onto his feet, wavering back and forth a bit before he stabilized. He had exhausted most of his chi in his battle, but it wasn't like before. He had still retained an internal reserve that he could draw out to keep him conscious, something he had worked on intensely with Shotuku through many hours of hellish training. If he was still awake, he would be able to recover quickly and get back into combat, so long as he didn't have to exert himself too much in the next while.

The youth glanced over at the smouldering corpse of the Mahari. Chase's fires had singed the edge of the hole in its chest, and every so often some of the red liquid in the ruptured core would bubble and spill over. The Bahari who had been nearby when the behemoth had been felled had immediately backed off, showing the first signs of trepidation amongst the swarm. It was not necessarily a reaction of fear, but more of shock, of a tactical retreat meant for analyzing the opponent further. The hive mind must have underestimated the power of the human army and now it needed time in order to recalculate. That didn't give Porter much of a window for recovering, but at least it was something.

Porter couldn't believe what he had just endured to bring that monstrous Mahari down, and in the end it hadn't even been his blade that had slayed it. While he could certainly take all the credit in the damage that had been dealt to it, he certainly would have been killed had Chase not intervened. And Porter felt no anger. Maybe before, in a previous time, there would have been resentment at being shown-up by Chase, at his brash and bragging style, but now there was nothing but relief. Relief and friendship. Could someone even feel friendship? Porter didn't know of any other way to describe it but he clung to the emotion in his chest. This was what he imagined it would feel like to have a family, to have his brother come pick a fight with his bully, to have a father pat him on the shoulder and comfort him, to have a mother embrace him and tell him everything would be ok. This feeling that pulsed in his heart was one he had craved and longed for his entire life and it had taken him until now to even realize he had it at all. And for Chase of all people.

"Let's get moving then," Chase said, cutting through Porter's realm of thought. "New orders coming in."

"Since when do you follow orders?" Porter laughed but realized he hadn't been able to hear the orders relayed to him at all. He had been so internally focused, so self-absorbed, he had completely missed Ardwen's commands; he hadn't even registered that Ardwen had been speaking at all. Chase's voice was just so boisterous that Porter hadn't been able to completely ignore it.

"If the order is to punch everything in front of me, I follow the order. I was going to do it anyways." Chase shrugged and smirked on the video chat, opening up the camera into his cockpit just so Porter could see the smile. Then he turned and lunged forwards, driving his fist into the closest Bahari's face, pummeling the monster into the ground. He stood up again, leaving the crippled Bahari lying on the dirt, its body covered in miniature craters. Whether it was dead or not didn't matter as it couldn't move even if it wanted to. Chase's fists were a blur as he dove into the next group of enemies, unhindered by fear or thought, his mind filled with nothing but a lust for battle and glory, mixed with a subconscious desire to protect that even he was not aware of.

Porter couldn't help but grin at his compatriot. Chase's simplicity, his unending love for fighting, was infectious. He made you want to turn off your brain and just act. There was no need for deep analysis or pause; it was enough to just do. The White Storm began to detect approaching Bahari. It seemed the time for recovery was over, and Porter would have to return to combat. His hands still shook but he knew what he had to do. A bullet whizzed through the nearest Bahari's chest, detonating inside of it in a burst of chi energy, as Nami made her presence felt. A hail of missiles collided with the next Bahari's chest, leaving nothing but a pair of legs standing straight up as the dust cleared. Riya had now spoken as well, in her own way.

"Just remember now," Ardwen mumbled over the team's communication network, barely in control of his nerves, "you're not alone anymore Porter. And you never have to fight that way again."

"Roger, captain." The rest of the team giggled as Ardwen blushed and began to stumble over his words, unable to pick a response. Nobody had really listened to him like that before from within the Crisis Rescue Unit and he was a little surprised by the sudden camaraderie.

Porter took in a deep breath, holding on to the air as long as he could before slowly releasing it. He knew the limits of his remaining chi and what he would be able to do. Behind him, he could already sense the approaching soldiers, the individual chis floating through the air as they sat in their cockpits. It was still a strange sensation for Porter and he was not used to be able able to detect the life of others but it was useful to him, and faster than the scanners in his Goliath.

In front of the pilot were the twisted chis of the Bahari, imbued with darkness and shadows. Their bodies had been corrupted, unnaturally fused with machinery and metal, creating something that was never meant to exist. And now Porter would have to extinguish them all, but he would do it with help. Beneath his feet he could sense the remaining Bahari, hundreds of them swarming through the tunnels. For now, he would kill the ones in front of him and then he would worry about the rest.

* * * * *

Ardwen stood with Riya by his side, her long-range weapons letting her stand both as an offensive turret and a defensive guard for Ardwen, and while he was more than capable of defending himself from a Bahari or two, he liked the comfort of her massive frame next to him. She was a guardian for him, and whether he truly needed one or not, he knew he wanted one. It let him keep his focus on his priorities, and right now, his priority was on setting up his formations.

Splitting the troops had been tougher than anticipated, mostly due to organizational issues. Some listened while others thought they deserved to be in different areas, with different assignments. Still others had suddenly rejected the plan, coming up with their own ideas. It had taken a bellow from Ochenkov to get them all in order once more, and while the former general could not reveal his identity, his enormous presence smothered the dissension in an instant.

The soldiers were now moving properly, gathering along the sides of the valley. They were battling among mountains and it seemed the terrain would play to their advantage in this case. If they could position with a bit of height, they would be able to not only charge in from both sides but would also be able to strike from above. Ardwen wasn't sure how much of an advantage they would gain fighting against the Bahari, as the creatures were completely different from fighting traditional enemies, but he had to assume using what he already knew.

"It's a good plan," Riya suddenly spoke with her usual softness, contrasting sharply with the barrage of destruction she could efficiently produce. "It will succeed in this case." She was trying to reassure Ardwen as she could tell from his constant murmuring to himself and fidgeting that his nerves were getting to him. Whenever he spoke his teeth almost chattered and his barely maintained a strong composure. "You're among friends here and we will support you."

"We...we don't even know where Raul is, and if the projected...projected forces underground come up, we will have to start all over again and..."

"We battle each enemy as they appear. For now, we will plan for the current foe, using what resources we know we have. Not all the generals are engaged in conflict here. Some of them are spread out in different areas fighting. This may be the largest concentration of warriors, but it is not all of them. Worrying about each individual won't work for us." Ardwen gaped at Riya, who had spoken more to him in one go than ever before.

"You're...you're right." Ardwen saw flashes of his brother in his head, and he knew that Carter was watching him from above, giving his support to the plan. It was time for Ardwen to take command and put his dreams into action.

* * * * *

Porter spun out of the way of a Bahari's claw, the creature's contorted face drifting in front of the White Storm as it harmlessly flew by. A flash of steel saw the monster chopped into pieces, and Porter moved on to the next target without hesitation. He could feel the other Goliaths behind him pushing forwards, and Chase was constantly moving from one Bahari to the next, never hesitating. They were slowly being surrounded by Bahari on either side and in front of them, moving deeper into the enemy ranks.

According to Ardwen's messages, this was all part of the larger scheme, and Porter was to begin letting the pilots behind him engage with the Bahari. They would start to mingle amongst the beasts, splitting them down the middle and pushing them into the battlesuits setting up along the sides. If all went well it would be a slaughter. If things went poorly...well it would be back to square one with the fight.

Porter had to duck to dodge another attack, this Bahari's arm ending in a long lance. It pulled back after its thrust, eyeing Porter, hunger in its eyes. It was quickly joined by two more monsters who stood on either side of it. They each stood across from the White Storm, waiting for the next move. It seemed the hive mind was beginning to catch up with Porter's movements and his chi techniques and were expecting him to do something extreme.

But Porter didn't have the ability anymore while he was still recovering. He could only defeat these three through sheer skill and technique, and he knew it was something he didn't have in abundance, especially with an exhausted body and mind. His battle with Sigmeund earlier had certainly showed him he had much to learn still. While he could take on all the Bahari in front of him, he didn't know how much damage he would have to take during the fight, especially since he would be duelling with all three of them at once.

The Bahari waited no longer, their unified brain understanding that Porter was wiped out from the fight with the Mahari. Since it had a collective memory, the Bahari were well aware of the toll that particular battle had had on the White Storm and its pilot and they were ready to exploit him in his weakened state before he could completely recover.

The first Bahari leaped through the air, extending its claws forwards with hopes of sinking them into the metal of the Enian warmachine. Porter was able to spin out of the way but he went right into the arms of the next monster and it quickly wrapped around him as fast as it could. The lance-wielding Bahari stepped forward, pulling back and readying a thrust.

Porter kicked upwards and back, forcing the Bahari holding him to lean back as the White Storm lifted slightly into the air. The lance strike drove between Porter and the monster holding him, scraping along his back. In the moment the two creatures paused, he had sliced both the arms off the Bahari that had trapped him, tumbling off of it and rolling to the side.

The monster howled, but not in pain; it bellowed with rage at being duped.Porter didn't wait for it to retaliate, quickly spinning and slicing its head off, following that up by piercing its chest with the tip of his sword, feeling the blade sink in a little to the softer heart.

There wasn't time to celebrate the one defeat. The remaining two Bahari were already springing into action, again attempting to pin Porter down so they could deliver a single, finishing blow. Porter turned aside the claws of the first Bahari, only to helplessly watch as the lance pierced into his left shoulder and drove him back.

In the moment the White Storm stumbled, the Bahari with hands latched onto Porter's back, bringing the two to the ground. The weight of the Enian battlesuit crushed many of the bones and metal frame of the beast but it clung tight, wrapping around Porter and pinning him as best as it could. The youth struggled to move, trying to wiggle his way free as watched the lance-wielder preparing once more to deliver a decisive blow.

"At least I got to protect my friends."

There was a sound of metal crunching as the biological weapon drove straight through warmachine and burst out the other side. Porter opened his eyes, not realizing he had shut them tight in anticipation of his demise. A gasp escaped Porter's mouth as he realized what had happened, and one of Nami's bullets ripped through the lance-wielder's chest, killing it a second too late.

Standing in front of Porter was the South Star, the lance of the Bahari driven straight through the chest, taking enough of the force to slow the attack down, making it stop just in front of the White Storm. The weapon dripped with different oils and fluids, and Porter scrambled to try and see any blood mixed in, but there was too much oil.

The South Star stood still, the dead Bahari standing across from it, each stuck in their final poses. Porter's brain finally registered the words he had heard before.

At least I got to protect my friends.

That had been Chase who had been speaking. Those had been Chase's words, spoken in his voice. Those were Chase's final words and they echoed around Porter's cockpit, leaving the young man in a state of shock and disbelief.

At least I got to protect my friends.