Part 4 — Forward Command
"Approaching destination."
The pilot's calm voice echoed through the transport.
"Prepare for atmospheric insertion."
David looked toward the forward viewport.
Kharos Vale now filled nearly the entire view.
It looked peaceful from orbit.
Almost beautiful.
Vast green continents stretched beneath drifting clouds.
Great oceans shimmered beneath the morning sun.
Towering mountain ranges divided enormous jungles.
Nothing about it suggested that millions of monsters still claimed its surface.
David knew better.
Every beautiful landscape below...
Had been earned with blood.
---
The transport shuddered.
A soft blue glow spread across the forward shield.
Atmospheric entry.
Heat rippled across the protective barrier outside the viewport.
The stars disappeared behind sheets of burning light.
June looked out the window.
"...I always hate this part."
Lucian looked over.
"The landing?"
"The part where it feels like we're becoming a meteor."
"...Fair."
Nyra smiled.
"It isn't that bad."
June looked at her.
"...You're surprisingly comfortable with controlled explosions."
"I trust the engineers."
"I trust them too."
"...I just don't trust gravity."
Castiel answered without looking away from the viewport.
"...Gravity has an excellent record."
June folded his arms.
"...Until it doesn't."
---
The transport punched through the cloud layer.
Green exploded across the landscape below.
Dense jungle stretched to every horizon.
Ancient rivers carved through enormous valleys.
Cliffs rose hundreds of meters above the forest canopy.
Mist drifted between distant mountain peaks.
David immediately noticed something different.
Roads.
Long reinforced supply roads cut through portions of the jungle.
Watchtowers overlooked major intersections.
Small fortified outposts dotted the landscape.
Lucian noticed them as well.
"They've expanded."
David nodded.
"They've been busy."
What had once been a temporary foothold...
Was becoming something permanent.
Humanity wasn't simply surviving on Kharos Vale anymore.
It was building.
---
The transport banked sharply.
Ahead...
A massive fortress came into view.
June leaned forward.
"...Whoa."
No one answered.
They were all staring.
The base dwarfed anything they had expected.
Enormous defensive walls surrounded the entire complex.
Observation towers overlooked the surrounding jungle.
Heavy barrier pylons formed a protective perimeter around the installation.
Inside the walls...
Rows of transports rested on multiple landing platforms.
Supply convoys moved continuously between warehouses.
Maintenance crews worked beneath armored vehicles.
Hundreds of soldiers crossed the base in organized formations.
This wasn't an expedition camp.
It was a city.
Built for war.
David quietly stared through the window.
"They built all of that..."
"...In a year."
Lucian shook his head.
"Less."
---
The pilot's voice returned.
"Welcome to Forward Command."
"The primary headquarters for the Kharos Vale Planetary Reclamation Campaign."
"The installation currently supports operations across seventy-three secured grids."
"The remaining hostile sectors continue to expand military operations daily."
June blinked.
"...Seventy-three?"
Mira quietly nodded.
"They've made more progress than I expected."
David watched dozens of transports lifting off from distant platforms.
Every one of them carried soldiers toward another battlefield.
Another grid.
Another fight.
Another step toward Whitefall.
---
The transport descended toward Landing Platform Twelve.
Powerful stabilizers engaged beneath the hull.
The landing gear extended.
With a heavy metallic thump...
The transport settled onto the platform.
The engines slowly powered down.
Silence filled the cabin.
No one moved.
Not yet.
A loud metallic clang echoed outside.
The boarding ramp had connected.
A few seconds later...
The side hatch unlocked.
Bright morning sunlight flooded into the cabin.
Along with warm jungle air.
Commander Vance's voice came through the transport speakers.
"All squads."
"Disembark."
"Welcome back to Kharos Vale."
David stood.
He looked toward the others.
No speeches.
No dramatic words.
He simply smiled.
"...Let's go."
One by one...
Gamma Squad stepped off the transport.
For the second time...
Their boots touched the soil of Kharos Vale.
This time...
They hadn't come to survive.
They had come to help bring an entire world one step closer to Whitefall.