A SPARTAN'S WAR

SOLMAR

REMAINS OF THE NORTHERN SETTLEMENT

FEBRUARY 4TH, 1915 HRS, EST

Azlenr squatted among the smoking remains of the settlement, his dark eyes focused on the rows of bodies stretched out before him. He wanted to feel anger for this action but he was unable to. These were Puma Bane troops and not his or Byka's men. As far as he was concerned these men got what they deserved for their actions, though he would never say that aloud. The bodies had been dumped unceremoniously in rows of thirty or so. No care was taken in this action and it was obvious to Azlenr the message that Prince Androcles was sending, though he knew it would be lost on Marsin in a fit of rage. The bodies had been collected near the south and north entrances to the settlement, and they were the first thing anyone saw upon entering the walls. The stench of dead flesh was beginning to grow more pronounced as his head shifted and he saw Byka and Kameka moving towards his location. Dozens of his men were moving through the wreckage of the settlement, looking for additional bodies and any clues as to how this battle had unfolded. Azlenr rose to his feet as Byka came up to him and Makali began moving towards him from across the rows of bodies. He had not seen Marsin since they had landed close to twenty minutes ago and Azlenr didn't know if that was good or bad.

Azlenr met the eyes of his cherished friend as he came up beside him. "Survivors Byka?" He asked softly although he was relatively sure of the answer.

Byka shook his head slowly. "No. The entire contingent was wiped out." He answered. "No one survived." He looked at his daughter and motioned with his head. "Tell him what you told me Meka?"

Kameka glanced at her father and then looked at Azlenr. "At least two dragons took part in the assault General." She spoke. "There are prints from a third one, a much larger third one, but nothing that indicate that particular dragon was on the ground during the assault."

"Three?" Azlenr gasped. "You are certain?"

Kameka nodded. "The prints are very clear and very different sir. They were used to sweep up the interior of the settlement along the retaining wall. I found… I found the remains of several dozen bodies."

"Remains?" Azlenr asked.

"They were burned to ash for the most part sir." Kameka answered. "There is not much that can stand against three thousand degree heat when directed with such intensity."

Azlenr nodded. "You are correct in that." He said. Azlenr looked at Makali as he came up. "Makali?"

The Kavalian Colonel took a deep breath. "I suspect no more than a hundred and fifty Union soldiers hit this settlement General. There are both boot prints and paw prints outside either entrance. I suspect they got close to the walls in their wolf forms and then shifted just as they launched their attack."

"Ground sensors would not pick up the shapes of wolves as they approached." Byka spoke looking at Azlenr. "Their silhouette is too small."

Makali nodded. "I estimate sixty to seventy hit the settlement from either end while their dragons took out the men with T19 missiles." He continued. "I doubt they even knew what was happening before they were killed. Intelligence reports from the Evolli indicate these dragons can strike with blinding speed. Even out of the sky."

Azlenr looked around. "Three dragons and a hundred and fifty men took out a five hundred member strong Puma Bane detachment." He said softly.

"They took casualties General." Makali spoke. "There are signs where their men went down."

Azlenr turned back and looked at him. "That they even attempted this to begin with shows me some measure of what they are capable of Makali."

"Yes sir."

"Has anyone seen Marsin?" Azlenr asked.

Byka motioned to the west of their location with his head. "He was looking for the body of the detachment commander near the western wall." He answered. "The… the death toll did not seem to concern him."

"As if this is any news to us." Makali said with some contempt.

"I saw the scorch marks of at least two short range ships General. And one larger one. If I had to guess I'd say it was one of their KADEN transports. The crashed ship was definitely a STRIKER, though it has been gutted and destroyed with Thermite core charges. They burned everything so we could not recover it."

"Not even pieces of their Dragon Armor?" Azlenr asked. "Don't their STRIKERS all carry that?"

Kameka nodded. "Yes sir… but these thermite core charges were designed to melt even their Dragon Armor and render the stable chemicals involved in the forging inert and unusable." She stated. "We will get nothing from the wreckage."

"Lots of tracks leading north of the settlement towards the coast. A few hundred at least." Byka said. "We should send a gunship to investigate Azlenr. They might be able to catch them as they are moving."

Azlenr shook his head. "Which is exactly what he would suspect I would do." He said. "No… I will not lose one of our gunships to a surprise missile attack from the ground. The ground column was more than I expected to lose in so little time on this planet. The terrain becomes less friendly the closer to the coast that you move does it not?"

Byka nodded. "According to the thermal scans yes."

"Darkness is coming and any gunships we send would be sitting ducks flying at tree top level looking for civilians in the jungles below." Azlenr spoke. "I will not chase him. That is what he wants. The Puma Bane troops may be trained to go after them in the deep timber and jungles but our men are not. I will not risk them against the kind of experience he undoubtedly has with him. They would be slaughtered. He cannot have more than a few hundred men with him or our teams would have detected them by now."

"If they have transport our ships may be able to pick them up from orbit." Makali said.

Byka shook his head. "Not through their Shrouds." He stated calmly. "Remember their KADEN transports and their STRIKERS are interstellar ships and both are equipped with those damnable Shrouds. They have the range to be anywhere on the planet by now."

Azlenr turned to look north. "They called him Soul Slayer." Azlenr said softly.

"Sir?" Makali asked.

Azlenr turned back. "The Evolli. They called him Soul Slayer. He and his dragon are said to have killed more Evolli soldiers during their war than five others combined. Even more than his father."

"He is a boy General." Makali spoke.

"And he is considered to be one of the foremost tactical minds within the Union behind only his father an one or two others. And he is even more brutal than his father when it comes to his enemies. You know what he did to the Icalro Alliance. And that was over a female he considered his wife!" Azlenr said.

Kameka looked at him for a moment and then turned to her father. This was something she had not heard. "Father?" She asked.

Byka met her eyes. Azlenr had stood beside him and Meka throughout the entire affair with Marsin and he knew his friend treated his own daughters with much more respect and emotion than normally allowed by Kavalian standards. "The Icalro Alliance apparently was involved with a criminal organization that kidnapped a female who this Prince considered his wife and mate. He went to rescue her and in the process he utterly destroyed the Icalro Alliance Fleet and their capital city. All of their leaders were killed and the Icalro Alliance is now nothing but a memory."

Meka's eyes grew a little wider but she kept her council to herself. What would it be like to be loved by a man in such a way? A man who would destroy entire governments for her. A man who worshiped the ground upon which she walked. That was what Meka yearned for… but it was something she knew she would never have.

"Young he may be Makali… but this Lycavorian Spartan Prince knows what he is about quite well." He looked at Byka. "I want gunships up first thing in the morning Byka. Move them in pairs to cover each other. Sweep the entire area to the north. Put down as many troops as you need to cover all the way to the coast. I will move another company of our light armor to this location before nightfall so they can support you."

Byka nodded. "We should be able to follow their trail easily enough." He said. "It will be almost impossible to hide that many civilians trampling through the jungle and timber. They can not hide from us."

Azlenr nodded. "Make it happen Byka." He spoke. "I need to find Marsin and insure he does not exact retribution for this."

"You believe he will do as he says General?" Makali asked.

Azlenr met his eyes. "I believe he will do exactly as he says." Azlenr spoke. "He has the skill and the personnel to dance around and cut us in so many spots we could not respond to them all. And he will adhere to his promise. I have no wish to lose our men to Marsin's anger and stupidity."

Marsin tossed down the remains of the message satchel and looked around the area. The half cooked body of his detachment commander lay before his feet, his upper body looking as if it had been held over an intense fire for hours, while his lower body rested a meter away.

"Empty. Fuck!" He hissed softly. He turned to two of the three men that accompanied him. "Search the immediate area!" He ordered. "Look for data pads or message cubes! Quickly! Before Azlenr's men move into this area."

Marsin's second in command moved up beside him as the two others moved off. "He had nothing tying us to the plan Major." He spoke.

"No Dico'Noers." Marsin answered. "What he did have however, would undoubtedly cause Azlenr to become suspicious of our motives in being here and he would start asking questions."

"The Prefect will not be happy sir." Dico spoke.

"The Prefect will not find out." Marsin spoke. "If these Spartan dogs are the ones who took the files as I believe, they will not tell Azlenr. To them… our orders would be a benefit."

"True." Dico said.

Marsin looked at him. "We must act accordingly." He spoke. "I will demand several gunships to search for these animals. Azlenr will no doubt send Byka after them. And since he likes to take chances, it makes our job easier. He will fly with his bitch daughter and I can have her one last time before I give her to you and the others. When we are done they will be dead."

"Is she as good as you claim sir?" Dico asked with a smile.

Marsin grinned. "Tightest pussy I ever had my friend." He stated. "And it is much more fun when she fights. It will be gratifying to hear her howling in misery once more." He looked at him and tapped his arm. "One more sweep of the area in case we may have missed where the messages might have been tossed. Then we find Azlenr."