[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/738840857322455072/799473657067995146/city_001.png[/img]
[u][b]Commander Cassius Caspian
Thera ( Dominion Controlled Planet)
30km outside of City 001[/b][/u]

Cassius removed his helmet with a long sigh, relishing in the cool air that greeted him. Sweat poured from his face and neck and pooled in his boots, resulting in a slight squishing sound with each step. It had been years since Cassius was involved in a recon operation, and they certainly didn’t operate like this on Mordant Prime.
	He was glad that the naval recon commandos had learned from their past engagements, lessons that were often learned the hard way. On Mordant Prime, they deployed with vehicles, dropships and other loud equipment. They operated more like a light raid force rather than a recon team. This often resulted in contact, casualties and inaccurate intelligence. The new breed of recon commandos were different, they deployed light and stayed away from combat. Not getting shot at usually makes it easier to collect actual intelligence, something a recon team should be good at.

The platoon had established landing zones for the marine dropships, outlining safe locations with infrared trim so they could be seen at night. The team then began moving inland, towards their primary objective.
	City 001 was relatively small, according to orbital recon scans. Far from the capital of the region, the importance of taking city 001 was its spaceport. This spaceport would allow the strike groups to land heavy weapons and could support their smaller transport ships, a necessity for continued operations. Without this spaceport, reinforcements would have to come from orbit, taking hours to reach the locations they were needed at. 

Cresting a small false peak, Cassius could see the rest of the platoon laying prone against the summit of the large hill they were on. Two commandos were surveying they city handheld binoculars and scopes while the remainder of the platoon were setting up larger imaging devices and camouflage.
	Cassius felt old and out of shape, the platoon had walked endlessly for the past three days. His legs ached and his back felt bent out of shape by the heavy rucksack that he was forced to carry. That didn’t seem to faze the rest of the platoon though, they moved over the terrain looking unencumbered and fresh. Even when they reached their destination, the platoon was constantly in motion as they set up their observation position. 

“ Care to join us commander…….” A voice could be heard from his helmet as Cassius looked up to see the young lieutenant waving at him. 

He could almost imagine the smug grin the platoon leader had plastered on his face behind the mirrored face shield. Letting out a quick chuckle, Cassius donned his helmet again and finished the ascent up the large hill and was immediately put to work. 
	Producing an entrenching tool from his rucksack he cut the top layer of grass and soil, carefully peeling it back while keeping the top layer intact. Placing the top layer of grass and soil aside, he began digging a hole large enough for two men to be able to lay side by side inside. Cassius then placed a large spotting scope inside while another commando began to set up communications equipment before pulling their rucksacks into the hole with them. Finally, the pair set up a few collapsible supporting beams before pulling the top layer of grass and soil over them, leaving a small gap towards the front of the hole in order for their equipment to observe the city. This process was replicated along the crest of the hill by the remainder of the platoon, as each pair was trained on a separate location. 

Finally, after almost a week of exhausting hiking, this was their new home for the foreseeable future. Cassius was just glad to be laying down, this was luxury compared to the past couple days. 

“ Sun rises in an hour, we will maintain 50% watch” the platoon leader said over the team’s short range radio. 

“ No communication with the Crusade fleet until 1800 zulu, so radio silent until the sun goes down again” the Lieutenant finished with a sharp radio click. 

“ Hey….ill take this watch commander, you get some sleep”, the commando in the hole with Cassius said as he took off his helmet. “ You look like you need it anyway…” he finished with a chuckle before turning to bury his face into the large spotting scope. 

“ Thanks…..” Cassius barely got out as he laid his head down on his rucksack, still dripping with sweat.

“ No problem pops….” The commando said again without looking away from the scope 

Cassius chuckled “pops….” He said under his breath. ‘What a nice nickname’ he added sarcastically before closing his eyes and immediately going to sleep.