[u][b]
Arctic Wastelands
Ashtar-Malthecian Contested Zone
[/b][/u]
Adeptus Khalan Mirodin peered after the Malthecian soldiers through his massive rifle’s scope. [i]That is the third incursion this week,[/i] he projected the through through the theatre psynet back to his commanding officer at Point Jakurna. Khalan was an Adeptus Sniper; a highly skilled Psintegrat carrying a very large gun, operating alone in the snow. The fallen patrol had gotten themselves killed before he could arrive in support--he could in fact feel their shame from within the Union--so he alone was faced with the decision of how to wipe out the intruding Malthecian patrol. The Union seemed confident that the carefully designed Point Jakurna was invincible to anything but sustained heavy siege, so a single patrol seemed hardly worth the effort, but it was about sending a message.

[i]Indeed[/i] Lieutenant Senera replied from Point Jakurna. [i]The performance of our border patrol was abysmal. In your professional opinion, do you believe their behaviour constituted dereliction of duty, or merely incompetence.
Incompetence. Or rather, carelessness. This problem is growing ever worse.
The problem is being analysed and dealt with. Do not let it distract you.
Very well. Orders?
Eliminate the Malthecian interlopers, then proceed to the estimated location of their primary base.[/i]

To their credit, the Malthecian base had not yet actually been found by the Ashtar. But the hidden base was simply too full of life to remain hidden for long. The now familiar glow of Malthecian minds pulsed brilliantly to the north, closer to the pole than Point Jakurna. The problem lay in correlating that [i]feeling[/i] to a physical location, something the Ashtar hadn’t thought would be necessary given how long Point Jakurna had stood unchallenged. However, if the Malthecians were escalating towards an all out offensive, they would need to be discouraged.

With the Malthecians out of the immediate vicinity, Khalan made his way to the felled patrol. A few of the bodies weren’t too badly damage; he signaled a Coralis gunship to come pick them up (and finish cleaning the Malthecians should he fail), then set off after their patrol. It wasn’t long before he brought them back into range, about five kilometers distant. Khalan set himself down on top of a snowy hill, and unslung his rifle. While technically it was meant to be used against enemy tanks, the anti-materiel omega sniper rifle would do just fine against personnel.

The shot, when it impacted, was a single bullet not aimed at any individual soldier, but squarely in the middle of their squad. The tiny capsule of energy collapsed, destabilizing the omega particle within and causing a thunderous explosion that tore through armour and sent soldiers flying. Kahlan whipped the chamber open and loaded another round, then scanned the charred corpses and melting ice for signs of life…