[center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjcyLjY2MzIyOS5UV0Z1YVdOb1lXVjJaWEp6WlEsLC4w/epyval.regular.png[/img][/center]

Miroslava Chára pensively stared at the thick, foliage-laden valley that stretched below her. In these highlands in New Hanoi, the quickest, and incidentally safest, way to travel was via aerial transportation in VTOL gunships. These gunships, nicknamed Albatrosses by Imperium soldiers due to their vague similarity to the bird, commonly soared the skies of any planet occupied by the Imperium Army, New Hanoi especially so. At the moment, a whole squadron of five Albatrosses were in a formation, ready to touch down and provide fire support for the grunts on board.

The Imperium soldier took a whiff out of her blunt as she continued to gaze upon the jungle canopy. The underbrush was too thick to make anything important out, especially at the height and speed she was traveling at, but Miroslava nevertheless could at least make out vague signs of clearings and goat paths. Certainly, the Resistance was definitely operating somewhere in the region, and now it was her job to clear them out. Or, [i]will[/i] be, rather. For now, she could take a second to enjoy the scenery from a bird's eye view.

Behind her, Miroslava could hear her lieutenant explaining the details of this particular mission. It was always the same; touch down on the LZ, shoot every hellion that moves, and try not to die in the process. Sure, the exact details may change, but honestly, they really don't. Any genius that comes up with a more brilliant plan than that doesn't last long on New Hanoi. Either the jungle claims them, or the bureaucracy does.

[i]Or, if they're[/i] real [i]geniuses[/i], Miroslava darkly chuckled to herself, [i]their own squad claims them[/i]

Taking the laced cigar out of her mouth, the burn-scarred woman could hear one of the new privates asking a question to their lieutenant.

"...Ma'am, how will we know will hill to attack?"

The woman laughed, as if she was expecting this question. "Trust me, Jenkins, you'll know in a second."

Almost as if on cue, Miroslava could faintly hear the screeching engine of an Imperium fighter in the distance behind her. A few seconds later, the aircraft buzzed past the formation of the Albatrosses, heading straight towards a hilltop ahead of them. Three bombs dropped from each wing, freefalling towards the summit as the fighter banked away from the action altogether. After a tense moment, the bombs exploded on the surface, igniting the summit in a large firestorm.

"The one on fire," the Lieutenant continued, "that's the one we attack."

The gunships slowly descended towards the surface, heading towards a relatively large clearing that they could temporary park in. Miroslava could hear the mounted machine guns blaring to life next to her; perhaps the sudden onset of gunfire right would have startled her a few years ago, but it barely phased her anymore. She took one last hit of her blunt, before gently tossing it overboard. Break time was over; now it was time to storm that hill.

A few seconds later, the Albatross hit the ground, and the entire squad, Miroslava included, poured out of the sides. The machine guns from the gunships were providing ample cover fire for now, but being in the open was surely a death sentence in the long run. The man that was cut down by enemy fire right in front of her was testament enough for that. 

"Looks like we got company," the Lieutenant jovially yelled, as if this was nothing more than a game to her. It was true though: Miroslava could see the muzzle flashes coming from within of the jungle, right at the base of the burning hill. For just suffering a napalm strike, the Minh were curiously providing an organized resistance. These must be hardened apostates. 

Miroslava charged towards the woods, her assault rifle dispensing lead towards the hidden junglefowl. The flamethrower strapped to her back, while slightly encumbering, ultimately did little to stop her from trying to reach cover as quickly as possible. The buzzsaw-like sound of the Albatrosses' machine guns proved to the Earthling's salvation, as the members of the Resistance found themselves simply being outgunned by the platoon of humans. Just barely out of sight, Miroslava could see movement, as the Minh started to retreat upwards on the hill. The firestorm, of course, trapped them from going much higher, preventing any true escape from the hellions. They were trapped between a rock and a very hot place, right where the Imperium Army wanted them.

As the burn-scarred woman ascended up the hill, it became increasingly obvious that not every Minh was part of the retreat. Some were jumping out of the brush, to engage with the advancing humans in melee combat. But more importantly, a foxhole, armed with a rudimentary heavy machine gun, was offering its own covering fire to its comrades as they retreated. The redhead smirked, as she put her assault rifle to the aside and instead grabbed the gun of the flamethrower. Miroslava blasted the foxhole with a stream of liquid fire, causing the hellions inside to scream and run out of their fortified position. However, they were not able to get out before getting ignited themselves, and those who weren't immediately cut down by gunfire succumbed to their burns instead.

Miroslava turned around, to face the mass of Imperium soldiers that were mostly behind her. She waved them forward, trying to indicate that the position was cleared and it was safe to advance.

However, they were probably more occupied by her glowing blue, and then dissapearing without a trace.