Katiya swept up her peaked cap as it blew against her feet, she snatched it up and shoved it down on her head, dumping a handful of dust over her face as she did so. All was chaos and confusion. She could only assume that Captain Raloc had summoned the vehicles to retrieve him, shortly before the rebel bomb had killed him and leveled the Arbities Sanctum. Another rebel appeared out of the smoke and Katiya shot him in the head, her bolt pistol clicking dry. 

"Armored units, this is Commissar Petrovska, cease fire we have friendlies in the AO. You are to withdraw half a klom to the south," she called over the vox. There was a moments hesitation before a pair of 'yes ma'ams' sounded in the vox bead in her ear. There was clear dissapointment in the troopers voices but if the blundered around in the smoke and dust the rebels would have them for sure.

"Once you reach there hold for my command," she continued, methodically reloading her pistol. There was still firing going on in the smoke, though Katiya didn't imagine there could be any Arbites survivors. She could hear rounds whining of the chimera and the hell hound but both vehicles were already backing at full speed, tracks throwing up torn pavement and keeping their thick frontal armor pointed at the enemy. There wasn't any practical way to cross to the vehicles without being cut down so Katiya turned instead to the cinder block wall which had sectioned off what had been a vehicle park. She shrugged off her great coat and passed it to Connors.

"Shield me," she directed. The corporal clearly didn't understand but he held the greatcoat up as she directed. Katiya drew the powersword from its scabbard, lit the blade and then plunged it into the wall in a downward slash. The powere blade hissed as it parted rockrete, teh bluish glow hopefully hidden from the half blind rebels by the coat. She made two more cuts and a triangular section of the wall tumbled free. Extinguishing the sword she climbed through to the other side. Connors followed handing her the coat as he clambered through. A few shots struck the wall on the far side but that was probably more random chance.

"Open fire," she directed the tanks which had by now pulled back out of the concealing smoke. Autocannons and multilasers howled immediately, ripping through the smoke. The whine of ricochets was loud and nauseating as the heavy weapons chopped through the plaza sweeping down the rebels who hadn't yet gone to ground.

"What are we shooting at ma'am?" one of the armored commanders asked. Katiya was gratified that he had opened fire before wasting time asking such a question.

"Area target, anyone alive in that smoke is to be presumed a rebel," she responded.

"Are you in communications with base?" she asked, knowing that the chimera would have much better vox equipment than the short range bead she was using.

"Yes ma'am, they say they have demonstrators in the streets, no fighting yet though," the unknown sergeant replied. Katiya looked at Connors, there was no way they were going to be able to rejoin the vehicles, not without bringing them back into missile range, and they just didn't have enough armor to take the risk. 

"Tell Lieutenant... Owens, that he is in command and he is to hold his position, dig in as best he can. He is not to open fire without provocation, but respond if fired upon. Under no circumstances is he to take troops into the streets. Also we have seen the rebels use one vehicle bomb already, tell him to frag anything that gets too close."

There was a long pause, doubtless the vehicle commander would have preferred the Commissar deliver the orders herself, but that wasn't going to be practical. After a moment he called a confirmation. 

"Cease fire and return to base," she directed, "if you find your way blocked or unsafe, rally to the palace until I can get through to you," she added.

"Yes ma'am? What about you?" came the reply a heartbeat before the roar of autocannons ceased. Katiya could hear the cries of wounded rebels from the plaza but there was no point in keeping the tanks there to be outflanked. The commissar looked up at the sky, the sun was hazy and blood red as it sank through the smoke towards the horizon.

"We will have to make our own way back," she replied and turned to her companion.

"Well Corporal, I suggest we get moving, I suspect the streets are going to be full of these 'demonstrators' tonight," her tone was cold. Whatever was happening on Pavonis, it was no simple civil unrest. Protesting workers didn't usually go for suicide bombings. And it seemed awfully convenient that it had managed to knock out both the senior Arbities Adept, and the senior Guard officer in one blow.