Athena nodded and hefted her rail gun. With an effective range of ten miles, she’d have no problem projecting power along this hundred metre stretch of road. She was essentially holding a miniature version of the main gun on some classes of warship.

Knossos stepped toward Vreta. He felt the Rothian was slightly out of his depth, but made sure not to come across as pushy. After all, this was just a PR exercise for the Sacred Band, and Thebes had given the leadership role to Vreta as a mark of respect. “We should prepare for the possibility that they’ll hold us in the open-air lane to push hard through the apartments. Thebes will be playing to his strengths, just as we are.” 

Knossos spoke quickly, with one eye on the clock as it ticked past fifteen seconds. “I could go with Kjartan, or you could commit more troops there. Eight people may not be enough. Alternatively, we can stick to the plan and I will try to lock down the front entrance to the building. What do you think?” The veteran soldier wasn’t clear if the Rothian had received formal military training before, but something told him the alien was a quick processor of information, which was crucial for leadership.

“Decide quickly, Lizard Man! We won’t wait.” Kjartan hollered from the edge of the zone. He held out his left arm, and armour plates slithered away from well-protected parts of his body to form a hefty rectangular shield attached to it. Kjartan slammed his hammer against the outside of his new shield, creating an intimidating rattle.