“Good luck, Spartan.” Tar called to Aviza over the rising din as Phantoms hovered into position over their armour.

The ride down to the surface of Brissekh from the Blockade Runner was extremely loud and nausea-inducing, like being dropped from a great height. Rain battered their dropship’s canopy and poured down the sides onto Tar’s Wraith. Battle chatter burbled in her ears from the closest teams; her pilot was staying quiet for now.

For a few seconds, she could only stare out at the city she knew so well and feel a mix of nostalgia and fear. While a relatively young settlement at just over two hundred years, the Keep occupied a commanding position over the valley they were deploying into. Three concentric rings of fortifications had been carved out of the black rock, each higher than the last, until the top of the Kaidon’s migdol poked out like a mountain peak in itself. Tar wondered if her little brother was watching from a high window at the army which had just arrived.

As soon as they touched down, Tar fired her turret at one of the defending guns closest the breach the Blockade Runner had made. “Move forward!” She grunted to the pilot, and they began advancing.