[h1][b][center][color=00aeef]Silverwind Blade[/color][/center][/b][/h1]

[color=00aeef]"Okay, GO GO GO GO!!"[/color] Silverwind yelled, as the lights in the cargo bay snapped red and a repeating beep sounded in all of the team's MAS helmets, and Maxon's headset. 
As she'd requested, Kerris was out first to establish a perimeter defence. Then HB, Keeper, Veep, himself, Fea, Jacobin, and - as he'd rightly said - Maxon bringing up the rear to avoid being squashed by a falling MAS Suit. Even as big as [i]he[/i] was, they were large and heavy suits made of an array of materials studier than Dranfel flesh and bone. 

There wasn't far to fall, even with the plane at a hundred feet or so, and the desert came up quickly. The altimeter sounded off and automatically fired the suits' jumpjets to cushion the landing, but Silverwind overrode its control and guided himself in, skidding to a stop on the hard-packed sand. The air was already alive with sound, even as the rumbling roar of the cargo planes' engines rose as it climbed back out of harms' way and receded into the distance. Gunfire and explosions filled the air, shouting voices in languages he didn't understand, and the alien sounds of Totality war machines and weapons fire. 
The forward base around the Mirror had been set up pretty logically. The Mirror itself rested in the dry bed of a Wadi; hard, dried mud with the scrappiest and hardiest of miserable-looking vegetation clinging on in some corners around it, and rocky surfaces making up the shallow walls of the depression. In front of the portal, a few hundred feet back, had been defensive positions. Made of sandbags and other portable materials, they had held some kind of heavy weapons, as well as presumably, observation equipment. All of which was now billowing thick, greasy black smoke. Beyond that was another line of fortifications, with more on the banks of the shallow ditch-like depression. And beyond and between those were various tents and temporary structures. Among them were the flashes of gunfire and shouting voices. 

Their descent hadn't gone unnoticed - given how low their transport had come, and the manner of their debussing, it would have been a surprise if that were the case - and already Silver could see movement toward them. The ripping sound of Totality assault rifles tore down toward them, along with that distinctive, processed, vocoder sound of operational chatter from the enclosed helmets their [url=https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/bbc9d44d-1eb0-4b77-bc8e-3029e5eafb43/die2s22-22614740-21ed-4cdc-94f8-536957de05c5.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi9iYmM5ZDQ0ZC0xZWIwLTRiNzctYmM4ZS0zMDI5ZTVlYWZiNDMvZGllMnMyMi0yMjYxNDc0MC0yMWVkLTRjZGMtOTRmOC01MzY5NTdkZTA1YzUucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.RFMQ5QT49gdjEOYYfKhebCzDJSVt_ws1Oy0lvNzshwM]line troopers[/url] always wore.
[i]Helmets that didn't come off,[/i] he thought with a grim note.
Somewhere else, among the buildings, hooting, warbling, distorted calls rose up; indicating there were the biomechanical synths as well; at least the smaller [url=https://media.cdn.community.lambdageneration.com/media-images/1682542968776CfCRDJDNYkChB1Ch.jpg?size=full]Runner[/url] and [url=https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/076/993/173/large/patrick-koppy-cararende1.jpg?1718294252]Heavy Trooper[/url] ones. And judging by the explosions, some armed [url=https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/60/44/8b/60448b7b6226fea906c51ebe14f4656b.jpg]with heavy weapons[/url]. At least there were no airborne enemy forces so far, and someone was still fighting back. It was still more-than containable, if they moved quickly.
Decisively, he took action and relayed his orders quickly. 

[color=00aeef]"Kerris, HB, Keeper - stick on me and we'll push them back and secure the Mirror. Veep, Valkyrie; pick off the heavy weapons units and commanders from range. Fea; stick with our snipers and jam the enemy's coms and sensors. We don't want them bringin' in any reinforcements if we can help it. Maxon, cover Fea and the others while they works, and take out anything that the others don't hit!"[/color]

That said and done, Silverwind unslung his shotgun and moved forward, loosing a burst from the heavy minigun on one arm to cover their advance and pin down their attackers as he moved. 

[@Cozure], [@Chevaleresse], [@Smike], [@Lovely Bones], [@FalloutJack]