Chapter 745: Liberation Day
Raynor's reply came faster than Valerie expected.
The message was brief, bearing his usual pragmatic style: "No need for credit, but the transport might be useful. Bring your people to the junkyard west of town in one hour."
The message was clear: the test was starting early, and the "transport" was likely the key.
Valerie arrived on time.
In the junkyard, aside from Raynor and several core Raiders, Tychus's conspicuous blue power armor was also present.
He was leaning to one side, his thick fingers fiddling with a Gauss rifle. Seeing Valerie and her "security squad" appear, he whistled: "Whoa, quite the lineup, Jimmy. We going on a picnic, or are we crashing a party?"
Raynor ignored Tychus's banter and walked up to Valerie, his gaze sweeping over the ten motionless "Security Consultants" and the sleek, cold lines of the Thunderhawk gunship behind her.
"I've received the first step of your 'sincerity.' Now, for the second step." He pulled up a rough electronic map and pointed to an area marked as an "Imperial Outpost." "The Dominion has reinforced its troops at the mining sector north of town. Nominally it's to 'maintain order,' but actually, they're suppressing and forcibly conscripting civilians."
"There are some people in there... who shouldn't be."
"We're going in to get the people out who want to leave, and give the Dominion boys a piece of our minds while we're at it."
"Your transport will be responsible for rapidly deploying a squad to the flank after the operation begins, creating chaos and drawing fire. Got a problem with that?"
"No," Valerie answered crisply.
She could tell this was both a live combat test and an evaluation of her team's capabilities.
The operation commenced under the cover of night.
Valerie and her ten-man squad took the Thunderhawk, lifting off quietly and hovering at low altitude on the perimeter of the target area.
Through the viewport, she could clearly see the searchlights of the Dominion outpost below sweeping across the night sky, and the frontal feint launched by the main Raider force led by Raynor from the ground.
The sound of crossfire instantly shattered the silence of the night.
"Prepare," Valerie ordered the power-armored warriors beside her, her voice calm.
She played the role of commander, while Ryo's directives echoed in her logic core: observe, evaluate, provide limited support.
The side hatch of the Thunderhawk slid open. Without any superfluous commands, five "Security Consultants" fast-roped down one after another, landing precisely at the predetermined locations. They swiftly formed a tactical formation, using precise burst fire to suppress the defensive hardpoints on the outpost's flank.
Their movements were highly efficient and ruthless, entirely different from the Raiders' somewhat wild style, and far exceeding the expected level of ordinary corporate security.
Over the comms channel, Raynor's slightly surprised voice came through: "Flank fire has weakened, good job... your people are pretty professional."
Tychus's boisterous laughter interjected: "More than professional, Jimmy, they're like a bunch of wind-up toys! I like it! Let those tin cans hold out a little longer!"
Valerie didn't respond, merely monitoring the battlefield data streams calmly.
She saw Raynor's squad capitalize on the chaos to breach the interior of the outpost, the panic of the Dominion defenders caught in a pincer attack, and the rescued civilians fleeing in a panic under the Raiders' guidance.
Throughout the process, she noticed Tychus sticking close to Raynor. There was a bizarre, unspoken synergy between the two; Tychus's seemingly reckless actions always managed to defuse crises or open up opportunities for Raynor at just the right moment.
As the operation neared its end, a hidden Dominion bunker suddenly opened fire, blocking the evacuation route.
Raynor attempted to organize an attack, but the frontal fire was too fierce.
"Do you require an airstrike? We have precision-guided munitions," Valerie asked over the channel. This was a "convenience" she could provide within her authorization.
"No, don't bring the big guns down on us!" Raynor vetoed immediately. "Tychus!"
"Been waitin' for this!" Tychus laughed maniacally. He hefted an anti-armor rocket launcher snatched from the Dominion forces and, under cover from his teammates, charged forward with almost insane aggression, blasting open the bunker's weak point with a single shot.
The flash of the explosion illuminated his excited face.
Ultimately, the operation was a success.
On the way back to the junkyard, Raynor walked up to Valerie's Thunderhawk. He looked at the "Security Consultants" filing aboard, with barely a few extra scratches on them, and remained silent for a moment.
"Your people are tough. Much tougher than most 'corporate security' I've seen." His eyes still held scrutiny. "You pass today's job. But... there's something 'more interesting' coming up."
He paused, glancing at Tychus not far away, who was boasting to the Raiders about his recent shot, and lowered his voice: "Tychus brought a 'business deal.' The target is an 'antique' the Dominion has hidden deep, and the payout is huge."
"The risk is very high, probably ten times higher than today. Your ship and your... 'tin cans.' If you still want to tag along and do your 'risk assessment,' meet here tomorrow, same time."
Valerie nodded: "We will be there on time, Mr. Raynor."
En route back in the Thunderhawk, an encrypted transmission from Ryo arrived through one of the "Security Consultants": "Operation data received. Raynor and Tychus's coordination efficiency exceeds estimates."
"Continue monitoring. Focus on gathering information related to the 'antique.' The vanguard of the Swarm signals has entered the planetary gravity well. The conflict is about to escalate."
The so-called "antique" was referred to by Raynor and Tychus as an "Artifact fragment." According to vague intelligence provided by Tychus (who claimed it came from a "mysterious employer"), the Dominion was secretly researching and safeguarding this peculiar object of alien origin deep within a remote excavation site on Mar Sara.
The scale of this operation far exceeded the previous one.
Raynor mobilized almost all available Raider forces, while Tychus appeared unusually eager.
Valerie and her ten-man squad were assigned a clear tactical objective: utilizing the Thunderhawk's high mobility, while the main force assaulted the primary entrance of the Dominion excavation site, they were to conduct a forced drop onto the energy sector at the rear flank, destroying its shield generators to create an opening for Raynor's main force to breach.
This was a critical and dangerous mission, directly tied to the operation's success or failure.
"The Dominion's defense level here is very high; it's not an ordinary outpost." During the pre-mission briefing, Raynor specifically pointed at the structural diagram of the energy sector and warned. "There might be heavy troops, or automated defense systems. Once you are exposed, you'll take the full brunt of the pressure. If you can't handle it, it's not too late to back out now."
"Risk assessment requires facing high-threat environments directly, Mr. Raynor," Valerie replied. "We will complete the mission."
Under the cover of night, the Thunderhawk gunship bypassed the Dominion's outer radar network using extreme low-altitude penetration tactics, appearing over the excavation site like a ghost.
The hatch opened, and strong wind rushed in. Below, the outlines of the Dominion energy sector buildings were clear, crisscrossed by searchlights.
"Squad, descend," Valerie ordered.