Chapter 746: Outlaws
Ten power-armored warriors smashed precisely into the perimeter of the energy sector like heavy falling rocks.
The moment they landed, ear-piercing alarms shattered the night sky.
The firepower of the Dominion garrison and automated turrets instantly saturated the area.
"As pre-planned: Group A, clear the perimeter hardpoints; Group B, follow me to breach the main building." Valerie's orders were transmitted clearly over the encrypted channel.
She raised a high-precision rifle herself. Her mission was to command and observe, not to directly participate in front-line melee combat, but the necessary self-defense capabilities were equally indispensable.
The battle instantly turned white-hot.
The electromagnetic rifle barrages of the Dominion Marines, the grenades of the Marauders, and the sweeping fire of the automated sentry turrets formed a web of death within the confined space of the energy sector.
Valerie moved calmly between covers, observing the performance of her "test subjects" through her visor and data link.
Their combat style reaffirmed Ryo's assessment—they were no inferior to true Astartes recruits.
Facing enemies that outnumbered them several times over and crossfire, they showed not the slightest hesitation or fear. Their power armor operated at maximum efficiency, combining tremendous strength, speed, and precise shooting.
The rhythm of their mutual covering fire was as precise as a machine, efficiently clearing targets with ballistic weapons and energy blades.
One "Security Consultant" even forcibly crashed through a piece of cover with his pauldron to open a path for the squad.
However, the strength of the Dominion's garrison here also exceeded expectations.
Just as Group B was about to breach the main building, a squad of Dominion elite guards charged out of the corridor—assault infantry modified from Hellion drivers, wearing heavier armor and wielding rotary cannons.
Fierce firepower instantly suppressed the corridor.
The pauldron of one "Security Consultant" took multiple hits, shattering the armor plating, but he merely lost his balance slightly, immediately retreating under the cover of his teammates, his movements still steady.
"There's a ventilation duct on the flank. The diameter can accommodate a single person. It leads directly below the generator control room, but the path is narrow, and heavy weapons cannot be carried." Valerie quickly pulled up the architectural blueprint she had just scanned and found a backup route.
"Group A, maintain pressure, draw their fire. Group B, follow me into the duct." She didn't hesitate, taking the lead and moving toward the flank. The five "Security Consultants" followed without hesitation.
The ventilation duct was dark, narrow, and filled with the smell of machine oil and hot air.
Valerie could hear the fierce firefight outside and the muffled thuds of the building structure shuddering from explosions.
Like stalking hunters, they advanced rapidly and silently.
Upon arriving beneath the predetermined location, a thick metal bulkhead blocked their path. "Three meters above is the floor of the main control room. Structural integrity can be breached with explosives." A "Security Consultant" reached this conclusion through vibration analysis.
"Breach. Prepare to assault."
Small shaped charges were planted.
After the countdown, a muffled boom tore a neat hole through the bulkhead.
Valerie and the five warriors leapt up almost before the smoke and dust of the explosion could clear.
Inside the main control room, several Dominion technicians and guards were taken down precisely before they could even react.
Valerie headed straight for the main console, quickly inserting a data splicer. Thanks to the advanced decryption protocols provided by Ryo, the Dominion's relatively primitive firewall was quickly breached.
"Shield generator overload command inputted. Ten-second countdown."
She transmitted the message to Raynor: "Energy sector shields will be down shortly. You can relieve the pressure on the main entrance."
"Copy that! Good job!" Raynor's voice was mixed with intense background noise. "We're going in to get the 'goods' now!"
Ten seconds later, the pale blue energy shield enveloping the perimeter of the excavation site flickered a few times and completely extinguished.
On the main front, the pressure on Raynor's main force plummeted, and they launched a full-scale assault with cheers.
Valerie did not linger, immediately leading her squad to extract along their original route. When they broke out from the flank and rendezvoused with Group A, who was still holding their ground, what they saw was the Dominion garrison falling into chaos due to the shield failure and being attacked from both sides.
Shortly after, Tychus's excited roar came over the comms channel: "Got it! It's a beaut! Fall back! Fall back now!"
The mission was accomplished within the expected timeframe.
The intense firefight did not leave any damage affecting core functions on the heavy power armor shells of the "Security Consultants," only the surface paint and portions of the ceramite armor being slightly pitted by bullets and explosion debris.
The ten warriors maintained almost exacting tactical discipline and sustained firepower throughout the operation. Their combat rhythm was steady and uniform, without the slightest disarray caused by taking hits or being under pressure.
This "professionalism," maintaining precise coordination and efficient killing even under extremely high-intensity confrontation, once again left a deep impression on Raynor and the Raiders, far exceeding the scope of "elite mercenaries."
Before boarding, Tychus deliberately took a few extra glances at those "tin cans" silently checking their weapons, their postures no different from when the operation began. He muttered to Raynor over the comms channel: "Jimmy, where did you find these guys? The way they fight... it gives me the damn creeps. But," his tone shifted, carrying his usual rough appreciation, "they pack a punch! I like 'em!"
Raynor didn't answer. He just withdrew his scrutinizing gaze from those figures and let it fall on the box in his hands holding the Artifact fragment.
The value and threat of this "Far Star United" security squad were both far more complex than a simple employment contract.
On the return trip aboard the Thunderhawk, Valerie looked out the viewport at the excavation site, now engulfed in a sea of fire and gradually receding into the distance, and silently reported to Ryo: "The Artifact fragment has been confirmed acquired by the Raynor-Tychus team. The specific nature of the object is unknown, but it has drawn high attention from the Dominion. Minor damage to our squad; it will not affect subsequent missions. Swarm signals?"
Ryo's reply was cold and certain: "The Swarm vanguard has made contact with the planetary outer defense outposts. Encrypted broadcasts from the Dominion's General Mengsk's command declare a state of emergency, but make no mention of the Zerg. The true storm is about to make landfall at your location."
The engines of the Thunderhawk gunship were still cooling down, emitting a faint hum.
Within the canyon camp, the brief atmosphere of victory was replaced by efficient and rapid vigilance.
The Raiders were packing up the looted supplies and the Artifact fragment, which was emitting an unstable, ghostly blue light.
Raynor stood before the open supply crate, his brow furrowed as he scrutinized that fragment of the Xel'Naga Artifact, which was neither metal nor stone, shimmering with a ghostly blue luster.
Tychus approached with a clatter in his heavy blue CMC power armor. The visor flipped up, and he was roughly chewing on his ever-present cigar, but his eyes lacked any of the relaxation one would expect after the recent battle. Instead, they gleamed with an eager, almost greedy light.
"That's it, Jimmy, that's the one!" His voice came from beneath the visor, lowered but full of force. He pointed at the object in the crate with his armor-clad, massive hand. "Look at the quality of this thing... the 'employer' I contacted loves collecting weird stuff like this. The price he's offering will definitely satisfy you."
He paused, observing Raynor's expression, his tone becoming more inciting and urgent. "Stop overthinking it. I don't want to stay in this place a minute longer than I have to. I'm going to send the signal right now and arrange the handover. Once we get the payout, you and I can live large for a good long while. Hurry up!"
Before his words fell, the alarm at a watchtower on the edge of the camp suddenly let out a shrill scream, which then abruptly cut off, as if choked by the neck.