Twenty four hours later.

Admiral Rodriguez walks along a catwalk above the shuttle docks. He gazes at the deck below him, where thousands of Kessu and Kraktol move with purpose, most of them donning military gear or grabbing weapons, while others perform last-minute checks on the various transport ships while they prep for launch.

The Admiral pauses before a vacuum lift, steps inside, and drops to the floor below. After exiting, he walks over to a group of Kraktol, most of them decked out in Survival Suits, Exosuits, or heavy armor.

"Megla. Soren." José says, as he nods at his First and Second Officers. "I've started the countdown for the missile launch sequences. We'll start firing missiles at the Emerald Mountains in fourteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds."

Unlike the other Kraktol present, neither Megla nor Soren wear any armor. Instead, they ready themselves to climb into the nearby Titan mechas. Not the ordinary ones they used before, but the advanced versions created when the Slipstream split apart into four individual mecha; the Colossus battleframes.

"Both of our teams are ready," Megla says. "I'm dropping with Sapphire's group. Soren decided to team up with Kilgore. And you?"

"I'm dropping with Drall, Kisa, and Grundle," José replies. "You two take care. I'm sure you'll be just fine inside your automatons."

Megla grins wickedly. "Haha! Damn right, Admiral. Can't wait to start blasting some Buzor!"

Soren nods. "I'll make sure to reinforce the frontlines. But, erm, Admiral?"

"Yes?" José asks.

"Are you certain you want Drall to take control of one of the Colossi?"

"If you're worried about Drall's piloting skills," José replies, "Don't be. I trained him myself."

Soren hesitates. "Well, it's not that. It's more of a... a feeling I have. Erm... it's probably nothing. Never mind."

Her odd awkwardness makes José cock his head questioningly, but he doesn't follow up. "Well, if that 'feeling' becomes anything more substantial, I'll trust your judgment. See you on the ground."

"Yes. See you on the ground," Soren echoes.

José leaves his officers behind and trots over to a pair of gigantic mechs several hundred meters away, standing beside each other. When he arrives, he spots Lord Drall and his daughter, Kisa, gazing up at the forty-foot-tall machines in awe.

At twice the height of the twenty-foot standalone Titans, the Slipstream-variants tower above the nearby troop transport ships like metallic arbiters of death, each one awaiting their chance to unleash fire and brimstone upon the galaxy. Energy cannons rest in their chests, while kinetic machineguns sit attached to each of their wrists. Unlike ordinary Titans, the Colossi also possess advanced flight modules, allowing them to take off and land without dropship assistance; a result of their origin in the Slipstream's adaptive mainframe.

José waves to get Drall's attention. "Are you ready?"

Drall turns to look at the Terran. "Hmm? Yes. Never have I felt as much excitement as I do right now. I hunger for the chance to pilot this mighty Terran machine in battle."

"That's fine and all," José says, nodding in Kisa's direction. "But what about your daughter? Look, I don't want to be rude, but... I don't know if we should bring Kisa along, Lord Drall. The last thing we need is a liability on the battlef-"

"My daughter must come," Drall interjects, raising his palm. "Kisa is no ordinary Kraktol. She is the Malvik! One way or another, I must awaken her warrior instincts! If Kisa were to stay behind during this crucial mission, she would cast a long shadow over her mother's name. I cannot in good conscience allow the future leader of my people to rest on the sidelines while her brothers and sisters risk their lives to slaughter these 'heretics,' as you call them."

José rubs his eyes and shakes his head. "Fine. I'm not fond of bringing a poorly trained soldier to the battlefield, though, so I'll have to at least request that Kisa assume a medical position at the rear. Even you must admit she won't be much use in carving a path through our enemies."

"That is acceptable," Drall replies. He turns to his daughter and squeezes her shoulder. "Kisa! Surely, you can do something as simple as dressing the wounds of your brothers or sisters if they suffer any injuries."

The Malvik lowers her head sheepishly, and her scales flush with embarrassment. "Y-yes, father."

"Hmph. Don't fail me," Drall grunts. He nods at José and coils strength into his legs. "Admiral. I look forward to your performance when we arrive!"

The second-highest of all Kraktol leaps skyward. He wraps his claws around a gap in the Colossus' armor, then pulls himself into its open and waiting chest. After tapping a few buttons, he closes the Colossus' cockpit, sealing its airtight compartment around himself.

José smiles at Kisa. "I'm sorry your father insists on you coming, Kisa. I know you don't want to, but... I think you'll be fine. Just stay out of the line of fire."

Kisa nods glumly. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry, Admiral. I'm just so... so useless."

"That's not true at all," José says, as he starts walking toward his Colossus, next to Drall's. "You may not have found your purpose yet, but that doesn't mean you don't have one. Keep your chin up and your eyes peeled. An opportunity is sure to present itself."

The Admiral also jumps up his Colossus, though he doesn't reach the same height as his Kraktol comrade. Despite José's physical superiority to the Kraktol leader, his agility proves somewhat lacking compared to his former body, forcing him to climb the rest of the way. He clambers into the Colossus' cockpit and seals it shut, leaving Kisa alone.

"...I hope you are right," Kisa mutters.

The Malvik turns and walks toward a nearby troop transport, sighing as she readies herself for what will certainly be a violence-filled day.

.......................................

Minutes later.

Umi's words transmit to every soldier on every transport in every hangar. Her monotone, emotionless voice inspires no emotional reaction beyond the realization that the operation has begun... and now everyone has reached the 'do or die' point.

"Countdown complete. Now launching the initial payload of Burrowing Depth Charges. To all troops, the Tarus II planetary incursion will begin shortly."

Above the tranquil blue skies of Tarus II, a small, seemingly insignificant speck hangs amidst the void. The Bloodbearer, a colossal ship when compared to other Terran vessels, appears positively diminutive when placed against the backdrop of the planet it orbits.

From its weapon silos, three dozen flashes of light ignite. These specks of luminosity fall toward the planet below, increasing in speed as they gather momentum.

The first light of dawn warms Tarus II's surface. Many creatures yawn as they awaken, stretching their claws and paws to rouse themselves for a day of hunting and survival. Not only do predator species rise to their feet, but their prey do as well.

One particularly early bird perches on a tree branch. It chirps cutely, squeaking out a mating call to try and catch the attention of any nearby females. As it chirps, it cocks its head. It gazes into the sky, where it sees a most peculiar sight; several stars falling toward the planet's surface. Of the three dozen pinpricks of light, none of them appear particularly bright, yet still, they catch the bird's attention.

"Chee-chee?"

The bird chirps questioningly.

How odd.

Since when do the stars above move in such a peculiar way?

The little fella watches those 'stars' absentmindedly, not caring one way or another, only waiting for a female to answer his call.

As the stars fall, the bird chirps once more.

"Chee!"

And from the branches nearby, another bird answers his call.

"Chee!"

The little bird's mood perks up as he realizes he has finally met his mate! He flaps his wings to take off, eager to fly over and perform his mating dance; one which will surely entrance the lucky lady into joining his nest.

At that moment, the stars strike a nearby mountainside.

BOOOOOM.

A planet-shaking explosion detonates, summoning a terrible earthquake to ravage the nearby region. The bird screeches in alarm and takes to the sky, startled by this completely unexpected occurrence. Scared and frightened, he flees, never in his primitive mind coming close to an understanding of the event that has just transpired.

Two minutes later, as he flees, the bird's eyes raise to the sky once more. There, he spots another group of 'stars' falling toward that same mountain.

"Chee-chee?!"

Alarmed, the bird squawks again. While he may not understand exactly what is happening, even in his primitive mind he instinctively knows the stars from earlier must have caused that terrible, explosive sound.

He flies faster than ever, fleeing for his life from whatever strangeness has started occurring on the mountain. Sadly, before he can make it even half a mile, the second volley of 'stars' detonates.

A flash of light ten times brighter than the midday sun instantly engulfs the planet for miles in every direction. The bird cries out in fear as a void of pure white engulfs him. His mind screams in alarm, while his sense of balance falters. No longer certain which way is up or down, he and the other skyborne creatures plummet toward the planet below.

Before they can even realize that they've started falling, a shockwave of pure sonic energy blasts out of the mountain, flinging tens of thousands of tons of rock and dirt skyward. The sonic boom surges across the planet's surface, flattening the terrain and uprooting any trees in its path. It bursts the eardrums of every creature within ten miles, causing them to momentarily blackout from the pain.

The bird's thoughts become blank as unthinkable agony courses through his mind. So awful is his anguish that he doesn't even feel the impact of crashing against a boulder, where he instantly snaps his neck and departs the mortal realm.

He, like millions of other animals, monsters, and insects, all perish without a second thought. By the time ten shockwaves finish surging from the mountain, hardly any creatures remain alive. Either their brain capillaries burst, or they suffer heart attacks from the sheer shock of the planet-busting phenomenon.

A minute later, Tarus II falls eerily silent. Debris from the ruined mountain rains down upon the surface, crushing countless dead bodies into meat paste, but aside from the impacts of rocks against trees and grass, not a soul stirs.

...

Not long after, once the geological activity has ceased, a hundred specks of light drop into Tarus II's atmosphere. Transport ships travel toward the newly-bored holes in the Emerald Peaks, the troops inside marveling at the flattened hills and the destroyed land surrounding them.

Five specialized mecha-transport ships carrying two Titans apiece fly alongside the four Colossus mechs. They land at the mouths of various tunnels, deposit their mechanical killing machines, and return to the skies. With essentially limitless hovering fuel at their disposal, they rise to an altitude of five thousand feet to await the mission's success or failure.

"Mechanized assault units have made landfall," Umi drones, speaking to every assault trooper via their earpieces. "Prepare for infantry deployment."

Hundreds of faces assume grim expressions. Male and female, Kraktol and Kessu alike, they lock and load their guns, activate their Thunder Gauntlets, and prepare themselves for combat.

All one hundred transport ships land in unison. Their fronts drop down to allow their occupants to flood out, following closely behind the Titans and Colossi as the heavily armored machines lead the way.

"Move quickly, while our enemies are still stunned," José says, transmitting his voice over the communication network. "It will take them several minutes to regain their bearings."

Decked out in his all-but-invincible Colossus mecha, Admiral Rodriguez storms into the underground base, turning on his front-facing lights to flood the path ahead with stunning luminosity.

Rags, one of the many Kessu present, grins excitedly as he chases after the Admiral's Colossus. He sports a pair of Thunder Gauntlets, as well as a custom-fitted Survival Suit, the same type that Megla wore months before when she first traveled beneath the mountain.

"Oh, geez! This is so exciting!" Rags yells. "Mreowww! My heart is pounding like crazy!"

Lele's father Ruuki runs beside Rags. He grins at the youngster and laughs. "Stick by my side, kid! I'll protect ya!"

"Hah! We'll see who protects who!" Rags jeers. "Don't forget it was me who saved your tail three months ago!"

Meanwhile, inside one of the other holes in the mountain, Drall's Colossus clears a path for the Kraktol and Kessu behind him. Kisa follows from the backlines, keeping her head low as she clutches several advanced medical kits.

"Follow me!" Drall yells, transmitting his voice through the Colossus's external speakers. "We must accrue more kills than Admiral Rodriguez. Do not shame our Thülvik's name, troops! We have a reputation to uphold!"

This pattern repeats throughout a dozen other tunnels, all of them delving downward at various angles into the heart of the mountain. Megla leads one group, while Soren leads another. Kilgore, always a unique snowflake, doesn't bother with a mech-suit, opting instead to rely on his own strength and a basic Survival Suit. Most of the Titan mechs end up piloted by members of the First Group, though Sapphire also finds herself mimicking Kilgore's approach.

"Hey, Kilgore!" Sapphire yells. "You might have beaten me in the simulations, but I'll definitely score more kills than you today!"

"Feel free to try!" Kilgore replies, smirking confidently. "But the loser must drink a bowl of unfermented Gil-Gil Juice!"

Sapphire's scales turn green. "Blech! You're on! Don't say I didn't warn you ahead of time!"

"Same!"

It takes several minutes of traveling into the mountain's depths before the assault forces finally reach their target.

Admiral Rodriguez's voice transmits over every frequency. "Bogeys detected! I've found some warm bodies up ahead! Looks like a half-dozen orcs, a small group of goblins, and a handful of Disperra. They're all knocked out cold. Kill them before they awaken!"

"I've spotted multiple hostiles!" Megla says, her voice transmitting right after the Admiral's. "They're awake, but disoriented; stumbling around in a daze. You heard the Admiral! No mercy!"

A series of battlecries erupts among the Kraktol and Kessu. Down at the end of the five-mile-deep tunnels, dozens of blind and deaf monsters stumble to the left and right, hazily touching the walls to feel their way around. Blood drips from their eyes, ears, and nostrils. They moan incoherently while trying to shake off the terrible disorientation plaguing their minds. Even as they stumble through a sea of confusion, faint sensations transmit through their feet, caused by the arrival of a horde of enemies. Some of the more quick-witted monsters, such as a duo of furred Kobolds, turn their heads toward the origin of these tremors. Too bad for them, they react too sluggishly to prevent their deaths.

Admiral Rodriguez's Colossus brings its foot down like a meteor from the heavens. He crushes a pair of orcs underfoot, instantly transforming their bodies into meat-slush. With each running step, he plows through more and more of the miniature monsters, killing them without firing a single bullet. However, his goal is not to murder these low-level mooks, but to seek out his demonic enemies, the Shades. After the Admiral passes through, the rest of his troops follow up. They leap at their monstrous enemies without mercy, slapping their heads off their necks, or firing holes through their abdomens.

One by one, many orcs and goblins, the weakest grunts of this underground empire, perish without getting so much as a chance to fight back. With the Admiral leading the charge, none of his soldiers even need to watch out for the fearsome Trolls, as he deliberately goes out of his way to kill them himself.

"Wow!" One Kraktol soldier yells. "This is easy!"

"Don't jinx us," A nearby Kessu replies. "Mraww! The Great Precursor said it would get harder once we reached the enemies who didn't get hurt by his bombs."

"Hah! How difficult could this mission possibly become?" The Kraktol laughs. "With my Survival Suit, I feel invincible!"

"Psh, it's your funeral, scalie!"

Further and further into the mountain they go. Before long, the troopers start encountering actual resistance. At the ten-mile-depth, Disperra appear. The arachnids skitter along the ceiling and screech angrily, telepathically transmitting their rage into the minds of their attackers.

[Filthy betrayers! How dare the Kraktol turn against us?! Your people will pay for this treachery in blood!]

All throughout the underground passages, the walls begin exploding outward as slumbering and half-buried Disperra break free of their burrows to charge at the intruders.

José slows his forward momentum and begins taking his time. He aims the Colossus's weapons at the biggest clusters of enemies and unloads hundreds of rounds into their ranks, ripping them apart due to the sheer number of bullets passing through their bodies. Each round of burst-fire splatters copious amounts of green blood across the walls, ending the lives of Disperra and monsters alike.

Finally, the Admiral comes to a complete stop. As more and more enemies start pouring out of side corridors into the central tunnels, the Admiral allows his troops to spill around him and face the enemies head-on.

"We've just about reached the end of the main tunnel," José says. "Looks like the caves will become a lot narrower after this. I'll depart my Colossus momentarily. Drall? Megla? Soren? How are you three doing?"

It takes a moment for the others to answer José's inquiry.

"The tunnel has started to narrow on my side, too," Soren replies. "I'm in the same situation as you, Admiral. The Titans can still proceed, but not the Colossi."

"We expected as much," Drall says, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Bah! At least I got to play with this fun toy! I'll join my troops on the ground soon!"

José waits for confirmation from everyone, then reaches for his ejection controls. At that moment, several blips appear on his radar. The Admiral glances in the direction indicated, only to shudder in revulsion.

"Oh, Ramma, guide me! Are those... giant centipedes? I think I'm going to be sick! Gods, how can such horrific monstrosities exist in the same galaxy as me?!"

The Admiral watches in disgust as thirty-foot-long insects skitter out of a side tunnel, their snake-like bodies skittering along on more than a hundred individual legs. The creatures rear up and lunge at José's troops, all of whom scatter to avoid their attacks.

Instead of departing the Colossus, José grabs the controls and rotates his weapons to face these new threats.

"You know what? Fuck demons, and fuck giant bugs. Divine Emperor forgive me, but I cannot go on living knowing such awful vermin breathe this world's air."

BRRRT! BRRRRT! BRRRRT!

José unloads thousands of bullets upon the centipedes' backs, only to gasp in shock when most of the projectiles glance off their armored carapaces. As if constructed from wrought iron, the giant insects completely ignore José's bombardment to chase after his comrades.

The Terran's eyes flash with anger. "Oh, you think you've stumped me? Not a chance."

The Admiral taps a button on his control-pad. Two seconds later, the machineguns mounted on his Colossi's wrists shift and change shape, transforming into single-shot heavy cannons.

"Eat lead, you nasty bugs."

Thoomph! Thoomph!

Firing from the backline, José finally pierces the centipedes' armor. His cannon shells rip through their bodies and shred their innards, causing them to screech and roll around in agony.

The Terran grits his teeth as, again and again, he blasts the bugs to smithereens.

Even amidst the furor of battle, José chuckles in spite of himself.

"Haha. If only Nick were here. The only person who hated bugs more than me was ol' Nicky-boy."

The Terran's smile fades, leaving him with an empty gaze.

"I miss you, Nick. Miss you lots."

The Terran continues firing, assisting his allies until they manage to clear the hallway of enemies. After he finishes, José sighs.

"...We've made it through through the initial strike. Now for the hard part. Yama... today will be the last day you'll walk among the living."