The first that the defenders knew of the legion troopers’ arrival were mass missiles sizzling into the launch pits. Blinding flashes and stunning blast waves rolled across the surface of Sag XIV B. No casualties were registered however, as none of the firing pts were manned by anything except robotic extensions of those inside.

These defenders were, however, shaken. While they had sold themselves in small wars, going up against the Legions professional troopers as well as witnessing its power directed at them was sobering.

The shuttles holding the landing party dropped their deadly cargo right beside the dome. Three means of entrance had been identified. Each one was attacked by a separate company, if not at the same time, then close enough to make little difference. The fourth company was held in reserve.

*********

Lieutenant Colonel Reni Lukas, crouching with Lady Luca, watched her repeater carefully as the lead squad, lurid in the red light of the sun, approached the door at a run, one trooper worked the air lock which opened and stayed open. Not hesitating, he ran and hit the open key for the inner door, holding himself aside as did the rest of the section.

Plasma beams flashed into being as the door opened. The sergeant and one trooper replied with plasma grenades then followed them up with shoulder fired weapons, sending his men forward as he did so. Three fell and Lieutenant Colonel Lukas’s face grew grim as the first casualties were automatically recorded. But the squad was in, the enemy identified, and the troopers well practiced. Another squad followed the first and another. They worked steadily inwards, following plasma grenades and crewed plasma rifles, backed by shoulder fired weapons all of which over powered their opposition. Towards the centre and the control room they worked, clearing rooms as they went. Taking casualties and prisoners.

The worst fighting looked to be in a lounge area that had several means of entrance and egress and could not be bypassed. There were a number of solid tables and other structures that were being used as strong points, reinforced with portable force shields to block plasma beams. The mercenaries that chose to make a stand there were also tougher and more committed than some of the others.

Dividing themselves up into several groups, they positioned themselves so as to both give supporting fire and dominate the doorways that both allowed communication and access into the rest of the dome.

Their leader, an officer with the rank of captain, cursed as their communications dropped offline. The empire is using scramblers, he realised. Waving across the room to his sergeant, he used the sign language that he had learnt as a recruit. Never thought I would be using it like this, ran through his head.

The Sergeant saw his officers’ gestures, quickly he signed back. “Get ready,” he told his squad. The rest of the mercenaries, wanted men and women all, also prepared to sell their lives dearly.

*********

The legions squad of troopers approached the entrance to the lounge. Using his portable scanner, the sergeant tried to get a reading. What he saw, wasn’t good. That is what he told the captain of his company.

“Can’t get a good reading sir. But what I see, I don’t like.”

The Captain grunted, he had the same readings. “You’ve lost half your squad, hold here.”

“Sir?” The platoon sergeant queried.

“You’ve done a good job. We’ll bring up the rest of the platoon. They have ultra-high solid penetrators and there are three more in reserve, waiting. See that wall there?”

“Yes, sir!” The sergeant knew what the Captain wanted and waved to the crewed plasma gun.

“Good Idea.”

The calmly spoken words surprised the troopers and the captain and the sergeant as they felt the sudden silence around them.

Walking with sinuous grace, her exquisite body outlined in the silvery red body suit that she wore, Lady Luca walked over to the area of wall indicated by the captain. Reaching out with her right hand she caressed the wall, an intent look on her face.

*********

At the command post, now inside the dome, Lieutenant Colonel Lukas was grimly satisfied in the progress of her battalion. A burst of profanity erupted again as she realised that Lady Luca had left and was now at the front. Keying her comm, she contacted the captain commanding the company in the corridor and getting ready to attack the common space.

“Captain Huri?”

“Yeah, she’s here.” In combat, there is little time for pleasantries and the captain felt that he could guess at the colonel question.

Running her hands over the wall, Lady Luca traced an outland of a door like opening.

“What is happening?” Lukas demanded.

“Not sure, she is feeling the wall.” Captain Huri replied. “Wait.”

Where her hands had passed, there was now the glowing outline of a door. The Captain and all the troopers close enough stared.

“Sir, you won’t believe what I am seeing.” Came out in a hiss.

*********

Stepping back, Lady Luca drew her long sword that from its scabbard.

“Ready to follow me?” She gave a glance at the troopers.

Exchanging looks the troopers nodded. She laughed and with a swing of her sword, the metal outlined went flying into the lounge. Startled, the mercenaries closest turned and cries stilled as two were cut in half by the razor edge of the outline. Flying after it was the now glowing figure of Lady Luca.

Jumping over the group that had been hit, Lady Luca landed amongst a group of ten mercenaries manning two plasma guns. A left and a right sent four heads flying, two at a time. Swarming after her, the troopers moved in pairs, firing and giving support as they had been trained. When a mercenary turned his weapon towards Lady Luca, a swing of her sword stopped that, permanently. Another back hand with her sword as she twisted to the left had two more heads and a raised arm falling the ground. A squad of troopers joined her, firing ultra-high velocity penetrators instead of plasma rifles.

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With a laugh, Lady Luca jumped into the next strong point. Plasma beams bounced off her, back at those who fired them. More heads fell and more peals of laughter rang out.

The two companies stationed at the other doors had also broken in, paying their way with blood. Breaking into the lounge area against the distracted mercenaries was easier, but still deadly.

It wasn’t just the sudden outflanking attack, the unexpected use of solid penetrators and devastating plasma bolts of the troopers that broke them. It wasn’t even Lady Luca springing over the heads she had just cut off, to jump into the next group. It was her high pitched peals of laughter ringing in their ears. The laugh of a warrior experiencing the joys of combat again.

The mercenaries surrendered, those that were still alive, that is. Of the more than one hundred and ten in the lounge, less than forty remained.

“Captain Huri!”

“Yes Lady?”

“One platoon of your company, follow me.”

“Third platoon, on me now.” Captain Huri shouted.

Following Lady Luca at a run, Captain Huri, spat out answers to Lieutenant Colonel Lukas’s urgent questions.

“I’m following the Lady.”

“Don’t know, control room maybe?”

To the latest question as to what was happening, the answer was less than diplomatic.

“Trying to bloody well keep up with her.”

Down the corridor leading to the control room, Lady Luca ran. Anyone who got in her way was swiftly dispatched with a sweep of her sword. Anyone who surrendered was passed by and sent back to the lounge by a trooper.

“Half the men on stun, we want to take the leaders alive!” Went to Captain Huri. The order was passed and the troopers made ready.

The door to the control room was sealed, but Lady Luca did not slow. With a running kick that sent it flying across the room into a control panel, she pounced through, stopping just inside and stepping to the right. That it was the communications panel that was manned by a mercenary who received the doors impact and was instantly crushed, was not her concern.

The platoon boiled into the control room, flowing past Lady Luca who sheathed her sword as she slowly walked in.

Seeing the Lady, Commander Trop snarled and snatched up a pulse gun she had laid close to her hand. Four of the troopers fired first, their weapons on stun. Lady Luca smiled as Trop hit the desk on the way to the floor. Seeing this, none of the other mercenaries in the control room offered any resistance. On Captain Huri’s command, the platoon sergeant, he was actually a colour sergeant, signaled the troopers to secure the prisoners.

Signalling a sergeant and a squad of troopers to follow her, with unerring instinct Lady Luca walked sedately to the office of Slav di Naska, the troopers following her, plasma rifles at the ready. Slav was sitting, his back to the desk.

“At last, we meet!” Slav muttered.

“Really? I think that you confuse me for someone else.” Lady Luca didn’t smile.

Slav slowly turned his chair around. He smiled. “Where you are, He is.” He smiled again. “I don’t think that He is too far away.”

The squad surrounded his desk, alert, weapons pointing. Two members swept the office, checking doors and cupboards. Slav watched in amusement. “Strange name, ‘cupboards.’ Don’t you think that they could call them something else?” He mused.

The sounds of fighting were slowly dying down as word was spread that both Commander Trop and Slav di Naska were captured. Some however still fought, fanatics to the end or afraid of retribution from other planets justice systems.

Slav laughed. “So you capture me and this base. Do you really think it would be that easy?”

“Easy? Tell that to the dead, on both sides.” Lady Luca replied icily.

“Was it easier to cut my sisters head of?” Snarled Slav coming to his feet, an ugly look distorting his face.

“It would have been, if I did it. Which I didn’t.” The Lady’s voice was cold.

“So you didn’t kill my sister personally! Were you there?”

“I was, what of it?”

“I want you to know, Him to know, how much I hate you and how sweet my revenge is!”

“Revenge? You mean your pathetic attempt to blow up the reactor?” Lady Luca laughed. At this revelation, the troopers straightened up uncertainly. Slav roared in anger and frustration as the meaning of Lady Luca’s words sank in. Lady Lucas command, “Secure him,” had the troopers surrounding Slav, now angrily staring and yelling incoherent threats impotently.

As the troopers clasped his arms he snarled, “Keep your hands of me,” glaring at Lady Luca, adding, “I am worth ten of you and Him. My sister twenty!” Lady Luca ignored this.

“Check his pockets, he has a data cube in one with important information on it.” The troopers surrounded Slav and placed restraints on his wrists. One grunted when his search found the data cube.

At the troopers stare when he handed it over, she smiled, “I could see the outline, and if he kept it on himself, it must be important.”

The trooper looked relieved.

“Aren’t you going to murder me, just like Lia?” Slav continued to be ignored as he was hustled out of the office and joined Commander Trop, who was still unconscious and restrained. Passing him, Lieutenant Colonel Lukas and Captain Huri stepped uncertainly into Slavs office. Lady Luca motioned them over.

“Colonel, have the reactor shut down after every one leaves. I must return to the Master and while I am sure that it will not explode, it does not mean that one should take chances. First though, make sure that all data is saved, it will be needed for the police when they arrive.”

“Yes Lady.”

“I will take this with me,” Luca showed them the data cube, “the security police will want to get a head start on this.”

The two officers eyed the cube. “It is almost certainly password and security code protected, Lady.” Lieutenant Colonel Lukas commented.

“No doubt.”

The two officers had hesitated before stepping into the office. In their classes at officer cadet school one of the prime individuals studied was Lady Luca. A warrior woman, she was universally regarded higher by Legion troopers than any of the other Ladies of the Circle.

But to actually see her fighting, to watch her cut through the mercenaries, was terrifying. Equally terrifying was the control she now showed. The officers were no less awed then the troopers.

“Just get everyone safely off the planet. I will speak to Admiral Danissa, informing her of what orders I have given you. Commander Trop and any officers and other ranks are to be kept separate. As is Slav di Naska. Those two are to be isolated. Understand?”

“Yes Lady. We will get them out straight away.” Major Lukas turned to Captain Huri. “See to it personally Captain.”

“Sir.” With a salute to both, he left.

“One last thing, Colonel.”

“Yes, my Lady?” The officer showed puzzlement.

“A shuttle to the Admirals vessel, if you don’t mind.”

For a fraction Lieutenant Colonel Lukas stood still, then with a bow, “At once my Lady.”