The dust was still settling as Jackie brought the Chimera into the perimeter of Point K. Her HUD was flashing yellow with various system alerts, and the residual heat from the plasma cannons caused a shimmer across her cockpit screens. The enemy had backed off for now, but the damage had been done—Point K’s location—once a closely guarded secret—was compromised.

The mobile base was a hive of activity as soldiers and technicians scrambled to pack equipment and prepare for a hasty retreat. Jackie dismounted the Chimera, feeling the tension ripple as her boots hit the ground. Sweat clung to her brow, and her muscles ached from the intense battle. She tugged off her helmet, letting out a deep breath.

She hadn’t even crossed the staging area when Major Burns stormed over, her face flushed with barely contained rage. The major was a tall, sharp-featured woman with graying hair pulled into a severe bun, her uniform perfectly pressed despite the chaos around them. Her eyes blazed with fury as she zeroed in on Jackie.

"Cadet Stewart!" Major Burns snapped, her voice shrill enough to cut through the din of the base. "What in the hell do you think you're doing? You led those enemy mechs straight to our doorstep!"

Jackie barely had time to respond before Major Burns was in her face, her finger jabbing the air between them. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Point K’s location was classified! We’re supposed to be invisible out here, and now, thanks to your little stunt, we have to bug out!"

Jackie’s jaw tightened. She knew Point K was exposed, but there was no choice. Her whole squad would have been wiped out if they hadn't arrived. She took a deep breath, keeping her voice steady.

"With all due respect, Major, we were outnumbered. I had to make a call—my orders were to protect my squad and get them to safety. This was the only viable fallback."

Major Burns’ eyes flared. "Orders? You're a cadet, Stewart! You don’t give orders. You follow them! I don’t care what your commanding officers told you. Bringing the enemy here was reckless. And now look at the mess we’re in!"

Jackie could feel the heat rising but forced herself to remain calm. She wasn’t going to let this woman tear into her without context. "I understand the situation, Major, but the Chimera and my squad were being boxed in. If we hadn’t come here, they would’ve been wiped out. We had no other option."

Major Burns looked like she might explode, her face turning a deep shade of red. "No other option? You brought the enemy right to our gates! Point K is compromised, and now we must pack up and move—all because some cadet thought she could play hero!"

Jackie gritted her teeth. She could hear the panic in Burns’ voice, the sharp edge of fear driving her tirade. The major wasn’t just angry—she was scared, and that fear was making her lash out.

Before Jackie could respond, another voice cut through the tension.

"That’s enough, Major," came a cool, authoritative tone.

Captain Vale strode up, his face a mask of calm amidst the chaos. His presence made Major Burns back off, though she shot Jackie a final withering glare before turning to Vale.

"Captain, this is unacceptable!" Major Burns sputtered, trying to maintain her anger. "She led enemy forces directly to our base—"

"She followed her orders, Major," Vale said evenly, cutting her off. "The situation was compromised long before Cadet Stewart arrived. We all knew that the moment Prescott fell. Point K was always a temporary position. We’re lucky her squad made it here in one piece."

Major Burns opened her mouth to argue, but Vale held a hand. "Now isn’t the time for this. We need to move. Get your team ready to bug out. We’ll regroup at fallback position Echo-7."

Burns' mouth snapped shut, and she shot Jackie another glare before storming off, barking orders at her team.

Jackie let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She met Vale’s gaze, and momentarily, the tension melted away.

"Thanks, Captain," she muttered, her voice tired.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Vale gave her a nod. "Don’t worry about it. You did what you had to do. Burns... she's just feeling the pressure. She knows how bad things are right now."

Jackie nodded, though the encounter still gnawed at her. She knew the risks of leading the enemy to Point K, but she knew the alternative would have been far worse. At least now, they had a chance to fight another day.

"Get some rest, Stewart," Vale said, touching her shoulder. "We’ll need everyone sharp for the next move."

Jackie nodded, but as she glanced back at the Chimera, she knew rest wouldn’t come easily. Point K was a mess of activity, with soldiers and mechs scrambling to pack up and the reality of the larger war creeping in. They had survived, but the enemy was closing in fast, and the clock was ticking.

As she walked away from the Chimera, the adrenaline finally wearing off, Jackie couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

***

Alphonso leaned back in his high-backed leather chair, fingers drumming rhythmically on the armrest. His expression was unreadable, eyes dark and calculating as they settled on the man standing nervously before him.

"What do we know?" Alphonso’s voice was deceptively calm, the kind of calm that made people sweat. Across from him, Don, who had been nothing more than a puppet for Alphonso’s under-the-table dealings for the past few years, fidgeted under the weight of that question.

Johnson’s brow was slick with sweat, his eyes darting around the lavish office as if seeking some escape. There was none. His throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously, trying to find the words. Alphonso had never been a patient man.

"Well... we’ve been invaded," Johnson stammered. "They came in fast, like nothing we’ve ever seen. They hit hard; they hit most of the major cities and—our assets. Everything's gone up in flames, Alphonso. They don’t seem to care about preserving infrastructure."

Alphonso’s fingers stilled, a single brow arching as he regarded the man before him with cold detachment. Johnson's attempt at explaining was feeble at best, and Alphonso hated feebleness.

"And our income?" Alphonso asked, his tone icier, cutting straight to the core of what mattered most to him. He leaned forward, the cold intensity of his gaze locking onto Johnson. "They’ve destroyed much of the cities, haven’t they? My channels, my supply chains... what’s left of it?"

Johnson wiped the sweat from his brow, his breath coming quicker now. "Most of it is gone. The networks we built... they’re either dismantled or out of reach. The streets are in chaos, and the banks—" He hesitated, glancing nervously at Alphonso before continuing. "The banks are under siege. All our reserves are locked down or destroyed in the bombings."

Alphonso’s jaw tightened at the news, his fingers clenching around the armrest. His empire, which he had meticulously built over the years, was crumbling before his eyes. The cities he had corrupted, manipulated, and siphoned wealth from were now in ruins. His plans, his dominance, were at risk.

"And you’ve done nothing to stop this?" Alphonso's voice dropped to a dangerous low, the calm starting to fray around the edges. "You’ve been sitting in your cushy office while my assets burn, my money vanishes into thin air?"

Johnson took a step back, his face paling. "I-I didn’t—there wasn’t anything I could do! These invaders—they’re not like anything we’ve seen. They're organized, Alphonso. Military-grade mecha, shock troops—they’re dismantling us piece by piece."

Alphonso stood, his towering figure casting a long shadow over the trembling man. He walked slowly around the desk, his presence suffocating the room. Johnson’s eyes widened with every step.

"Don't tell me what you couldn’t do, Johnson. Tell me what we can salvage." Alphonso’s voice turned into a low growl. "Where are our remaining assets? The shipments, the offshore accounts... anything we can leverage to regain control."

Johnson blinked, his mind racing. He hadn’t expected Alphonso to still be thinking about salvaging his criminal empire during a planetary invasion. But this was Alphonso, after all—the man never lost sight of his goals, no matter how catastrophic the situation.

"We—we still have the off-planet accounts," Johnson said quickly, trying to save himself. "Some of the underground networks are still operating but fragmented. We can pull back to the smaller cities and keep some of the business running... but it’s risky. The invaders are spreading fast. It’s only a matter of time before they lock those areas down, too."

Alphonso stopped before Johnson, staring down at him with a look that could freeze hell itself. "Risk doesn’t bother me, Johnson. Failure does." He leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "You will find a way to secure those assets or join the rubble in the streets. Do I make myself clear?"

Johnson nodded frantically, beads of sweat rolling down his temple. "Y-yes. Yes, Alphonso, I understand."

Alphonso straightened, his piercing gaze never leaving Johnson. "Good. Now, get out of my sight and start fixing this mess. I want reports on my desk by the hour. Don’t even think about disappearing. You know what happens to people who try to run from me."

Johnson swallowed hard and scurried out of the room, his heart hammering in his chest. The door closed behind him, leaving Alphonso alone in the office. Silence settled in, but Alphonso’s mind was anything but calm.

The invasion had come out of nowhere, tearing through his operations with terrifying efficiency. But Alphonso wasn’t about to roll over and let it destroy him. He would rebuild. He would find the cracks in the enemy’s armor, and when the time came, he would strike back. Hard.

For now, though, he needed to consolidate. Pull the remaining threads of his empire together. The world was in chaos, but chaos had always been his playground.