Operation Skybreak, part 5/11

Frantically, the group of five sprinted through the building's depths, the nearby flashes from energy weapons sketching violent arcs of light across the sky behind the windows lining the long corridor.

The foreboding illumination reflected and gleamed on the shiny black plates of the power suits. Tia and the two soldiers, guns gripped tightly, scanned their surroundings with vigilance sharpened to a razor's edge, ready to respond at the barest hint of threat.

"Over there!" With an outstretched hand and her platinum hair flowing behind her, Tia's cousin, who was sprinting gracefully next to her, highlighted the ominous presence of thick, metallic double doors.

'Hehe, she is still the cute little girl even after she grew up.'

Suddenly, a disturbing symphony of bending metal and ringing glass erupted as the windows convulsed under the force of a closer, much fiercer explosion, reverberating ominously through the building, the blinding light forcing Tia to avert her gaze away from the windows.

'They are getting closer!' 

Without hesitation, her cousin pressed a delicate palm against a panel next to the door, invoking a burst of luminescent energy that flowed through her hand with a symphony of light and warmth. With smooth sliding sounds, the doors split open, revealing a vast, dark space behind them.

Row after row of towering servers greeted them, stretching far into the server room like trees in a forest.

"Move!" She yelled, knowing the faster they would finish, the better it would be.

Immediately, Tia, her cousins, and one of the soldiers rushed in, the remaining one taking a position by the doors and aiming his oversized particle cannon at the entrance.

"I will start!" The imperial specialist, dressed in the same ornamental power armor as the rest of the unit, leaned toward the nearest server, grabbing a bulky, thick tablet from his belt.

A glowing cord of optical fibers extended from his glove into the machine. The room was alive with the sound of the server humming, and the flickering control lights gave a rhythmic pulse to the ominous setting.

"You two put your palms on the tablet; I need your root access to the server, your description keys, and biometric profiles." He motioned toward Tia's two cousins, his voice muffled by his helmet.

'Oh, there they come. The reason the Empire wanted them so much.'

Tia watched as her two cousins stepped forward, placing their palms on the device, in nervous silence, interrupted only by the mechanical buzzing and the churn of cooling fans that circulated fresh air, causing their clothing to flap gently.

'Still, why would Empire put so much effort into getting access to my family company's servers?' Even with her new rank, she still had no clue what their grand plan was beyond causing chaos and mayhem. The question burned her, but she couldn't do anything but hope that there was a plan.

The time seemed to crawl with her submerged in thoughts and the imperial specialist typing on the tablet, his armored finger dancing with the elegance of a ballerina.

"How long?" Her question pierced the thick silence, followed by another explosion that shook the building, causing the lights to stutter momentarily.

"I can't tell, ma'am," came the uneasy reply as the soldier shook his head, making Tia's worry even worse.

Suddenly, her intercom beeped, and a distorted voice came through: "Ma'am, multiple squads are converging at the main entrance. We are requesting permission to retreat to the staircase."

"Do it!" Tia commanded, trying to maintain a composed demeanor despite the increasing danger.

She exchanged a worried look with her cousin, battling with the urge to stay beside her but knowing she needed to attack to gain initiative.

'Better to strike them, than let them surround this room.'

With a firm resolve, she clenched her fists and gave an order to the soldier covering the doors: "Stay here and protect this place. I'm going to hold them back."

Her intercom beeped the second time: "The roof has fallen; we were forced to step back. We have one casualty."

'Damn them, who died? It is only a matter of time before they will swarm us from everywhere.' Every death meant their firepower decreased and her reward also suffered.

Ding!

//

New Sub Objective: The Roof Assault

Repel the enemies that are attacking from the roof before they reach the floor with the location of the server room.

Addition to the final pool: 2 x WP; 1 X +2 to Random Stat

Instant Rewards: +1 to MAG; +1 to ENE; 1 X +1 to Random Stat

//

Beep!

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New Sub-Objective:

Objective --> Repel the assault from the floor level before they can reach the second floor.

Addition to the final pool --> 1 x EP; 1 x Free Body Modification Coupon

Instant  Rewards --> +10% progression to all Esper skills

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