"Prepare to land in the North and South sectors," the Brelari captain ordered.
A magnified view of Silie 4 was visible on the ship's main screen and the two smaller Brelari attack craft were positioned in orbit around the planet. The captain was meant to hear from Renak sil before initiating the attack but he had left Brelar alone without notifying other governors of his whereabouts, or his reasons. The captain was instead contacted by another governor and could not ignore a direct command, so had to order the assault.
Each attack craft held five squadrons of the finest Brelari warriors prepared for the impending operation. It had come as a surprise to intelligence personnel that the population of Mysuti on Silie 4 was close to five thousand, three thousand of which were trained in military skills and combat.
The Brelari had ten thousand warriors in the squadrons now entering the atmosphere of the planet below with one order given to all the troops.
Wipe out the remaining Mysuti, completely.

The surface of Silie 4 was covered entirely in dense forest and undergrowth which was a complete opposite to the barren, sulphorous rock of Brelar, so when the squadrons landed on the planet, they would be faced with an unfamiliar terrain.

Five squadrons landed to the North of the main populated central cities and five to the South. Each would make their way to the populated area and kill any Mysuti encountered on the way. Once the target had been reached by all ten squadrons from both directions, a full assault would begin.
Another four squadrons were on standby in orbit, waiting to be deployed to the rest of the planet once the main assault had been completed.

Squadrons one to five of the Brelari invasion force landed in an open area of dense forest and poured out of their attack craft like a stampede of cattle thundering along the ground. Five thousand Brelari warriors, fully armed for combat, seeped into the trees and woodland that greeted them on landing.
Each squadron was split into five, two hundred warrior strong divisions, following coordinates pre determined before the mission began.
Squadron one split and began to move at walking pace through the forest. Its five divisions were led by Cutan lin, Khoshun, Echin dun, Nusin and Xatel kal.

Khoshun reached the first point of contact committed to memory earlier from surveillance images captured by the command vessel above in orbit. He ordered a full stop by all his troops and they all dropped to the floor or found a safe, camouflaged position.
There was a dim light creeping through the curtain of branches and leaves above, and Khoshun could see many of his division crouched behind tree trunks or large bushes. Some were laying flat on the floor awaiting his next command so he sent a message using the communication beacon he was wearing on his armoured jacket. The command vessel replied almost immediately and a green light appeared on the beacon which indicated to Khoshun that he was to advance as the original plan had detailed.
Khoshun stood slowly, holding his fist up in the air before pointing towards a northern direction as he walked forward, followed by his troops.

Khoshun and the second division of Brelari troops reached a large area in the dense forest, stopping among the undergrowth as another update was transmitted to them.
Khoshun was expecting the usual advancement orders from the command vessel but instead he received a message from Cutan Lin, the leader of the fourth division.
"Division two, state your position and status," his voice said through the earpiece worn by Khoshun.
"We have reached an opening in the forest and are proceeding around its perimeter to stay camouflaged by the trees. I report no contact yet with the Mysuti."
"We are close to your position on the hill to the north and have discovered an abandoned research building. I request your division joins mine on the hill for combined reconnaissance of the building," Cutan Lin requested.
"Affirmative division four. Expect contact in standard pattern," Khoshun replied and began to notify his troops using hand signals that were copied throughout the two hundred strong division, ensuring all of them were aware of the new objective.
They began to move among the trees again covertly, making their way towards the hill where division four were awaiting their arrival.
They moved in groups of twenty, aware at all times of the movement and location of the other troops in the division and had reached the foot of the hill, a distance of over half a mile, in less than five minutes.
"Division four, we have reached the hill and are at ground level. State your current position," Khoshun said, speaking into a microphone in his jacket.
"Affirmative division two, the research facility is on the other side of this hill. Prepare for a visual signal in four, three, two, one."
Khsohun looked up the hill through the thick branches and leaves above him and immediately saw three quick flashes of red light in the long grasses that grew on the slope.
"Division four, visual has been seen. Expect our arrival shortly," Khoshun said.
Cutan Lin remained perfectly still as he and his division lay hidden in the long grass while Khoshun began, along with his troops, to slowly crawl out of the forest and up the hill.

"I've sent a thirty strong unit to the other side of the building, in case some of the enemy are present. Now your division is here, I want to move to the top of the hill and join the scouts I sent up there as they have the best vantage point," Cutan Lin explained as Khoshun crawled through the grass next to him.
"The building is just in view from here and the scouts report no activity. As soon as the unit I deployed reports in, we'll know for certain," he continued.
"Affirmative," Khoshun said.
"Unit in position on the north side of the building. Receive," a voice said in Cutan Lin's earpiece.
"Received. We will now manoeuvre up the hill to the south side of the building and contact you when we reach there. Transmission end."


The building was square in shape with two levels, stood sixty feet high and two hundred in length. It had been constructed from mined rock which gave the exterior a rustic, uneven appearance, dark grey in colour.
Twenty large, thick glass panels covered by wire mesh were sparingly set along the walls and it had only one entrance on the north facing side, where two large wooden doors were set, standing nine feet high and five wide, into the rock exterior. On each door an emblem of a circle with a square inside was carved to signify the building was used for scientific purposes, although the Brelari were unaware of this.

"Khoshun, I'll take my division inside while you provide cover. Once we have secured the interior, I will contact you," Cutan lin said, standing at the entrance to the abandoned research building.
"Affirmative. I suggest we search it quickly Cutan, my scanners have picked up a moving weather front heading towards our position and it has a high energy reading. It may be one of the electrical storms we were briefed about on the command vessel."
"Understood Khoshun," Cutan lin said and division four began moving into the building, working their way through the corridors, laboratories and rooms, checking for signs of the enemy as they did.
Cutan lin reached an empty laboratory and although he had never seen equipment used by the Mysuti before, the apparatus seemed familiar to him.
He walked in and up to a long table, lit from underneath, letting his eyes examine all the equipment laid along it.
He felt uneasy and cautious because the laboratory showed obvious signs of recent use as it was still clean and sterile and not the scene of abandonment that he was expecting.
"Leader Cutan lin," a voice said into his earpiece.
"Receive."
"We have checked the interior and it is clear. Awaiting your command."
Cutan lin looked around the laboratory again, still with the cautious feeling inside him.
"Cutan lin, have you secured the building?" Khoshun asked through the earpiece, "The weather front I picked up on my scanner is now close and will be directly upon us very soon."
"Affirmative. Enter the building and I will meet you in the main corridor, there is something in here you must see," Cutan lin said and left the laboratory.


"Our scans of the building show it will provide suitable cover for us from the storm. What did you want to show me?" Khoshun asked as he entered the research building and met with Cutan lin.
"My first impressions lead me to believe this facility and especially the laboratories have been occupied recently. I suggest we shelter from the incoming storm but show no lapse in concentration or focus."
"Understood. The troops have already been instructed so we can inspect the laboratories again, there must be a reason why the Mysuti abandoned their work here," Khoshun offered.
The two Brelari leaders reached the laboratory that had raised Cutan lin's anxiety and began to search through the equipment and research that lay on the tables and surfaces throughout the room.


A short time after they entered the building, which was brightly lit with manufactured lighting sources attached to the walls and ceilings, darkness fell on the lush green foliage that could be seen through the glass panels on the out facing walls. The storm had reached their position and scans indicated it would last for close to three hours.
The trees and branches in the distance began to sway, slowly at first but occasionally a violent and sudden gust of wind would whip them in every direction. The sky turned into a dark, swirling blanket of thick cloud and thunder, streaked with magnificent bursts of lightning.
Khoshun and Cutan lin were familiar with such harsh weather as the conditions on Brelar were often as volatile.
"I don't understand the language Khoshun but from the symbolism and graphics used, I deduce these experiments were of a neurological nature. I recognise this image from the briefing on the control vessel when we were all shown biological details about the Mysuti. This is without a doubt, the scan of a Mysuti brain," Cutan lin said, holding the printed image in his hand so Khoshun could see it.
"We will have to shelter inside while the storm passes over so we can check other rooms in that time. I agree with you though Cutan, something doesn't feel right."
"Let's start immediately Khoshun, there's nothing more of interest here."
They walked back into the main corridor leading directly from the main entrance, turned right and after a few steps were at the doors to another room, much larger than the laboratory they'd recently left.
It had rows of seating running to the far end, where a raised podium had been constructed and along each wall, as was evident in the small laboratory, there were diagrams, charts and images relating to Mysuti biology. Khoshun noticed, as he walked through the seats towards the podium that some of the seats had open files placed on them, arousing his suspicions once again.
"I do not understand this Cutan. We're obviously in a teaching facility that has been used very recently but there are no students or lecturers anywhere to be seen. Why would they leave in such a hurry?"
The thought entered their heads at exactly the same moment and caused an immediate defensive reaction from them both. They ran to the right wall until their backs were close against it, holding their guns tightly with both hands, slowly swinging them left to right.
Khoshun waited for a brief moment before contacting all the troops in the building to update them of the situation.
"This is leader Khoshun, the enemy may have known about our arrival here and I believe this is why the building is empty but evidence of recent occupation and use is evident. All troops must be focused and alert for signs of the enemy and I want a unit to take position at the exterior of the building. Transmission end."
"Leader Khoshun, there is something important that you and leader Cutan lin must see on the second tier," a troop's voice said into his earpiece.
"Received. We will join you immediately," Khoshun replied as he and Cutan lin left the room and made their way to the stairs at the back of the building which were attached with long metallic rods, suspending each step, a thick chunk of mined rock, from the ceiling.
On reaching the second tier, the Brelari troop who had contacted Khoshun, stepped out of the doorway of the room he was in and pointed inside, indicating they join him.
"Leader Khoshun, Leader Cutan lin, in here. I believe I have discovered important information as to why the Mysuti have deserted this place."
The room was similar in appearance to the teaching room on the ground floor but instead of a podium being built at the far end, this room had a wide screen hanging from the ceiling and was surrounded by technical machinery which Cutan lin recognised as disc recording equipment. The screen was not blank and had a frozen frame of recording on it showing what seemed to be the outside of the building they were now in.
As he walked over to inspect the screen and equipment at closer detail, he noticed a pile of discs were scattered across the top of a small desk near to the screen.
Khoshun looked at the troop who was still standing in the doorway.
"Secure the outside of this room with a small three man unit. I need to see what is on the rest of this disc recording."
The troop left the room and carried out his designated orders as Cutan lin began to look at the buttons on the equipment's console.
He didn't understand the Mysuti language and was unsure which one would start the disc running again.
He saw a line of symbols in the middle of the console that seemed to indicate direction by use of arrows so instinctively pressed one.
It was the correct decision and the image on the screen began to play on the screen.
There was no sound and the recording showed the building they were now in before moving to the dense areas of forest and the sky above looking similar to the dark, storm filled atmosphere Khoshun and Cutan lin could see out of the windows.
The recording continued to show similar material until it centered on the building again, focusing in on the rock used. The screen split into two, one half paused on the building and the other began to display information about the rock.
"Contact the command vessel Cutan. We must translate this information as quickly as possible," Khoshun said.
Cutan lin tapped at the keys of the communicator on his wrist to request any cross referenced language files available be sent to him.
"They'll reply soon Khoshun but it looks to me as if the recording is related to the research we've already found here."
A dull beep followed his sentence indicating that the language translation request had been sent to his communicator. Cutan lin looked at the buttons on the console again, remembering that one was lit when he first inspected it. He pressed it again and the recording paused.
Cutan lin transferred the data sent from the command vessel to the larger viewer he was carrying in his combat tunic and the Mysuti alphabet appeared on the small screen.
He began to tap on the symbols in the order they appeared on the main screen and after a couple of minutes Cutan lin had begun the translation programme.
"What does it say?" Khoshun asked.
"It's converting the text now but the command vessel didn't send a complete alphabet...wait Khoshun....I have some results now. The recording states that the rock material used in this building cannot provide accurate protection against," he stopped talking briefly, "The translation ends there. The programme cannot complete anymore," Cutan lin said, frustrated.
"What would the building need protecting from?" Khoshun asked.
Cutan lin pressed the play button on the console again and the recording continued and after a couple of seconds returned to one view on the screen. The image was of a Mysuti male lying on an operating table surrounded by others wearing what looked like sterile clothing.
The recording zoomed onto the Mysuti lying down and it was immediately obvious that he was dead but his skin was burnt and discoloured as well.
"I have an idea Khoshun, stop the recording because I need to see the research material downstairs again. I don't think the Mysuti knew we were coming at all. I think they are affected by these storms and went into hiding before it reached them. I'll know for sure once I see the data in the laboratory," Cutan lin said, standing quickly from his seat.
Khoshun paused the recording and followed Cutan lin through the building again until they reached the laboratory downstairs, accompanied by booming thunder and bright flashes of lightning throughout the corridors as they went.

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