Aftermath.

The Supreme Commander's hand clenched into a fist, slamming down hard on the table. 

The officers nearby flinched at the sudden sound, their eyes darting to their commander. He rarely displayed anger openly, but this was too much.

"Who in hell sent them to Lenon without my order?!" He shouted, his voice booming across the room.

One of the officers finally stepped forward, his voice quivering as he tried to explain. "Sir, it appears the decision was made in Headquarters."

"Lenon and the Sangur Line were abandoned for a reason! Who authorized this retreat to an already lost position without my knowledge?""

Silence followed as the officers exchanged uncertain glances, none of them knowing who had sent the order.

They all knew what the Supreme Commander meant, Lenon had been abandoned because the Sangur Line, their main defensive barrier, was too much to hold.

The new defensive line, drawn kilometers behind Sangur Line.

The Supreme Commander clenched his jaw, his frustration simmering just beneath the surface. They had likely been sent to their deaths, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than just an operational mistake, this was a betrayal of the Imperium, and whoever was responsible would face the consequences.

Turning away from the radio, he marched toward the large map table in the center of the room, his gaze fixed on the rivers cutting through the terrain near Lenon. His mind raced as he calculated the fastest route for an extraction.

"Send a ship up the river!" He ordered, his voice cold and precise. "I want every soldier in that water pulled out. We can't let them drown there."

One of his senior officers nodded swiftly, stepping to a nearby console to relay the order to the naval forces. "We'll deploy immediately, sir."

The Supreme Commander barely acknowledged the response, his attention now on a more critical matter.

He reached for the red phone on his desk, the direct line to Colonel Hestus, the commander of the Special Operations Force of the Imperium. It rang only once before Hestus answered.

"Colonel Hestus speaking."

"Hestus, I need your recon units deployed to Lenon immediately. Someone sent our forces back there, and I need answers. I want that area scouted thoroughly."

"Understood, sir." Hestus replied calmly, his voice steady despite the urgency of the situation. "We'll move out within the hour."

The Supreme Commander hung up the phone and exhaled slowly, his mind still racing. Lenon had been a deliberate loss, a calculated risk to protect their stronger positions further back. For someone to undermine that decision… it was more than incompetence, it was sabotage.

His eyes fell upon the black phone that sat on the far end of his desk, the direct line to the Imperial Military Supervisory Committee. If anyone had the authority and resources to dig into this situation quickly and quietly, it was them. Without hesitation, he strode over, lifted the receiver, and dialed the secure number.

The line rang once, twice, before a voice answered on the other end.

"General Leika here."

"Leika, it's the Supreme Commander. I need you to find out who gave the order to send the 4th Battalion of the 2nd Imperial Transport Division and the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Imperial Infantry Division to Lenon."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, and the sound of shuffling papers. "Lenon?" General Leika repeated, confusion in his voice. "But that area was abandoned. Why would they—"

"Exactly!" The Supreme Commander interrupted, his tone sharp. "That's why I need you to find out who gave the order and arrest them immediately. This wasn't cleared through me, and whoever sent those men there is responsible for a massacre."

Leika's voice hardened. "Understood, Commander. They'll be in custody before the night is through."

"Good."

The Supreme Commander hung up the phone, his expression dark as he turned to face the command room once again. He was a man who thrived on control, on precise strategies and calculated risks. For someone to go behind his back and send troops into a deathtrap like Lenon? 

As he moved toward the large windows overlooking the central courtyard of the command center, his thoughts were already spinning ahead, thinking of what the coming hours would bring. He would have to prepare for the fallout. Depending on who had authorized this, there could be far-reaching consequences, not just for the individual responsible, but for the entire chain of command that allowed such a reckless move.

He could see the faint outlines of soldiers moving through the courtyard below, unaware of the drama unfolding in the higher echelons of power. In a few short hours, everything could change for them for everyone.

Hours crept by, the silence in the command room hanging like a heavy curtain. The Supreme Commander sat at his desk, waiting, tension visible in the stiff set of his shoulders. His eyes barely left the map of Lenon, his mind imagining the disastrous battlefield that his troops had been thrown into without his command. Every tick of the clock only deepened his frustration, every minute lost was another life at risk.

Finally, the radio crackled to life.

"Command center, this is the Imperial Navy Rescue ship. We've fished out 121 men from the river, approximately 7 kilometers from Lenon. Most are injured, but all are alive."

He let out a slow breath, though it did little to calm the storm inside him. "Good," he muttered, "but that's just the beginning." Then, as if recalling a vital point, he leaned forward, his voice sharp over the radio. "Is there a man named Ivan among the survivors?"

There was a brief pause, followed by the sound of papers being shuffled on the other end of the line. 

"Yes, Commander." The voice replied. "We've confirmed Ivan is among the rescued."

"Ask him who gave the order to go to Lenon." The Supreme Commander demanded, his grip tightening on the microphone.

A few minutes passed, and then the reply came, laced with uncertainty.

"Ivan says the order came from headquarters, but he doesn't know who specifically gave it. However, the radio operator who relayed the message was Corporal Pinja."

The Supreme Commander's eyes narrowed. Corporal Pinja It wasn't much, but it was a thread to pull at. Without wasting another second, he picked up the black phone again and dialed the number for the Imperial Military Supervisory Committee.

The line clicked open, and General Leika's familiar voice greeted him. "Supreme Commander, any updates?"

"I have a name for you. Corporal Pinja, a radio operator. Track him down and find out who gave him the order to send those battalions to Lenon. I want him in custody within the hour."

"Consider it done." Leika replied. "I'll have him brought in immediately. Any word on the survivors?"

"We've pulled over a hundred men from the river, but this isn't over yet." He paused, feeling the weight of what was about to come. "Keep me updated on Pinja"

He hung up the phone, the tension building again. Before he could fully gather his thoughts, the radio flared to life once more, the voice of the reconnaissance unit cutting through the static.

"Command center, this is Recon Unit Alpha reporting. We've scouted the battlefield near Lenon…it's a massacre. No enemy movement detected, they pulled back. The only thing left is… burning iron beasts illuminating the field. There are hundreds of bodies. No signs of the enemy. Just… death."

The Supreme Commander felt his stomach twist. He had expected casualties, but a massacre? His fists clenched at his sides as he leaned toward the radio.

"Is it true? Are you sure the enemy has retreated?"

"Yes, sir." The voice replied, grim and shaken. "No enemy forces in sight. We've confirmed it visually and with System skill. They left the field after… whatever happened here."

The Supreme Commander took a deep breath, processing the news. Lenon had turned into a graveyard, a battlefield where his men had been sent to die for nothing.

And one more name gnawed at the back of his mind.

"Proceed to the tree line near the tanks." He ordered, his voice low but firm. "Find a Captain Fraihn. He was in the direct line of the assault and might still be alive. Do not return until you have found him, understood?"

"Roger that, Commander." The recon unit replied, before the radio fell silent once more.

Minutes dragged on like hours until finally, the voice of the recon unit broke through the radio static, bringing a flicker of hope to the Supreme Commander's heavy heart.

"Command center, this is Recon Unit Alpha. We found Captain Fraihn. He's alive, but he has a weak pulse and has lost a lot of blood."

"Get him stabilized and bring him back immediately!" The Supreme Commander ordered.

"Roger that, Commander." The unit replied, the determination in their voice palpable.

The first skill that they used on Fraihn was the "Hand of the Heavens," a rare ability that allowed the user to extend life for a limited time. It could buy precious hours for the dying, but it came with a cost. Every hour that the user gave was taken away from his lifespan.

But Draven did not care about that and was focused on activating the skill, a soft glow enveloped Fraihn, pulsing with energy that seemed to battle the very edges of death. 

Simultaneously, another medic activated the skill known as "Cross." This ability was essential for sealing wounds, acting like a healing balm that could mend injuries with incredible speed. The moment it activated, a warm light enveloped Fraihn's wounds, stitching flesh and muscle together as the medics worked meticulously to stop the bleeding. Fraihn's torn skin began to close and was ready to be transported.

As the recon unit prepared to extract Fraihn, the Supreme Commander turned to the junior officer standing at the edge of the command room. The young officer's face was pale, the weight of the situation evident in his wide eyes.

"Call the Imperial Military Hospital." The Supreme Commander instructed sharply. "Inform them that we're sending in a large number of soldiers who will need immediate medical attention."

"Yes, sir!" The junior officer replied, scrambling to his radio to relay the orders.

As the minutes passed, he could only hope that the recon unit would bring Fraihn back in time. The young captain had shown remarkable resolve, leading his men into the chaos and emerging with what could only be described as bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.