Baptism by Fire

Northern Mali, 2023.

The sand kicked up in clouds as the Osprey transport touched down on a cleared ridge overlooking the small insurgent-held village. Captain Ross sat inside, arms crossed, helmet on, waiting for the green light.

Across from him, three more operators sat strapped into the benches, each wearing a Titan Mk-I exosuit. Fully activated. Fully synced.

The deployment brief had come through two nights ago—rapid recon and combat sweep. Intel flagged the location as a key logistics node for a growing insurgency. No civilians, no infrastructure worth preserving. Just a target.

"Thirty seconds!" the crew chief called out.

The interior lights shifted to red. Ross gave a curt nod to his team.

"Final sync check," he said, voice flat through the comms. "Call it."

"Cruz, green."

"Donovan, green."

"Price, green."

Ross took a breath. "Ross, green. Let's go."