The Covert Operations

The air over Polaris Spire carried an unnatural stillness, one that seemed to hold its breath in anticipation. Inside the command room of the Lumenis estate, Aether and Arath stood at the helm of a table displaying a three-dimensional holographic map of Aetron. Around them, the allied leaders—Kara Velis, Garrik Vorn, and Alira Feyn—watched the unfolding operation with unwavering focus. Each of their faces bore the weight of the mission's stakes.

"This is it," Kara said, her voice firm but quiet, as she leaned forward to examine the glowing markers on the map. "The teams are in place, we're joining them soon. There's no turning back now."

Arath nodded, his hands deftly moving across the control interface. "The synchronization is perfect. When we give the order, every team will strike simultaneously. They'll move fast, eliminate resistance, and cripple the dissenting council's infrastructure before they even realize what's happening."

Garrik Vorn, a hulking Aetranite with sharp, commanding features, folded his arms. "If even one team falters, this whole operation could collapse. The element of surprise is all we have."

"We've planned for every contingency," Aether said, his voice steady. "Now, we trust you people to execute successfully. Keep the channels clear. No unnecessary chatter."

Kael stood quietly at the back of the room, watching the holographic display with narrowed eyes. Eryndor, stationed beside him, placed a firm hand on Kael's shoulder, silently reminding him of his place. Kael, though brimming with impatience, said nothing.

---

*Garrick's operation*

The troop assembly point was a fortress, the largest of the dissenting council's bases in Polaris Spire. Massive walls, reinforced with energy barriers, surrounded the compound. Watchtowers lined the perimeter, their searchlights cutting through the night, while heavily armed guards patrolled the grounds. Transport vehicles and shuttles were scattered across the area, ready to deploy the council's forces at a moment's notice.

Garrik Vorn stood a short distance from the compound with his team of six operatives, all disguised as cargo handlers. Each carried crates filled with explosives and weapons concealed under false bottoms. The uniforms they wore bore the insignia of the council's logistics division, carefully forged by their allies. Garrik adjusted his comm device, his deep voice calm but authoritative.

"Listen up. We have one shot at this," he said, his piercing gaze sweeping over his team. "Our objective is to cripple their ability to deploy troops. That means vehicles, weapons caches, and supply lines. No unnecessary risks. Stick to the plan."

His operatives nodded, their faces set with determination.

"Remember," Garrik continued, "once we're inside, move in pairs. Make it look routine until I give the signal. We take them down quietly at first—no loud engagements unless absolutely necessary."

With that, they loaded their crates onto a transport cart and approached the main gate. The guards at the checkpoint glanced at them, their expressions bored.

"What's your clearance code?" one of the guards asked.

Garrik stepped forward, his towering frame radiating authority. He handed over a forged data pad. "Routine delivery from the central depot," he said gruffly.

The guard scanned the pad, frowning as he checked the records. For a tense moment, Garrik's hand hovered near the concealed energy blade on his belt. Finally, the guard waved them through.

"Move along," the guard muttered.

The assembly point was a hive of activity. Soldiers moved between barracks and vehicle hangars, while technicians worked on shuttles and weapons systems. Garrik's team maneuvered the cart through the chaos, carefully observing the layout.

"Split up," Garrik ordered quietly through his comm. "Pairs one and two, sabotage the vehicles. Pair three, set charges on the weapons caches. I'll handle the command station."

The operatives dispersed, blending seamlessly with the workers and guards. Garrik headed toward the command station, a small but heavily guarded building overlooking the compound. He kept his head down, his eyes scanning for weaknesses in the security.

Operatives Arlen and Joran approached the vehicle hangars, their crates in tow. Inside, rows of armored transports and hovercraft were lined up, their engines humming faintly. Mechanics worked on a few of them, while guards loitered nearby.

Arlen whispered to Joran, "We need a distraction to get the mechanics out of here."

Joran nodded and pulled a small device from his pocket, a signal disruptor designed to interfere with nearby comms. He activated it and tossed it near the entrance, where it began emitting a low-pitched hum.

One of the mechanics frowned, tapping his comm unit. "What the—? My comms are down."

"Mine too," another mechanic said.

The guards moved to investigate, leaving the vehicles unattended. Arlen and Joran seized the opportunity, slipping between the transports and planting explosive charges on the engines. They worked quickly but carefully, ensuring each charge was placed where it would cause maximum damage.

"Charges set," Arlen whispered.

"Good," Joran replied. "Let's move before they notice."

They retreated to a safe distance, blending back into the crowd as the disruptor's signal faded.

Meanwhile, operatives Lira and Ven approached the weapons storage area, a heavily guarded building near the center of the compound. The pair carried their crates into the storage area, where rows of plasma rifles, energy blades, and ammunition were neatly stacked.

"Inventory delivery," Lira said, handing over a forged manifest to the quartermaster.

The quartermaster barely glanced at the document before waving them in. "Put it over there," he said, pointing to an empty corner.

As they unloaded the crates, Lira whispered, "We need to clear this place out before we can plant the charges."

Ven nodded and subtly activated a smoke emitter hidden in his crate. Within moments, a thin plume of smoke began to rise, triggering the fire alarm.

"Fire! Everyone out!" the quartermaster shouted, ushering the guards and workers outside.

Lira and Ven moved quickly, planting explosives on the weapons racks and ammunition crates. They set the charges to detonate in sequence, ensuring the entire storage area would be destroyed.

"Done," Ven said as they slipped out, the smoke still billowing.

Garrik reached the command station, where two guards stood at the entrance. He approached them confidently, his forged clearance papers in hand.

"Delivery for the command center," he said, his voice gruff.

The guards hesitated, eyeing him suspiciously. Before they could react, Garrik moved with lightning speed, his energy blade flashing as he incapacitated them.

He entered the command station, where a lone officer was monitoring security feeds. The officer looked up in surprise, but Garrik was on him in an instant, silencing him with a precise strike.

Garrik quickly accessed the command terminal, uploading a virus designed to disrupt the compound's systems. As the screens flickered and alarms blared, he activated his comm.

"All teams, this is Vorn. Extraction now."

As the teams regrouped near the main gate, the first explosion rocked the compound. The vehicle hangars erupted into flames, sending debris flying. Seconds later, the weapons storage area detonated, a chain reaction of blasts lighting up the night sky.

"Go, go, go!" Garrik barked, leading his team through the chaos.

Guards scrambled to respond, but the sabotage had thrown the compound into disarray. Soldiers shouted orders over malfunctioning comms, and fire suppression systems struggled to contain the spreading flames.

Garrik's team slipped through the gate just as another explosion tore through the command station, cutting off the compound's remaining systems.

"Mission accomplished," Garrik reported as they disappeared into the night.

*Alira's Mission*

The communication hub was a towering structure in the heart of the dissenting council's stronghold, a sleek building of metal and glass housing the planet's most advanced communication relays. It was responsible for coordinating troop movements and disseminating encrypted messages across Aetron. Disabling it was critical to disrupting the council's operations.

Alira Feyn, known for her adaptability and quick thinking, led a team of five operatives. Unlike Garrik's team, their approach relied on precision and stealth rather than brute force. The hub was heavily fortified, with automated turrets on the perimeter and patrolling guards. Any alarm raised here would alert the entire council network.

Alira and her team arrived disguised as technicians, their forged credentials granting them access to the lower levels of the building. They carried toolkits containing concealed weapons and hacking devices, their uniforms marked with the council's official insignia.

Before approaching the entrance, Alira gathered her team in the shadow of a nearby building. Her dark, metallic hair glinted faintly under the streetlights as she issued her final instructions.

"Listen carefully," she said, her voice calm but commanding. "Our goal is to plant a network disruptor in the relay core. This will sever their communication channels and give us control of the system for a brief window. We'll work in two teams. Team A will handle the security systems and create a diversion if necessary. Team B is with me—we're going to the relay core. No mistakes, no unnecessary risks."

Her team nodded, their expressions resolute.

"Remember," she added, her shimmering silver eyes locking onto each of them, "if we're compromised, we abort immediately. Our lives are not expendable."

With that, they approached the entrance. The guards at the checkpoint glanced at their credentials, their suspicion momentarily flaring.

"Routine maintenance," Alira said smoothly, handing over the forged documents. Her tone was confident, unyielding.

The lead guard scrutinized the documents, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Just don't wander into restricted areas."

"Understood," Alira replied, masking her relief as the team was allowed through.

Team A, consisting of two operatives, veered off toward the security control room. The building's corridors were sterile and brightly lit, the hum of machinery filling the air. The two operatives carried toolkits marked with false maintenance schedules.

Reaching the security room, they found two guards stationed outside. One operative, a tall man with a quiet demeanor, feigned a malfunction with his toolkit.

"Hey," he called out to the guards, holding up a sparking device. "We've got a short circuit in the main relay. Can you check if it's affecting your systems?"

The guards exchanged a glance. "Hang on," one of them muttered, stepping closer to inspect the device.

The moment the guard was within reach, the second operative struck, his movements swift and precise. The guards were subdued silently, their bodies dragged into a nearby maintenance closet.

Inside the security room, the operatives worked quickly. Using a portable hacking device, they disabled the building's automated turrets and triggered a false alarm on the upper floors. The distraction sent several guards scrambling, leaving the lower levels less protected.

"Security systems offline," one of the operatives reported to Alira through the comm. "You're clear to move."

Alira led Team B through the lower levels, navigating a maze of corridors and stairwells. The relay core was located on the fourth sublevel, a restricted area requiring high-level clearance. Along the way, they encountered a patrol of three guards.

"Let me handle this," Alira whispered, stepping forward. She approached the guards with practiced ease, holding up a forged maintenance order.

"Emergency calibration in the relay core," she said. "We need access immediately."

One of the guards frowned. "I wasn't informed of this."

Alira tilted her head, her expression cool and authoritative. "That's because it just came through. Do you want to explain to your superiors why the system went offline during your shift?"

The guard hesitated, then grudgingly stepped aside. "Fine. Make it quick."

As the team passed through the checkpoint, one of Alira's operatives muttered, "How do you stay so calm under pressure?"

"Because panic gets you killed," she replied curtly, her eyes scanning for potential threats.

Reaching the relay core, they found it guarded by a single technician and a pair of armed guards. Alira signaled for her team to hold back, then approached the technician with an air of urgency.

"We're here to recalibrate the relay," she said, holding up another forged document. "There's a timing desync in the signal matrix."

The technician blinked in confusion. "I wasn't informed—"

Before he could finish, Alira struck, a small energy blade concealed in her sleeve slicing through his comm unit. Her team moved in, subduing the guards with a combination of stun weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The fight was brief but efficient, leaving the room silent.

Alira and her team set to work, unpacking the disruptor from their toolkit. The device was a sleek, compact cylinder designed to interface directly with the relay's control panel. One of her operatives, a skilled technician, began connecting it to the system.

"This will take a minute," he said, his hands moving deftly over the controls.

Alira kept watch, her energy blade at the ready. The hum of the relay filled the room, a constant reminder of the stakes. If they failed, the council's forces would maintain their coordination, giving them a significant advantage in the coming conflict.

"Hurry up," she urged, her voice low but tense.

"Almost there," the technician replied. "Just a few more seconds."

Finally, the disruptor activated, its blue lights pulsing as it integrated with the relay. The screens around the room flickered, the system struggling to compensate.

"We're in," the technician said. "The council's comms are down, and we have control of the relay for the next fifteen minutes."

"Good," Alira said. "Let's move."

As the team retraced their steps, alarms began to blare throughout the building. The false alarm on the upper floors had been discovered, and guards were returning to the lower levels.

"We've got company," one of the operatives warned, glancing over his shoulder.

"Stay calm," Alira said. "Stick to the plan."

They reached the main corridor leading to the exit, only to find it swarming with guards. Alira assessed the situation quickly, her mind racing.

"We'll create a distraction," she said, handing a small explosive charge to one of her operatives. "Plant this on the structural support over there. When it goes off, the ceiling will collapse, and we'll use the chaos to slip out."

The operative nodded and moved swiftly, planting the charge while the others took cover. Moments later, the explosion rocked the corridor, sending debris raining down. The guards scrambled to respond, giving Alira's team the opening they needed.

They slipped through the chaos, exiting the building and disappearing into the night. As they regrouped at the extraction point, Alira allowed herself a brief moment of relief.

"Mission accomplished," she reported through the comm. "The comm hub is offline."