Ch 61: A Familiar Battlefield

Mira adjusted the scope of her rifle, her breath steady despite the biting wind sweeping through the outskirts of Ensemble. The city loomed in the distance, its skyline marked by fortified structures and ever-present drone patrols. Beneath its surface, however, a war simmered.

Tonight, she wasn't here to pick sides.

She was here to end someone.

The Target

The man was called Rhael Varis, leader of a resistance group fighting against Ensemble's rulers. From what Mira had gathered, his faction had grown too bold, threatening the balance of power in the region.

Someone wanted him gone.

The contract was clear—eliminate him before his forces launched an all-out offensive.

Her employers were unnamed, but she didn't need names. She had long accepted that mercenary work wasn't about morality. It was about survival.

Still, something about this mission unsettled her.

Setting the Trap

Mira moved through the outskirts with practiced silence, her gear carefully chosen for this kind of operation. Her rifle, modified for urban engagements, hung across her back, while a compact sidearm and knife remained within easy reach.

The resistance had taken refuge in an abandoned industrial zone, using old warehouses and underground tunnels to avoid detection. Rhael Varis was known to rally his people in person, and tonight was no different.

Her intel suggested that he would be meeting with his lieutenants in a rundown factory at the edge of the district.

She positioned herself in the skeletal remains of a collapsed building, a vantage point overlooking the meeting site. The structure was riddled with holes, allowing her to see without being seen.

Through her scope, she spotted them—five men, one woman, and Rhael Varis at the center.

She steadied her rifle.

The shot was lined up. One pull of the trigger, and the contract was done.

But then, she heard something—a shift in the wind, a faint footstep behind her.

Mira rolled instinctively, drawing her knife just as a figure lunged at her.

Steel met steel as her blade clashed against another. Her attacker was fast, skilled—not just some resistance soldier.

A mercenary?

She pivoted, forcing distance between them. A second attacker emerged from the shadows, wielding a silenced pistol.

So, it wasn't just an assassination mission.

It was a setup.

Mira dived behind cover as the first shot rang out. Her instincts took over.

Two enemies. One close combatant, one ranged. She needed to eliminate the shooter first.

She grabbed a flashbang from her belt and tossed it. The explosion of light and sound bought her a second—just enough.

Her pistol snapped up. One shot.

The shooter dropped.

The melee fighter recovered quickly, launching himself at her again with a vibro-blade, a weapon that hummed faintly in the cold air.

Mira dodged, barely avoiding the deadly edge. He was fast—but not faster than a bullet.

She fired twice. The first shot missed, but the second caught him in the leg.

With a pained grunt, he stumbled, and Mira finished the job with a final shot to the head.

Her breathing was heavy, but she wasn't done yet. She turned her rifle back to the meeting point.

Rhael Varis was gone.

She cursed. Had the resistance planned for this? Had someone tipped them off?

Mira knew one thing for certain—her mission had just gotten a lot more complicated.