The fourth prince's form was made up of a bluish light that flickered as he moved.
"Welcome to your new home, I hope you find your accommodations to your liking." the prince said.
He continued, "This will be your first mission, so listen closely."
He made a gesture and the projection below him zoomed in to show more details of the landscape.
It showed a forest that had a large clearing in the middle of it. Within this clearing stood numerous bunkers and industrial buildings, all blowing plumes of smoke into the sky.
The bunkers on the outskirts of the compound held what looked to be large anti-aircraft guns, and various military vehicles dotted the surroundings.
"This is a manufacturing facility in Libya, Africa. The place is run by an African warlord who goes by the name of Khalifa Haftar. He's responsible for producing illegal progenitor serum and conducting experiments on the local populace."
The projection then changed to show a close up photograph of this, 'Khalifa Haftar.'
"This is your target. He has been selling progenitor serum to the Dynasty's enemies, and as such he must be eliminated. Our intel suggests that he is a strong powered individual with a retinue of powered guards, so exercise caution during your mission." the prince said solemnly.
The prince continued, "Eliminate the target, destroy the manufacturing facilities, and raze the place to the ground."
The projection of the compound returned, and Draco wondered how they were going to get past all of the compound's security.
However the prince was evidently finished with his explanation.
"Briefing over, move out men. Bring glory to the Khalid Dynasty." He said, his projection disappearing.
Ron turned towards the group, "You heard the prince. We'll be landing on the compound using the drop pods at the edge of the room. A shuttle will land to extract us if we are successful in our mission. Godspeed." he said.
When Draco heard that he wondered if that meant they would be left behind if they failed the mission.
He shook his head and decided to just hope for the best.
After Ron finished he left to head towards the metal tubes at the perimeter of the control center.
The rest of the group filed out and claimed their own drop pods.
Draco found a drop pod next to Demetri and Snow, and after they were standing in front of them, the doors opened up with a whoosh.
The metal door of Draco's pod opened upwards, and inside the pod held a seat surrounded by a number of screens.
Draco promptly got into his pod, and once he sat down his door slid closed above him.
Once he was sitting within the pod he buckled himself in, and a small projection screen came to life in front of his face.
The screen displayed the facilities he was just looking at on the command table, and a red circle was flashing around the outskirts of the area.
'That must be my drop point, fingers crossed that I make it back here.' Draco thought, resolving himself for the battle ahead.
Suddenly and without warning, Draco heard a loud bang.
His drop pod rocked violently, and his projection screen disappeared.
Draco could tell from the small window in his pod's door that he was now falling rapidly.
He could see the Death Barge above him getting smaller for a few moments, but it quickly vanished from his view entirely as he continued his descent.
He was also able to see the other pods of the rest of his strike team, and Draco wondered which ones held Demetri and Snow.
Draco watched with bated breath as his pod broke through the cloud line, and in the next few moments he was able to see the ground below him.
The ground increased in size until Draco was able to make out more details.
He could tell that he was above a forest, and in just a few seconds that forest increased in size until he could make out several small buildings below him.
Suddenly, one of the drop pods next to him exploded in a brilliant flash of red, and he saw tracer rounds flashing through the air around him.
His pod abruptly lit up with flashing red lights, and Draco held his breath.
'It would be so tragic if I die in this metal can before I even touch the ground.' Draco thought, praying to Gods he didn't even believe in.
Eventually, those small buildings below him had turned rather large, and before Draco could see more details his pod violently smashed into the ground.
The impact rocked Draco in his seat, and without warning his pod's door launched itself forward.
The door flew forward a few feet, letting fresh air flow into the pod through the opening.
Draco unstrapped himself from his seat and stepped out of his pod, not eager to remain in that death-trap for any longer.
He looked around and saw a green forest around him, but he didn't see any other members of his strike team.
However, he could see a clearing through the trees, only a short distance ahead of him.
Draco began to make his way towards the clearing when he heard the telltale sounds of gunfire in the distance.
He didn't know if he had been spotted or not, so he took cover behind a tree to wait things out a bit.
Draco was reaching for his pistol when he suddenly heard a noise that made him jump.
**Come in strike team. Reporting contact in sector Bravo. Over.** said a staticy voice that sounded like Ron.
Draco looked around for the source of the noise before realizing that it was actually coming from his pistol!
He unholstered the pistol and looked at it, seeing that there was a radio frequency on the small screen.
'Huh, interesting.' Draco thought, keeping the pistol out in case he needed it.
**Attention strike team, proceed to the compound** Ron said over the radio.
Hearing his orders, Draco proceeded to advance towards the compound.
As he got closer the sounds of battle became louder, and explosions and gunshots sounded off at an increasing frequency.
He had to take out his sword to slash through some thick vines that were blocking his path, but eventually the clearing he had seen during the briefing became visible.
Once the clearing was in sight Draco saw that the area had become a veritable war zone.
Armored military vehicles with machine guns on the top were shooting into the forest, and an explosion went off a few dozen yards ahead of him.
Behind the vehicles were a number of concrete bunkers. The anti-aircraft guns on the top of them were firing off, booming as they shot rounds into the sky.
Cursing to himself, Draco was wondering how he was going to get past all of this.
**Tactical airstrike inbound. Standby.** Ron said over the radio, answering Draco's question.
Draco didn't know what to expect, but not more than thirty seconds later a trio of small aircraft flew by. They dropped the first bombs onto the compound before speeding back off into the distance.
Draco watched as one of the bunkers exploded into a fiery cloud of shrapnel of concrete.
Another bomb dropped only a hundred meters away from him, the impact throwing him several feet backwards and leaving his ears ringing.
When he got up with shaky feet he noticed that the entire convoy of armored vehicles blocking his path were now smoldering wreckage.
Several concrete bunkers were still standing though, and their anti-aircraft guns were tracking the bombers as they turned around for another bombing run.
Draco saw one of the bombers get hit in the wing and fall from the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind it before it crashed into the forest with a large explosion.
The last two bombers flew over the compound, dropping a final salvo of bombs that detonated over a few of the bunkers.
Some of the bombs also landed on one of the industrial facilities, sending the tall building falling to the ground. It collapsed into a fiery pile of rubble, and the bombers flew off into the distance.
**Our air support is gone. Move in! Go! Go! Go!** Ron shouted over the radio.
Realizing this was his chance to reach the compound, Draco began to sprint through the clearing.
The clearing was easily a few hundred meters long, but Draco's enhanced body made quick work of the distance.
He ran over the wreckage of the armored vehicles, and in barely a minute he had already reached the smoldering remains of one of the bunkers.
Draco began to climb over the destroyed bunker's walls, but he heard the sound of someone screaming.
"AAAAhhh, my leg!" a man shrieked.
"Hush now Jabari, you're going to make it." another man said.
Draco peeked over the wall to see that a man was clutching his destroyed stump of a leg in agony, and another man was wrapping the leg in a tourniquet.
Realizing that there were survivors from the bombing, Draco dropped down from the wall and began to walk around it.
While holding his pistol at the ready, he found an opening in the wall that led into the bunker.
Draco walked through this opening, holding up his weapon towards the men in front of him.
The man administering first aid to his friend spotted him, and reached for a rifle on the floor.
Except Draco was faster.
Draco blew the man's head into pieces, and it exploded like a dropped watermelon.
'Holy sh*t! This weapon is powerful!' Draco thought morbidly, shocked by the sheer power the small pistol packed.