In the middle of the forest, Athena, Adrianna, and several Terran marines gathered around to discuss what they knew about the Decima forces and what their next course of action should be. Athena knew she had the final say, but she wanted to seek the counsel of the others before making the decision.
First, the Terran marines reported what they learned from the captives.
"What do we know about the defenses of this airfield?"
"The airfield designated Sigma is currently occupied by the 4th Mechanized Regiment. It is a standard Decima regiment, with 10 mechanized battalions and one standard drone detachment. It seems to be responsible for securing the nearby area and taking out small groups of Imperial forces that end up outside the main Imperial landing grounds. The first platoon that we destroyed belonged to this regiment."
"That's what I thought." Athena nodded.
"It gets even better, sir." The marine continued. "Most of these battalions are scattered throughout the area. The captives didn't know how many troops are left in the airfield, but it can't be many. Furthermore, not long ago, three of the ten battalions left this area entirely. Apparently, they were called upon to reinforce the main Decima offensive against the Imperial position."
"How would they know this? This should be classified information." Adrianna interrupted. Why would a few soldiers in the platoon know the army movement of the regiment?
"One of the platoons was in a battalion scheduled to return to Airfield Sigma for a break, but it was suddenly assigned a number of other missions that previously belonged to another battalion. The members of the battalion complained about this to their commanding officer, and in an attempt to explain this change, the major in command, Major Stanz, informed his men about the unit movements. Multiple soldiers in the platoon reported the same thing after being interrogated separately. It is unlikely they are lying."
"Oh, these idiots." Adrianna scoffed, satisfied by the answer but also surprised by the incompetence of the Decima officer. Something like this would never happen in the Imperial Army. If you were told to go somewhere, you better do that. If you were told your R&R was canceled, you better be happy about it.
"And their firepower?" Athena asked.
"The 4th Regiment has several dozen Overwatch and a handful of Overlord class gunships. They also have armored personnel carriers and light tanks. Whether these vehicles and aircraft are still in the airfield is currently unknown."
Athena nodded. She had encountered Overwatch gunships before, and she had learned about Overlord class gunships in the Imperial archives. Compared to the Overwatch class, the Overlord class traded troop-carrying capacity for additional firepower and a shield generator. They were also quite expensive to purchase and maintain.
As they were speaking, Athena reached into one of her armor's storage compartments and pulled out a paper map of the surroundings. These paper maps were issued to all sergeants and captains before the landing. Everyone had maps of the surrounding areas downloaded to their PEIs, but there was a chance the PEIs could be lost or damaged. The paper maps were meant as a backup.
Of course, many soldiers and officers had memorized the important locations before getting on the dropships. Athena knew where places like Landing Zone Lemma and Omega were, but she needed the map to see how far Airfield Sigma was.
For Athena, using her Imperial-issued PEI now could be dangerous. The GPS system wasn't online when they first crash-landed, but the Imperial Navy ships could change that any second. She also wasn't too sure if the PEIs could be tracked if they were turned on. There was no need to risk it.
She looked down at the map and quickly found the spot labeled Airfield Sigma.
"This airfield is approximately 35 kilometers away from here if we take the quickest path." She concluded. "However, 25 of these kilometers will be out on the open field. We can cover that on foot, but it will be dangerous. If they see us coming, this will give them time to recall units to defend or request reinforcements."
As of now, Athena had three dozen marines. Her maximum supply was 130 after unlocking the Tech Lab. However, even if she made them all into marauders or reapers, it would only be around 50 of the two units combined. A powerful force, especially when going against an unsuspecting Decima regiment with most of its forces absent. However, their numbers were just too low to take on the entire regiment at once. They were Terran marines, not Astartes space marines.
Adrianna glanced at Athena. She had no idea what Athena was doing right now. It was obvious Athena wanted to go after this Airfield Sigma, but why? Even if they could somehow take the airfield with a few dozen men, how would that help them escape this planet? Still, for now she simply focused on advising Athena the best she could.
"We can go at night, Athena. Use the darkness as cover." Adrianna explained before pointing at the sky. It was already getting dark. "A daily rotation of Sierra Prime is 15 standard hours. By the looks of it, things will be completely dark in 2 more hours."
Athena nodded. It was a better idea than heading right for the airfield now. Decima satellites and gunship scanners could still see in the dark, but they weren't the real threat to her. The Decima satellites, if they were still intact, could only take very detailed pictures of a small region. Gunship ground scanners also had limited range and often had trouble picking up individuals on the ground, and they were often too few in number to be everywhere at once. The main threat was that on the way to the airfield, they could run into Decima civilians or small groups of soldiers, who would then report their presence and bring gunships to them. Moving at night minimized this possibility.
Plus, she could further minimize her target by recalling all her Terran forces, arriving at Airfield Sigma alone, and then calling in her units. It would be a lot more difficult to detect one person than to detect two platoons of combatants.
When combined, these two measures should give her the greatest chance of success.
"Is it possible the fighting will stop by nightfall?" A Terran marine asked. If the fighting paused and everyone went home, then the airfield will be too well-defended for them to attack even if they could get there undetected.
"No, it won't. If anything the fighting will get more fierce." Athena answered before Adrianna could speak. She knew all too well the normal decisions made under these circumstances. "The Decima forces will likely push their attack so the Imperial troops on the ground won't have time to rest and recover. The Imperial forces may also take advantage of the darkness to deploy additional landing forces. Neither side can afford to take a break. It is still possible the Decima position will be reinforced by other units by the time we get there, but that is a risk we have to take."
Adrianna nodded quietly. Both sides could afford to throw as many bodies as necessary into the meat grinder. It wouldn't really matter how many units either side lost. If the Imperium could establish a foothold on the ground, the hardest part would be over and they could gradually expand on that and start conquering the entire planet. The Kingdom of Decima couldn't afford to back down either. If they retreated now, this war would be all but over.
The Terran marines nodded as well. This seemed to be the best option they had for taking the airfield.
"Very well. In that case, let's all get some rest." Athena said.
"One more thing, sir. What should we do with the POWs?" The first Terran marine suddenly interrupted.
Athena frowned. "What do they know about us?"
"Nothing the other Decima soldiers who we routed don't know, sir," The marine replied. During the second battle against the two Decima platoons, a lot of Decima survivors fled the battle and likely escaped the forest. Either way, their presence here in the forest was obviously well-known.
"How many survivors are there?"
"About half a dozen, sir."
"I see." Athena paused for a second before making her decision. "Keep them here for now. We will set them free when we leave for Airfield Sigma."
At this point, she didn't really mind the resources a handful of human deaths would give her, especially not when she was going to launch an attack that would likely kill dozens, if not hundreds, on the field of battle. It wasn't worth executing six unarmed and defeated POWs for.
The captives did know they were interrogated on Airfield Sigma, so letting them leave now might give them a chance to warn their commanders and increase the garrison of the airfield. That was why Athena wanted to wait until before they leave to release them. These prisoners no longer had their comms, nor did they have maps or armor. By the time they escape the forest on foot, the battle at the airfield would have started already. By then her objective would be obvious.
"Yes sir."
As the Terran marines left, Adrianna turned back to Athena. Now that they were alone, she could start asking her questions.
"Why are we going after this airfield, Athena? A unit of Imperial Special Forces may seek to take the airfield and challenge Decima control in this region, but there is nothing we can gain from that. If we want to leave this area, we can just get out of our armor and pose as refugees. I doubt anyone will stop us."
Since the Imperials obviously didn't announce where they were going to land in the Beta Regions, the area contained far more than just Imperial and Decima soldiers. It also had farms, villages, towns, and cities whose populations barely had any time to run before the shooting began. If Athena and Adrianna wanted to escape the fighting altogether, they could. Neither Decima nor Venya soldiers would be shooting unarmed civilians they came across. It was also much easier to get out of a suit of Guardian or Indominated class armor than to put them on. Removing their armor wouldn't be a problem.
There were still risks, but it was better than assaulting a Decima military base with a few dozen men.
"That is my backup plan," Athena admitted. If she couldn't unlock the Terran starport and secure her escape that way, she would do exactly that and move to other parts of the planet yet to be attacked. She would find a way to get a new identity and lurk among the populace. Once interplanetary transportation resumed, she would leave Sierra Prime that way. "However, if things go right, I may be able to find us a way out at the airfield."
Adrianna nodded, but she still had another question. "Even if we can reach the airfield and even if it is barely defended, it will take more than three dozen men to break through."
"I won't be attacking the airfield with just three dozen men. We will have reinforcements by the time we get there," Athena reassured her friend.
"Huh. I see." Adrianna tapped her chin. "Either way, you're the boss, Athena. It's your call. As I said, I trust you."
Despite what her frequent drinking might suggest, Adrianna was smart. She was smart enough to know Athena had a lot of secrets, and more often than not secrets weren't something she wanted to know. Where did these troops come from? How would taking this airfield help Athena? Adrianna didn't know, and she didn't care.
Plus, after seeing what Athena's troops could do, Adrianna knew she had no choice but to rely on Athena's judgment. What else could she do? Leave? With the things she saw already, Adrianna wondered if Athena would just let her go right now if she asked. It was just a matter of self-preservation. She already knew enough to seriously threaten Athena.
The fate of the two of them was already tied. They prosper together, or they fall together.
"One more thing, Adrianna," Athena said. "This trip to Airfield Sigma. I was thinking you should stay here in the forest. I will leave four of my men with you. They will keep you as safe as possible."
Athena's thoughts were simple. She herself had to go to summon the units at the airfield and reinforce them with new units as needed. That being said, there was little doubt this battle would be risky. There were so many things that could go wrong. She decided to take the risk because the potential gains was well worth it, but there was no need to bring Adrianna along.
Adrianna stood there for a second before tapping her rifle. "I appreciate it, but there is no need to look out for me. I am not a princess that needs to be protected, Athena. I am a soldier. I have killed more people than I can count, and I am ready to kill as many more as I need to."
The two stared at each other for a while, and Athena was the one to back down. "Yeah, well…good talk. I'll go check on the others. Uh…I'll go see if they need anything else."
As she walked toward the Terran marines, Athena could feel herself smile a little. She had to admit she was a little protective of Adrianna, not necessarily out of love or affection, but more so because Adrianna was the only person she was close to and could trust. She truly did want Adrianna to live a good life. That being said, Adrianna was right. She was hardly a damsel in distress, and to treat her as one would be insulting and wasteful.
"Sir." As Athena approached, a number of Terran marines stood up and greeted her.
Athena nodded at them before asking a question she had been wondering for a while. "So…I don't believe I ever got your names."
The newly summoned Terran marines looked almost identical with their weapons and armor. Athena could tell them apart due to the nature of the system and she could use any of them as her avatar, but she didn't really have a way to address them.
"Apologies, sir." The marine who introduced information about Airfield Sigma to Athena first nodded. "I am ME-0012."
"I am ME-0013." The marine who had trouble remembering names said.
"Serial numbers?"
"It's more efficient, sir."
Athena frowned. She wasn't going to refer to these men by a number as if they were robots or simple tools. They might be tools, but they had their own sapience and intelligence. She might have to send them to die for her, but the least she could do was treat them as human beings.
"Well, here's my new order. Choose a name for yourself. All of you."
The marines nodded. There was little reaction from them that would indicate their thoughts about the order, but as always, they obeyed. One by one, they took their time and chose their new names. Interestingly, most of them didn't go with more traditional names, instead opting for the name of common objects.
ME-0012 chose the name Rum, mainly since that was his favorite alcohol. ME-0013, a little late on the draw, had to settle with Vodka, his second favorite drink. ME-0003 and ME-0009, two of the bodyguards that had been close to Athena, chose the names Click and Dash, respectively. The others got their own names as well.
Athena tried her best to remember the names, despite knowing many of these marines might die soon. It was the least she could do.