Novus Terra was a city on the brink of chaos, but Lucius Vale thrived in the shadows, where chaos was just another tool to be wielded. With the Commanders of The Ascendant now suspicious of one another, Lucius knew it was time to execute the next phase of his plan. His aim was not just to weaken The Ascendant but to dismantle its very foundation. This required meticulous planning, precise execution, and the involvement of multiple operatives, each with a specific role to play.
The Recruitment of the Operatives
Lucius understood that no plan, no matter how brilliant, could succeed without the right people. He needed individuals who were not only skilled but also motivated by something personal—a vendetta, a cause, or even just a desire to survive in a world that was falling apart. Lucius set about assembling a team that could carry out the intricate tasks required to bring his strategy to life.
One of his first recruits was Caden Holt, a former Ascendant soldier turned mercenary. Caden had been a loyal soldier until The Ascendant betrayed his unit during a covert operation, leaving them to die in enemy territory. The betrayal had turned Caden into a bitter man, driven by a thirst for revenge. Lucius knew that Caden's knowledge of The Ascendant's military tactics and his combat prowess would be invaluable in executing the resistance's strikes.
Lucius approached Caden in a seedy underground bar, the kind of place where deals were made in the dark corners and trust was a commodity as rare as loyalty.
"I need someone who knows how to handle themselves in a fight, someone who's been on the inside," Lucius said, sliding a data chip across the table to Caden. "This chip contains the locations of key Ascendant supply depots. We're going to hit them hard, and I need someone who can lead the charge."
Caden picked up the chip, studying it for a moment before pocketing it. His eyes, cold and calculating, met Lucius's. "What's in it for me?"
"Revenge," Lucius replied without hesitation. "And a chance to watch The Ascendant burn."
Caden smirked, a dangerous glint in his eye. "I'm in."
Next, Lucius turned to Mira Vos, a skilled hacker with a penchant for chaos. Mira had once been a prodigy within The Ascendant's cyber division, but her rebellious nature and refusal to follow orders had led to her expulsion. Since then, she had been living off the grid, using her skills to disrupt The Ascendant's systems in small but effective ways. Lucius knew that with Mira's talents, they could cripple The Ascendant's communications and sow even more discord among the Commanders.
He found Mira in an abandoned warehouse, surrounded by screens and wires, her fingers flying across a keyboard as she infiltrated yet another Ascendant network.
"Mira," Lucius called out, his voice cutting through the hum of electronics. "I have a job for you."
Mira didn't look up from her work, but Lucius could see the smirk on her face. "You always do, Vale. What's it this time?"
"We're going after The Ascendant's communications. I need you to plant false intel and disrupt their coordination. Make them chase ghosts while we hit them where it hurts."
Finally, Lucius sought out Talia Graves, a master of disguise and infiltration. Talia had a history with The Ascendant, one that she kept buried deep. She had been a double agent once, playing both sides until a botched mission left her burned and on the run. Talia was a chameleon, able to blend in anywhere, and Lucius needed someone who could get close to the Commanders, feed them disinformation, and observe their reactions up close.
Lucius found Talia in the back of a high-end club, mingling with the city's elite, her identity shifting as easily as the night's conversations.
"Talia," Lucius said, his voice low and deliberate, "I need you to infiltrate The Ascendant's upper echelons. Get close to Commander Jaxon Kane. He's the weakest link, and I need someone on the inside to pull the strings."
Talia raised an eyebrow, her expression cool. "And what's your plan for when I'm in?"
Lucius leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. "I want you to feed him just enough truth to make him paranoid, but not enough to act until it's too late. We're going to make him implode from the inside out."
With his operatives in place, Lucius was ready to initiate the next phase of his plan. Each member of his team had a specific role to play, and together, they would bring The Ascendant to its knees.
The Strikes Begin
Caden Holt's first mission was to lead a strike against one of The Ascendant's key supply depots located in the industrial district of Novus Terra. This depot was crucial for maintaining The Ascendant's military forces, housing weapons, ammunition, and essential supplies. By crippling it, the resistance would not only weaken The Ascendant's military capabilities but also send a message that the resistance was a force to be reckoned with.
Caden, along with a small team of resistance fighters, approached the depot under the cover of darkness. Lucius had provided him with detailed schematics of the depot, courtesy of Mira's hacking efforts. Every guard rotation, every surveillance blind spot, and every exit was mapped out, leaving nothing to chance.
As they neared the depot, Caden signaled for his team to split into two groups—one would create a diversion at the front entrance, while the other would breach the depot from the rear. Caden led the rear assault team, moving with the silent precision of a trained soldier.
At the appointed time, the front team triggered an explosion, drawing the guards to the main entrance. As the guards scrambled to contain the situation, Caden's team moved in. They swiftly neutralized the remaining guards, using suppressed weapons to avoid detection.
Once inside, Caden directed his team to plant explosives at key structural points. These were not just ordinary explosives; they were custom-made devices designed to cause maximum damage while creating the illusion that the destruction had been caused by a rival guild. Lucius had been clear on this point—The Ascendant had to believe that their enemies were not just external but internal as well.
As the last charge was set, Caden took a moment to survey the depot. The Ascendant's arrogance had left them vulnerable, complacent in their belief that no one would dare challenge their authority. But that arrogance would be their downfall.
"Move out," Caden ordered, his voice calm and controlled. The team withdrew as silently as they had arrived, leaving the depot rigged to blow.
Moments later, the night sky was lit up by a series of explosions, each one carefully calculated to bring the entire structure down. The depot collapsed in on itself, the roar of the destruction echoing through the industrial district. By the time The Ascendant's forces arrived, it was too late. The depot was gone, and with it, a significant portion of their military supplies.
The Digital War
While Caden's team was busy on the ground, Mira Vos was waging her own war in the digital realm. Her mission was to disrupt The Ascendant's communications network, ensuring that their response to the depot attack would be delayed and disorganized. But Mira wasn't content with just causing chaos; she wanted to leave a mark, something that would remind The Ascendant that they were not as invincible as they believed.
Using a secure terminal, Mira infiltrated The Ascendant's central communications hub. This hub was responsible for coordinating all military and intelligence operations across Novus Terra, making it a prime target. Mira's plan was to insert a sophisticated virus into the system—one that would not only disrupt communications but also corrupt critical data files, rendering them useless.
Mira worked quickly, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she navigated the complex security protocols. She had to be careful; one wrong move could trigger an alert, and The Ascendant's countermeasures were notoriously brutal. But Mira was a pro, and soon she was deep within the system, planting her virus in the heart of the network.
As she worked, Mira couldn't resist leaving a personal touch. She embedded a message within the virus, one that would display on every terminal when the virus activated:
"Your reign of terror ends now. The resistance is coming."
With the virus in place, Mira initiated the final step—triggering a system-wide crash that would cripple The Ascendant's communications for hours. She watched as the network went dark, her lips curving into a satisfied smile.
"Game on," she whispered to herself, before logging off and disappearing into the shadows.
Talia's Infiltration
While Caden and Mira executed their missions, Talia Graves was already deep inside The Ascendant's inner circle, working her way closer to Commander Jaxon Kane. Disguised as an assistant to one of Jaxon's key advisors, Talia had spent weeks learning the routines and habits of those around her, slowly building trust and gathering intelligence.
Talia's mission was twofold: to feed Jaxon disinformation that would heighten his paranoia and to gather any intelligence that could be used against him. Lucius had emphasized the importance of subtlety—Jaxon had to believe that he was uncovering these plots on his own, not being manipulated.
Talia's moment came during a routine briefing with Jaxon and his advisors. As the meeting progressed, Talia subtly inserted a document into the pile Jaxon was reviewing. The document detailed