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Hyourasky Casa now served as the acting flagship of the fleet. Drach'n Fury and Drach'n Breath followed the fleet but the commanding officer hasn't been heard from since the ship and the Admiral had been found. Lead General now commanded the destroyer, even after its ammunition and supplies were distributed out among the fleet.

Kaitlin considered herself lucky while she rested in the bunk of her quarters. Staring up at the sky, she wondered how much food and water they had left. The ships had great recycling capacities but they were supplied to last the battle at the Black Line, not an extended voyage to last for more than nine months.

The sounds of one of the other wolves wake up drew her attention. Kaitlin watched as Yuri stood with a stretch and a yawn before gathering his clothes. The other two wolves stirred in their beds and slowly rose as well, but Alex was already up and missing from the bunk, as usual.

Joining her teammates, and only family she ever knew, Kaitlin also raised from her bed. She gathered her clothes as well and followed the others toward the showers. Under the warm water, she listened to conversation between two of the wolves adjacent to her.

"Do you really think they'll use this poisonous gas on our entire planet?" Yuri asked A.J. "It'll kill off the wildlife and most of the plants all around the planet. That's not to mention how many civilians that will die being exposed to it."

"We've been gone since the invasion," replied A.J. "What happened while we were gone, we don't know. I don't know what else can be done. At least the compound won't contaminate the soil so we can give our planet a chance to recover."

"I know," said Yuri sadly. "Even though they were some of our toughest mission, I liked it when Chief Colin would drop us off in the middle of nowhere on Canidera and Fellorian."

Kaitlin remembered their last mission, when the team had to get themselves off the planet while being hunted by their trainers. Spending time on that mountain with her team was a fond memory of hers; she understood why Yuri disliked the notion of having all that destroyed.

Kaitlin turned to the other wolves. Mary was quietly showering, listening the conversation as well. A.J. was finishing rinsing out his fur while Yuri leaned against the shower wall, ignoring the stream of water running through his fur.

"We should find Alex," she said, still looking at the other three wolves. "The fleet will be arriving home in approximately fourteen hours so let's be ready for anything when that time comes."

"Last I checked Alex was on the bridge with Admiral Zhang," remarked A.J. before he turned off his showerhead.

"I'm here now," Alex's voice said. They all turned to see Alex entering the showers but staying clear of the water. "Lead General Vale has called a meeting on Drach'n Breath. We're requested to be there, and after that we'll be transferred back to our old stations so pack up your gear and be ready to move ships."

"Yes sir," said the wolves. The remaining showers turned off after Alex had turned to leave. They dried off together and returned to their room to begin gathering what little gear they still had. Before long, they were on a shuttle flying over to the familiar carrier, Drach'n Breath.

On the ship they waited in one of the conference rooms for the rest to arrive. It didn't take long for a familiar figure to walk in, one in which they heard a lot of disturbing rumors about.

The prodigy, Admiral Alexander, stood at the head of the table, and with him were the two Fa martens. Disturbing rumors about the fox's imprisonment had been spreading around the fleet, but Kaitlin had found the classified data that confirmed the fox's infestation.

If he's infected, then why is he still in command?

The fox looked different, and not just because he was out of uniform. The undergarments he wore were light training clothes held up by a sash, and over those was a long and open coat that extended down to his hindpaws. The back of the coat was split halfway down to allow the fox's tail to move freely. When the coat moved, Kaitlin could see the handle of one of the fox's spears hanging from the sash, along with a sheathed sword. Even with the unusual attire, the fox's expression made Kaitlin nervous. It made her feel cold but also showed her the fiery determination that he had, as solid as ice.

What motivates him? He's been held prisoner for a year.

No words were exchanged between the wolf pack and the younger kit by the time Lead General Vale arrived. With him were the dozen officials that commanded the fleet.

"Please find a seat," Lead General said to his officers while taking a stand next to the younger fox. The arctic fox was hardly half as tall of the General's height but they both remained standing. "I called this meeting because we will be arriving home today. However, this return is not to get some rest but to fight for our homes. I don't want any soldier in this fleet to think otherwise. We do have a plan in place to help win back our planets, but only at a great cost. Admiral Alexander, your discovery?"

"First we have to know what we're dealing with," Admiral Alexander said, speaking up. His age really came out in his high-pitched voice when comparing it to the General's voice. "My onboard AI, Fury, had picked up a transmission from Fellorian a couple hours ago. It is from Petty Chief Colin Vale and Vice Admiral Linden who have assumed command of the planet's defenses. The military forces present on that planet are minimal and there have been significant causalities. The planet was almost lost, but the report also includes that the Creeper infestations have been growing weaker. It is too early to know the cause but Tang Fa has a theory."

The privilege of speaking was passed over to the older marten this time. "Fellorian is a cold planet, and we believe that the Creeper race cannot withstand a cold climate without an alternative source of fuel, such as absorbing organic tissue. Due to the Creepers deteriorating capabilities on the planet, we believe that the infections were 'charged' when they invaded which allowed them greater military capacities. Now that they've been present on the planet for nearly a year, they must be running out of a fuel source. That fuel source, we suspect was the wildlife and citizens present on the planet but it must have been used up during the planet's cold winter."

"All of these are speculations for now," Admiral Alexander continued after Tang Fa finished. "I've been in contact with the Chief Colin and Vice Admiral Linden and they say that their current forces aren't strong enough to assault the Creeper's largest stronghold on the planet. It is a small city near the equator, and the Creepers are believed to be taking refuge in the buildings for warmth. Fellorian's insufficient military power has worked in our favor this time by granting us an opportunity to test these theories."

"I'm ordering the Wolcott pack to assault the primary building in this Fellorian city," Lead General Vale said, again contrasting his deeper voice directly with Admiral Alexander's. Kaitlin was surprised that they were given the mission, and a little annoyed considering how short noticed it is. "Your mission will be to reclaim the target building, which we will update you on once that is determined, and observe the Creeper infections. Since we believe the cold temperature slows down the infections, you are advised to shatter the windows to allow the climate to flow in. That will also give us the ability to see if the infection generations are getting weaker the longer they've been on the planet. You'll be alone on this mission for six hours before we send in the rest of the troops to take back the city. This mission is an opportunity to reclaim Fellorian, and give us crucial knowledge to best preserve Canidera."

"My soldiers may not be of help here, General," the salamander, Empress Theta said. "We don't do very well in cold and might just become a liability for your soldiers."

"I understand, Empress Theta," said the General. "My current plan of action is to split the fleet up into three separate fleets. Our main objective is to liberate Canidera but we must save the other planets as well, including the ruined world of Lutracha. This planet is warmer than the other two and we believe your soldiers will be best for this mission. Admiral Zhang will be discussing strategy with you on the best course of action to liberating Lutracha. It is a barren world so we don't expected a strong Creeper presence there but it is also warmer so use the utmost caution."

"Is this some kind of joke General?" asked the male salamander. "Our ancestors bombed that planet generations ago, so you're going to literally force us to look at the consequences of that?"

"That is not our intent," said the skunk who was sitting next to them. "Lutracha is the warmest planet in the system and would be best suited for your people. After we liberate our homes, all of them will be suffering greatly and Lutracha could possibly be the quickest one to heal. We are granting your people permission to reside on the planet, which was once your ancestral home."

The salamanders kept their silence this time. Kaitlin saw their reaction at the mention of them being granted a place to live. She only heard a little bit about the civil war that raged on while the Drach'n fleet first made contact with the Creepers. Even after all the fighting to rebel against the tyranny on Velmaria, the planet was ultimately destroyed anyway and most of its people destroyed.

"I will be overseeing the battles," Lead General said, wrapping up the meeting. "Admiral Alexander will be leading the battle to take back Canidera. Empress Theta and Admiral Zhang will fight for Lutracha. And Vice Admiral Linden will continue to lead the resistance on Fellorian. Our ultimate goal is to turn the battle to our favor in three months, have a new stronghold to command from and begin rebuilding our military force."

That's a heavy goal, thought Kaitlin. She watched as the usual reports of the fleet conditions were passed around until the meeting was adjourned. Admiral Alexander was the first to leave, with the younger marten following close to him. The other officials left the room along with the wolves but most of them headed toward the hangar or were busy talking with other officers. The wolves returned to their old bunk that they had when they first were emitted to the ship.

"Our mission starts in thirteen hours so be well-rested for then," Alex said to his team while they got themselves reacquainted with the familiar surroundings.

The worst part about a mission is the waiting.

Fellorian normally had only green, white and blue covering its surface but from the pilot seat of the drop ship, Kaitlin could seen large masses of brown and black where forests had once stood. Canidera looked like a small moon in the distance, but in truth, she was afraid to see the damage that had been done to that planet if Fellorian was this bad. She put it out of her mind while Canidera faded from view and Fellorian's large surface and atmosphere quickly approached. Getting closer to the planet was even more horrifying as more details were revealed.

Large blackened craters were visible everywhere the clouds were obstructing. Sometimes those craters were the source of the fires that razed the forests but others were more forgiving and spared the forests around the crash site.

From the corner of her eyes, she saw the flashes and fireballs falling toward the surface. The fleet was hunting down the remaining resistance from Creeper ships but it was dragging the fleet a little thin since the Creeper ships were fleeing the onslaught.

The pale atmosphere soon clouded all her vision only moments before the ship started to vibrate violently and a wall of fire highlighted it. A few minutes passed before the firewall disappeared and revealed the city beneath them. The sun was already starting to set on the city.

"Two minutes until we touchdown," Mary told them through their speakers. Kaitlin was sitting next to her, and assisting piloting the aircraft toward the correct target building.

"Understood," Alex responded. He was seated back with the others while they waited for the mission to start. "Remember, our mission is to survey the alien infestations behavior when it's exposed to cold temperatures. We have one hour to gather as much information as we can before the rest of the infantry starts invading the city.

"One minute," Mary again informed them. The city beneath them looked dormant; there was no activity of the usual city life and no obvious sign of infection on the smooth buildings that the wolves have seen on infected ships. "Five seconds."

The ship landed gently but Alex immediately opened the hatch and ordered the team to secure the roof. Kaitin and Mary were the last out of the aircraft.

There were no contacts reported, which allowed the team to quickly move into the building. Alex was the first to drop in, and the team followed. Once dropped inside, Kaitlin noticed vines or roots covering the walls. The botanical plant was showing signs of withering away after being exposed to the cold air for less than a minute.

"Where's the strongest Creeper concentration?" Alex asked once they had all dropped in the building.

Kaitlin accessed the building's security and maintenance systems through her armor, now that her PawPad was linked up with it. Through the building's systems, she learned that the generator was in emergency mode providing a small amount of power to the building. Probably has been that way since the resistance cut the power to the city, if they have done that on the planet.

"My best assessment is near the generator where there's the most warmth and greatest power source," Kaitlin informed their leader. "Bottom of the building, second floor below ground."

"That's our target then, but remember our primary objective," Alex said, turning toward the descending stairs. "We don't need a large team for this. Mary and Kaitlin, go back to the ship and keep your ears out for any updates with the fleet. If anything goes wrong, we'll need Mary to evacuate us quickly."

They both immediately obeyed and climbed back through the roof access hatch that they just dropped in from. Back on the rooftop, the two wolves went back to the ship but kept alert to the area around them but they already knew from what they saw inside, there was a small chance that the Creepers would risk the environment to assault the space craft.

Within five minutes, the sun was below the horizon. Kaitlin has been on the planet before but she was always surprised how short the days were compared to the larger planets and the set galactic time. On the opposite horizon, from the distant ocean, dark clouds were seen rolling towards them, alive with static lightning. When she turned her ears toward the storm, she could hear the distant thunder rolling across the landscape.

Overpowering the low roar of the distant thunder came the sharp shattering of glass beneath them, along with gunshots.

"Status report," she requested, taking her eyes and ears off the storm and back to making sure nothing got on the roof.

"One infected citizen down, no one is injured" A.J. answered. "We broke the windows but it charged at us then so we had to put it down. It might have been fleeing from the cold."

"Roger that," responded Kaitlin. Remaining silent, Kaitlin decided to walk the perimeter of the rooftop but she didn't even make it to the edge before another update came.

"Relay the video feed I'm sending you Kaitlin," Alex said through their speakers. "The infected citizen is still alive, and the infection is dying."

"Dying?" Kaitlin questioned, hesitating for a moment. "Relaying the video feed directly to Lead Admiral Vale." Returning the ship, Kaitlin linked up to the Hyourasky Casa and sent the video file before watching it herself.

She saw an infected doe take a hit in the shoulder and collapse to the ground. The thin roots and vines that covered her body was an obvious sign of an infection that she must have had for months. The video turned away from the infected doe to return to the mission when violent coughing and wheezing redirected the wolf's attention back to the poor creature. The roots were shriveling up and falling off as the doe rolled around and coughed up phlegm of them out from her lungs. She fell unconscious but continued to breath heavily while blood started to soak her fur where the vines fell out and died from.

"Yuri will be up soon with the survivor," Alex said after a minute of silence. "Put her under quarantine. Don't let her board our drop ship. Mary, use the ship guns and shatter the windows on the first five floors so that the Creepers have no where to run."

"Roger that," Mary responded, returning to the dropship and quickly activating its engines. Kaitlin watched it take off just in time to see more ship lighting up the night sky as they entered the planet's atmosphere. This battle would be over before the sun rises.