"Continue main assault. Advance through all three sectors. But cautiously—assume every position is trapped, every withdrawal is ambush setup. We take Third Line methodically, not recklessly."
At the settlement's mobile command post, Lyra received reports through Seraphina's telepathic network.
"Commander Vex'ahlia dead. Skar dead. Urgak dead. Thrak dead. Tarak, Viss, Krix, Grix, Thomas, Grumash—all dead."
The losses hurt. Each name represented not just a fighter but a person Lyra had known, worked with, relied upon.
But two had survived.
"Kelvin and Gruk are alive?"
"Yes. Both critically wounded. Jessica's healing them now, but both will be out of combat for the foreseeable future."
Lyra processed the tactical implications.
"We've lost nine named leaders. The humans lost six senior commanders—all of them. That's... that's better than I expected. We traded our leadership for theirs, but we made them pay dearly."
