Na-Geski City is part of the isnd chain southeast of the Peninsu, where the Merchant Cities dominate a stripe of nd just wide enough to accommodate a mountain chain in the middle. In reality, the amount of people within the high walls would easily melt away within the popution of a metropolis on Earth, but the density more than easily gives the impression of a city.

  Most of the chain is made of islets so short they could be leisurely strolled in a day or rge clusters of exposed coral and rock where only some grasses and improbable saltwater trees dominate, along with the flocks of birds coating the surfaces.

  A few thin strips or clusters of nd also dot the chain with barely an outpost of civilization on them, occasionally visited by the passing ships for temporary reprieve from the rough seas or low level commercial business. Otherwise, these vilges are left unmolested.

  Only two of the isnds are rge enough to sustain an expansive popution. The first isnd has already colpsed, and the fate of its inhabitants has not eluded the rulers looking on high from the citadel.

  An uneasy quiet has engulfed the city night after night as patrols made their rounds, the watchtowers lighting their fires, and ghostly howls on the wind accompanied the baleful moon on high - a yellow taint pecked with crimson stains.

  The night life died days days ago; outdoor taverns had only empty sbs, stools outside of houses no longer echoed with merry cheer, the pying balls of children remained waiting to be kicked across the corner. Not a single light lit within the thatch houses, wooden shacks, or mud buildings overtaking construction long smothered by the weather.

  Even the satellite sve market/dungeon, segregated on in its own world within the walls, abounded with an electric unease tempered by the cool breeze.

  Unbeknownst to the guards paroling the walls a dark menace crept through the muck and the grass in the south, disrobing the defenses at its most vulnerable spot - the hidden entrance.

  With the help of night vision goggles, Mandrake Squad uncovered a section of sewer tube sunk under the mud with a depression stamped with so many foot prints it is impossible to tell how old they are, all hastily concealed with dried bush. A locked cage door was all that stood in the way.

  *Click*

  They stopped just before they used their circur bar cutter on it.

  Pointing their suppressed weapons above, Captain Oxley, with his hat and serape hanging on his back, and those near him kept watch while the rest oversaw their surroundings or through the cage door.

  *Click* *Click*

  Nothing happened for the next pair of seconds. So they went back to work.

  Behind them, an additional fireteam with three short barrel L1A1 SLRs, two Remington Model 1100 Tacticals, and a UKM-2000 cautiously approached, bringing with them with the help of a rope Kumio Kaehe'kakoe and his five remaining be'ti, only equipped with their swords and three confiscated shields. Though the gunmen could see fine thanks to their goggles, they still had to go slower to make sure the others did not tripped over.

  Entering the ancient drain Mandrake Squad found that even with the help of scarfs it was impossible to fully get rid of the smell of the dank filth. They felt every exposed pore open and take in all the disgusting air into it. But they pressed on.

  They treaded in until they reached a fork with a short road to the right with a grimy brick wall that broke with the spongy concrete aesthetic, barely distinguished as an out-of-pce feature. The entrance was no longer visible The fireteam caught up with Mandrake Squad with Kaehe'kakoe's men drawing their weapons quietly, the rope now wrapped across the mercenary with the UKM-2000.

  *Good luck, girls.*

  *Smack-smack?*

  When the group went further ahead on the tunnel in Indian file, Mandrake Squad produced a simple explosive breaching frame, waiting for another squad to arrive shortly after. Pcing the frame upon the block wall, Mandrake Squad returned to the fork and readied themselves with the man armed with a suppressed S&T K16 set to go in first.

  *Fire, fire, fire.*

  As much debries as the explosion kicked out, the frame was packed with just enough explosives to crack the wall without much danger of a cave-in. Nonetheless, everyone was tense, as the noise reverberated across the tunnel.

  The machine gunner entered first, followed by Captain Oxley and the others beyond the breach, where the dank air rushed and only slim coated ground with cool stone welcoming the squad. Moving fast, the squad moved at a fast pace until they encountered a flight of stairs in a side room, twisting up three tiers before making it to another walled entrance.

  Captain Oxley and three others in the squad went to work at it with spatu chisels and mallets between the blocks, and when enough had been cut between, they used thick cloths and banged the mallets over them. As quickly as they could, they pulled out the wall block by block, passing the blocks to others waiting to throw them out of the lower tiers

  It was a weapons' storage room, bristled with all manner of shields on the other walls, swords in barrels, thick bundles of arrows, and harpoon spears in stacks. On the opposite of the breach was a wooden stairwell with a door, and though not a single light was visible, fresher air made its way underneath.

  Captain Oxley went in first, almost leaping through the pile of weaponry underneath before removing it away. Soon, the rest of the squad assembled, this time the four with Daewoo Telecom K7s moving forward. Through a cable camera, they saw that not only was no one on the other side, but that it was piled on high with material.

  And in the middle, at long st, there was a thin ray of light.

  With a Halligan tool, they pried open the door, moving to secure the entrance and observe underneath the door - a cloister with pstered wall and one rge torch on the support beam, with the second floor barely visible.

  They kept observing for what seemed forever, until the second squad made its way through.

  For all the presumed state of alert, not a single patrol was present on the grounds.

  Cautiously opening the door, the four men let the rest of the other squad through, all equiped with MP5SD6s, suppressed Uzis and Mendoza HM-3-LONGs. There were three with HK417 20"s and an FR F2 on their backs. Three at a time went through, checking up high on all three sides before disappearing into the cloister ahead, away from the torch. The st three had rge canisters hanging on their backs with "Z-Z-Z Gas" written with a marker on a sticker.

  As the st three went through the doorway, the four men waited for Captain Oxley to take their pce before they too went ahead.

  The strenuous minutes passed by as Mandrake Squad waited. They tapped on their weapons, they checked their watches, they moved their tongues in their mouths...The only thing novel was the slow arrival of Magic-Man behind them, with an accessorized H&K G28 slung in red night camo slung behind his back, along with his usual gear. Next came Captain Abraham and a few others of his now-fully strengthened squad, bringing with them a L7A2 GPMG, an additional L4A3 Bren Gun, and a RL-83 Blindicide.

  *Rooftop neutralized, Captain.*~

  *First floor neutralized, Captain. Blocking the lower levels now.*~

  The earpiece radios came to life, and the impatience intensified. As much as they wanted to get it over with, nobody could do anything just yet.

  There was plenty of time left before the break of dawn, but everything they had to do must be over well before that...

  *Second floor secured, Captain.*~

  A few of the mercenaries fiddled with their equipment, re-checking it one more time knowing that as soon as they get the st call, there was no going back.

  But once again, time passed and nothing happened.

  *Third floor neutralized.*~

  Opening the door, Captain Oxley and the rest find themselves out of a one floor building in the middle of a dirt courtyard, the windows of the barracks surrounding them on all four sides lighting with torch lights.

  Oxley's and Abraham's squads assembled towards the thick wooden gate to the east, the four that went to the roof reloading as they exited. A squad of mara-mara emerged, rushing into the cloister towards the rooftops with the exception of their leader who went to inspect the results of the takeover. Lastly, Magic-Man and Colonel Becker secured the warehouse before joining the others at the gate.

  Captain Oxley: *Sergeant Berrycloth, status.*~

  Sergeant Berrycloth: *No patrols nearby. Time to move out, sir.*~

  Two of the mercenaries that have secured the barracks came out nearby at the ready to shut the gate.

  Captain Oxley: 'ou 'eard 'im all. On t' ce'tain death!~

  As the gates opened, Magic-Man left first heading north, vanishing around the corner of the barrack walls. Captain Abraham's squad left towards the northeast with Colonel Becker taking point in direction of a pza beyond the shadows of thick windowless constructions. Lastly, Mandrake Squad snaked their way through the southeast by way of the narrow alleyways where the snores of the sleeping residents blurred with the footsteps and clinking armor of the passing patrols.