The Aurigan Republic

Chapter 1

AG checked his ammo and equipment once more before the door opened. This was a routine check that AG has done numerous times in the past. Yet, he was aware something that appeared minor could be the difference between life and death in his trade. He had lost fellow mercenaries due to these mistakes and vowed not to repeat their mistakes. Following the check, AG gave a thumbs up to their logistics officer who was just waiting for his response.

He and several other mercenaries then leaped out of the plane into the darkness. The clouds above them concealed light from the stars and the moons. The only illumination they had was from the scattered buildings below them. The region was only sparsely populated, so even the illumination was quite limited. While in free fall, the mercenaries listened to their operator who passed on new details on their targets. For the time being, they would only be waiting until they reached a certain elevation when they could open their parachutes. Everything on them was painted black so, even with the parachutes wide open, an unsuspecting person could not discern the parachutes from the sky. The group was told to eliminate a number of targets and escape undetected. While the task was rather difficult, the pay promised for completing the mission saw the group accept the offer. The contractor generously paid for the logistics necessary to get the mercenaries to the site. Once they arrived, the mercenaries had to figure out a way home on their own.

Following the update, the mercenaries waited for their operator to give them the thumbs up. Then, they deployed their parachutes, slowing their descent. There was only silence as they descended towards the planet's surface. Their drop zone was on the outskirts of a small village. From there, they would make their way to the main road which they were travelling parallel to. They had to keep their presence a secret due to the suspicious nature of the locals. If everything went as planned, they would arrive outside the gates of their objective a few hours later. From there, they would lie in ambush and wait for an opportunity to pounce. Their job should be quick and painless, allowing them to work on their plan of how to get home.

When the mercenaries landed, they heard the barking of a dozen dogs. They kept low while the dog owners investigated the cause of the dogs' aggravation. One of the dog owners pointed a flashlight at one of the mercenaries and shouted his discovery to the others. Armed with simple firearms, the locals fired without hesitation. In the face of such hostilities, the mercenaries had no choice but to open fire on the locals. This became a very one-sided firefight that saw the dog owners and their dogs lying in pools of blood. The mercenaries suffered some injuries, all from dog bites. None of them suffered from gunshot wounds despite the locals getting the initiative on them. Yet, the situation did deteriorate due to their presence being noted. Gunfire was likely to attract a lot of attention, especially from the local law enforcement.

With the stealth approach no longer viable, the mercenary group quickly patched up their wounds and headed towards their objective. The group stuck further from the main road where they expected higher traffic than usual. They could still see the occasional lights along the road that aided them in navigation. From time to time, they had to fall to the ground where they laid still until the helicopters flying overhead would pass. The vegetation in the region was allowed to grow without hindrance and served as excellent cover for the mercenaries. Once the men were flat on their stomachs, it became nearly impossible for anyone above them to notice unless one knew where to look. After a few rounds over the group, the helicopters moved to a different section of land to continue their search. The mercenaries kept tabs on where the helicopters went and were ready to drop the moment the helicopter got close.

Two hours later, tranquility returned to the region. The mercenaries were somewhat certain that their pursuers, unable to locate them earlier, had moved to another area believing that the prey headed in a different direction. For the time being, they were likely out of the woods, which meant they could breathe properly. The next hour of traversing through unfamiliar territory was uneventful with the exception of the occasional widelife that wisely avoided them. The mercenaries still kept low in the shadows as they made their way towards the objective. They expected an extra hour needed due to their slightly longer route but, this was still within their calculations. The work of a mercenary was often filled with uncertainty and delays, so one would add buffer to one's plan in advance.

The group eventually arrived outside the objective. From the pictures they saw from their briefing, the place looked nothing more than a dozen or so warehouse buildings. Nothing about those buildings stood out or even advertised what they contained. According to the Intel of the contractor, the warehouses were arms manufacturing factories with customers both in the military and shady underground organizations. The factories were versatile enough to build any weapons, assuming the buyer was willing to pay the price. The contractor wished for the factories to be sabotaged at the very least or, for a big bonus, destroyed. The location was expected to be well defended but, with all the explosives stored, destruction of the buildings couldn't be too difficult. Once the demolition began, the mercenaries had to leave at once as the explosions would attract attention from all over the region. If they were captured, there would be dire consequences.

While the initial stages of the operation encountered stumbling blocks in the form of a brief firefight with some locals, the mercenaries managed to reach the objective without further issues. They counted this as their blessing as they prepared for the next phase of the operation. Initial reconnaissance revealed the location of a few patrolling guards. The guards were chatting among themselves and paid no attention to their surroundings. The mercenaries saw no need to observe the guards further except to memorize their patrolling paths. While the patrolling guards were easier to spot, the other guards were much harder. Due to the lack of guard towers, it was very difficult to discern where other guards could be standing guard. The warehouses offered a lot of space for guards to remain out of sight while also providing those guards with great vantage points to see any approaching hostile forces.

The mercenary group didn't have much time to dawdle. They had to make their move before the darkness of the night dissipated. Despite their best efforts, they failed to locate more than a few guards hidden in the warehouses. Limited time meant they had to make their move and the group went to work immediately. Prior to arrival, the group had already planned for various situations and this was one of them. There were risks involved but the payoff was too high to not attempt the operation. All the group had to accomplish was set off a chain reaction in one of the warehouses. Then, it was a matter of time before the explosives and ammunition within the warehouse exploded and triggered further explosions in the nearby warehouses. After the chain reaction was triggered, the mercenaries just had to flee and find a way back home.

The region had a lot of wilderness providing ample places to hide should the pursuers get too close. At the end of the day, the mercenaries were all fighting for themselves, so they literally had no incentive to keep their mercenary mates alive. Given that pay was split between the mercenaries, fewer mercenaries at the end of a mission meant a bigger payout too. Even the teamwork shown between the mercenaries was due to the necessity of completing tasks. Otherwise, the mercenaries preferred to work solo where they trusted their lives to the only person they believed in. While there hadn't been actual sabotages, no mercenary would lose sleep upon learning that one of their fellow mercenaries never made it back to the rendezvous.

As the group formulated a plan for detonating one of the warehouses, AG broke from the group. He had a full bladder he needed to address. AG made his way to a tree several meters from where the other mercenaries were discussing their plan. The nearby bush provided plenty of cover so, even standing, AG would not be attracting any attention. As he did his business, the young mercenary noticed something odd. Initially, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Yet, his brain eventually processed the information and he quickly finished up his business. Without another word, he ran in the direction away from the warehouse. Minutes later, his suspicion was confirmed by the weapons fire behind him.