Everyone near the convoy went silent and turned to Michael.

Eric sat there, staring blankly at the captain. He looked over at Mia, who had a similar shocked expression. Eric knew they had a deadline to move out, and he stood there, conflicted. He walked over and put an arm around Michael’s shoulders. "Mike. Listen. You will be a great father. We will do everything to get you back to her. She will need you more than ever now. Even more than you think she will."

Michael sighed and slumped against the vehicle. "I don’t think I’m ready, man. I didn’t want kids until after the war."

Eric and Mia shared a laugh with Michael. "None of us ever were. You can ask any parent on the planet. Even if you think you are prepared, nothing can get you ready for being up half the night with a bottle in your hand, or spit up covering half the kitchen floor."

Trephania walked over and gave Michael a hug. "Congratulations, young man. I know you will do well as a father. Learn from this one over here..."

She shot a pointed glare at Eric.

"And learn not to put yourself at unnecessary risk. You will do well."

A few more members of the group came up to congratulate Michael, and then the air grew silent and heavy. Eric had them gather around. He took stock of everyone. Jessica, himself, Mia, Trephania, Michael, Justin, Erica, and the two former Empire heroes: Maren and Kate.

"Alright, check it out. You know why we are here. This mission is simple. This will be a rescue operation for our friends behind enemy lines. We currently have a team of operatives in Brishan City. We will link up with them outside the city. From there, we have a secondary mission if the opportunity presents itself. We will target the transport team carrying the Ark cores."

Michael began jotting down notes and looked up.

"Rules of engagement?"

Eric froze, his hand that was in his pocket grasped his keys tightly. "There shouldn’t be any engagements, but if there are, there is only one rule: Stay alive. Remember, this is not a revenge mission. We are not here to destroy large portions of the capital. We ignore everything other than getting to Ricky. When we link up with the team, we will discuss how it will be best to target the transport team in charge of the Ark cores. If we can take them out, we will. Are there any questions?"

Kate walked up, her long blonde hair shifting in the wind. "Yes." She said softly. "What should we do if we encounter patrols along the way to Brishian City?"

Eric arched his eyebrows, then nodded at the young woman with a smile. "An excellent question. If we encounter patrols of Cartharic forces, it will depend on the size of the element. If it is a large patrol, we will use the mobility of the trucks to go around them. If the element is too large, we retreat. Per our last report, Ricky and his team are still inside the compound with their cover intact. Due to that, this mission is not do or die. Now, let’s move out. It is slightly past 0500."

The teams scrambled into their trucks. Eric and Michael were in the lead vehicle with Jessica and Mia. Jessica hopped up, manning the turret with a growl. "I fucking hate doing this." She groaned.

Justin took command of the other vehicle, with Erica as his TC, and Kate manning the turret. Trephania and Maren took their seats in the back. After everyone was inside and ready, Justin radioed Eric. "Chaos one, Chaos two radio check."

Eric looked at Michael, running his finger down his face and fake crying. "They grow up so fast."

Michael rolled his eyes and grabbed the Mic before Eric could. He tried to keep a straight face as he responded. "Chaos two, Chaos one. Comms are good." After putting away the mic, he turned to Mia, ignoring Eric’s shenanigans as they began to move out. "How the fuck do you put up with this fool?"

She chuckled and patted Michael on the back. "I tell him he’ll sleep on the couch if he misbehaves. Better watch out, Ayeolla is gonna learn that trick soon, too."

Michael groaned and looked up at the ceiling. "Great. Just great."

Once the element pushed past Riemskin territory, the atmosphere inside the vehicles grew tense. No one spoke as they eyed every direction warily. Eric grabbed the mic. "Crack the windows and stick your weapons out. I want every direction to be covered by a weapon. Gunners, you are in charge of scouting. If you see anything suspicious, call it out."

The two vehicles spread out, each traveling a different ridge down the other side of the Esponia mountains. They were far enough apart so as to not get targeted by artillery or rockets, but still within line of sight of each other.

Each mile was torture for Eric. While he drove, memories of his time with Ricky flashed through his mind. He murmured prayers as they drove closer to their target area. They would be meeting Ricky outside of a village between Dresken and Brishian city.

"Please be there, Rick," Eric muttered. "I can’t lose you, too."

On the other side of the mountains, they drove for a few more hours before stopping outside the village that was their target. They parked the vehicles in a forest, separated by roughly 300 feet. The second team walked over and gathered around Eric. "Hey, Master Sergeant? What will we do if the locals spot our vehicles?"

Eric shook his head. "Hopefully, we won’t have to worry about that. We are far enough away that they will not approach. If we do come into contact with the locals, we get out of here and head straight to Dresken. For now, spread out in a circle and lie down in the grass to secure the area. Ricky and the team are supposed to meet us here in about an hour. If they don’t, we head to Dresken and reassess the plan."