Ad Astra - The Alagore War

AA V4 Salva, Chapter 22

"This is Major General Taylor Webster to all commands. Unity forces have been repelled off the Great Kasin Lake beach. Stragglers have fled to the Vagahm border, south of Salva. The first QRF elements from 1st Astralis Division have arrived and have begun reinforcing our rear. The Temple of Indolass is secured. I repeat, Indolass is secured. All combat operations should be focused on the exterior.

Colonel Saxon, detach one of your Infantry battalions from your Brigade and chase the Utopian bastards to the border. Under no circumstances should you enter or fire into Vagahm territory. Then reinforce Colonel Burke's 1st Brigade from the south. Remove any hostile alien forces that linger.

I want the rest of the 3rd Armor Brigade to march north, link with the 2nd, and counterattack the Franolgno Brigaton, 31st Order, and push them back. Take their fortifications and finish it." - 4th Infantry Division Headquarters, Temple of Indolass

April 20th, 2069 (Military Calendar)

Salva Underground, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Fraeya asked.

"You're asking me that now?" Ar'lya responded.

The Wood Elf turned toward the terrified Faran girl, hoping for reassurance, but only saw the rodent hiding inside the cart. That was when she realized this was, indeed, a horrible idea. Watching the Vagahm head engineer operate the controls while laughing hysterically, she finally understood why no one trusted dwarves. The wild speeds, the constant near-collapses—it all reinforced the stereotype.

The mining cart took a sharp corner and sped past two others already tipped over, dirt spilling across the tracks. Because of the long distance, Fraeya and Ar'lya had converted the carts into makeshift trams to save time. Time they didn't have.

"How much longer?" Fraeya asked.

"Almost there," Gratom said, still laughing.

The motorized mining cart shot into a massive cavern, the midpoint en route to the exit where the Minutemen once flanked enemy supply lines. A wide, fast-moving river cut through the chamber's center, spanned by a large ramp bridge. Fraeya remembered this place—it had once been the heart of the goblins' attempted infestation of the tunnels.

She spotted where the breach used to be. Her sealing spell still held. There had been another cavern network the Minutemen could have used to flank the blockade, but Colonel Hackett had deemed it too infested with green monsters for a sweep operation to be worth the risk.

"As requested," Gratom announced. "We're here."

Once they stopped, Ar'lya leapt out and pushed the Wood Elf aside before dropping to all fours and vomiting. She sat back, holding her head. "Never again..."

Fraeya stepped out and grabbed the rim of the cart for balance as her legs nearly gave out. Her feet were numb. "I agree with you."

A soldier approached—clearly a 1st Astralis Infantry officer. His nametag read; Second Lieutenant Norris.

"I was informed you two were coming," Norris said. "I didn't know it was this serious."

"Hackett always is," Fraeya replied. "I need to open the breach to the other cavern."