Battle of M5-W

*"The best agents of some of the largest, most prosperous realms in the galaxy, bumping blindly with one-another as they all try to get the same thing. If you take aside all the death, and the damage to the mining base, this could work as a comedy"*

-Entente agent Kamali, survivor of M5-W-

Also known as the "Shadow duel", the "Duel of shadows" and "Battle of spies", the **battle of M5-W**took place in one of the most remote mining bases in the Alir Commune's western territories soon after the end of the war between the Thadrakos Families and the Galactic Entente . The battle is famous for the large number of spies from different factions who took part in the battle, one which no side had planned for or really wanted that much. The Galactic Entente , Commonwealth , Yaanari league , Thadrakos Families and Zracon Union all took part indirectly in the battle, yet all prefered to denny any involvement in fear of diplomatic repercusions.

The target of all parts during this battle was a Thadrakos decription machine, a complex tool which would allow any nation to listen to all those messages sent by high-ranking members of the families. Taken by an elite squad of Entente agents, the machine's value was absolute, to the point where any nation who managed to get its hands of it would acquire a massive advantage. Eager to recover or destroy the machine, the families sent their best assassins to hunt down the spies and retrieve or destroy the machine. So desperate they were, the families also asked the Yaanari league for help, promising great rewards for their leaders if they returned the decription machine to them.

Listening to their conversations, agents from the Commonwealth also learnt from the machine's existance and value. With one of their protectorates at the border with the Thadrakos families, they quickly moved to intercept it and maybe negotiate with the Entente agents for a deal. At the same time, Zracon  agents also moved to meet their Entente peers, their intentions far less friendly than those of the agents of Ortus.

While nearly 100 agents (plus aids, reinforcements and other specialists) took part in this battle, only three are known to have survived. Of these, one belonged to the Galactic Entente and another to the Commonwealth, the third being the infamous Kataneera from the Zracon Union.

While quite bloody, the battle lasted less than a day before all survivors left. The damage to the mining facility was easily repaired and put back to work just one week after the battle, almost as if it had never taken place at all.

## Teams and allies

Unlike most "standard" battles between nations, the sudden nature and number of factions taking part in the battle of M5-W made it impossible for the usual battle lines and alliances to be made. Moreover, not all agents who took part in the battle were lone wolves. Many had teams ot back them up and even small bodies of soldiers following just in case.

### Entente

**GES Freedom crew**: Made out of 4 Alir, 3 Shalani and 2 Sondrithians, the crew of GES Freedom had seen their fare share of adventures and close calls during their mission and on the way back to Entente space. Out of fuel, they had chosen to rest on M5-W, believing it to be the safest spot available to them. Nevertheless, captain Rolu'Dono and his crew remained alert at every moment, knowing full well the Thadrakos would not give up the decription machine so easily.

**Base operators**: Of the 400 Alir in the mining base, there were some who had at least basic military experience and it is well known that few foes are as fierce in the galaxy as a cornered Alir. While they only had 100 guns in total in the base, their mining machinery could still be deadly when held by the right hands.

### Commonwealth

**Team 41**: Made of a trio of psionic  agents, four times the number in specialists and helped by a fifty-strong team of veteran marines who had served in Task Force Manticore, team 41 was a force to be reckoned with and not used to defeat. Their leader, Tomaski Reillser, had already surpassed the 100-year mark by the time the battle of M5-W took place, yet he still was as sharp and quick as he had always been.

**Kithri of M5-W**: While currently under the employ of the Alir Commune, the Kithri in the mining base were all citizens of the Commonwealth and fiercely loyal to its cause. Therefore, when it was discovered agents of their nation were present in the base, they did not have to think twice about whose side they were on.

### Yaanari league

**Nadrizzi's shadow bound**: Nadrizzi saw a chance for good busness when the league sent her, and eight other agents to intercept and bring back the decription machine. Unwilling to share her bounty with the families' own agents, she was ready to slay everyone in her path, maybe even the other Yaanari  following her to the mission.

**Combat slaves**: Paranoid, and with good reason, Nadrizzi did not fly to the mining base without a strong group of her best, brainwashed slaves. 40 in total, they were a mix of humans , Udkavongo and even one or to Alir, each one armed with combat blades while machines on their backs pumped stimulants, esteroids and other drugs into their systems, turning them into killing machines.

### Thadrakos families

**Assassins**:As a rule, Thadrakos assassins are loners who do not wish to share their "art of murder" with competitors. The 7 who were hired to bring back or destroy the decription machine were even worse, each one fiercely independent and unwilling to even look at their fellow "allies" for the mission. Still, none can denny all seven were masters in their craft and some of the most dangerous warriors who would take part in the battle.

### Zracon Union

**Kataneera**: The most infamous agent in the whole Union and traitor to the Commonwealth, Kataneera was a human converted to worship the Zracon religion of the "Light". Due to her skill and past experience, it was not surprising she managed to find out about the existance of the decription machine. Under orders from the high priesthood, she vowed to fulfill her mission, no matter the cost.

**Support agents**:Twelve Zracos followed Kataneera to M5-W. Due to the skill and perseverance of the Entente intelligence agency's counter espionage units, it is possible those Zracons in the asteroid were not the best agents which the Union could send, but the few who had managed not to be killed or captured. Still, like most Zracon, they were fanatic in their belief and would not surrender, no matter the odds.

## Location

   M5-W (meaning Mining base 5 West) had been constructed recently by the Alir Commune after finding an important amount of minerals deep within the rock's, grey hide. Unlucky more "ancient" constructions, M5-W had all the facilities needed for a moderately-pleasant life in the asteroid, including greenhouses with artifical light and even a gymnasium.

By the time of the battle, nearly 400 Alir, plus 20 Kithri were working in the asteroid, the Kithri serving as mechanics to mantain and develop the buildings and machinery which kept the whole base alive.

## The Battle

Twenty-three hours and fifty minutes long, some consider the battle of M5-W more of a mix of duels, skirmishes and betrayals than a "true battle". Still, following survivor reports and the images and sounds caught by the few cameras which survived the onslaught, are more-or-less decent description of the conflict can be made.

### First Hour

The crew of GES Freedom had just recently landed on the mining base (acting as lost travelers fleeing from Yaanari corsairs rather than agents of the Entente) when Team 41's ship was spotted by the base's sensors. As a token of good faith, captain Tomaski of the Commonwealth  had chosen to not hide his approach to the base. While the creation of the Galactic Entente had broken the alliance between Alir and humans, strong bonds still remained, bonds neither faction wanted to breake.

Focused on the incoming vessel, no-one detected the slender, silver-like pods which silently flew their way to the other side of the asteroid, this one devoid of any base or detection systems. Out of the pods, Thadrakosi assassins came out, each one landing as far from the others as possible without being detected by the base. Meanwhile, entering the system from different sides, a Shalani, merchant vessel and an unidentified vessel closed in towards the base.

While agents from Entente and Commonwealth met and discussed, Thadrakosi assassins, oblivious to the arrival of two more ships, carried on with their missions. Just as the first hour neared its end, the first casualty of the battle took place as one of the assassins stabbed one of his competitors in the back before quickly disposing of the body. It would only be found a week after the battle, a gaping hole clear between her ribs.

### Hours 2 and 3

What had first begun as a friendly conversation between allies quickly soured as Rolu'Dono and Tomaski chose what to do with the decription machine. As the one's who had done the mission, and being in Alir space, Rolu'Dono felt it was his choice what to do with the machine and the safest course of action would be to carry on until reaching one of the Commune's core worlds, where it could be safely handed to the agency. Tomaski, on the other hand, proposed a safer route from the North, through Commonwealth space. With a high number of patrols and military bases on the area, they would not have to fear any attacks by enemy agents.

Rolu'Dono scoffed, saying that he was no fool and already knew of their intentions. The Commonwealth wanted the machine for themselves, to use as a bargaining chip for the safety of their newest territories on the border with the families. Tempers flared, the word "traitor" was spat several times and blows were nearly struck. Luckily, other operatives from both factions managed to make their leaders calm down. They were tired after a long journey and needed to rest. Tomorrow, they said, they would find a solution to their problem.

As this discussion took place, the merchant ship made its landing on one of the minor landing sights on the asteroid. A small party of Alir came to greet the new arrivals, only to be confused at the sight of a masked human stepping down from the landing platform of the ship. Bowing her head, she presented herself as a member of one of the Commonwealth's mining companies, wanting to closen ties with their Alir kindred. In the cargo bays, they would find "gifts" to help them consider. While suspicious at first, the strange charm and sweetness of the woman's words quickly won the civilians hearts, to the point where she was invited in.

   More than two hours after the first death, contact was lost with one of the asteroid's minor sub-bases. In it, twenty-three Alir civilians laid dead, slaughtered at the hands of Zracon agents, including the most infamous one at the service of the high priests: Kataneera.

Before any teams could be dispatched to see what was wrong however, the station's sensors finally identified the ship coming at them. A Yaanari corsair ship, one of the smaller, yet faster designs of their fleet. Quickly, the alarm was sounded and both Entente and Commonwealth teams called for reinforcements. Using the confusion as cover, the Thadrakosi assassins closed in to their target, ignoring the confused miners as they readied their weapons.

### Hour 4

Rolu'Dono, while maybe not the best diplomat to be found, was not someone who allowed himself to be frozen by surprise. Immediately, he rallied the Alir workers and prepared a defence. Team 41's marines were allowed to deploy and hand weapons to the miners, with Tomaski becoming Rolu'Dono's second-in-command for the defence of the base. If possible, they would stop the Yaanari as they landed and force them to pull back. If more corsairs appeared, they would just need to hold for at most two days until the Entente sent reinforcements to support them. Already, several corvettes were on their way, ready to turn the invaders into ash.

In the meantime, three Entente agents and two belonging to the Commonwealth stood guard around the decription machine, the latter out of the room and with their guns at the ready. When one of the humans asked to be let in however, he was only met with silence. After calling two more times, the two agents burst in, shocked to find the butchered corpses of all three Entente agents, alongisde a dying Thadrakosi assassin. Covered by a dark mask and with the blood of his wounds mixing with the red of his suit, the assassin, out of sheer spite, spoke of the other assassin who had come after he got wounded by the Entente agents, killing them while they were distracted before running off with the prize. Calling Tomaski at once, the two Commonwealth agents, one of them a psionic, gave the assassin chase.

### Hour 5-6

Still oblivious to the fate of his agents, and to focus on the defence to call them, Rolu'Dono divided the Alir miners into fire teams, each one led by a Commonwealth marine or an agent. Without any anti-air guns to meet their arrival, the defenders could do little as the Yaanari ships landed and unloaded their cargo...one which made even the veterans pause to stare in shock.

Screaming in mindless rage and with their muscles pulsing as drugs were furiously pumped into their systems, mindless slave warriors sprinted out of the Yaanari ship to charge at the surprised defenders, their Yaanari masters calmly coming right behind, the shots of their long rifles cold and efficient. While some slaves fell, most managed to carry on, even with their bodies covered in wounds and blood. Those who got to the defender's lines cut a bloody path, their crude blades still effective as they severed limbs with each swipe and thrust.

Had they faced any other foe, the charge of the slaves would have turned the battle then and there. Luckily for the defenders, Alir have faced predators for millenia, their instincts making them fight on almost as fiercely with their many, natural weapons. Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of drugs flowing through their veins, a few of the weaker slaves fell dead even before being cut down after a hundred blows and shots.

Using their slaves only as a distraction, some Yaanari shadow bound entered the mining complex, hunting after the machine. Leaving Tomaski to carry on with the defence, Rolu'Dono took some of his agents and chased right after, only to find out the room's shattered doors and the butchered bodies of their close friends butchered, with no sight of the machine. Tired and enraged, the commander began to question why there was no sight of Tomaski's men. Finding the body of the bloodied Thadrakosi assassin, nearly matching to that of a human being with its mask on, a horrid thought crossed Rolu'Dono's mind: It had all been staged. Tomaski was the leader of just one of the two teams who had entered the mining base, the second one taking the clothes and weapons of Thadrakos assassins to make the Entente believe they were to blame for the dissapearance of the machine.

### Hours 7-10

   Just as he was about to leave the base's main building, the assassin was suddenly met by a group of Zracon agents. Tall and strong even with their slender frames, they fired at the assassin as they charged, their bullets hissing only inches from the Thadrakos' body as he dodged and fired with his own, laser pistols.

The Zracon were nearly on top of him when another assassin, previously hidding in the shadows, leaped down, sinking his long blade into the skull of a Zracon before sending another stumbling away with a sweeping kick. Unwilling to hand their prize to fanatics, both assassins forgot about their mutual animosity for a moment and fought side-by-side, cutting down any foe who dared to come close.

With several Zracon already piled down around them, the assassins seemed to be having the upper hand. Then, out of nowhere, the second assassin stabbed his companion through the stomach, following this blow with a clean swipe through the neck even before the other Thadrakos had time to react.

Instead of triumph however, the assassin gasped and staggered back in horror as the Zracon he thought he had killed became his temporary ally. Dizzy and feeling a thousand needles sink into his brain, he only had time to turn and see Katenaara's pistol before she sent a couple of laser shots between his eyes. Having followed the assassin's thoughts like a hound would with the scent of its prey, the Zracon agent had prepared her ambush and acquired what she wanted. Just as she was about to pick the object however, Nadrizzi and her Yaanari appeared. Smiling warmly, she asked her "Zracon ally" to hand over the machine as a token of good faith, promising that, if they did that, no harm would befall any of them. Katenaara's answer was short and to the point:

*"I don´t need my powers, shadow, to see you are lying"*

Still showing the closest thing a Yaanari could make to a warm smile, Nadrizzi nodded and ordered her fellow shadow-bound to fire.

In the meantime, the battle for the boarding fields was already over. Nearly a dozen marines, plus to many Alir miners and a couple of agents had met their ends under the blades and savagery of the Yaanari slaves. Hearing the shots coming from inside the base, Tomaski ordered his forces to fall back and reinforce Rolu'Dono. To his surprise, the Entente agents did so...but not before declaring that Tomaski and all of his men were now under arrest for taking the machine. Once the battle was over, the commander would decide their fate.

Not knowing of the exact location of their target, a couple of the surviving Thadrakosi assassins decided that, since Tomaski was surrounded by the largest concentration of troops, they should be the one's keeping the machine safe. Slaughtering some of the engineers in charge of the base's systems, the assassins managed to close a few of the areas the Tomaski and his captors were passing through, turning the heat at maximum levels so the agents and civilians would slowly suffocate and die, making it easy for the assassins to retrieve the machine.

Luckily for the group carrying Tomaski, there were a few Kithri engineers with them. Struggling to even breathe, they managed to open the doors, but only after getting the assurance from Entente agents that Tomaski and his men would be treated fairly until proof of them stealing the machine was obtained. Weak and covered with several layers of sweat, only half of those who had entered the corridors and hall managed to escape a slow, agonizing hell in the ovens the Thadrakosi assassins had prepared for them.

### Hours 11-14

Fleeing with only two of her agents, Nadrizzi rushed towards her ship, leaving behind a score of Zracon dead and several wounded, angry one's who would no doubt be currently hunting her down like a run-away slave. Half-way in, she bumped with the Commonwealth agents who had been chasing after the assassin. One instant of confusion was followed by both sides firing as they pulled back to take cover, the psionic agent in the Commonwealth side using his psionic powers to send rays of pure anger and frustration after endless hours of searching for the damned device.

At that same moment, Rolu'Dono arrived with his own troops. To the Commonwealth agent's surprise, he ordered them to give up their weapons while Entente troops kept the Yaanari pinned down. The psionic agent, a man by the name of Shingen, quickly detected the killer intent and conflicted feelings in the commander's mind, the strongest of which was a sense of betrayal.

Before the Commonwealth agents could explain though, Thadrakosi assassins appeared from the flank of the Entene's forces, guns blazing and throwing grenades which sent Alir and Shalani bits flying in all directions. Believing them to be reinforcements sent to rescue the Commonwealth agents, Rolu'Dono ordered his troops to fire at everyone not belonging to the Entente.

Confusion grew, with small squads and individual agents attacking and falling back across rooms, corridors and hallways while fire came from all directions. Sending a desperate, pschic message to his commander, Shingen managed to warn Tomaski before Rolu'Dono could give the order to imprison all Commonwealth agents on the asteroid. Fighting alongside his Kithri saviours, Tomaski and his marines joined with Shingen, his other companion dead from a stray shot belonging to one of the many factions fighting for the machine.

### 15-Onwards

Any battle-line, alliance or cohesion ended as the battle reached its 15th hour. Exhausted to the point of collapse (some agents had spent nearly 36 hours without a decent sleep) paranoia gave way to reason as all sides tried to be the one to survive the chaos.

Bad as the situation was, current research has shown that Kataneera herself is also to blame for the chaos and destruction which took place during the last hours of the battle. Wounded after the fight with the Yaanari, yet still carrying on with the mission, she did not have the same control she had always shown with her psionic powers. Friend and foe both were affected as the Zracon agent's mind released waves of thoughts rangeing from anger to sheer determination to get to the machine.Soon enough, these thoughts mixed with those of all other soldiers and agents in the area, making it even more difficult for peace to return.

One by one, the constant skirmishes began to take their toll. Nearly out of the base, Nadrizzi, last survivor of the Yaanari who had set foot on the planet, was cut into pieces by one of the few remaining slave warriors still marauding aimlessly in search of a target. Tomaski, leading an increasingly-smaller number of marines, fell by the blade of a Thadrakosi assassin, but not before blowing up a large hole on its murderer's torso with his gun.

Twenty-two hours in, only five remained alive in the base: Rolu'Dono, Kamali (one of his Entente agents), Shingen, Kataneera and the last Thadrakosi assassin. Hiding in different corners, each foe knew exactly where their enemy was and how trying to approach them would result only in a swift death.

It was Kataneera who made the first move, using her mind to contat Shingen. Weak as the signal was, the Commonwealth agent could still talk to his Zracon counterpart. Disgusted as he learnt of the identity of the other speaker, Shingen was ready to end the conversation when Kataneera allowed him to see through the eyes what remained of the machine so many had fought and died to acquire: Nothing. Filled with stray shots, only burnt bits remained of the once complex machinery. Kataneera made it clear that, as much as a fanatic and traitor as Shingen thought she was, the Zracon agent was not ready to give up his life for nothing. It was time to get out of here, before the Entente corvettes arrived, captured them and later questioned their governments about the massacre which had taken place in the asteroid base.

Exhausted, hungry and without the strenght to keep fighting, Shingen agreed to the terms. Using his last remaining strenght, he told the last two Entente agents that he would be coming towards them. Ignoring their protests and threats (and always making sure the assassin would not have his sights on him) Shingen reached their position, unarmed and ready to fall unconscious at any moment. After convincing Rolu'Dono not to shoot him (thanks to the advice of Kamali) Shingen shared with the Entente commander images of what really had happened almost twenty hours ago.

Having barely rested in two days, the mind of the exhausted commander finally understood what had happened, his eyes widening in horror as he realized what he had done. Unwilling to flee when so many others had died under his command, Rolu'Dono acted as bait while Kamali waited in the shadows, a powerful rifle on his hands and ready to slay the Thadrakosi assassin the moment he showed his head.

Somehow, despite the ache in his muscles and his burry vision, Rolu'Dono managed to sprint for several strides before the assassin brought him down with a single shot to the temple. Gritting his teeth in anger, Kamali answered in kind, then cursed as the assassin managed to turn in time so the shot only struck his shoulder. The Shalani tried to fire again, only to discover that, after nearly a day of fighting, his weapon was finally dry.

Yet instead of finishing both agents off, the assassin just stood there, frozen in place as if he had just discovered his body had been turned into stone. Her dark suit covered by scars and a dozen wounds, Kataneera stumbled out of her own hidden position, teeth gritted as she forced the assassin to stumble forwards from his high position and drop, the fall shattering his legs in the process. While the assassin screamed and cursed, Shingen, moving like a drunk, took his blade from the Thadrakos' hand and sunk it into his heart, finally ending the battle.

There were no parting words between the three survivors. One by one, they moved away to treat their wounds and leave. In the end, while they had died to the last Thadrakos, the assassins had been the one's to win this battle after the destruction of the machine.

Yet not all had been lost. Kamali made sure to recover some of the parts and notes made by his companions, mixing them with some of his own. This allowed the Entente to, after a couple of years of tests and failures, create their own decription machine, one which would prove invaluable in the years to come.

## Public reception

Without any survivors apart from the three agents, all nations agreed that the deaths in M5-W had been the result of a brutal Yaanari  raid. Even the league itself gave names of those who had taken part on it, as a favour to the Thadrakos families.

Relations between Entente and Commonwealth secret services soured a little after the battle, a situation which would take many years to change.

Aside from that, a discovery was made by agent Shingen during the battle, as his mind and Kataneera joined for a moment. Weak and without to many defences, the Commonwealth agent was able to discover some new details about the traitor. What these details are and how they might be used against the Zracon Union Shingen did not say, as he retired from the force only a few weeks after, never to return.