The deployment orders for the Stalwart Special Tactics Unit have come in. They will be doing a full force insertion, meaning that they will be bringing some spare equipment with them including the Mobile Suits and some vehicles. They will be dropping well behind the intended front lines to secure a secret military installation.

The facility is currently under Kepler's control, one of many such facilities within the heavily populated system. Sigmund also has one partially inhabited moon and a few resource bases on outlying planets within its solar system.

They aren't a powerhouse of military might, but they did have a fairly decent defense force, and they have a Space Station in orbit that is still holding out against the Narsian's anti-satellite attacks. It looks like the planet is doing better than most against this alien invasion and that the Abraham Kepler might be enough to stabilize the situation for a few days or a week until more reinforcements can arrive.

They were the only ship close to the point of the attack since it was so far within the Empire's borders, but neighboring systems will be mustering as many troops as they can spare and should be here soon. If one of them was close to their annual recruitment, they might even get lucky and see an entire Mecha Regiment and Field Army in the next few days.

Once their lander drops within the facility, the Special Tactics Unit has been assigned to fortify the facility as a regrouping and resupply point for the Kepler defense forces. It has an ore stockpile inside, and a wide variety of repair and emergency manufacturing facilities. It is a perfectly suited mission to the Unit, but going by the other drop sites on the list, they might have actually pulled the lowest risk location of anyone aboard the ship, other than those assigned to land with the two Phalanx Class Mecha.

"Commander, final requisitions are in. I got us a collection of Skyfire Turrets that we can use as an anti-infantry defense when we land. They won't have any issues with Narsian armor, and the flak explosions make them especially effective against large-scale assaults." Nico informs him, handing over the tablet with the loading information for the drop ship.

"Thanks, Major. Now, to get everyone on the ground without issue. From what I can see, the Narsians have taken at least a few cities, so we can expect heavy incoming fire on the way down, even if we are headed to a lower priority location." Max sighs, refreshing the battle status on his tablet.

"Nothing we can do about that. But the troops are ready to load and all Mecha are in place, loaded, and double-checked." Nico's assurance goes a long way to comfort Max, as he knows her skills would have caught anything that the crew missed, and the crews that loaded the landers are from the Abraham Kepler itself, all Career soldiers, and experienced, not fresh recruits like those going to battle today.

The entire ship is on edge today, with green commanders leading green troops on their first mission while expecting heavy incoming fire and a hostile landing zone. If they stay this nervous they won't even need the enemy to find them, they will be mentally defeated before they even reach the ground. Max needs to do something about it, he is going to need these Mecha to survive long enough to need to come to his position for resupply.

"Special Tactics Unit. On me. We will be taking a long way around to motivate the troops." Max instructs the unit.

They might not know much more than anyone else, but they are the elite of their group, and Max did give them a lot of extra training this week, all for the sake of survival. Their morale is high, and he hopes that just the sight of his unit's confidence will help the other units get their act together. Going by the chaos that he can see, it is more than a little bit necessary. Troops are running around trying to get last-minute orders handled, and rookie commanders are flustered by the need to get everything in order for something that isn't a drill.

They know how, but the nerves are getting to them and they are making simple mistakes that don't need to happen.

As they pass by, the other officers of the Stalwart Special Tactics Unit are shouting orders at aimless troops, setting unit commanders back on the right path, and calming the troops. Max was right, just the presence of another unit in their situation that has their act together is enough to solve half the problem, the part where chaos is feeding on chaos and making things increasingly more difficult to organize.

They cross almost the entire landing bay before coming to the bay where Shining Darkness stands surrounded by cranes, getting ready to load now that the rest of its entourage is ready. General Tennant himself is busy with a Command Tablet, setting orders and rearranging drop schedules to avoid areas where the highest concentration of enemy fire will likely come from.

"Major Max, thank you for all the hard work. Security feeds showed me your tour around the loading bays getting the troops in order." The General Greets them as they pass by his hangar.

"The pleasure is all mine General. If those few of us with experience aren't on top of things, who would be? All they needed was a bit of confidence to remember that they've spent most of their lives training for this." Max answers with a crisp salute for the Senior officer.

"Your drop route isn't perfect, but it should be out of range of the worst of the incoming fire. Just take and hold that position at all costs. Sigmund has a fairly high population, but the on-planet resource levels are low. Most of their manufacturing is done on the outer planets or in space. Until the resupply drops begin, we will be pressed for resources." General Tennant explains.

Max can see in his thoughts that the General did his best to send his proteges somewhere relatively safe, giving them time to get their troops up to standard before facing the worst that the Narsians can throw at them. Even a few days of light combat before a major assault will greatly increase the survival rate of a unit, and he has bought them as many days as he can.

General Tennant himself will be headed for the Continental Capital, a thousand kilometers from where Max will be landing, while the Carpe Noctem will be going to reinforce the Planetary Capital, on the other side of the world.

"Everyone to the lander. You have ten minutes to get settled in and secured or I will be writing your names on your seats for the next drop." Max orders his unit, who laugh as they jog to the last bay to get loaded, lifting the spirits of the soldiers they pass.

They still have over an hour before the final securement call comes, but the Pilots haven't had much seat time in their new Mecha, and it is of a pattern they haven't had a chance to physically use before, so even getting an extra hour to get comfortable and set things up to their liking is appreciated.

Max also has to do the same, the interior of Stalwart was painted and renovated after the last battle, so he needs to make sure all the personal effects he has placed in the cockpit this week are secured, and places his lucky photos into the holders.

He has a new one for this mission. Of the entire surviving membership of his last mission on the day they returned to the ship. They are dirty, sweaty, and exhausted with thousand-yard stares, hardened by combat, but they look happy to be home. Now almost all of those faces are retired and their successors, including many of their younger siblings and cousins, are under his care.

"Just you watch boys, I'll bring these Pilots back as real men." Max smiles, tucking it into the clear plastic holder, right above the photo of himself between Nico and General Tennant on the day of his first deployment.

The Special Tactics Unit is living up to its reputation, ready on time and fully equipped, chatting easily as they wait for the final announcements. Max turns on Stalwart's external speaker and hears Ari taking bets on how far off the ten-minute warning will be this time. They all know that it is rarely even close to their actual drop time, especially for first-wave units, but some of the bets are entirely too optimistic. Seriously, twenty minutes before their actual drop? That would put them in the third wave of landers. No way will they have to wait that long.

The lander is moved into the final launch position and the lights turn to warning red, reminding everyone that they could be facing a drop any second and that any unsecured objects in the cabin could become deadly projectiles.

[Ten Minutes To Launch] the automated system announces, signaling the start of final launch preparations by the ship crew, and the rumble of the enormous drop bay doors opening shakes the lander.

The light tan walls of the lander look almost dark brown against the bone of the Mecha, and the lighting makes the black berets of the infantry into voids of darkness over olive-tanned faces as the thrusters of the lander power up.

[Launching] the single word announcement blares over the speakers and Max laughs, activating the external speakers of Stalwart. "Eight Minutes and forty-seven seconds early, a new unit record. Captain Ari, who is our lucky winner?"