**Captain James Nolan's Log, Supplemental**
**Discovery Command Center recording**
**37 days after Rothgard's Fall**
The sky had done its work. Now the ground would have to answer for it.
Nolan stood at the center of the command deck, watching the holographic feeds rotate above the table. The strikes had been precise and devastating. Rothguard's harbor lay in ruins, its naval infrastructure shattered and its berths choked with burning wreckage. On the big island of Atlantia, the military port of the capital had been reduced to craters and twisted steel. Further west, the Gnome Kingdom's capital had been struck even harder — war factories and large war material warehouses deep within the capital proper had been obliterated, while the port facilities burned uncontrollably.
A.L.I.'s voice was quiet beside him. "Projected recovery for the affected ports, factories, and logistical infrastructure now exceeds eight weeks. Some sectors may require months before they can resume meaningful operations." Nolan gave a single, sharp nod. "Good." To his right, Jasmine had not moved in several minutes. Her eyes were locked on the Rothguard feed. She watched the tiny heat signatures of people running through streets she had once walked as a child. She saw Imperial soldiers — the same forces that had burned her home, slaughtered her people, and driven her into exile — scrambling in panic through the destruction. Some clustered near collapsed structures, trying to pull survivors from the rubble. Others fled as secondary explosions tore through what remained of the harbor.
These were the monsters that had taken everything from her. For weeks, she had carried the weight of Rothgard's fall in silence. Now she watched them bleed. She watched their carefully built machine of conquest fracture under fire they could not see or answer. A single tear traced down her cheek, then another. Her fingers gripped the edge of the console until her knuckles turned white, but she did not look away. There was grief in her eyes, but beneath it burned something sharper — a cold, quiet satisfaction.
Nolan glanced at her once, then looked back at the displays. "Phase One is complete," he said, voice steady across the bridge. "All primary naval infrastructure targets neutralized. Begin Phase Two preparations immediately. Ground elements will deploy within forty-eight hours." He turned to A.L.I. "Alert the surface. I want every asset ready to move."
---
In the amphitheatre of the recently completed enclosed training complex at Shire Base, Torin Shadowear sat on the bench with his ears angled forward, watching the public feed replay segments of the orbital strikes. Borin Ironvein sat beside him, thick arms crossed, his expression grim. "They broke Rothguard's harbor," Torin said quietly. "Those ships aren't sailing west again anytime soon."
Borin Ironvein grunted. "Aye. Rothguard, the Atlantian capital, and the Gnome Kingdom's capital — three major logistical hubs crippled in one night. They even took out the war factories and warehouses inside the capital itself." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "But the armies already on this continent didn't vanish with the ships. They're still moving. And now they know something hit them from the sky. They'll push harder. Faster. They'll try to break through before we can turn this into an advantage."
Torin's tail flicked once against the bench. "So we either act while they're off balance," he said, "or we sit here and watch the line collapse anyway." Borin Ironvein didn't answer. He stared at the screen as another secondary explosion rippled through Rothguard's ruined harbor, and a low tone sounded across the complex. The company was being called to formation.
---
Minutes later, 1st Company sat in disciplined silence inside the enclosed amphitheatre. The stage was bare except for a single dais and the slowly rotating Space Force emblem behind it. When the company commander stepped up, the quiet deepened. "First Company," the major began, voice carrying cleanly. "You have seen what Discovery did to the Imperial Navy's key ports and infrastructure. Their ability to reinforce their armies on this continent has been crippled for weeks. In some sectors, possibly months. That window belongs to us."
He placed both hands on the podium and leaned forward slightly. "Phase Two begins now. Discovery and First Company will establish a forward operating base ten miles behind the current contact line. From that position, this company—supported by Jackel gunships—will operate as a rapid reaction force. We will reinforce collapsing sectors. We will blunt breakthroughs. And when the order comes, we will help push the Imperia back through their own battlements."
A ripple moved through the ranks, and Torin felt it pass through him like a current as the major's voice grew harder. "You are no longer cadets. You are the first Republic Guardian Force company to take the field. Equipment and loadouts will be issued within the hour. Jackel crews are already preparing. We deploy at first light." He stepped back from the dais. "Questions through your squad leaders."
The moment the words left the major's mouth, both Torin's and Borin Ironvein's comms vibrated sharply against their wrists. A secure data packet arrived simultaneously on both devices. Operational orders, intelligence summaries, projected resource allocations, and company-level statistics scrolled across their screens.
Torin's ears flicked sharply as he opened the file. His eyes moved quickly across the detailed projections — ammunition reserves, expected casualty estimates, Jackel support windows, and the narrow margins they would be operating under once they reached the forward operating base. Beside him, Borin Ironvein's expression darkened as he read the same information.
Neither of them spoke. They simply absorbed the weight of what had just been placed in their hands as the company rose as one. Torin and Borin Ironvein remained seated for several seconds longer, both still reading the incoming data. Borin Ironvein finally closed the file on his comm and exhaled slowly through his nose. "Ten miles," he muttered, voice low. "And they're already telling us how thin the margins are going to be."
Torin closed his own file and looked up toward the distant mountains. "We wanted to matter," he said quietly. Borin Ironvein pushed himself to his feet, the movement heavy but deliberate. "We're about to find out what that actually costs." Above them, Discovery continued its silent watch. On the surface, the first Republic Guardian Force company began moving toward the fire they had helped create.
The second phase had begun.