Vaeren didn't waste the time Solenne had given him.
The first wave of missile strikes had already done what they needed to do. The Kharov grip over the main settlements had cracked, and the combat frames pushing forward had opened just enough space for people to move without getting shot the moment they stepped out.
It didn't mean things were safe. Not even close. It just meant there was a small window.
And everyone who had lived under this kind of rule understood what that meant.
If you didn't use it now, you wouldn't get another chance.
Solenne had planned for that. More surface units had been dropped this time, not just the lighter combat frames but heavier transport ones too.
They were big, solid, built for function over anything else. But they could move across broken ground, push through debris, and carry people who were too weak or too scared to make the run on their own.
