Capítulo 9: "Behind Enemy Lines: Gathering Intel"

"Before we jump into action, we need to gather intel and assess the situation," said Shawn. "That's why we're going to send a reconnaissance team led by Lieutenant James. Delta Squad, you guys are experts in stealth, so I need you to back him up."

"Understood, sir," replied one of the Delta Squad members.

"Your objective is to get eyes on the rebels and their movements," Shawn continued. "We need to know their strength, their armament, and their tactics before we engage. I don't want any surprises."

"We'll make sure they don't see us, sir," said another Delta Squad member.

"Good. Once you have the intel, bring it back to us and we'll plan the assault. And remember, we're dealing with a rebellion here. There are innocent people involved so we need to use force only as a last resort. Understood?"

The team headed by Lieutenant James nodded in agreement there were a lot of stakes involved here so they were ready to handle their mission with precision and accuracy.

Shawn paused for a moment, making eye contact with each member of his squad. "Remember, we don't know who we're up against, or what their capabilities are. So, it's imperative that we take all necessary precautions and proceed with caution. Any questions?"

As per Shawn's plan, Lieutenant James and the Delta Squad set out to gather intel on the rebel forces.

'Let me contact the shield legion and direct them to assist Lieutenant James.' Shawn thought to himself.

Shawn sat in his command tent, poring over the maps of the Lithium Ero Zone's capital city. He knew that this mission was critical to the stability of the entire region, and he needed to make sure that every detail was accounted for. As he studied the maps, he reached for his communicator.

"Shield Legion, this is Captain Shawn of the 63rd Battalion of the 'Sword Legion'. Do you copy?" he said into the device.

A few moments later, a crackling voice responded. "This is the Shield Legion Captain. What can we do for you?"

Shawn took a deep breath and began to give his orders. "I need you to carry out surveillance in the capital city. We're sending a reconnaissance team headed by James to gather intel on the rebels, and I need you to monitor their movements and alert us to any potential threats."

The Shield Legion member on the other end of the line acknowledged the order and promised to get to work right away.

"Thank you for your prompt response. Can you give me a rundown of how you plan on conducting the surveillance?" Shawn asked.

"Of course, sir. We'll deploy our stealth drones to gather data on the rebels' movements and activities in the capital city. These drones are equipped with the latest in cloaking technology and can blend in seamlessly with their surroundings, making them virtually undetectable. Additionally, we'll use our network of informants to gather intel on any potential threats and relay that information to Lieutenant James and his team," the Shield Legion member explained.

Shawn nodded, impressed by the legion's capabilities. "Good work. Keep me updated on any developments."

"Will do, sir. Shield Legion out."

"Wait," Shawn said before the Shield Legion member could hang up. "Is it possible for you to access the drone cameras from our campsite to watch the feed?"

"Yes, sir," the Shield Legion member replied. "We can access the drone cameras from our remote station and send you the live feed. Would you like us to do that?"

"Yes, please do that," Shawn replied. "The more intel we have, the better.

" And the other reason also is of the rebel force trying to tap into our communications, if they get to know there is a reconnaissance team in their rebel-controlled area our team can be wiped out just as easily as snapping a finger.

"Understood, sir," the Shield Legion member said.

"And also," Shawn quickly interjected. "Before you go, is there any way you can try to tap into the communications of the rebels? We need to know what they're planning."

The Shield Legion member paused for a moment before replying, "We can certainly try, sir. We'll do our best to access their communication channels and keep you informed of any valuable intel we gather."

"Thank you," Shawn replied. He hoped that the Shield Legion would be successful in their mission, but he knew that this rebellion was going to be a tough fight.

However, the Shield Legion member hesitated for a moment before speaking up again. "Sir, I should warn you that tapping into the rebels' communications could be risky. If we're caught, it could compromise the entire mission."

Shawn weighed the pros and cons in his head. "Understood. I don't want to take any unnecessary risks. Focus on the drones and informants for now. But keep the option of tapping into their communications open as a last resort."

"Roger that, sir. We'll proceed with caution," the Shield Legion member said before ending the call.

Shawn knew that the mission was complex and dangerous, and he had to trust in the skills of his team to see it through.

Shield Legion's Remote Campsite in Lithium Ero:

As the Shield Legion members set up their remote campsite, they began deploying their stealth drones to gather data on the rebels' movements. However, something felt off to a team member, Sergeant Williams.

"Sir, I'm picking up some strange readings from the drone's sensors. It's almost as if someone is jamming our signal," Williams reported to his superior.

"That's impossible," the Shield Legion Head replied disapprovingly. "Our technology is top-of-the-line and should be able to overcome any interference. Keep monitoring it and let me know if anything changes."

Williams couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. He suspected that the rebels might have hacked into their system and were intentionally interfering with their surveillance.

"Sir, we need to abort the mission. I think the rebels have caught on to us," Williams urged his superior.

The Shield Legion head, Colonel Henderson, looked at Williams with a scowl on his face. "What are you talking about, Williams? We can't just abort the mission based on a hunch. We need concrete evidence before we can make any decisions."

"But sir, we've been hearing strange interference on our communication channels. I think the rebels are trying to hack into our system," Williams explained.

Henderson shook his head. "I'm not convinced. We need to keep gathering intel. The fate of the Lithium Ero Zone depends on it." Henderson said, a glint shining in his eyes.

Shawn' Campsite:

Shawn sat in front of the monitor, his eyes fixed on the live feed from the reconnaissance team's drones. He watched as Lieutenant James and his squad navigated the streets of the capital city, their movements fluid and precise. However, something was off. Some crucial pieces of information were missing, and some of the footage seemed to be tampered with.

As Shawn watched the live feed from the reconnaissance team's stealth drones, he couldn't help but feel something was off. He had been studying the operations of the UPKF on this planet for a hour, trying to find the root cause of the rebellion, and he knew there were details missing from the information being relayed to him.

"This can't be right," he muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Something's not adding up."

Frowning, Shawn opened up another screen and started scrolling through the UPKF's database of operations on the planet. As he sifted through the data, he realised that there were several inconsistencies in the reports. Some of the information had been altered, and some of the reports were missing altogether.

Shawn's mind raced with the possibilities. Could it be that someone was deliberately sabotaging their mission and feeding false information to the reconnaissance team? He knew that the rebellion couldn't have sprung up out of nowhere, and that there had to be a deeper root cause.

As he dug deeper, he realised that the missing pieces of information were all related to the same person: Colonel Henderson, the head of the Shield Legion.

As he continued to analyse the data, a sickening realisation hit him. Colonel Henderson, the head of the Shield Legion, had purposely kept him from tapping into the rebel force's communication, creating a back channel with the rebels.

"This is fake," Shawn said to himself, feeling a mixture of anger and betrayal. "Henderson's been working with the rebels the whole time. He's been feeding us false information and using us as pawns in his game."

He knew that he needed to act quickly. Henderson had put his team in danger, and if they continued on their current path, they would be walking into a trap.

"We need to abort the mission," Shawn said, his voice laced with urgency. "The Shield Legion has been compromised. We need to get our people out of there."

Shawn's squad members were surprised when he announced that the mission was being aborted. They had been preparing to move in and take out the rebel forces, and now they were being told to stand down.

"What's going on, boss?" asked one of the team members.

Shawn looked at them with a grave expression on his face. "We've received some troubling information about the mission. It's been compromised. We need to abort and regroup."

The team members exchanged worried glances, realizing that something serious must have happened for their leader to make such a decision.

"What kind of information?" another team member asked.

Shawn shook his head. "I can't go into details right now, but trust me when I say that we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

The team members nodded, realising that their mission had taken an unexpected turn.

"Relay it to the reconnaissance team to come back to the campsite," ordered Shawn, his voice laced with a bit of urgency.

"Captain, but the communication to the reconnaissance team is with the Shield Legion shall I ring up Colonel Henderson using a hologram," informed an UPKF personnel

"Ohh fuck no… –