Ada paced up and down the outpost's tiny yard. It was barely large enough to serve as a landing pad for a few Swarm Drones, if they got cozy with each other, or for mustering more than a single squad. Right now, several people were assembling outside, on the other side of the gate in the palisade. The outpost had never been intended as more than a small stopover point or place to store rations for a few days.

Unfortunately, she had been traveling to inspect the border fortifications (and let herself be seen by the soldiers there) yet again when news of this attack came, which meant she was now between the village they'd targeted and the border itself. That didn't particularly concern her, but it was annoying that she wasn't able to talk directly with most of her human subordinates and had to ask other drones to relay messages, when they might have other things to do, too.

She was also quite focused on the psychic link, not just to coordinate with others, but to find out what was happening.

Dan had taken off as soon as he'd been informed, predictably enough. After the last incident at the border, Max had given Ada a talk and she'd apologized and promised not to do it again. She was a general now and had to direct others instead of charging in personally; he might have a bit of an overprotective streak, but he wasn't wrong about that. Well, this time it really wasn't her fault that she wasn't in a bigger base further south. If he had tried to give the same talk to Dan, she didn't think anyone really expected it to work — Dan was Dan and a thousand scoldings wouldn't change that. He was the type to charge straight into any fight when he had the chance.

In this case, Ada didn't begrudge him that. Her shell itched at the thought of the raiders on their territory and what they might be doing. But she'd have time to kick herself over missing it later, right now they needed to act.

Dan had taken several flying drones and packed all of the soldiers he could onto them. There was also a mounted force moving on the ground, though they would naturally arrive later. Flying drones from bases and outposts further away were already moving towards the target as well, and when Ada focused on it, she could dimly sense Dan directing them. The few Star Guard who had been present in that base had stayed and were starting to move Mia south, along with a few other soldiers they had basically commandeered. Ada didn't mind that; if this thing was some kind of trap meant to bait their forces away from the base so their enemies could attack it and capture an Imperial princess, they needed to be prepared. It seemed in character, the sort of thing their enemies might do. They did seem to have some kind of grudge against Imperial royalty — maybe they'd finally figured out they couldn't take out Regina that easily and moved on to her closest supporters and family? Regardless, she needed to ensure Mia's safety as well.

She turned her attention further north again, to the village. The smoke had increased, to the point it was hard to make out details. It was obvious the village was still on fire. So far, they still only had a few flying drones, circling in the sky over the village by now, at a safe distance. But at least it was something and they weren't completely blind. Ada watched the fighters; it was getting easier to make out who were villagers trying to flee or barricade themselves in, and who were the attackers. They wore mismatched armor and wielded a variety of weapons, and the magic and Skills they used showed these weren't random hunters with a grudge.

"Well, dammit," Ada muttered as she recognized one of the faces. She nudged the drone whose senses she was using to turn and got a better look at others, seeing several other people she vaguely recognized, if she was right.

"Ada?" someone asked hesitantly.

She shook her head, looking at Hunter, one of the few other drones here. They'd only recently gained sapience and still had the slight build of a flying drone. They were quick, though; she didn't often mentor someone, but those she did were worth it.

"It's the Brotherhood of Violets," she explained. "I recognize one or two faces from the previous incident. It looks like they managed to sneak across the border after we refused to let them through. Maybe they were still trying to provoke an incident, only now they've escalated …"

Ada reached out to the psychic link and conveyed her impression. It looked like she wasn't the only one to notice, at least. Mia was clearly more focused on the link than on safely getting away, though it was currently up to her guards to rally the escort they were gathering. She gave her a mental hug as reassurance, before Ada nudged Mia pointedly in the direction of the closest city.

Then she glanced around again. "Let's go."

"Is that wise?" Hunter muttered, but called several of the drone mounts they traveled with to them.

"I won't get too close," Ada told them. "But I'd prefer to be in the air rather than playing a sitting duck here. We're gathering flying drones from nearby anyway. Maybe you should go with them."

Without further ado, she swung herself on the closest of the flying drone mounts and watched as the few humans in her current party did the same. The new aide looked a bit green, but she insisted that everyone got to try it at least once and was taught the basics, so they managed. Almost absentmindedly, Ada guided their drones as they ascended, surrounded by a cloud of other flying drones led by Hunter.

The flocks from other bases were converging now. Not all of their complements had been sent, of course, they couldn't afford that, but enough to make for a good strike force put together. There were also mounted soldiers — or those who were particularly fast because of their Class — from the closer bases, while other troops were more slowly assembled as backup and to secure the area. Ada checked on them, as well, while Hunter guided their own group's flight.

The issue was that they couldn't be sure of the enemy's strength; it was hard to get an exact count and some men could be hidden inside the yet-unburnt buildings, but they also couldn't assume they were the only hostiles.

Regardless, it seemed like a sufficient number of drones were being assembled for their rapid-response strike team. Ada was kept busy coordinating with their leaders. She also checked in with Dan, who was closest, unsurprisingly.

Don't go in alone, at least wait for the closest reinforcements to come, she told him.

She could sense his annoyance, his reluctance, but finally, he sighed and she could feel his decision. Alright. It's your call. But I'll go in as soon as possible, when the next group arrives. Speed is of the essence here.

I didn't say you couldn't prepare, she replied.

It didn't surprise her that he pushed the envelope on getting as close as possible, barely stopping before he would enter actual combat with the raiders. His presence certainly got a response. Ada watched closely as the fighters in the village converged and set up their own defensive position. Some of them were clearly mages, and they took material from the burning or burned houses, as well, to make simple barricades and overhangs. Maybe if they didn't damage the houses so much, they would've had an easier time with that, she mused.

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The obvious best choice for a defensive position was the little church, and wasn't that another kettle of worms. The villagers seemed to have fought hardest here, barricading themselves inside, maybe because it was the most defensible structure. It took Ada a moment to realize the invaders' control of it was still shaky at best. Someone kept taking potshots at them, and too many of their men were still spread out. It looked like some of them were even shouting at each other.

Then the airborne forces of two nearby bases arrived close together. They numbered less than Dan's unit even together, but it was enough to give the Imperial forces the upper hand. As expected, he barely gave them time to assume a coherent formation before he called the attack.

At this point, Ada had to look at her own surroundings. I'll hang back here with the second and third squad and act as a rallying point for those further away, she told Hunter. Take the rest of the troops and lead the reinforcements from this quarter. Remember we need to cut off their retreat. If I give the sign, rest on the Tell outpost and form up there to block their way.

I understand, Hunter replied, sounding too much like a kid to her, even if she knew that wasn't truly the case.

The fight had started now, and it seemed to be going well. She observed closely, switching between the viewpoints of several drones, but staying quiet to not distract them. The Violets fighters were, Ada had to admit, competent. She wondered if they'd done this sort of thing before for a moment, before focusing on the fight.

Luckily, they couldn't do much against enemies from the air. Dan only had his drones use bombs and grenades sporadically, in a very targeted way. There would be too much collateral damage otherwise. Arrows, bullets and other things still rained down on the raiders. It provided covering fire for a second wing of the flying drones to descend more closely.

The fight was brutal, but it wouldn't be over quickly. Ada checked in on the other troops the Empire had in the area and stepped in to coordinate them where necessary. She told her own escort to hold, letting her mount circle slowly in the air as they drifted towards the top of the nearby hills. There was no town here, but a crossroads between two decently-sized roads, so it was as good a place to remain as any. Before her drones had to set down, this would be finished. In the meantime, the other squads she had directed here arrived; mostly smaller flocks in loose order, but they were only building a reserve.

She also checked on Mia, who was currently on her way south with her guardians. Good.

Watching gave Ada too much time to worry about the goals of this attack and where it fit into a larger strategy, and she didn't like what she could come up with. This was probably some kind of provocation and psychological strike; it wasn't like they got a military target. A raid like this seemed like a suicide mission, but she supposed if anyone would be up for something like that, it would be fanatics. For now, there was nothing to do but deal with it.

Only a few minutes had actually passed since the alarm had first been sounded, though it felt longer. The ground troops were moving, but it would take them a while longer to arrive.

Dan had done well so far. By the time Hunter's reinforcements were in position, and a few others from deeper inside the Empire were approaching, he had managed to force most of the enemy out of their shelters and blocked them from trying to scatter, instead penning them up around the town square. The fire helped, making much of the village extremely dangerous to go through or fight in, but it had also taken to strategically dropping a few bombs. Ada really hoped there had been no civilians hiding in those houses. Most likely they were already dead, she thought. And Dan has mages that would have sensed life. She wasn't going to ask and distract them now, though.

The fight didn't exactly make the village safer, and several more buildings were collapsing. Some of them sent sparks or bits of wood flying. Ada watched one fighter be struck by a roof tile in the back of the head, bypassing the shield covering his front.

This was a death trap, they would have to get out of it.

Unfortunately, the Brotherhood raiders seemed to have realized that as well. They gathered together, but a few of them started advancing to the east, where there seemed to be a relatively clear path, covering each other with shields and moving from cover to cover. Ada frowned as she watched. Their discipline is still high. Dan shifted his troops in response, bringing another wing in closer on the eastern side. Arrows and Spells rained down on them, and a few Winged Drones were hit, dropping to the ground.

Then the rest of the raiders turned smoothly and started running for the northwest. Ada tightened her grip on her mount, biting her lip as she watched one of the mages cast a massive ice spell that completely froze a section of the smoldering houses — making a path straight through them. A man with a large magical shield barreled through, clearing the path, and the rest followed.

Of course, Dan wasn't idle. After the initial surprise, giving them a few precious seconds, he wheeled around and started harrying the humans. Hunter moved his group in as well, advancing from outside the village to meet them.

Ada was tempted to move her own gathered forces as well, but refrained. Her brother had this well in hand, and she was needed as a strategic reserve and to watch for other enemies. Quickly, she checked on her flying drones deployed further out, making sure she hadn't missed anything.

Luckily, it seemed Dan was still whittling down the enemy's numbers fast enough even as they tried to break out of the village. Several of the raiders made it, their speed increased with magic or Class Skills and leaving their comrades behind. Ada frowned, considering their speed, but Hunter's drones dove after the fleeing raiders.

They quickly learned how futile it was to try to run from flying drones without convenient buildings to hide behind.

They wouldn't make it back to the border even if they tried. On this relatively open ground, they wouldn't even make it to her own location.

Several more flying drones fell. The sapient ones and those with riders tended to be higher up, letting the Swarm Drones bear the brunt of the damage. Although, trying to take stock, she quickly found several riders were also injured. They'd need fast medical attention. Ada made sure the reinforcements coming had good healers, but her subordinates had seen to that.

She wished they had a psychic, but unfortunately, Regina's students were elsewhere.

Sighing, Ada turned back to the other troops under her command and split off several units. She tried for one from each deployment. Then the flying drones were set to scour the countryside and the area in front of the border. There was no point taking chances. To be extra sure, she also sent additional scouts to watch the border itself and the area beyond. If the Westerns had posted watchers, they should find them.

This had all the makings of a trap, but she supposed it was probably more of a political one.

Ada was distracted from her tasks by feeling a faint stir going through the psychic link. She'd tried to keep one metaphorical ear out, to keep on top of what was happening, and the stirring caught her attention.

Looking more closely, there was a small shift like if a new drone joined the Hive, except it was different.

Ada focused more closely. She recognized the mind, even if she wasn't a psychic and hadn't sensed him before. But the man was familiar. She concentrated on him, sensing him reaching out broadly to the senior Hive drones.

Hello everyone, Edmund said. His mental voice was quiet, hiding uncertainty, and she sensed the equal parts apprehension and excitement in it. It is an honor to meet like this. I hope to speak to you all in time. I know this is a great show of trust, and I will prove myself worthy of it. I hope you will be patient with my mistakes as I learn.

Well, that answered why Mother hadn't been focused on watching this fight. She must have been busy talking with him, and overseeing the progress of her Infect Skill.

Ada smiled slightly, adding her own wordless congratulations and welcome to the torrent of responses Edmund received.

It looked like her Queen had overcome her hesitance to use that Skill to join more people to the Hive. Well, personally, she didn't disapprove.

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