The Infirmary, Boulderkeep
Tlandar was seated in a medical chair, in Boulderkeep's infirmary. He sat beside his bed, inside the curtained partition.
"Tlandar, have you fully recovered from your wound? We need to hurry up. But take your time. I'm not rushing you. You're health is our top priority. Give me an assessment of your capacity. You need to be healthy to fight in the front. We'll work it from there," Chieftain Val'katl said.
"I feel alright now. That attack was really bad and scary. Vraek caught me unpreared; I did not expect it from him. But I been treated extremely well by Akoros, Salgar, all the Salgaran spies. My wound is fully healed. Soon, I will get dressed up properly, get my gear, and get going. I'm following you, and will follow your orders closely, thanks for saving me, Chieftain Val'katl and Akoros," Tlandar said.
"Follow me to the trenches in the Plains of Leipira, as soon as you're ready. Our spies have informed us that Chieftain Ixtiel has launched an invasion there. He landed on the marshes of Leipira, with two million Ixtielan troops, dropped off from their hover transports. I was also informed that the SV Defiance Vanguard was detected, hovering electronic sensory equipment. We must hurry up as time is running out. Twelve hundred hours remain until Ixtiel completely deploys all his forces, ready for battle," Chieftain said.
"Whenever you're ready, locate me by the departure docks by the north wing in Boulderkeep. I'll be waiting for you there, together with General Vos, and our combined troops, totaling about 700,000 and 300,000 Formicron mechas," Chieftain Val'katl said.
"Where is my Procyon Starhost division? the ones Chieftain Salgar gave me in the Sanctum of Orchids?" Tlandar asked.
"Since your first arrival at Boulderkeep, they been patrolling and guarding the perimeter on their own accord. They are good troops and follow you loyaly. They are waiting for you," Chieftain Val'katl said.
"Its so nice of them. Chieftain Val'katl, just give me a few more minutes. I'll grab my gear, dress up, and join your troops soon," Tlandar said.
"Whenever you're ready. Remember, twelve hundred hours," Val'katl said.
Departure Docks, North Wing
Tlandar arrived at the Departure Docks, by the north wing of Boulderkeep. He arrived dressed with his full Crimson Order garments: dark crimson colored pauldron cape, worn on his left side. His right side was free of clothing for movement and for using his cedar staff. He wore an sleek, kuprix collar, that covered his neck, part of the shoulders and chest. He also wore dark brown leather boots, belts that fastened his kuprix collar to his waist belt and wore a kuprix bracer. He had light grey-blue eyes and platinum, short hair. His large, kajal delineated eyes scanned around the environment.
"Chieftain Val'katl. Give me my troops, the Procyon Starhost, and finally, let's get out here!" Tlandar said optimistically.
"They are over there, go to them," Chieftain Val'katl said. The place was like a giant hangar with a half cylindrical roof. Tlandar's troops, two-hundred total, were standing on one spot in the hangar, in box formation. They piloted in their cockpits, their Formicron mechas.
In the center of Tlandar's troops Formicrons, laid his Formicron, which measured about 35 feet in height. "Welcome commander Tlandar! We missed you and worried about you. Have your way now, to your Formicron, Procyon Alpha. We maintained, polished it and and now it's ready," Kerth Shuur'Ak, asemtek male, said.
"Thank you so much. As my valuable comrades, rest assured I will command you well. You will not lose your lives unnecessarily, so let's go" Tlandar said. His Formicron mecha powered on, when Tlandar walked near. It kneeled on one knee, opened up its cockpit, located in its elongated head. It automatically ejected an small ladder, located on the head's mouth. Tlandar climbed up to the cockpit. His mecha got up, stood straight on both legs and closed its cockpit. As Tlandar adjusted his seating posture, strapped on the seat's safety belts across his body. Put on his mecha's pilot helm. It was elongated, swept back in the back. It had a rectangular, bright visor in the front.
"The visor's HUD feels alive, conscious. Like it's aware of my thoughts and intentions," Tlandar said.
Tlandar's pilot helm began transmitting real-time data on the digital, visor glass. "I'm beginning to interface with the systems," Tlandar said. "I'm beginning to hear the telepathic voices of all our allies," he said.
He turned on an switch, which filtered out the other channels. It activated only the channel Tlandar need to speak directly to his Procyon Starhost troops. "Greetings, soldiers, this is your commander Tlandar speaking. How are you doing? I've missed you but I'm back into action. From now on, I want to call you, the Procyon Starhost. Alright? This will be you call sign now, and just be ready, standby at my orders," Tlandar said.
He added, "Please turn on your Formicron engines. Let's get out of here!" Tlandar said, through the intercomm of his Formicron helm. "At once, commander Tlandar! We follow you!" the Procyon Starhost pilots said. Tlandar turned off that button. Pushed a second button, to speak directly to Val'katl.
"Chieftain Val'katl, me and my troops, the Procyon Starhost, are ready to go. Let's depart to the Plains of Leipira!" Tlandar said.
"Well done, Protector Tlandar. You now look like a force worthy of me leading. Let's depart to the Plains of Leipira!" Chieftain Val'katl said. Val'katl was not commanding an ordinary mecha force, but an army of heroic warriors. Protectors.
Chieftain Val'katl piloted the Valkatlan Commander's Spaceship. A large, long Valkatlan spaceship which carried one thousand Valkatlan elite warriors. And General Vos, Akashma Xil'ha, Salgar, Akoros, an undetected Ixtielan spy, concealed among the Valkatlan elite soldiers. The spy was asemeri, Ixtielan, small like a human (or temsek) being.
"I will remain undetected in this highly critical mission. I underwent thousands of surgeries and mutilations to just look like an ordinary temsek being," the Ixtielan spy thought to himself.
"To the Plains of Leipira, south of Boulderkeep! We'll stop until we see the long, impenetrable line of trenches, which I built years ago with Vraek. Its a magnificent sight, hard to miss. The trench line is very deep. I've placed countless reinforced pillboxes, autonomous turrets and missile launchers," Chieftain Val'katl said.
Chieftain Val'katl's total forces, totaled almost one million, including laborers, helpers and androids. Both Valkatlan and Salgaran. And all his troops and mechas were being transported in a dozen of giantic, Salgaran transport ships. The forces flew up to the air, from Bouderkeep. And banished away. Entered the thick clouds of Val'katl, above the thick silvery fog of the surrounding, subtropical rainforests.
Plains of Leipira
The dozen of Salgaran, giantic space transports, arrived at the battlefront's trenches in the Plains of Leipira, south of Boulderkeep. It was where the Ixtielan invasion had already gone underway. Thousand of Ixtielan troops engulfed the environment.
"Descend in the landing pads located near our trenches," Chieftain Val'katl said. His fleets landed on the landing pads next to the trenches. Thousands and thousands of troops began emerging, from their dozen, Salgaran transport ships. Began arranging into swarm formation. All their Formicrons where there, standing by. The Procyon Starhost was there, standby. In front of the all the Valkatlan and Salgaran forces.
"Tlandar, take a look at all our troops. Do you seen anything unusual?" Chieftain Val'katl said. "Sir, I don't, forgive me," Tlandar said. "Look over there. In this battle, we are fighting with Salgaran troops, for the first time. Chieftain Salgar, sending you to me, for assistance, and General Vos, as helpers, we have become allies, Tlandar. That's what you missed seeing. Thanks God that we are not fighting this battle today, alone. Not alone. But we have Chieftain Salgar, you, Vos, and even Astashica, on our side!" Chieftain Val'katl said. "We are truly blessed by God, Chieftain Val'katl," Tlandar said. "Very well. Let's distribute the reinforcements upon all our trenches. Tlandar, to you I charge you of commanding the organization of all our total forces. Arrange them strategically for and effective defense against Ixtiel's forces," Chieftain Val'katl said. "Understood" Tlandar said. Tlandar became Procyon Alpha, not anymore a fragile, humanoid creature. He was Procyon Alpha. So were all the Valkatlan and friendly troops who piloted Formicron mechas. They are their machines of war, their Formicron mechas. So, the Procyon Alpha walked around the deep digged trenches and all their forces coordinated with him, following his orders, given to them via their intercomms, on their mecha pilot helms. And so, the Battle of Leipira began to rise.