The transport shuddered as it adjusted course, and Noah caught sight of Pierce through the small command section window. Even facing a graveyard of human civilization, the commander's head was turning to scan the female personnel visible through the glass, his attention split between the crisis ahead and his personal obsessions.
"Change of plans," Pierce's voice crackled through the comm with that particular edge that meant bad news was coming. "We're splitting up to cover more ground. Time is a luxury we don't have."
Noah felt his stomach drop. Standard protocol was to maintain unit cohesion, especially in unknown hostile territory. But Pierce was already pulling up tactical displays, dividing their forces like pieces on a chess board.
"Pathfinder Seven, you're taking point on Sirius Prime. Grey, you're with the main assault team hitting the primary mining facilities. Eclipse, you're leading a recon battalion to the civilian settlements on the northern continent."
