"Copy, Alpha to continue scouting and return to base." Mischief said into his microphone and nodded to his squad, quickly issuing orders for them to move in their previous formation. They had wasted a few seconds taking a knee at the treeline for him to contact Tempest, and, truth be told, Mischief did not like the idea of crawling through vegetation with the grey-hued camouflage pattern his team wore. He suddenly regretted not bringing along his Vz. 95 kit. It utilized an old pattern - a close relative to the 1948 vintage ERDL - but its colour scheme was perhaps the best for the terrain he was currently skulking through.

"Take care where you step," Came O'Connor's voice over his headset. "Twigs and branches everywhere. Sanderson nearly gave us all away."

"Acknowledged," Mischief replied with a nod and quickly glanced at the ground below and ahead of him. In the darkness, all he could see were just the vague outlines of twigs and branches resting on the irregular outlines of what he supposed were leaves. The thick canopy of the trees blocked whatever light the moon had to offer, and it was simply impossible for them to move with absolute silence. Every rustle, snap and crunch caused Mischief's heart to speed up ever so slightly and the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. It was nerve-wracking, but each time he just swallowed and soldiered on, telling himself that there was only a little bit more to scout.

"Sarge," Recker said quietly from behind and placed a hand on Mischief's shoulder. "Look there," He said and pointed to what appeared to be a strip of cleared land cutting through the forest. "I ain't no armour, but I'd reckon that if the AAF wants to attack us wit' their numbers and heavy weapons, they're gonna have to cut through that path."

"He's right," Jennings agreed with a nod. "I don't think anyone can drive a tank through these trees."

Mischief nodded. That path would be the best route for the AAF to take in the event of an attack, but it would also be the most obvious. If the AAF commanders had any brains at all, they would take any route but that. They might even take the long way around and swing from the east to hit Tempest in the flanks, or they could just cut another path through the forest. The possibilities were endless, but for now, Mischief had done his job. The worrying and brainstorming could be left to someone else. "Alpha squad, confirm you all have eyes on clearing roughly twenty-five meters to our front?"

"Alpha-1 has eyes." O'Connor said.

"So does Alpha-2." Kelly said. "You want us to set up an ambush, staff?"

"If only I had the numbers. For now, mark the positions on your maps and we will return to Tempest." Mischief replied and shook his head. At least he knew that his squad was eager to bring some pain to the AAF, perhaps a little too eager. 

"Alpha-1 has position marked."

"Good," Mischief said. "Regroup on me and we will retrace our steps. Alpha-Lead will take point. Alpha-2, check our six. Alpha-1, keep an eye on our flanks."

The trek back to Tempest took what felt like hours, but according to Mischief's watch, had only been half-an-hour. The squad did their best to stick to the route they had taken, taking care to avoid leaving any signs that they were ever there aside from the bodies of the AAF scout patrol. Those men were far enough away from the cleared path that it would simply look as if they had the poor luck to be detected and intercepted by a unit from Tempest. Once they were back at base, however, they felt the instant sense of relief from not needing to check over their shoulders every now and then. "Good work, everyone," Mischief said and nodded to his squad. "I will check in with Huscarl. The rest of you, get some food and rest...O'Connor, I will need to borrow your map."

"Ah, right." The Irishman said and pulled out the map from a pocket in his vest. He handed the crumpled and slightly damp folded sheet of paper to Misfit. "Sorry about the condition, staff sergeant. I didn't have the time to wrap it in plastic."

"It is fine," Mischief said and took the map. "Go get some sleep, sergeant. Make sure everyone gets enough rest."

"Will do, staff sergeant." O'Connor said with a grin. "Best order I've heard all night, if I may say so."

Mischief chuckled and shook his head and waved to his squad with his free hand before turning and walking towards the command tent. Despite the casual and relaxed manner he had chatted with his second-in-command, Mischief knew that the current situation in Tempest was anything but. The AAF could attack at any time and the forces currently stationed at Tempest simply did not have the manpower to repel a determined assault. Mischief even doubted if they had any anti-air capability, and if they did not, it would only be a matter of time before they were hit by airstrikes.

He walked into the tent and nodded to Athena and Irish. "Evening," He greeted them and looked at Huscarl. "Alpha squad reporting in." He said and saluted quickly before walking over to the table and unfolded the map. He splayed it out and pointed at the marking O'Connor had left on the map. "We scouted most of the forest to the north, but did not encounter any AAF forces beyond the scout patrol we eliminated. However, we found a cleared path through the forest. It looked fresh, so it was not on any of our maps, but my sergeant managed to mark out its position. It is the likely route the AAF will take if they decide to attack."