What is she doing? Minerva watched in disbelief as Iria moved over to the woman sobbing softly on the ground. It was clearly a trap, but Iria was going to set it off anyways. She had volunteered to be the bait spontaneously, Minerva had to make it count.

The red headed agent made silent jesters to her marines. The marines spread out while remaining close enough to keep an eye on each other in order to keep from being totally ambushed by the Midrozi. As soon as the trap was sprung, half the marines would lay down suppressing fire. A marine would then throw a flashbang at any Midzori not near Iria. With luck the Midzori would be temporary stunned, and easy for the marines to pick off. Minerva would pick off any Midzori who appeared, while relying on Iria's superior melee skills if the woman proved to be a threat.

The Midrozi hunters were fixated on the busty agent walking helplessly, or so they thought at least, into their trap. They were already imaging just what fun they could have with her when they brought her down, well assuming she somehow survived. So while they were completely invisible to the following squad of ADD marines, they hadn't noticed them either. These were hunters, not warriors, not soldiers. They were used to picking off stragglers, using fear, deception, isolation. They had forgotten that this trap hadn't been started by them leading a single foe away from the main group and hence alone.

The women seemed to ignore Iria, completely wrapped up in her own world with her mouth letting out sobs. At least until Iria reached her and reached out. The Midrozi hunter moved, faster than most humans could, even soldiers. Her hand tried to scratch Iria, tried to poison her with her nails and cause the poison contained in the miniature sacs to burst and enter Iria's body. She didn't know that Iria was primarily a melee fighter, didn't know that as such her reaction speed would be faster than most humans. Although it was doubtful that Iria was suspecting the women herself to attack, and may just assume the attack would be harmless.

Regardless of whether her attack hit or not the three hunters dispelled their illusions and went to start playing with Iria, and all three were caught in the open when the marine behind Iria threw a flash bang. The bright flare and loud bang threw them into confusion and disarray, and by the time any of them recovered enough sense to try an illusion they would probably have been cut down by ADD fire, opening the way for the ADD force to enter the compound and giving away a trick the Midrozi would probably use again.

The woman did not seem to be responding to her as Iria came closer. It was an obvious lure as any sane human would react to another human's voice as it would mean possible rescue and safety. The disguised alien immediately leap up to lash at the amazon woman. Iria quickly twisted to the side and grasped the woman's wrist as she released her heavy hammer. Using both strength and technique, she easily lifted the alien up and slammed her back onto the ground. The illusions were dispelled and she found herself surrounded by two other Midrozi.

Her eyes narrow as the familiar metallic clink of a grenade hitting the ground reached her ears. "Shit.." The amazon could do little but shut her eyes as blinding light flashed and a loud bang sent her ears ringing. She could not hear anything beyond the ringing as shots were fired and the three Midrozi were quickly gunned down. Iria was forced to wait, staggering slightly as she tried to regain her sight and hearing.

Iria gritted her teeth as she glared back at the marines. A flashbang was not necessary and was quite painful to the say the least. But at least the three aliens were dead. The amazon woman picked up her hammer and continued walking down the path before her own supposed allies decide to throw more grenades towards her position.

Rats! The marine had followed her order to the letter, throwing the grenade as soon as she saw the three aliens appear. Unfortunately, the Midrozi was right next to Iria and the marine threw it at her feet. The grenade flash of light and loud bang had stunned the Midrozi and Iria.

Iria wisely took a defensive stance while the marines took quickly took out the hunters. However, as soon as the Iria regained her senses she turned and gave a really angry glare at he marines. It was clear the was not happy with their actions. She quickly moved on try to move out the marines throwing range.

Okay Marines, change of plans. Nobody throws a flashbang without orders. While the marine had followed her orders, she had not used good judgement. She will should have only thrown the flashbang if there was little chance of catching an ally in its blast radius. If the rest of the Marines weren't such good shots, that could have turned out really badly. Minerva sighed, grateful that the mission wasn't ended before it even began.

The red headed agent signaled to the marines to follow her into the camp. She wanted them in there to support Iria and be ready to secure any flanks should the Midrozi decide not to take them head on.

Hunter Kaeli had been scowling as she watched the 'fight' between three of her hunters and the humans. She had not expected to lose three of her hunters so soon, and at the cost of none of the humans. Now there had been five Midrozi deaths, and that affront was not one Kaeli could leave unpunished. Nor could the rest of her team, be they hunter or warrior. Kaeli pointed to two of the human slaves that had been captured as she started to issue more orders to set up the next trap.

Once inside the research camp the humans would have to decide how they wanted to continue. Straight ahead was an open courtyard, nearly two dozen feet of open ground with no form of cover between them and the main building. To their right was the Medical bay, and to the left was the Science lab. Both buildings were connected to the main building through hallways, but could be accessed from external doors. Moving through either of those buildings would take longer, but would offer a lot more cover than approaching across the open courtyard. The courtyard itself was empty, well apart from a dead security guard who had been killed near the door the humans had entered in during the initial attack by a knife to her throat.

She did not hear any orders being given as the ringing continued. It took a few staggering steps for the amazon to be sure enough about her footing to continue moving forward at a decent pace. Blinking slowly, her vision gradually stopped stinging and the blurring wore off. All that remained was the high pitch ringing that gradually fell in volume. She truly hoped she would not be hit by one of those every time an alien is spotted, for her sake and theirs.

Iria finally made it to the camp followed by the rest of the agents. She only gave a slight glance at the dead body on the floor. The ADD agent was half tempted to strike the body just to make sure it was not another disguised alien. But she was sure the others would only annoy her if she did that. The open courtyard was not an attractive route even by the amazon's standards. She preferred close range combat and with so many entrances, she would be a sitting duck if an ambush was made there. That left the two entrances to the buildings. The medical bay sounded the best to her and her ringing ears. It would at least provide additional supplies if they are needed.

Not even waiting for the others, the amazon moved to the door that would lead to the med bay. She stood to one side as she checked the keypad and attempts to open the door. If it was lock, she would have to rely on a more aggressive way to get in. Not that she minded it at all.

Minerva looked down at the dead body. She was disgusted at the way the aliens treated the dead, leaving them where they fell or using them as warning. She looked up at the courtyard and saw there was no good way to get across the distance with out being fully exposed. Which was fine by her as it worked both ways. The red headed agent signaled to a couple of marines who then covered the courtyard. Anyone who came from the main building would be spotted right away.

Meanwhile, Iria looked she was heading to the medical bay. It would not only provide some medical supplies but it looked like it was connected to main building, providing the agents a way in with some cover. However there was a science lab opposite way, which would provide another way in, and potential way to ambush people who trying to get to the medical lab.

Minerva silently ordered her marines to stack up behind her on the science lab. They would loudly clear the room, making sound like the agents had only chosen the science lab. With luck noone would notice that the amazon ready to make her way into the medical lab. And with the tight enviroment of the medical lab, it looked anyone who was in there would be out of their league against the large agent.

Not even waiting for the others, the amazon moved to the door that would lead to the med bay. She stood to one side as she checked the keypad and attempts to open the door. If it was lock, she would have to rely on a more aggressive way to get in. Not that she minded it at all.

Hunter Kaeli was silent as she stalked through the hallways towards the Medical bay, the warrior Kealish walking behind her with another two hunters behind him. None of the aliens made a noise as they moved through the corridors, not that the sound would of carried far anyway. The two hunters behind her carried net guns, the metallic conductive nets attached to numerous taser charges to shock anyone caught into unconsciousness. Kaeli herself carried a 'electronic crossbow', although the weapon was more like a very small scale rail-gun designed to fire darts rather than bullets. Kealish on the other hand was simply equipped with a number of poisoned combat knives, as well as his own psychic abilities. Kaeli's plan was to flank around the humans and come at them from behind while the rest of her team pinned them down in the Science building. Her observation hadn't revealed that Iria was moving through here ... a potentially lethal mistake.

***

The Medical bay itself was a mess. The door opened at Iria's approach, and a brief study of the control panel would reveal that the lock had been hacked, the Midrozi simply freezing it in the 'unlocked' state. Supplies were scattered from four of the cabinets on the wall, although the majority of the ten bed med bay was unmarked by struggles. Four doctors had been in the lab when the hunters hit, and they hadn't had a chance to do much more than flail as they went down from darts. On one of the medical beds a women writhed in pain ... or at least tried to. She was strapped to the bed, and a number of syringes law used next to her. She was a member of the security team, and the Midrozi's 'revenge' on her had been to simply inject her with a cocktail of drugs that they had found. Her mouth was ungagged, but her screams of agony were hoarse and quiet, having shredded her own vocal chords with constant overuse.

***

With the ADD apparently heading through the science lab the rest of the Midrozi, 5 hunters and the Warrior Garii moved to intercept them, the two unlucky prisoners being herded along with them. A single hunter remained with the prisoners, the FTL transmitter left with him to keep trying to hail their ship. The hunters were all armed with the same electronic crossbows that Kaeli was carrying, while Garii was armed with a far more lethal Bolt Gun. Unlike the hunter weapons the Bolt Gun fired poison coated 5" barbed spikes at bullet velocity, and could puncture through armour as easily as flesh and bone, embedding itself in the victim and making it almost impossible to pull out.

***

The science lab was a mess. Every cabinet and cupboard was open, the computers had been stripped of their hard drives, and on the floor was two more corpses of ADD Security. Both had barbed bolts impaled in their body, one in the back where the bolt had narrowly missed the spine and heart and instead punched straight into a lung, while the other had shot straight into the women's throat. The damage to the two impacted areas was immense, far more so than any bullet the ADD issued it's marines. Even more worrying was the fact that the two security officers had been armoured, and the shot in the guards back had punched straight through the armour with no signs of slowing down or being deflected.

Iria was glad the door was unlocked. The last thing she wanted to do was fiddle with electronics and locks. She would have sooner smashed the door with her hammer. The sound of hoarse groans made the amazon ready her hammer as she searched the med bay. It did not take much to find the security guard strapped to a bed. From the number of syringes, there was little she could do for the woman even if she knew what sort of chemicals were pumped into her system. Any further disturbance would potentially give away her position or worse, the woman could be bait for another trap. The busty agent would scan the room, keeping towards the walls while using the many beds as a form of cover as she makes her way further to the other side of the area.

Minerva was the first into the room, as she trained her gun in one direction. Each of the marines entered the room and pointed their guns in a different direction. Each woman had to rely on their fellow soldier, to do their job and suppress anything that dared to resist them. It was the most reliable entry into a room, but one that required alot of discipline. If one person screwed up, the entire time was compromised; however, it all went well the room was usually taken in seconds.

As soon as the room was clear, Minerva took stock of the room. The entire room was in shambles as it looked like the Midrozi had scavenged what they could from the room. There was no part of the room left untouched no computer that had not had their hard drives ripped from them. To Minerva eyes, it seemed that the Midrozi were here for more than a simple slave raid, they after something else. More disturbing there were a pair of security soldiers dead on the floor, their armor completely useless against what ever had been shot into them. It become clear that if all the Midozi, then the armor would only serve to protect the ADD from their own bullets and grenades.

If only for that and the psychological security they offered, Minerva's team kept them on. Minerva immediately ordered her team to stack up again as they prepared to move to the next room. By now the agent figured the Midozi had moved to where they could launch an ambush, so they know would have to be very careful when entering a room. So with Minerva taking lead again, she opened the door a little and thru into a flashbang. As soon as it went off the team assaulted the next room.

Iria wouldn't find much of use. Every drug was gone, every medicine or other medical supply likewise. It was a lot neater than the scavenging that Minerva had found, but like in the science lab the computers were gutted. Even the security camera's were smashed.

By the time Iria was halfway across the room the door would slide open, the Midrozi Hunter Kaeli stalking through it. Her gun was still at her side, and she hadn't seemed to have noticed Iria. She didn't really seem to be looking, the arrogant alien assuming that all the ADD had gone through the science bay. The warrior Kealish was following her, the faintest of haze's surrounding his body from the psychic shield he was maintaining to survive the spores on this planet. Last came the two other hunters, net guns held in hands and ready to use.

All were focused on the door leading into the main courtyard, and if Iria was patient she might be able to ambush them rather than have to charge them from a distance.

***

The flash-bang went off with it's blinding flare and deafening bang, but the next room Minerva's squad found themselves in turned out to be a long curved corridor. Inside was another squad of security agents. Four had been killed with those vicious bolts, while the last two had entire limbs severed. Their guns were unused, in fact three were still holstered, and only one had the safety off. The Midrozi attack had come far too fast for them to realise what was going on and have a chance to fight back.

At the end of the corridor was another science lab ... only this one had the door jammed open, and the two hostages dangling from the feet from the roof just inside the room. Inside the room various tables and scientific, and no doubt expensive, equipment had been stacked into makeshift cover, the Midrozi hunters and warrior setting up a deadly crossfire.

And with the narrow door they could easily pick off any attacker who stepped into the room, with the two hostages preventing the ADD from firing blindly. At least until the Midrozi shots killed them. Both were obviously beaten, and one had numerous shallow cuts on both of her arms. But they would survive from such injuries. At least, as long as nothing new happened to them.

Seeing and hearing the door open, the agent took cover. Being from the other side of the room, it was safe to assume these were not fellow agents. Her eyes narrowed as Midrozi hunters came through. They had not noticed her presence yet. Two of the Midrozi seemed more experienced and perhaps a higher rank than the other two. One seemed to have a strange field around him. It must be how the males were able to survive on this planet.

Four against one but she had the element of surprise. For now, she waited as the hunters headed towards the door she had entered from. The only way to close the distance would be to either use cover in a long firefight or stun them somehow. Iria pulled a few microbombs from her hair and flicked them towards the four. The blast would be concussive and once it detonates, the amazon would charge with her hammer. She would swing at one of the tables, sending it flying towards the four to further distract them as she moves into killing range.

Minerva's team moved out into the corridor it only to come across a squad of dead security agents. Most of seemed to have been gunned down before they could even react, in fact only one was even able to get the safety off before she could even get her gun out. It spoke volumes about the speed and violence of the assault, anyone the Midrozi thought was a threat they took out with greatest possible firepower available to them. It was then and only then that they took any prisoners that did not resist.

The team made their way over to the end of the hallway until they came across another door. The door was partially open, revealing two hostages dangling from the ceiling. Across the room was lots of equipment stacked up in makeshift cover. Minerva sighed as her marines stacked up behind her. The odds were heavily stacked in the favor of the Midrozi.

There was only one choice, and one that Minerva didn't like. Pulling out a mirror, the red headed agent taped to the end of her knife. Slowly the agent moved it to scan the room, trying to memorize each location that a hunter was located. She soon had her pistol at the ready as well as a flashbang. The woman would be ready to throw it and try to score as many headshots as she could before her team threw a second flashbang blinding herself and everyone engaged her. Hopefully the team would be able to remainder of the threat before the Midrozi could mount an effective defense. And with luck she would have eliminated anyone who had their guns trained on the hostage before they were killed.

The male Midrozi spun at the movement, daggers appearing in his hand with lightning speed as his peripheral vision picked up the movement of Iria throwing the string of microbombs. The hunters took their cue off him, but none of the aliens were able to escape the series of concussive explosions, and the Warrior staggered back at the force buffeting his psychic shield and armour plating.

Jarri bodies were fairly easy to injure, and forces designed to stun and disable a human could often cause Midrozi bones to crack and fracture. The hunters were unarmoured, and that lack of protection sent the two rear one's collapsing to the ground screaming in pain as portions of their leg bones splintered and shattered. Kaeli was initially protected by the psychically shielded and armoured Kealish from the blasts, and she forced herself to move closer to him, pressing against his back as he turned to face the onrushing table.

There was no sign or warning of what caused the table to change it's course, glancing off something that changed it's course just enough to miss the two standing Midrozi. Kaelish's face was uncovered, and the alien sneered at the charging human. His own daggers seemed pathetic compared to Iria's giant hammer, but as he suddenly darted forward it became obvious that he was fast, and even before the hammer was in range he lashed out physically, a strike aimed at Iria's foot to throw her off balance and ensure she couldn't bring the full impact of that devastating weapon to bear, as well as stagger her stance so he could dart in close with his blades. Behind him Kaeli took several steps back, drawing her weapon and moving to aim it at the agent.

***

The mirror would reveal a few of the hunters before a tiny dart smashed into it, an electric charge being delivered to the mirror and shocking the agent until she dropped the mirror, although her spasming muscles from the shock would no doubt help with that. The Midrozi were ready and waiting, patient, well in cover, and accurate. Their doctrine was based on ambush, and this was exactly the sort of environment that they worked best in. And if it had been a properly equipped war party of warriors it would have been almost unattackable from the posistion Minerva was in, even with flash bangs.

But there was only a single warrior among the Midrozi, and when the flashbang went off it left the hunters unable to shoot for several seconds as their eyes and ears cleared. The warrior's rifle didn't waver for a second, but moments before he could pull the trigger at Minerva her own pistol opened up, the bullet impacting right in front of one of his eyes and falling to the ground from hitting the psychic shield. But the pressure of such a hit on his mind sent the warriors head reeling back, and the vicious armour penentrating bolt skimmed through the shoulder plate of Minerva's armour.

One vicious barb tore a painful gash in the agent's shoulder, the metal plating being shattered like clay from the forces and probably making the injury even worse. But with the booster shot that Nallia had instructed the ADD forces to take the poison inside it would be rendered ineffective as Minerva managed to pick off a full half of the hunters before the second blinding flash and her squad stormed through, gunning the other Midrozi down ... with the exception of the warrior who was pressed as tightly into cover as he could, rifle held ready as he breathed quietly, waiting for his chance.

Two hunters were immediately taken out of the battle, leaving only the two more experienced members of the force. The table seemed to veer off course, going around the two hunters as they both readied their weapons. Already closing the distance, she was almost in striking range when the male Midrozi lashed out with a thrown dagger. Iria would shift her foot but did not have enough time to avoid it completely, the blade cutting into the side of her boot and foot. Blood would flow but it was not going to stop her charge.

Forcing another step, she twisted her body and brought the hammer crashing towards them. A nearby table was in the way of the hammer but was easily knocked away as the much heavier hammer began to build momentum. Shield or not, she was going to use pure force to send the head of her hammer crashing into the male's ribs. Whatever those psychic powers were, Iria assumed this was the strongest out of the group. Taking him out would only leave the more vulnerable hunters.