"Still determined not to use our spaceships, sir?" Vasquez was staring at JS. He shrugged: "We have no choice. Spaceships and drones are useful if we want to destroy a planet, that's for a hit and run strategy. We are here to take the planet and stay so we need to have boots on the ground. Moreover if we deploy our spaceships it will be easy to Sihrr to say we're like their ancient enemy." "Luckily, they're Rasharr boots. Yet I don't like their warring style, it's medieval, IMHO." said Vasquez. "The GHOULs broke through using fighters from RS Annihilator, Nuhrr's ship, so we can use our own." Eve stated. JS nodded: "The task falls to Rasharr Fierce's fighters." "Why did Wohrr and his men withdraw?" a Drag leader asked. To a Drag retreating wasn't an option. "We're a warrior race, but haven't warred on the ground for centuries. Nuhrr's GOULs are veterans of Shundor, and this makes the difference." Rohrr explained. He had reported the situation on the ground to JS. "Those with Sihrr are the die-hards, there's none of us beyond the lines." "Yet Wohrr's rout is being useful." JS murmured. "Now every Rasharr and the Galaxy know how the Wabis and Dakari wage war and what's Sihrr's care for her own people." "It will take Wohrr down a peg or two." Eve thought and JS grinned at that. The attack of Nuhrr's armored columns began at dawn. The purple sky promised a sunny and pleasant day. Nuhrr had insisted on having the best weather conditions: the mud and rain of Shundor were still a horrible nightmare of his. The tanks were advancing in the barren, desolate karstic Naked Hills. A sea of rocks, basalt and gneiss slabs, limestone pavements with criss-crossing grikes with mosses, lichens, purple saxifrages, orchid-like flowers and wild weeds. "A country where there is not enough water to drown a man, wood enough to hang one, nor earth enough to bury him." JS thought grinning, "After Shundor, Nuhrr has a fit when he sees a tree!" Eve felt the now familiar feeling of excited satisfaction seizing JS when his foe fell into his trap. The enemy fighters were circling over the tanks. The column was advancing quickly in the desolation aiming at catching the enemy's flank by surprise. Nuhrr's strategy was to establish a bridgehead to the north, invade the rich valleys of the fiefs of Kihrr and Wohrr, and capture enough land and vassals to force Maurr to deal with it. From JS's point of view Nuhrr's choice couldn't be better: the lack of inhabitants gave him green light to unleash his hounds of war. Through the snowy gap JS's troops reached to the northern border of the Naked Hills and there his starships vomited artillery, tanks and fighters ready to strike. "All station ready." "Fire!" Whoosh! A missile ripped away like a star in the night then abruptly it changed course coming straight down in attack mode. It struck a tank's turret with a deafening explosion. The turret flew through the air. Tongues of fire rose from the beheaded tank setting a yellow fire in the purple sky. Another missiles hit, and another one. Debris were dancing in the sky, smoke and flames burst from the hit steely hulks. Low flying aircrafts swooped toward Nuhrr's armoured divisions spitting bullets and missiles. The GHOUL fighters engaged a dog fight, but were smashed out. Then came the bombers: JS's planes swarmed over Sihrr's columns, their bombs hurtling down joining the chorus of bullets fired from the howitzers, the howls of the rockets fired from launchers and the hissing drone attacks. Wave after wave bombs and rockets butchered the enemies' tanks. The survivors were reduced to stunned ghosts: Wabis and Dakari mercenaries, veterans of fierce wars, cried in terror unable to move because death reached them either they stayed inside the tanks or fled outside. After three days of bomber onslaught only the smoldering ruins of Sihrr's army remained. -- Thanks!