[2/2] (of the recap)

For the past EIGHT MONTHS Snake Eyes and her squad have been operating on the dusty mining world of Dis, a resource rich world located within the Savis Empire, now currently in the grips of a well-armed and well-organised slave uprising thanks to yours truly. Although Black Company Command won’t tell the grunts who hired them for this little start-up insurgency, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the likely backers are probably either the Federation or the Mandate by virtue of these other two alien empires being the only real players in this part of the galaxy that could afford the Black Company for this kind of work. And that’s probably the reason why Command, and Snake Eyes’ immediate superior Lieutenant ‘Boy’ Blue, has been so explicit that any evidence of the slave insurgency having outside help is to be kept to an absolute minimum. Which, with a few skeletons ruthlessly shoved into closets by Snake Eyes, has been mostly successful.

The Black Company has achieved its primary objectives. The insurgency is now at the stage where there has been significant disruption to the planet’s productivity and the initial Imperial military response has had it’s nose bloodied in an embarrassing fashion. A substantial portion of the Savis Empire’s forces is now preoccupied and distracted with stomping out the flames of what would without Snake Eyes have been just another routine crushed slave uprising. Great job, pats on the back all around and beers back at Snake Eyes place after dinner.

But, oh the big 'but', there is a catch and it's the reason why Snake Eyes isn’t breaking out the poker chips just yet. Snake Eyes and her Krieger buddies are still here. Still on Dis, trapped with the doomed rebels in dwindling territory as the full might of the Royal Savis Legions is being brought to bear and Snake Eyes own fellow Cradlers in the Legion’s Auxiliaries hunt them in the equatorial jungles.

It’s all coming to a head, and the Big One will be any day now…