The battles against Kaelus Ryn and Rath Zorrek were decisive, crippling the Syndicate's grip on Kynara and its resource supply s. Yet, for all the victories, the coalition remained acutely aware of the lingering threat. The Syndicate wasn't defeated, not yet. The st remaining Bandit Warlord Ve Drasik was still out there, along with ander Raeth, whose orchestrated terror attacks had left scars on Kynara's popuce. As the dust settled, the coalition turs focus toward recovery and preparation for the phase.

  The souther near Kaelus Ryn's former stronghold was no longer a battlefield. Instead, it had bee a temporary base for the coalition's forces. Makeshift as dotted the area, and the whirring of Federation medical drones filled the air as medics teo the wounded.

  Ethan walked through the encampment, the aftermath of their grueling campaigance fighters leaned on one another for support, their faces a mix of exhaustion aermination. Federation soldiers worked methodically, fortifying supply lines and reinf the camp's perimeter with energy barriers. Meraries ed their ons in silehe weight of the battles evident in their expressions.

  In a shaded medical tehan saw Marik Vos, his torso had healed from the injuries he had sustained during the assault on Ryn's aer but he still needed some rest. Marik was reviewing tactical maps with one of the Resistance lieutenants. Nearby, Zyrix Korran sat quietly, his sniper rifle disassembled as he ed its intricate pos with precision.

  Ethan's gaze drifted to the injured Federation soldiers lying on stretchers. Federation medics hovered over them, their movements effit as they administered treatments. Federation guard vice-leader Lirien Vossel stood nearby, speaking with one of her officers. Her posture was rigid, her face betraying the frustration of a leader who knew his forces were stretched dangerously thin.

  Later that day, Ethan vened with the coalition's intelligeeam inside a a. The room was dimly lit, the glow of holographic maps casting shifting blue light across the walls. The intel retrieved from Ryn's base and Zorrek's mines y spread out aultiple dispys, revealing the Syndicate's web of operations.

  Maps recovered from Ryn's stronghold revealed Syndicate supply routes crisscrossing Kynara. Mao remote locations, hidden outposts as still under Syndicate trol. Some of these supply liretched deep into uncharted territories, raising s about undiscovered bases.

  Ethan studied the notes retrieved from Ryn's personal chambers. "Advanced alloy on prototypes," he read aloud, his brow furrowing. "These weren't even deployed i battles." The implications were uling; the Syndicate still had teological resources they had yet to unleash.

  The dots from Zorrek's mining operation firmed the critical role the warlord pyed in the Syndicate's alloy produ. Raw materials extracted from the mines had fueled the Syndicate's onization of the psychic ore for years.

  However, it was an encrypted file that caught Ethan's attention. After several minutes of decryption, Iris revealed a disturbing e: Ve Drasik, the bandit warlord whose manufacturing hub had beeroyed weeks earlier, was still active. The files hi her regrouping with Syndicate remnants, possibly in colboration with Raeth.

  "These two together could cripple everything we've worked for," Ethan muttered, his jaw tightening.

  The coalition's leaders gathered the day in a ral area. A secure outpost hiddeh a rocky pteau on Kynara's eastern pins. The room buzzed with subdued tension as leaders from the merary guild, resistance, and Federation guards filed in.

  Darrik Voss, the Guild Branch Master, took his pce at the head of the table. His calm demeanor belied the gravity of the meeting. Beside him sat Captain Thorne, whose presence represehe Federation's itment to the coalition. A holographic dispy of Joran Kren shimmered across the room, the Resistance leader attendiely from his desert base. Ethan, standihe tactical sole, watched the room carefully, anticipating the heated debates to e.

  "We o press our advantage," Joran began, his voice resolute. "Kaelus and Zorrek are gone, but the Syndicate's operations are far from crippled. Their supply routes are still funal, and Ve Drasik is regrouping. If we hesitate, they'll rebuild. We o strike hard and fast."

  Murmurs of agreement rippled through some of the Resistance members present.

  Captain Thorne raised a hand. "And if we overreach? My forces are already stretched to their limits defending Valeris and the major settlements and i 't deploy more troops without notifying aing the direct approval of the Sectovernor. We 't afford to throw everything we currently have at scattered remnants, especially when we don't know where Raeth or Drasik are hiding."

  The tension in the room thied. Joran's hologram flickered as he leaned forward. "And what happens if we sit bad do nothing? The Syndicate thrives oation. Every moment we dey gives them time to recover."

  Darrik Voss intervened, his voice steady and authoritative. "We ot afford division, not now. Both of you are right in some respects. Yes, we o strike while the Syndicate is vulnerable, but we also need precision. Reckless aggression will only lead to unnecessary losses."

  He turo the holographic map. "The intel we've gathered points to several Syndicate outposts still operational. These will be our argets. Surgical strikes. We elimiheir supply lines, disrupt their regrouping efforts, and weaken them further before they solidate."

  Ethan stepped forward, the room quieting as he began to speak. "We 't ighe fact that Ve Drasik and Raeth are still out there. They've already proven how dangerous they be. Raeth's terror attaearly broke Valeris, and Drasik's manufacturing hub was a erstone of the Syndicate's operations. If they're allowed troup and reinforce Drakor, it'll undo everything we've aplished."

  He poio several locations on the map. "I propose we deploy scouting teams to track their movements. If inpoint their locations, we'll be able to strike decisively. At the same time, we o keep ing up the Syndicate's outposts to cut off their resources and isote their leaders."

  Voss nodded. "Agreed. We'll dispatch reaissaeams immediately. Ethan, you'll lead one of the up missions. Focus on areas where Drasik or Raeth might be hiding."

  As the meeting adjourhe leaders left with a renewed sense of purpose. Outside the outpost, Ethan stood beh the evening sky, the stars above a stark trast to the turmoil on Kynara.

  He ched his fists, his thoughts drifting to the faces of those they had lost. Lyra, Dax, Leena, Ta and numerous hters and i lives lost over the years on this forsakeheir sacrifices had to mean something, he will make sure of that.