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Operation Black Ember – The Harskell 5 Cataclysm.

Objective: Disrupt Dominion fuel lines.

Result: Exploded fuel depot, destabilized three moons,

with moderate sunburn to local orbital traffic.

On the volatile mining world of Harskell 5 the Dominion operated a massive fuel depot nestled between three orbiting moons each housing secondary energy processing units.

The Zone Warriors mission began with the commandeering of a Dominion C-class supply freighter, repurposed mid-flight by Keera Thorne, the former galactic racing champion whose obsession with speed bordered on the mystical.

The freighter was overloaded with volatile hyper-combustibles, misfiled under “rations,” thanks to Rugg Delthane, the hacker raised by black-market data traders, who couldn’t resist slipping in a forged manifest labelled, “Snacks.”

Brakka Nine, a former bounty hunter known for his unfortunate tendency to solve problems with maximum firepower, configured the freighter's nav-drive for a suicide dive into the depot’s weakest structural node. His reasoning:

“If one explosion is good, seven is better.”

Detta Marr, the team’s explosives artisan from a bombed-out moon, enhanced the payload with chain-reaction gel igniters, muttering gleefully as she calibrated the burn radius to include,

“an extra fucking splash.”

Her math was… aggressive.

Providing cover from orbit were Ila and Ivo Varn, the twin gunners of unknown origin who finished each other’s sentences and enemies with eerie synchronicity. They lit up the defensive batteries on the depot’s approach, all while arguing about who got the better angle for the explosion’s glamour shot.

When the freighter hit, the chain reaction not only vaporized the depot, but triggered sympathetic detonations in the core reactors on all three moons, turning them into fiery, tumbling wrecks that lit the sector sky like a galactic firework show. Dominion command listed the event as a catastrophic accident.

The Zone Warriors left behind a hacked beacon broadcasting the message,

“We just wanted to borrow a cup of thermonuclear fire.”

Operation Carnival Justice – The Yarnax Incident.

Objective: Infiltrate slaver fortress.

Result: Fortress in flames, slaves freed, and ringmaster, in orbit.

On Yarnax, the slaver fortress known as 'The Jaws of Mercy' disguised itself as a traveling arena show, using circus acts as cover for forced labour rings. In a feat of reverse infiltration, The Zone Warriors posed as a traveling circus troupe known as 'The Galactic Tumblenauts', complete with falsified licenses, exotic animals (holographic), and one overly enthusiastic, unicycle routine.

Detta Marr led the pyrotechnics display, hiding incendiary charges in her “flaming hoops” performance, all wired to explode at the finale. She described the whole setup as,

“a ballet of destruction, with added popcorn.”

Rugg Delthane embedded a logic virus into the fortress’s entertainment AI system, making every safety protocol reverse itself at midnight sharp. Elevator shafts became slides, locked cells opened, and security droids began juggling stolen fruit while humming circus tunes.

Brakka Nine, disguised as the strongman “Brax the Behemoth,” used the role as an excuse to punch guards in the face on cue and rip open locked weapon crates under the pretence of a “lifting demonstration.”

Ila and Ivo Varn, dressed in sequin bodysuits and face paint, performed a deadly synchronized cannonball act that ended with the destruction of the fortress’s central watchtower. All followed by blowing kisses and a polite bow.

Keera Thorne, piloting a retrofitted flying trapeze platform, launched the slaver ringmaster into low orbit during the closing act using an anti-grav rig disguised as a stage prop. His last broadcast was a squeal of protest as he slowly spun into the Yarnax skyline, surrounded by confetti and screams of liberated slaves.

The slaves escaped. The fortress burned. Dominion authorities later described the entire incident as a, “performance-related mishap.”

Operation Jackpot Mirage – Gravepoint Station Heist.

Objective: Cripple economic exploitation system.

Result: Orphan accounts enriched. Surveillance replaced with full-moon broadcasts.

Gravepoint Station was the crown jewel of Dominion finance corruption an orbiting casino built on broken promises, siphoned pensions, and artificial luck skewed by a self-learning AI named HighRoller-X.

The Zone Warriors docked under the guise of “Fleet Reunion Delegates,” a cover story fabricated entirely by Rugg Delthane and a suspiciously large collection of false mustachos.

Once inside, the mission divided.

Rugg embedded a recursive virus into HighRoller-X’s core, making the AI believe its purpose was to award winnings only to those who insulted it creatively. Within two hours, the casino hemorrhaged trillions of credits to drunk patrons whilst shouting poetry about rust.

Brakka Nine, dressed as a 'security consultant' roamed the floors unplugging cameras with unnecessary force, then re plugging them just to unplug them again.

Detta Marr installed miniature charge-packs into every jackpot machine. Not to explode just to jolt mildly and spark confetti when someone won, increasing suspicion and causing chaos.

Ila and Ivo Varn performed a coordinated distraction by loudly winning every card game at once, slapping credits onto tables while yelling in unison:

“This is for the orphans, you crooked Bastards!”

Meanwhile, Keera Thorne launched an escape shuttle filled with winnings rerouted to anonymous planetary charities and orphanage banks across three systems. The shuttle left a trail of glitter exhaust and broadcast a loop of audio stating,

“Because children deserve credit scores, too.”

The surveillance feed throughout the station was overridden with a loop of

The Zone Warriors, mooning their arses at the security cameras, accompanied by VIXI, the ship AI, narrating each exposed rear with critiques like,

“Symmetry: 7.4. Boldness: 10. Dignity: non-existent.”

HighRoller-X eventually shut down, stuck in an existential loop

of failing odds and emotional confusion.

Despite their varied origins, clashing skill sets, and differing interpretations of what constitutes “subtlety,” The Zone Warriors functioned like a symphony of sabotage.

They were not designed for harmony, but their chaos overlapped in perfect rhythm.

They were defenders of the downtrodden, humiliators of the powerful, and a cosmic joke played on the corrupt. Their methods were ridiculous. Their results, devastating. No matter the odds, when the helpless cried out for justice, The Zone Warriors answered with laughter, mischief, and sometimes, pants down.