The greatest gap in combat power between humans and dragonkin lay in their defenses.
Both places had been carpeted with missiles, yet fewer than half the dragonkin in Great Serpent Valley had died, most of them killed by Cloud Bombs.
At Santa Fe, by contrast, the elites of the Osiris Squad had been almost completely wiped out.
Of course, the surprise attack had played a part. Many of the fighters had never thought to guard against their own weapons systems.
"Uluru! Are you still alive? Uluru!"
Osiris shouted at the few relatively intact bodies lying on the ground, especially Uluru, the young man in armor.
That armor consisted of over a thousand components, fitting closely without restricting movement. It was both hard and resilient. Now it had been blasted to pieces, but at least Uluru's body appeared largely unhurt.
"I... I'm okay..." Uluru stood, clutching a gaping wound in his left side. The flesh had curled outward, but little blood flowed, since the wound had already been seared dry.
One after another, several more grievously wounded fighters climbed to their feet.
Only four remained of the thirty-five-man elite squad.
"Uluru, head down there. Make sure you protect the professors," Osiris said, his expression grave.
"You're staying here alone?" Uluru asked.
"Cut the crap. You know what I'm capable of!" Osiris said coldly.
Santa Fe's internal security personnel had turned traitor, and the enemy was underground. They needed manpower both above and below ground, and manpower was precisely what they lacked most.
That was why he had been so desperate to find survivors. Thankfully, Uluru and three other subordinates were still alive, though badly wounded.
"Hurry! Go down and check on the professors. I'll deal with Kaluo and join you right away," Osiris urged. Uluru and the others hurried into the