Tens of thousands of lives had already been lost, many of them to the Frankenstein monsters of the Echidna Union. The single saving grace of the Jötnar was that they were fully synthetic. Many would still argue that their very existence was a reminder of the cruelty and genocide committed in the name of science. Without the organs and tissue of those sacrificed, there could never have been a single Jötnar. The 1st Jötnar Battalion “Twenty seconds, here we go!” Spartan called over the company communication channel. The last minute had been horrendous with the jinking of the landing craft, as well as heavy fire from the ground. It reminded him very much of his first mission months before. The big difference then was that they were attacking a moon from space, so it was smooth and lacking in gravity. Even so, the constant course changes and weapons fire had thrown him about. This time it was far worse. They were in a thick atmosphere in an area well known for variable pressure levels and poor weather.