The remaining ten are the most formidable, with tricky tactics and strategies used to good effect to stay alive.
I stalk through a deserted plaza, eyes scanning the rooftops. A flicker of movement catches my eye. A figure clad in black armor, wielding twin energy blades, leaps down from a building.
It's Anyla, the youngest in our group, but his agility and ruthlessness make him a formidable opponent.
We lock gazes, then pandemonium breaks loose.
The simulated city flickers, distorting. A high-pitched whine fills the air.
Before I can react, the holographic world dissolves around us, replaced by the harsh glare of a crimson sun.
My stomach lurches.
We're not in the khufulle simulation anymore.
Ships. Dozens of them, sleek and sinister, emblazoned with a sickly pink sigil, descend from the sky.
I feel the growl even before it bubbles past my lips like a rolling storm.
Genali ships. Specifically, genali raid lancers.
Those slime-covered parasites. A guttural bellow escapes my throat.
The void-suckers have periodically harassed us ever since we settled down and renounced our warlike ways. It's been millennia, and they still decide to periodically return.
Back again to pick more at the carcass.
Panic surrounds me.
The civilians, used to the safe confines of their protected cities, scramble for cover. But there's nowhere to hide.
The genali ships launch a volley of energy blasts, painting the sky with streaks of green fire.
I turn my head to the side and instantly regret it as a barrage of energy blasts descend on a group of unsuspecting civilians, eviscerating them with consistent pelting until they are too disassembled for their nanites to overcome.
Chaos erupts.
The simulated battlefield becomes a real one.
A few of my brothers and sisters, caught off guard, are obliterated by the overwhelming firepower. Bellows of pain fill the air, punctuated by the booming explosions.
Fury rises in my chest. These cowardly genali would use this training exercise to attack us?
The mock battle has been completely abandoned.
It's time to crush them.
I scan for the nearest genali ship, a low-flying lancer that seems to be focused on mowing down a Maj'Ras trapped in the quicksand pit.
A roar escapes my throat.
I activate my jump jets, the familiar power surge coursing through my body.
I can see other Ras shaking off their surprise and closing in on other ships. The slimes might have held a momentary advantage, but there are still plenty of us to make them regret such an ill-conceived plan.
The ground rushes away as I propel myself upwards, toward the unsuspecting ship. It spots me at the last moment, its laser cannons pivoting toward me.
I dodge the blasts with a spikes' breadth, adrenaline masking the fear that threatens to cripple me.
