As ADAM saw them he signaled Jeff and Russell, “Now its time to release the animal troops gentlemen.”  As Jeff and Russell spoke into their hypno-mics, ADAM uttered two words into his own “make ready”.  As the RACE handlers let their charges loose the fray seemed to be going as ADAM had predicted, the elephants, rhinos, and bison broke the mass of fleshy monsters apart at each portal and the cougars, panthers, lions, tigers, wolves, bears, and wolverines entered the Sphere.  Gorillas and orangutans battered the normal sized Denebs and carried them bodily to the nets.  As ADAM watched with his troops below preparing to disembark the first of the Panuits could be seen coming out of the portals trying to rally the slave warriors to regroup and hold.  The only group of Denebs who appeared to be holding their order were the twenty giants who literally threw the ACE’s away from their line.  ADAM told Russell to land just on the outside of the crater lip opposite the giants position.  No sooner had they landed than ADAM sped down the central corridor and joined his troops for the battle.  His outer shell had been coated in a bright, vivid green lacquer to reduce his visibility.  As his troops emerged from the storage bay Russell knew ADAM understood the importance of having an ‘edge’ a little something extra on your side.  The warriors following him out the gangway were sixteen Panuits and four Panor in full outfit and weaponry.  As the twenty Shaper warriors came over the crater ridge and moved straight for the Denebian giants the other Deneb slaves still battling fled at full run out of the crater only to be trapped, wounded or netted by the RACE warriors entrenched in a continuous double circle around the crater.  The Panuit from the Sphere portal nearest the giants rushed to join them against the other Shapers bearing down on them.  ADAM directed on of his Panor to this Panuit and the great axe whined through the air as the Panuits head shot from his neck.  As the two groups met ADAM’s four Panor held to the rear, only lending a hand when one of the Panuits appeared out numbered.


    Seven minutes later the last Deneb giant fell with three annocks stuck in his body like pins in a cushion.  The Panuits and Panor recovered their weapons and marched onward to the closest portal.  As they approached it ADAM in a never more human gesture called to Russ and Jeff, “wish me luck?!” and disappeared from view.  With ADAM and his team inside Russell and Jeff started dusting the crater with the reflective blanket powder of mercury and silver salts.  The portals of the Sphere closed and its surface began shifting under the silvery coating but the silver remained on the surface stubbornly.  The ACE’s were recalled and gas canisters hurtled through the thin air of Mars to burst and fill the Sphere crater with a dense yellow fog.  It was disconcerting to Jeff and Russell who had seen most of Earths races fighting.  To watch Masai tribesmen, Assyrian infantry and Greek Hoplites stop, put on gas masks, and continue fighting.  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    An hour later the crater was quiet, all the prisoners were loaded aboard Defender and Jeff was on his way to Chambers compound no later then three hours after that.  The Sphere wasn’t emitting any sounds, but Russell felt he had waited long enough to try to help ADAM.  Russ aimed his beams on one point of the visible curve of the Sphere and started cutting in.  Within minutes a thirty foot hole was gaping in the Sphere.  Into this Russ burst more gas canisters.  Choking and stumbling Panuits rushed out into the open air.  The Sphere’s surface solid once more, opened its six portals again.  Through them came more Panuits some showing obvious signs of having encountered the ACE’s, many were torn across all their exposed areas.  The feline ACE’s had well earned their keep today.  Several were missing a hand or forearm altogether.  At least thirty of those Russell could see were limping or crawling out of the Sphere with the ACE wolves and hyenas still grappling with them.  A more normal looking group of Panuits formed next to two of the portals and Russ could clearly see the axe of a Panor among them.  He spoke quickly into his mike, “to the west wall, Datis, Miltiades, Lycurgus, Hamilcar, prepare for enemy and hold crater wall, do not, do not chase them back in, just repel and hold, let them stumble around in the smoke.”  As Russ finished this order he saw the Panor clearly, stepping off in front of his troops toward the west edge of the crater.  Arrows, spears, and throwing axes rained among them as they advanced on the wall.  The Panuits crouched their annocks and bunched together tighter for protection from these missiles.  This was exactly what ADAM had said they would try to escape the crater