He was alerted to the arrival of the frontline's first push about an hour beforehand. The procedure that they had concocted left Nick with little wiggle room. He couldn't have them disengage and retreat now, else the parasites could make a push during the small gap. But he couldn't allow them to wait for the troops to pass, otherwise the frontline may mistake them. After roughly thirty minutes of staring at the projected line, Nick decided that it would just be simpler to wait for them to arrive and disembark a few minutes prior to them burning the forest down. It'd be a bit rough for his squad, but they were already approved for a day of rest before another assignment. Nick tapped out a reply from his place near the rear. He had wanted to be in the back to discuss with the commander when he walked through, but this would be a better purpose. He was sending his location so that he could hop down and guide the clean up and push with the knowledge of the field.<br/><br/>The front line was bringing in three different units, fanned out to cover the whole area in three V formations. It actually fit nicely in the folding line that Nick had ordered his men in. When the first stepped up to the tree line, Nick engaged his anchors and began to walk down the tree casually. By the time he had reached the bottom of his rather high perch, the soldiers were upon him. "My unit will disengage and descend when you reach their nests," Nick said, pulling back the hood and lowering the face mask to prove his identity. "No earlier, no later." With that, Nick passed through the formation and stood at the edge of the forest. He counted down the time based on their speed and the rate they were moving, before finally activating his mic and giving the order. "Actual here. Disengage and descend within sight of the frontlines. Do not let them pass before you descend. Rendezvous at the forest edge." Nick ordered, hoping that the timing would work even better in their favor, giving the implication that now was the time to descend.<br/><br/>As time passed, more and more ghillie suits materialized out of the tree, collecting around Nick. Once everyone was present, Nick spoke up. "We have one day's rest back at base before I receive our next orders. Get some real food and get some sleep. Tents have been made where the front lines used to be. Dismissed," he said, letting the group disperse. None of them were very talkative at the moment, trudging on towards the vague line of fortifications that denoted where they needed to go. Nick let out a sigh as the fatigue finally hit him. His shoulders slumped and his rifle hung a little heavier from the sling it rested on. " 'And thus the hunt begins, giving no hunter quarter until the end.' " he quotes to no one in particular, giving the forest one last look before beginning to walk towards the camp with Ava.