"Five minutes until launch. Final call for battle stations," Vaelix said through the ship's loudspeaker.
Torvyn was already at the shuttle's controls, and Lyrin had strapped into his seat. Kaedren stood next to the boarding ramp, blasters in two of his hands, the other two conducting final checks on his teams.
I strapped in across from Kaedren, pulled my helmet on, and locked it in place.
"Any last intelligence updates, Vaelix?" I asked.
"No change in the pattern of life movements at the colony. Everything appears to be operating normally," he said.
"They haven't detected the Starbreaker yet?" Lyrin asked.
"We have been shielding our emissions, and our engines are pointed away from the planet. The only plausible way they could detect us is through visual observation. We updated the harmonics on the shields to reduce the ship's glare and its RADAR cross-section size," Vaelix said.
"So we're cloaked?" I asked.
"For lack of a better word, yes," Vaelix said.
"Launch in thirty seconds," Torvyn said across the ship's communications network. "Commencing radio blackout."
"Godspeed, team. We'll be ready when you get back," Vaelix said.
The Starbreaker's shuttle bay doors opened, and we shot out of the ship. I glanced out the front viewport and watched as the grey orb grew large enough to fill the entire view. I bounced in my crash couch as the shuttle broke through the atmosphere. Torvyn pushed the shuttle into a steep dive, and the crash couch folded around my body. I was ready for it this time.
The g-forces eased as Torvyn leveled out, just below a layer of clouds. I pulled up the shuttle's front camera and watched as the colony grew larger. Torvyn lined up an approach vector, and the other four shuttles fell into line behind us.
"Something is wrong," I said. "The place is empty. All the buildings are intact, and nobody is here to greet us."
Kaedren pulled up the video feed, too. "Where are the colonists?" he asked. "Shouldn't there be somebody near the landing pad? Torvyn, has anybody hailed you?"
"Negative. Authorizing weapons release, we are about to set down. Primary stations," Torvyn said.
The security team stood and charged their weapons. Kaedren was at the front, grasping the ramp release switch. The shuttle vibrated as Torvyn set it down, and as soon as the light above the ramp turned green, Kaedren released it. The door dropped open, and the security team sprinted off the shuttle, fanning out into a defensive position.
I released my harness and stood. Lyrin did the same, putting a hand on my arm and holding up a finger. I nodded. The plan was for Kaedren to confirm the landing zone was free of threats, then we would breach the first building.
Just outside the shuttle, Kaedren and his team moved forward, each in charge of a different section of the landing zone. One by one, each team member confirmed that their area was clear of threats. Kaedren stopped and turned back to the shuttle.
"There is no one here to save. The building doors are open, and I'm not detecting any life signs from the dormitories," he said.
I shook off Lyrin's arm and walked off the shuttle, studying the buildings as I made my way to Kaedren. I looked up near the roofs of the buildings to see if any windows had lights on. Nothing. Completely dark. Then a small flash from the top of the building caught my eye. I blinked, and it was gone.
"Shots fired!" Kaedren screamed through the comms. "Man down, medics!"
I looked to my right and saw one of Kaedren's team members crumpled on the ground, smoke rising from where his head had been. Lyrin lunged for me, but I shook him off. I sprinted toward Kaedren.
Blaster fire rained down on us. I dropped to the ground and covered my head. I felt a tug on my boot, and I looked back. Lyrin was lying behind me, pointing to the shuttle. I nodded and started low crawling back to it.
The rear guard on the shuttle returned fire, Torvyn standing in front of them, leading the counter-attack. They pressed forward, forming a protective barrier for us, the medics, and the remaining security team to get back on board.
"Additional corporate security forces are coming from the buildings," Kaedren said, his voice calm. "Engaging."
"Negative," Torvyn said. "We need to get out of here, now."
"Covering fire on my mark," Kaedren said. "Lyrin, get Kira to the shuttle. I'll bracket the retreat."
"Understood," Lyrin said, grabbing my arm.
I didn't argue. This was their expertise, not mine.
