Laila took a deep breath, slinging her pack over her shoulder and picking up her laser rifle. The ramp opened on her order, lowering to the hard-packed dirt of the simulated planet with a dull thud.
“We’re too exposed here,” Laila stated. She thumbed her mic to talk with the pilot who would stay with the shuttle, cycling the engines in case they needed to retreat quickly. “T’arq, what do the shuttle's scanners show?”
“See, that’s a bit of an issue, Captain.”
“Go on.”
“The bad news is that the scanners are down.”
Shit.
That would not help them at all. The shuttle’s built-in scanners were used to sense any incoming enemy, as well as rapid changes in weather. They were essential, and to have them disabled?
Not good. Not good at all.
Zac knew the scenario would end badly—that was the whole point—but it was adaptive. The artificial intelligence running the sim would analyze the decisions made by the participants and deliver the worst-case scenario. It didn’t matter what Laila did, the result would not be good.
“Please tell me there’s good news that makes up for that, T’arq.”
Zac was impressed with how unflappable Laila was under less than ideal circumstances.
T’arq chuckled over the comm. “We can deploy a couple of drones. They’ll give us an aerial view.”
Zac watched as Laila closed her eyes briefly and released the breath she’d been holding. “Alright, let’s get this done. CJ, Oren? Get those drones out! Domik, I want eyes on the ground.”
Domik was first out, laser rifle held up as he scanned for danger. The barren landscape was devoid of any plant life, the rocky terrain providing no cover.
Laila motioned for Oren and CJ to grab the small drones and follow her down the ramp towards Domik. Zac followed at the rear, working with Domik to cover their team mates.
“The targets should be here already,” she said, flicking through the screens of her comm unit as they quickly deployed the drones.
“T’arq, can you get them on comms?”
“Negative, Captain. I've been trying since we landed. There's no response.”
Her face screwed up in thought, eyebrows drawn, Laila finally said, “Domik? Oren?” She pointed to a slight rise to the west. “Go to the top of that ridge and see if you can get eyeballs on the targets. Keep trying them on the comms.”
The two men nodded and moved at a quick trot in the direction she had showed.
She faced the shuttle and thumbed her mic. “T’arq?”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Can those drones pick up comms?”
“Negative. They’re visuals only.”
Double shit. Looks like they were going old school. “Keep trying the shuttle's scanners. Let me know if you pick up anything.”
“Yes, Captain. On it.”
Laila turned to CJ and Zac. “Let's go east.”
The two women began walking away from the shuttle, in the opposite direction to Domik and Oren, Zac following behind. They had been walking for only a few minutes, scanning the terrain as they moved, when the comm crackled into life.
“Captain?” T’arq's voice was steady on the radio, but the urgency was undeniable. “There are hostiles moving in. I say again, there are hostiles moving in from the west.”
“Domik. Oren. Return to the shuttle, now!” Laila did not need to tell CJ what to do; the two women turned and ran back, heading towards the safety of their craft.
