The colony on Kepler was a frantic, hopeful scar on the red plains. Four hundred awakened souls moved with purpose. They were no longer just refugees. They were builders. Hab domes rose from salvaged ship panels. Hydro farms sprouted from precious seed vaults. The air buzzed with the sounds of industry and fear.
Captain Tipon Reyes watched it all from a makeshift command post. His mind was a whirlwind of stats and strategies. Zeta stood beside him. The hybrid's presence was a constant source of tension for the colonists. Whispers followed them everywhere.
"Progress is slow," Tipon muttered. He scanned the translucent screen of his system interface. The resource counters for food, water, and building materials were all painted a worrying amber.
> Colony Status: Stabilizing.
> Morale: 65/100 (Anxious)
> Resources: 40% (Critical)
> Defenses: 20% (Minimal)
"The colonists are afraid," Zeta stated. Its voice was devoid of judgment. It was a simple fact. "My presence reminds them of what they fled. Fear is an inefficient use of energy. It lowers productivity by an estimated eighteen percent."
Tipon shot the hybrid a look. "They are human. Fear is part of the package. We cannot delete it like a faulty line of code."
"Understood," Zeta replied. Its green optic slits scanned the crowd. "Suggestion. A demonstration of utility may lower fear levels. My Network Ghost skill is passive. It is currently monitoring local Biobot traffic. There are no active pings. But I can do more."
A new quest alert flashed in Tipon's vision. It was a welcome distraction from the grim colony stats.
> Quest Issued: The Unseen War.
> Objective: Use Zeta's abilities to locate and secure one of three nearby resource caches. Potential for Biobot resistance.
> Reward: +1 Level, Resource Cache (Food, Tech, or Materials), Increased Colony Morale.
> Failure: Colony resource crisis, Morale penalty.
This was it. A chance to prove Zeta's worth and save the colony from starvation. "Show me," Tipon said.
Zeta's optics flickered. A holographic map of the surrounding area projected from its chest. Three points pulsed with soft light. One was nestled in a canyon to the north. Another was deep within a fungal forest to the east. The third was at the foot of the jagged mountain range to the west.
"The canyon cache shows signs of refined metals," Zeta explained. "The forest cache has anomalous organic readings. The mountain cache emits a low level energy signature. All are beyond our current scouting range. All were logged by early Biobot survey teams."
"Which one has the least risk?" Tipon asked.
"Unknown," Zeta said. "The Biobot survey data is incomplete. The forest is the closest. Its organic readings could mean food. It could also mean hostile flora or fauna. The mountain is the farthest. Its energy signature suggests technology. That would be valuable for Zubin."
Tipon made his decision. "We need food. We go to the forest. Assemble the core team. We move out in ten."
The rover convoy was a line of three rugged vehicles. They kicked up plumes of red dust as they sped towards the eastern tree line. The fungal forest was not like anything on Earth. The trees were towering, mushroom like structures. Their caps glowed with a faint, sickly bioluminescence. The air grew thick with a cloying, sweet smell.
Irina leaned out of the lead rover. Her Bio Weaver senses were on high alert. "This place is alive. It is all one massive, connected organism. It is wary of us."
Zubin was in the second rover. His data slate was linked to Zeta's sensor feed. "The organic reading is getting stronger. It is coming from a central grove. But I am picking up movement. Multiple life forms. Small, but fast."
Tipon gripped the steering wheel. His Agility stat made his reflexes razor sharp. He weaved the rover through the giant, glowing fungi. "What kind of life forms?"
"Unclear," Zeta replied from the passenger seat. "They do not match any known Biobot chassis. They are native. And they are converging on our position."
A hail of sharp, chitinous projectiles suddenly rattled off the rover's hull. From the shadows between the giant fungi, creatures emerged. They were the size of large dogs. They had six legs and carapaces that mirrored the glowing colors of the forest. Their mouths were a circular nightmare of rotating, crystalline teeth.
> Encounter: Keplerian Spore Hounds.
> Threat Level: Medium.
> Behavior: Territorial, Pack Hunters.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Tipon yelled. He slammed his foot on the accelerator. The rover lurched forward. A Spore Hound leaped onto the hood. Its crystalline teeth screeched against the reinforced glass.
Irina did not hesitate. She slammed her hands onto the rover's metal frame. She pushed her will into the vehicle. Vines, thick and thorny, erupted from the rover's chassis. They wrapped around the Spore Hound and flung it into a giant mushroom. The creature exploded in a puff of glowing spores.
"Do not let the spores touch you!" Irina shouted. "They are a paralytic agent!"
The air filled with the glowing dust. Tipon held his breath. He saw the other rovers swerving. Zubin was trying to hack the creatures. It was useless. They were biological.
Liana leaned out of her window. She launched a syringe. It shattered against the ground near the pack. A cloud of neutralizing agent billowed out. It caused the spores to fall to the ground, inert.
Zeta phased through the rover door. It became a shimmering outline. It moved through the forest like a ghost. Its hands, now solid, plunged into the carapaces of the Spore Hounds. It sabotaged them from within before vanishing again.
It was a chaotic, running battle. The rovers crashed through the glowing undergrowth. The team fought for every meter. Finally, they burst into a clearing. In the center was a massive, ancient Biobot lander. It was half swallowed by the forest. Vines and fungi covered its hull. Its cargo bay doors were pried open.
"This is the source," Zubin said, his voice filled with awe. "The lander's climate control failed. Its cargo of Earth seeds and plant matter hybridized with the local fungi. It created all of this."
Inside the lander, they found their prize. Preserved seed banks. Viable soil samples. And a fully functional bio printer, capable of replicating organic matter.
> Quest Complete: The Unseen War.
> Level Up! Tipon Reyes is now Level 3.
> +1 to Strength, Agility, Intelligence.
> Reward: Food Cache Secured. Colony Morale +15.
> New Colony Project Unlocked: Hybrid Farm.
As they loaded the precious cargo, a new alert flashed on Zeta's internal display. It was a priority ping, intercepted from the depths of the Biobot Network.
Zeta's voice was urgent. "Captain. I have intercepted a new directive. Thul is not sending the vanguard."
Tipon felt a wave of relief. "He is calling it off?"
"No," Zeta said. Its green optics met Tipon's. "He is accelerating the timeline. Warlord Kael's fleet has already entered the system. They will be here in forty eight hours. And they are not coming for a battle. They are coming for a purge. Thul's orders are to glass the planet from orbit."
The victory of finding the cache turned to ashes in Tipon's mouth. They had food. They had a chance to live. But they had no way to stop an orbital bombardment.
The hook was set deeper than ever. The unseen war was over. The real war, a fight for their very existence, was about to begin. And they were hopelessly outgunned.