The steady hum of the transport's engines filled the cargo bay as the aircraft climbed through the morning sky.
Inside, Gamma Squad sat strapped into fold-down crash seats lining both sides of the reinforced compartment. Between them, equipment crates were secured beneath heavy restraints, each one stamped with the emblem of the Unified Defense Command.
For the first several minutes, no one spoke.
The excitement that had followed them onto the transport had faded, replaced by quiet anticipation.
This was no longer another exercise.
It was their first real deployment.
David rested his forearms on his knees and looked through one of the narrow reinforced windows.
Forward Command was already disappearing behind them.
The sprawling military complex slowly shrank into a patchwork of landing pads, hangars, command buildings, and defensive towers before finally vanishing beyond the horizon.
Beyond it...
Kharos Vale stretched as far as the eye could see.
Massive mountain ranges carved across the continent like ancient scars. Rivers wider than cities wound through enormous valleys before disappearing beneath endless forests that blanketed the landscape in deep green.
Even from thousands of feet above, the trees seemed impossibly large.
Every now and then the canopy shifted.
Something enormous moved beneath it.
David watched another herd of massive creatures emerge from the trees before disappearing back beneath the endless canopy.
It was hard to believe humanity had controlled this planet for years.
Looking out the window...
There wasn't a city in sight.
No roads.
No towns.
Just forests that stretched beyond the horizon.
Nyra noticed where he was looking.
"Doesn't look very explored, does it?"
David shook his head.
"Not even close."
"That's because exploration doesn't mean settlement," Nyra explained. "Nearly eighty percent of Kharos Vale has been surveyed and mapped, but almost all of it has been left untouched."
June looked over.
"So it's still basically wilderness?"
"Almost entirely," Nyra replied. "Outside of Forward Command, the central settlement, and scattered forward operating bases, nature still owns this planet."
David looked back out the window.
The forests below didn't look conquered.
They looked ancient.
Vast.
As if humanity were nothing more than a handful of visitors passing through.
"Then H-09..."
Nyra nodded.
"Is one of the last sectors that hasn't been fully surveyed."
She pointed toward the mountains in the distance.
"Heavy forests."
"Unstable terrain."
"Areas that are difficult to reach or too dangerous for permanent settlements."
David continued watching the endless wilderness below.
"So we're heading into one of the last unexplored pockets."
"Exactly."
June leaned back in his seat.
"That somehow makes me feel both excited..."
He paused.
"...and like we're making a terrible life decision."
Lucian laughed.
"Little late to reconsider."
"I'm aware."
A smile spread across several faces before the transport speakers crackled overhead.
A familiar voice filled the cargo bay.
"Gamma Squad, this is Commander Vance."
David reached toward the communications panel beside his seat.
"Go ahead, Commander."
"Comms check."
"Loud and clear."
"Good."
A holographic tactical map projected from the center of the cargo bay.
Blue grid lines expanded across the display before settling over a large section of Kharos Vale.
Several sectors illuminated.
H-09 glowed blue.
Commander Vance continued.
"H-09 remains one of the final unexplored sectors within this operational region."
"Your mission objectives remain unchanged."
"Establish a forward operating camp."
"Survey the surrounding territory."
"Eliminate hostile creatures that threaten future exploration."
Three green markers appeared northwest of H-09 and northeast of A-08.
Vance highlighted them one after another.
"Forward Operating Bases Echo-One, Echo-Two, and Echo-Three."
The tactical map zoomed out, showing the surrounding sectors.
"If your mission concludes ahead of schedule, Forward Command may redirect Gamma Squad to assist operations in A-08."
"Until then..."
"Your focus remains H-09."
David studied the map.
The three outposts were small compared to the surrounding wilderness.
Just tiny green lights against an enormous continent.
"Maintain your scheduled communications every six hours."
"If weather conditions interfere with long-range transmissions, activate your emergency relay beacon."
David answered immediately.
"Understood."
"I'll expect your first situation report after you've established camp."
The transmission ended.
The holographic map dissolved into thousands of blue particles before fading away completely.
Silence settled over the transport once again.
June looked around the cargo bay.
"So..."
He glanced at the secured equipment stacked between them.
"Anyone else hoping H-09 turns out to be incredibly boring?"
Castiel looked over.
"That's not how unexplored sectors work."
"I know."
June sighed dramatically.
"I can dream."
A laugh escaped Mira before she could stop it.
Everyone looked at her.
She blinked.
"...What?"
June pointed.
"I got Mira to laugh."
Lucian smiled.
"Write today's date down."
Even David found himself smiling.
For just a moment...
The tension eased.
They weren't worrying about hostile creatures.
Or unexplored wilderness.
Or the responsibility waiting for them on the ground.
They were simply six friends sharing one last quiet conversation before the mission began.
Outside, Kharos Vale continued to roll beneath them.
Ancient forests.
Towering mountains.
Endless rivers.
An entire world that humanity had spent years exploring...
Yet pockets of mystery still remained.
Somewhere beyond the mountains ahead...
Grid H-09 awaited their arrival.
The transport continued north, its engines maintaining a steady rhythm as the landscape beneath them slowly changed.
The forests grew denser.
The mountains steeper.
Wide valleys gave way to towering cliffs that cast enormous shadows across the endless sea of green below.
David found himself watching the terrain almost as closely as the tactical map that had disappeared moments earlier.
Everything looked peaceful from this height.
Almost untouched.
Then movement caught his eye.
"There."
Castiel leaned toward the window beside him.
"What?"
David pointed toward a clearing several kilometers below.
A massive herd was crossing an open grassland.
The creatures stood nearly twice the height of the transport's landing gear, their thick gray hides broken by rows of jagged crystal formations that ran from their shoulders to the ends of their tails.
There had to be hundreds of them.
They moved together in perfect silence.
Lucian whistled softly.
"Those are enormous."
Nyra glanced down.
"Crystalbacks."
June looked over.
"The herbivores?"
Nyra nodded.
"Mostly."
June blinked.
"Mostly?"
"They're peaceful unless something threatens the herd."
"Then?"
"They stop being peaceful."
"...Good to know."
The transport passed overhead, but not a single Crystalback reacted.
To them...
The aircraft wasn't worth noticing.
David continued watching until the herd disappeared beneath the trees.
"They don't even care we're here."
"They've gotten used to transports," Nyra explained. "Forward Command has flown these routes for years."
Before anyone could respond, the aircraft lurched.
The entire transport dipped sharply before leveling out again.
June immediately grabbed the straps of his seat.
"Nope."
Another bump shook the cabin.
"I officially hate flying."
Castiel didn't even open his eyes.
"You've been saying that since takeoff."
"And somehow it keeps getting worse."
The pilot's calm voice came over the intercom.
"Mountain crosswinds."
"They'll ease up in a few minutes."
June looked toward the ceiling.
"I'd appreciate it if they eased up now."
Lucian couldn't help but laugh.
"You've fought simulation monsters twice your size."
"They were on the ground."
The transport rocked once more.
June pointed toward the floor.
"I like the ground."
Mira closed the instruction tablet she'd been reading.
"Statistically speaking, transport accidents are extremely rare."
June looked at her hopefully.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"Most flights land safely."
June smiled.
"See? That's—"
"The dangerous part starts after landing."
His smile vanished.
"...Why would you say that?"
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Mira's mouth.
Lucian raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure what's more surprising."
"The comment..."
"Or the fact that it almost sounded like a joke."
Mira looked genuinely confused.
"I was stating a fact."
June folded his arms.
"I choose to believe it was a joke."
Even Castiel chuckled.
David shook his head with a quiet smile.
For a few minutes, the conversation drifted naturally from one topic to another.
Training stories.
Favorite meals back at the Academy.
Whether Commander Vance intentionally made obstacle courses harder every week.
June remained convinced she had.
Lucian insisted she absolutely had.
Nyra refused to confirm or deny it.
Even Mira admitted she'd noticed the courses becoming more difficult.
The easy conversation made the flight seem shorter than it was.
Eventually, the transport speakers crackled once more.
"This is your pilot."
His voice was calm and professional.
"We'll be entering H-09 airspace in approximately fifteen minutes."
The casual atmosphere inside the cabin disappeared almost instantly.
Conversations ended.
Smiles faded.
David reached beneath his seat and removed his gauntlets.
Metal clicked into place around his forearms.
Castiel drew his shadow-forged sword from its magnetic lock and rested it across his knees.
Lucian checked the edge of the Bloodcrest Blade before locking it back into its sheath.
Nyra adjusted the harness securing her twin swords.
June extended his collapsible energy baton with a practiced flick before collapsing it again.
Mira inspected the mechanisms on her twin blades one final time.
No one spoke.
Outside the reinforced windows...
The forests grew darker.
Thicker.
The mountains rose higher, surrounding the transport as it followed a winding valley toward its destination.
Far ahead...
Hidden somewhere beneath that endless canopy...
Waited Grid H-09.