Tavo and Li took their seats in the packed meeting room, tension thick in the air. The circular space, stark white except for a black panel stretching ⅗ of the way around, felt colder than the rest of the ship—sterile, watching.
In the center, higher-ranking Guardians murmured among themselves, their expressions unreadable.
The noise swelled as more people filtered in. Then, the last arrivals stepped through the door—the Three Guardians Li had pulled from the conflict at the Central Terminal. As they took their seats, the room fell silent.
The meeting had begun.
A bulky, wolf-like humanoid stood tall in the center and began his speech,
"The Dark Borough is a Zed region of deep space, about 15 standard light-years from the Dense Cluster. The whole system is a shithole, but our focus is on its central planet.
Atramenth. A planet 9,570 standard miles in diameter, roughly a third the size of the Arachian Sun for those from the Araechia system.
It was once home to the Tryians, the ones responsible for the endless stone labyrinth cities carved into the depths of the planet.
But the Tryians are gone now. All 700 billion of them evacuated. Let that sink in. The only things left on Atramenth are Guardians and the Anebular Infestation.
The last time we fought this infestation, we lost two S-tiers—gone, presumed dead. This isn't some backwater cleanup mission anymore.
Our squad is on full rotation, no downtime, no easy shifts. We don't want to end up like A67—175 dead, not a single one made it out. We aren't diving for depth records like T88, and we're not chasing kill counts. We are here for one thing: to sever the infestation's core and shut this thing down for good.
We're a squad of 215, but don't let that number fool you—it doesn't mean we'll outlive A67. There is something on that planet, something intelligent, something that is actively working against us. It's not just consuming. It's hunting.
It's thinking. It is draining the life out of every crew that steps onto its surface, and if we're not careful, we're next.
Atramenth is in perpetual darkness. The only light comes from faint, flickering bursts of purple gas, and trust me, they don't help. There is no oxygen, just carbon monoxide and a dozen other toxic vapors that will kill you in seconds.
Do not exit your life-support suits. The atmosphere will eat through your skin, your shell, your scales—whatever the hell you've got.
Once we land, we immediately set up camp with T88 and move through the pathways they've already carved. Our objective is to locate the upper hive mind and sever its nervous system. That might sound simple, but it's not.
On the way down, expect S++ tier threats, entities capable of erasing entire squads before we even see them coming.
Then there are the mass-bred soldier variants, evolved to kill anything that moves. Their pincers crush with 200,000 standard pounds of force—if you are not A-tier or higher, do not engage them head-on. Even if you are, don't be stupid.
Right now, we have two high-mobility threats active on the surface, classified between A and S-tier. They move too fast to track and are targeting crews one by one.
This is how we lost one of our S-tiers, and this is why we do not stay deep for more than three standard hours. If your suit's gas reserves hit 10%, you are already dead, no matter how close you think you are to the surface. This rule applies to all species."
"Your strengths and weaknesses have been analyzed. Your crew has been assigned.
There are three crews.
Spear goes in first. Their job is to locate and disable the infestation's vitals. This is the most dangerous role.
It requires precision, endurance, and absolute focus. Only those with the sharpest minds and the steadiest hands have been selected. If the Spear fails, we all die.
Shield holds the line. Their job is to protect the Spear at all costs. It doesn't matter what comes at them—they stand their ground. If the Shield breaks, the mission is over. If you're Shield, you fight until you can't.
Extraction is the last resort. If the Shield falls, Extraction steps in to make sure it doesn't turn into a massacre. They move the wounded, keep the supplies running, and scout the unknown. If you hesitate, you die. If you slow down, someone else dies.
There will be rosters for each group that will appear on the display to my right."
The translators finished, and the holographic display lit up. Three rectangles. Names in different languages.
Li scanned the list, about to ask Tavo his crew when his own name appeared at the bottom of Extraction. The room filled with noise as everyone found their group.
One of the three Guardians from the Central Terminal called to him—Extraction too. He nodded, still processing. He spotted Aoki and Tavo under Shield. That was unexpected.
The Spear crew stood apart. Even the smallest among them looked like they could kill him without effort. No hesitation.
"Each Crew, follow your captain to the training deck! We will end at 7:00 Standard!"
"Damn, that's 15 Standard Nonstop!"
Li shrugged. He followed the female Guardian and the rest of the crowd which was starting to leave the room.
The girl was European, but had light, blond hair which almost seemed gold in the room and she stood out from the other Guardians. Li stood on his tippy-toes, trying to get a glimpse of the team captain, but the amount of people in front of him was just too much.
"What's your name, anyways"
"I'm Naryssa! My parents are both System Supervisors in the deeper Zed regions! What about you, Li?"
"I—I'm… yeah. My parents are also supervisors!"
Li felt a little guilty lying to such an earnest girl, but technically, he wasn't completely making things up. His parents were supervisors—just not in deep space, but probably some corporate firm instead.
"That's nice. Has it been peaceful lately?"
Li shrugged casually. "Sure, I guess. Not much happening back there."
Naryssa nodded, satisfied with the answer. For now, they were just two people enjoying a simple conversation, a rare moment of calm in an unpredictable universe.
Still, in the back of his mind, Li found himself thinking about his wife.