[Oblivion's Verge]
[Hollow Expanse]
[Coordinates: SL 245°, SA -30°, OD 9500 AU]
"This was the last coordinate HQ received before they lost contact with Team-B." Captain Voss stood at the exit hatch. Behind him, the interior lights of the AV-300 spacecraft cast his shadow long across the deck. "Our mission is rescue and support against the syndicates."
He turned to face his team of four soldiers, standing ready and waiting for his orders.
"We hit them hard with a bang. No one strays. No one is left behind." His voice carried weight. Authority earned through years of combat. "And before long, we'll be back under our silk sheets in Aetherion."
His face was broad. His nose slightly crooked—a souvenir from close-quarters combat that hadn't gone quite as planned.
"Aye, Captain Voss!"
The response came unified. Sharp.
In Nova Vanguard Team-D, there were two men and two women which made up for a total of five members, the captain included.
They were the rescue team sent by the Solara Concordium to provide support against the members of Eclipse Syndicate, who were believed to have sabotaged the consortium's ongoing expedition in Oblivion's Verge.
They were currently geared up, and one similar feature they shared was the sleek, ash-colored full-body battlesuits they were equipped with.
"Any questions?" Captain Voss asked.
"None, for now!"
The steel doors opened with a metallic clank. Air pressure roared in. Wind screamed past the opening. They were flying at a very high altitude.
"Alright. Turn on your markers upon descent." Captain Voss stepped to the edge. Looked down into nothing. "And in the meantime... Adiós."
He jumped off the spacecraft. The others moved to follow. One by one.
"Hey!..."
"...Hey, Skylar!"
"_"
The red-haired soldier paused. Blinked. Then turned his head.
"What's wrong?" The woman beside him tilted her head. "You look spaced out."
Lyra had warm features. Deep hazel eyes that carried a calming effect most people noticed immediately. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a loose braid.
Skylar shook his head. Pulled himself back to the present.
"There's nothing wrong, Lyra. I'm perfectly fine." He adjusted his grip on his rifle. "Maybe just stressed from lack of proper sleep."
His tone suggested the conversation was over.
Lyra studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"If you say so." She moved to the edge. "We'd better catch up with the team."
She jumped.
Skylar stood alone now. The wind howling through the open hatch. The empty spacecraft behind him.
"'A false alarm does mean harm.'" He muttered the words under his breath. "I still can't understand what this means."
He shook his head.
"Am I dumb? Or is the philosopher?"
No answer came. No one was left to give one.
He jumped.
***
The air screamed past him.
Over twenty thousand meters of nothing between him and the ground. But the pressure didn't touch him. The air pressure from freefalling off a height of more than 20,000 meters was nonexistent to Skylar due to his battlesuit which now had the exo-helmet covering his head.
[..17,000 meters...]
The system's voice was emotionless. Monotone. Like it was reading grocery prices.
[..12,000 meters...]
The ground grew closer. Details began to emerge. A brown, gray, and desolate landscape.
[..7,000 meters...]
The Hollow Expanse spread below like a graveyard. Dead. Abandoned. Sinking.
[..2,000 meters...]
Skylar's heart rate stayed steady. He'd done this dozens of times.
[..700 meters... Red Zone has been breached]
[LND sequence is launched... Aetherwave Glider Mk-IV has been disengaged]
Click.
A three-foot white metal panel popped off his back. It unfolded mid-air. Segments extending. Locking. Transforming into a six-foot surfboard.
The board shot above him. Magnetic force locked it to his boots.
His descent slowed. Then stopped.
Skylar hung suspended in the air. The glider hummed beneath his feet. Power thrumming through the Etherium Crystals in its core.
He leaned forward. The board responded. Smooth and intuitive.
His exo-helmet displayed waypoints. Terrain maps. The rendezvous location marked in blue.
He flew.
The Mk-IV handled differently than the older models. It had a better response time and smoother acceleration. He couldn't help himself. He pulled up the specs.
[Name: Aetherwave Glider Mk-IV
Type: Levitating Surfboard
Creator: Arcane-Tech
Weight: 15kg (Ultra-light Nanoalloy)
Retail Price: 75,000 Solari Credit (SC)]
His eyes caught on that number. Seventy-five thousand. More than his annual salary. More than most families in Aetherion earned in two years.
[Core Power: Etherium Crystals infused with Solar-Fused Plasma Cells
Durability: Resistant to extreme environments (temperature, pressure, and corrosion)
Abilities:
1. Hover Mode: Utilizes anti-gravity fields to levitate up to 100 meters above ground or water.
2. Wave Synchronization: Automatically adjusts to wave patterns or terrain shifts for seamless gliding.
3. Aether Boost: Temporarily accelerates speed by 200% for high-speed escapes or tricks.
4. Kinetic Stabilizers: Prevents imbalance during aerial maneuvers or rough turbulence.
5. Lumina Trail: Leaves a glowing, ethereal trail that can disorient pursuers or create dazzling effects.]
He whistled low. "For gear that costs more than the average middle-class family's earnings in Aetherion, it's worth the price."
Ahead, the landscape changed. The view of the second most terrifying region in Oblivion's Verge caught his attention.
The Hollow Expanse was a vast, barren desert-like region that was once a thriving metropolis before it was abandoned due to increased seismic activity.
Now, it was filled with broken buildings and ruined technologies that were all slowly sinking into the planet's increasingly unstable crust.
"Captain, Team-B's marker has been compromised." Veyra's voice came through the comms. "Last known position is due north."
Skylar spotted her above. Higher than the rest. The only one still airborne on her glider.
Veyra had angular facial features. Almond-shaped eyes that scan the horizon for threats. Buzzcuts donned her hair, and a faint scar cut across her right eyebrow, adding a rugged edge to her otherwise delicate features.
It made her look tougher than she probably was.
"Keep looking, Veyra." Captain Voss nodded. His boots kicked up sand as he walked. "Ren, Skylar, Lyra, we move on foot. Veyra keeps high ground on the Mk-IV."
"Copy that."
Skylar touched down. His glider folded back into its compact form. Reattached to his back with a magnetic snap.
Veyra stayed up. Her battlesuit was different from theirs. It was lighter, built for mobility and stealth. Thermal dampeners made her invisible to heat sensors. Lightweight armor protected vital areas without sacrificing flexibility.
Her primary weapon, the Eclipser Mk-VII, is a long-range energy rifle with a modular barrel and a scope with thermal, infrared, and x-ray modes. She was the sole sniper and scout of their team.
The team moved forward. Sand crunched under their boots. The sun beat down. There were no clouds or shades. Just heat and silence.
One Solarian hour later, the team came across something ahead. A settlement. Or what was left of one.
Buildings jutted from the sand like broken teeth. Most were halfway submerged. Victims of the planet's shifting tectonic plates. Its dying crust swallowing everything.
Captain Voss raised a clenched fist above his shoulder level, signaling for them to hold position. Then he opened his left hand with fingers spread, palm facing forward, then pushed the hand outward in a forward motion.
Scout ahead.
Veyra acknowledged. Then flew the Aetherwave Glider towards the city while positioning the Eclipser Mk-VII for any visuals on the enemy.
The rest waited.
Fifteen minutes crawled by.
[All clear] Veyra's voice crackled through the comms within the exo-helmets. [This area is free of hostiles]
"Move out." Captain Voss gestured forward.
The team advanced, searching the structures one by one. Most buildings were empty. Just sand and debris. Echoes of a dead civilization.
Then they reached a building that looked different. Still mostly intact. Walls standing. Roof present.
Strange.
Ren approached the entrance. A stocky man with arms like tree trunks. He carried a heavy plasma cannon like it weighed nothing.
Lyra moved to the left flank. Her weapon ready. Eyes scanning.
Skylar took the right. His rifle raised. Finger near the trigger.
Captain Voss reached for the door, but before they could go in...
[Incoming!] Veyra's voice exploded through the comms. Urgent. Sharp. [Multiple Xeno signatures moving fast toward our coordinates!]
Voss's hand froze on the door handle.
"How many?" he barked.
[Scanning now—] A pause ensued. [Captain, I count fifteen. No—twenty. They're spreading out. Flanking our positions.]
"Defensive formation!" Captain Voss stepped back from the building. "Ren, heavy weapons forward. Lyra, Skylar, cover our sides. Veyra, mark targets and pick off stragglers."