It was a dark, stormy night.

It keeps raining constantly on the city of Hamutherm. An abandoned city. There was no trace of life among the crumbling buildings, burning tree, fallen rock.....

Not a single thing except for three strained, tired men standing among a collapsed tower.

One of them wears a blue ninja suit. He’s tall, skinny, has brown eyes, a pony tail and seems to be the leader. He had a deep cut in his left arm. It’s still new, still bleeding.

The other two wear the same uniform: red band, sunglasses, white T-shirt, a pair of yellow gloves and blue trouser.

One of them was holding an 8mm C-14 Impaler Gauss Rifle and guarding while the other guy take care of their leader wound. They seem to be waiting for someone.

Then suddenly, a figure with spiky hair, wearing a green overcoat, a grey trouser and two black boots appears 12 foots away from them.

The guy with the Gauss Rifle quickly raised his weapon and aimed it at the newcomer’s head. But he soon recognized the man’s face and started to lower his gun.

“What took you so long, Woody?” said the ninja guy.

“Easy Rudolf, I accidentally ran into a bunch of Justins and I have to make my way throw them to get to a safer place. My TCD (Teleportation Controller Device) was broken during the fight so I have to fix it.”

“So why don’t you just teleport right here from the beginning man? There’s nothing around here to disrupt your teleporting here.”

“I set up the wrong coordinate and appear 1000 miles away from you guys, so how do you think I ran into a bunch of Justins, huh?”

“So in a word, thanks to your stupidity, I got a really bad cut and half of my squad was killed when a large group of Lindwurms and Justins picked up our scent and decided that we will be a really good meal?”

“That’s beside the point. Anyway, have you got the disk?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. Here, catch.” Rudolf took a small data disk from his pocket and threw it to Woody. After carefully examined the disk, Woody said: “It seem to be the right one, and it’s still in perfect condition. You have done a very good job. I heard that they are going to promote you to the rank lieutenant after this mission.”

“Finally those bastards have realized how good I Am.” said Rudolf. “And by the way, what is it so important about this disk that I have to risk my life to retrieve it?”

“I will tell you later but now, we have to get back to the command center. It’s not safe here. Especially when there are only two bandits to cover our backs in a city full of Xenomorphs.” said Woody.

The Bandits helped Rudolf got up and gather near Woody while he set the area of effect and the coordinate on his TCD. After five minutes, they vanished.

It was a perfect day.

Everything was golden under the sun. Golden was the color of the wheat fields across the low hills stretching out from his father’s homestead. Golden was the warmth of the sun on his face. Golden was the glow he felt within him.

“Hey, are you still there, Rud?” someone shouted “It’s time to wake up you daydreamer.”

Rudolf’s started. He shook his head and looked around. It was Robert, his best friend, who shouted at him and now, he was standing right next to him.

“Can you please keep your head in the game? We only have 10 minute and still two scores to go.” He said angrily.

“Sorry, I will stay….” Before Rudolf could finish his sentence, he heard a shrill sound came from the town.

“It’s the siren.” Robert said. “But it isn’t noon yet.”

As he spoke, lots of lengthening shadow came from the sky surged across the yellowed fields of wheat. They seemed to be heading toward the town center.

“Whatever they are, I have a bad feeling about them.” Rudolf said “We should head back to the town before they close the gates.”

The town center was original a fortress compound with the defensive wall encompassing the main buildings. Since then, the town had grown well beyond those central walls.

As Rudolf ran, he heard the rattle of automatic weapons clattered suddenly from the perimeter wall. When he was close enough, he saw lots of smoke column come from the town. His eyes went wide with fear, his veins filled with adrenaline. Right beside him, Robert was biting his lip while he was running; his face was completely white.

When they were only 100 foots away from the perimeter wall, a sheet of flame erupted beyond it. A rain of blazing rock flew toward them. One of them fell on Robert, crushed him under it weight.

A wave of panic swept through Rudolf body. He ran as he was being chase by Hades’s dogs. But he didn’t know that he was running toward the hell itself.

When he made it to the town, he saw a ten years old boy make his way throw the panicked crowd in the town’s square and ran at him

“Duke, where are mom and dad?” Rudolf shouted. “What happened here?”

“They got them.” Duke, his younger brother, speak with tears falling down from his eyes.

“Who… who got them?” Rudolf asked, his thought was disrupted by a cacophony of screams, shouts, and cries all around him.

But before Duke could answer, the eastern wall had been breached. The old rampart was being pulled down from the other side, dismantled before Rudolf eyes. And he got the answer immediately.

“No… no… no…There is no way… It can’t be… ” He muttered as he stared at the fallen wall. From there, a dark wave of hideous creatures kept rising; consume anything in its path. Their details lodged in his mind: gleaming purple carapaces with brown-streaked; blood-thirsty, blazing red eyes.

It was unthinkable. . . . The nightmare is here.

“Justins… The Xenomorphs is here …How… They couldn’t have penetrated so far into the Dominion’s territory.”

He wanted to calm his crying brother down but when he opened his mouth, no word came out.

He turned and run from the breach, into the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. There was nowhere to go. The mob was crushing them. Rudolf looked desperately around him, trying to find a way out.

Suddenly, a couple of Justins exploded in enormous fireballs. The rest of them hesitated.

A wing of five aircraft ripped through the smoke overhead. Dominion’s aircraft. The Wraith fighters.

Twenty-five-millimeter burst lasers pulsed repeatedly as the Wraiths wheeled through the air, slamming at the rising Justins wave.

After a few second of hesitation, The Justins started pressing their attacks, shooting purple energy balls at the incoming Wraiths.

A second flight of Wraiths tore through the smoke-blackened sky. Then a single Dominion’s Dropship ripped through the air, descending toward the square. It continued to hover but managed somehow to lower its transport ramp.

Through the dust, Rudolf saw a Dominion’s Bandit beckoning to them.

Everyone else in the square saw it too.

Mindlessly, a human tide charged at the ramp. It pulled Rudolf along.

He lost Duke’s hand.

“Duke!” he screamed but his words were lost in the roar of the Dropship’s engines.

The mindless mob pushed him farther into the ship.

Two Justins grasped Duke and dragging him back from the edge of the crowd.

“Please, Rudolf!” he wept. “Don’t leave me alone!” Those were his last words to him, pounding through his mind and soul, louder and louder…

“Duke!” Rudolf shouted as he woke up and found himself lied in the command center’s medic bay.

Rudolf used his palm and started to punch in his head.

“Not that again.” He grunted. “Get out of my head.”

He looked at his arm. It has already healed.

Then he noticed the clock.

“Only ten hours?” His sound very surprised. “That was fast. Last time I got a cut that deep, it took weeks to heal.”

As he got up, a Bandit entered the room.

“Are you Rudolf Aterunt?” Asked the Bandit.

“Yes.” Rudolf answered.

“You have five minutes to change. The Admiral wants you in his office as soon as possible.” The Bandit said as he walked out of the room.

Rudolf got down from his bed and change quickly. After he put on his blue suit, the Ghost’s suit, he moved out of the medic bay and headed to the Admiral’s office.

“Must be my promotion.” Rudolf thought as he walked in the hallway. “I just have to impress that sh*t head and then I’m gonna be lieutenant”.

He stopped at heavy looking metal door and pressed his hand on a console. The door sliced open.

“Private Rudolf Aterunt reported for duty, sir.” Rudolf saluted as he spoke.

In the room, there were two Bandits standing in the corners. In the middle of the room, there was a man sitting behind a desk. He’s tall, have dark eyes. His bald head and face were covered with scars, and the upper left hemisphere of his skull bore a slight indentation the size of a large man’s fist. His left ear was mostly missing and the bridge of his nose formed a backward S.

His name was Monk Ehauise, the admiral.

“Ah, Mr. Aterunt. Please, have a sit.” Monk said, motioned toward the chair in front of him.

“I bet you’re wondering about your wound healing speed, don’t you?” He asked when Rudolf had sat down.

“I’m a little bit curious, sir” Rudolf replied

“Well, you should be thanked yourself for that.” Monk said with a smile.

“Sir?”

“The disk you got us before was very important. It contains information about a lot of technology that our scientists have been researching.

You see, when Hamutherm fallen into the hand of those Xenomorphs, our most brilliant scientists have been trapped there when their rides were destroyed by the Xenomorphs. They have managed to stay out of sight for three years, couldn’t be able to contact anyone since there are too much disruption made by the Xenomorphs. They have developed a lot of new technology to survive, which is very amazing considering their circumstance.

But after three years, their food and water supply was not enough for them anymore. They decided to take their chance and sent out an emergency message. Unluckily for them, we got it after the Xenomorphs did. So all we can do is sending someone there and get back the data disk that contains the information on the new technology.

While you were asleep, we have studied the data on the disk and developed an orb which can accelerate the healing speed of the bodies. We have just developed a new combat suit which will enhance the user strength, speed and give them special abilities even though only a couple of units can have special abilities since it’s not very easy nor cheap to make. By the way, here’s your.”

Monk gave Rudolf a small plate like device. It’s nothing more than a red, round piece of metal with black border. Rudolf looked confusingly at the device.

“Sir, what am I suppose to do with this?” asked Rudolf

“Just put it on your chest and thinking about this: Combat Armor Activate. Here is the guide book. You’re dismissed, Mr. Aterunt.”

“Yes sir, thank you sir.” Rudolf said then walked out of the room, the slid door shut behind him.

“Damn, still no promotion.” Rudolf thought as he walked. ”instead of becoming a lieutenant, I got this piece of junk.”

Then he shrugged “Well, if this is all I got, I better check out what can it do.”

TRANSCRIPT / CONCOM417 / MET:00:04:23
LC: Corporal Rudolf Aterunt, Commanding 3 Squads 1:a-e (Mech/Cycle); 2:a-g (M/Inf) / 3:af (M/Inf)
Support: DS (Dropship Valkyrie Vixen/ Edgar Mazch, Pilot)
BEGIN:

LC/RUDOLF:“Okay, grunts! Let’s warm up! First Squad, give me a circle pass on the outpost perimeter.”

1A/WOODY:“Copy that. . . . Federrick, break left and take it high, man, and stay tight. If you go buggin’ out on me again, I’ll kill you in this time, I swear!”

1B/FEDERRICK:“Yeah, I love you, too, Private!”

LC/RUDOLF:“Second Squad, cover Third Squad at that barricade.”

2A/DANNIEL:“Roger! Go!”

LC/RUDOLF:“Third Squad . . .”

3B/WABSKI:“Hey, we’re already there, sir!”

LC/RUDOLF:“. . . move up and recon the . . .Chapman, you’ll wait for my command or I’ll be tacking your hide up on my office wall!”

3A/JACKSON:“Roger, Corporal! We are at the breach.”

MET:00:04:24

3C/COLLINS:“Hey, look! What is this stuff? It’s all over the ground!”

3B/WABSKI:“That’s Xenomorphs’s sh*t, Col. They sh*t this crap all over the place when they come through.”

2E/MATTHEW:“Lordy, that’s nasty! Looks like them bugs just coated the whole town with their black sh****!”

2A/DAVIS:“Shut up, Matt . . . and keep your field of fire clear! The way you’re wavin’ that rifle around, you’d think you were conducting a parade!”

MET:00:04:25

2E/MATTHEW:“I’m watching their back, Dave. Don’t get your panties . . .”

3A/JAKOB:“Corporal, this is Jakob. I’m at the breach. There’s a lot of Xenomorphs’s creep in here. There’s got to be a colony nearby.”

1A/ WOODY:“That’s bullsh*t, Corporal! We’ve just made our circuit and there’s no hive here.”

1B/ FEDERRICK:“Yeah, you got that right, Woody!”

3A/ JAKOB:“. . . all you want, Corporal, but this is Hive creep and it’s flowed down the length of the main street and around the buildings. I can’t tell where it’s coming from.”

1A/ WOODY:“ ’cause it ain’t coming from anywhere, Jakob! I’m . . .”

MET:00:04:26

LC/RUDOLF:“Knock it off, you two. Jakob, any contact?”

3A/JAKOB:“Negative, sir. Beside from these vomits”

LC/RUDOLF:“Very well. Mazch, how about it? Is there . . .”

1A/WOODY:“ Federrick, Windom! Tighten it up, will ya? And watch out for those aqueducts! You hit one of those and it will ruin your whole day!”

DS/VALKYRIE:“Say again, Corporal?”

LC/RUDOLF:“Any sign of what we’re looking for?”

MET:00:04:26
DS/VALKYRIE:“Negative, sir. Sensor’s still clear. No indication yet. I think you’re getting too much interference from the buildings. You’ll have to get . . .”

1B/FEDERRICK:“That close enough for you, Woody, or do you want me to ride your cycle for you?”

LC/ RUDOLF:“Shut up, Federrick! Mazch, say again?”

DS/VALKYRIE:“Your squads have to get closer. Send ’em in.”

2E/ MATTHEW:“In there? You gotta be kiddin’ me!”

LC/ RUDOLF:“Roger, Mazch. Second Squad, move up. Third Squad . . .”

2A/ DANNIEL:“Roger . . . moving up.”

LC/ RUDOLF:“. . . and recon eastern buildings up to the . . .”

3A/JAKOB:“Say again? Say again?”

LC/ RUDOLF:“I said spread your squad out and recon the eastern buildings up to the transmission tower. Second Squad, you . . .”

1B/ FEDERRICK:“There’s nothin’ out here!.”

1A/ WOODY:“Be grateful, Federrick, ’cause if there . . .”

LC/ RUDOLF:“Keep the chatter off the command channel! Second Squad, take the western side. Make your way between the condensers and circle around to the administration center!”

MET:00:04:27

2A/ DANNIEL:“Copy that. We’re on it. Seizak, you go with Mellish and check out the condensers. The rest of you come with me.”

3A/JAKOB:“You all heard the man, let’s move! Go right down that road and then make your way north toward the . . .”

1D/PEACHES:“Hey, Woody! Did you see that?”

1A/ WOODY:“ Windom, cut the chatter . . .”

1D/PEACHES:“Something’s moving down there!”

1A/ WOODY:“Where?”

1B/ FEDERRICK:“There’s nothin’ moving, I tell ya!”

MET:00:04:28

3D/MELLISH:“Sir, I got movement here!”

3A/JAKOB:“Holly sh*t!... Sir, we got a dozen of Justins, comin’ in fast.”

LC/ RUDOLF:“Fire as will… fire as will.”

1E/WINDOM:“Take that, you alien scum.”

1B/ FEDERRICK:“ Windom, behind you!...”

1D/PEACHES:“Argg…I’m hit, I’m hit”

2E/MATTHEW:“ Sir, Mellish is down!...”

MET:00:04:29

DS/VALKYRIE:“Got it… the cargo located somewhere in the second floor. ”

2D/MELNIKOV:“Hey, I think I saw something here . . .”

LC/ RUDOLF:“That’s the sh*t… Get it out of here! Third Squad . . . provide cover fire for Bandit Menikov”

3B/WABSKI:“Sir… we can’t put this up any longer…”

2E/MATTHEW:“No worry… we are mov… Arggg!”

MET:00:04:30

LC/ RUDOLF:“We’re almost there… keep it up?”

2G/EKART:“I’m out…”

1A/ WOODY:“Make it count, kid... we’re all low.”

1D/PEACHES:“Get off me you… Aaarrrggggggggg!”

3B/WABSKI:“I’ve got visual on the ship…”

LC/ RUDOLF:“Melnikov... get it on the ship…now!”

Everything became fade as the practice room set shape around the soldiers when Bandit Melnikov stepped into the delusion Dropship.

“Woo, that was amazing. I have never outran a Justin before. These battle suits are some real deal.” A man in a white, heavy metal armor suit said.

“Damn it Wabski, if they’ve not been busy ripping my hand out, you won’t stand a chance.” Another man in the same suit talked back.

“That’s because you are such a whip, Peaches, What kind of idiot would let himself be taken down by a Justins?” Wabski said.

“Why you…” Just when Peaches was about to jump on Wabski, he heard a shout.

“Will you two cut it out?” A guy in a taller but skinner black armor suit shouted. “I’m fed up with your childish behavior. Get your asses out of the suit and report back to the Cover Ops”.

“You heard the man, take them off.” A man said to the rest of the Bandit group as he moved a hand on to the red disk-like object on his chest. With a hissing sound, the metal plates on the suit moved back in the red object, leaving behind Woody holding the red device.

“Alright, mutts.” Rudolf said after get out of the black suit. ”get to the Cover Ops to check your suit condition.”

After a fully scan at the Cover Ops, Rudolf put on his suit again and get back to his guard duty.

It was his daily job when there is no mission to do: guarding the South-West entrance.

As he walked to the place, he heard a croaky voice:

“Hey Rudolf, what are you doing here? Still didn’t get your promotion?”

Rudolf turned around. Stood in front of him was a blond hair man with the size of a mammoth. He wore a red battle suit with two fully charged plasma tanks mounted into the back.

“Nope, those sons of the bitches make me to do their sh**** job and still no promotion.” Rudolf replied with a yawn. “By the way, Firen, what kind of suit are you wearing?”

“A Firebat flamethrower battle armor, what else?” Firen said “Didn’t you read the manual?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… I read it but skipped a couple chapters, not a big deal.” Rudolf waved his hand. “Say, did you heard about Santom? He was ambushed by a Chaos last week.”

“Yup, I heard about it.” Firen said with an evil smile. “Finally someone had decided to take that sh**** out, save me the trouble of doing it.”

“I’m with you, man. That guy is such a pain in the a**. There was one time when we tried to arrest a wanted criminal, we found out where he has been hiding, Santom leaded the whole squad, kicked down the door and found the criminal in the toilet. You know what he made me to do: staying inside the bathroom, guard the man while he was taking a very big dump.” Rudolf said with a shudder.

Firen laughed so hard that he had to grab Rudolf shoulder to stand still. But since he had a huge body, instead of getting up, he pulled Rudolf down with him.

“Sorry about that, buddy” Firen said as he flicked off the dust on their suit and tried to keep a straight face. “It was hilarious.”

When Rudolf and Firen were still trying to flick off all the dust, two Bandits moved toward them and asked:

“Are you two Private Rudolf Aterunt and Private Firen Richarson?”

“Yes we are.” Rudolf said.

“Please report to the Admiral’s office immediately, we’ll take care of thing here.” Said a Bandit.

When they entered the Admiral’s office, the two of them step forward and saluted.

“Private Rudolf Aterunt and Private Firen Richarson report for duty sir.”

“Peace, Private. Have a sit.” Monk said.

“Let get straight to the point, shall we? There have been some Xenomorphs activities in the South-East section of the island. I want you two take some men and clear out any Xenomorphs over there.” Monk’s sharp eyes motioned to Rudolf. “Private Rudolf, you’ll lead this mission. Perhaps you have heard about Lieutenant Santom already. Since he’s gone, we need another man to replace him. If this mission succeeded, you’ll be promoted to the rank lieutenant. That’s all, gentlemen.”

“Yes sir.” Rudolf and Firen said then left. They head back to the barrack for a quick briefing and then headed to the Starport.

At the Starport, Firen asked Rudolf:

“How many men do you have?”

“Ten Bandits, four Medics and two Firebats.” Replied Rudolf.

“Good enough. I have eight Firebats, two Medics and two Siege Tanks.”

“Alright.” Rudolf turned and looked at the soldiers. “All hands to the Dropships. Get me four Wraiths to escort the Dropship. Move it people, we’re on a tight schedule.”

Five minutes later, two Wraith Fighters flew out of the Starport, followed by five Dropships and two Wraith Fighters in the back, heading toward the South-East section of the island.

Inside the Dropship, Rudolf stood calmly, configuring a continuous stream of data about the environment around his ride. He was plugged into the Dropship’s main power bus so now, anything outside of the ship can be transmitted into the suit for him to experience.

He had switched the sensor system over to external. As he did so, the ship’s structure faded quickly, leaving him soared above the landscape alone, a bird sailing the hot plasma fire that trailed behind him.

The world he flew over was a world of rust. The sheer faces of the mountains were rust. The crags that cut into the earth were rust. Even the death trees were coated with a layer of rust. This is a wasteland. A graveyard.

“Enjoying the view, eh?” Firen spoke through the com-channel, disrupted his thought.

The Dropship materialized around him almost instantly as his attention shifted. Firen was staring into his faceplate.

“Not much to see beside dust. Everything is so quiet, too quiet. Not even a single patrol unit. This ain’t looks good.” Rudolf replied.

“Well, we are the patrol unit now.” Firen said. ”Look on the bright side, at least you’re gonna get your promotion after this.”

“Wait till we make it out of here alive.” Rudolf said, rubbing his hands. “We’re almost there, tell them to get ready.”

He detached himself from the Dropship, change his com-channel’s frequency sounded through his com-system:

“Get your head out, Marine. It’s time to disembark.”

“Yes, sir” He heard the sharp responds of his men. “Ready, sir!”

The Dropship lurched suddenly, landing hard. Rudolf snapped shut his suit’s visor and cleared the lowering exit ramp before it even touched the ground.

“Get your asses out of there. Be a minute late and you won’t be breathing after two. Clear?” Rudolf shouted.

“Sir! Yes, sir!” they all barked as one, moving out of the Dropships and reassembled in front of Rudolf. Mean while, the Wraith fighters was still hovering in the air to guarding for them.

Everyone has cleared out of the Dropships except for one Bandit. His duffel bag got caught somewhere on the other side of the frame as he tried to get off. His anger and embarrassment just managed somehow to keep him from turning the bag the right way. Rudolf walked toward the man, said:

“Easy, soldier. Let me give you a hand with that.”

Rudolf rested his hand on the soldier’s arm, keep him stay still. The duffel bag fell with a jumbled clank to the floor.

“Look, kid, it’s no trouble at all. Sometimes you just gotta let things slack off a little and they work themselves out. You’re just trying too hard.” Rudolf said.

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!” The man said with a relief expression on his face.

“What’s your name, soldier?” asked Rudolf.

“Davis Hurrent, sir!” Said the man.

Rudolf nodded. “Now get back in line, Mr. Hurrent. You have wasted us enough time. Remind me to punish you later.”

“Sir! Yes, sir!”

When Davis had moved in his position, the Dropships take off, head back to the base along with the Wraith Fighters.

Rudolf paused a moment as looked down at his squad’s members: ten Bandits, ten Firebats, six Medics and two Siege Tanks

“Our mission is simple: patrol the area and neutralize any Xenomorph you came across. Let’s get the job done and get out. Is that clear?” Rudolf shouted.

“Sir! Yes, sir!”

“Alright, boys.” Rudolf said as he turned around, facing the rust hallway made by the mountains. “Let’s move out!”.

“Kenart, takes the tank to high position. Same goes for you, Danniel.” Rudolf shouted “Rachel, Wabski, stay with Kenart.

“Aye aye, sir!” Said Wabski.

Rudolf turned and pointed at two Bandits. “Ekart, Larry, stick with Daniel. Keep those babies in one piece.”

“Roger!” Ekart said, moved to one of the tanks along with Larry.

“The rest of you will divide into three squads. Firen will lead First Squad with Bowers, Peachs, Oliver, Melnikov, Federrick, Richard, Johnathan. Jackson and Marti will be your Medical team.”

“Copy that!” Firen voice sounded loud in Rudolf’s helmet. He barely took notice.

“Jakob, takes Second Squad. That will be Chapman, Mellish, Matthew, Harry, Anbert, Mike and Collins. Marie and Steve will give you medical support.”

“Yes, sir!” Jakob barked back enthusiastically.

“The rest of you stick with me. We’ll be Third Squad. Kenart and Danniel will provide us artillery cover fire and sensor support until we’ve cleared out the area. Any questions?” Rudolf said. it was a dare, not an invitation.

None of the marines answered.

“Danniel, tell the Comsat Station to run a quick scan in the area, find out where did those sh*t heads hide.” Rudolf said.

“Yes, sir! Receiving transmission… Sir, the area is too hot to ping-point the exact locations and numbers of the Xenomorphs but the Comsat Station has detected something at the North-West, North and North-East sites, 2 kilometers away from our position.”

“Good enough.” Rudolf said then waved his hand forward.

“Now let’s move. First Squad, take the North-West. I’ll handle the North-East. Second Squad, head North. Keep your eye open. This ain’t no practice room, you hear me?”

“Sir! Yes, sir!”

Rudolf switched the visor of his battlesuit to navigation mode as he bounded over the steep edge of the mesa and had galloped straight down to the crater floor.. Wherever he looked, the visor superimposed the map of their surrounding terrain and labels of the more prominent landmarks.

Hot air, dust and small rock smashed against their suits as they ran. The battlesuits were designed to take a lot more punishment than a little tumble down of a cliff face. And the Marines inside them were tougher than the suits themselves.

When they reached a three-way crossroads made by, Rudolf ordered them to split up and move in slowly.

“Hey Chapman, look.” Matthew said over the com-channel. “Mineral. I say we take some of them and…”

“Matthew, stay focus.” Rudolf shouted in to the mike. “Touch one of them and your head’ll stay behind, got that?”

“Yes, sir! Apologize, sir!” Matthew said with the most remorse voice he could make up.

“Jakob, controls your…” Before he could finish lecturing Jakob, Richard interrupted him with excited voice through the com-channel.

“Sir, I think I got somethin’ here. I’ll go check it out.”

“Wait, Richard, get someone to cover you first.” Rudolf barked back.

No answer.

“Richard, come in. Are you there?”

Nothing but a hissing sound in the other end.

“Second Squad, can any of you see Richard?”

“Negative, sir! He ran over that cliff and then he disappeared.” Chapman answered.

“Kenart, Danniel, can you pick up him up on the sensor”

“Negative, sir! As I said before, this place is…”

“That’s enough.” Rudolf interrupted. “Second Squad, stay right where you are. First Squad, meet me up at Second Squad position. Third Squad, move.”

As they dashed through the rocky terrain, Rudolf thought
”Damn it. Damn it all to hell.”