The sleek starliner slipped smoothly into FTL (faster-than-light) travel once distanced safely from Icarus Prime's gravity, voyage trajectory plotted for the icy planet of Aurorion. In a reserved compartment, Lyra, Marco, Kashima and new squad member Thorn reviewed mission dossiers chasing leads on the dangerous subversive group calling itself the Covenant of Unveiling Realms.
"Even with composite aliases, we'll stand out down there so keep interactions essential only," Lyra instructed, amplifying readout displays from the glass table showing Aurorion's extreme weather patterns. "This cult has grown competent masking movements across urban and industrial zones."
Marco chuckled seeing unconcealed awe on Thorn's face taking in rendered cityscapes with glittering atmospheric domes. "Wait until you feel negative 150-degree surface winds braving five minutes outside those terraformed biospheres! Frostbite erases notions of tropical vacations fast out there…."
Lyra closed the holograms with a swipe. "Kashima's skills should help enormously in accessing dig site systems and data once boots hit the ground. You two will deploy closely observing active pits while we leverage station admin credentials pursuing financials." She caught Kashima's eye. "Hopefully all those clues reveal what specific treasure the Covenant and certain traitor Voltar figures are so fixated on…"
The team then reviewed implanted cover occupations - Kashima posing as radiation tech Chandler Weiss, Marco running point as supply chain manager Erik Draven, Thorn junior engineering assistant Kali Zhen, and Lyra staffing herself as financial auditor Dominika Torres. Their forged backgrounds were watertight for this off-record op.
Four days later the transport began orbital insertion sending weightless stomachs fluttering. Below them, angry orange magma splits etched between Aurorion's frozen continental masses. Further descent through cloud bands revealed glittering cities under protective domed barriers keeping precious air and warmth contained on the otherwise deadly world.
Docking was smooth at Borealis Spaceport despite heavy freight traffic.
The facility gleamed like polished quartz but with sturdy cargo infrastructure reinforcing this colony planet's cosmopolitan ambitions. Kashima gawked down glossy arrival concourses flanked by soaring walkways realizing this was no lawless frontiers ville. Thorn smiled at his wide-eyed reactions taking it all in. Maybe they'd even grab a decent meal together once all this is over and their not investigating corporate secrets and tapping into data networks.
A sleek automated transit pod whisked them towards industrial sectors near the capital's outskirts to a row of employee residential pods servicing various research complexes. Marco made sure connecting doors adjoined his unit with Lyra's. "Comms check every eight hours once we start independent tracks. Call the cavalry if either team hits a wall or finds the treasure itself!"
After exchanging farewells, Lyra and Marco headed off towards the rail station pulling their luggage, bound for the central administrative district. Kashima watched pensively as their silhouettes receded into the distance.
He was startled out of his thoughtful staring when Thorn gently reached over and slipped her gloved hand into his. Kashima felt unexpected warmth from the kind contact and made no effort to pull his hand away.
Lyra / Marco
Two days proceeded largely without progress digging through reams of mining payload manifests and equipment leasing. Marco groused watching Lyra hurl another useless spreadsheet against their office wall.
"Six weeks playing forensic accountants...yet not a single irregularity suggesting organized relocation of key artifacts by this blasted cult!" Lyra fumed, gracelessly popping imported fizzy tablets. "At least Kashima gets to literally dig around out there…"
Instinct says this could still prove an expensive dead end, Commander - but your gut feeling rarely fails us," Marco offered gently. "Should we verify if any site supervisors or engineers have gone on abrupt vacations or unscheduled leaves recently, matching up with dates of classified dig sites being breached by outside parties?"
Lyra gazed out the windows pensively as traffic darted between biospheres now lit against early dusk. Out there perhaps her marked scavenger closed in on earth-shattering revelations. Or at least bonded more with that ambitious recruit she assigned as his handler. Unexpected warmth flooded Lyra's body and it had nothing to do with thermal regulators…
On Kashima / Thorn's end
Collating datasets pinging out from corporate dig operations proved largely monotonous but also puzzling for Kashima. Why keep extensive equipment and staff idle at certified sites? And how did heavily redacted shipment logs make economic sense packing only unprocessed ores? Thorn coaxed awkward dance attempts after dinner to ease tensions but results remained uninspiring through week one.
Late the next day the reverse-engineered monitoring rig finally registered irregular encrypted communications from a location tagged as Theta Site. "Yes baby!" Thorn yelped, Kashima spilling insta-coffee down his shirt startled. "Sorry...sorry!" She giggled sweetly. " Damn! coordinates locked this place near a thermally active lava tube just breached by subsurface drones! Authorization codes are definitely spoofed! An ideal place to stash forbidden treasures?"
An hour later Kashima shivered riding behind Thorn on a rented snow tractor grinding toward Theta. Pink auroras danced across the darkening lavender sky. Maybe after investigating they could even enjoy watching those with cozy dinner? Focus Kashima caught himself thinking.
A few alien vistas later, possible earth-shattering revelations now took priority. Though his heart fluttered anyway nearing the dark structures already half buried under fresh drifting snow piles…
Kashima pulled protective lens covers off entering Theta's main atmosphere tent while waving portable scanners systematically seeking clues on why staff redeployed suddenly. Besides slightly elevated particle residue the crew area read absent hazards.
"You gotta see this!" Thorn shouted excitedly from deeper inside. Kashima hurried down the insulated corridor to find her prying huge vault doors open with a fusion lever. He stifled a shout seeing ancient murals carved into hardened lava spiraling downwards.
Thorn slowly turned taking in the entire chamber, Kashima clinging stunned to her shoulder. "Well I'm no archaeologist...but these carvings match the language recorded that these blasted cultists are so obsessed with," Thorn finally ventured. "This is no boring research gig anymore..."
Kashima blinked hard processing the revelation. "No question we found a piece of the puzzle, Kali," he agreed hastily trying Lyra's comm again unsuccessfully. "We need to descend carefully documenting before anyone returns." Thorn smiled with joyful determination against flutterings in her stomach. Together they would uncover whatever secrets lay hidden below…
Back to Lyra / Marco
"Wait...run that purchase requisition again from Aeon Energy Dynamics," Lyra demanded focusing Marco's attention on a particular record metadata column. "See the retention policy mismatch against expected standards for geological evaluation equipment?" Marco nodded, internally cursing their tunnel vision.
"Sneaky indeed - by keeping inventory flagged as still 'active' indefinitely in the warehouse records, it avoids periodic controls and audits," Marco observed. "And notice shipments are being routed through third-party logistics companies that are named nearly identical to actual authorized cargo vendors that Voltar normally uses?"
Lyra's eyes narrowed deviously, perceiving the deception underway.
"Prep two rapid descent craft and keep engines hot!" she commanded while forwarding scrambled orders to Thorn's comm. "Kashima's team must have stirred the hornet's nest for shady parties to start cleansing paper trails already. We will trail this bastard courier fleet by nightfall or die trying!"...
Kashima / Thorn
Each flash of Thorn's headlamp illuminated greater carved frescos sprawling across aeons of frozen lava flows lining the descent tunnels. Most concerned esoteric stellar prophecies and celestial power links to organic lifeforms. But some glyphs depicted earlier ages when light beings walked openly guiding primitives on enlightened paths, their forms gradually morphing from radiant to sinister…
"I'm no philosopher either, but seems we found the motherload of that mythology Covenant fanatics would die securing!" Thorn whispered through chilled recycled air. Deeper shadows clung to every surface Herald, making surface snow gales welcome distraction suddenly.
Approaching the lowermost chamber Kashima hesitated detecting odd electromagnetic fluxes raising neck hairs. Thorn steadied her weapon drawing alongside him. Then together they witnessed masked figures chanting ritualistically around levitating shards...arrowhead chips of midnight dense stone orbiting an intricately carved octahedron rocking violently as containment fields coruscated. Primal energies were building toward something as each robed figure added more shards…
The shards seemed to be resonating with Kashima, and not in a good way. He started to feel sick, overwhelmed and dizzy. The shards were emanating negative energies towards Kashima.
A flash burst erupted sending Kashima and Thorn sprawling! Vision blurred Kashima perceived cloaked assassins rushing them amidst screams "Sacrilege!" as blinding plasma beams scorched ice...then silence as consciousness faded. The masked cultists arguing whether to terminate intruders stood over the paralyzed investigators debating fiercely. But suddenly multiple explosions rocked surfaces as sharp commands cut through raging chaos. Help had arrived not a second too soon!
The team reunited
Lyra and Marco unleashed hell the instant their drop ship breached Theta's main atmospheric dome. She screamed seeing Kashima's inert body dragged by fanatics before Marco's blistering machine gun cut them down. Redirecting the battle, Lyra's heart caught glimpsing one of the cultists standing out from the rest, with shimmering bracers commanding this attack.
"Son of bitch, get their leader…?" she yelled. But the individual vanished behind concealing obstacles, cloak streaming as they fled toward hidden escape portals despite overwhelming fire against their raiders. Lyra became solely fury personified chasing the phantom across killing fields. Marco desperately tried safeguarding them all.
Somehow the confrontation led back up frozen spiral causeways toward surface landing pads. There the night transformed into daylight as one heavily armed security dropship hovered unleashing reinforcements. Armored squads led by a Voltar security force officer swarmed securing territory and driving back overmatched cultists. Prisoners were captured and relics collected, and squawking radio traffic everywhere demanded status reports.
When Marco caught up to Lyra. "Damn it we were so close to capturing him." She said angrily. Who or what are these people?"
Marco had no easy answers to what they had just witnessed. But swore he would help unravel this mystery...no matter the cost.