Ethan leaned against the hull of their makeshift camp, staring out into the vast expanse of the Alturus Prime landscape. The twin suns were setting in the distance, casting long shadows across the rocky terrain. The air was cooler now, a welcome relief after the chaos of the past few hours. But despite the quiet, a tension hung in the air, one that Ethan couldn't shake.
He had hoped the destruction of the ancient machine and the closing of the gateway would bring some kind of relief, but instead, it left him with a gnawing sense of unease. The Council of Shadows wasn't finished. They had found something powerful, something dangerous, and they weren't going to stop until they had complete control of it.
And that thought scared him more than anything.
Prella approached from behind, her footfalls silent as always. She sat down next to him, resting her energy blade on her lap, its faint glow dimming as she powered it down. She didn't say anything at first, just stared out at the horizon, watching the suns dip below the rocky peaks.
"You're thinking too much," she finally said, her voice low but steady.
Ethan chuckled softly, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, maybe. But it's hard not to, after everything we've seen."
Prella nodded, her expression unreadable. "The Council's plans go deeper than we thought. Destroying that machine was a victory, but we both know it's not the end."
Ethan sighed, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "I know. And that's what's bothering me. We stopped them here, but if they've found more of those machines, if they have access to more of that kind of power…" He trailed off, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
Prella's eyes flickered with something unreadable, her voice soft but filled with conviction. "We'll stop them. Whatever it takes."
Ethan glanced at her, appreciating the steady confidence she always seemed to exude, even in the face of impossible odds. But despite her words, he knew that the battle ahead was going to test them like never before. The Council of Shadows wasn't just a small faction of rogue operatives anymore, they were an organized, dangerous force with the potential to tear the galaxy apart.
"We've got a long road ahead of us," Ethan said quietly, his voice carrying the weight of their recent encounters. "And I don't think we've seen the worst of what they're capable of."
Prella gave a small nod, her eyes narrowing as she stared into the distance. "Then we fight harder. We don't back down."
Before Ethan could respond, Vala's voice crackled over the comms, breaking the stillness. "Ethan, Prella, you should come inside. Nova's picking up something on the long-range scanners."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat as he straightened up. "On our way."
The two of them quickly made their way back to the makeshift base they had set up near the wreckage of their ship. The base was small, cobbled together from whatever pieces of technology and supplies they could salvage from the ruins of the Ark. It wasn't much, but it had kept them alive so far.
Inside, Nova's holographic form hovered over a control panel, her expression more serious than usual. Vala stood next to her, arms crossed, her amber eyes flicking between the screen and Nova with concern.
"What do you have?" Ethan asked, stepping up to the panel.
Nova gestured to the screen, where a series of blips were moving across the map. "I've been scanning the area for any signs of Council activity, and I picked up these signals. They're small, smaller than the Hunters we fought earlier, but there are several of them, and they're moving fast."
Prella frowned, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her blade. "Drones?"
"Possibly," Nova replied. "Or scouts. Either way, they're heading straight for our position."
Ethan's pulse quickened. "How much time do we have?"
Nova flickered for a moment as she calculated. "Maybe an hour. Two if we're lucky. They're still a ways off, but they're coming."
Vala leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, her expression tense. "We can't stay here. If those things find us, they'll send reinforcements. We're sitting ducks."
Ethan nodded, his mind already racing. "We need to move. Now."
Nova's eyes flickered with concern. "There's something else, Captain. These drones, or whatever they are, they're not just tracking us. They're scanning for something. Something specific."
Ethan frowned, leaning in to examine the data on the screen. "What are they looking for?"
Nova hesitated for a moment, as if unsure how to answer. "The energy signature from the machine we destroyed. They're searching for residual traces of the gateway."
Prella's eyes narrowed, her voice tight. "The Council must know we destroyed the gateway, but they're looking for any remains they can salvage."
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine. "Which means they're not done with this planet. There's something here they still want."
Vala pushed off the wall, her voice tense. "So, what's the plan, Captain?"
Ethan stared at the screen for a moment, his mind racing through their options. They couldn't stay here, if the drones or scouts found them, they'd be overwhelmed by Council forces in no time. But if the Council was still searching for remnants of the gateway's energy signature, they couldn't just run. They needed to take out whatever scouts were on their way, and fast.
"We'll set a trap," Ethan said, his voice firm. "We'll lure the scouts into a bottleneck, somewhere we can take them out quickly, before they report back to the Council."
Prella nodded, already on board. "We'll need to move fast. Find a narrow pass or a canyon nearby, somewhere we can control the fight."
Vala's eyes gleamed with determination. "I'll get the gear ready. We'll need all the firepower we've got."
Ethan turned to Nova. "Can you keep tracking their movements? We need to know exactly when they're getting close."
Nova gave him a playful salute, though her expression remained serious. "You've got it, Captain. I'll keep you updated."
As Vala and Prella began gathering their weapons and supplies, Ethan took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the fight ahead. It wasn't going to be easy, but they had no choice. The Council's forces were closing in, and if they didn't act fast, the situation could spiral out of control.
But Ethan couldn't shake the feeling that the Council was playing a larger game, a game they weren't fully aware of yet. The scouts were just the beginning, a small piece of a much larger puzzle. And whatever the Council was planning, it was going to be far more dangerous than anything they had faced so far.
As they moved out into the fading light of Alturus Prime's twin suns, Ethan's mind was already on the next battle. The calm before the storm was over, and the real fight was about to begin.
Ethan, Prella, and Vala moved swiftly through the rocky terrain, heading toward a narrow canyon not far from their camp. It was the perfect spot for their ambush, a natural choke point where they could control the fight and funnel the incoming drones or scouts into a kill zone.
Prella led the way, her energy blade drawn and ready as she scouted ahead. Vala followed close behind, checking the charge on her blaster, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of movement. Ethan brought up the rear, his mind racing with tactical calculations as they neared the canyon.
"Nova, how much time do we have?" Ethan asked through the comms.
Nova's voice crackled in his ear, steady but urgent. "You're cutting it close, Captain. The drones are about twenty minutes out and closing fast. Whatever they're looking for, they're not going to stop until they find it."
Ethan cursed under his breath. "We'll be ready."
They reached the entrance to the canyon, its steep, jagged walls rising up on either side. The space between the rock formations was just wide enough for a few soldiers or drones to pass through at a time, but too narrow for an entire squad to overwhelm them.
"This is perfect," Prella said, her voice calm but focused. "We'll hit them hard as they come through. They won't have anywhere to run."
Vala grinned, checking her gear one last time. "Sounds like my kind of plan."
Ethan nodded, quickly assessing their positions. "Prella, you take the high ground. Vala, you stay with me. We'll draw them into the canyon, then hit them from both sides."
Prella didn't hesitate, scaling the rocks with practiced ease and disappearing into the shadows above. Vala crouched behind a boulder near the canyon entrance, her blaster ready as she glanced back at Ethan.
"You think this is going to work?" she asked, her tone casual but with an edge of concern.
Ethan offered her a reassuring smile, though his heart was pounding in his chest. "It'll work. We just have to hit them before they can report back to the Council."
Vala smirked. "Let's hope they're not as tough as the Hunters."
Ethan crouched next to her, his blaster drawn as they waited. The seconds ticked by slowly, the tension in the air growing thicker with every passing moment. The twin suns of Alturus Prime were sinking lower, casting long shadows across the canyon floor. The stillness was oppressive, broken only by the distant hum of the incoming drones.
"They're close," Nova's voice chimed in over the comms, her tone sharper now. "You've got maybe five minutes until they're on you."
Ethan swallowed, his hands tightening on his blaster. "Everyone in position?"
"Ready up top," Prella's voice crackled in, calm and steady.
"Ready down here," Vala replied, her finger resting on the trigger of her blaster.
Ethan took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the canyon. "Then let's do this."
The sound of the drones grew louder, a low, mechanical hum that echoed through the canyon like an approaching storm. Ethan could see them now, sleek, dark machines hovering just above the ground, their red scanners sweeping the area as they moved with eerie precision.
There were six of them, moving in a tight formation, their sensors clearly focused on something ahead. Ethan's heart raced as they neared the entrance to the canyon. If they didn't take them out quickly, the drones would scan their position, alerting the Council to their location. They couldn't let that happen.
"Prella, get ready," Ethan whispered into the comms, his voice barely audible over the hum of the drones.
Prella didn't respond, but he knew she was ready.
As the first drone crossed into the canyon, Vala fired her blaster, sending a bolt of energy straight into its sensor array. The drone sparked and spun out of control, crashing into the canyon wall in a shower of sparks and metal.
"Now!" Ethan shouted, jumping out from cover and firing at the nearest drone. His blaster shots connected, but the drone's shields absorbed most of the impact. It veered toward him, its red sensors glowing brighter as it locked onto him.
Prella dropped from above, her energy blade slicing clean through the drone's core. The machine sputtered and died, collapsing in a heap of metal and sparks.
The remaining drones swarmed into the canyon, their scanners flashing red as they closed in on Ethan, Vala, and Prella. Vala took out another drone with a well-placed shot, but the remaining machines were too fast, their movements erratic and difficult to predict.
"Keep them off me!" Ethan shouted as he ducked behind a boulder, firing at the drones as they zipped through the narrow space.
Prella dashed forward, her blade cutting through the air as she deflected a series of energy blasts from the drones. One of the machines tried to dive at her, but she sidestepped at the last second, slicing through its stabilizers with a single, precise strike. The drone spiraled out of control, crashing into the canyon floor.
"Three down!" Vala called out, her blaster firing rapidly as she aimed at the remaining drones.
Ethan fired another shot, but the last two drones were faster than he expected. They darted to the side, narrowly avoiding his attack as they powered up their own weapons.
"Prella, Vala, hit them now!" Ethan shouted, scrambling to reload his blaster.
Prella leaped from a ledge, her blade flashing as she drove it straight into the core of one of the drones. The machine let out a shrill, metallic whine before collapsing in a heap of smoking parts.
The final drone fired a barrage of energy blasts at Vala, forcing her to dive for cover. It zipped toward her, its scanners glowing an ominous red as it prepared to fire again.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He sprinted forward, raising his blaster, and fired a single, well-aimed shot that hit the drone right in its sensor array. The machine sputtered, sparks flying as it spun wildly through the air before crashing into the canyon wall with a satisfying crunch.
The canyon fell silent, the only sound the crackle of damaged electronics and the distant hum of the wind.
Ethan let out a long breath, his heart still racing as he holstered his blaster. "That was close."
Vala stood up from behind her cover, brushing the dust off her jacket. "Too close. But we got them."
Prella sheathed her blade, her expression as calm as ever. "None of them got out. We're clear for now."
Ethan nodded, though the tension in his chest didn't ease. "Yeah. But if those drones were searching for residual energy from the machine, the Council's not far behind. We need to keep moving."
Vala approached, her amber eyes serious. "Where to next, Captain?"
Ethan looked out over the horizon, his mind already racing with possibilities. They had bought themselves some time, but the Council of Shadows was relentless, and the next wave of reinforcements would be even deadlier.
"We'll head to the southern ridge," Ethan said after a moment of thought. "There's a network of caves there. It'll give us cover, and we can figure out our next move."
Prella nodded in agreement. "We can set up camp there. Rest, regroup."
Nova's voice chimed in over the comms, her tone playful once more. "And maybe I can finally get some decent signal down there. These Council scouts are seriously messing with my Wi-Fi."
Ethan chuckled despite the tension, grateful for Nova's levity. "Let's hope so."
As they gathered their gear and prepared to move out, Ethan couldn't help but glance back at the wreckage of the drones scattered across the canyon floor. It was a small victory, but the larger battle still loomed ahead of them.