[Sanctum, Sigurd’s Cradle, Decoris System

Terminus Systems space

SSV LOONA above planet’s orbital space

Status: squad deployed] 

/ 

Hyejoo and Yeojin were piloting the Kodiak. The SSV LOONA had deployed the shuttle when they reached the proper parameters for a planetary drop. 

Hyejoo guided the shuttle to a smooth glide as Yeojin checked their systems and rattled off piloting terms to their Captain. 

“We’re a few clicks away from the outpost, Cap.” 

Haseul nodded. “Good. Try to land discreetly. If we can catch Cerberus with their pants down, even better.” 

“Roger.” Yeojin snickered under her breath at the metaphor. 

A few minutes elapsed before the Kodiak settled down. Dust kicked up as the shuttle landed behind a cropping of jutting boulders. They were close to the mining site but not close enough to be spotted. 

Haseul gathered her crew’s attention. “Alright, team. Helmets on; environment is classified as habitable but long-term exposure to the cyro-radiation is not recommended. Wouldn’t want my new crew to turn into snowmen.” She snorted quietly at the end. Her comment got a few chuckles and smiles out of her crew. She hummed quietly in satisfaction, glad it had helped in easing some of the newer recruits’ nerves. 

She nodded at Sooyoung, turning the helm over to her XO. Sooyoung stood tall and at attention, her battle armor made her look intimidating like her moniker suggested—the 12th Fleet’s Spearhead. 

“Stay on guard at all times. If you see any Cerberus operative, try to take them out quickly. We’ll be moving in units, so stick close and lean on your teammates if you need to.” 

Jinsoul opened the shuttle doors and everyone piled out. “Remember to pay attention to your surroundings. It’s imperative we find out why they’re here.” 

“Triad formation.” Haseul called out immediately after they covered a few meters. 

Triad formation consisted of the squad splitting into three units led by the senior officers. Haseul’s Alpha unit had Vivi, Jungeun, and Yeojin. Jinsoul’s Beta unit had Hyunjin, Heejin, and Chaewon. Sooyoung’s Bravo unit had Hyejoo, Yerim, and Jiwoo. 

Haseul took charge and led the way, her unit trailing behind her. Beta team flanked Alpha’s right side, following a few feet behind. Bravo team brought up the Alpha’s left and rear. 

The mining outpost came into view soon enough. There were two main buildings that stood on the left and right, acting like gate towers. Most likely for storage and processing for the minerals. A few singe marks painted the side of the buildings. The safety kinetic barriers were blinking and glitching, most likely from sustaining damage from the prior attack. 

The rest of the outpost consisted of the mining ground whose trail started in the middle of the two buildings; silver and blue rocks surrounded them, accompanied by the stacked snow on top of the rocks. Heavy mining equipment was scattered around the excavation sites. They looked slightly damaged as they were caught in the crossfire of the battle. 

The squad had reached the middle of the main facilities and stopped. Sooyoung surveyed the scene, her weapon arm up and ready for anything. “It’s too quiet.” She murmured. Then she frowned, “Stay alert.” 

Haseul glanced quickly at the two main buildings on either side of her before coming to a decision. “We’re splitting into Diplo formation.” 

At her command, the squad members began changing formations. Diplo formation consisted of two units: Delta and Echo. Delta team was formed with Haseul, Vivi, Jungeun, Jinsoul, Hyejoo, and Chaewon. Echo team had Sooyoung, Jiwoo, Yeojin, Yerim, Hyunjin, and Heejin. 

“Echo team, take the building on my left.” Haseul nodded over at the mentioned building that was a few yards away. “Radio if anything comes up.” 

“Roger. Echo, move out.” Sooyoung briefly remarked before she hustled along her unit. 

Echo team’s body armor clanked as they marched toward the location. The planet’s gravitational force seemed to deepen the sound of their marching combat boots. 

As the other unit left, Haseul made a hand gesture, getting the team to continue moving. “Delta, let’s get inside. Hyunjin, take the door. Me and Jungeun will cover you. The rest will take the rear.” 

Haseul and Jungeun moved to either side of the building’s front door. Hyunjin had her shotgun in hand, ready to blast. At her Captain’s nod, Hyunjin kicked down the door and stormed in. Haseul and Jungeun quickly followed behind the recruit, providing covering fire. The rest of the team remained outside as they covered the doorway. 

Hyunjin scanned the area in front of her, finding nothing but crates and a simple cargo transport carrier. She kept still for a moment, then called out after finding nothing. “Clear!” 

The remainder of Delta team entered. Haseul gestured to the stairs, “I’ll stay down here with Jungeun and Vivi. The rest of you, sweep the upstairs area.” 

The team split as ordered. The first floor appeared to be the mining collection area. Haseul checked out the crates, busting them open and sifting through them. They were all empty, nothing inside except mineral dust, suggesting that there was something here before. 

“Anything?” 

“Nothing. Looks like whatever was here before has been taken.” Jungeun reported from the other side of the floor. 

Hyunjin came back around, “The transport’s empty, even the fuel is gone.” 

Haseul frowned. Even the fuel was taken? She put a finger to her chin. That didn’t make sense. 

Or maybe… was it sabotaged prior to the attack? Leaving the survivors stranded and with no way to get help? 

The thought made the Captain frown deeper. She catalogued the information before turning to Jungeun and Hyunjin. “Let’s get upstairs.” 

The soldiers moved to rejoin the team upstairs. The second floor was more of an office space. Her team was sweeping the floor, looking through the desks and documents. 

Jinsoul came from one of the bigger offices. She held her omni-tool up, an orange hologram displayed the last timeframe of the building’s data system. “Reports seem regular up until the time of attack. Communications were cut off right before.” 

“EMP?” 

Chaewon came from the back area shaking her head. “I don’t think so. Generator’s been running on back-up. Main line’s been cut manually, no trace of outside equipment.” 

Haseul frowned at the intel. “So an inside job then. That would explain why the locals couldn’t get to the outpost on time.” She was leaning more towards sabotage now, the evidence was stacking up. 

“Last sweep before we rejoin with Echo squad. Don’t want to miss anything.” 

Delta squad moved out after double-checking the building. They met back up with the Echo team outside. 

“Communications were cut off, all the minerals are gone too. Might be an inside job by the look of things so far.” Haseul reported their findings. 

Sooyoung had an unsettling expression on her face. Haseul didn’t like the look of that, or rather its implication. “Found a corpse in there. Cerberus armor.” Sooyoung pointed her thumb back at the building. “Found a couple of other things too.” 

Heejin stepped in, “There was a signal sent out right before the lines went done. Yeojin and I managed to decode it; it was a detailed report on the outpost and a few vague words. I think it was the signal to attack.” Heejin forwarded the data to Haseul who nodded as she briefly skimmed through it. 

“Good work team. Let’s get—”

Haseul was cut off by shots fired at their feet. 

“TAKE COVER!”