The Drop-Drone’s engines roared. It was a violent, piercing sound that cut through the small, cramped interior as the pod plummeted toward Khatsey’s surface. Outside, the friction of the atmosphere turned the hull into a blazing streak of white-hot metal; inside, the entire structure rattled with bone-jarring intensity, threatening to shake the bolts right out of the frame.

  Veera sat strapped into the makeshift deployment seat, her eyes shut tight behind her visor. She focused on her breathing, trying to drown out the mechanical groans of a Drop-Drone that was being phased out of the fleet for a very good reason: they were deathtraps.

  A burst of static crackled in her ear– Mayvheen’s voice, distant and distorted.

  "How are you... holding up... down there?"

  Veera gritted her teeth against a particularly nasty wave of turbulence. "—OT —–– BA–. ––ST MOR– –––BULA––– ––AN EXPE––––."

  "You’re breaking up," Mayvheen’s voice was filled with a growing dread. "I can barely hear you. We’ll have to talk once you’ve touched down."

  The comms went dead, replaced by the shrieking wind and the roar of the descent. Veera’s knuckles were white against the armrests. This is bringing back memories I’d rather keep buried, she thought. Just focus. Breathe. In. Out. In–

  A massive jolt slammed the pod to the side. An alarm blared– a harsh, rhythmic pulsing red light that flooded the cabin.

  One of the tied-down medical crates had snapped its primary tether. The heavy tower of supplies shifted, sliding toward the right wall and throwing the pod’s centre of gravity into a dangerous tilt. The automated computer began a mechanical drone: Correct course. Centre of gravity compromised. Correct course.

  "Alku'ahf!" Veera hissed.

  She unhooked her safety harness, a move that would have been suicide for anyone without her training. On all fours, she crawled across the vibrating floor, her armoured hands and feet dragging for purchase against the support struts.

  "I know!" she shouted at the nagging computer. "That’s what I’m trying to do!"

  She reached the medical crates. They were wedged tight, leaning dangerously. She braced herself and pushed. Nothing. She shoved harder, her boots skidding on the metal floor. The crates wouldn't budge.

  Desperate, Veera sat back, braced her spine against a support strut, and launched her entire weight forward. Her shoulder connected with the crates with a sickening thud. A flash of white-hot pain exploded through her body, and then the world went black.

  High above, in the cold silence of the shuttle, Mayvheen watched the telemetry with a sickening pit in her stomach. The descent curve was sharpening into a terminal plummet.

  "You're almost there, Veera," she whispered, her hands hovering uselessly over her console. Suddenly, the computer started beeping– a bright red warning blinking on the screen. "This can't be good... You need to stabilise it, Veera, or else the whole pod will start to tumble and tear apart!"

  Mayvheen had never caused someone's death before– directly or indirectly. The thought that Veera could die because of her command was sickening. She closed her eyes.

  "Leahmein alab. Leahmein El'ihl. Please–"

  As if in answer, the drone suddenly began correcting its course. The telemetry line levelled out. Mayvheen sighed, a ragged breath of pure relief. "I knew you could do it."

  Veera woke to the sharp, clinical sting of needles in her neck. Her suit’s vitals monitor had detected her trauma, instantly pumping a cocktail of adrenaline and pain inhibitors into her system.

  The haze cleared instantly. She was alert, her heart hammering. She grabbed her rifle and hit the manual release. The door hissed open, and she stepped out into the eerie silence of the colony's assembly square.

  She scanned the horizon, rifle raised. No movement. No life. Just the wind whistling through the skeletons of prefab buildings. Then, she heard it: the frantic rhythm of boots on dirt.

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  Veera spun, aiming toward the sound. A teenage girl came sprinting around a corner, clutching a black-and-white cat to her chest. When she saw the armoured figure, she tried to turn so fast she skidded and fell, scrambling backwards in the dirt as the cat leapt from her arms and vanished.

  "Please!" the girl screamed, her face a mask of pure terror. "Don't shoot!"

  "Hey! It’s okay," Veera said, lowering the weapon slightly. "I’m not going to shoot you."

  The girl scrambled to her feet, running toward Veera with a finger pressed to her lips. She was looking over her shoulder, her eyes darting toward the rooftops.

  "What’s going on?" Veera whispered. "Is someone chasing you?"

  "They’ll be here soon," the girl breathed. "They would’ve detected your pod. Sentinels. We need to hide!"

  Before Veera could ask more, the girl tugged at her armour, dragging her back toward the safety of the Drop-Drone. Veera followed, her eyes scanning the sky. Once inside, the girl collapsed against the crates.

  "What's your name?" Veera asked.

  "Katya," the girl replied, her eyes immediately scanning the pod's interior. "Do you– do you have any food?"

  "No, but there's medical supplies over there," Veera said.

  "Oh... okay. We'll need those too. We have to grab what we can and leave. Cleo... I need to find Cleo."

  "The cat? Forget the cat," Veera said. "Tell me what’s happening here."

  "No! You don't understand!" Katya’s face contorted in horror as she looked at the door. "We need to go! Now!"

  Thrum-thrum-thrum.

  A heavy vibrating sound began to echo through the pod. Katya jumped away from the door. "It’s too late! One of them found us!"

  Veera raised her rifle and moved toward the entrance. She caught a glimpse of a floating, metallic orb—a mechanical eye glowing with a hateful red light. Before she could fire, a bolt of blue energy splashed against the doorframe, sending sparks flying.

  "What is that thing?" Veera barked.

  "A Sentinel! It’s been killing all the humans it finds!"

  Veera swung around the corner, her rifle kicking into her numbed shoulder. She fired several bursts, but the machine moved with fluid, pre-programmed grace, dodging every shot.

  "It has a focused tracking computer!" Veera gritted her teeth. "I can't hit it without a distraction!"

  She looked at Katya. Then, without a second’s hesitation, she grabbed the girl and flung her out the door into the dirt.

  "What are you—?"

  "RUN!" Veera roared.

  As Katya stumbled in the dirt, the Sentinel’s sensors recalibrated. It turned its primary weapon away from the armoured threat and toward the easy target on the ground. The moment the machine’s focus shifted, Veera leaned out and emptied half a magazine into its core.

  The Sentinel exploded in a spectacular shower of sparks and black smoke, its flaming wreckage crashing into the dirt just feet from the girl.

  Veera walked over, her rifle still hot. Katya was curled in a ball, crying. "Why did you do that? You used me as bait!"

  "It was the only way," Veera said coldly. "You were never in real danger. I’ve destroyed squid machines before. They all function on the same old systems."

  "But you've never seen one of those!" Katya screamed, standing up. "You gambled with my life!"

  "It was a calculated risk. If it didn't work, we were both dead anyway. At least you're safe now."

  "That thing had more empathy than you!" Katya shrieked. "AND IT’S A MACHINE!"

  Veera stared at her for a long moment, then reached out and slapped the girl lightly across the face. The sound was sharp in the quiet square. Katya froze, stunned.

  "Why– what was that for?"

  "You're high on adrenaline and having a tantrum," Veera said, her voice like steel. "The slap shocked your system and forced you to mentally recalibrate. I need information, and we don't have time for your emotions to run their course. Now– what the hell happened here?"

  Katya stared at her. The screaming stopped, replaced by a hollow look. "I don't know... About a week ago, a bunch of these sentinels showed up and started attacking us out of the blue. They just started shooting people. My mom... she died right in front of me. I stayed hidden for two days before the hunger became too much. I was too scared to even breathe."

  "I'm sorry you had to experience that," Veera said, her tone softening just a fraction.

  "If it hadn't been for my cat Cleo, I would have no one left," Katya started sobbing into Veera's shoulder. "I need to find him. He's all alone out there."

  Reluctantly, Veera put an arm around her. She wasn't good at this. She was good at fixing things, but terrible at emotions.

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