Chapter 11
Extraction
Kael stood before the large cube. The Core. There was no time for awe.
“Helix — extraction protocol. Bring the landing craft to our position. Full priority uplift.
” “The landing craft is en route. ETA four minutes. Defenders converging.
” Kael and the tethered drone fell back into defensive positions among the trees and ruined pillars. Pulse fire began raking the chamber again as the remaining Aetherion forces pushed forward. Kael returned fire in controlled bursts, using the thick vines and broken stone for cover.
Every shot sent fresh pain through his injured wrist. The ground trembled as the landing craft descended through the high, mist-veiled ceiling. The dark modular monolith settled heavily among the trees, its articulated legs and wheels adjusting to the uneven, root-choked terrain.
The pathfinder and arsenal modules linked up around the Core, forming a heavy-lift configuration. Under constant fire, Kael and the drone provided cover while the craft’s systems locked onto the cube. Magnetic clamps engaged with heavy, metallic thunks.
Structural reinforcements extended. Slowly, the massive Core began to rise from the moss. Defenders poured into the chamber from multiple directions.
Pulse rounds hammered the landing craft’s hull. One struck close enough to Kael that fragments rattled across his visor. He kept firing, moving between cover points as the Core lifted higher.
“Uplift complete. All modules retracting. ” Kael sprinted for the open ramp as the craft began to rise.
The drone stayed beside him, laying down suppressive fire until its power cells ran dry. Kael reached the ramp and turned, firing his last rounds into the chamber as the craft lifted clear of the trees. Defenders continued pouring fire into the hull, but the reinforced structure held.
The landing craft punched upward through the mist and out into the open air of Kethra. Kael stood at the edge of the ramp, watching Aetherion shrink below him until the hatch sealed shut. The Core was secured.
They were going home.