The air was thick with smoke that was clinging to Orion's skin like a second armour. Orion grabbed his bag and they rested for five minutes before moving on.
The forest had gone quiet apart from the crunch of boots and the occasional buzz of insects.
Thankfully, the bulk of the Chrysalith swarm had already been killed while the rest were elsewhere.
In this stretch of woods, only a few winged worker castes remained, flying through the canopy like shadows.
They didn't last long though.
A few controlled shots from the soldiers' rifles brought them down before they could even screech a warning.
As they pressed forward, a warning popped up on Orion's HUD.
{Energy < 30%.}
He frowned slightly.
The system was still operational, but it meant his armour and tactical interface would soon begin limiting support features and once his energy ran out, he would most likely shutdown.
Something similar to being in a coma till he recharged... he didn't know how he knew this - he just did.
He disabled the alert tone and kept moving.
The soldiers were watching him for direction, and he couldn't afford to look uncertain.
It took them nearly an hour to reach the Landing Zone.
The moment they broke through the last line of trees, they realised the battle wasn't over.
Gunfire echoed across the clearing.
Explosions lit the horizon where the camp perimeter was barely holding.
Dropships hovered overhead, some firing, others loading wounded soldiers and supplies.
The ground itself was scarred with acid burns and craters.
They hurried forward, waving to avoid being mistaken for hostiles.
Within minutes, a group of soldiers guided them through the defensive lines towards the base command post.
Inside the temporary shelter, a commanding officer looked up from a cluttered table of maps and reports.
His expression shifted from suspicion to disbelief when he saw the survivors.
"You made it through that sector?" he asked, voice rough from shouting orders. "We thought everyone there was gone."
Orion simply nodded. "We got lucky."
As reports were exchanged, Orion noticed one of the scientists being pulled aside by several guards.
The man's ID badge flickered faintly under the dim light... not just a standard issue tag, but one with a red stripe.
That meant Level Five clearance.
High-ranking.
Whatever data or samples they carried must've been important enough to risk this entire escort mission.
He didn't ask questions. He only listened.
The commanding officer turned back to his men. "Most of our units are running on fumes. We've been holding this position for days. You lot are the first reinforcements we've seen in forty-eight hours."
That's when Orion finally learned the truth.
He'd been out cold for nearly three days before waking up in the forest.
'No wonder I have low energy.'
The officer looked him over. "You were the one leading them?"
"Just did what needed doing," Orion said evenly.
The officer gave a tired nod. "Good. We'll need every gun we can get. Rest if you can. You're back in the fight soon."
Orion didn't reply. He just looked out through the tent flap at the burning treeline, the faint hum of dropships above, and the scientists being hurried deeper into the camp.
His HUD flickered again.
{Energy < 28%. Recommend recharge.}
He closed the alert with a blink. Rest could wait. There were still too many things moving in the dark.
***
Before Orion could even think about resting or recharging the base alarms erupted.
The alarm cut through the air, followed by the distant thud of explosions and the ground trembled slightly beneath his boots.
The Chrysalith were back, pushing harder this time.
He was halfway to the rest tent when an officer grabbed his arm. "You still good to fight?"
Orion gave a small nod. "Yes... though I'm not in the best condition for running about."
The officer hesitated. "Then take a sniper. Pick them off from range. We've got a few spotter towers with a clear view of the perimeter."
That was fine by him, he didn't want to move much anyway. "I'll manage."
The officer handed him a long, worn rifle... a standard-issue marksman model with a cracked digital scope as well as ammos to go with it. Orion recognised the direction he was pointed to and chose a particular tower and started walking.
It was close to the outer wall, dangerously so, but it had one thing he needed: its own auxiliary power feed.
He remembered setting it up months ago during his time as an engineer for Helix Corp.
By the time he climbed the ladder to the platform, the battle was already in full swing below.
Tracer rounds streaked across the clearing and the air smelled of acid and burning soil.
He dropped his backpack beside the railing and took a slow look around.
The tower shook faintly under each explosion, but the structure was still solid.
Satisfied, he lay down on the metal plating, rifle resting on the rail.
He exhaled slowly and let his body loosen.
From his skin, small black threads began to form... liquid-like cells sliding out through his pores, crawling across the metal until they reached the main power cable.
The strands merged with it, pulsing faintly as they drew energy inward.
{Viable Alternative Power source found}
{Energy Recharging}
{Energy increasing.}
{Energy: 27% ^}
The HUD blinked, and he felt a faint warmth rise through his body all the way to his chest where his second heart was.
Relieve flowed through his body as he began recharging.
For the first time in hours, his vision felt clearer.
The noise faded into background with targets were already being marked by his HUD... red outlines darting between bursts of smoke.
He adjusted the scope, aligned the shot, and pulled the trigger.
The recoil kicked his shoulder. The shot went wide, striking a rock several metres from the intended target.
He frowned.
Another message appeared in his iris.
{Weapon Calibration: Unavailable.}
'Of course... Just great.' Orion sighed. 'Looks like that Databank didn't have enough information on snipers for a perfect calibration.'
He tried again... another miss. The bullet tore through the dirt near a Chrysalith soldier's leg but didn't bring it down.
He lowered the rifle slightly, exhaling through his nose.
"Too far," he muttered to himself.
He looked at the weapon and still, he wasn't ready to give up. He broke off the scope and turned his sight to closer targets and let his HUD targeting system do it work.
Unlike before, he aimed at Chrysalith that was close to the base but wasn't in the range of the other defenders.
Next, he prioritized Soldier Chaste and flying type Chrysalith.
Below, the defence line was holding, but only barely. He could see flashes of soldiers dragging the wounded to safety, their weapons overheating under constant fire.
Orion steadied his breathing, realigned the crosshair, and whispered, "Let's try this again."
He squeezed the trigger.
This time, the round went clean through the Chrysalith's neck, snapping its body backward into the dirt.
{Target eliminated.}
A faint smirk crossed his face. "There we go."