Chapter One: Craterfall
Year: 58,742 AC
Carthax-9 was a Hellworld. Fire rivers carved across cratered plains, molten rock hissed beneath every step, and ash rained from the sky like shards of metal. The air burned the lungs, and the ground shook with constant explosions. This was a planet where survival was never guaranteed, and death could come from fire, rock, monsters… or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The drop pod screamed through the smoke-choked clouds, slamming onto the jagged, molten surface. Sparks flew as Kael's boots hit scorched ground.
Kael: "Renn! Move your ass! Now!"
Renn: "I… I can't… my leg—"
Kael: "Then crawl! Keep your head down, or you're dead!"
The squad scattered across the burning plain. Molten rock hissed against armor, and explosions shook the cratered ground. Screams echoed from fissures, some human, some… something else entirely.
Lora: "Shit! Shit! Shoot it!"
A blackened creature with eight writhing limbs emerged from smoke, eyes glowing like coals. Gunfire tore the air, but it vanished, leaving only a shredded arm in the mud.
Kael: "Keep moving! Every second counts!"
Lieutenant Varis fell as a steel beam collapsed. Kael looked, but there was no time to help. Fire licked across the ground. Survival was the only priority.
Renn: "Kael… how do we even survive this?"
Kael: "Luck. Grit. And maybe a miracle from above."
The ground quaked again. Craters opened, molten rivers spread across ruins, and horrors crawled from fissures and ash clouds. Kael dragged Renn across jagged rock, gloves scorching against molten splatter.
Kael: "Over here! Crawl! Move!"
Artillery blasted nearby, raining sparks and igniting dry ash. Private Heston screamed as debris tore through him. Kael grabbed him just as the ground cracked beneath their feet.
Heston: "Ahhhh! I'm burning—!"
Kael: "Shut up! Crawl! Just crawl!"
Above, the Destroyer stretched its shadow across the plains. Orbital guns flared red, tracing molten rivers with death. Dropships poured more soldiers into hell, while silhouettes of Aegis Units moved with terrifying precision, cutting through monsters and fire alike.
Lora: "Look… look at them… they're unreal…"
Kael: "Don't stare. Crawl. Just crawl."
A fissure opened beneath Kael's boots. He and Renn tumbled into it, landing on sharp rock and sizzling mud. Heston's body was swallowed by fire and ash. The scream ended abruptly.
Kael: "Stay down! Don't move unless you have to!"
Renn: "I… I can't…"
Kael: "Then crawl. I'll pull you."
Craters exploded. Alien shapes swarmed like insects, feeding on the dead and the living alike. Smoke and ash choked every breath. Each step burned. Each movement could be the last.
Kael: "We're never going to make it…"
Lora: "We have to… right? We have to…!"
A massive shockwave tore across the plain. A molten geyser erupted, sending Kael and Renn sliding across rock. Heston, if he survived the initial blast, was gone.
Kael: "Gods above… just survive."
The Destroyer loomed larger now. Its shadow swallowed the craters, orbital fire lighting the sky like the eyes of gods. Aegis Units dropped silently, blades and firearms cutting through creatures as if they were nothing. Awe and terror were inseparable in their presence.
Renn: "Are… are they… going to save us?"
Kael: "No. They're just cleaning the mess. Don't think they care about us."
The Hellworld stretched endlessly. Craters, molten rivers, jagged metal, fire, and ash swallowed everything. Every step Kael took was a choice between life and death. Crawling, sliding, dodging, dragging the wounded, he understood: survival was temporary, death was everywhere, and glory was a lie.
Kael: "Carthax-9… will remember us… if we live…"
Above, the orbital guns flared again, tracing molten destruction across the cratered plains.