The escape was clean, but not perfect. As their pod shot away from the prison transport, a stray plasma bolt from one of the pirate ships or maybe an Imperial vessel hit its stern.
The small craft shuddered violently, and sparks erupted from a control panel.
The acrid smell of burning electronics filled the cramped space.
"Damage report!" Kaelen shouted, the command instinct too strong to ignore.
SC whom already fighting with the controls, grunted. "Navigation computer is fried. Rear stabilizers are offline. Main propulsion is gone. We're flying only on maneuvering thrusters, and they're losing fuel."
His fingers moved fast over the remaining screens. "I can't correct our path. The planet's gravity has us."
Through the small window, the mottled, toxic surface of Tartarus grew rapidly. They were going down, and they had no choice. The pod, meant for controlled orbital descent, was now a cannonball.
"Strap in," SC said, voice tight. "This will be rough."
Kaelen braced himself, his mind calculating angles and speed.
The pod began to shake and scream as it hit the upper atmosphere, the outer hull glowing bright red.
The heat shield held, but the tumble was straining the frame. Groans of stressed metal echoed around them.
They were falling far from the main prison complex, a heavily fortified scar across the equator.
Their path took them toward a wild, uncharted region, a mix of jagged mountains and tangled dark jungles visible even from high above.
A place the prison probably thought too dangerous to bother patrolling.
"I'm trying to slow us down," SC said through gritted teeth, firing the thrusters in short bursts. "Aiming for that mountain range. Slopes are better than flat impact."
The ground rushed up. Kaelen caught a glimpse of twisted trees and rust-colored rock before the final, bone-jarring impact.
The world became chaos: tearing metal shrieking, systems failing, and a violent stop that slammed him against the restraints, almost tearing him apart.
Then darkness.
Kaelen woke to the hiss of failing life support and the annoying beep of a proximity alert.
His head throbbed, every muscle ached. He unstrapped himself and stumbled out. The pod was wrecked, carved a deep groove in the alien landscape, and rested at a sharp angle against black crystalline rock.
The front was ripped open, exposing them to the planet's air.
SC was already outside, leaning on the hull and checking a scanner. He had a gash on his forehead but seemed otherwise fine. He looked at Kaelen with a grim expression.
"Welcome to Tartarus, General," he said dryly. "Air is toxic, but you can breathe for short periods. Heavy metals and some neuro-active pollen are high. Limit exposure."
Kaelen ignored the lecture and studied their surroundings. They were in a deep canyon. The sky was sickly yellow-green, filled with swirling clouds.
The plants looked like twisted metal, fungi glowed faintly, and the air smelled of rust and decay.
"Where are we?" Kaelen asked, voice rough.
"About 800 kilometers from the main prison complex," SC said, pointing at the scanner.
"Still inside the planet's security perimeter, so the orbital system will track any lift-offs. But we are far from the prison walls and patrols. For all purposes, we are fugitives on a death-world."
Kaelen looked at the harsh landscape, then back at the man.
"You said you had a mission. What is it? What could possibly be on this rock worth all this trouble?"
SC's gaze hardened. His usual calm and analytical mask was gone, replaced with something driven and cold. "This planet isn't just a dumping ground for criminals. That's a cover story. My intelligence says there's a hidden facility here. A black site, a research station that officially doesn't exist."
He met Kaelen's eyes, burning with intensity. "My goal is to find that facility, infiltrate it, retrieve its data, and expose what is happening there."
Kaelen put the pieces together. The elaborate escape, the resources, the risks. It wasn't just about breaking out of prison. This man, SC, had planned to be captured and sent here just to reach this lab.
"And you needed me to survive long enough to help?" Kaelen said flatly.
"Exactly," SC said. "I am a man of intellect and resources. I am not a soldier. You are. Out here," he gestured at the dangerous wilderness, "your skills are worth more than a platoon of Imperial guards."
A low growl echoed from the shadows of the canyon, vibrating through Kaelen's bones. It was a monster, hungry and close.
SC's proximity scanner beeped faster, insistent.
SC looked at the scanner, then at the growing darkness. "Looks like your first test is about to begin."