Chapter 20: Last Resort

The air in the makeshift war room was dense with tension. The alien command center now lay dormant behind them, its severed connections halting the cascading energy that had threatened to tear Kutosa apart. But the victory felt hollow. Sirius Capella, leaning against a battered console, studied the faint holographic map Akira Tanaka had managed to pull up from their remaining tech. It showed the surrounding terrain and the alien ship they had crippled, now a twisted monument to their resistance.

“This map isn’t giving us much,” Akira said, his voice carrying a tinge of frustration. “The system’s fried. We’ve lost most of our functional scans after severing the central network.”

“What about movement?” Maya Ramirez asked, her rifle resting against her leg as she crouched beside the console. “The creatures haven’t stopped coming. They’re regrouping somewhere.”

“They are,” Akira replied grimly, pointing to a cluster of faint blips that pulsed sporadically on the map. “And whatever’s left of their forces is converging here.”

“They’re fortifying the crash site,” Dr. Vanya Aksel concluded, her expression drawn. “If they secure that position, they could re-establish their command and send another distress call. We’d be back at square one.”

“We won’t let it happen,” Sirius said, his tone cutting through the room’s tension like a blade. He straightened, his presence commanding attention. “We need to take the fight to them, finish this before they can regroup.”

The path to the crash site was perilous. The terrain had been scarred by the alien ship’s descent, leaving behind jagged ridges, smoking craters, and fractured rock formations. The team moved cautiously, each step calculated and deliberate. Sirius took point, his eyes scanning for movement while Maya trailed close behind, her weapon always ready.

“This feels too quiet,” she muttered, her voice barely audible over the sound of their boots crunching on loose gravel.

“It won’t stay that way,” Sirius said, not looking back. “They know we’re coming.”

Ahead, the twisted remains of the alien ship loomed like a grotesque sculpture, its dark metal gleaming under the faint light of the planet’s fractured atmosphere. Sparks danced along its broken hull, and faint plumes of smoke rose from the debris.

Akira adjusted his scanner as they approached. “Energy signatures are spiking,” he said. “They’ve set up defensive measures. Automated turrets, probably. Maybe more.”

“Of course they have,” Maya said with a dry chuckle. “Nothing’s ever easy.”

The first wave of defenses revealed itself as they neared the outer perimeter. Turrets mounted on jagged pieces of the ship’s hull swiveled toward the team, their barrels glowing faintly as they powered up. Without hesitation, Maya dove behind a boulder, pulling Dr. Aksel with her.

“Turrets confirmed,” she shouted. “What’s the plan?”

“Tino!” Sirius barked. “Can you disable them?”

The AI-powered robot stepped forward, its optics glowing as it assessed the situation. “Direct disabling is unfeasible. Suggest deploying countermeasures.”

Akira pulled a small device from his pack—a modified EMP grenade—and handed it to Sirius. “This should short them out, but you’ll have to get close enough to deploy it.”

“Figures,” Sirius muttered. “Cover me.”

With practiced precision, he darted from cover to cover, closing the distance to the nearest turret. Maya laid down suppressive fire, her shots aimed at the base of the turret to distract it. Sparks flew as the turret retaliated, its energy bolts narrowly missing Sirius as he moved.

Reaching the turret, Sirius planted the EMP device and triggered it. The grenade emitted a high-pitched whine before detonating in a burst of energy. The turret froze, its glow extinguished.

“One down,” Sirius said, moving back toward the team. “Let’s keep this momentum.”

As they pushed deeper into the crash site, the resistance grew fiercer. Alien creatures emerged from the wreckage, their sleek, armored forms gleaming under the weak light. These were different from the ones they had faced before—larger, faster, and equipped with advanced weaponry.

“They’ve upgraded,” Akira said, firing his sidearm at one of the creatures. The shot ricocheted off its armor, leaving only a faint scorch mark. “Their tech’s adapting.”

“Then we adapt faster,” Sirius said. He signaled to Maya. “Aim for their joints. Their armor can’t protect everything.”

Maya nodded and adjusted her aim, her shots now targeting the creatures’ limbs. Her strategy worked; one of the creatures collapsed as a well-placed shot severed its leg joint.

“They’re still coming!” Dr. Aksel shouted, her voice strained as she ducked behind a piece of debris.

Sirius glanced at Tino. “We need a diversion. Can you draw their fire?”

Tino’s optics brightened. “Deploying decoy protocol.” The AI emitted a bright, flashing light and moved toward the creatures, its movements erratic to confuse their targeting systems. The creatures hesitated, their focus shifting to the distraction.

“Move!” Sirius ordered, leading the team around the flank.

The heart of the crash site was a chaotic tangle of wreckage and alien constructs. At its center was a massive control node, glowing faintly as it attempted to re-establish a connection to the severed network. The node was surrounded by alien troops, their weapons glowing ominously as they guarded the site.

“That’s our target,” Sirius said, his gaze fixed on the node. “If we destroy that, they lose their foothold.”

“And how exactly do we get past all of that?” Maya asked, gesturing to the heavily armed troops.

“We create a distraction,” Sirius said. He turned to Akira. “Can you rig another EMP, something big enough to disable their defenses?”

Akira nodded. “I’ll need a few minutes.”

“You’ll get them,” Sirius said. He turned to Maya and Tino. “We draw their attention. Aksel, stay with Akira and cover him.”

“Got it,” Maya said, a faint grin tugging at her lips. “Let’s make some noise.”

The assault was swift and brutal. Maya opened fire first, her grenade launcher sending concussive blasts into the ranks of alien troops. Tino followed, its pulse emitter unleashing waves of energy that disrupted their formations. Sirius moved with precision, his shots picking off key targets as he advanced.

The aliens retaliated fiercely, their energy weapons scorching the air as they fired. Maya took cover behind a piece of wreckage, her movements fluid as she reloaded. “This is starting to feel like a losing battle!”

“Just keep them busy!” Sirius shouted. He glanced back to see Akira working frantically on the EMP device, Dr. Aksel firing sporadically to keep the aliens at bay.

“Almost there!” Akira called out, his voice strained. “Just a few more seconds!”

The EMP detonated with a deafening crack, sending a shockwave through the crash site. The alien troops staggered, their movements faltering as their systems were disrupted. The glowing control node flickered, its light dimming.

“Now!” Sirius shouted. He sprinted toward the node, his weapon blazing as he cut down the remaining troops. Reaching the node, he planted an explosive charge on its base.

“Time to end this,” he muttered, triggering the timer.

The team retreated as the charge detonated, the explosion ripping through the node and sending a plume of fire and debris into the air. The remaining alien forces collapsed, their systems failing without the node’s support.

As the dust settled, Sirius surveyed the wreckage. The alien ship was nothing more than a smoldering ruin now, its influence on Kutosa finally eradicated. Maya approached him, her rifle slung over her shoulder.

“Well, that was a hell of a fight,” she said, her tone equal parts exhaustion and relief.

“It’s not over,” Sirius said, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “Whatever was coming for this place, it knows we’re here now.”

“Then we’d better be ready,” Maya replied, her expression hardening.