Arrival

The first thing Kevin feels when he disembarks the ship is sand. The heavy winds blast it in his face, scraping the soft skin where it lands. Empar, at least on its surface, bears some similarity to Earth. His military briefing was thorough, especially on the environment they would face on this mission.

He should have been more than prepared for the scenery before him, yet the alien landscape leaves him in awe. The mounds of sand in front of him seem endless. The tips of the dunes melt into the orange atmosphere, and it's hard to tell where the horizon ends, and the sky begins. The only objects that break up the endless amber terrain are protruding brown rocks sprinkled among giant hills of sand. They are sharp and uninviting. Kevin spares a thought about how painful it would be to fall on one of them.

He's reminded of running around in the desert as a child. Pictures of scraped knees and his little brother's smile echo in his mind, and in turn his chest flutters with nostalgia. It's been seven years since he left Earth.

His line of thinking is interrupted as soldiers start charging around him. While the scenery is breathtaking, he would much rather appreciate it after his mission is completed than have the enemy permanently take his breath away. Kevin fastens the hold on his gun and starts running with his platoon.

This is by far the most complex mission he has been on. The population of Empar is currently facing a civil war. Many troops, including his own, have been sent from Earth to aid against the rebels.

Kevin checks the sonar map on his forearm. A 3D hologram projects a detailed layout of underground cave systems. His mind dances with fear. The Sorax, aliens inhabiting this planet, live solely underground. They have had millions of years to adapt to subterranean life. Kevin had a month of training before he was promptly shipped to Empar. He knows that his platoon is at a massive disadvantage to the Sorax and that this mission is almost suicidal.

He stills his fear and presses on. They are nearing the infiltration site. Kevin halts the platoon with a hand gesture. Swiftly, the explosion specialist runs ahead, placing a bomb on their entry point.

In two minutes, they are heading underground. Kevin takes one final look at the sunlit surface. He breathes in the air and tastes its almost rough texture. This might be the last time his face is cradled by sunlight.

He thinks of Earth one more time. He knows he shouldn't be thinking of topics that might make him emotional this far into the mission, but he can't help it. He's been to dozens of planets, yet none can compare to his home. What he wouldn't give to look up at the cerulean atmosphere and breathe in actual air. Not a single space station or alien planet could ever replicate it perfectly. How silly it is to be homesick when only his own actions and stubbornness lead him here.

The explosion specialist jogs towards the group. He sends a speedy "Fifteen seconds until detonation!" and returns to formation.

Kevin wishes the sky was blue.

A thick dust cloud sets off the platoon. They turn on the night vision mode on their helmets and rush towards the newly formed opening. Soldiers pile into the cave, and adrenalin fills the air. The sunlight fills the cavern through the entrance, though not by much. The darkness seems eager to swallow them all.

Kevin gestures to his left. All twenty soldiers quickly form a tight group, waiting for confirmation. With a simple flick, they are moving again. Soon enough, their vision becomes green, the contours of the cave walls shaded with black through their night vision vizors. Even though none of the soldiers utter a single word, the thrum of anxiety is palpable in the air.

Kevin knows that the lives of his fellow soldiers are in his hands. They can't rely on sonar maps until they have reached the rebel camp. The Sorax use echolocation to navigate their subterranean systems. Using a sonar map would make them easy targets. The entire platoon relies on Kevin's memory of the cave system maps.

He is determined to not let them fall prey to the enemy. He had gone over the layout of their route at least a hundred times during their briefings. With precision, Kevin guides them through the twisting tunnels.

Left, left, right, left.

The platoon follows him wordlessly, and Kevin finds comfort in hearing their almost silent footsteps.

So far, the passive sonar installed in their helmets have not gone off. They can pick up some Sorax echolocation frequencies without sending a signal themselves. However, this fact does not bring any solace to Kevin's mind. The Sorax are masters of sound, they could have bypassed the passive sonar by using only one captured helmet. Kevin knows for a fact that they have lost more than three hundred soldiers to this war already.

There are only about four hundred meters left until they reach the camp. Two more right turns, and they have reached their destination. Kevin readies himself for the next right turn until he suddenly halts in his footsteps.

There are three tunnel entrances in front of him.

Kevin knows there should be only two.

Panic slithers down his spine. He goes through the layout in his head once again, even though he is certain there are no three-way forks in the route. The tunnel must have been dug recently. Their intel is fresh. Kevin almost chokes on his breath.

The Sorax were, at least, expecting an attack on their camp. At worst, this was a trap. They need to pull back now.

Kevin turns toward his platoon, ready to signal retreat.

His blood runs cold.

Six of his soldiers are missing.

The rest are huddled together, not breaking formation, even though it's evident they are as terrified as Kevin. If not more. Kevin knows they have been trained to stay silent no matter what happens. The enemy has impeccable hearing, one uttered sentence could cost the entire platoon their lives. However, they would have signaled if they noticed an enemy unit. 

The Sorax have been picking them off one by one in complete silence, weakening the group and instilling panic.

Kevin takes in a shuddering breath. He pushes down his panic as much as he can and tries to calm his mind. They can't go forward as they have no idea where the three tunnels in front of them lead to. They can't fall back as there are Sorax ready to block their exit. They were probably waiting for the platoon to retreat so they could finish them off without any humans reaching the rebel camp.

Kevin remembers his sonar map. He knows they will be a shining beacon to the Sorax as soon as he activates it. He knows that what he is about to do is reckless, but they are goners either way. At least with the help of the sonar, they can reach the camp. They could gather crucial information for this war and relay it to the ship before the Sorax killed them.

With closed eyes, Kevin remembers blue skies one last time.

He pulls up his arm and activates the sonar map. The faint blue light fills the cavern. Kevin can hear his soldiers quickly inhale. They have realized what is about to happen.

In less than a second, the 3D hologram projects a detailed image of the passages. Center then left! Kevin screams in his mind and shuts off the sonar map as fast as he can.

With one more hand gesture, the platoon, or what is left of it, charges forward.