A far reach beyond Federation space, an alien planet orbited an unnamed star. The ship began to slow, and the blank distortion within view coalesced into unfamiliar constellations.
The pock-marked surface of the Pirate Homeworld steadily slid into view, red like boiling iron and covered in a thousand years of scars. A wasteland, supporting naught but vermin.
No sooner did the planet appear did the sky alight with weapons. Whatever little sound the thin exosphere could carry was soon filled with the muted barrage of plasma and fire from a thousand guns.
A single human was already planetbound, having completed her latest objective. The thick shield of hard light above the planet's heartland was lifted, and the Federation began their long-awaited assault.
While the vanguard engaged the ships in orbit, the second force began to make planetfall. Barreling through the opening the Hunter had made for them, they arrived en masse, the blues and silvers of the Federation armada flooding the bloodred surface of the pirates' fortified home.
"Everyone ready?"
"It's about damn time we brought the fight to them," Adelaide decreed impatiently.
Kayleer nodded, for the first time in agreement with him. The ship rocked forward, and a resounding explosion echoed from outside as it fired upon the surface, clearing out the pirates onguard.
Each of the eight members of the squadron stood at the ready, lined up with two others. The hull finally opened, and the platoon rushed out onto the damaged surface of the enemy homeworld.
The escort waited until the platoon reached the sheltered halls of the cargo bay before lifting away, back into battle. Rain pattered the metal surface of the overhang, and the familiar sound almost reminded Kayleer of home. But he reminded himself that the rain here was toxic, and would burn his skin away at the touch. Urtraghus was anything but home.
They were the first wind sent through the skyway. The troopers' advance was immediately met with resistance, as wave after wave of pirates came forward, eager to defend their post.
Kayleer's rifle lit up with plasma. But these pirates were far more well-armored than the infantry he was used to, and his fire seemed to have little effect.
He stepped back in instinctive fear as the familiar, droning sound of an armorsuit Hypermode filled his ears. Brady and Shendra became aglow with phazon, and their combined effort laid waste to even the most well-armored of their enemies.
Vivid blue shots erupted from their rifles, accelerating at impossible speed. The charged phazon drilled straight through the pirates' armor, and before long the corridor had emptied of its defenders.
Spent phazon vaporized from the shells of their armor as they returned to normal.
They moved forward into the skyway. The hallway opened up into a vast transit center. The troopers flooded the room as more pirates came forward to greet them. A dozen Hypermodes reactivated on both sides, and the skyway filled with the warcries of two species.
The Demolition troopers followed close behind them. The marines were their first line of defense; mere fodder to ensure their safe passage. Kayleer could see a familiar figure among them. Though she had changed in appearance greatly since their first meeting, the unique form of her armor persevered through every upgrade.
Even the Hunter was outfitted with a PED now, and she filled every pirate near her with a savage barrage of phazon.
A Berserker's cry echoed through the chamber, and Kayleer turned his head in a panic. A strange, verdant beam flew from the Hunter's arm cannon straight into its head, and the Knight was felled with a single shot.
Another vicious roar filled Kayleer's ears. Distracted, he turned to the source mere moments before a Commando flung himself upon him.
Kayleer matched the Commando in size, and so was not so easily pinned down. He raised his rifle and fired straight at the pirate's armored head. The blue phazite absorbed the rounds, beginning to glow with heat. But the damage came too slowly, and Kayleer soon heard the familiar shriek of an energy blade loosing from its sheath.
A powerful blast of blue light veered straight into the Commando's side. His blade-strike was skewed, ramming into the mere ground. The barb of the blade stuck fast in the steel as he struggled to remove it. At last he was freed, and looked up into the barrel of a charged assault rifle. Shendra released a charge of phazon, and watched with grim satisfaction as the Commando's headpiece shattered, along with its contents.
Kayleer quickly got up, rejoining the fray. Before long, they had made an opening, and dredged forward into the next section of skyway. The battle continued as the troopers' escort fought their way deeper and deeper into the heart of the Homeworld, inching ever closer to their destination.
Kayleer was becoming exhausted, but he refused to let up. Adrenaline pulsed through his blood with every round of plasma, even if his shots did little else but provide a distraction, allowing for the PED marines to decimate the enemy. He was almost shocked at the ease with which they moved forward. Clearly the pirates had been unprepared, the full bulk of their forces otherwise located.
"What the hell is that thing?!" a voice cried through the transceivers. Kayleer's eyes followed the panicked gaze of one of his squadmates as a new enemy graced his vision. Its armor blazed red, imposing and tall.
The vanguard opened fire, but even the combined effort of four PED troopers failed to slow him. His strange, crimson armor met their phazon with fierce resistance, and not even they could halt him as he rushed forward, blades alight.
He tore down every marine in his path. Their dismembered bodies soon littered the halls.
Seeing the chaos, the Hunter rushed to lend a hand. The red figure turned its armored head to meet her, and in a flash of light, immediately disappeared.
With his cowardly retreat went the last defender of the skyway, and the Demolition troopers were finally allowed to do their work. Four fuses were set up in front of the final gate. With a few coordinated signals among the troops, they ignited them in unison.
The skyway rocked with the force of the explosion as the gate's lock was obliterated. The Hunter calmly approached a terminal, and with a few clever moves of her hand and visor, the gates opened.
The battlefield was quiet, and the squadron began to regroup.
"Everyone still alive?"
Kayleer allowed himself a breath of relief as Shendra's voice filled his transceiver.
"I copy," Brady responded, joining the group.
"Like hell I'm dying on an escort mission," Adelaide said cockily.
Anderson and Toni sooned rejoined them, along with Kalson. Their eighth member was nowhere to be seen.
"Philips?" Brady called into the com. There was no answer.
The team hesitated, exchanging silent glances.
"We'll retrieve him once the mission's done," Brady said quietly, turning his back to follow the Hunter. "We need to make sure Aran makes it to the Seed."
The Hunter had gone up ahead. The Demo troopers had opened up a new section of skyway. Its ceiling was a mesh of glass and metal, a landing bay at its center. The cargo line was just ahead of it, one which the Hunter would use to fly to the Seed.
Looking around the room, she easily located the controls to the landing pad. She made her way up to the platform, eager to open the docking bay and call her ship. She pulled herself up the ledge and approached the terminal.
Suddenly a familiar enemy materialized before her. He fell from an opening in the ceiling and attacked. Catching her off-guard, he rammed his arm into her chest in a vicious fling. The Hunter fell from the platform and slammed against the floor below.
She quickly collected herself, and sent a menacing glare upwards to her assailant. The pirate Commander had returned.
"Aran!" Brady called, rushing forward to lend his help.
But the Hunter held up her hand, urging him to stay back. With a quick scan of her visor, she ordered the gates closed behind her, leaving her alone.
The pirate Commander called in his underlings to assist him, and grinned with the premonition of the Hunter's defeat.
Time and time again, he tried to take her by surprise, to teleport someplace new across the battlefield and attack. But the Hunter would not be duped a second time, and met each of the Commander's deceptive tactics with a merciless assault of phazon.
Each time he called for support, his Commandos were quickly laid to waste. The Commander roared with anger, growing impatient. At last he decided a frontal attack was his last option, and so, blades drawn, he rushed the hated enemy.
The Hunter filled his red phazite armor with charged shots of phazon. He absorbed them, tolerating the damage they brought in favor of continuing his attack. He drove his blade forward, aiming straight for the Hunter's heart.
But her reflexes were even greater than his, and the Commander roared in fury as his blade met nothing but air. A metal heel rammed his recoiling back as a blast of phazon barrelled into his chest straight after.
Dazed, he fell back. He had failed. He had thought himself victorious, and let his guard down. The Commander paid the price for his hubris. Even at close range, the Hunter was well-defended, and the pirate winced in pain as the hilt of her arm cannon met his mandibles in a savage blow.
The Commander's body careened backwards onto the skyway. He fell downwards and finally stopped moving, his body lying pitifully broken on the cold metal rails.
The gates reopened, and the troopers regrouped, joining the Hunter, rifles primed and ready. They were surprised to see that no enemies awaited them. Only their bodies, strewn across the skyway in a violent mess.
The Hunter opened the docking bay doors and summoned her gunship. The craft descended, unleashing a barrage of missiles on the final gate. The cargo line exposed at last, the Hunter reboarded her ship and disappeared into the heart of the Seed.
What was left of the troopers stayed behind to guard the entrance. There was little else but silence as the fragmented platoon was left to ponder their bitter victory.
"Philips… I didn't even see what happened to him," Anderson said.
"What happened was he ran up ahead. The only reason we're alive is because others died to get us this far," Adelaide replied bitterly.
"Not so easy for an escort mission, huh Stevens?"
Adelaide winced in anger at his squadmate's jab, but had nothing to argue back with.
A little less than an hour passed in solemn silence. Finally the platoon looked upward as the ground shook beneath them. The cargo line filled with blue smoke as a familiar gunship could be seen retreating overhead.
"Attention troops, this is Admiral Dane. We have a confirmed destruction on the pirate Seed. I repeat, that's mission complete. Issue a full retreat. We need the fleet to regroup."
"Knew she could do it," Anderson said, grinning.
"Can't believe we got through this," Toni allowed herself a breath of air.
Amidst the relief, there was skepticism. "Rejoining the fleet? What else are we attacking, now that we're done with the Homeworld?"
"Beats me," Anderson shrugged. "Come on, we should get back to the escort site."
A sharp, ringing sound filled the docking bay, and the squadron looked around in confusion.
"What was that?" Kayleer asked, becoming paranoid.
"Wait a minute," Anderson said, nearing the edge of the platform. He gazed downward to find the tram rails were empty. "Where the hell did the pirate Commander's body go?!"