Voeld was exactly how Jaal described it. As they touched down on a snowy bank, Scott admitted to himself that its bleakness had a certain beauty to it. Its mountains were majestic; its skies lit with auroras. The world was silent, muffled, the snow drifting slowly. It looked benign as if inviting them to lay down their burdens, forget their troubles and just enjoy. Enjoy the endless peace among the soft snow.

Or maybe it's hypothermia. Because Voeld's temperature was cold enough to freeze things instantly.

"Pathfinder, the temperature is negative seventy degrees Celsius, well below freezing. I would suggest you find shelter immediately," SAM reminded.

"Thank you, SAM for that wonderful observation," Scott replied.

"Sarcasm."

"Again, a wonderful observation."

"Are you done muttering to yourself?" Drack said, his face hidden behind snow piling on his globe-like visor while Cora beside him batted away the snow on top of her own.

"Sorry." He looked at Jaal, who shivered to rid his rofjinn of snow and stamped his feet irritably, paying no attention to their conversation. He did not understand yet what Drack said. Scott didn't know how Jaal would react to an AI in his head, considering that even his people are wary of him because of that, and so told his crew not to inform him of SAM's link to him yet, letting him think that SAM was just an external computer.

"The Resistance base is just nearby. They have heating facilities. Follow me," Jaal said and hopped towards the nearby cliffs, where orange poles like landing lights glowed in the gloom.

"Wonderful. Looking forward to a hot meal and maybe a warm welcome," Scott said, shivering as a wind blew snow in their faces. He let Drack first to wade through the snow though.

They followed a path where some heating lamps were placed on intervals, giving their suits some respite against the unforgiving cold. They followed Jaal until they reached a cave with a few patrols. Jaal spoke briefly to them, and they let the visitors through.

The base was a series of interconnected caves, where the wider caverns housed the Angara's vehicles and other supplies. Heating lamps were installed along their path, wires running up and down on the side of their feet. They weaved through it all until they found the command center. A projection of Voeld hung in the center as people worked on the consoles around it. The cave was filled with the chatter of daily communications from their field agents and other stations.

In the midst of it all stood the commander of the base busily barking directions. Her skin from neck up was pink-colored with a dark crown and she was dressed in dark cold weather clothes. They went to her, where Jaal drew his arm. She drew hers and met his arm, elbow to elbow, fists to shoulder, in a kind of salute.

She turned to Scott and said, "Welcome to the resistance of Voeld. I'm Anjik do Xeel, the commander of this base. Evfra sent word of you." Her eyes studied him curiously. "So, this is the one the governor permitted to rescue the Moshae?"

Scott went forward. "Yes..uh-" he attempted to mimic Jaal's salute but she did not reciprocate. Instead, she stared at him, then said, "Your attempt to mimic our customs is flattering. Perhaps later we will teach you how to do it properly, when you've proven your honor?"

"Right." Scott withdrew the arm. "So, Evfra told us that you have something that can help us rescue the Moshae?"

Her skin took an ugly shade of her color. "Yes. I was instructed by the governor to help you, short of giving you my people. Follow me," she said briskly and went toward a console on the central hub. The technician working on it jumped out of the way. She tapped at the console and a projection appeared on the screen. "The Moshae was held on the Vaotessa system on the planet Prachonyi," she said, nodding at a blue, icy planet, glowing green at the edges due to its atmosphere. She tapped at it again where it zoomed in at a spot on its surface. A 3D map appeared. "This is a major Kett base, where some information of theirs passes through. We have tried infiltrating it, but its orbital and planetary defenses are preventing our efforts. It is also where our kidnapped brethren were taken. We have an outpost further south, Daar Techiix where some of the people who tried to infiltrate it are stationed. You might try going to them first. I've already sent word ahead, so they'll be expecting you. Do you have any other questions?"

Scott asked for maps and some tips surviving the planet. When the commander has answered all of that, she dismissed them.

Scott and his team then proceeded to the end of the cave to arrive at a cliff overlooking the countryside. Through the blizzard, faint lights were flickering, showing the way to the outpost as Commander Do Xeel has said.

"Tempest, can you read me?" Scott said on his omni-tool. Kallo answered so he instructed him to drop the Nomad at the location he sent. A while later, the Tempest passed overhead and dropped their vehicle, almost missing the edge of the cliff when it bounced.

"Alright people. Let's go to Techiix," Scott announced and headed to the driver's side, but Cora had beaten him to the driver seat, so he went around the front to settle in next to her. "I was supposed to drive," he said to her petulantly.

Cora chuckled as she buckled her seatbelt. "Scott, everyone knows you can't drive."

He stared at her in shock and hurt then shot back, "At least I can dance!"

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on the steering wheel. "Whatever. We're not dancing to Techiix so sit back down, Twinkle Toes."

She started the engine and then they were off. Following the lights, they drove down the cliff and onto the plain below and flinging up snow behind them.

Daar Techiix is a hidden base carved under a mountain, made of tunnels that spread out far under the surface with many openings like a lemming's den. There's a beacon at the top of the tower to guide the ships coming to and fro to the hangars due to Voeld's constant bad weather. It was not really a military facility as its main function was to refine the eezo from Voeld's abundant deposits.

The closest opening to it was on the side of a steep hill with a giant door just south of the base. They drove onto the incline and stopped before the door. The crew disembarked and Jaal went to one side and scraped ice off a panel. He opened it showing a console inside where he put his authorization. A scanning beam ran over him, then the console went dark. He closed the panel and waited for the door to open.

The doors swung open to the inside slowly and creaking, revealing a tunnel. Its walls were not as rough as the main base, being made of polished synthetic material, rather than hewn rock. Purplish white light shone from long bulbs running lengthwise on the ceiling which SAM warned them was emitting a high amount of UV light so they shouldn't take their helmets off at any time.

Why UV? Scott thought. For decontamination? Did they suspect we carrying some kind of pathogens that can't affect us but becomes a plague to them?

Then he saw Jaal remove his helmet. He opened his mouth to warn him but stopped when he saw how much Jaal enjoys it, basking in it.

He puzzled over it then moved on without comment, making a mental note of it. Then SAM offered to store it in its memory since his degrades faster. He allowed it, then thought to make a mental note to be used to the AI popping in and out of his thoughts. The AI didn't reply.

The tunnels were segmented at intervals, with a groove in the middle of each segment to make a containment field to slow down infiltrators, and vents running alongside the walls. They walked on the familiar wavy floor, following Jaal until they arrived at a hall with mounted guns at the other end. There, the female Angara with dull pink skin and dusty green coloring at her crown and neck, wearing a dark green puffy suit, waited for them with some of her people behind her. Jaal went to her and greeted her in the Angaran way, then she turned towards the Pathfinding team.

"So, you're the aliens who offered to save the Moshae Sjefa," she said matter of factly, her gray eyes sweeping curiously over them. "Follow me," she instructed and led them past the hall and through the twisting tunnels that branched off unto unknown places. They were directed to their mission control where Angara sat behind consoles on rows going down to the table at the center. The commander sparked and the nearest Angara stopped gaping at them unlike the rest and frantically tapped on his console, whereupon a projection sprang from the table. It showed the planet they will be hitting as well as the Kett defenses.

On the outer edge of the system observing stations with powerful telescopes orbited and comm buoys near it with partners leading to the main Kett Fleet around the planet. These served to watch for approaching ships and warn the fleet should any arrive. The base itself was only a small spot on the surface of the planet, where two artificial satellites watched over it and to relay information to the fleet. Commander Heckt tapped at the console on the table and the base was magnified. The main facility where they believed the Moshae was kept was slightly off the center of the base surrounded by buildings of unknown purposes. Some looked like hangars and there were strips of clear areas of what they thought as landing pads. Some points were highlighted, which the commander explained as the Kett's anti-aircraft equipment. At the center was a tower that emitted a barrier to protect the base from orbital bombardment. Around it, all was a wall about fifty meters tall with mounted guns on the top.

"So, no one has ever actually seen the inside of one of these places before?" Scott asked after she finished explaining.

"None who have lived to tell. Prisoners who go in are never seen again… they disappear," the commander answered, her gray eyes bright in the gloom.

"But haven't you staged rescues?"

"Sure, we've liberated Kett work camps, but never one of these facilities. We lost so many fighters trying and could never get in. We have not been able to disable the tower that protects it from orbital bombardment. Then their anti-aircraft system had shot down our ships attempting to land. The land around the facility is seeded with mines and there are guns mounted on the walls so approaching from the ground is not advisable. Land vehicles will also be vulnerable to orbital bombardment."

"You can't approach from the air even with your cloaking technology?"

"No. The stealth technology of our ships is designed for space, not atmosphere. We have a different kind for our aircraft but somehow, they can detect us even with our cloaking."

"Couldn't you overwhelm the transmitter from orbit?"

"The barrier's too strong, as strong as those on a dreadnought. We might be able to bring it down slowly but can't risk it during the battle with the fleet. Our guns are too powerful, and the facility is too near the tower. One miscalculated shot and maybe we won't have even the Moshae's ashes to take home."

"What about the minefield? Could you destroy it from space and then use the destruction for cover against the guns on the walls and enter the base by land?"

"We could. But we'd have to get past the defenders to destroy the satellites so our ships can land undetected and the ground force to disembark. Then destroy the ships in orbit which will try to guide the base while defending ourselves from its companions. To land on the planet, we need to have orbital supremacy first, and if we have that, then we don't need to land. But if we can land there without defeating the fleet, we'd have to find a way to disable their radar on the walls which can cut through the dust made from bombing the land mines before our ground troops can cross. Our aircraft can't use mass accelerators to take out the wall's defenses due to the barrier. Or if they do, they'd be destroyed by their anti-aircraft guns before the barrier weakens." She paused and her gaze went sharp. "All this our people can do which raises the question of your usefulness to this operation," she said unexpectedly with a tinge of disdain.

Scott didn't react but inwardly, he was taken aback. He thought, by the neutral way she welcomed them into her base, that they'd have a reprieve from the hostility of the Angara. It seemed that in the whole cluster, no one wanted them. It was disheartening to find that the people they've encountered here are either murderous towards them or passively hostile. But, since they're the weakest faction, passively hostile is better and he'll have to put up with it. At least, there's a chance that it might become warmer.

He gritted his teeth and focused on the matter at hand, ignoring the niggling sense of outrage over their treatment. So, it's a race, then, he thought to himself. This meant they'll have to get the Moshae first to win the bet, with a way that the Angara cannot do. Before he could speak, she said, "It's not a question of how. It's a question of when. Sure, we can capture the base with our current power but if the Kett Armada arrives, it'd be over."

He nodded to show understanding. "About the anti-aircraft system. Have you tried jamming their ground systems?"

"We did. But their electronic countermeasures are better than ours." She tapped at her console and the projection changed to display what the Kett's electronic countermeasures were capable of, which also showed that it was beyond the Tempest's capability.

"What's their anti-aircraft system? Are they using surface to air missiles?"

"On occasion, but they have laser and mass accelerator weapons."

Fair enough, Scott thought. But what about something smaller than ships? Surely the Kett wouldn't be using those guns on that. Why, it'd be like using a hydraulic press to crack a nut open. "With that power, they can't be using it all the time. What would they do if something smaller than a shuttle passes through their airspace like-" He paused. Do they have birds here? "Flying animals?"

The commander just stared at him.

"Clouds? Debris?" he suggested wildly.

"There are no flying animals on the planet. As for debris, they may or may not. Their technology is sophisticated enough to distinguish whether something that is falling towards them is merely debris-or a missile. We have tried to disguise bombs as debris. It nearly worked last time, but our ships were bombarded from orbit when we tried to land. Needless to say, they shoot unidentified objects falling from the air," she finished, giving him a knowing look as if to head off what she thought he'd be thinking.

"You didn't try to drop your personnel directly from the air?"

The commander's color grew murky. "Why would we do that?" she asked, puzzled. "Why would we try to get our people killed?"

He sidestepped her question. "Say if people were to drop into their airspace, will they shoot?"

The commander looked at him as if he was funny. "Those with a parachute, yes. They don't bother those without as everyone knows no one can survive a fall from that height."

"Ah," he said, tossing his head. He now had a plan. "Let me look at the base again."

The commander tapped at the console and the table projected the base. From the corner of his eye, he saw her lean back and look at him with a silent challenge, but he ignored it. It was annoying to be repeatedly treated with disdain, but he knew that the best option for them now was not to react to it and swallow their pride. He'll prove them wrong and then his pride will enjoy how they'll eat their words. He focused his attention on the barrier emitter. The dark green tower rose from the ground like a giant's spine, with two platforms at the top between a short, stubby column. He focused on the wings, where the space was wide enough for a shuttle to land on and felt his hope increase.

Yes, that space will do for their plan. It's wide enough for them to have a chance to succeed.

Their plan was not perfectly risk-free though. It counted more on the Kett's behavior rather than their skill. Their plan had more probability of failure than success and with that, it begged the question of whether it was worth the trouble. Do they really need the Angara's help?

He thought about their colony within striking distance of the Kett base on Eos and the Kett shooting at them immediately, unwilling to talk thus eliminating the chance for negotiation. He thought of the Nexus floating there unprotected, desperately mining ores on the surrounding asteroids to rebuild their shipyard. They have only one Pathfinder because all the others were either dead or missing. Would it be better if they waited for more favorable time? Or not fight in this battle at all?

But this was maybe the last opportunity they had of establishing an alliance with the Angara. Since they claim the vaults as their own, it was possible that if they refuse here now, they might try to retake the Eos vault or the whole planet and they can do nothing about it yet. Or the Angara might try to attack them to punish them for their "theft." But if they succeed here, their crime might be forgiven, and they might be put under their protection. Why, if they work at it strategically enough, they might convince the Angara to share their technology too. They have a lot to gain from their friendship. And even if he and his team die here, it might wipe them of their crime even if they will not gain an alliance.

There was also the fact that the Kett brought about his father's death and that of their teammates back at Habitat Seven. Sure, it was the environment that was the direct cause of their death, what with their team being killed by flying rocks, lightning, and poisonous air respectively, but the Kett made that environment by activating the vault on the planet on the first place and summoning the Shroud that started the whole thing. If they have not activated the vault, the Shroud would not have appeared to shred their ark so their team had to be sent down to stop it. Their situation might have ended up better than they have now. At least they would still have his father with them, who would be the one working hard on this problem instead of him.

He blinked. He realized what he was doing and immediately shook his head to clear those thoughts. His feelings were already clouding his judgment. He needed to focus on purely rational reasons to justify their next step. "I need to speak to our leader about this," he said finally, straightening up. His answer made the commander stop watching him with amusement on her face and it returned hastily to impassive. "Of course," she said and signaled her people to escort them out.

AN: So you probably noticed I did not update last week as expected. Sorry. I'm quite busy right now and I can't guarantee I'd post regularly. Also, there's a lot of technical details that needs to be ironed out before it's ready to be posted. So expect irregular updates ahead.