A/N: Sorry for taking so long! I'm working on multiple projects and had to find a way to balance at all why also working :D My main-project is currently a cozy-fantasy / murder-mystery story which I'm seriously considering publishing as a book :) But for now, dive into the next chapter of Heroines of War! The stakes are getting super high!


The Marines of the 231st Platoon were crammed together inside the only operational shuttle of the SSV Rome. Improvisation was the name of the game—the shuttle was technically only equipped with twelve seats, and the remaining six Marines were forced to stand, gripping the overhead handles tightly to steady themselves against the turbulence of the flight. The narrow cabin buzzed with hushed conversation and the low hum of the engines.

Ellen leaned back in her seat, her gaze resting on her squadmates. Exhaustion was etched into every one of their faces. The mission aboard the Alcatraz and the chaotic night on the Citadel had drained them all. Even the mild stimulants Dr. Lopez had administered before departure seemed powerless against the weight of their fatigue.

"Marines, Commander wants a word," called out the pilot, Sørensen, from the cockpit. Instantly, the soldiers straightened, eyes snapping toward the front with tense anticipation. Ellen felt a slight knot form in her stomach as the transmission came through.

"231st Platoon," the Commander's voice rang out clearly, "you'll be landing shortly on a planet not listed in our system. Initial scans show it's a garden world—breathable atmosphere, tolerable temperatures. Your mission is simple: locate inmate Polk. Capture him and bring him back to the Rome alive. He's dangerous, and that he fled to this planet is probably no coincidence. Stay alert."

Suddenly, the Commander's voice began to falter. "I ... the ... see ... transmi—" A burst of static cut the message short. Sørensen muttered a curse under his breath and began fiddling with the dials on his comms module. "Damn it, something's interfering with the signal."

"Fantastic," Ellen muttered as she stood up, checked the straps of her helmet, and secured it over her head. Her tension deepened. It wasn't unusual for her to feel a touch of nerves before a mission—but today, her instincts screamed that she needed to be twice as careful.

She glanced at her team. Alex, Casey, and Jenkins sat beside her, grimly checking their gear, calm but focused.

Ellen's omni-tool lit up. A message from the Rome. It contained a brief description of an attached data packet—a program designed to locate the tracking chips implanted in prisoners during their incarceration on Alcatraz.

Alex let out an appreciative whistle as Ellen forwarded the file to the rest of the team. "Alliance really does think of everything."

The shuttle began its descent into the atmosphere, and a rumble ran through the tight cabin. The Marines instinctively grabbed onto their handholds or sank deeper into their seats as the engines strained against the growing air resistance. On the monitor, streaks of orange flame flared past the outer hull—the telltale sign of re-entry.

"Hang in there, baby," Sørensen murmured, patting the dashboard affectionately as he made practiced adjustments to the control panel. "Just a little further."

A soft beep sounded, and a green indicator flashed on the cockpit display. "Broke through the atmosphere. Descent underway. We've got about two minutes until touchdown."

The exterior camera now offered the first glimpse of the planet's surface. Dense, emerald forests stretched all the way to the horizon, broken only by jagged rock formations and shimmering bodies of water. Everything looked… peaceful.

"This almost looks too good to be true," Casey said quietly, gazing out the window.

"Maybe we're the first Marines here and get to claim a plot of land," Alex replied, winking through her helmet visor as she lowered it into place.

Ellen considered chiming in, but decided against it—she didn't want her tension rubbing off on the team. It was better if they stayed calm.

Sørensen angled the shuttle toward a small clearing. "Landing zone in sight. Brace yourselves—the gravity's close to Earth standard, but watch your footing."

The engines whined as the shuttle slowed, and then, with a dull thud, the craft touched down. For a moment, silence. Then the sound of straps unfastening and the metallic clicks of weapons being readied filled the cabin.

"Open the door," Ellen commanded, her voice steady and firm now.

With a hiss, the rear ramp descended, and the planet's cool air swept in. It was humid, carrying the earthy scent of moss and leaves—a strange blend of the familiar and the alien.

Ellen stepped out first, sweeping her gaze across the clearing. The chirping of unfamiliar birds and the rustle of leaves were the only sounds. For a fleeting moment, she could almost forget they were here to hunt down a dangerous murderer and traitor.

But only for a moment.

"Form up," she ordered curtly, glancing over her shoulder at her team. They nodded, faces once again focused, and fell into formation behind her.

The forest ahead was a thick wall of vibrant green, pierced only now and then by slivers of sunlight. Towering, unfamiliar trees reached toward the sky, their branches heavy with trailing plants that glowed in every shade of green and yellow.

"There's the shuttle he stole," Jenkins growled beside Ellen, pointing a little way into the woods, where a wrecked shuttle appeared to have crashed through the trees.

"Alpha Team, we'll check it out," Norah ordered, leading her squad toward the downed craft.

Ellen cycled through the various filters on her helmet's HUD, but couldn't pick up a clear signal on any frequency. Not even the one they were supposed to use to track Polk.

"Nothing on your end either?" asked Corporal Harlow, who had stepped up beside her.

She shook her head. "No. Nothing in range."

Corporal Matondo from Gamma-Team and the only two Marines from Epsilon-Team who'd been available for this mission joined them. Ellen clenched her jaw, her uneasy feeling growing stronger—but she knew they had no choice. They'd have to split up.

"We'll have to sweep the forest in different directions," she said, glancing back toward the shuttle crashed by Polk, where two Marines were just pulling out the dead body of Kyle, the pilot.

Norah stepped up to join the other corporals. "The shuttle's trashed. And unfortunately, Polk didn't leave anything behind that might tell us where he went."

Corporal Harlow nodded. "Alright, here's the plan. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Teams spread out and search the forest in separate directions. My team and the two from Epsilon will go back up with Sørensen and try to get a bird's-eye view."

"And since we don't have long-range comms without the Rome, we regroup here in five hours," Norah added.

"Okay. Sounds good," Ellen agreed reluctantly. "Let's move."

Ellen led her team eastward, following a narrow game trail that wound between towering, twisted trees. Behind them, the shuttle's engines roared back to life. She turned for one last glance before they disappeared into the foliage, catching a glimpse of Norah's team heading west. Norah gave her a quick nod, straightened up, then vanished into the underbrush.


Two hours later, aboard the Rome

A different kind of tension gripped the SSV Rome.

Commander Lance stood with arms crossed in front of the tactical holo-table on the bridge. Floating above it was a detailed projection of the planet's surface, surrounded by pulsing readouts and data points updating in real time.

"Any contact with 231st yet?" he asked, eyes fixed on the display as he addressed the communications officer at her console.

"Nothing yet, sir," she replied briskly, fingers flying across the interface. "Last signal dropped a few minutes ago. We're assuming atmospheric interference or magnetic field disruption."

Lance frowned. "Or Polk."

Dr. Lopez stepped up beside him, arms folded. "If Polk is behind the interference, he knows they're coming for him. Do you think he's had time to prepare?"

"Polk's a survivor," Lance said, eyes still locked on the holographic map. "He has probably spent weeks in prison setting a plan in motion. I'd bet anything—he's already waiting for them."

The hologram flickered briefly as new data came in. Three unknown energy signatures had appeared in orbit and were heading directly for the Rome.

"What is that?" Lance asked sharply.

"Unknown," one of the technicians replied.

"A trap," Lopez guessed.

Commander Lance thought for a moment, then made his decision. "Bring the SSV Rome to full combat readiness. Let's buy our people down there as much time as we can."


Back with the Beta-Team

Ellen, Alex, Casey, and Jenkins had been trudging through the dense forest for some time now. Aside from the thick vegetation, there were no signs of life. The local fauna seemed to scatter as soon as it heard the heavy footfalls of the Marines.

Ellen would've considered calling off the search if it hadn't been for the subtle clues they'd picked up along the way. It had started about an hour ago with a deep boot print, followed by broken branches and trampled brush. They were on the right track.

Alex groaned as she pulled off her helmet. "It's damn hot in here," she complained.

Casey followed her lead, grumbling, "And we don't even have canteens."

Suddenly, she came to a halt, and Jenkins nearly stumbled over her trying to avoid a collision.

"Hey, Vonn, watch it!" he muttered.

But Casey ignored him. "Do you hear that?" she asked, tilting her head.

Ellen took off her own helmet and listened closely. The faint sound of rushing water reached her ears.

They followed the noise and soon spotted its source through the trees to the west. Casey and Alex instinctively started toward it, but Ellen and Jenkins grabbed their arms just in time. Both had seen the figure crouched by the bank, clad in Alliance armor and sitting in a small pool of blood, digging a knife into his leg—removing the tracking chip.

Ellen could hardly believe their luck. The fugitive they'd been hunting was right there, exposed and unaware. She drew her weapon and began to creep forward, the others silently mirroring her.

As they closed the distance, she got a clear look at him. There was no doubt—this was the man from the photo they'd seen aboard the Alcatraz.

She kept moving in—but just before they reached him, Alex accidentally stepped on a twig. It snapped loudly.

The man froze. When he turned and saw them, he let out a theatrical sigh.

"Well, damn," he said with a faintly mocking tone. "Looks like you got me."

Ellen ignored his arrogance. "Jenkins, help him up. We're heading back to the rendezvous."

Jenkins grabbed Polk roughly by the arm and hauled him to his feet. Polk gave a short yelp of pain as he stood.

"Some consideration, if you don't mind!"

Alex looked over at Ellen. "Is this guy serious?"

"Move," Jenkins growled and shoved Polk forward with a rough push to the shoulder.

Polk slowly started walking. "Okay, okay," he said with a cocky grin. "I get it—you're in charge here."

Ellen rolled her eyes and took the lead through the forest. They had left a clear trail on the way in, so retracing their steps wasn't difficult. But Polk's injury slowed them down considerably. When he wasn't making smug comments, he was asking for breaks to rest his leg. Jenkins took great pleasure in shoving him along every time.

Ellen tried to ignore the man's provocations, as did the others, but it was wearing thin. And as they made their way along a narrow cliffside path, with a sheer thirty-meter drop beside them, Polk finally crossed the line.

"So where's Van Hagen anyway? Kicking back on the Rome while you do the dirty work? Are you their little bloodhounds?" he sneered.

That was it.

Ellen spun, grabbed the back of his armor, and shoved him toward the edge of the cliff until he was leaning out into empty space. Polk flailed, trying to grab onto her. Every time he managed to get a grip, she drove her knee into his injured thigh.

"Ellen!" Alex cried out in alarm.

But she didn't stop.

"You're a traitor and a murderer! Your hands are stained with the blood of your own comrades! If Van Hagen were here right now, you'd already be dead. If Commander Lance hadn't ordered us to bring you in alive, I'd let go and you'd be nothing but a smear on the rocks below! One more word about Van Hagen or his team, and we'll report that you tragically had an 'accident' on the way back!"

Polk stopped struggling. Ellen yanked him back onto solid ground.

Only then did she notice the grin on his face. He was staring up at the sky.

"Well said, lionheart," he chuckled. "But I think the balance of power just shifted. My friends are here."

Two massive objects came hurtling through the atmosphere, accompanied by a swarm of smaller objects. They were still far off—too far to be an immediate threat—but close enough for Ellen to see what they were.

She didn't need Casey's shocked gasp, Jenkins' furious roar, or Alex's scream to confirm it: the SSV Rome was split in half and crashing.

The ship that had been their home for over a year was falling apart in the sky above them.

Chunks of wreckage streaked through the atmosphere, raining down over the planet as both halves of the once-mighty vessel plummeted. With a thunderous crash, they slammed into the forest beyond, carving massive craters into the land.