The crusted ground crunched beneath my boots as I trudged forward, the wind carrying the bite of salt through the gaps in my scarf and pilot helmet. The air here was thick, sharp, seeping into every crevice despite my gear.
Above, past the visor of my helmet, the sky stretched in an endless dark pink expanse, the planetary belt of shattered rock clearly visible against its backdrop. The sight never failed to stir something in me—like I had stepped onto an alien world, even though I had been here for days.
A few weeks ago, after graduation, every knight pilot had to choose their path to become tactical-grade. But as a star pilot, my missions were chosen for me. So I was sent here—Rulliwon-V—dropped from orbit in a pod, tasked with a solo mission.
Exterminate the pirates.
Intel had briefed me on the planet's value: salt and limestone mining, a key supplier across the galaxy. The pirates had only begun their raids a few days prior, hijacking cargo ships and cutting supply lines. But if they weren't dealt with swiftly—within two weeks, at most—the damage to trade routes would ripple outward, threatening entire economies.
Not that I fully understood what an economy was. But the mission report had made it clear: disruption was bad.
Now, I was crossing the salt tundra on foot, heading toward their base. A closer drop would have tipped them off, forcing me into a drawn-out chase across the planet's barren surface.
[Target location: 40 klicks from current position, pilot.] Andromeda's voice echoed through my earpiece. [You should find shelter for the night. By my calculations, we will reach the target by early afternoon tomorrow.]
"Got it." My eyes swept the white expanse, endless salt flats stretching toward distant hills. "Is there an outpost nearby?"
[Scanning...] The AI paused as the wind picked up, salt particles pelting my helmet. [An unknown structure detected 17 kilometres enroute to our destination. Geo-analysis suggests a newly started salt mine, operational for no more than two months.]
"Thank you, Andromeda. Guide me there."
[Acknowledged. However, be advised: I cannot shift into combat mode until we are within five klicks of the sensor field. Activating my power core prematurely risks alerting our targets.]
"I know, I know." I sighed, trudging forward. Andromeda was always a step ahead—he knew I was about to ask if he could carry me. "My legs are killing me. I've been walking for three hours straight."
[You may rest upon reaching shelter in approximately one hour and fourteen minutes.]
Another gust of wind whipped against my visor.
Andromeda's timing was nearly perfect as we reached the marker in my helmets vision. As I crested a hill, I dropped onto my stomach and pulled out my binoculars, scanning the salt mine below. The place was dead—vehicles stripped for parts, structures eerily silent.
Activating my helmet's scanner, my visor switched to infrared, casting everything in shades of black and white. No heat signatures. No movement.
"The binoculars aren't picking up anyone." I muttered, lowering the device. One last glance with my own eyes confirmed it. "Looks like the pirates already hit this place. Probably rounded up the workers."
[Updating mission parameters. Objective: Secure the area and locate any intel on missing personnel.]
I slid my handgun from its holster and started down the hill, moving swiftly into the empty mining site. The salt crunched softly beneath my boots as I checked the darkening area. Thirty minutes passed, and I found nothing but strange drag marks across the ground.
"No bodies. No equipment worth taking. Just these..." I crouched, running my gloved fingers along the disturbed salt. "Looks like something was dragged through here."
The trail led straight to a single underground entrance.
"Andromeda, lights."
My helmet's visor brightened, casting a calming turquoise glow over the cavern walls as I stepped inside. The tunnel sloped downward, eventually opening into a massive cavern. A pool of green water lay in the centre, undisturbed. And at its edge, a pile of bloated, sleeping creatures—salt seals.
Next to them, a man, sprawled on the ground, eyes vacant and unfocused.
[Be cautious, pilot. The creatures, Salt Seal, are native to Rulliwon-V. They are docile—unless you touch the water without permission.]
"Copy." Moving carefully over the rocks, I dimmed my visor lights and knelt beside the man. Raising my wrist, I activated my glove's scanner, letting the soft pulse of light sweep over him. His vitals registered faintly on my HUD. "He's alive—barely. High salt concentration in his bloodstream. Left leg's wounded, wrapped in a makeshift bandage."
A weak groan escaped his lips. His gaze drifted to me. "Who are...?"
Before he could finish, I unbuckled my water bottle and pressed it to his lips. He drank greedily until I pulled it away.
"Th-thank you..." His voice was dry, weak. "Do you have food?"
I pulled an emergency ration from my pocket, breaking it into smaller pieces. "Can you eat?"
His fingers barely twitched. "...Jaw still works..."
Being cautious, I crushed the bar, mixing it with water before feeding him like a cold soup. Only once he seemed stronger did I speak. "I am Second-Lieutenant Firefly, Knight Pilot. Sent here by the Nymphas military to exterminate the pirate threat. Identify yourself."
He coughed, stirring the salt seals. They barely reacted. "A pilot?" Relief washed over his face. "Thank the Empress... I thought I was dead. Max Yarker. Digging operator. Citizen ID-98T4ZQ555WR."
[Verifying identity... Name and facial match confirmed. Max Yarker, listed MIA.]
"How long have you been here? What happened?" I asked.
"...Three, maybe four days..." He coughed again. "Pirates came from the north. Took everyone. Supplies, workers—everything. I escaped, but they returned the next day, stripped the equipment. One of them saw me. Shot me in the leg." His voice wavered. "I hid under the shack floor... after that, they dragged me here."
I followed his gaze to the small salt seal curled against his injured leg. "You mean... they helped you?"
"Yeah..." His voice softened. "After we dug this cavern, I started feeding them so they wouldn't bother the workers..."
Andromeda dinged through my advanced helmet. [Keywords detected. Query: Main mining colony—23 klicks north?]
"That's right..." Max rasped. "Why?"
"Because that's where the pirates are holed up."
Max's face twisted. "Ah... that explains why they swarmed us so fast..."
Holding the chin of my pilot helmet, I processed the information while Andromeda updated the mission parameters. "You said they took everyone, correct? How many? Do you have any idea why?"
Max Yarker shook his head weakly, voice strained. "N-no... I just remember them loading everyone onto the rail carts before leaving. There were twenty of us working here... but now, it's just me."
Andromeda's voice chimed in my ear as I absently watched the salt seals shift in their sleep. [Mission parameters updated. Hostages confirmed. Medical evacuation required. Clear path to objective determined. Stealth strategy formulated. Progress updated to orbital support.]
The weight of it settled over me. A gang of pirates had turned a mining colony into their stronghold, and at least twenty people were at their mercy.
Max studied me in silence before finally asking, "Am I getting out of here?"
I hesitated. My mouth opened, instinctively forming a reassuring 'yes,' but I caught myself, pressing my lips together instead. I reached for his calloused hand, gripping it between my gloved ones.
"I... I'm sorry, but not yet," I admitted. "Their alert system will pick up anything that isn't on foot. If I try to call for an evac now, I'll be giving them my position. My mission is to cripple their mobility, then take them out. Once it's done, a pickup team will bring you back to Nymphas for treatment."
Max leaned his head back against the cavern wall, exhaling a breath of relief. "Thank you, missy. I thought I was done for. But if a pilot's here... those bastards are as good as—" A sudden coughing fit wracked his body, cutting his words short. He hunched forward, groaning as he fought for air.
"Hey—" My hands twitched forward, concern prickling my gut.
He waved me off weakly. "Don't... worry about me. Just do... what you gotta."
[Detecting sleeping agent in the air.] Andromeda's voice was sharp in my ear. [Max Yarker is unconscious. Someone has deployed knockout gas in the cavern. Your helmet's respirator is filtering it, but I advise immediate concealment, pilot.]
Damn it. I moved fast, hoisting Max's limp body and dragging him behind a cluster of rocks. Propping him in a tight corner, I pressed my back against the stone and drew my handgun, gripping it with both hands.
"Andromeda," I murmured, keeping my voice low. "Is the threat scan software functional?"
[Still in developmental phase, but operational. Beginning scan.]
Peeking around the rock, I saw nothing but thick, swirling gas. But then, a red silhouette pulsed onto my HUD—a humanoid figure moving through the cavern.
[Deploying geo-scan.]
A wave passed over my vision, mapping the cavern's structure in an overlay. The enemy's form was clearer now. He muttered something under his breath—indistinct through the gas mask he wore. Then, without warning, he fired a few shots at random, bullets sparking off the rock walls.
He's searching. For me.
Holstering my gun, I slipped out my knife instead. The blade gleamed faintly in the dim cavern light as I crouched low, stalking forward. Every step was slow, deliberate. Pebbles shifted beneath my boots, but the man didn't notice.
Closer.
Closer.
Then, with a quick slash, my blade tore across his ankles. He screamed, collapsing forward. Before he could recover, I seized his shoulder and threw him onto his back, pinning him with a knee as I pressed the knife to his throat.
"Who are you?" My voice was low, edged with steel. "Are you with the pirates? How many of you are there?"
The man writhed beneath me, face twisted in rage. "Brat! I'll kill you!"
His rugged clothes were stained with dust and sweat, but what caught my attention was the emblem on his shoulder—a rhinoceros skull. The same insignia marked on the pirates' files. He was one of them.
"I wasn't paid enough for this shit!" he snarled, still struggling.
His left hand jerked, and suddenly, bullets erupted from the gun strapped to his wrist. I reacted on instinct, slamming my knee into his arm, forcing the shots into the wall.
"Tell me about your group," I demanded.
"Fuck you! Just die already, you little ant!"
[Analysis depicts subject will not cooperate. Proceed to kill.] Andromeda's words rang in my ear, cold and absolute.
I raised the knife.
The man thrashed beneath me, spitting curses, but then—his eyes met mine. Wide, frantic. The fight in them flickered for just a second, something raw bleeding through the rage.
Fear. He knew.
My hands tightened around the knife, but I hesitated. I could feel my pulse hammering in my skull, my breathing sharp and uneven inside the helmet. I had trained for this. I had prepared for this. He was the enemy. A pirate. A killer.
Then why—
[Pilot!] Andromeda's voice snapped me out of it just as the glint of his blade flashed toward me. I twisted, barely dodging as the knife slashed past my helmets visor.
Instinct kicked in. Grabbing his wrist, I slammed his arm down, forcing the blade from his grasp. My knife lashed out before I could even think—cutting deep through his forearm, dragging a strangled scream from his throat. He jerked, fighting to throw me off, but I tore the blade out of his arm dragging blood up with it and then drove its edge back down, straight through the gap in his armour into his chest near his heart.
His body spasmed, his breath shuddering against his own mask. Hands clawed at my arm—weak, trembling—before falling limp. All strength gone.
I let go of the knife leaving it in his corpse. My hands hovered over his body, shaking.
My chest heaved, my ears ringing as the weight of what I'd just done settled over me. The cavern felt smaller, darker, the dim light casting shadows over the motionless body beneath me.
I had killed before—simulated persons, mechs, drones.
But this was different.
This was flesh and blood. This was human. And I had just taken my first life.