Rae van Daleon – The Roots of the Storm
by Lea von Löwenstein
Chapter 62: The Emergency Extraction
The distant thrum of engines grew louder, but something wasn’t right. Rae’s instincts, honed by months of training and trial, screamed a warning. The sound was coming from multiple directions—too many for just a rescue party.
“Something’s wrong,” she said, her voice tight. “Tyren, can you confirm it’s our transport?”
Tyren’s cogitator hummed as he scanned the approaching signals. His face paled. “Multiple signatures. Only one matches Scola patterns. The others…” He swallowed hard. “They’re using scrambled codes.”
The Trap Springs
The first shots came without warning. Las-rounds sizzled through the morning air, forcing the team to dive for cover. Rae pulled Celestine behind a fallen tree as arrows—crude but deadly—thudded into the bark around them.
“Ambush!” Marcus shouted, dragging Alric down as more shots peppered their position.
Soren’s crossbow sang out in response, finding a target in the trees. A dark figure tumbled from the branches, but two more took its place.
“They were waiting,” Alric said, his voice steady despite the chaos. “They knew help would come.”
Fighting Back
Rae’s mind raced as she assessed their situation. They were surrounded, outgunned, and running out of options. But they weren’t helpless.
“Tyren!” she called out. “Can you get a count?”
“At least twelve signatures,” he replied, fingers flying over his cogitator. “They’re trying to herd us away from the clearing!”
Celestine’s knives flashed as she deflected an arrow. “They want us in the deeper woods. Away from the extraction point.”
“We’re not running,” Rae decided. “Marcus, Alric—create a gap. Soren, cover fire. Celestine, watch our flanks. Tyren, keep broadcasting our position.”
The Push
Marcus and Alric moved like a coordinated unit, Marcus’s hammer clearing a path while Alric’s precise shots kept the attackers at bay. The team began a fighting retreat toward better cover, each step measured and protected.
But their attackers were well-trained. Las-rounds and arrows came from multiple angles, forcing them to duck and weave. The morning air filled with the scent of burnt ozone and cordite.
“Keep together!” Rae shouted above the din. “Don’t let them separate us!”
The Fatal Moment
It happened in a heartbeat. Alric spotted a shooter taking aim at Celestine and moved without hesitation. His warning shout was cut short as multiple rounds caught him in the chest and shoulder. He stumbled, red blooming across his uniform.
“Alric!” Rae’s scream tore through the battlefield.
Marcus caught him before he fell, dragging him behind a massive tree trunk. Blood seeped between Marcus’s fingers as he tried to stem the wounds.
“Stay with us,” Marcus growled. “Don’t you dare die on us.”
The Last Stand
The team formed a protective circle around their fallen friend. Soren’s crossbow never stopped firing, each bolt finding its mark with deadly precision. Celestine became a blur of motion, her knives intercepting anything that got too close. Tyren’s cogitator screamed warnings as more attackers closed in.
Rae stood her ground, her blade flashing in the morning light. Every strike, every parry was fueled by desperate determination. They wouldn’t lose another friend. Not today. Not ever again.
“Hold on,” she whispered, more prayer than command. “Just hold on.”
The air grew thick with las-fire and arrows. Their cover was splintering, their position increasingly desperate. Alric’s breathing grew ragged, his face pale beneath Marcus’s bloodied hands.
Salvation’s Arrival
The sound changed—a deeper, more powerful roar that cut through the chaos. Through the trees, Rae caught glimpses of black-armoured figures descending on zip lines. Inquisitor Kael’s storm team had arrived.
But as the first stormtroopers touched ground, Rae’s focus remained on Alric’s fading form. The battle wasn’t over, but now it was a race against time.
The morning air filled with new sounds—the crack of professional-grade weapons, the shouts of trained soldiers, and somewhere in the chaos, Inquisitor Kael’s commanding voice.
They had survived the ambush, but at what cost? As Rae knelt beside Alric, his blood staining her hands, she knew their war had just become deadlier than ever.
The real battle was just beginning.
