After landing the vessel, Jarvis enlists Dyrk’s help in cataloging the exotic wildlife using the ship’s sensors while the remaining crew establishes their basecamp. Meanwhile, a small squadron, led by Fenton, one of Jarvis’s closest advisors, head into the forest to explore and catalog their ancestors’ crashed spaceship. Fully expecting to encounter some outlandish creatures, members of the team is uneasy with their uneventful hike across the unknown planet. When the team arrives at the ship, will they discover the fate of their predecessors? Or will their journey across the solar system have been in vain?
Fenton peered around a tree trunk, leveling his rifle at the ruins in the clearing. He dropped his eye to his scope and studied the damaged structures. With a few adjustments, the distant images snapped into focus, pulling a curse from his lips. He touched the comm jutting from his ear and slid to the ground. “Everyone fall in on my signal, double time.”
Rolling to a knee, Fenton examined the crumbling walls. As the silence lingered, he spun away from the devastation and sat down to watch his squad’s arrival. When the last member of the squadron approached, Fenton rose and wiped his face. “Anyone discover anything dangerous during the brief walk?”
“We…” Shandri gasped, “need to correct Diana’s definition of that term.”
“Be quiet!” Fenton jerked his thumb at the ruins. “What oddities did we encounter?” After a series of negatives rang out, Fenton nodded. “No matter, I’m sure Jarvis is already cataloging whatever wildlife we missed.” He shouldered his rifle and walked through the trees toward the ragged structure. “Let’s hustle over there and explore the remains of our ancestors’ colony.”
“What are we looking for?”
Fenton snickered as his eyes studied the path. “Brianna, I thought our mission was self-evident.” He patted a tree and smirked at the woman behind him. “We’re here to discover what happened to that outpost.”
.
.
.
To continue reading the story, click here to head over to Wattpad.