After publishing the initial entry to my newest Wattpad series, I turned my attention to the second Wattpad entry for the month, an installment in Mounting Tensions. While I possessed decent first passes for this arc, that phase had come to an end. Armed with only a one-sentence description, I sat down to sketch out what this scene needed to accomplish within the larger narrative. In the previous tale, Blind Signal, we witnessed the first pilot’s navigation of their assigned planet’s security. With one pilot’s fate determined, click here to get the full details, it was time to focus on the arrival of the next one.
Arthur Buckman’s assignment brings him to the Tergaran colony of Teanus, a world governed by layered systems designed to catalogue movement and correct deviation long before it escalates. Nothing on Teanus is truly unobserved, only briefly overlooked. Every arrival leaves behind a signature, and every decision contributes to patterns that will eventually be noticed. Survival here depends less on avoiding attention and more on understanding how security flows and where it pauses.
This is a job that rewards preparation over improvisation, where patience carries greater value than speed. Teanus’s provisional leadership favors those who plan several steps ahead and punishes reliance on luck. Time is not freely given under Tergaran oversight; it must be earned through restraint and careful positioning. Even the smallest advantage matters, especially when it is temporary. Knowing how to recognize and use those moments will determine whether a mission holds together or unravels.
What follows is not a story of immediate conflict or a daring escape. It is a story about establishing footing where none should exist, and about choosing when to act instead of reacting too soon. Arthur’s arrival marks the beginning of a longer process shaped by observation, calculation, and deliberate silence. On Teanus, success demands precision. It begins with preparation and unfolds only when the timing is right.
Rubbing his neck, Arthur unstrapped himself from his seat. He reviewed his sensors as the planet’s security sweep passed over him without pause. Instead of seeing countless ships bursting to life on his screen, there was nothing at all. As a smile bloomed on his face, Arthur clenched his fist.
His grin deepened as his attention moved from the sensor’s display to the readout of his craft’s systems. Every system displayed its status, and all were clear. When he shifted in the cockpit, the ship’s landing struts settled further into the shelf of compressed stone and dust. As he took a deep breath, the hull groaned. He stared out of the windshield, registering the jagged rock face of the cave. He thumped the glass, then popped the canopy open.
With the gentle breeze seeping in from the slender opening, Arthur activated the sequence to secure the ship. The struts drove anchors into the earth below with muted thuds. He listened to the soft whirl of the anchors driving into stone, head tilted, ears attuned to any sound suggesting fracture or give. By the time they stopped running, he heard nothing. Barring a natural disaster, the craft would survive and endure.
Arthur deactivated his craft’s engines, the cockpit exhaling with him as they idled down. When the low vibration of the engines vanished, the air felt thinner. Arthur activated his communication system. He eyed the jagged walls of the cramped cave that interfered with his signal. After his fingers flew over more controls, the antenna repositioned, finding a narrow position to connect with the global communication relays. Arthur closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he initiated the call.
When he opened them, Darvin’s image solidified with the occasional burst of static disrupting his profile. Arthur leaned into his seat, offering the living mountain a half-hearted salute, then clapped his hands once and rolled his head.
“You’ve settled on Teanus? Did you have any problems with your arrival?”
“Yeah,” Arthur said, his fingers entwining as his eyes fluttered between Darvin and the sensor display. “But, the planet decided to help me out.”
“What does that mean?”
“After bypassing the active and passive security, I adjusted my approach once I found a natural sensor dead zone.”
“What are you talking about?”
Arthur leaned forward, his lips curling into a smile. “The cave I found refracts and distorts sensors.”
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