"Chris is hit!" Joey shouted, his energy shield snapping up like a goddamn riot barricade, blocking another soldier-drone. "I’ve got him, but he’s out of the fight!"


    Chris gritted his teeth, his arm charred and smoking, but he wasn’t screaming anymore. He was fucking pissed. Joey’s hands were a blur, slapping a coagulant spray on the wound, working fast.


    Shit. Shit, shit, shit. That was one of our plasma rifles out of commission. We were already fighting uphill, already underequipped for this TL9 hellhole, and now? Now, we were down a gun.


    And that bitch of a Queen was still standing.


    My grip tightened on my rifle. My HUD was a mess of alerts, low ammo, armor damage, and squad status flickering. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, a mix of adrenaline, exhaustion, and something colder. Not just excitement anymore. Fear.


    I clenched my jaw, forcing it down. We needed to end this. Now.


    Emily was still in the thick of it, a goddamn Valkyrie, weaving between the drones with that plasma sword like she was untouchable. Danny was a human wrecking ball, taking hits, drawing aggro, smashing through whatever got in our way.


    And Zoe? Zoe was already lining up the next shot, cool as ice, like none of this fazed her.


    We were close. So fucking close.


    I sucked in a sharp breath. "Zoe, cover Joey! Everyone else, keep pushing!"


    <hr>


    Emily glanced back, up toward me, her eyes fierce and determined. “We need to take her out now, Luca. We can’t let any more spawn.”


    Damn. The way she said it, like there was no other option, no hesitation? It was a hell of a turn-on, even if this whole situation was pure nightmare fuel. If we survived this? We were going to be very busy tonight.


    I smirked, steadied my grip on my rifle. “Then let’s finish this.”


    Squad comms clicked. “Everyone, focus on the Queen! Take her down!”


    And just like that, the battlefield shifted.


    We weren’t just fighting anymore, we were fucking hunting.


    Plasma beams lit up the chamber, cutting through the fog and the swarming drones. Zoe’s sniper cracked again and again, each shot clean, precise, covering Joey and Chris. Below us, the others tightened formation, pushing forward like a battering ram.


    Danny held the line like a goddamn fortress, his aggro beacon pulling the smaller ones toward him. His warhammer was a blur of impact, each swing caving in chitinous skulls.


    Ryan and Emily? A goddamn tag team of destruction. Every time Zoe or I exposed a weak spot, they were already there, power surges and plasma fire slamming home.


    The Queen thrashed, her grotesque sac pulsing, mandibles clacking in fury, but we were fucking relentless.


    My rifle flared, snapping a shot at a drone creeping up behind Emily. She didn’t even look back, just kept moving, slashing through the sac, melting through layers of flesh with every strike.


    Then, a soldier drone lunged for Danny, jagged claws swinging for his helmet.


    Ryan, quick as a whip, saw it first. His power surge flashed, one precise shot, shattering the drone’s claw mid-air.


    “Nice shot, Ryan!” Danny grunted, swinging his hammer into another soldier. “Keep pushing, we’re close!”


    The Queen screeched, limbs spasming, rearing back, but she was weakening.


    We closed in, a pack of wolves circling the kill.


    Emily moved in for the final strike, her sword a trail of blue light cutting into the Queen’s engorged sac.


    “Now, Emily!” I shouted. “Take the shot!”


    Her eyes locked on the weak point, blade shifting mid-motion, precision and power in one lethal strike.


    The plasma sword drove deep, searing through the sac, severing it completely.


    The Queen let out one last, deafening screech, her entire body convulsing, before she collapsed.


    The ground shook with the impact; dust and debris flew everywhere, then silence.


    System notifications flickered across my HUD.


    [+186,863 XP]


    [+69,750 credits]


    [Skill Level up! Ranged Weapons Proficiency 9 -> Level 10]


    [Ability Unlocked: Target Lock Assist: For 10 seconds, the character''s interface highlights a selected target, providing enhanced visual tracking and trajectory data. The ability stabilizes the weapon against movement (such as recoil or sway) and offers subtle aim correction, making it easier to stay locked on the target. Ideal for landing precision shots under high-stress conditions. Highlights the target in the character’s interface, including movement direction and speed. Reduces weapon sway and recoil by 30% during the duration. Provides a 15% aim correction assist for better accuracy. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]


    [Skill Level up! Situational Awareness Proficiency Level 9 -> Level 10]


    [Ability Unlocked: Heightened Awareness: For 15 seconds, gain full awareness of all nearby movements or threats, even in low visibility. Cooldown: 5 minutes.]


    [Skill Level up! Adaptive Cover Proficiency Level 8 -> Level 9]


    [Mission completed! Destroy the Queen and Escape, reward: 157,800 Skill XP, 120,000 credits]


    [Level Up!: Level 62 +5 attribute points]


    <hr>


    We stood there, breathing hard, the bodies of those ugly bastards scattered around the fallen Queen. We''d done it. We''d fucking done it. But it had cost us. Chris was down, and we were all running on fumes. Another close call. Another victory that felt like it could have gone the other way. But we were alive.


    The room went silent, the last of those little shits skittering back into the shadows. We stood there, breathing hard, but we''d fucking done it. We''d won.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I lowered my rifle, the adrenaline still coursing through me. I looked around at my team, their faces lit by the glow of the fallen Queen. "We did it," I said, a smile breaking through. "Hell yeah, we did it."


    Ryan whooped, high-fiving me. "You see that? That was badass. We''re legends!"


    "Yeah, yeah, get a room," Zoe teased, grinning as she leaned her rifle on her shoulder. "But first, let’s see what kind of loot this big bug was hiding."


    The Queen''s final screech faded, and with it, the pulsing energy of the dungeon seemed to ease. The room was still, the glow of the dim lights flickering off the now-lifeless sac. Then, the system message popped up, bright and bold on our HUDs.


    Fuck. Yes.


    Danny grinned, his chest heaving. "Hell yeah, level sixty-two! I can feel those extra attribute points already." He flexed, striking a pose. "Gonna hit even harder next time."


    Joey smirked, still kneeling by Chris. But his smile faded, his focus on Chris''s injury. "Celebrate later, guys. We need to check on Chris."


    Right. Chris. The adrenaline started to fade, replaced by a wave of exhaustion and a dull ache in my muscles. We''d won, yeah, but it had been close. Too close. We needed to get Chris patched up and get the hell out of here.


    My smile vanished as I moved over, kneeling beside Joey. Chris was slumped against the wall, his armor fucked up, melted where that acid shit had hit. The skin underneath was covered in a nano bandage, glowing faintly. Joey had done what he could, but seeing Chris''s arm, red and raw, burned down to the fucking bone... it was rough. My gut twisted. "How is he?" I asked quietly.


    "He’s stable," Joey said, his voice flat. "The nano bandage is doing its job, but... he’s going to need the med pod as soon as we’re back. The acid ate right through to the bone. I’ve seen worse, but not by much."


    Emily knelt down beside them, her face softer than I''d seen it in a while. "We’ll carry him out," she said firmly. "He’ll make it."


    I exhaled, some of the tension in my shoulders easing. Chris had gotten hit head-on. I’d only taken splash damage earlier, acidic blood spraying when I’d hacked into that scout. My armor was a little melty, edges warped and discolored, but intact. It had held. Chris’? Not so much. The difference between a near miss and a direct hit.


    "Good," I said, nodding. "We’ll keep Chris steady and make sure nothing gets near him."


    Joey worked on a makeshift sling, securing Chris''s arm. "He’s tough. He’ll be fine," Joey said, but there was doubt in his voice. It hurt to see one of us like this. Especially for Joey, who was always the one patching us up.


    With Chris as secure as we could make him, I stood up and took a deep breath. "Alright," I said, trying to sound more in control than I felt. "Let’s check the loot. Then we get the fuck out of here." We''d won, but it didn''t feel like much of a victory right now. But we were alive, and we were leaving together. That was something, at least.


    We moved around the fallen Queen, grabbing the glowing loot boxes that had popped up near her carcass. One by one, we opened them, finding armor pieces that glittered with the same sleek, dark design as that chest piece from earlier. Medium armor, perfect for Ryan, naturally, and a heavy set that Danny picked up, his eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas morning.


    [Item Acquired: Centauri Guardian Mk-64 Exo-Frame]


    [Item Acquired: Centauri Juggernaut Mk-64 Gauntlet Actuators]


    "Now we’re talking," Danny said, grinning as he tested the weight of the new gauntlets. "I’m gonna look like a tank in this."


    "Medium armor?" Ryan said, holding up a polished breastplate. "Oh yeah, this is definitely an upgrade. Feels lighter than my old set, too. I’ll be bouncing around like I’m on skates." Of course, he would. Gotta make sure that ass is mobile, wouldn''t want to cramp his style.


    The last box held a sleek, long-barreled rifle, its matte finish glinting in the dim light. I lifted it out, feeling the cool, smooth metal. The scope was integrated, streamlined, a Plasma Sniper Rifle. I turned, meeting Zoe''s expectant gaze. Legs for days, that one. And those eyes? Trouble.


    [Item Acquired: Proxima LR-64 "Solar Flare" Sniper Rifle - TL9]


    "This one’s yours," I said, holding it out to her. "You’ve always been a better shot."


    Zoe''s eyes lit up, and she took the rifle with a smile. Damn, she was sexy as fuck. "Oh, Luca, you shouldn’t have," she said, her tone teasing, but there was genuine warmth there. She winked at me. "I’ll pay you back for this one day, I promise."


    "I’ll hold you to that," I replied, my smile returning, if only briefly. Maybe I just scored some brownie points. Wouldn''t mind cashing those in later. But the excitement of the loot was already fading, replaced by the pressing need to get Chris back to the Peregrine. "Alright, let’s wrap this up. What was the Queen guarding?"


    We turned our attention to the device nestled behind the Queen’s remains, still glowing faintly. From a distance, it had seemed small, but up close? It was embedded deep into the stone floor, sleek, alien, and humming with an energy that made my skin prickle.


    Ryan, because of course Ryan, crouched down and pulled out his item analyzer. The thing let out a low beep as it started scanning.


    [Item Acquired: Advanced Deflector Shield Schematic - TL9]


    "Well?" Danny asked, leaning over like a kid on Christmas. "What’s it do?"


    Ryan’s eyes widened. "Holy shit. It’s an advanced deflector shield schematic."


    I blinked. "Like, for a starship?"


    Ryan nodded slowly, tapping at his screen. "Not just any deflector. This thing has inertial dampening. If we get this built and install it on the Triumph of Darron, we could pull high-G maneuvers like they were nothing. No more stress on the hull. No more redlining the inertial compensators. This is next-gen TL9 shit."


    My interest spiked. "That’s insane. We could maneuver through asteroid fields, dodge incoming fire-"


    "If we can power it." Ryan’s excitement dimmed just a little as reality kicked in. "As it stands, our power plant can’t handle something like this. The energy draw would fry our whole system. We''d need a serious upgrade first."


    "So it’s useless," Zoe said, crossing her arms.


    Ryan shot her a look. "Not useless. We just need to find a way to get more power. If we can upgrade the plant, we can equip this, along with anything else we find like it. This is a major step up, but we’ve gotta put in the work."


    Of course, he says that like he’s the only one who does any work around here. Asshole.


    Danny clapped his hands together, grinning. "Well, we’ve been doing nothing but work since we got here." He shot me a look. "What’s a little more?"


    I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. "We take the schematic, we get Chris back to the Peregrine, and we figure it out from there." I stared down at the schematic, frustration gnawing at me. We’d found something huge, a goddamn starship upgrade, and we couldn’t even use it.


    "We’ll figure it out," I said, voice firm. "If there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s pushing past limits."


    Ryan clapped me on the back, hard enough to sting. "Damn right. And when we get this thing running, I’m taking her for a spin first."


    "You wish," Zoe snorted, nudging him off balance. "You’ll be watching while I dodge asteroids like a pro."


    "Yeah, yeah," Joey cut in, stretching. "Let’s not talk about dodging asteroids until we actually have the shield installed. First things first, we get Chris back to the ship. That med pod’s waiting."


    I glanced at Chris. Still out, breathing steady, his arm wrapped up tight. Joey had done what he could, but the damage? It looked bad.


    I exhaled and turned to Emily, reaching to wrap an arm around her waist, a little instinctive pull to bring her close. Maybe just to ground myself after all of that.


    She stiffened. Then stepped forward, slipping right out of my grasp. Right.


    "We wouldn’t even be dealing with this if we hadn’t gone through," she muttered. It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t directed at anyone, not really. But it was there.


    My stomach twisted. She hadn’t wanted to do this portal in the first place. And now Chris was down.


    Ryan must’ve caught it too because his usual cocky grin faded, his expression unreadable for a second before he shouldered Chris’s weight. "Let’s move," he said.


    We lifted Chris carefully, balancing his weight between us. The mood wasn’t light anymore, it was heavier now, sharper. We’d won, sure. We’d gotten loot, XP, and something to chase after. But the cost was right there, unconscious, burned, and barely patched together.


    I clenched my jaw. "Alright, team," I said, voice steady. "We’ve got what we came for. Let’s get the hell out of here."


    I was excited to get those two new abilities; they had been a long time coming. I’d been hoping for something flashy, like some of the abilities I’d seen back in Sol. Instead? I got Target Lock Assist, which was basically aimbot lite, and Heighted Awareness, which, okay, sounded cool on paper, but in reality? I’d already been keeping my eyes open, hadn’t I?


    They weren’t bad abilities. Hell, they were actually really practical. But I’d been picturing something... sexier.


    <hr>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    We stepped through the exit portal.


    Light rushed back into my visor as we emerged on the surface of New Dawn. The sun was out, golden and warm against the alien sky, a brutal contrast to the cold, dark hellhole we’d just left.


    I took a breath, forcing myself to relax. We’d done it. We’d leveled up, survived the first real TL9 dungeon, and walked out stronger.


    Emily moved ahead, walking close to Chris, eyes locked forward.


    Ryan caught my eye, but for once, he didn’t say a word.


    Zoe stretched, groaning. "I don’t know about you guys, but I need a long shower and at least one meal that doesn’t taste like protein chalk."


    I barely heard her.


    We had Chris to fix, a ship to upgrade, and an entire new fucking level of tech to figure out.


    And I had some shit to work out with Emily.