The data could only tell them so much. Scans from the VoidEcho’s limited sensors and satellite drones had revealed a world covered in vast old-growth forests, its slightly stronger gravity and oxygen-rich atmosphere making it just a little harsher than Earth. Life was present, but there were no detectable signs of advanced civilization—no cities, no radio signals, nothing resembling technology. And yet, Null and Infy felt it, a wrongness lurking beneath the surface of the readings, something the machines couldn’t quantify.


    Lisa agreed. The scans weren’t enough. If they wanted answers, they had to go down there themselves.


    That presented a problem. The VoidEcho wasn’t equipped with a shuttle, and its design wasn’t meant for atmospheric entry. That left them with only one option.


    Teleportation.


    Jania stretched her arms, rolling her shoulders in her freshly repaired suit. “We’re really doing this, huh? Blind jump onto an unknown planet with no backup?”


    Null adjusted his gauntlets, his expression unreadable. “We have each other.”


    Chris wasn’t sure he liked this plan, but Lisa had already made the call. He exhaled, crossing his arms. “Just stick to the plan. In and out. If anything goes wrong, you call in immediately.”


    “We’ll be fine,” Jania assured him, grinning. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”


    Chris gave her a deadpan stare. “I’m not even dignifying that with a response.”


    The plan was simple: establish a safe location to teleport to and scout out the local area. Zeph had refused to go. She had spent most of her time sitting away from the group. Chris wanted to go, but Lisa said it was better if only Jania and Null went, as they had the training.


    Lisa had already selected a clearing with the lowest tree density. It would be their landing site, programmed into the teleportation system. Jania and Null stepped onto the designated platform, their weapons and supplies secured.


    Infy pulsed with energy, running a final check. “Coordinates locked.”


    Null gave a small wave, Jania throwing in a dramatic salute before they vanished in a shimmer of light.


    ---


    The first thing Jania noticed was that she was alone. The teleportation had worked, but she wasn’t in the expected location. The trees around her were massive, ancient—far older than the ones in the clearing they had chosen. She sighed. Of course. Nothing ever goes the way I want it to.


    She tried connecting back to the VoidEcho. Nothing. No signal. She attempted to reach Null, first telepathically, then through her communicator. Still nothing.


    Her training kicked in. The priority was shelter. She had rations, and enough water to last a while, but without a way to call for help, she needed to settle in. She gathered fallen wood and younger saplings, fashioning a makeshift lean-to. It wasn’t much, but it would keep her covered.


    Next, she needed to get her bearings. She climbed one of the towering trees, gripping the rough bark as she ascended higher and higher. From the top, she scanned the landscape. No landmarks. No signs of civilization. Just an endless sea of green. Guess I’ll have to wait for Null to find me, she thought. She trusted him. Trusted the others. She just hoped that whatever was blocking their connection wasn’t stopping them from reaching her.


    Back on the VoidEcho, Null still stood on the teleportation pad, his body flickering with residual energy. The others stared at him in confusion.


    Chris broke the silence. “What happened?”


    Null shook his head. “It was blocked, Where is Jania?”.


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    Lisa frowned and immediately started scanning for Jania’s location. Nothing. The sensors came up blank. Every attempt to contact her failed.


    Days passed. Jania was getting worried.


    There had been no sign of rescue. No way to contact the others. No indication of where to go.


    She was a physically strong woman and she prided herself on that. But mentally, she was still an adolescent, a child forced to act like a soldier. The isolation was wearing her down. The lack of results, the crushing loneliness… it was all too much.


    She curled up in her makeshift shelter, hugging her knees, her body wracked with silent sobs. She had promised herself she would make this mission a success, and she couldn’t even start it. Some super-soldier she turned out to be.


    She wanted to go back to the VoidEcho. She wanted to hear Chris complain about Null. She wanted to see Zeph roll her eyes at her poor jokes. She wanted someone—anyone.


    But all she had was the silence. And the memories.


    She had never told the others about the experiments on Mars. The classified projects. The times she had been locked away, treated like an object to be fixed instead of a person. She didn’t think they would look at her the same way if they knew. And now, alone in this endless wilderness, the memories came flooding back like a tidal wave.


    Then—


    “Oh, little one, what’s the matter?”


    Jania jolted upright, muscles tensing into a combat stance.


    “That won’t help you here. Relax.”


    The voice was soft, almost melodic. It came from a small floating light.


    Jania narrowed her eyes. “What… are you?”


    The light pulsed gently. “Now, now. No need for hostility. Tell me, what’s the matter?”


    Maybe it was the loneliness. Maybe it was the sincerity in its voice. Either way, Jania broke. She told it everything. How she was here on a mission. How she had failed before she could even begin. How she wasn’t strong enough. How she wasn’t enough.


    The light flickered, as if considering her words.


    “You seek the others of your kind?”


    Jania wiped at her eyes, straightening. “Yes. Do you know where they are?”


    “I do. Follow me, and you will see.”


    She hesitated. She had no reason to trust this thing. But she also had no better options.


    “…Alright.”


    “Be warned,” the light added, floating ahead of her. “The spirits of this planet have forbidden all forms of violence.”


    That wasn’t ominous at all.


    Still, Jania followed. The path it led her down was winding and unfamiliar, but the forest was breathtaking. Now that she wasn’t so focused on her mission, she could actually see it. The towering trees, their bark lined with glowing veins of blue. The soft luminescence of moss that pulsed with an internal rhythm. The way the leaves rustled in a breeze she couldn’t quite feel.


    She hadn’t noticed the shift in her thoughts. Hadn’t realized how easily she was following the light, step after step, deeper into the woods. She hadn’t even wondered how a light on a completely different planet knew her language and could talk.


    The light darted forward, entering a cave. Jania moved to follow—


    Something slammed into her.


    She hit the ground hard, breath knocked from her lungs. A figure pinned her down. Small. Agile. A young girl.


    Jania’s training kicked in, instincts roaring back to life. She clenched her fists, ready to throw her attacker off—


    Then she saw the girl’s eyes.


    And she froze.


    "Don''t follow the will-o-wisp! Everything in the forest lies!"


    The sudden voice snapped Jania out of her trance. She looked at her attacker.


    A girl. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. No older than twelve or thirteen. She was wearing a worn-out vac suit, scuffed and patched in multiple places, like it had been through hell and back.


    Jania frowned, hand hovering near her weapon. "Who are you? How did you find me?"


    The girl grinned, eyes lighting up. "Oh, hi hi! I''m Kikei, technical officer for Arkship Two!" She performed a mock salute that quickly dissolved into fidgeting. "You''re here to rescue us, right? Please say yes!"


    Jania''s fingers tensed. "It''s... complicated." She studied the girl''s excited face, remembering her last encounter and the price of trust. "How do I know you''re not lying?"


    Kikei tilted her head, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Uhm, you don''t! But I''m not!" She gestured wildly toward the path in the forest. "Maybe you should lead the way—oh! How did you even get here? Your ship must be amazing! Are you human? You look human, but we don''t have tech like yours! Unless—" her eyes widened "—did we have some crazy breakthrough in the last ten years?"


    She edged closer, examining Jania with unbridled curiosity. "I love your hair! And that suit is so advanced! If I couldn''t sense you, I would''ve never found you in this forest!"


    The words hit Jania like a verbal tidal wave.


    She stared.


    What the hell am I supposed to answer first?


    Then something clicked.


    "You sensed me?"


    That wasn’t normal. Her suit had stealth systems and should have rendered her nearly undetectable. Even people with advanced tech would struggle to pick her up. Yet this girl, this strange, excited girl, had sensed her?


    Jania narrowed her eyes, taking a closer look.


    There was something off about Kikei. Not in a bad way, necessarily but something not quite normal.


    And Jania had a feeling she was about to find out exactly what that was.