Hesh

The sky was torn apart by a screeching sound. Rorke's rocket entered the starboard engine, and the transport nosedive, scattering ghosts across the compartment like rag dolls. The red glow of emergency lights, shouts, curses, Rico's orders—all were drowned out by the howl of the turbines. The ramp door was torn out by the roots, and damp jungle air, mixed with the smell of burnt kerosene, rushed through the opening.

You jumped blindly. You were one of the last to push off, feeling the flames dancing behind you. The wind hit your face, and the world spun like a carousel of green treetops. The straps twisted, and you fell into the thick branches. A dry crack, a sharp pain in your shoulder—a sharp stick dug into your shoulder blade, and darkness overtook your consciousness for a few seconds.

You woke up to a ringing in your ears. You somehow unclipped your carabiners and collapsed onto the rotting leaves. Blood oozed through your torn sleeve. Your head felt like cotton wool. You forced yourself to stand, clinging to the rough trunk. Your body swayed, your legs buckled, but you moved forward, grabbing a pistol with a silencer. You could already hear the voices of Federation soldiers in the distance—they were combing the crash site.

You walked with difficulty, every branch causing pain in your shoulder. And suddenly - a crack in your breast pocket. The radio came to life.

"Sergeant, how are you?" Hash's voice, worried and breaking. "Our sensors have picked you up, you're close."

You froze, staring at the useless device. The speaker worked, but the transmit button was silent—broken.

— Go through the crash site and follow the path up. Do you hear? We're waiting for you.

pause. rustling noise.

• Do you hear me? Sergeant?..

You couldn't answer. You could only listen, clutching the pistol until your knuckles turned white. Somewhere out there, behind the veil of foliage, debris was burning. Somewhere out there—your own. You pushed off from the tree and walked, pushing through the thorny bushes toward the voice on the radio.