Chapter 57 - Stranger to Death

19.37 Hours, June 9th, 2187

Grid location: Proxima System, Planet Tethlis, Super Earth Space.

The ridge was a desolate stretch, more rock than soil, with jagged shadows thrown long under the moonlight. Carlos and his artillery unit had moved swiftly, positioning themselves to hold the advantage. His voice was terse over the comm link, "Positions secured, but it's quiet. Too quiet."

Jack monitored the status updates from his makeshift command center, a cramped space cluttered with screens and cables. The tension was palpable; every soldier knew the silence was just the calm before the storm.

Elena was coordinating with the supply convoys, her voice a steady stream in the background. "Check each shipment, double the guards. I don't want us losing a single crate to enemy raids—or worse, internal theft."

Meanwhile, Maria's station was alive with blinking lights and scrolling codes. "Got something," she said, a flicker of urgency in her voice. She enlarged an intercepted transmission on her screen, decoding in real-time. "It's a plan for a dawn attack. They're not just probing defenses. They're coming in full force."

Jack clenched his fist, his mind racing with possibilities and strategies. He clicked his comm unit, connecting him to Carlos. "They're planning a dawn push. Hold the ridge at all costs. I'll send reinforcements."

"Copy that," Carlos replied, his voice crackling through static. "We'll give them a sunrise they won't forget."

As night deepened, Jack paced before the main table, maps and digital feeds sprawled before him. Each unit's readiness flickered on the screens, a testament to their preparedness—or desperation. The med bay was a continuous loop of triage and emergency care, barely keeping pace with the demands. Dr. Susan Lee's voice was calm, yet strained, "We're holding, Jack, but I hope those supplies are real and they're close."

"They're on their way," Elena interjected, not looking up from her workstation. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, coordinating the logistics. "And I've got patrols out. No one's getting their hands on them but us."

Amidst the chaos, a private approached Jack, salute crisp. "Sir, message from command—they're watching our progress. High stakes on this one."

Jack nodded, acknowledging the weight not just of command's expectations but of the lives dependent on his decisions. "Tell them we'll hold. And tell our people... tell them I'm proud. Now, let's get ready to show them what we're made of."

Outside, the soldiers fortified their positions, whispering last-minute checks and reassurances. In the artillery units, loaders checked their weapons, and lookouts kept their eyes trained on the shadowy no man's land beyond their light.

The quiet was oppressive, the anticipation a heavy cloak around Jack as he watched the horizon begin to lighten slightly. It was a false dawn, illuminated not by the sun but by the sudden barrage of enemy artillery that erupted across the ridge.

Explosions shattered the early morning silence, plumes of earth and fire marking the line between them and the enemy. Jack's voice was a beacon in the chaos, clear and commanding. "Hold the line! Reinforcements are incoming! This ridge is ours!"

As the battle raged, the dwindling supplies reached its peak. Just as ammo ran critically low, the supply convoy—guarded heavily and driven through a gauntlet of enemy territory—burst through, escorted by a squadron whose arrival turned desperation into a renewed stand.

In the heart of battle, where every command could be a last order, and every face might be a memory, they fought—not just for survival, but for each other, and for a future they were still determined to claim.