No Way Out – Ambush on Draken-IV

Objective: Evacuate Blacklight Team, Survive Kran Encirclement, Hold Until Extraction

Deployment – Draken-IV, Wasteland Battlefield

The Wraith-Class Stealth Frigate Oblivion's Veil descended through the storm-choked atmosphere of Draken-IV, its cloaking veil flickering against the turbulent winds. Below, the war-scorched terrain stretched endlessly—craters, shattered cities, and the skeletal remains of long-abandoned war machines.

Nathan Vale tightened his grip on his rifle as Team Blacklight moved through the ruins of what had once been a Terran outpost. This was supposed to be a simple recon and exfiltration mission. It wasn't.

Aegis' voice cut through the comms. "Kran forces converging on all fronts. We are surrounded."

Hex exhaled sharply. "That was fast."

Zero cursed, adjusting his scope. "We just walked into a damn kill zone."

Kiera's voice was sharp. "Orders?"

Vale's jaw tightened. "We hold position and fight our way out. No panic. No hesitation."

The first plasma mortar detonated against a ruined structure to their left, sending a shockwave of searing heat and debris through the air. The ambush had begun.

The Trap – Nowhere to Run

Before Vale could issue an order, Kran warriors burst from the ruins, their biomechanical exosuits pulsing with combat stimulants. Their weapons glowed, charging to lethal intensity.

A sniper round cracked through the air—just missing Vale's head.

Kiera dove into cover, returning fire. "They've got marksmen on the high ground!"

Aegis pulsed an urgent alert. "Tactical assessment: survival probability dropping. Incoming armored units. Scans indicate leadership presence—potential Kahl'Nir influence."

Vale's eyes narrowed. The Kahl'Nir—psionic enforcers of the Kran Dominion. If they were involved, this wasn't just an ambush. It was a calculated purge.

Through the dust and flames, a Kran warbeast emerged—a towering quadrupedal machine, its mechanical limbs lined with plasma cannons. Its targeting systems locked onto their position.

Then it fired.

The ground beneath Vale exploded, hurling him backward. His visor cracked, alarms flaring in his HUD. His vision blurred for a second before Aegis stabilized his neural link.

Zero pulled him up. "We're about to get overrun!"

Vale shook off the impact and reloaded. "Not yet."

The Last Stand

The plasma barrage tore through their cover, forcing Vale and his team to scatter into the ruins.

Vale hit the ground and rolled, raising his rifle—a headshot dropped one Kran warrior before he even reached them.

Zero activated his active camo, vanishing just as two Kran shock troopers moved in to flank them. A second later, his blade cut through their throats in a single fluid motion.

Hex unleashed a psionic storm, causing the air to ripple—one Kran's helmet imploded, his skull crushed under the force.

Kiera launched an EMP grenade, sending a shockwave through the warbeast's systems, causing it to stagger.

But then, a second warbeast appeared. And this one wasn't acting on simple programming—it moved with calculated precision, adjusting to their strategies.

Aegis' voice echoed urgently. "More inbound. Tactical patterns indicate the presence of a Rythar commander. The Kran are adapting."

Vale's gut twisted. The Rythar—the masterminds of Kran warfare. If one was here, they weren't just outnumbered. They were being studied.

"Fucking hell," Kiera snarled. "There's another one!"

Hex's breath was ragged. "We need extraction. Now."

Vale clenched his jaw. "Then we hold," he growled, reloading as he pulled a grenade from his belt. "We hold until they get here."

The warbeast charged, cannons blazing.

Vale and Kiera dodged as the massive machine plowed through a crumbling structure, collapsing an entire wall. The impact knocked Hex off balance—a Kran soldier lunged for her, blade raised.

Zero intercepted, a throwing knife sinking deep into the Kran's eye socket. He smirked. "You're welcome."

Hex shot him a glare before turning back to the fight. "Save the flirting for later!"

Extraction – Stealth Destroyer Obsidian Lance Arrives

Just as the team braced for a final stand, a shadow loomed over the battlefield.

Aegis' voice rang out. "Reinforcements inbound."

Above them, the Stealth Destroyer Obsidian Lance de-cloaked, its Nyx-1 kinetic torpedoes ripping through Kran armor.

A squadron of Phantom-Class Stealth Frigates surged into formation, deploying dropships loaded with heavy reinforcements.

Their tactical dropship, descended in a hail of covering fire.

Zero grinned. "About damn time."

Vale activated his comms. "Everyone—fall back to the dropships! Now!"

The team sprinted through the wreckage, dodging Kran artillery as their escort frigates unleashed suppressive fire.

Hex covered their retreat, sending a psionic shockwave that sent Kran troops flying.

A warbeast **charged after them, plasma cannons primed—**only for a Nyx-1 torpedo to obliterate it in a silent kinetic blast.

Vale leaped onto the dropship's ramp, dragging Hex aboard just as a shockwave from an explosion knocked them forward.

The moment the last operative was inside, Tempest-7's thrusters ignited.

Through the rear hatch, Vale watched as Kran forces desperately fired at the sky, helpless as the Stealth Destroyer vanished into the void.

Aftermath – The Cost of War

As the team sat in silence inside the dropship, the weight of the battle pressed down on them.

Kiera broke the silence. "That was a massacre."

Hex, still catching her breath, whispered, "Next time… we hit them first."

Zero leaned back, running a hand over his blood-smeared visor. "They wanted us dead. This wasn't a skirmish—it was a message."

Vale exhaled, watching the burning ruins of Draken-IV disappear below. "Next time, we don't walk into a trap."

Aegis' voice came through the comms, unreadable. "Next time, we may not be so lucky."

The war wasn't over. The Kran were watching. Calculating. Waiting.

And they weren't done yet.