Destiny Among the Stars - Scifi - LitRPG - Adventure

With a flick of his wrist, he sent the tomahawk spinning through the air. The arc was perfect, the motion ingrained deep in his muscle memory.

The blade struck the first guard clean in the joint, embedding itself with a crackling burst of energy.

The weapon hissed through the mist, striking just beneath the collar, where the armor flexed. The edge sheared through the exposed seam with a burst of white-hot energy. The guard jerked, spasmed and collapsed, twitching once before going still.

The second guard's head snapped toward the sound, too slow.

Zoe was already in motion.

She ran forward, silent as breath, ducking beneath the rifle muzzle. The guard swung around, but she twisted, let the momentum carry her into a low roll.

And then she was behind him.

Her Energy Dagger flared once, sliding up through the soft gap behind the knee joint. The guard staggered, dropped to one knee. Before it could recover, she rose with him, hooked an arm around its neck and drove the dagger down into the space beneath the backplate.

A sharp burst of plasma hissed.

The guard gurgled once, then dropped forward, lifeless.

[+22,860 XP]
[+9000 credits]

Two for two.

They made a damn good team.

The clearing was silent now, the only sound his own quick breaths. He retrieved his tomahawk and glanced at Zoe.

She stepped in close, her eyes sparkling through her visor, a satisfied grin on her lips.

"Still your favorite toy?" she teased, her voice low over the private comms.

He smirked, flipping the tomahawk idly in his hand before sliding it back into its holster. "Does the job. Come on, let's find that gate control."

"I've got your back," Zoe said, her voice steady over the comms.

They moved again, silent and controlled. The narrow opening ahead forced them to duck, squeezing through into a maze of crumbling corridors. The overhead lights flickered, casting shadows that danced across the cracked walls. Luca's senses were on high alert, attuned to the faint clank of distant metal and the low hum of machinery.

The passage narrowed further, forcing them single file. Luca took the lead, rifle raised, scanning the path ahead. He slid through a tight gap, his suit scraping against the metal, then turned to provide cover as Zoe followed.

They emerged at the edge of a large, open courtyard. Luca immediately flagged the dangers: automated turrets lining the walls, their barrels sweeping in slow, mechanical arcs. Beyond them stood a pair of massive steel doors. It was a deathtrap.

He crouched low, and Zoe was already dropping into position behind a chunk of debris, her sniper rifle powered and ready.

"Control panel," she said, her voice quiet. "Far side of the courtyard. Looks like it manages the turrets and the main gate."

He nodded, gripping his Energy Tomahawk. "I'll get to it. Cover me."

Zoe replied with a quick, affirmative click over the comms.

Luca darted into the open. He kept low, hugging the shadows as the turrets loomed above. He reached the panel, ducking behind a rusted console and pulling out his hacking pad. This was going to be a nightmare. The pad was TL8, designed for human systems, not this alien TL9 tech. There were no physical ports, just holographic glyphs floating above a sleek surface that pulsed with unfamiliar energy patterns. He'd have to find a wireless relay and hope his pad could even interpret the protocols.

"Talk to me, Luca," Zoe's voice crackled in his ear.

"Working on it," he replied, his voice low. He worked the interface, running brute-force scripts and compatibility patches. The pad whined with error messages, throwing up warnings about incompatible encryption and unknown data structures. But a flicker of instinct from his System-granted skills guided him... There! a pattern in the alien code that resembled something familiar.

The screen flickered, then stabilized. A shaky, partially corrupted feed of the turret control system popped up, text scrolling in symbols he couldn't read but somehow understood.

"Good. Because we've got guards incoming," she reported, her tone sharp. "No pressure."

He smirked, but a flashing alert lit up the pad's screen: Authorization Required. Security Override Engaged. A low hum vibrated through the air as one of the turrets began to lock onto his position.

Shit.

"Zoe, they're onto me!" he cursed.

A door hissed open from across the courtyard. A guard stepped out. Before Luca could react, a sharp crack echoed through the space, and the guard dropped, a clean, smoking hole in its chest.

[+11,430 XP gained]

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
[+4,500 credits]
[Skill Level up! Light Armor Proficiency Level 9 -> Level 10]
[Ability Unlocked: Ghost Protocol. Level 1. Extends active camouflage ability up to 5 minutes at level 10, increasing by 30% per level thereafter. Cooldown 60 minutes, -10% cooldown per level.]

"Nice shot," he murmured into the comms, his eyes locked on the notification.

Holy shit. Five minutes. Five minutes.

He had to reread the System message twice. His active camo, the ability that barely lasted thirty seconds, was now on steroids. He could walk straight through patrols, slip past security, vanish and stay vanished. This was huge.

He clenched his fists to keep from testing it. Not now. This was a one-hour cooldown, not something to burn for fun.

He tapped his comms. "Zoe, my Light Armor skill just leveled. I got an ability called Ghost Protocol. Five minutes of camo."

"Nice," she replied, her voice calm. "That's a huge upgrade. About time you got it."

He blinked. Her tone was way too casual. "Wait. About time? Do you have it already?"

A moment of silence.

"...Yeah. For a while now."

He frowned. "Did you have it before we reached Alpha Centauri?"

Another pause.

"…yes."

He stared at the sky for a second, then resisted the urge to run a hand down his visor. "You've had a five-minute stealth ability this whole time and didn't think to mention it?"

He could hear the grin in her voice. "We never ran into a situation where we needed it. You did a good job, so it didn't come up."

He shook his head, grinning despite himself. He refocused on the panel as it finally beeped. The turret controls lit up, alien symbols shifting to something his pad could interpret.

"Got it," he said, inputting the command to disable them. One by one, the barrels froze. He quickly found the controls for the main gate. With another command, the massive steel doors rumbled open.

He exhaled, switching his comms to the general channel. "Turrets are down and the main gate is open. Ryan, move in. Cautiously."

"Copy that, Luca," Ryan's voice came back, clear and professional. "We're on our way."

Luca turned to Zoe, who gave him a sharp nod from her position. They had a job to do.

"Let's go see what these weasels are hiding," he said, and together, they advanced into the darkness of the open gateway.

As they slipped through the open gate, Luca could hear the faint sounds of movement from within the base. They were in. But the mission was far from over. They moved quickly, opening the exterior gate where Ryan and the rest would be coming in from, their bulky armor making a racket.

"Took you long enough," Ryan said.

"Had to make sure you had a grand entrance," Luca replied, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Everyone alright?"

Emily nodded, her eyes flicking over him with that careful assessment she always did after a fight. "We're good. A few close calls."

Chris exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "That way in wasn't exactly empty. We had to punch through more of those weasel bastards."

Danny grinned, hefting his warhammer. "Got my cardio in."

Joey shot him a dry look. "That's what you're focusing on?"

Ryan ignored them, already sizing up the next obstacle: massive reinforced doors. His expression darkened. "Another locked gate. Figures. Guessing you two are on it again?"

Zoe was not impressed. "Same deal as before, but I'd bet the security's tighter the further we go."

Ryan exhaled. "Alright, you two do your thing. We'll hold here and set up a defensive position."

"Let's not waste any more time," Luca said. "Command center. Let's go."

As Luca and Zoe advanced deeper into the base, the distant sounds of machinery grew louder. This place was still alive.

Zoe stopped short, holding up a fist. He mirrored her, crouching as she pointed to a narrow opening in the wall near the floor. A maintenance route indicator flickered faintly above it.

Zoe turned to him, a grin forming. "Think they'll fit?" she asked, jerking a thumb back toward the others.

He let out a breath. "No shot. Ryan and the rest in their armored suits? Not a chance."

Zoe was already moving. She twisted sideways, her scout suit stretching with her as she slipped into the opening, flexing effortlessly through the gap.

He exhaled, bracing himself as he followed, shimmying through the rough, uneven passage. The jagged walls scraped against his suit, but it held. No breaches. No alarms. Just silence.

Before he could respond, the comms crackled to life. Gunfire erupted over the comms, much louder this time.

The rhythmic crack of Ryan's rifle. The sharp hiss of Emily's blasters.

They'd been spotted.

He stiffened, gripping his tomahawk tighter. "Shit," he muttered. The fight had started without them.

Zoe adjusted her grip on her rifle. "Sounds like they're having fun," she said, her voice light, but he could hear the tension beneath it.

"Let's give them a real reason to party," he replied, his mind already racing.

They pressed on, the sounds of the firefight growing louder. It was chaos over comms, with plasma fire, shouts, and the clang of metal on metal. He could picture the scene: Ryan barking orders, Emily's twin blasters spitting blue death, Danny's Warhammer crushing anything that got too close. They were holding their own, for now.

"Zoe," he said, his voice low in their private comms. "Can you make out what they're saying? Any indication of how many they're facing?"

"Trying," she replied. "Comms are fuzzy through this haze. Sounds like... a lot. They're definitely pinned down."

Shit. They needed to reach that command center and disable defenses.

"...flanking left... need cover..." Ryan's voice, strained but still in command.

"...taking heavy fire... can't hold this position..." That was Danny, a hint of panic in his voice.

"...grenade out..." Joey, his voice barely a whisper.

And then, a sharp cry from Chris, followed by a sickening thud. Shit. He's hit?

Each fragmented transmission was like a punch to the gut. They had to reach that command center, and fast.

"Zoe," he murmured, his voice low. "We need to hurry. They can't hold out forever."

[+51,435 XP]
[+20,250 credits]
[Skill Level up! Close Quarters Proficiency Level 6 -> Level 7]

The interior of the military base was oppressive. Flickering lights cast erratic shadows on the harsh, metal walls. Luca and Zoe moved through the gloom, their scout suits blending into the darkness. He scanned the corridor ahead. Two doors. One was sealed, its control panel dead. The other was jammed partially open, just enough for them to slip through.

The objective was simple: reach the command center and disable the base's defenses.

They crept deeper, sticking to the walls. They reached another sealed door with no obvious console. His helmet display marked a faint electronic signature just above the jamb.

"Controls are integrated into the wall," he whispered over the comms.

He pulled out his hacking pad. Zoe crouched beside him, rifle at the ready, scanning the hallway for movement.

"Don't take too long," she murmured, her voice low and steady. "I can hear them getting closer."

Just then, the comms crackled. "Zoe, Luca, you copy?" Ryan's voice was tense. "We're pinned down! We need that command center offline, now!"

"Working on it," Luca replied, his focus narrowing. "Hang tight."

He forced his attention back to the pad. The interface struggled to sync with the alien system, throwing up error messages and compatibility warnings. He ignored them, exploiting the weak points he could see in the alien architecture. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he worked, the sounds of battle echoing through the comms.

Finally, the pad beeped. The door hissed open.

"We're in," he said to Zoe.

She straightened, a sharp glint in her eye as she raised her rifle. "Let's move."

They slipped inside. The comms crackled again with the sound of Emily's blasters firing. "

We're taking heavy fire here! Whatever you're doing, do it faster!"