You awaken with a violent cough, your head pounding. The acrid smell of burning circuitry and spilled fuel fills the air. Twisted metal groans around you as the wreckedVanguardsettles deeper into the dense alien jungle. Emergency lights flicker weakly, casting long, stuttering shadows through the cracked viewport. Outside, massive bioluminescent trees sway under twin moons, and something large moves through the undergrowth with a low, rhythmic clicking.
Your pulse rifle lies half-buried under debris nearby. A deep gash on your arm stings, and the ship’s hull has been breached in several places. Somewhere in the distance, a metallic shimmer distorts the air for a split second before vanishing.