The retreat was a mess.
Smoke hung low between the trees, turning every patch of light into a shifting haze.
The survivors were scattered and shouting, trying to hold formation while dragging the scientists through the mud.
As Orion moved, rifle steady and shooting, eyes moving between allies and enemies heat readings.
Just as his eyes landed on the leading officer his HUD suddenly changed as a roll of new information appeared.
{Complication Detected.}
{Heart rate irregular.}
{Excessive bleeding detected.}
{Internal bleeding detected.}
{Likelihood of survival: 12%.}
{Recommendation: Begin assuming command.}
He blinked once and the words faded, He glanced once more at the officer but didn't bother trying to help.
From the amount of bleeding, there was realistically nothing they could do in an active battle zone.
He watched as the officer stumbled forward, clutching his side where acid had eaten through part of his armour.
He was shouting orders that no one was really hearing, voice cracking under the pressure because he was loosing too much blood.
"Hold the flank! Keep formation, for God's sake!"
But the swarm was everywhere, closing in from both sides.
Orion fired twice into the treeline, dropping a pair of charging workers chaste.
He didn't need to think about it. The HUD had already marked them in faint red and his targeting system was already on it before he saw them move.
The officer turned, tried to shout something else... then froze.
A Chrysalith soldier burst from behind a trunk, claws out, acid dripping from its mandibles.
Orion's HUD flickered.
{Fatality Imminent.}
The officer fired too slow. The creature was faster. Orion watched from his peripheral vision.
The Chrysalith Soldier Chaste hit the officer like a hammer, drove him to the ground, and tore through his torso before anyone else could react.
There was a scream. Then silence.
Orion turned and fired his rifle once and the creature dropped.
He didn't flinch, he just raised his voice as high as he could in a calm, commanding tone.
{Recommendation: Fall back and keep distance.}
"Everyone fall back... move now. Stay close to cover and keep your distance from the creatures."
The soldiers didn't hesitate as they immediately followed his orders.
They hadn't received any actionable order in a while and causality was climbing rapidly, then the first one order they received felt confident.
Thankfully nobody tried to fight for command at this uncertain times.
The HUD updated again.
{Enemy encirclement: 62% complete. Recommend western route.}
Orion led them through the undergrowth, firing only when absolutely necessary.
He switched priority from thinning out their number to saving people in danger.
He switched from his assault rifle to his two pistols.
A soldier to his left was about to fire blind into the smoke.
"Don't bother with that," Orion said, voice low but firm. "Shift your aim to the left a little and fire at the flying krrrry."
The man obeyed. He raised his rifle and fired up instead, the shots cut down a winged scout that would have landed behind another soldier.
The others began listening, following every small instruction that came from Orion's calm voice.
"Watch the left ridge... cover the scientist in white... three of you over there," Orion called out as he pointed at a small team, "Reload now, you'll need it."
Each command came seconds before it mattered, and somehow... it always worked.
Casualties began to slow and his HUD system updated.
{Survival probability increased by 47%.}
When they finally broke through the thicker trees, Orion paused for half a breath and looked ahead.
They broke through the last line of trees, into the clearing where the ground sloped upward.
Orion glanced back... more Chrysalith were coming, but they were scattered now, disorganised.
He looked at his ammo count again... low, but enough.
He took one last breath of the scorched, metallic air and turned his rifle toward the treeline, holding the line as the others ran.
For a few seconds, the world narrowed to trigger pulls and muzzle flashes.
Then silence began to creep back in.
The last of the winged scouts went down, its body folding into the dirt like a paper kite.
He checked his HUD again to confirm.
{Hostiles Remaining: 0.}
{Human Survivors: 29.}
He exhaled.
"Bloody mess," he muttered.
The surviving soldiers looked at him, wide-eyed.
One finally asked, voice shaking, "Who the hell are you?"
Orion looked up at the faint light of the transport beacon.
"Orion... Orion Kord," he said. "I am a Mercenary."
***
His bag was somewhere just ahead, thankfully X-Core had taken into consideration the position of his bag .
He exhaled through his nose, hiding the small grin that threatened to surface.
Perfect.
"We will keep moving north," he said. "we'll regroup there on higher ground. That'll give us visibility."
They followed the order.
By the time they reached the spot, most were too exhausted to notice anything but the brief moment of safety.
The scientists collapsed against the roots, checking their equipment. The remaining soldiers fanned out, keeping watch.
Orion knelt by a log, brushing aside a layer of leaves as if searching for a good vantage point.
In reality, his hand brushed against the fabric of his hidden pack.
Still here. Untouched.
He looked up, feigning a slight frown. "Wait... this doesn't look right."
One of the soldiers turned, panting. "What do you mean?"
Orion tilted his head, scanning the terrain as though uncertain. "I think... we've looped back. The terrain looks the same but i recognize this spot. We might've gone off course."
The soldier swore under his breath, frustration and fatigue in his voice. "Bloody hell, we're going backwards?"
"Unlikely," Orion said softly, straightening up. "We are just slightly west from the land zone. For now, stay alert."
No one argued. No one noticed the faint satisfaction behind his calm expression.
The HUD display changed agin.
{Objective proximity: 0.50 kilometres.}
{Objective: Pick up zone}
He sat against the tree, cleaned his rifle, and looked over the small, battered group now trusting him completely.
"Rest for five minutes," he said. "Then we move."
Leaves whispered overhead. The swarm's cries echoed somewhere far behind.