They moved into the alien vessel, boots contacting a surface that felt unnervingly resilient—neither metal nor plastic, but something that yielded slightly beneath their weight before firming again.

"Movement sensors?" Markus said quietly. His voice filtered through the breathing system of his MX4 suite, making his words sound distant even to his own ears. The helmet's displays flickered with readings that made no sense—the walls registered as both organic and synthetic, pulsing with an energy signature that defied classification.

"Nothing definitive," came the reply through the comm, though Markus couldn't tell if it was from Roane or Kell. The MX4's audio system struggled with the interference radiating from the ship's hull. "Readings keep shifting. It's like the walls are... breathing."

Markus pressed his gloved hand against the nearest surface, watching his suit's sensors spike and then flatline in rapid succession. The material was warm—body temperature warm—and seemed to pulse with a rhythm that reminded him uncomfortably of a heartbeat. A shiver ran through him. There was something deeply wrong about this place, a wrongness that went beyond mere alien technology.

"Stay close," he murmured, raising his weapon as they advanced down what appeared to be a corridor. The passage curved organically, without sharp angles, and the walls glowed with a dim bioluminescence that cast shifting shadows. "Whatever built this thing, it's not following any engineering principles I recognize."

Markus's tactical training screamed warnings—too many blind corners, too many alcoves where something could hide, too much unknown territory. But they didn't have time to scout the area like he's prefer. They needed to get to pavi as fast as possible, and then back out. Stealth and speed being their best weapons on this mission, he knew the stealth part was about over. If the Shixx didn't know the infiltration team was here yet, they soon would.

The corridor branched ahead, splitting into three passages that curved away into darkness. His suit's scanners painted ghostly outlines on his visor display, but the readings were contradictory—showing solid walls that his eyes could see through, empty space where barriers clearly existed. Gayle didn't even pause as she chose the left passage, clearly following the bond. Markus followed closely behind.

As they moved swiftly down the corridor, the floor beneath their feet began to vibrate with increasing intensity, and Markus felt his stomach clench as the ship's bio-luminescent glow shifted from an eerie green to an ominous red. Warning lights on his HUD flashed in rapid succession—they'd triggered something.

"Contact ahead," Kell's voice crackled through the comm, tight with tension. "Three—no, four signatures. They're moving to intercept."

Markus dropped to one knee, weapon raised, as dark shapes emerged from the curved walls themselves—not from doorways or passages, but literally stepping through the organic hull as if it were liquid. The Shixx were tall, impossibly thin, with slightly too long limbs. What was most disturbing was that the slits in the oblong face were eyes and a mouth should have been. These looked like the warriors that had attacked the College, but seeing them in person was far more unsettling than seeing them in the recordings. Their bodies were covered in a membrane-like exoskeleton that rippled with the same bioluminescent patterns as the ship.

"Weapons hot," Markus commanded, his finger settling on the trigger. "Gayle, how far?"

"Close," she replied, her voice strained. "Very close. Maybe two hundred meters at most."

The first Shixx lunged forward with unnatural speed, its elongated limbs propelling it across the corridor in a fluid, almost swimming motion. Lieutenant Roane fired three precise bursts, watching as the energy rounds punched through the creature's torso. Instead of falling, the Shixx merely rippled, the wounds sealing themselves almost instantly.

"Remember the nodes on the spine. Aim for those," Markus reminded the team.

It was easier said than done with the four warriors bearing down on them with uncanny speed. Markus adjusted his aim, targeting the small protrusions along the creature's vertebral column. His first shot missed, glancing off the rippling exoskeleton, but his second found its mark. The Shixx convulsed, its body contorting as the nodule burst in a spray of viscous blue fluid.

He grinned, glad his theory had been correct, already pivoting to track his next target. He scored another hit, and a second warrior went down. Gayle had abandoned her rifle in favor of her sidearm, which allowed greater mobility as she pressed forward. She took out the third Shixx. And one of the team from behind sent a blast of fire to the fourth, sending that one to the deck of the ship as well.

They quickly stepped over the downed bodies as they rushed down the corridor. As they did, Markus could see more forms stepping from the walls up ahead. There were six this time.

"Four more targets coming up from behind."

Markus recognized it as Nathias's voice. He didn't bother to glance backwards, trusting his team members to take care of the enemy at his back. Instead, he rushed forward on Gayle's heels. The two of them aimed at the nodules.

These Shixx moved at just the right times to twist their bodies so that their shots either were absorbed by the warriors' body armor or hit the walls harmlessly behind.

"They are already adapting. Let's give them something different. Shift to Gorlax maneuver," Markus commanded.

Immediately, the team shifted formation. Markus dropped to a crouch while Gayle vaulted over him, firing in a precise arc. Behind them, Roane and Kell split to opposite walls, creating a crossfire pattern that forced the Shixx to defend from multiple angles simultaneously.

The maneuver caught the aliens off-guard for precisely three seconds—enough time for Markus to take down two more with clean shots to their spine nodules. The viscous blue fluid splattered across the organic walls, which seemed to recoil from the substance as if in pain.

"The ship's reacting to their blood," Gayle noted, her voice clinical despite the chaos.

A Shixx warrior lunged at her with impossible speed, its elongated fingers morphing into razor-sharp appendages. Gayle ducked beneath the strike, pressed her sidearm against the creature's torso and fired upward. The shot so close it ripped right through the armor, and the creature collapsed soundlessly to the floor.

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"Fifty meters," Gayle called out, her voice carrying a note of urgency as she pressed forward through the carnage.

More Shixx were emerging from the walls—a dozen this time, their forms rippling out of the organic hull like nightmarish births. But these moved differently, more cautiously, having learned from their fallen comrades. They spread out in a coordinated pattern that spoke clearly of intelligence and adaptation.

"They're learning too fast," Roane's voice crackled through the comm. "We need to move now before they completely counter our tactics."

Markus made the call. "Gayle and I will push forward. Everyone else, suppress fire and follow our lead. We go fast and hard."

The corridor ahead curved sharply to the right, and beyond it Markus could see a large chamber opening up, pulsing with a different light than the rest of the ship—golden rather than red, almost warm.

"That's it," Gayle said, her voice tight with certainty. "He's in there."

Markus nodded, switching to thermal imaging as they pushed forward. The thermal readings were chaotic, showing both hot and cold signatures where they shouldn't exist. The chamber ahead registered as both blazing with heat and eerily cold simultaneously.

"Cover!" Markus shouted as a barrage of crystalline projectiles shot from the walls themselves, embedding in the floor where they'd stood moments before. The crystals began to grow rapidly, forming jagged barriers.

Gayle slammed her back against the curved wall, breathing hard. "They're trying to box us in."

"Not happening," Markus growled, reaching for a sonic grenade that had been calibrated specifically for the aliens. He activated it with a twist and hurled the spherical device toward a growing crystal formation straight ahead. The detonation shattered the structures, sending fragments skittering across the organic floor. The ship itself seemed to shudder in response.

"The chamber's just ahead," Gayle said, her eyes unfocused for a moment as she followed the bond. "We need to hurry. His signature is getting weaker. I don't think he has much time left."

Roane dropped to one knee beside them, his weapon trained on the corridor behind. "More coming. Lots more."

"Hold this position with Nathias and his team. Buy us time and get the medics up here."

"Copy that," Roan replied, already setting up a defensive position, placing sensor mines along the corridor, during which, he also signaled the two designated medics from their position further down the corridor. "We'll keep them busy."

The two medics rushed up the passage under heavy fire that was coming from behind, but they'd been trained just as hard as the rest of them, and they moved with practiced efficiency through the chaos. Markus didn't wait to see them reach a position—he was already moving toward the golden chamber. Gayle at his side.

The entrance was unlike anything they'd encountered so far—not a door but a membrane, pulsing with veins and emitting that strange golden light. Gayle didn't hesitate, plunging her blade into the center and ripping downward. The membrane parted with a wet sucking sound, releasing a rush of warm, humid air.

Inside, the chamber opened into a vast space that defied the external dimensions of the ship. The ceiling soared impossibly high, and the walls curved in geometric patterns that hurt the eyes to follow. In the center sat a large tub of clear liquid, and pavi was submerged in it. Markus could also see tendrils wrapped around his body that appeared to be holding him securely in place.

There were also three creatures surrounding the tub. Each had black tentacles jutting from black maws and tightly wrapped around different parts of pavi's body. His father was convulsing in the tub as thick gelatinous fluid splashed onto the floor with heavy wet splats.

"They're killing him!" Gayle exclaimed as she aimed at the closest of the Shixx and fired her weapon.

These Shixx differed from the ones in the corridor. These were cloaked in darkness. Their tall, thin forms were all but invisible under shifting shadows. Bright violet eyes peered at them from dark concealing hoods.

Markus didn't hesitate. He opened fire on the nearest shadow-cloaked Shixx, but his shots seemed to pass harmlessly through the dark folds of its concealment. The creature turned those violet eyes toward him, and he felt a crushing weight slam into his mind—alien thoughts trying to claw their way into his consciousness.

He was prepared for a mental attack, but it still took his breath away. His training kicked in as he compartmentalized his thoughts, building walls in his mind so they wouldn't penetrate it.

Gayle's shot struck true, punching through the shadow-cloak of her target. The creature shrieked—a sound like tearing metal—and its tentacle released from pavi's arm. The fluid in the tub began to churn more violently.

The third Shixx struck out with a second tentacle toward Gayle. The suit kept it from penetrating, but the force of the attack knocked the gun from her grasp and sent her wheeling backward.

Medic Crishul rushed forward to take her place as he shot the third Shixx, but this time the shot seemed to be absorbed by the shadows cloaking it. The Shixx lashed out at Crishul. The medic was ready and rolled out of the way. He came back up, shooting. His shots caused the third Shixx to shriek.

Medic Farmire was now in the fight too as his fire joined with Crishul's. They kept firing at the third Shixx as its screams filled the chamber. Gayle gripped the rifle that was still slung over a shoulder and she rushed the second Shixx, firing the entire time. More shrieks filled the air.

Meanwhile, Markus's mental battle continued. The alien presence in his mind felt like ice water flooding his skull, seeking to drown his thoughts in chaos. But Markus had endured intense mental conditioning first with his father, then the Vanguard, and finally the Protectorate. He wasn't about to let this bastard through.

The shadow-cloaked Shixx pressed harder, its violet eyes blazing with frustration as it encountered his mental fortifications. Markus felt blood running from his nose inside the helmet, tasted copper on his tongue, but he held firm. Through sheer force of will, he raised his weapon and fired three rapid shots at the creature's center mass.

The energy rounds passed through shadow and struck something solid. The Shixx staggered, its mental assault faltering just enough for Markus to break free. He gasped, his vision clearing as he focused on the tub where his father writhed in agony.

"The tentacles!" he shouted to his team. "Cut them off him!"

Gayle was already moving, her rifle chattering as she poured fire into the second Shixx. The creature's shadows began to dissipate under the sustained assault, revealing pale, segmented flesh beneath. She adjusted her aim to the thick tentacle still wrapped around pavi's torso and fired a precise burst. The appendage severed with a spray of dark ichor, and pavi's convulsions lessened slightly.

Crishul and Farmire had the third Shixx nearly neutralized, its shadows flickering like a dying flame as their combined fire tore through its defenses. The creature emitted one final metallic shriek before its tentacles released Pavi with a wet, sucking sound.

The first Shixx—the one that had attacked Markus mentally—was regrouping, its violet eyes narrowing as the shadows around it thickened. Markus could sense it gathering power for another assault, this one aimed not just at him but at the entire team.

"Down!" Markus shouted as he dropped to one knee and fired a heavy burst of blaster fire directly at those glowing eyes. The Shixx's head snapped back, shadows momentarily dispersing to reveal a grotesque, almost skeletal face beneath. Not dead, but stunned.

"We need to move now!" Markus rushed to the tub, reaching in despite the viscous fluid that seemed to recoil from his touch. Pavi's skin was pale, almost translucent, with dark veins visible beneath the surface. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused and dilated.

"Pavi," Markus said, his voice cracking despite himself. "We're getting you out."

Pavi's lips moved, but no sound emerged. His body was limp, unresponsive as Markus and Gayle pulled him from the fluid. The dark veins beneath his skin pulsed with an unnatural rhythm. Markus reached for a pulse, but it was so faint he barely felt it. Fear twisted in his gut. Were they too late?

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