The sound of footsteps faded into the distance as Kira and Robert moved away from the battlefield, their boots crunching against the uneven terrain.

Robert’s eyes remained fixed on his tracking device, its faint glow casting sharp shadows across his face. He muttered under his breath, adjusting their course.

“We need to get the hell out of here. All that noise you made is bound to attract the local wildlife, and I have no intention of becoming someone’s midnight snack. Besides - I’ve been saving a bottle of ‘Old Nine’ for this day. Lets get back to the ship and prepare for our next step.”

His gaze drifted upward, studying the jagged rock formations towering around them. Had there ever been settlements here, or were they the first humans to set foot on this world? Either way, if everything went according to plan, this planet would one day be folded into his company’s expansion efforts—if only to mark the significance of today.

He glanced sideways at Kira, one brow arching.

“What?”, Kira met his stare for a second before turning away, eyes fixed in the direction of the teleportation pod.

“…How did you know she’d end up here?”, Robert asks.

Kira closed her eyes for a moment, her pace steady but her thoughts distant.

“You know… we’ve shared a bond our entire lives, I can’t really explain it. Over the years, I’ve learned to trust my instincts when it comes to her.”

She exhaled softly, opening her eyes just in time to sidestep a jagged rock jutting up from the cracked earth. The terrain here was harsh—sharp ridges, deep crevices, and an eerie stillness that made it feel like even the wind held its breath.

“I can’t explain it exactly, but I just knew this would be the place she’d end up after exhausting all her escape routes.”

Her voice faltered, the weight of her own words sinking in.

“…I suppose I won’t feel that bond anymore.”

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She closed her eyes again, tilting her head back ever so slightly. A flicker of sorrow passed over her face—raw, unguarded. But then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Her jaw tightened, her lips pressing into a thin line as she forced herself forward, burying whatever emotions had surfaced.

There was no point in dwelling on it.

Thena was gone.

And Kira had made sure of it.

Yet, something gnawed at her. A whisper in the back of her mind.

Reality would tell her Thena was gone.

Her intuition told her otherwise.

Kira clenched her fists, pushing the thought away. No. Kira knew she would never see her sister again. Not because she was dead – but because Thena had slipped beyond her reach.

Several minutes passed before Kira and Robert reached their teleportation pod, its dark, spherical frame nestled within the jagged rock formations. Smooth and featureless at first glance, the pod came to life at their approach, thin seams glowing as it recognized its users. A faint hum resonated through the air as the outer shell retracted, revealing a sleek interior lined with dark metallic plating, polished yet worn from use.

They stepped inside, the doors sealing behind them with an airtight hiss. A translucent interface flickered to life before Robert, scrolling through pre-set commands. With a flick of his fingers, he entered the departure sequence.

The pod's core pulsed.

Kira exhaled slowly as the world around her wavered.

A moment later, their bodies began to shimmer, breaking apart into threads of translucent energy. Their forms twisted and fragmented into cascading strands of encoded light, each delicate filament a data-rich imprint of their DNA, neural patterns, and molecular structure. The teleportation system processed them in real time, disassembling and preparing to reconstitute them elsewhere—effortlessly precise, impossibly fast.

And then—

They were gone.

As soon as the pod registered its passengers had been successfully transported, it executed the next phase of its design. The sleek sphere began to collapse inward, folding in on itself with mechanical precision until it was no larger than a human skull. Then, without hesitation, it launched upward, a streak of silver against the darkened sky, vanishing into the void.

These pods had been a revolutionary breakthrough—the breakthrough—that had propelled Robert’s company to dominance. Unlike traditional teleporters, which required fixed relay points or cumbersome energy grids, these units were fully autonomous. They calculated their own flight paths, dynamically adjusting trajectories mid-course to avoid detection or interference. They analyzed planetary conditions in real time, predicting hazards and optimizing power consumption.

Most importantly, they were self-sufficient. The pods would never strand their users.

Before landing, they scanned their surroundings, ensuring they had enough reserve energy to not only touch down but to leave immediately again if required. If conditions weren’t favorable, they would wait, gathering power from ambient radiation or atmospheric sources before committing to a descent.

This breakthrough was the key to their success.