After I finished applying the Mirage Blue, I refocused on the training.
I continued moving through the forest.
Several hours had passed when suddenly an urgent alert came through from our commanders.
Captain Kireal's voice echoed through the system-wide communication:
"Emergency! All personnel report back to base immediately!"
The abrupt call sent my heart racing, and a dozen scenarios ran through my head—none of them good.
I fully activated my system interface and calculated the fastest route back to base.
The effects of the Mirage Blue flowers were still active, meaning I was likely invisible—
which made things slightly more complicated.
But my priority was to reach the camp as quickly as possible.
I pulled up my tactical map and saw the locations of my squadmates:
South: Three teammates, 2 kilometers away.
North: Two, about 8 kilometers out.
West: Two more, 6 kilometers.
East: One person, roughly 4 kilometers away.
Captain Kireal and Second-in-Command Ryskar were stationed at the center of the camp.
I was the closest to them.
I had to get there first.
With a deep breath, I picked up speed, carefully weaving through the forest.
Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind:
"What's the emergency? Are we under threat? Or is this just another drill?"
The uncertainty gnawed at me.
Still, I hoped everything would make sense once I arrived.
By the time I reached the camp, dawn had just begun to break.
The shadows were slowly pulling back, and the first rays of sunlight spilled across the forest floor.
But the Mirage Blue effect still lingered—I had to announce my presence clearly.
I spotted Captain Kireal and Ryskar examining data tablets with intense focus.
There was a weight in the air—something serious.
I quickly approached and saluted formally.
"Kael'rax (Apprentice Warrior) Lynx, reporting in," I said, slamming my right fist into my left chest in a sign of respect.
They flinched slightly but quickly regained their composure.
"Drakron Thyron (Senior Warrior) Kireal sees you. At ease, warrior," Kireal responded, not taking his eyes off the data tablet.
"Rest until the others arrive," he added, giving a brief nod.
I silently moved to the edge of the camp, watching carefully while the commanders continued their analysis.
Within a few hours, the rest of the team arrived and regrouped.
Under Kireal's order, everyone rested.
After reviewing the data, Kireal finally addressed us:
"Good. Everyone's here. We've completed the assessment. We're now facing a live search and rescue mission."
"A Vortan-class cargo ship went down northwest of here—about a four-hour march. The ship suffered heavy damage and lost all communications. They managed to send out a single distress signal before falling silent. Due to the forest's density, our Rynor-class rescue shuttle couldn't land. Our mission is to extract the VIPs and cargo safely and return here."
His words made the urgency crystal clear.
We needed to act quickly—and flawlessly.
"The ship's exact location was triangulated by the rescue vessel," Kireal continued.
"We now have coordinates. We'll use the fastest and safest route to get there. Everyone needs to be fully prepared and understand their roles."
With Ryskar's help, Kireal quickly organized the team's deployment and assignments.
"Lynx," he said, "you, I, and Kireal will secure the perimeter around the crash site. The others will enter the vessel to locate and extract the VIPs and assess the cargo."
Ryskar reviewed the terrain data and pointed to the optimal route.
"We're heading directly northwest. It's the fastest option. Stay coordinated, and keep all comms channels open."
Kireal sent out the mission parameters and updated team coordinates via his tablet.
"Report immediately if anything goes wrong. The forest around the crash site is dense, and we don't know exactly what the ship was carrying. Stay alert."
The team moved quickly, heading toward the crash site.
A strange tension stirred in my chest.
The Vortan-class cargo ship was often used to transport classified materials and scientific personnel.
It was also known to carry hazardous specimens from other planets for research.
This meant the risks we might face could be far more serious than we were prepared for.
The closer we got, the more the unease in me grew.
The effects of the Mirage Blue had worn off hours ago—
I felt like a clear target.
And then we arrived.
What lay before us was devastating.
The ship was a wreck—
It had skidded across the terrain for hundreds of meters, digging deep into the earth but remaining in one massive, fractured piece.
Everything in its path—trees, rocks, the very ground—had been obliterated.
Shattered trunks and scattered debris surrounded the crash site, the full scale of the destruction on full display.
Captain Kireal and Ryskar began inspecting the site with caution.
Kireal gathered the team and gave a clear order:
"Approach carefully and stay alert for potential hazards or structural collapses. We don't know what's inside this thing. Be ready for anything."
The others began checking the wreckage for a way inside.
But the cargo bay doors were completely jammed—
badly warped from impact, broken, and sealed shut.
We would have to find another way in.
YOU ARE READING
GATE: First Encounter
FantasyA stranger in his own body... An intruder in his own mind... Okan had no idea he was living the last ordinary day of his life. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his own bed but a captive on Aetherion-a distant world beyond the stars. How...
