Helljumpers: Fireteam Oracle

Chapter 1: Descent

The low hum of the drop pod was the only sound as Fireteam Oracle braced themselves, locked into their seats. Around them, the cabin lights dimmed, casting shadows across four hardened faces as the ship shook and rumbled through the darkness of space.

Kassandra Queen—Alpha—breathed in slowly, eyes closed, focusing. The calm before the storm. They'd done dozens of drops, but the anticipation before each descent never dulled. This one felt different, though. She'd read the reports. Intel had been vague, scattered. But beneath the words, she'd felt a warning.

"Three minutes to drop," came the voice over the comms, breaking the silence.

Kassandra's eyes opened, shifting to each member of her team. Y/N Carter, sitting across from her, flashed a small grin that held its usual calm confidence. He gave her a quick nod—a silent reassurance, one soldier to another. To his left sat Kaia Marshall, her sharp eyes staring ahead, already slipping into the icy focus of a sniper preparing for the hunt. Michael "Pup" James, the youngest of the team, was muttering quietly under his breath, probably reciting some last-minute checklist he'd come up with. She could see his fingers moving, mimicking the motions of checking his explosives.

Kassandra cleared her throat. "Alright, Oracle. Mission's simple: insurgents have taken over the outpost on Callisto, and they're hiding something big. Command wants it neutralized, but they also want intel on whatever's got the insurrectionists all riled up. We go in quiet, we stay close, and we get this done clean."

Y/N chuckled. "You know, Alpha, 'quiet' isn't exactly our style."

Kassandra allowed herself a small smile. "Then we'll have to work on our style."

The ship rocked again as the countdown hit two minutes. The familiar tension of a drop settled over the team. There was no room for doubt in these final moments, only the bond that had been forged mission after mission. Kassandra could feel it, an unspoken trust among them.

"One minute," the comms crackled.

Y/N leaned back, resting his head against the pod wall. "Hey, Alpha, after we're done with this, first round's on me."

"Better make it worth it, Beta," Kassandra replied, her voice steady.

The lights shifted to red, illuminating the drop pod in a crimson glow. The countdown hit zero, and the hatches slammed shut with a deafening clank. In the heavy silence, Kassandra took one last breath, then—

Release.

The pods tore free of the ship, plummeting through space toward the small, war-torn moon below. Inside the pod, the world became a violent blur. The pod rattled as it breached the atmosphere, fire searing around its edges. Kassandra's vision narrowed, her senses sharpening as she mentally mapped out the landing zone, rehearsing every move.

The impact hit like a hammer, driving the breath from her lungs. The hatch blasted open, and Kassandra was on her feet in an instant, her M6C/SOCOM raised as she scanned the surroundings. Y/N and Kaia were already securing the perimeter, while Pup moved swiftly to assess their supplies.

"Oracle, move out," Kassandra commanded, her voice low and steady.

The landscape was a desolate stretch of rocky terrain under an eerie red sky, dust swirling in the bitter wind. Somewhere out there, the enemy waited, watching, hidden among the shadows.

As they advanced, Kassandra could feel the eyes on them. This mission was just beginning, but something told her they were already being hunted.