Kai wasn't sure if Eliana was just being optimistic, but calling them "visitors" was a pretty generous way to describe a combat drop ship landing outside.

  He peeked through a narrow viewport, catching sight of the ship settling onto the ground. Its engines kicked up a thick cloud of dust, obscuring the figures disembarking—but when they stepped into view, Kai’s stomach tightened.

  These weren’t the normal security forces he had faced in the archive.

  Their armor was heavier, reinforced, unlike the standard riot gear he had seen before. Their weapons far superior —High-powered assault rifles.

  Kai exhaled sharply. Great. As if their situation wasn’t bad enough. But he smiled, this could also be their opportunity getting out.

  The soldiers spread out, forming a tight perimeter around the drop ship, their movements methodical, almost robotic in its efficiency.

  Lastly, someone stepped out of the ship.

  Kai couldn’t see his face—his entire head was encased in a metal helmet, exposing no skin at all, even the eyes were covered by the featureless design. Leaving only a line of red light that was the sensor of the helmet. He recognized the armor instantly.

  A Royal Guard.

  Not just any soldier. This was one of the Emperor’s personal enforcers.

  Behind him, Robert flipped off the safety on his rifle, keeping the muzzle pointed downward but ready. Everyone else was also in position too, ready for a fight.

  "Not yet," Ivan murmured, his voice steady. "They don’t know where we are. We still have the advantage of surprise. Let’s use it wisely—at the right time."

  Kai nodded. "I think our best shot is taking that drop ship. If we can somehow seize control of it—"

  Teresa cut in. "Sounds way better than taking the elevator back up. Oh, the things I’d be willing to do to never set foot in that death trap again."

  "Can we get Eliana into a good position with her rifle?" Robert asked, adjusting his grip. "She’s got the best marksmanship out of all of us."

  Kai immediately agreed. No one on the crew could match Eliana’s precision. Not even Commander Grayson—and he had only gone head-to-head with her in simulation drills.

  Kai had a theory of his own about her unmatched accuracy. It probably came from her years of martial arts training—which trained her discipline, the ability to shut out distractions, making her focusing purely on the shot.

  He had seen it in action before.

  During their daring escape from Chinatown, he and Baiyan had been trapped, cornered in a hopeless last stand. And just when everything seemed lost, Eliana had saved them, picking off targets one by one.

  Kai was proud to have her watching his back, and pround that she was his girlfriend.

  "The real problem is how we're going to deal with that Royal Guard. You all know how much of a threat he's going to be," Ivan said.

  "Yeah, these guys don’t fool around," Robert added. "I heard from a friend that a Royal Guard took down more than ten Federation soldiers in unarmed combat without suffering a single injury. They're literally the embodiment of the Empire’s militaristic ideal—faster, stronger, meaner."

  "And ignorance." Teresa added.

  The Royal Guard stepped off the dropship without a care in the world, like he was on a pleasant stroll through his own backyard.

  Inside the Ark, everyone settled into position. Even Derniere, with her bolt rifle, took cover in the shadows of the entrance bay. Bell poked his head out from her pocket, but she pushed him back in. "Not your fight, buddy," she said.

  Kai was the only one without a weapon. He looked a little disappointed to be left out of the fight. Ivan tossed him his sidearm—a pistol with a simple red dot sight mounted on top. Kai caught it and nodded in thanks. At this distance, he wouldn’t be able to do much damage, so he held onto it, intending to use it only for self-defense.

  "I have a shot on him right now," Eliana said calmly. She was hidden in the shadows, half-crouched, her rifle pressed against her shoulder, one eye closed as she aimed.

  Her crosshairs settled on the man's head. She could pull the trigger right then, but she waited for confirmation.

  Ivan scanned the enemies. They were still unaware they were being watched, their guards aiming rifles in all directions. This was going to be a quick fight—he could feel it. All they needed to do was strike before the enemy realized what was happening.

  There was no point in wasting time with the enemy. In fact, this was the perfect opportunity to secure the dropship before it took off.

  "Fire," he said.

  Eliana exhaled calmly and held her breath. Her finger pressed the trigger gently. All sound faded from her mind, and the Royal Guard was centered in her crosshairs. The moment Ivan gave the order, she fired. The muzzle of her rifle flashed in the darkness.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  She watched the bullet fly across the distance in a second, striking the Royal Guard squarely. Her aim was true.

  To her surprise, the Royal Guard shook off the shot like it was nothing more than a punch to the face. He cracked his neck, then turned his head straight toward her, like he knew exactly where she was. His sensors glowed menacingly, and a chill ran down her spine.

  All around her, the others were shooting as well. They had the advantage of concealment and had caught the Imperial soldiers in the open.

  Ivan had made the right call. Within seconds, half of the soldiers lost their ability to fight. The rest scattered, scrambling for cover.

  Morale was high among the crew. Even Derniere was taking potshots at the soldiers, working the bolt of her rifle back and forth between shots, her expression serious.

  Kai grinned. The overconfident Imperial soldiers had underestimated them—and now they were paying the price.

  More of them went down. It seemed he wouldn’t need to use his pistol today.

  Eliana kept her eye on the scope and managed to land another shot on the Royal Guard before she saw him raise his own weapon. It looked strange like an oversized pistol.

  The Royal Guard extended one arm and fired. A blue surge of plasma shot across the battlefield.

  "Get down!" she shouted.

  The plasma hit the metal plating she was using for cover. Even through her armor, she felt a wave of heat wash over her.

  Kai’s expression turned to horror as he turned back to check on Eliana. Luckily, she had ducked into cover just in time. The shot split upon impact—half of it left a glowing blue heat mark on her cover, while the other half struck the wall behind her, leaving a half-circle imprint.

  This was his first time witnessing the Empire’s energy weapon—a plasma weapon, to be exact. Simple in theory but notoriously difficult to manufacture efficiently, each one cost a fortune to produce. They were more symbolic than practical, designed to intimidate the enemy and boost morale.

  And it looked like it had done exactly that.

  The Royal Guard raised his arm and gave a forward motion—a command to advance.

  The soldiers pushed forward, firing.

  The crew returned fire where they could, but soon the Imperial soldiers’ superior firepower overwhelmed them.

  Eliana squeezed off a few more shots before she, too, was forced to take cover, bullets ricocheting off her position in a relentless barrage.

  Unable to fight back, the crew used the time to reload their magazines and organize their bullets while taking occasional return fire. But anytime anyone fired a shot, ten more would instantly home in on the shooter, overwhelming them.

  Kai couldn’t let the situation get any worse. He needed a real weapon—now.

  "Pass me the rifle," he said to Ivan.

  Ivan nodded, reloaded the rifle with a fresh magazine, switched the safety on, and slid it over to Kai, barrel pointing away.

  Kai caught it and activated his enhanced vision, which outlined the enemy positions for him. Time slowed as all sound faded. He took a deep breath, then poked his head out from behind cover, rifle in hand.

  What he was about to do was dangerous and would drain a lot of his energy, but it was a necessary sacrifice.

  He took aim at the closest soldier just as the man was about to step onto the ramp—and fired. The shot landed, but Kai had already moved on to the next target. His trigger finger worked instinctively, each pull met with a satisfying bounce as he fired again.

  All five soldiers at the bottom of the ramp dropped almost simultaneously.

  A burning sensation flared in Kai’s head, forcing him to duck down for a moment to recover.

  Sensing an opportunity, Robert fired a few shots of his own. Kai had bought them a critical moment—an opening to turn the tide.

  Soon, Eliana and Teresa were firing too, though their ammo was dangerously low. Kai took a brief rest, then resumed shooting. They were winning. The few remaining soldiers looked more like they wanted to run than keep fighting.

  One threw down his rifle and bolted toward the dropship. Before he could reach it, a powerful plasma bolt struck him. The circular blast burned a hole through his midsection. The soldier looked down, unable to believe what had just happened, before collapsing.

  Kai winced.

  The Royal Guard was fumed. Even behind his helmet, Kai could feel the man's rage. All his soldiers had been dealt with. He was the only one left.

  The Royal Guard took one look at his still-charging weapon, his fallen soldiers, and turned to retreat.

  Kai didn’t wait.

  He bolted out of the Ark, down the ramp, and sprinted toward the dropship at an almost unnatural speed.

  His movement even caught the proud and arrogant Imperialist off guard. Kai was almost upon him before he could make it back to the ship.

  The Guard raised his plasma gun and fired. Kai ducked, dodging the shot. The man reached to holster his expensive weapon, but Kai was already on him, knocking him to the ground with a swift, brutal kick.

  The Royal Guard wasn’t done yet. He rolled back to his feet in an instant, fists up, ready to fight. Kai barely had time to react before a punch came flying at his ribs. He twisted away just in time, but the Guard didn’t stop. A sharp kick followed by another punch—fast, precise.

  But Kai was faster.

  Kai blocked one hit, dodged another, then countered with a quick jab to the stomach. The Guard barely flinched. He swung again, aiming for Kai’s head. Kai ducked, stepped in close, and drove his knee into the man’s gut. The Guard grunted, stumbling back, just enough for Kai to follow up with a sharp elbow to the jaw.

  The Guard reached for his plasma gun, fingers brushing the grip. Kai kicked it away before he could grab it, sending it skidding through the dirt. The polished carvings on the weapon were now covered in dust. The Guard lunged for it, but Kai caught him first, grabbing his collar and slamming him to the ground. The man struggled, trying to push him off, but Kai pressed his arm against his throat, pinning him down. The fight was over.

  Kai gripped the man's helmet under the chin, his opponent frantically trying to pry his hands away.

  Kai applied all his strength.

  The helmet bent at an unnatural angle. The muffled, desperate cries of the Royal Guard filled his ears. The arrogance, the superiority was all gone.

  Kai pulled his pistol from the man’s belt and jammed the barrel into the seam of his neck.

  The Royal Guard stopped struggling and accepted his fate.

  Kai pulled the trigger.

  He had no time to rest. The dropship was beginning to lift off, its engines whining as it gained more RPMs.

  Kai sprinted forward, leapt, and caught the edge of the ramp. He hauled himself up.

  Out of the cockpit, a pilot was stepping out with a gun in hand.

  Kai fired twice. The pilot dropped.

  He pushed past the body and aimed his pistol at the back of the second pilot’s head.

  The man froze.

  Slowly, he stopped the ship’s ascent, bringing it back down for a smooth landing.

  Kai glanced outside. The crew, along with Derniere, was making their way toward him. He smiled before raising his pistol and knocking the pilot out cold.

  Ivan grinned like a kid as he slid into the cockpit. The unconscious pilot was dragged out, and they took over the ship.

  "You able to fly this?" Kai asked.

  "Piece of cake." Ivan tapped a few inputs into the center display, a flight route appearing on the screen. His grin widened.

  Kai checked on the others. They were already strapped in. He noticed Robert examining the plasma gun, turning it over in his hands.

  "Let's go home," Ivan said, pushing the collective forward.

  Kai nodded and grinned, too.

  Soon, he’d be back aboard the Black Swan, and he was in desperate need of a hot shower.