The jagged cliffs around the Syndicate factory cast long shadows as night fell over the arid ndscape. Ethan guided the rented hover truck to a secluded ridge overlooking the facility. The factory's dull yellow lights glowed faintly in the distance, a stark trast to the starry Kynaran sky above.

  He stepped out of the vehicle and adjusted his gear, his psma dagger secure at his side and his ser pistol holstered. Zyrix Korran, already perched with his psma sniper rifle in hand, sed the facility below through the enhanced scope.

  "This is the pce," Zyrix muttered, his voice steady. "Big, heavily guarded, and crawling with Syndicate patrols. Just as the intel said."

  Behind them, the two elite E-Rank meraries disembarked. Thalor Veskra, a reptilian Velkarn alien with shimmering, scaled skin, stretched his long limbs, his dual psma bdes glinting in the dim light. His eyes, sharp and calg, flicked toward the facility.

  "It's tight, but not imperable," Thalor said, his voice a lo. "We move through the blind spots between patrols if we're quid careful."

  Lysa Ardent, a human gadget specialist, adjusted the strap of her toolkit as she observed the pound through a small, handheld ser. Her upbeat demeanhtehe tense air. "Their security drones aren't running the most advanced algorithms. I jam them temporarily if we o."

  "Good," Ethan said, stepping forward to address the group. "We're here to gather intel and disrupt their operations, not start a firefight. Zyrix will stay och, and the rest of us will split into two teams. Thalor and I will pnt trag devices on their shipments, and Lysa will hahe data extra with Zyrix c her."

  The group nodded in agreement. Zyrix adjusted his rifle and focused ba the facility. "Move quietly. I'll pick off anyone who gets too close."

  The team desded toward the facility, stig to the rugged terrain for cover. Thalor led the way, his scales shifting to blend with the shadows. His movements were fluid and silent, his dual bdes held loosely at his sides. Ethan followed close behind, keeping his ser pistol at the ready.

  From their vantage point, the factory's yout became clearer. Guards patrolled in synized shifts, their paths interseg with automated turrets and surveilnce drohe occasional hum of maery echoed faintly iill night air.

  As they approached the outer perimeter, Thalor froze, raising a hand to signal a patrol ahead. Ethan crouched low as Thalor moved swiftly, his form blending into the shadows. A Syndicate guard barely had time to react before Thalor's psma bde silently cut through the air, dropping him to the ground.

  Thalor turned back, his slit-pupil eyes gleaming. "Clear."

  Ethan stepped forward, croug by the first shipment. The crates were stamped with Syndicate symbols, their tents secured under biometric locks. Pulling out a small trag device, he carefully attached it to the underside of one crate.

  Meanwhile, Zyrix's voice crackled softly through their s. "Guard on your left, Walker. Moving toward your position."

  Ethan spotted the guard and pressed against the crate for cover. A faint whi through the air, followed by a distant fsh from the ridge. The guard dropped instantly.

  "Thanks," Ethan whispered.

  Elsewhere, Lysa worked with Zyrix's guidao reach the unications rey he factory's tral hub. She k by the terminal, her toolkit spread out around her. A small, disk-shaped device emitted a faint hum as it bypassed the rey's firewalls.

  "This is too easy," Lysa muttered, her fingers flying over her tablet's interface. "Syndicate security is supposed to be tough."

  "They're fident in numbers and brute force," Zyrix replied through the s, his calm voice tinged with caution. "Don't let yuard down."

  Lysa smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."

  Baear the loading docks, Ethan and Thalor moved toward another shipment. This time, the crates bore markings that made Ethan's heart skip. A Federation insignia, faint but unmistakable.

  "Thalor," Ethan whispered, pointing to the markings.

  The Velkarn merary hissed softly. "Federation. That plicates things."

  "It means the Syndicate has powerful backers," Ethan said, attag aracker to the crate. "But we 't afford to engage here. Just get the devices pnted and keep moving."

  The sound of approag footsteps made them freeze. Two guards rouhe er, their ons slung casually over their shoulders. Thalor pressed himself against the shadows, while Ethan adjusted his cloaking module, disappearing from view.

  The guards paused he crates, otering something inaudible. Before they could iigate further, Zyrix's sniper rifle hummed faintly. One guard dropped, and Thalor swiftly dispatched the other with his bde.

  "Let's move," Ethan said, signaling toward their arget.

  The team regrouped he factory's edge, their objectives nearly plete. From their position, they saw workers. Kidnapped outpost civilians being forced to load crates onto transport vehicles. Many of them moved sluggishly, their bodies gaunt and battered.

  Ethan ched his fists, his anger simmerih his calm exterior. "This isn't just produ. They're breaking people."

  "We 't help them now," Zyrix's voice came through the s, low and firm. "Focus on the mission."

  Thalor's slit-pupil eyes narrowed. "He's right. One mistake, and they'll kill everyone here, including us."

  Ethan exhaled sharply, f himself to focus. "Let's finish this."

  As they prepared to retreat, a Syndicate drone whirred to life, log onto their position. Lysa scrambled to jam its signal, her device emitting a sharp pulse of energy that temporarily disrupted the droargeting.

  "Won't hold for long!" she shouted.

  Ethan raised his ser pistol, firing a precise shot that sent the drone crashing to the ground. The noise drew the attention of a nearby patrol, but Thalor quickly dispatched the guards before an arm could be raised.

  "Time to go," Zyrix said, his tone urgent.

  The team retraced their steps, stig to the shadows as they made their way back to the ridge. The factory behind them remained unaware of the trag devices pnted on key shipments and the data Lysa had extracted from the rey.

  As they reached the hover truck, Zyrix climbed down from his perch, his rifle slung over his shoulder. "Good work. We got what we came for."

  Ethan nodded, gng back at the factory. The sight of the ensved workers lingered in his mind, fueling his resolve. "This is just the beginning. The Syndicate has to pay for this."

  "They will," Thalor rasped, climbing into the truck. "But not tonight."

  As the hover truck hummed to life and carried them away, Ethan sat silently, the weight of the mission pressing on him. The Federation-marked crates and the brutal ditions of the workers painted a grim picture, ohat hi a deeper spiracy.

  He tightened his grip on the armrest, his resolve hardening. The Syndicate's reach might be vast, but with every missioha closer to cutting it down.