Chapter Five

SecUnit joins Tarik, Iris, and Ratthi on a shuttle expedition into the blackout zone near the terraforming engines to investigate the rumored secondary colony site. After entering the comm-and-scan-dead zone, they locate a landing pad and SecUnit descends to perform ground reconnaissance, discovering evidence of Adamantine-era construction and a buried powered rail system leading toward a hatchway.

SecUnit descends in a soft-drop pack to investigate a flat, octagonal landing pad northwest of the terraforming engine mound. Using a portable ground sensor, SecUnit confirms the pad is Adamantine-constructed artificial stone, not a natural formation or Pre-Corporation Rim structure. The three-person shuttle team discusses possible explanations for the hidden colony—underground habitat, Pre-CR site repurposing, or secret Adamantine directives—while SecUnit methodically searches the pad's perimeter. Following the ground sensor readings, SecUnit locates a buried metal rail system consistent with the powered rails used to move floating equipment in the colony. Tracing the rail outward from the pad, SecUnit discovers it connects to a buried hatchway, suggesting an underground entrance to the separatist colonists' habitat. Throughout the mission, SecUnit works in isolation from ART and the main base, relying only on ART-drone, three scout drones, and the pathfinders. The humans and SecUnit coordinate via limited team feed while speculating about the colony's history and the reasons for its concealment from the main settlement.