NOTE: I didn't actually plan to start properly writing, let alone publishing, this next multi-part fic this soon but when I sat down to write the other day it just started coming out and now here we are. I've had this idea for a while, since early on into my writing of Inside Out, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I'm already enjoying writing it! Warnings for down the line: this fic might get pretty dark/rough, so please bear that in mind going forward!

"Grayson to Mercer. Do you read me?"

Ed retrieved the comscanner from the pouch hanging from his belt and raised it. "Loud and clear, Kelly," he acknowledged, glancing down as he did so in order to more carefully pick his way through the underbrush they were currently traversing.

Kelly's voice was calm as she responded, "Just checking in." There was a brief pause before she went on, "How is it down there?"

With a small smile Ed scanned their surroundings and nodded his head even though the woman on the other end of the line couldn't see the motion. The trees extended up as far as the eye could see, and the same could be said for every other direction as well. They had landed the shuttle about half a mile south of their current position after finding a suitable clearing in the great forest that they were currently exploring. Just ahead and to his right Talla was picking her way through various plants and debris, just the same as him. There were two other Security officers in their party and three members of the Science team with their scanners out, collecting as much data as possible. Ed had briefly debated bringing Isaac along on the excursion before opting to give some of the lower-ranking members of the team the chance to do some exploring for a change. The planet was inhabited only by what the Kaylon had described as lower life forms, the vast majority of which were concentrated around a large body of water off to the north-west of their location. If they had time Ed thought they might head over and take a look but their primary interest in the planet was a possible source of dysonium that their scans had picked up about three and a half miles north of the clearing in which they had left the shuttle. Free gas, as Gordon would call it, and definitely something worth investigating.

"Honestly?" he said to his First Officer as he lifted his leg high enough to step over a fallen branch that was already well on its way to becoming part of the forest floor. "It's breathtaking."

"Yeah?" Kelly was smiling, he could hear it in her voice. "Well," she went on, "make sure you take lots of pictures."

Ed chuckled to himself, glancing across at Talla who had overheard the request and was smiling as well. "Will do, Commander." Glancing to one of the Science officers, an Ensign Fuller, he said, "Mercer out," and then replaced the comscanner at his belt after disconnecting the line.

Fuller had found something interesting, obviously, crouching down amidst a bundle of bushes and brambles in order to more closely investigate whatever it was. Ensign Ludlow, one of her companions, moved closer to get a better look as well, and the two started to discuss whatever it was with no small amount of intrigue.

Ed left them to it, picking his way over closer to Talla, who had seen the curiosity in the pair and slowed her own progress to a halt as well. The other members of her team surveyed the area as they waited for the two Science officers to finish their study of whatever it was that had caught their attention. "You know," Ed said to Talla as he came up to her side, "Kelly will make out like she's jealous that we got to come down here and she didn't."

Talla sensed he wasn't done. "But?"

Ed chuckled again, squinting a little as he turned his gaze up towards a gap in the canopy overhead where a shaft of sunlight was piercing through. "But she's not an outdoorsy person," he told the Xelayan at his side, bringing his eyes down to her and giving her a smile.

It was Talla's turn to laugh quietly, nodding her head. "Fair enough," she said. "It's a shame though," she went on. "This place would be great for hiking." She turned her pale eyes forward, down the path they were in the middle of taking through the tall trunks of the innumerable trees that surrounded them. "And we haven't even seen more than a small piece of it."

"Well," Ed said, his hands having come to rest on his hips as they waited, "if we're lucky maybe we'll find something really interesting and the Admiralty will grant us clearance to stick around."

Talla turned her head and gave him another smile. "Maybe." With a nod that he thought might have been hopeful she turned her attention forward again. Before either one of them could say anything further a small frown formed across her brow. Her smile faded and then disappeared completely as she took a step forward, narrowing her eyes a fraction to scrutinise something through the trees.

"Talla?" Ed moved closer, following her path. "What is it?" He cast a glance back at the Science officers. Lieutenant Rekya had moved over to join them now as well.

The Xelayan was in the process of retrieving her comscanner from her belt when an energy burst struck the tree not far to her right. The bark burst outward in a shower of splinters and Talla gave a curse under her breath, reaching for Ed even as he moved to snatch his PM-44 from his belt. She was raising her voice to call an order to her team to arm themselves and take cover when one of them was struck by an energy burst similar to the one that had barely missed the Security Chief herself.

Instead of moving backwards Ed moved forwards and angled his body against the tree there, using it for cover even as he tried to peer around the trunk to get a look at whoever it was ahead of them taking pot-shots. "Do you see anything?" he called to Talla who had done much the same and taken shelter behind a tree. There was nothing else to take shelter behind, not unless they wanted to make a break for the shuttle, and that was too far to go through such unfamiliar territory, and with one of their own already down for the count.

She shook her head and glanced across to the others, first one way and then the other. Ed could see on her face that it was killing her to not be able to go to her fallen subordinate and he sympathised. The other member of her team had done a good job of encouraging the Science officers to take cover and keep their heads down but they had all opted to replace their comscanners with their weapons anyway.

Ed pulled his head back behind the trunk just in time to avoid getting hit by one of the bursts and took the opportunity to tap his comm. "Mercer to Orville." He didn't waste time waiting for a response. "We're under attack."

Just ahead and off to the side, closer to Talla's position, Ed made out signs of movement that didn't belong to any of their landing party. That was all the encouragement he needed to line up a shot of his own and squeeze the trigger. The shot hit the figure to one side of the chest and spun them right off their feet. They dropped from sight and didn't reappear.

Talla was taking shots from behind her own cover as well and as she ducked back behind the tree Ed heard a voice from ahead of them, from whoever it was advancing on their position. "—the Xelayan!" The deafening crack of splitting bark had drowned out the beginning of the bellowed command but as he glanced across at his Security Chief he pieced it together well enough without hearing every single word.

They were targeting Talla.

Ed braced one hand against the tree behind which he was shielding himself and stepped out enough to fire at the advancing hostiles. He couldn't clearly make out just how many of them there were but he was able to pick out at least five, maybe six. One of them was significantly larger than the others. His shot went wide and struck some kind of foliage, if the burst of leaves and twigs was any indication, and with a rush of frustration he ducked quickly back behind his makeshift cover.

"Captain!" Talla was looking his way when he turned his eyes in her direction. "We're outnumbered," she told him, even as shots streamed past her, the tree she was hunched behind mercifully shielding her from their weapons fire. "We have to make a break for the shuttle."

She was right. Ed couldn't argue with her. Even if they headed back empty handed he would much rather they get clear of whoever these people were than risk the safety of the landing party for what might end up being a relatively small deposit of dysonium. Their scans hadn't detected the hostiles, for whatever reason, and that was enough to tell Ed that they weren't to be taken lightly, especially not if they were targeting one of his team. The why of that didn't matter, he just had to get them all out of here in one piece and back to the ship. They could recover Talla's fallen man on the way. So he gave his Security Chief a nod and turned his head to tell the others to get ready to make a break for it.

Before he could raise his voice to do anything of the sort something arced down through the branches overhead and landed heavily in the underbrush between him and the rest of the landing party. He couldn't clearly make it out from his current position but he could see lights flashing in a metallic case, the rapidity of the blinking increasing with each passing second, and that told him all he needed to know.

It was some kind of weapon, and it was about to go off.

"DOWN!"

No sooner had the word left his mouth, with as much volume and force as he could muster, than the weapon went off. Before the team could even finish throwing themselves to the deck the casing released a concussive blast that ripped outward and struck each and every one of them. Ed felt the initial impact, the first wave of the blow, and then he felt nothing at all.