Petra had just cracked a smile when a tiny blip accompanied by a tiny hope-crushing bleeping noise appeared on her scanner. She gave herself a moment to fear it, then accepted it. She flipped down her tactical visor and powered down her bird.

“Lights out!” Petra heard Darv in her helmet. “Slide back and watch the freighter.”

“I’m way ahead of you, slacker.” Petra smiled to herself noticing her companion’s bird power down and slip out of sight. The tiny blip had split into three tiny blips, each getting closer. “What do you think? Deron scouts?”

There was no reply.

“Darv?” Petra checked her comm. stats and then Darv’s vitals. He was definitely alive and out here somewhere. Why would he go silent? She looked down at the freighter, probably clueless to what’s going on around them. Scanners on those things aren’t worth the materials they’re constructed with. “One more call out,” she said to herself, looking down at the three blips that were still getting closer, “then I’m going in for a visual.”