Morning light filtered through the tall windows of STF Headquarters, casting pale reflections across the command table where Steel and Stark sat surrounded by holo-displays.
For once, the room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Steel leaned forward as a new alert flashed across the central screen.
"Distant mountain planet. Demon disturbance."
He glanced at Stark, eyes lighting up.
"Hey, let's go check it out ourselves. Could be a good challenge."
Stark raised an eyebrow.
"You serious? We're supposed to be watching HQ. We're the senior Greats right now."
Steel shrugged.
"They said it'll take a few days at most. Ian and Optimus run missions all the time while managing things."
He smirked slightly.
"Plus, it's a Great-level threat. We didn't earn these titles to rot behind a desk."
Stark exhaled, then cracked a grin.
"Honestly? I've been wanting out of this office since day one."
He stood.
"Alright. Let's roll out."
They moved fast.
The Greats' locker room echoed with the sound of armor locking into place, plates sliding, seals tightening, visors snapping down. The familiar weight of combat gear settled onto them like muscle memory waking up.
Briefing was short and direct.
A small detachment of elite STF soldiers was assigned to accompany them.
Minutes later, the Horizon Dropship lifted off, engines roaring as it cut through hyperspace.
The planet emerged beneath them in layers of white and stone.
Jagged mountain ranges pierced the clouds, their peaks dusted with snow that reflected the pale sun. The dropship descended through thin air, turbulence rattling the cabin as it landed at the base of a towering mountain.
The ramp lowered.
Cold rushed in immediately.
Steel and Stark stepped out, boots crunching against frozen ground, helping unload supplies alongside the soldiers. Tents went up quickly. Oxygen lines were secured. Heat units hummed to life.
Stark walked a few paces away and looked up.
The mountain rose endlessly above them, stone and ice carved into something almost sacred. Clouds drifted lazily across its face, hiding sections of the climb ahead.
Steel joined him.
"This climb's gonna be no joke."
Stark let out a breath that fogged instantly.
"Yeah. This is gonna be miserable."
They turned back toward camp as a soldier approached.
"No seismic activity, no avalanche risk, no major storms expected," the soldier reported.
Steel nodded.
"Good."
The soldier hesitated, then added,
"But temperatures will drop sharply at night. Ice conditions are severe. Oxygen levels thin fast as you climb."
Stark waved a hand.
"That won't be a problem. We're trained for it."
Night settled in.
Oxygen tanks were refilled. Systems double-checked. Steel and Stark took VO₂ boosters, the familiar burn in their lungs signaling enhanced endurance.
They lay back beneath the stars—silent, vast, and impossibly close in the thin atmosphere.
Tomorrow, they would climb.