“No. You didn’t.” He flinches back at the words. “Give me the suit and set up here.”

“The helmet is—”

“That’s an order, Naran. And give me your coat.”

Whether it’s the harsh tone or the use of his surname, Daniil blanches and rushes to comply. While he grabs his rifle and steps free, I pick up the power source, hiding it from Daniil’s view. As soon as he tosses me his coat, I wrap it up.

“Guard this,” I say, shoving it into his arms. “With your life. And don’t leave your fucking post until the fighting is over.”

“Yes, sir.” Daniil doesn’t make eye contact as he places the wrapped orb at his feet and sets up his gun, his body already shaking from the cold.

I dive off the cliff without a glance back. The cold air burns my face on the way down, completely exposed without the helmet. This is risky, but the objective is secure. Now I can worry about my team.

Minus the one I’ve already lost. That moment replays in my head, and guilt rises in the back of my throat like bile. Who was it? Which of them did I let die?

No time for that. The second I’m within range of the fighting, several of the enemy soldiers open fire on me. I raise an arm to shield my face, and their shots ping harmlessly against the metal. But this suit is badly damaged and fading fast; I can feel its engine struggling to keep me aloft already.

Both of my remaining team members are still suited. One is on their knees on the ice, fighting off waves of enemies. The second is still airborne, though judging from the fact that only three of their propulsion rockets are firing, not for long. I fly in to help the former, taking down three soldiers with my pulse rifle before the thing dies on me. I jam the trigger uselessly, growl in frustration, and swing my metal fist at one of the soldiers instead. He goes down with a crack of bone. I ram another one, turning her into a bloody smear across the ice.

With me in the fray and the antiair artillery taken out, the battle doesn’t take long. The enemies are out-equipped enough that their superior numbers mean nothing in the end. They must not have expected so much heat from a remote outpost.

We’re mopping up the last few soldiers when my borrowed suit gives out, collapsing into a heap of metal. I jam the emergency release, crawl out, and leave the broken machine behind as I stumble toward my downed team member.