The door slid open and we entered a bright space. My helmet adjusted for the light and I could see we were in an entry with rooms to our right and left. In front of us, a hallway led to a larger room.

“Back already?” a gruff man asked from the left.

“Probably forgot his gun,” a woman taunted with a laugh.

We flowed into the room as if we’d been working together for weeks rather than hours. It was a rec room, with a sofa and chairs facing a vid screen. The man and woman, both human, sat with their backs to the door, a tactical mistake considering they were on guard duty.

Torran and I went right. I shot the woman before she could raise her weapon. Behind me, someone’s gun pulsed and the man fell dead.

“Whoever is shielding them is going to know we’re here,” Torran said. “Keep moving.”

The room on the other side of the entryway was empty, so we moved down the hall toward the main room. This area also had sofas and chairs surrounding a vid screen, but it was empty. Doors and hallways branched off on every wall. To the left, I could see a slice of what looked like a kitchen area.

I heard a faint whistling sound just before Torran’s nimtowiadwu jumped in front of my face. A heartbeat later, something heavy and metallic crashed into it, and Torran grunted.

“Telekinetic,” he warned, his mental voice strained. “Strong.”

I relayed the warning. I’d never seen two telekinetics fight, and I’d hoped to keep that streak going. I searched the part of the room that I could see, looking for a target, but no one was visible. “Where?” I asked.

“Right back,” he gritted out.

I focused on the area and ignored the immediate stab of a headache. Even though I couldn’t see the telekinetic, I could see the edge of a bright orange Valovian aura peeking out from the hallway in the back of the room.

I raised my rifle, trying to get a bead on the telekinetic while staying behind the cover Torran provided. Instead, my rifle jerked forward, dragging me with it by the sling.

Torran grabbed for me, but he was too late. Someone telelocked my armor and lifted me into the air. I felt like I was being held in a giant’s hand as their fingers tightened around me. I cursed and tried to move but nothing happened. At least I could still breathe—for now.

My team shouted over the comm, and a light, unfamiliar voice called something in Valovan.

I strained against the hold, remembering the lessons from Starlight. It might not save me, but it might keep the telekinetic busy enough that someone else could take them out.