They were peaking at lethal levels for unprotected humans but nothing that would seriously endanger armored soldiers. The odd thing was where the spikes were in the EM field. Most of them were very low in the spectrum for radiation rather than the higher-energy wavelengths.

Another odd thing was the mist that had formed around the wreckage, making the entire approach feel like something out of an old horror flick.

“Jesus,” Mehn whispered, watching as the mist curled up around his legs, reaching higher as it poured out from the wreck. “Where the fuck is this coming from?”

“Looks like water mist…” Savoy replied. “Probably a coolant breach, or maybe their reactor is running hot. The heat might pull water vapor out of the atmosphere.”

“It’s fuckin’ spooky, boss,” Burke said.

“Yeah,” Savoy whispered as he stepped up to the huge rend in the hull of the lander, “tell me about it.”

No one had anything to say to that, so Savoy just swung his rifle around the corner of the rip, watching the results from the built-in camera that beamed back to his HUD as he swept the interior.

“Looks clear,” he said, pulling back. “Mehn, cover me.”

“You got it, boss.”

Savoy crouched down and jumped up in a calculated motion that brought him up to the lip of the tear, landing just inside. His suit systems automatically adjusted to the low-light levels, bringing up a computer enhancement over his HUD that included thermal and light amplification. Savoy automatically rejected the suit’s query concerning active night-vision systems while stepping inside cautiously.

“It’s a wreck in here,” he muttered after a moment.

“Say that again, boss,” Burke replied, landing just where Savoy had been and looking around for himself. “Must have been one rough landing.”

“Don’t let your guard down,” Mehn reminded them both. “We saw that these things are tougher than you’d expect.”

“Right,” Savoy nodded, pushing forward slowly as he looked around. “More to the point, I don’t see any bodies, boys.”

“Shit,” Burke muttered, crouching just beside the tear as Mehn jumped up. “I don’t like the sounds of that.”

“Can’t say I much like it, either,” Savoy said. “But them’s the cards we’ve been dealt. I’m going to move farther in. Give me some cover, okay, you two?”

“We got your back, boss,” Mehn said.

Savoy swung his rifle around a corner, scanning quickly before he ducked around in a crouch to let his suit’s more effective sensors give him a second opinion. Nothing was in sight, so he rose to his feet and moved forward.

Admiral Tanner looked at the face on the screen and frowned. “What is it, Saren?”

“The ithan wishes to speak to you,” the man said stiffly.

“I told you to bring her here as fast as possible…”

“I am…we are…that is,” the man replied. “However, she insists on speaking to you as we travel.”

“Very well,” Tanner sighed. “Hand her the com.”