14Scott's Battlenaut marched down the drop ship's rear gangway, just a few steps from the surface of Shard. The planet's mysteries and dangers were closer than ever now, waiting to challenge him.
Not that they'd have an easy time getting to him when they tried. Scott was surrounded on all sides by armored Diamondbacks committed to protecting him. As a secret weapon, the only one who could see the enemy, he had to be shielded at all times. If things went south in a big way, the Diamondbacks had orders to get him back to the Sun Tzu at any cost.
Protect the Red-detector: that was the heart of the team's surface warfare strategy for this mission. Scott knew it was the right strategy, he had no doubt in his mind...but he still hated the thought of it. His instinct was to take the poin
