After completing repairs and resupply in the asteroid belt, the Hyperion adjusted its heading toward the Xil system.
The ship's status was fully restored to operational levels for planetary landing ops: shield generators were working normally, the propulsion system had been calibrated, and the armory was fully restocked.
Upon entering the Xil system, Matt Horner initiated a long-range scan according to standard protocol.
The sensor array conducted preliminary reconnaissance on the target planet.
As the data trickled onto the bridge's main screen, Matt's brow gradually furrowed.
"Energy readings are abnormally low," Matt reported. "No large-scale life sign activity detected on the planetary surface. Atmospheric composition shows recent high-energy explosive residue, with concentrations significantly higher in specific areas of the northern hemisphere."
Standing beside the captain's chair, Raynor stared at the greyish-brown planet on the display: "Which region did the Moebius Foundation survey team's last signal originate from?"
"Canyon region in the northern hemisphere, coordinates marked," Matt projected the target location onto the planetary map. "Multiple high-heat residues detected in this sector, matching features of a large-scale energy release. However, no active energy sources or lifeforms have been detected."
Tychus's voice chimed in over the comm channel: "Sounds bad. Those Foundation eggheads didn't blow themselves up, did they?"
"Unclear," Matt replied. "However, scans reveal a large amount of metallic debris in the area, parts of which bear Protoss technological signatures. There is also... a structural absence."
"A structural absence?" Raynor pressed.
"Yes. Terrain data shows a large, regularly shaped depression at the intended objective location—about one hundred twenty meters in diameter and roughly thirty meters deep. The edges of the depression are neatly defined, unlike a natural formation or explosion crater. It resembles... a hollow left behind after an entire large structure was completely removed."
The bridge fell into a brief silence.
Raynor and Matt exchanged a look, both realizing that the situation might be far more complicated than expected.
"Prep the landing party," Raynor ordered. "Tychus, take a squad down to check it out. Take the scanning equipment Miss Valerie provided. I want to know what the hell happened down there."
"Got it," Tychus responded.
An hour later, the Hyperion lowered its orbital altitude, holding position in low orbit over planet Xil.
Two dropships carrying Tychus and fifteen elite Raiders descended toward the canyon region in the northern hemisphere.
As the dropships breached the atmosphere, the scenery sweeping past the viewports confirmed the orbital scan results.
An eerie quiet blanketed the surface: no birds, no visible swaying of vegetation, only the monotonous howling of wind blowing across barren rock.
The landing zone was a relatively flat plateau on the edge of the canyon.
Once the dropship touched down and the ramp lowered, Tychus stepped out first, his power boots striking the ground with heavy thuds.
He looked around, the expression under his visor growing solemn.
The Raider squad deployed swiftly, establishing a perimeter. The scene before them surpassed everyone's expectations.
Where an ancient temple was supposed to stand in the canyon, only a massive, neatly circular crater remained.
The stone cross-section along the crater's edge was smooth, as if cleanly sliced by some immense force.
Exposed geological strata lined the bottom of the hollow, devoid of any architectural remnants.
Around the crater, the site grew even more disturbing.
Scattered roughly three hundred meters from the pit lay a vast spread of scorched debris.
These remnants carried unmistakable Protoss signatures: shattered golden armor plates, broken crystal arrays, and melted energy weapon components.
All the debris showed signs of severe ablation and deformation, as if baptized in extreme, scorching temperatures.
Portions of the wreckage still held a rough shape—the base of a Protoss Photon Cannon, though its upper structure was completely gone.
Further out, three massive explosion craters formed a triangular pattern.
Each crater measured over two hundred meters across, its bottom covered in vitrified molten rock.
The rocks surrounding the impact zones were blasted outward in radial patterns, indicating the explosions originated from the air rather than underground.
Tychus stooped down and picked up a piece of twisted metal.
The edge of the fragment was still radiating faint heat.
"Protoss gear. Blown to hell."
A Raider scout returned from the east to report: "Found human equipment, boss. A Drakken Laser Drill—it's Moebius Foundation survey gear. The equipment is powered down and damaged externally, but there are no signs of a direct hit from Protoss weaponry. Found eight bodies nearby in Foundation uniforms; estimated time of death is a few days back."
Tychus walked toward the location indicated by the scout.
The Drakken Laser Drill was parked inside a relatively secluded rock wall alcove, its drill bit facing the rock face, seemingly forced to abort mid-prep.
The eight surrounding corpses remained in their final moments; some still held weapons in hand, but all fatal wounds came from energy weapons—a textbook Protoss attack style.
"Looks like the Foundation made it here first, and then the Protoss showed up," Tychus muttered in a low voice. "The Protoss slaughtered the survey team and claimed this spot. And then..."
He looked back toward those giant explosion craters and the wreckage of Protoss hardware, "...somebody nuked the Protoss and yanked the whole temple out by its roots."
Another scout returned from the west, holding a datapad.
"Boss, I scanned the energy residue in the explosion craters. The readings are... strange. The explosive yield was insanely high, far exceeding standard orbital bombardment weapons. The energy release pattern doesn't quite match any known Protoss, Zerg, or Terran weaponry. Plus, the blast area was tightly controlled—the craters themselves are huge, but the destruction was heavily concentrated on three points, while the temple location itself actually avoided a direct hit."
Tychus took the datapad and glanced at the complex waveforms on the screen.
He wasn't a scientist, but years of battlefield experience allowed him to read basic data.
The sheer yield of those explosions was enough to obliterate a small starship, yet someone used them to bombard ground targets.
And after the strike, someone meticulously cleaned the scene—or rather, hauled off the most important piece.
"Gather every bit of data sample you can," Tychus ordered. "Especially fragments of that Protoss wreckage. Also, check the edges of that big pit carefully to see if any tracks were left behind."
The Raider squad began a systematic search of the site.
Tech-marines used portable scanners to record the energy residue in the craters and collect sample fragments of Protoss gear.
Engineers checked the Drakken Drill, attempting to recover its log data.
Tychus walked to the edge of the pit and peered down.
The crater was over thirty meters deep, its side walls almost vertical.
He noticed regular score marks along the pit walls, resembling marks left by some massive mechanical rig working on site.
A few scattered rocks lay at the bottom of the pit, but no foundation bases of any building structure remained.
"What kind of rig pulls a whole building that big right out of the ground?" Tychus muttered to himself.
He knew existing Terran engineering equipment couldn't pull off something like this; the Protoss might have the tech, but if the Protoss did it, why would they bombard their own positions?
The search went on for two hours. The collected data and physical samples were loaded back onto the dropships.
Tychus cast one final look over the dead, quiet battlefield before ordering the return to the Hyperion.