Dune Drifter

The human race, based at Terra Prime, is at war with the Drekk who have devastated major cities. Adler is a Grey 6 gunner aboard Dune Squadron, flying with pilot Yaren as part of the Reserve Gemini Unit. Colonel Danforth aboard the starship Valiant directs them to rendezvous at the planet Erebus, hoping Terra Prime forces have driven back the Drekk by then.

During transit toward Erebus, Adler and Yaren troubleshoot a failing plasma injector coil on their fighter and perform a temporary fix to keep systems running. The squadron presses on, hoping the repair will hold through the mission.

On leaving hyperspace, the Dune Squadron finds the Valiant under heavy Drekk attack and immediately joins the battle. Callaghan, leading Grey Squadron, launches an attack on six Drekk ships, but their plasma blasts have little effect on the Drekk shields. They still manage to destroy one enemy craft, but the entire squadron apart from Adler and Yaren is killed, leaving Adler's fighter damaged and forcing a crash landing on Erebus.

Adler regains consciousness and moves the severely injured Yaren to an emergency life raft with a breathable atmosphere, using her suit for protection. She attempts to call for help by accessing the ship’s communications, but needs a code she doesn't have; Yaren provides one that fails to unlock the system, and Adler realizes they are out of range anyway.

During the night, Adler spots a Drekk ship crash-landing on Erebus and uses her ship’s radio to confirm its Drekk origin. This discovery foreshadows the danger still on the planet as she and Yaren wait for rescue.

The following day, Yaren succumbs to her injuries after the dearth of proper medical supplies. Adler must continue surviving on a fragile, toxic world largely on her own.

A creature attacks the life raft, deflating it and threatening Adler’s air supply. She makes it back to her ship and kills the creature with a plasma cannon to secure a small lifeline.

Adler salvages the plasma injector coil from the crashed Drekk ship to repair her own fighter. She encounters a Drekk warrior wearing a plasma-resistant suit and, after taking an adrenaline shot, kills him with a knife.

After securing the coil, Adler fights two Drekk warriors guarding the Drekk ship, using their rifle against them and killing one. In the ensuing skirmish she nearly destroys the ship and is pursued by the remaining foe.

The remaining Drekk warrior tracks Adler to a geothermal geyser field and drives her into a cave, where her helmet becomes damaged. The Drekk seizes the plasma injector coil as Adler retreats toward her ship.

Adler crawls back to her ship, mounting a replacement helmet taken from Yaren for air. When the warrior arrives, she attacks with plasma blasts from the ship and a rock, then kills the Drekk with their rifle.

Adler installs the plasma injector coil into her ship and fights her way free from Erebus, with the Drekk rifle aboard. A navigation code prompt appears and she recalls Yaren's code, triggering an autopilot course back to Terra Prime.