Part 5/9:
Returning to base after barely escaping a confrontation, Tom learns from Commander Porter that their group must split to avoid detection—groups larger than 600 attracting the attention of alien airships. Reluctantly, he agrees to a risky plan to retrieve supplies alone with a small group of fighters, revealing the lengths to which the resistance must go to fend for their lives.
The narrative intensifies when Hal discovers that his missing brother Ben has been taken by the aliens and harnessed as a part of their mind control system. This bleak news injects hope into the group's otherwise desperate circumstances, prompting Tom to focus on rescuing Ben while rebuilding their faltering strength against the alien onslaught.