The attack by the furry red-coated natives came as no surprise to Maria. She was an experienced intelligence officer. Lee Long discovered one sentient during a hunt. That means there are a lot of sentient ones on the planet.
Humans didn't want to endanger valuable equipment. They were counting on their strength. Contact with a sentient race went by the worst possible route.
Maria ordered the boy to pack quickly. The men ran to the flyer. Despite the evening and the close of night, the humans decided to retreat to the ship and return to base.
The attack showed the primitive level of development of the locals. The base is several thousand kilometers from the placer of the Power Stones. It would take the enemy a long time to reach the base.
Lee Long sat at the controls of the flyer. He said his skills had given him an enhanced reaction time and he would do well at dusk. Maria agreed and sat in the passenger seat.
Creation is hard, cheer me up!