The expendables

"The Expendables" by A. E. Van Vogt is a science fiction story that checks out what happens when a spaceship full of colonists faces impossible odds. On the ship "Hope of Man," the crew lands on the planet Alta III as power battles start—both inside the ship and with new alien life. Captain Browne sends a team to the surface, but technician John Lesbee realizes it is a trick. Lesbee and his friends plot against the Captain looking for a way to take control. When they find the telepathic Karn aliens, Lesbee sees his chance to act. He makes a risky deal that could change everything or destroy the crew's survival. As betrayal and strategy come into play, the story asks tough questions about who has power, who gets used, and what someone will do to survive. The expedition has to reckon if leadership and loyalty stand between them and moral choices.