The shuttle started to take flight, and just in time. The robotic voice of 8-Ball sent a mental sigh of relief as the Captain then turned his attention towards the back of the shuttle, and the gun. Cassie's Ship "Landslide" flew right by the shuttle, She had done her job engaging and distracting the giant bird all she could, and the mission was successful. Raymond was about to give more orders to the group, until the ear bleeding screech was heard once more, and Raymond shoved everyone down onto the seats of the shuttle. "Down! Brace yourselves! 8-Ball dodge!" He screamed as the creature flew inches next to the shuttle, and thanks to the Monroe's Mechanic they were left with only a bump. Cassie's ship was not so lucky.

One of Landslide's engines were failing. the cockpit's window was crashed open, and Cassie looked unconscious. Raymond stared in horror, tapping his comms again. "Cassie... Cassie! Respond! Status report... Cassie!" Raymond yelled, looking helplessly on as Landslide drifted towards the icy ground. Raymond didn't waste any time. He ran to the machine gun in the back, moving the gun to aim at the ice bird who was circling around Cassie's ship. Ray shot off a couple rounds, the bird revealed his large talons, gave one last hit to Landslide, causing it to spin out of control.

Time slowed down for Ray. He had lost a lot of crew mates in the past as a commander. He was known as Atlas in the Committee Military because he was the soul survivor of an ambush, he was destined to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. Although he had lost a lot of crew mates in the past, none of them had ever been easy on him. Especially if they had been under his command for so long like Cassie.

The ship fell into the tall thick trees of the forest, and a loud explosion was heard, with a cloud of smoke soon following. Raymond stared at it in disbelief for a few seconds, but came back to reality when he heard his Crew's worried questions.

"Air Team... Cassie is down. Unresponsive. Tango...?" Ray said with a shaky voice. A few seconds later Tango's voice went through the comms. "Vitals are unresponsive. Landslide status is completely destroyed. I am sorry, Captain." Tango said in a calm voice. Raymond backed away from the gun, staring at the smoke then at the bird flying back towards the shuttle. Ray closed the back hatch, and walked back to the pilot seat, pressing his finger to his ear. "Monroe, open fire on hostile." 

The rest of the shuttle ride was quiet as they mourned the death of a crew mate. The shuttle reached the hangar bay, going through the field, and landing safely in its designated spot. As the door to the shuttle opened, Ray was the first to step out. He still had a job to do. "Makobi, close hangar doors. Prepare for hyper drive. Jolenar, lock in coordinates and get ready for travel in one minute." 

Raymond's left hand shook slightly as he made his way to the ship elevator to enter the Bridge. He had to make sure the crew and ship were alright.