Corporal Gabriel Vargas stared out at the ocean below him, as the entire carrier VTOL shook and vibrated. Honestly, the state of the VTOL worried him quite a bit, and the fact that it'd taken roughly three tries, and one false start involving them lifting five feet off the ground only for the engines to choke out, really didn't help him any. The pilot, however, had assured them all that he'd get them to their destination safe and sound. Gabriel clutched at the ring attached to a necklace around his neck, a good luck charm, and prayed that they wouldn't all die in a horrible and devastating crash.

Gabriel's prayers were interrupted when someone sitting on the other side of the VTOL pointed towards the sky can called out, "Hey everyone, look! Shooting stars!" Gabriel followed the man's finger, and sure enough, streaks of of bright white threw themselves across the sky. Gabriel noticed the others crowding behind him as they too tried to get a look at the bits of falling debris, and even the other VTOLs had soldiers peering out to watch the light show, giving quiet murmurs of wonderment and amazement. "Hmm... I didn't hear about any meteor showers or anything headed our way." Gabriel heard someone say. The sergeant spoke up, bringing them back to earth. "Alright, come on, break it up! Briefing's about to start."

As everyone settled back down, a voice over the radio spoke up, likely someone back at Rampart City. [i]"Alright people, as you're all sure to know, time is of the essence here, which is why I'm talking to all of you over the radio rather than doing this in person. A little under fifteen minutes ago, the Rampart's sensors picked up several dropships coming in from orbit. They're not of any design we've ever seen and they visually don't look too advanced. None of us are sure as to who these guys are, but the higher ups are hedging their bets on aliens of some sort. Either way, your mission is to scout out the area, find out what they are and discern if they're going to be a threat to us. If not... Try to make friendly contact. The Underground's lacking friends right now, and we could really do with some. You've all been chosen for this mission because of your initial efforts to scout out the islands the unknown contacts seem to have landed on, so this should be familiar territory for you. Remember, stay out of sight until you know for a fact that they aren't hostile. Rampart out."[/i]

There was a lot of quiet grumbling that went around after the briefing had been over. They'd already known most of this, and whoever it was that was on the radio hadn't added anything new. "Make contact with aliens?" Someone besides Gabriel asked. "Isn't that a diplomat's job? We're soldiers, not negotiators."

"I think the Underground is a little short on diplomats right now..." Gabriel responded, glancing over to the man.

---

They landed shortly after, as the various VTOLs came in low in order to try and stay out of site and hide from whatever sensors the unknown contacts may have had. Gabriel's squad disembarked quickly, and the sergeant in charge began barking out orders. "Alright men, everyone split up. We need to cover as much ground as possible, and remember, stay hidden. We don't know if anyone else has noticed these guys, but if they have, we sure as hell don't want to be here when they come to investigate. Stay in radio contact and report back any findings. Now, let's move!"

The squad quickly broke up, and Gabriel soon found himself alone, moving as quietly as he could through the forest, rifle clutched to his chest. It'd been a while since he'd been here. The last time had been years ago when Rampart City was still setting itself up. "Familiar territory my ass..." Gabriel grumbled to himself. A lot could change over a matter of years, and his memory of the area had dimmed quite a bit too. At least they had all been issued a map.

A sudden rustling quickly caught Gabriel's attention, and he quickly pushed himself behind a tree, peering just a little bit around it. He debated for a moment about whether or not to radio this in, but it was entirely possible that it was simply native wildlife. In the end, he settled with simply staying quiet and remaining hidden, at least until he could confirm what it was that was moving.