[center][h3]DSS [I]Audie Murphy[/I][/h3][/center]
[hr]
The vehicle bay was a tall, large room, containing all the ship's vehicles, as well as the equipment needed to repair and maintain them. The entire crew of the ship had gathered there, some wearing Marine armor, while others wore the dark blue uniforms of the UED navy. Carver, back in his familiar suit, stood on top of a large metal crate, facing the crowd. There was an anxious mood among the crew. The loss of half their number, as well as the death of the Captain, had hit them hard, and the fact that they were stranded on an unknown world only made it worse. Carver had gathered them here for two reasons- to brief them on what the Adjutant had found, and to reassure their faith in him as their new leader. Something told him that would be easier said than done.

Clearing his throat, he began to speak, his voice carried by the ship's PA system. "Men and women of the [i]Murphy[/i]. I have gathered you here to speak to you, as a fellow soldier."

"I don't need to brief you on what's happened so far. We've crashed on an unknown planet, and half our crew, including our Captain, lay dead. We've all lost friends and comrades today. But, we need to keep moving forward."

"I don't know how long we're going to be stuck here, but it's likely we'll be stuck here a while. We need to prepare ourselves, mentally and physically, for the challenges we are going to face. And, with the information recently uncovered, the situation here has gotten more complicated." He paused, as the crew chatted amongst themselves, wondering what he was referring to. "We have reason to believe that we are not the only ones here. At least one other ship has crash-landed here with us, and there may be more."

"I do not know who these others are, or what intentions they have. We can hope they are peaceful, but we must be prepared for the possibility of conflict. For this reason, I will be leading an expedition to explore the surrounding area, and to- hopefully- make peaceful contact with these people, whoever they may be."

"Whatever happens, we must stay strong. We must never forget our mission- to protect humanity. All other objectives are secondary to this. Together, we shall ensure that the deaths of our comrades were not in vain. Thank you." And, with that, he stepped down from the crate, to a cheer from the crew.
[hr] 
Carver didn't think of himself as a good public speaker. He was mostly going off of what he remembered from the Captain's speeches and various propaganda broadcasts, but it seemed to work. He had selected four Marines to accompany him on his expedition. They had considered bringing along a Goliath, but had decided that it would be unnecessary. Standing in front of the vehicle bay doors, they watched as they opened with a hiss, and the forest outside became clear to them. Taking a few steps outside, they observed the ship. It was in one piece, but there were several large pieces broken off, scattered around the crash site. It would take a while to fix, that was certain.

Their inspection of the ship done, Carver and his squad turned around, looking at the column of smoke in the distance. Other than that, there were reports of a structure nearby. It was up to Carver to decide which site the squad would investigate first.