GM IC: The LZ wasn't much to look at. An expanse of uneven, loose shifting soil expanded before the descending pilots. Sensors could pick up vegetation just at the edge of visual range, the band of life that bordered one of the planet's sources of water. But the coordinates were very specific; their target was this spot halfway between that band of life and harsh desert. The ground was firm enough to support the landing Orbitals, but their feet sank a short distance every time they took a step. Digging in it wouldn't be too hard. The shuttle ferrying the scientists down proceeded towards the surface, safely nestled roughly in the middle of the pilots that had sortied. One thing the area didn't lack for was wind; the uppermost, loosest layer of the ground shifted easily in the breeze, but most of their sensors returned very little. Except, perhaps, for those of [i]Bedwyr[/i] and [i]Odysseus[/i]; it wasn't obvious, and even if it had been it might have taken a careful look to make anything of. But it was just strange enough for their sensors to throw as an observation, something that didn't quite match; the whole LZ seemed to have a multitude of heat sources under the ground, just a little too warm for their surroundings and overlapping at random intervals. Its first escorts safely at the zone, the shuttle landed towards the center of the LZ. [center]***[/center] [center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/383674146426454019/736347733446885436/Untitled-2.png[/img] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/383674146426454019/738100534451372042/art.png[/img][/center] Voyager stomped, louder than most of its counterparts, towards the second catapult. The spires atop its shoulders folded forward while it maneuvered, both to fit more comfortably inside the launcher and to align their emitters for planet fall. Its feet slotted into place, magnets securing her to their surface. Voyager leaned forward, much the same way Artemie herself did, distributing most of its weight opposite the direction its inertia would want to take it. She had only ever carrier launched once or twice, but she remembered the recommendations. Actually entering the atmosphere was something she had to think about. [color=7e5e7f]<>[/color] She announced, the timing sequence appearing on her screen as operations initiated the countdown. It was an old custom to announce your launch, something from decades before she was born. She'd been pretty cheeky about it before. 'Be right back', 'see you soon', and she'd really gotten a lecture when she decided it'd be funny to be more colorful. But it was important this time. She felt it the same way she had felt when she looked at Voyager for the first time and knew what she would need to write on it. Sometimes you [i]needed[/i] to make a statement. [color=7e5e7f]<>[/color] Operations handed off timing control and Artemie was pushed hard into her seat as the rails shot her forward, even more when she fired Voyager's thrusters at the end of the line. [i]Pyxis[/i]' grays gave way to the black of space and then that blue and brown marble filled her gaze. Her trajectory already had her on a nearly least time course towards the LZ, but she deviated just a little while she tested her mobility. Voyager flowed left and right, up and down, making a single lazy rotation on its vertical axis. Everything checked out. The Lunite flicked a switch to warm up the G-Aegis, but she knew it wasn't strictly necessary. She helped write the manual on the system, and she'd been paying close attention when the X Corp tech walked her through its use during reentry. The barrier projected in front of her would increase her aerodynamics breaking into the atmosphere, and her own flight capabilities would let her minimize friction. It'd get a little toasty, but nothing even worth noting. [color=7e5e7f]"Starlight, you're flying backup. We won't need the boosters."[/color] [color=darkgoldenrod]"Yes, ma'am."[/color] The computer answered promptly, managing to imply the 'obviously' left off of the end. Or maybe that was Artemie's imagination. But it [i]was[/i] obvious, and only her excitement (and nerves, not that she'd admit it) made her reiterate it. And they were hitting atmo in three... two... one... The Aegis flared, purple light enveloped in the dull red of friction-tinted light. The colors were magnificent from inside the cockpit and she wished for a second she could have seen them from outside. But the moment was brief, and the Aegis shut back down at exactly the correct time. No need to waste the energy now that she'd made the transition. [color=7e5e7f]<>[/color]