The atmospheric descent was pleasantly uneventful aside from the normal expectancies. The AISCs, Kerra included were sweating as their bodies were hugged by the warm atmosphere that made it past the heat barriers and overwhelmed the inner cooling system; it was a tolerable tradeoff than roasting alive. Their training conducted so many jumps before that the heat was nearly irrelevant to them and they’ve since mastered the ability to breathe through the hot oxygen within their modified NVP suits during re-entry. Their experiences had made them adaptable in any environment; Ebrillon however was different. With the polar zones frozen over and warm toxins plaguing pocketed regions over the planet, their operation field was going to be a new one for the record.
After enduring the long freefall with their barriers discharging the re-entry friction, the AISCs had reached twenty-five thousand feet over their landing point; the exact margin for slowing down their rapid decent. Kerra fired her jump jets simultaneously, powerful bursts of ion particles shooting out from the boosters located throughout her NVP suit. The added propulsion slowed her freefall during every busting phase as she moved her limbs in order to stay on course. After she had managed her decent to a safer altitude and decent rate, Kerra cut the jump jets, dropping into another freefall only to fire the booster once more at the next interval.
Eventually she and her squad landed on the planet’s cold surface, her own NVP suit and internal cybernetics cushioned the hard landing as particles of frost and dirt sprouted due to the rough connection with the earth. A quick scan from her NVP suit confirmed no hostiles in the vicinity and pinged the “OK” status while the other AICSs made the same report. The landing site was barren as was seen in orbit, only now things were clearly as worse as they appeared. The foliage and vegetation had since died out, leaving only dried fossils of their original selves. Husks of once tall standing timber laid broken across their hollow base in the collected snow and ice that surrounded the entire plain. To the commandos, it was clear that an artificial ice age of sorts had taken grasp of Ebrillon’s ecosystem.
“All squad members have safely touched down, let’s get started.” came Uranus’s voice through Kerra’s helmet vox, “The spaceport has been spotted only a few clicks away and is designated as our primary objective to secure. We’ll split into two teams; Alpha will comprise of Hob, Cobalt, Vice, and Flux while myself, Ymir, Ion, and Sultan will form Bravo. Approach vectors have been updated on your HUDs; follow them closely and watch for any sign of suspicious activity. Camo up and move out.”
Kerra could sense her squad leader’s tone and vocal pace was off from his casual speech pattern. For such a seasoned veteran who up to this point showed little fear and worry was displaying more than the unnoticeable amount. It was as if Uranus predicted something and wanted off this planet as soon as possible. She couldn’t blame him though if that was the case; such radical changes to a green world would have anyone spooked but at least he showed that he was still in command and was willing to up hold that responsibility. Hopefully it would stay that way.
The cautious trek towards the space port was oddly agitating; there was no sign of any hostility despite the planet’s fate was consigned to such ugly expression. The AISCs were used to getting shot at and favored the presented case of stalking an unsuspected opponent when they were visible. But no one was around. No enemy in need of killing. No one to take responsibility for the supposed death of five million colonists and the geological ravaging of a celestial body; nothing. The means of Ebrillon’s state must have took extraordinary measures, but the measures in question were without a trace. It was as if whoever had done this had long since packed up and left. Could they have jumped over their suspect? Unlikely though as the SWS Howling Sun would have detected FTL activity even during its Interstellar jump into slipspace. The logical conclusion would be that the culprit was still here and that was a fact no one relished to delve into. However their job was just that.
As Uranus ordered, the AISCs made their approach while their Shadow Walker stealth fields were active. Each soldier appeared as a mere wrinkle in reality, almost unnoticeable from quite a distance away. The stealth fields that were emitted bended the light around them and masked their physical bodies with background around them while only presenting a fraction of their shadow as the only trace of themselves. On top of the optical camouflage, the Shadow Walker fields reduced their electronic and harmonic signatures, practically making the commandos nearly nonexistent. However the trade off in maintaining such a low profile demands the isolation of outbound echo imagery sensing and external sensor probing; two very efficient methods in early threat detection that would have made a trace back possible and risk compromising their presence. All they had available was basic radar and visual friend or foe identification which was only handy in close ranges.
The two teams continued their advance to the spaceport half a kilometer apart, marching through the icy tundra of decay with their deployed weaponized Assemblers pointed wherever they looked. Particles of what looked like snow or dust lightly fell from the dark overcast overhead that had slowly rolled in an hour earlier. Kerra kept her wits up as she eyed her surroundings for any activity but just like the last check in, there was nothing. It was hard to keep back the thoughts of the mission while cautiously pacing in single file while weapons were raised. Twice did she nearly trip or run into her comrades while deep in thought to which her NVP suit in response stimulated her senses to focus on the task at hand. Though appreciated, she needed to participate with full willingness and responsibility without a compensating crutch.
Finally after a while of pacing with no problems encountered, the teams had reached the grounds of the space port. The AISCs halted their advanced and kneeled down on orders from Uranus. The spaceport overall showed signs of inactivity and age caused by absent maintenance. Vehicles and aircraft remained unattended, some still left in low power states due many weeks of idleness as indicated by the AISC’s HUD sensors. Upon closer inspection to the facilities, there seemed to be evidence of struggle or erratic activity as tools, equipment, and clothing appeared cluttered everywhere on the ground. However, considering that there were no signs of activity within a month, it was also likely that the new weather patterns could have blown some of the gear around the spaceport.
“Objective reached. No hostiles encountered.” said Uranus through the vox and into his own report journal, “Proceeding to next phase. Our target is the Control Center of the spaceport. If we can secure that and bring the support facilities online, the landing sorties can come down and dock. Alpha, take the Westside hanger and approach the Command Center trough the Utilities ward. Bravo will attempt to access the security and engineering sectors to ensure the spaceport is under our control. Let’s get to it.”
The teams were once again mobile and advanced toward their objectives. Hob took point for Alpha and lead the small unit toward the hanger Uranus had pointed out. The single file formation fractured into individual approaches as they made their way past the cluttered vehicles and equipment. Kerra made her way around a Hauler VBMP used for lifting heavy supplies or even aircraft, carefully walking against the hull and using it as cover. She could feel the internal rumbling of the mecha’s electronic inner workings keeping it active and on standby. Like some of the other vehicles, this one too had been supposedly abandoned by its pilot as her sensors confirmed. However, VBMPs demanded a neural sync between the operator and their mechanical counterpart to even operate at all; the fact that this mech was still active meant that its connection to the pilot had dropped instantaneously, leaving the VBMP literally brain dead. As much as that would warrant an investigation, her priorities were to the objective.
Alpha had regrouped upon their arrival at the Westside hanger; a facility going by earlier blueprints meant to station and maintenance of aircraft and smaller spacecraft such as shuttles or starfighters. Though the structure itself was massive, it was far outclassed by the starship bays on either side of the hanger. Following the apparent trend of unintentional irresponsibility, the hanger bat doors were wide open and frozen in place by the cold weather. Inside the facility were additional aircraft parked in their individual bays, primarily surveyor drones like some outside the hanger and a few number of personal transports and crop dusters. Unlike some of the machines outside, these ones were completely offline, likely for maintenance purposes. Tools and data slabs were littered around the machines and the wall-facing workstations. Much like the scene upon the arrival at the spaceport, it was as if everyone had stopped what they were doing and left in a hurry. Were all the technicians and operators here running from something? The thought didn’t sit well with Kerra, especially adding on top of Ebrillon’s condition.
“Area clear. Move on there, dead ahead.” said Hob as he pointed out an opened corridor leading out of the hanger.
The Utilities ward was in the same condition like everything else they’ve seen. More equipment was left on the ground with the internal back-up lamps either on or flickering, leaving portions of the hallways greatly dimmed. However the AISC’s HUDs created a visual backdrop that illuminated the corridors to them. As Alpha closed in on Command Center, signs of hostility slowly began to manifest once they entered into the main offices surrounding the enclosed heart and brain of the spaceport. Burns from energy directed weapons stained the interior walls and desks. Sections of the ceiling were caved in with impact craters directly over the exposed gashes in the roofing. There were even cases of blackening blood smears on both the floor and the walls themselves, indicating a violent struggle had ensued here. Perhaps the even more concerning part of this discovery was that there were no corpses to add up to the bloodbath.
“This is definitely not good…”Flux blurted out in observation of the destruction before them.
“You always say that.” replied Vice whom was still surveying their surroundings, “Though I must agree…This doesn’t paint a pretty picture. Where are the bodies…?”
Kerra agreed with Vice that the absence of any visible fatalities wasn’t adding up quite right. The question was left hanging as no one could produce a feasible answer. The AISCs, now very cautious at this point, carefully approached the entrance of the Command Center that had been blown inward by some explosion. Kerra surmised that an explosive entry device may have been used to breach the heavily armored doors that were intended to lock this facility down from outside attack. As indicated in the offices, the Command Center also revealed the remains of a battle but again, no bodies to account for. Despite the grim realizations taking place of a very likely hostile invasion, they still had a job to do.
“Colbalt, try to get that main terminal up and running. Vice and Flux, secure the area. Get a Stasis fence on that entry.” Hob ordered to his team while he undid the large radio set from his suit.
“Copy.” replied Kerra, along with Vice and Flux as they set out to perform their duties.
Kerra arrived at the main terminal where the CO of the entire spaceport would have been stationed at where they would be able to micro manage everyone and all essential functions of the many facilities here. The terminal itself was partially powered down with the rest of the spaceport running on emergency power. It became apparent that the main power had gone offline or was knocked out by whatever attacked the colony. Pulling a wire from her helmet, Kerra connected the terminal to her NVP’s suits Cyber Port, neurologically interfacing with the station. The person in charge of the spaceport would have had personal security encryptions based on biometrics and key prints set in place to allow only themselves or authorized personal to access the system. Kerra however was already undoing what would have taken nearly a day to establish within minutes, surgically deconstructing the measures set in place to allow open access.
It didn’t take long until she had enough access to manage the starship bays and other sub-systems through the re-routing of emergency power for the time being. Getting full power operational was going to be a different task all together.
“I’m in. Not much to work with but enough for the geeks to come down and land.” Kerra announced.
Hob looked over and nodded before turning back to the newly established radio setup. “Hob, Alpha to Uranus Bravo. Objective accomplished, we have control over the Command Center. Awaiting next orders.”
“Uranus, Bravo . Copy that. Bravo has secured the security and engineering facilities. We should be up and ready momentarily. Go ahead and get in touch with the SWS Howling Sun. Tell them we’re ready.”
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Like many of the other ships in the fleet, the Infamous Alto was on mix of dull inactivity and suspense filled standby state. Everyone learned that AISCs were recently deployed down to Ebrillon’s surface and their status, or fate, was well concerning enough but obviously little could be done with that in mind. Rayland himself for some time had been synced to the network and the communications array, interacting some of the freelance captains of the fleet in regards to the situation, operational status, and a few positive exchanges of dialogue; the moral wasn’t high with anyone so the need to lighten up was desired, especially for those in command.
Everyone had gone back to their duties or began prepping for what was to eventually coming. It had been an hour or so since the AISCs had landed and Rayland naturally concerned for his former brethren-in-arms. He recalled his previous life as an active solider jumping into many orbits of worlds so far away from his own. The feeling of weightlessness during the freefall phase was once a frightening feeling of lawless flight turned peaceful glide was perhaps the most relaxing point until gravity, heat, and possible gunfire seemed to ruin the fun. Of course that was the fact that he continuously faced until the fated mission on Garnene where local insurgents, somehow aware of the stealthy jump troopers descent opened up with triple-a. The barrage eventually clipped his wings while coming out of re-entry as fragmentation shell tore Rayland’s armor apart shredded his flesh with hot metal in midair. The damage could have been worse had it not been for his NVP suit sealing around the shrapnel locking down before inflating the impact cushions for the eventual contact with the ground. Had it been a miss or someone else, Rayland was sure he would be one of the men planetside with a firsthand look of the devastation.
“Captain Rayland Sul’tari, incoming deployment orders from the SWS Howling Sun.” Towan’s mechanical voice suddenly beamed in.
Rayland jerked his head up in surprise, ripping the cable syncing him with local cyberverse prematurely out of his cyber port implant. Though the implant regulated the flow of information and cerebral trance states that allowed the mind to maintain focus and stability even when a connection has been severed, the neurological feedback from such an immediate collapse in the line however proved very painful but only for a moment. Rayland nearly gave a yelp in response and reflexively applied pressure on node until the pain eventually subsided.
“Thank you Towan…” Rayland growled as he pulled up the orders on his terminal.
Darting over the new mission details, Rayland looked over the reports made by the AISCs already on the ground. Apparently the stealth landing encountered no problems, especially with the re-capturing of the spaceport’s central nervous system and returned power to several facilities they could assume commend over. So far the mission was going as planned but with no sign of the any living, or dead, thing however was an unexpected ill manifested development he was sure was was going to be their next priority.
Rayland tapped the interface on this terminal and opened up the ship’s vox channels. “Attention crew, this is your Captain speaking. We’ve just been given orders to initiate landing operations on Ebrillon’s surface. Secure all essential equipment for re-entry sequence. Additionally, the landing corridor has been considered unsecure and thus the Infamous Alto will be assuming Yellow Alert combat status…”
It felt strange issuing an alert like that, something he never really had to do ever; most of the crew probably never even been in a combat situation aboard at all. Of course, had the Infamous Alto had been a freighter and not a repurposed frigate with half its arsenal still operational, the displaced feelings would have made sense. At least now he had a good reason to use the guns now.
“…as for our mission parameters, the Infamous Alto will assist the guys already on the ground as well as the incoming arrivals from other ships with technical logistics and military operations as orders come through. Jump troopers have just taken control over the spaceport and are seeking help restoring full power to the entire compound before further operations move into the main city. Until life support is restored, everyone is required to environmental survival gear as the air within Ebrillon’s atmosphere is no longer breathable. We’ll deploy in five minutes; man your stations at once. That is all.”
All stations eventually reported ready status and the command staff was at full operation capacity on the bridge, just under the five minute mark. Rayland was a tad surprised at how fast everyone moved to their operation posts right after his announcement. It was hard to say if the crew’s efficiency was due to a spike it was out of moral educed determination or fear that they were about to dive into hostile territory. Whichever the case may have been, they were set now.
Rayland restored connection to his terminal as his re-inserted the network cable back into the cyber port implant once more, re-synchronizing with the rest of the ship until his mental presence was everywhere throughout the Infamous Alto’s neural net and was in full control once more. With the SWS Howling Sun’s dock facilities notified of the Infamous Alto’s departure, the clamps that helped the frigate to the Howling Sun folded back, releasing the Infamous Alto back to the void. No longer restrained, Rayland technopathically commanded the frigate forward towards Ebrillon. Sensors around the ship picked up additional movement from the rear; another freelance transport, the Loran’s Run also undocked and formed up behind the Infamous Alto several kilometers apart. More vessels began moving with two destroyers lurching toward the planet, surrounding the small convoy of now joining dropships and VBMWP in fighter configuration. Rayland had to admit that while travelling with such an armed detachment, it was as if they were invading Ebrillon. The sentiment was probably not far off.
The destroyers eventually halted their advance ahead of the landing party and about faced their starboard and port sides towards the planet, railgun and particle beam batteries aimed at the surface. It became a palpable fact the destroyers were now serving as orbital gun platforms meant to kill anything that was deemed hostile. It was good to know that the ships landing on the surface were going to get serious fire support from above if things turned ugly. However, when several more ships popping in on close range sensors and moved in just behind the destroyers, Rayland began to wonder if their support had any contingencies in mind if things went completely south.
“Atmospheric re-entry sequence initiated, prepare for minor turbulence.” Towan announced as the Infamous Alto got within meters of the entry point.
Through the visual sensors on the bridge and other sections of the frigate, heated gas began to spread all across the bow before it soon nearly engulfed the Infamous Alto. Following re-entry procedures, Rayland raised the frigate’s bow upward, creating drag with the ship’s larger profile positioning. The purpose was to reduce the amount of velocity the Infamous Alto was entering with. By presenting a larger underbelly, the compressed gases flowing around the ship were pushed away, lowering the overall temperatures the heat barriers were taking on. The frigate rumbled gently with much of the taken on g-forces were nullified by the onboard inertial dampeners, making the trip down to the surface relatively tame.
After a period of time, the landing party came into a stable enough altitude to where the ships could come into a thruster assisted glide. The Infamous Alto flew through the dark clouds that shadowed the cold badlands below, marauded by the coming turbulence of the gathering blizzard within the darkening haze. So far the approach had been rather uneventful with no noticeable responses to their arrival, they were completely unopposed. If there was a hostile force that had the capabilities of ending a planet, they were either plotting something terrible or thought merely little of the approaching ships. Both aspects were terrifying in their own right.
Ryaland could then see the spaceport materializing out of the dark clouds and already the AISCs were contacting the incoming craft. The Infamous Alto and Loran’s Run both received specific approach vectors from the jump troopers manning the command center, directing them to the starship bays to land at. The dropships and VBMWPs flew right past the two only largest ships in the force made their way to their designated landing areas. When the frigate made its way over the spaceport, Rayland took note of the soldiers spilling out of the dropships weapons raised, watching them as they quickly setup fortifications and entered the spaceport to reinforce the AISCs while the mecha took positions all over the compound both in the air and on the ground, serving as additional fire support and scouts for the ground forces. No one was wasting any time.
The Infamous Alto eventually arrived at its designated pen with Rayland slowly easing the craft down as a jump trooper tagged as “Ymir” directed and oversaw the landing. The bay itself was basically a massive oval shaped dome-like structure that opened up to accept new vessels. Once it was open though, its insides comprised of a large multitude of machinery and balconies to oversee the serving that entered in there. The bay’s giant mechanical arms rose once the frigate had reached a certain altitude and gently took hold of ship, slowly pulling it down into its confines. Rayland relinquished his control of Infamous Alto to the automated starship bay’s control system, cutting the engines and deploying the ships landing gear as his last tasks to perform. Once the landing gear had made contact with the platform below, the majority of the landing-assist arms retracted from the frigate, allowing only a few to keep the ship secured.
“The Infamous Alto has safely landed.” Towan declared as programmed, “Personnel can now safely depart the vessel.”
Rayland desynchronized from the ship’s neural net, properly, and unplugged the cable from back of his neck before the cord slithered back into the seat’s headrest. Standing up, Rayland tilted and twisted his neck from side to side, working his shoulders over before as he fortified himself preparing for what the coming hours had in store for everyone. That and the eerie vibe the darkened rooms of the surrounding stations within the starship bay gave off along with the dusted windows and partially rusted materials didn’t paint a very appealing picture, something he foresaw himself stating until new orders came in.
“Attention crew, this is your Captain speaking…” Rayland announced as he interfaced with the ship wide vox, “We’ve safely landed on Ebrillon and operation orders are coming though to your personal slabs. Though the bay had been deemed safe, Marines will exit first and secure the area before moving on to assigned areas and teams. Technical personnel will depart afterwards with Marine escorts if advised to do so. Medical and Biology personnel are to remain on standby until further notice. For those who are assigned to this ship for its defense or maintenance are cleared to move about the ship bay and the adjacent facilities if necessary, otherwise keep to your assigned duties. That is all.”
Moments later, Rayland observed from one of the visual sensor feeds as the Infamous Alto’s cargo ramp folding down with a detachment of gunmen tactically walking out with weapons raised, aiming in all directions for any hostiles. The soldiers obviously didn’t encounter anything and split their numbers as half the group moved out through the entry terminal of the ship bay. Soon some of the technicians eventually exited down the ramp with several Marines escorting them, each with their own orders to fulfill. With everyone mostly knowing what they were doing, Rayland decided to retire from the bridge for the time being and possibly walk around the ship, making sure everyone was performing their duties. Probably hit the bar too.
Though it may have just been a feeling, but as he was about to step out, he couldn’t help but feel he was being watched. Natural reflexes turned Rayland’s head and he peered out of the bridge, stating at a darkened room-balcony directly facing the Infamous Alto. His quick investigation of the small facility revealed nothing abnormal, no movement or even lights; even his own psionics didn’t pick anything up either. With a quite grunt, he shrugged of the odd feeling off and continued on his way; it’s been a busy day already and a shot of alcohol should calm the nerves.
