He switched his helmet from within-range hearing to the global admin chat channel, where he could hear everyone in his crew, whether it just be the cockpit in general, or anyone with a transmitter or tactical helmet of some kind. Combined with the injections that everyone was forced to take, he could keep himself updated on everyone's whereabouts, and anything they say or hear. As required by CentCom, of course, and not entirely under the human rights- but they are in a whole different galaxy, and this was very much demanded by all three factions.
Listening in on everyone else's conversations, he strapped himself into the command seat in the small compartment between cockpit and crew bay, where a small desk with monitors and keyboard were, embedded into the desk and wall. Slipping out one of three admin decks- a sort of large, laptop-sized tablet that has the functions to control a small starship- he flicked across the menus to the extra external sensors on the hull of the ship, which were rigged on short notice. Entering the atmosphere showed great promise- a heavy ozone layer kept the planet cooler than expected, but gravitational measurements showed the gravity was rising exponentially. It seemed that the planet would have a significantly higher gravity at sea level than at a level relative to, say, Mount Everest. Rough measurements would say that you could jump closer to two times higher on a Mount Everest-sized mountain, in proportion, than at sea level. Air pressure was heavier, and once they broke into the slightly cloudy green-blue atmosphere, the jungly habitat suggested strong plants. Surface gravity was actually slightly below Earth norm, at about .95 of Earth Gravity. The planet had relatively powerful gravity, since it was 13% smaller than Earth.
With all these little facts in his head- he was forced into a long training to make preliminary theories and thoughts, and then investigate- he figured that the atmosphere, from the admin deck, was probably breathable. Either way, when they finally landed, he was the first to the bay's large cargo ramp, swerving around the three large pallets in the middle of the dropship (Supplies, equipment, and some lighter, specialized weaponry and devices), he switched on the enviroshield that would keep the dropship bay Earth-normal, and then set the ramp to descend.
He was immediately assaulted by a flying monkey covered in snake-like skin, with four arms and two legs and a long tail ending in a small curved claw. Faced with an unfamiliar creature wrapping itself around his upper torso and head, tail striking uselessly against his armor, small claws sliding off, he fell back with a distinctive clatter, and struggled with the unusually strong, wolf-sized monkey. With its face very close to his own, Jack's very much panicked thoughts were absently observing it- five eyes, one in its forehead, another where they would "normally" be, and another set farther apart, allowing a full 260 degree view, with a mouth dominated by a row of flat, squat teeth suited for eating plants or fruit, and then a second row of teeth dominated by spiky, irregular canines that seemed to move on their own.
He groaned, and let the monkey thing try to eat him. After a moment, his fist came up and connected against the muscled, scaly body. The solid impact tossed it to the side, and it scurried out immediately after, recovering quickly.
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