They were all strapped in and ready to go. Conundrum always felt nervous before a drop. Not usually due to worry, but this time, worry was front in his mind. Of course his daughter was in his thoughts, but also his brothers-in-arms. They trained together during the long trip to get out here. It’s not possible not to get close to all of them and then not worry when they aren’t responding. He checked his armor and ensured his equipment was properly secured to try to keep his mind distracted.
Across from him sat Hiden, who always sat next to the door. This is how they trained, the Guardian and the Leader were the first off to set up a defensive zone once they hit the LZ, with the Recon and the Technician acting as spotters for danger and to find a path into cover. As Conundrum finished checking his gear for the fourth time, he glanced over to Hiden briefly, who returned the glance with a nod. Hiden understood and feeling the same anxiety as him, Hiden was just better at hiding it. Conundrum let out a deep breath as the drop ship moved from the prep bay to the launch bay.
He got a playful punch in his left arm. Conundrum looked over at Jamel, Bravo Squad’s Recon. Jamel beamed at Conundrum and said “C’mon gramps, you know they’re alright down there. After all, it’s not like Alpha Squad is full of rejects like Bravo is, right?” Jamel is the unit’s jokester. As a Recon, I thought their goal was to get in and out quietly. Somehow, Jamel always got into trouble when scouting, but damned if he didn’t know how to get out of them. Conundrum could hear Hiden roll his eyes at the comment and let out a sigh.
“Great motivational speech there Jamel! I almost feel confident that you’ll make it back to the ship after the mission is over now,” says Kendreck, the Technician. Her being smart goes without saying as the squad’s tech and field support. Conundrum was glad Kenreck was assigned to Bravo, he prefered her over Rulen because Kendreck had more empathy, which gave Bravo and edge in unusual situations. Rulen tended to hesitate when he couldn’t rationalize what was going on. Euclid had to keep a close eye on Rulen, but Rulen was the ideal choice to get through computer systems, which this planet they were about to land on had plenty of.
“You know I’m the best for pre-mission prep talk Kendreck! It’s how we always get back without a casualty,” replied Jamel with a smirk. “That’s good for you, isn’t Jamel!? After all, you’re the one that tends to get us into trouble, it’s only fair you get us out! Isn’t that right sir?” Kendreck looks over at Hiden for confirmation. Hiden can’t help but chuckle and looks over at the two. “I can’t argue with those facts Jamel.”
Conundrum turns his focus on himself as the ship begins to shake during entry into the atmosphere. He begins to go over the mission details to prepare himself mentally as well as to keep the dread at bay. It’s difficult for him to get out of his head the comment that the intel guys provided during the briefing. “We are confused as to why we can’t get a hold of Alpha. The comlinks that both squads used were built to withstand just about anything and we don’t see anything that would be causing interference. We should be hearing from them, and we don’t know why we can’t.”
A loud buzzer sounds in the drop ship. “Alright squad, we’re 30 seconds out from drop. Do a final check of your equipment and prepare for a hot LZ. Entry formation as we trained.” he says to the group and taps his helmet twice. The rest of his orders go over the comlink. Conundrum thinks for just a moment “I hope our’s won’t go out while we’re here.” “Jamel and Kendreck, find us a high point to get to quickly for recon and to set up base camp.” They nod in acknowledgement. Hiden looks at Conundrum then. “We’re the hammer, get ready.” I nod my response as I grab my shield and unfasten my sword from the bulkhead. I roll my shoulders and take a few deep breaths, landing just seconds away.
There is a loud thud and tremor through the drop ship as it hits land. All thoughts Conundrum had are instantly gone as he releases his straps and jumps down the ramp once it’s open. He activates his shield once his boots hit the ground and braces himself for impact. Within a heartbeat, Hiden is at his back, his pistols pointing out. Jamel and Kendreck jump out a second after Hiden and crouch on opposite ends of the shield barrier. All of them are caught off guard at what greets them… nothing.
After a few heartbeats, Jamel stands from his crouch. “Scanner is reporting no threats in the immediate vicinity sir.” Hiden steps away from Conundrum and starts to really look at their surroundings. He lets out a breath and lowers his pistols. “Roger that Jamel. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a lucky break and can set up base camp without being shot at. Conundrum, drop your shield and help Kendreck setup camp.” Hiden turns around to look at the group as he says this. He then looks to his right and points up at a nearby hill. “Jamel, run your scans from up there and shout if anything comes within a half click of us.” Jamel nods and runs over to the hill. Hiden takes a moment to look down at a nearby valley from their vantage point. “It looks better in person than it does from the ship. Looking from orbit doesn’t do it justice.”
From the top of the hill Bravo Squad landed on, they can see for miles at the countryside. They landed in a lush and green biome, full of trees and flowers. They can make out some wildlife as well as what could be a town further down the valley. “Looks like we’ll have a busy day tomorrow Bravo. Jamel, I’ll need you to scout ahead and see if that’s a town at the end of the valley first thing in the morning. In the meantime, scout the perimeter and set up your warning devices.” “Yes sir.” replies Jamel over the comlink.
It takes Conundrum and Kendreck about an hour to get base camp fully up. Cots and tents for each member as well as a mobile arsenal chest to store their extra gear. As the sun starts to set, Kendreck starts a fire while Conundrum pulls out their dinner. As Jamel jumps from a nearby ledge, he comments “mmm, those MREs sure smell good there gramps! I hope you saved one for me!” “I’m glad you like my cooking, I’ll make sure to put aside any leftovers just for you!” replies Conundrum as he tosses the MRE over. “You shouldn’t do that, it might make me groggy in the morning, I don’t want to get caught by the locals again,” jokes Jamel as he sits down next to the fire. Hiden hands out canteens as Kendreck stokes the fire.
Hiden looks out at his squad as they eat their dinner, his sitting at his feet. “While everything looks nice, make sure you don’t drop your guard tomorrow. Something happened to Alpha and we don’t know what yet. Jamel, do you get a reading on their drop ship?” “Negative sir. No readings from Alpha yet” replies Jamel. “Alright. We’ll check out that town tomorrow and see what intel we can get there. Then we’ll report back to the Skylark.” “Roger sir” replies Bravo.