Touchdown: Clearing the Path

An Impend class Troop Transport lurked in orbit, her optical and QRG camouflage systems wrapping her in a bubble of quantum distortion that effectively rendered her invisible to all but the most powerful QGDAR systems.

Her sleek hull was built to withstand the strain of atmospheric entry and maneuvers, further enhanced by her powerful quantum field manipulators and advanced control systems.

But that was not her mission, not yet.

Sergeant Yelin Alikh shrugged in his model 291A Assault Armor, bringing a diagnostic test into his rHUD. All checked green as the various functions came into his vision, augmenting the basic displays in his armor's faceplate.

“Fury-One is green.” He spoke, transmitting to the ship's AI, Camilla. “We over the window yet?”

“No Yali.” Camilla spoke with a hint of a smirk. “We'll be there in half an hour.”

“Stop calling me Yali.” Yelin replied with a smirk.

“Fine then, Lina.” Camilla laughed.

“Ha ha.” He said without a hint of humor “Tai, just because I'm your boyfriend doesn't mean you can call me that in public.”

“Don't worry love.”

A third voice broke through the conversation, transmitting from Fury-Two.

“Hi.” Major Taia Halin walked in, her flaming red hair vibrant even within the relative darkness of the ready room “Lina.”

“Aw fuck.”

Taia's vibrant green eyes sparkled with delight, both at the mission and the joke.

“Everyone ready?” Yelin asked, though he already knew the answer.

“Not quite, Rasil's having a hard time stripping PR21 and Roval's still looking for Big Sama.”

“That overpowered plasma rifle? I thought he lost it a week back.”

“That was Little Raia.”

Calis strode into the ready room, her dark-chocolate brown hair falling down to her shoulders.

“Deacon's got equipment problems again.” She remarked, sighing “Then again, he's just delaying. Roisa remember?”

“Yeah. Remember when he pissed his pants at Exilon just because of a single Fury.”

“That was before he got his armor on. Doesn't count.”

“Does too.” Taia and Camilla laughed as Yelin tried to put his palm in his face, making his shields flare.

“Window's coming up.” Camilla said, meaning business. “I suggest you get into your pods.”

“Hol!” Yelin barked “Bishop and Fury teams get your asses over here and into your pods.”

“Yes sir.” Taia laughed as she put her helmet on, followed by Calis.

Yelin piled into his drop pod, checking his equipment a final time before hitting the ready icon. The heavy door slid shut, engulfing everything in darkness before the displays came on.

A timer was steadily counting down to zero. A scant minute later and they were over the drop window.

“Launch!” Yelin yelled as he sent a mental command to the accelerators.

The pod shot out of the ship's underside, slamming into the atmosphere and tearing a line of fire and smoke in the black night. The other pods followed close behind him, thrusters firing in small bursts to keep them in formation.

The pods slammed into the soft earth, throwing large amounts of dirt high into the air. All was silent and the pods exploded open, the metal doors embedding themselves into the dirt.

“Go! Go!” Yelin yelled as he leapt from his pod, readying his rifle as he went.

His boots touched the ground and he ran.