Ambush

Erich gazed into the sky above him and witnessed the ion cannons firing their beams towards the swarm of starships which gathered in the orbit above. There were so many hostile ships, some of which were as big as the planet which Erich stood upon, that they completely blotted out the light of the nearby star. 

Utter darkness prevailed on the world below. The only source of illumination was the ion beams, which sought to disable some of the warships. Currently, Erich and his men were enjoying a smoke break. Until the first enemy drop ships arrived on the world, he and his men had nothing to do. Thus, Erich simply smoked to pass the time.