5 Exploration 1/2

[ [ Drop initiating in 3... ]]

[[ 2... ]]

[[ 1... ]]

*Fwoosh*

With the countdown completed, the pod disconnects from the ship and begins to descend through the atmosphere. Waves of fire can be seen outside the pod portholes as it punctures its way layer by layer from orbit.

As it continues passing through the atmosphere, large grey clouds can be seen scattered across the sky. Flashes of lightning dance through the clouds with crashes of thunder as they do so.

A large dark city can be seen below the clouds. The faint outlines of skyscrapers give away its position. Flashes of blue and red lights can be seen traveling in slithering lines throughout the streets of the city, enhanced by the darkness of the storm.

*Boom*

As Aryan is both admiring and holding contempt for the city below, lightning passes by the drop pod with crashes of thunder, roaring the challenge of the storm... Almost in reaction, the pod ignites the bottom thrusters, slowing the descent as it begins passing through the clouds. The inside of the pod darkens as it finally begins to pass through the storm, faintly illuminated by pulsing red warning lights inside.

Moments pass before the pod finally punctures through the final stretch of clouds. Through the portholes tall skyscrapers can be seen in the distance, clumped together in a great forest of steel and iron, illuminated by homes and streetlights.

While Aryan continues admiring the city through the portholes, he notices the trees down below getting larger and closer. Blaring alarms begin going off within the pod, notifying him that the ground is less than 500 meters away.

Hearing the alarms, he grips the restraints of his seat and braces himself for the impact...

Tearing and scraping of metal on wood can be heard as the pod pounds against trees as it nears the ground. A final shake in the pod can be felt as a burst of the base thrusters go off in an attempt to further slow the pod before it collides with the ground.

*Boom!*

The pod crashes into the ground with dirt and splinters of wood flying in all directions. A clear line can be seen from where the pod has come from, with the destruction of the trees apparent through destroyed trunks and branches laying all across the ground.

The drill-like base holding the pod in place lessened the impact on the pod. Sparks of electricity fly around from the damaged hull of the pod, with the loud hissing of the thrusters cooling themselves.

The patter of rain can be heard on the pod, with distant thunder beyond the city.

A loud cranking noise comes from the pod as it opens an entrance on the side. Aryan begins to crawl out. Smoke exits from the entrance as the entrance pushes away dirt through the strength of the hydraulics.

" *Cough~* They really need to improve these damn pods! " Aryan yells as he continues crawling out of the pod.

After crawling a distance away from the pod, he stands up with a struggle. The impact of the pod from the unexpected strength of the storm and damaged thrusters leaving him bruised.

A dense forest surrounds him. Faintly seen tops of skyscrapers are in the distance beyond the treeline. The cover of darkness from the storm dampens his view, only briefly alleviated by the flashes of lightning in the sky and the occasional flash from aviation warning towers atop the buildings.

After looking around and assessing where he is, he lifts his arm to show a datapad attached to his arm and dusts the dirt off the screen. Symbols appear on the datapad showing a variety of different simple images and text beside them.

As he searches through the datapad, a beep comes from within his helmet, warning him of an incoming message.

[ [ " Commander Mc'gregor to Aryan, do you read? Over. " ] ] A voice comes from within the helmet.

Pressing a button on the side of his helmet, Aryan responds with a pained tone in his voice. " Yes, Sir. I read you loud and clear. The landing was a bit rough, but I'm about three klicks from the city... I think... Over. "

There is a brief pause before a reply comes through. [ [ " Understood. We're trying to see you through the thermals on the ship, but the storm is causing too much interference. From here on, we can't give much support. We'll try listening to the primitive signals from the city, but aside from that, you're on your own. Over. " ] ]

Aryan again presses the button on the side of his helmet. " Got it, Sir. I'll make my way to the objective. Aryan, out. "

With that he begins to trek through the forest in the direction of the city, staying clear of any roads or buildings along the way. His footsteps echo through the quiet forest, with the clattering of rain giving a peaceful atmosphere to the tense situation.

The forest has a gloomy atmosphere to it. Even without the storm, the appearance of the trees and craters here and there throughout the forest gives it an unnatural and eery feeling. Claw marks can be seen on some trees, while old blood can be seen on others.

Finally, after traveling through the forest while on edge, the border of the city can be seen. Suburban houses are scattered around with natural green lawns, and the occasional car passing through the streets.

Seeing the city, Aryan activates the cloak with a light sputter. Light bends around his suit, giving the illusion of invisibility. The only sign to show he is there is the faint shimmering humanoid shape, and the rain clacking against the figure with light trickling of water on metal.

Once activated, he begins making his way out of the forest into a clearing. Thunder booms in the night as the storm continues passing over the city, with lightning giving brief glimpses of the buildings.

Using the lightning as a short but powerful beacon, he makes his way further into the suburbs of the city. Two-story residential houses are scattered around, with green and brown lawns of grass, separated by meager wood fences.

To the side beyond the homes, larger shops can be seen: Jewelry stores, small banks, and small shops. As he takes in the view of old cities reminiscent of postcards back from Earth a few hundred years ago, a cry can be heard from an alley nearby, screaming for help...

" Might as well help them while I'm here... " Aryan whispers to himself, as he swiftly makes his way towards the scream.

By no means is he a hero. But, he was a soldier with an oath to protect the people of the Frontier and of Earth. Some may be corrupt within the IMC military, yet he is one of the few who maintained their morals while encountering the atrocities of the 'Frontier War'.

As he runs across the street with rain trickling down his suit with the cloak still active, he turns into the dark alley. A group of figures can be seen holding a variety of weapons. Old pipes, switchblades, and even a single firearm.

Taking a closer look, he can't but think that they appear... Ugly? They all wear purple suits or purple overalls with white shirts. Their faces are barely covered in some sort of white paint with red smiles and green accents as they laugh at the group of young adults who are shivering at the group in front of them.

Moving closer, Aryan can hear some of the group members through the rain and the thunder, scowling beneath his helmet as he listens in on their conversation.

" Well, what do we have here?! A bunch of young'uns thinking they can stroll through the bosses' territory without having any sort of 'protection' " The figure holding the sidearm says sarcastically to the rest of the group.

" We didn't know! Please let us go!... We'll pay for protection, just don't hurt us! " One of the young adults' pleas to the painted men, staring at the handgun the whole time.

As this is going on, Aryan continues watching from the shadows while cloaked. He was simply analyzing the situation. One wrong decision and it would jeopardize the mission.

Aryan was having an internal conflict... He could ignore it and continue his mission to recon this supposed 'Earth', specifically this city, and gain as much knowledge as he could... Or he could try to intervene without jeopardizing his position to the people of the city with a risk to himself and the remnant fleet strike group.

Choosing between the pros and cons... He decides to leave the situation alone. If the people are smart, they'll listen to the demands of that gang and hopefully escape with their lives and limbs. If not... Aryan will learn about it later, one way or another.

With his decision made, he maintains his cloak and continues to explore the suburbs, albeit with some regret for not helping the innocent. But as the saying goes... The many over the few...