The holding bay was bright from the lights of the hanger peering through the slit sized windows across the vehicle.
With a blast of fire the engines roared to life and as they did, a few of the others staggered to find a place to sit. Thorann opted to grab a hand rail, rather than sit. Holding it he fought against the uneven footing. As they heated up, the engines rattled which send shudders across the interior of the ship. Tera, rattling with anticipation. The need to fly was obvious.
She had been waiting for weeks, but those few weeks felt like months to Thorann. He always hated that about being onboard major traversers. Being on the move for weeks, or even months always felt much longer than it actually was. He wasn't sure why exactly. In his mind, it had something to do with not being on solid ground, or perhaps something to do with the artificial gravity, recycled air, and unnatural light.
The light shimmered throughout the cargo bay as the ship took flight. The ship shuddered and rocked as it made its flight. The heavy light from the wider docking bay soon disappeared and was replaced with utter blackness. Space was cold, dark, and left Thorann feeling empty. Not just that, but he felt small. Not just him alone, but his crew, as well as their ship. A collection of twisted steel propelled by fire.
"Well, what do you think?" Doc asked the recruit, who, up until that point was huddled on his seat, looking much smaller than he had while aboard the cruiser.
The recruit looked up after a moment, and just shrugged, giving a look of confusion. They didn't seem to know what to say, but their previous excitement had almost completely disappeared by now.
"This your first mission?" Doc continued.
"Yeah," he said nervously. "I mean, I've done combat sims, and I've..."
"Combat sims mean nothing," Lags growled, cutting the recruit off. His words were followed by a light chuckle from Triple.
"Well, they're worth something. Better to have a few of those under your belt rather than going in completely blind." Doc interjected. "I mean, you've done some training. That counts for something too."
"Training?" Lags said. "You mean playing games." He continued. "It's all well and good to fight your buddies you trained with. But this, an alien world, going up against things we know nothing about. That's different. Especially since the fight is taking place on their land." Lags shook his head. "The odds are against us."
"Shut it, Lags." Thorann said as he glanced at the recruit. "We'll be fine."
"I'm not saying we won't be fine. It'll be good exercise for us, but if I were him, I'd be thinking real careful about my actions down there. No real experience to speak of, charging head first into something like this." Lags trailed off.
"Enough." Thorann said as he stood up. "Drop the subject and get yourselves prepared. Equip yourselves and study the briefing.
The others shuffled from their seats as the rocking calmed down. Triple went for one of the lockers and sorted through his gear. As the door opened the smell hit the cargo hold.
"Triple," Lags complained. "When's the last time you washed your crap?"
Triple just laughed and ignored the question.
"No, I don't think he's joking Triple, it reeks." Doc said as he covered his face with his sleeve.
"Okay, it's been a while, but don't worry about it. I'll spray it down."
"Forget the spray, it needs an incinerator." Lags retorted.
It wasn't long before everyone was ready. Triple wore his typical heavy armor plating. Lags was already suited up prior to boarding, as was the recruit. Doc changed from his normal wear to his light armour. This particular suit of armor had multiple insignias on it that Thorann didn't recognize.
Triple fumbled at the back of the cargo hold, and soon returned with his weaponry. The man looked as though he was carrying the entire supply on his back. He had essentially everything he was bound to need, and then some. Doc had his shotgun, and pistol, and Lags had his rifle.
"Making entry," Birds voice came through the comms system. "I'd get seated or hold onto something, this could get bumpy."
Within a few minutes the ship started to rock violently. Flames illuminated the entire cargo bay in a redish yellow glow. It flickered violently, and it was so powerful Thorann could almost feel the heat from within. That feeling though was born of thought alone.
"Better close those blast shields, Bird." Thorann said.
Soon, the shields closed and once again the cargo hold was dark. But, the sounds of being consumed by flame remained. They were engulfed entirely, and this was just the start. He was eager to leave this ship, but some small part of his mind was overcome with fear, which he tried to silence behind a mask of stoicism.
