Soon, the rumble stopped. The ship, which only moments ago shook violently, was now steady and calm. The blast shields lifted after a few moments, and allowed light in once more. The darkness was now completely gone, but the room wasn't exactly bright. The light was murky, and had a green tinge to it. Through the small windows he could see the sky. It was dull, and made him feel physically sick.
"Here we go," he whispered, but mainly to himself.
Doc fumbled with a small device. "We'll need breathing apparatuses." He said finally in a deflated tone.
"Why? Is Triple really that bad?" Lags grinned, as he glared at the giant.
"Just some readings I'm getting," Doc said as he whacked the small device lightly. "Probably just this thing."
"Better to be safe," Thorann said as he stood up. "You heard the Doc, everybody mask up."
He headed for the locker and grabbed his helmet. Fitting it as the others fumbled around with their own head gear. The communicator sounded.
"Hey, Thorann, you had better get up here." Birds voice came through patchy.
He made his way through the doors of the cargo hold, and walked down the narrow corridor and at the end of it, the doors slid open automatically, but the steel squealed at the end as the doors got caught, leaving only enough room to squeeze through in his bulky armor.
"What is it?" He asked as he finally made it into the cockpit.
"This base we're supposed to go to. They're not receiving my hail." She said, her voice filled with concern as she maintained focus on flying.
"Strange." Thorann adjusted his helmet. "Try them again," he said after a brief pause.
"I've tried them multiple times and they're still not answering." She turned back for the first time, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "I think we should turn around. Something doesn't feel right about this."
"No deviations," he replied. "We're going for that base whether they answer us or not. They could have a comms problem, they could be busy..."
"The signal is strong, it's not a comms issue. Busy?" Bird said shaking her head. "A communications officer would always be present."
"I made myself clear, Bird." He said. "Maintain our course." Thorann turned back toward the door. "One thing though. Drop us off but don't land. We may need some air support."
As the door to the cargo hold opened, Triple was standing in the way of it and quickly moved as Thorann appeared. "What's going on?" Triple asked as he entered the room.
"The base isn't answering Birds hail," he said as he sat down. "I'm expecting the worst so load up and prepare for anything."
The ship pulled back, causing the others to lean heavy. "Destination reached, you're cleared to disembark." Bird's voice rang through the intercom.
Thorann hit the control panel on the wall and the door opened immediately. "Doc, take point. Lags you're next, get us a read of the area. Recruit, you're after, keep those eyes open!" Thorann shouted, and in order of address, they all jumped out and hit the ground with one thud after another. Triple walked to the door, waiting for his name to be called. He punched at the side of his head, banging his helmet. "No, I need you to stay on the ship for now. Get behind the turret and keep your eyes open." He said as he raised an arm to stop him.
"Stay! Are you crazy?" Triple argued. "What if you need me on the ground."
"I need eyes above!" Thorann shouted as he walked to the opening and jumped.
As he landed, his boots sank into the sludgy ground. He fought to dislodged them with each step. He looked up at the ship and saw Triple bang against the hull. With that, it ascended and started circling the area.
Doc and the recruit had their backs to Thorann, but were close by. Lags on the other hand had disappeared, which wasn't unlike him.
The base was empty. Half submerged buildings. Even the walkways had sank completely, leaving only shallow puddles behind.
"This place looks abandoned," the recruit said. His voice barely audible with the sounds of engines overhead.
"You sure this was the right place, Thorann?" Doc asked, speaking louder than the recruit.
"This is the place," he replied, lowering his rifle. "Where's Lags?"
"You know what he's like, he could be anywhere." Doc replied.
Thorann let out a sigh. "Okay, you and the recruit can go check out those buildings. See if you can piece together what happened here." Thorann said.
The other two headed forward, Doc leading the way while the recruit followed closely behind. He seemed nervous, and held his rifle tight.
Thorann raised his wrist link. "See anything from up there?"
"Negative." Bird replied.
"Yeah, nothing," Triple said. "Just a busted up base and a few aimless wanderers.
"Keep the channel clear, Triple." Thorann said. "Lags, got any readings for us." He asked into his wrist link, but received no answer. "Lags?"
"Yeah, I got something."
Thorann jumped at the sound of Lags from behind. "What's the read?" Thorann asked after settling himself.
Lags barely looked up from his device. "Probably just wildlife, but I picked up a few mid-sized life signs coming from the northern shore line." He looked up.
"Get into position." Thorann said, and before he finished Lags was gone.
"Doc, get back here." Thorann called out.
"Thorann, come here for a minute." Docs voice came through on his communicator.
"Copy that," Thorann replied and then glanced up at the ship passing by overhead. "Keep your eyes open up there," he said as he headed for one of the only buildings standing firmly on the ground.
He walked into the darkened room, and nothing but red emergency lighting illuminated the space. Two figures were all that was inside. Doc was knelt down on the ground, as the recruit stood at his back.
"What is it?" Thorann asked as he made it to them.
"Seems someone left us a gift," Doc said as he stood up holding a stained wrist link. "These don't fall easily," he pointed out as he passed it to Thorann.
He scanned it, and it came to life. After navigating to the previous recordings, only one was present. Recorded only hours ago.
"Triskani in the water," a voice whispered. The sounds of gunfire in the background. "We were overrun within minutes." The voice cracked. "We tried," the audio went dead momentarily. "Admiral Yittias abandoned..." the speaker was cut off abruptly and the recording ended.
