“Where do you think you‘re going, doctor?”
Delphi flinched hearing Leo’s deep voice coming from behind him. He turned around, finding all twelve soldiers escorting him, about to enter the room.
“Leo! Don’t worry, I’m just taking a look.”
“You know I can’t allow this.”
“Come on. No one will see it!”
“No!”
“But… I NEED this, Leo! I need to see her, feel her!”
Doctor Delphi’s expression became more and more ugly, pleading towards the stern-faced major.
“Gemini, Scorpio, make sure the doctor doesn’t leave the ship until I gave the Ok.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Two burly men stepped forward. Gemini directly passed the doctor, blocking the way towards the power armor. Meanwhile Scorpio stayed close to Delphi looking at the doctor with a challenging smile on his ugly face.
“No, you can’t do this Leo! I… mph.”
Scorpio decided that the doctor had spoken enough. With his strong grip he shut the man’s mouth. The major shot his subordinate a disapproving glance but didn’t comment further.
“The rest of you! Armor up!”
“Yes, sir!”
Everyone’s voices sounded increasingly solemn at this moment. The last few years were rather leisurely for the soldiers. But now their strict training dictated their actions.
The soldier went to their respective cabinets. All of those contained the necessary equipment to explore unknown planets. Even if their radars didn’t detect any life, the soldiers didn’t dare to take the mission lightly.
Leo watched with a neutral expression as his power armor stepped out of the cabinet. It opened by itself, allowing the major to step in.
Next, it closed slowly, calibrating itself to fit the major’s current body shape perfectly.
Leo felt the cushioned metal embracing him tightly. Electrodes connected with his body, allowing him to control the armor like a second skin.
An electronical voice sounded out as the armor finalized the process. When various readings appeared on the black glass before his eyes, Leo knew that his armor was ready for combat.
Heavy footsteps sounded on the metallic floor. Doctor Delphi watched in envy as the twelve soldiers in black armor approached the door leading out of the ship.
A hatch opened leading to a short air lock only enough for four armored soldiers to pass at once.
Major Leo took the lead. The hatch closed behind him. A short warning signal rang out before all the air was sucked away.
A moment later the wall in front of the soldiers lowered, opening up a way to the outside.
The soldiers watched as the gap enlarged slowly. A dead landscape was gradually revealed, dominated by rocks and ice.
It was a boring, dead sight. However, the soldiers couldn’t deny that a special feeling welled up in their chests. This was the fabled planet of their ancestors.
Leo quickly suppressed his emotions when the wall was fully opened, building a ramp towards the floor.
“Let’s go.”
Getting rid of all distracting thoughts the soldiers carefully left the spaceship. Their black laser rifles were raised before their eyes as various information about their surroundings was constantly fed back by the power armor.
Leo took one last step, landing on the solid rock. Cracking could be heard as the ground broke under his heavy weight. Leo’s ears twitched, his body fully tensed.
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He took a few steps forward. Similar sounds could be heard as the other soldiers moved behind Leo’s back, spreading out in three directions.
“Pisces, in position.”
“Cancer, in position.”
“Taurus, in position.”
Observing the barren land before him, Leo gave a signal to the ship. It took a while until all soldiers exited, safe for Gemini and Scorpio who looked after the doctor.
“No threat detected. Follow me.”
“Yes, sir!”
Leo took the lead. Constantly scanning his surroundings, he approached a few buildings not far from their landing zone.
It was quite surprising that those buildings hadn’t fallen apart yet. Maybe this could be attributed to their simple but sturdy construction. Most of those buildings were unadorned metal blocks.
When Leo got closer, the ground below his feet changed as well. It was a flat plain, most likely constructed by the ancestors. However, after so many years its purpose couldn’t be discerned anymore.
Suddenly Leo noticed something. He turned to the side abruptly, his weapon raised in an intimidating posture.
Not far away a red light blinked. Some sort of metallic arm moved upwards. However, after a single second it froze in place. The light extinguished.
Not enough energy?
Leo stared at the arm closely, not daring to take it lightly.
The other soldiers had quickly formed a line, some putting one knee on the ground. Taurus and Pisces stood in front of everyone, ready to activate heavy shields at any moment.
“At ease.”
The soldiers relaxed, seeing that there wasn’t any more movement. Pisces asked her boss calmly:
“Major, should I investigate the area?”
“Make sure there is no threat. But don’t touch anything. Leave the research to the doctor.”
“Understood.”
Pisces followed the major’s order. She activated a small spere in her palm, which instantly grew into a large shield made from special alloy, protecting her body.
With slow steps she approached the strange arm, stopping a short distance away.
“This arm belonged to some construction. There is more scrap metal here. I don’t know its purpose, but even if it activates again, I don’t see how it could move anywhere.”
“Alright. Come back.”
After the small interlude, the soldiers became even more careful as they got closer to the few buildings.
The structure got clearer in in their view. Suddenly a warning flashed before Leo’s eyes. His armor automatically zoomed in on a large, broken window somewhere on the third floor.
Leo took a sharp breath as he spotted a human figure. It was a man with pale skin and black hair. Wearing a mix between a wide robe and a black uniform he stood still, his eyes seemingly staring into nothingness.
“Stop!”
The unit immediately froze in place, their rifles directed towards the human figure.
“Major, it’s impossible for this man to be alive. Even the most advanced genetical engineering doesn’t allow a lifespan of more than 650 years.”
“I know. But how do you explain this man’s presence then?”
“Maybe it’s the corpse of an ancestor.”
“After thousands of years?”
“Otherwise, it would mean other humans have found earth before us.”
“Highly unlikely.”
“What should we do now, major?”
Leo furrowed his brows, contemplating their options.
“Aquarius, scout ahead. The rest stays back.”
“Yes, sir!”
Not daring to refuse, one soldier quickly separated from the group. Her armor dimmed, taking on the color of the grey landscape. Various means were deployed to shield against all known scanning methods.
After a moment the other soldiers couldn’t spot her anymore, not even perceiving her footsteps.
Aquarius sneaked silently, reaching the building complex. She carefully placed her hand on the metallic wall. An extremely supple energy pulse was sent out.
Quickly, feedback was returned to her armor.
Still no sign of life. However, it seems these buildings are not without defensive measures.
Aquarius recorded the information before moving on. She repeated the procedure at a few different places.
When she turned the first building’s corner, she gazed at the enormous metal claw in the distance. It laid on the ground, half embedded in a large hill. Somewhat further away similar constructs could be made out.
However, the rocket platform wasn’t Aquarius’s target right now. She continued doing her job, placing her hand on a door not far away.
Suddenly her body flinched. She involuntarily withdrew her hand, taking a few steps back and huddling around a corner.
Absolute silence returned. After waiting for a few seconds Aquarius carefully approached the door again. She wore a resolute expression and repeated the scan.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips as an image was projected into her vision, sharp lines outlining the structure before her. She focused on the basement where several bodies could be seen lying in some compartments.
Just now she feared that they might be still alive, detecting her scan. But fortunately, the bodies didn’t show any movement.
Major Leo and the other soldiers remained further behind, protecting the escape path towards the ship. At this moment he suddenly received a message.
“Major… chzz, found bod… chzz… look.”
The major frowned heavily, his body turning tense. How could it be that their signal, based on the most advanced technology in the entire empire, was interfered with on a dead planet such as this?!
He pondered over the words sent by Aquarius. Coming to a decision, he ordered his subordinates:
“Libra, Cancer, stay here! The rest comes with me!”
“Yes, sir!”
Major Leo glanced at the unmoving person at the window while messaging Aquarius for more information.
A few moments later the team arrived at the scout’s position. They stared at the solid door before them. A gap could be seen between it and the wall as if it got stuck during movement.
On a signal from the major Taurus stepped forward. He gripped the door tightly and pushed to the side. His muscles tensed more and more.
Suddenly the sound of something bursting could be heard and the door smoothly disappeared into a gap within the wall.