Kliest’s pod successfully reached the planet’s atmosphere causing him to feel that the interior’s temperature slightly increases, but it wasn’t enough to make Kleist drop a sweat. The pod continued to descend faster than when it was in space.

subsequently, Kliest’s pod suddenly trembled whilst continued to descend. Guessing that he was in the planet’s thermosphere or the late exosphere, Kliest knew that the pod’s secondary thrusters activated. A section of thrusters under the pod that made sure the pod reached land as fast as possible.

[Commodore Arthur Kliest, I have identified that our landing sight would be somewhat near a lake but due to our current trajectory, we’ll be unable to have a safe landing.]

“That’s fine, just make sure everything is fine for me to exit.”

[Understood, Commodore.]

After a few more minutes descending on the planet’s atmosphere, the tertiary thruster sections started. The tertiary thruster sections were located at the front of the ship. It's propulsion was significantly weakened unlike its predecessors, it was because its function was to decrease the pod’s velocity for a safer landing.

[Commodore, Please prepare yourself, we’re unable to change the trajectory, we would be landing on the ground. Please prepare for impact.]

Hearing the Pod’s AI request, Kliest immediately shifted both his hands towards his seat’s harnessing, tightly gripping them.

Then without a moment’s notice, the pod crashed down on the slightly-mushy ground, trembling as it went. After its initial crash, Kliest’s surroundings changed— his pod was rotating from the down up—almost like a ball that was kicked across a field.

Kleist couldn’t concentrate as the pod continuously rolled, he felt as if he was about to puke. Unlike his training, space didn’t possess much gravity but under a planet’s atmosphere it was completely different.

Eventually, the pod stopped rolling. It ended with Kliest sitting upside down, which he could clearly notice. Even though he was still on his seat, tightly strapped on it, he could feel that he was hanging upside down— due to feeling his blood running down his head.

“Urghh…” Kliest held his puke, “Establish… con— Ugrhhh— Fucking abrupt landing— Contact with the Flagship…”

[Understood Admiral, establishing transmission with mothership, Blue Nebulae of the Corner… Contact has been established— passing communication lines to Commodore Arthur Kliest’s.]

After the pod’s AI established communication with the Blue Nebulae, A familiar voice rang inside the pod’s interior.

“Commodore! Are you okay? Are you injured? Commodore!”

“Yeah… Ug— eah…”

“Haa—” It almost seemed like Lisa breathe out a sigh of relief, before returning to her previous work attitude, “Commodore, I have good news and bad news… Which first?”

“Bad news… hopefully my wrath would disappear when I hear the good news.”

“Alright, Commodore— The bad news is that you have been recognized as the only survivor left, both in being a personnel of the fleet and one with the rank of a flag officer… and there’s also a 98% chance of inability to contact the federation’s headquarters or nearby territories.”

“…” Kliest expressed a hint of concern before regaining composure, “…Then?”

“…But the Good news is that you still possess a barely capable fleet— a total of 9 ships out of the original 40, all of which are severely damage and all of which possess an average chance of 40%+ of absolute destruction.”

Kliest was left was stunned, is that what you even call barely capable? All the ships posessed 40% of completely exploding and you call that barely capable? At most that is severely incapable. Kliest commented in his mind, hiding his true thoughts from Lisa.

“Then, they are now rightfully under my command?”

“Yes, Commodore,” Lisa continued, “As part of the Military Codex of the Federation, citing article 3, paragraph 2 of the Naval codex. A fleet is always under the command of an Admiral, but if the commanding Admiral is identified as unable to lead, he will be succeeded by the second to the highest rank. Due to the fleet not possessing a vice-admiral or rear-admiral, but do possess an able Flag-Officer— Commodore Arthur Kliest of the 319th Fleet, you have now been appointed as the acting admiral of the 319 Fleet.”

“… won’t I be given a promotion? Like… rear or vice-Admiral?”

“There are two ways to receive a promotion to a higher Flag-Officer Rank, either by a unanimous vote of the fleet’s AI to recognize their new commander, or by a letter of promotion from the Federation’s Office of the High Admiralty.”

“Then did you guys do the vote?”

“Not yet, all of them are currently pre-occupied in repairing their respective warships, but as caretaker AI’s consider the individual’s skills, ability and merit, rather than family and education as their primary criteria. You are estimated to possess a 97% of a majority vote for a promotion to a higher Flag officer Rank.”

“That’s alright to hear, then…” Kliest cautiously released his seat’s harness and safely controlled his fall towards his pod’s ceiling to which he almost thought as the actual floor. After fixing his condition within the pod, he continued, “Lisa, as the Captain of the Blue Nebulae, I order you to maintain the ship’s fighting capabilities, do anything you have to do, but maintain the ship’s fighting capabilities, from the armaments, bombs and to the hangar bays.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Understood, Commodore.” Lisa complied, to which Kliest instinctively imagined that she was saluting, “I shall follow your order, As the ‘Caretaker’ of the Blue Nebulae, I will maintain the Blue Nebulae’s fighting capabilities!”

“Dismiss!” Arthur ordered Lisa, to which he was unable to receive a reply— Kliest could then clearly tell that Lisa already returned to her responsibilities— Fixing the blue Nebulae.

After their conversation, Kliest then looked at the pod’s compartment under the seating, which was now like a cabinet that was hanging on the wall. There was a total of 5 seats inside the pod, each of those seats possessed a small compartment that housed their supplies and provisions.

“Let’s see what we got…” Though Kliest still felt his puke lingering around his throat, he could somewhat control it, “Oh! This is some nice loot.”

Kleist then pulled out a medium sized duffle bag from the compartment, but it wasn’t the only thing that was inside it— There was also a rolled leather tool carrier and a holster— Kliest also took those two.

“Pod! You still active”

[Commodore Kliest? Yes, Yes I am still active, Until my battery runs out of life or if I am commissioned out of service, then, and then will I only call myself inactive.]

“Good, I like that kind of mindset, I want you to scan the current surroundings and also study this world’s atmosphere, I’m still busy sorting my equipment.”

[Understood, Commodore, I shall present you the results at exactly 7 minutes.]

Kliest then continued to ‘loot’ the other compartments of the 5 remaining seats within the pod. There he was able to gather every single duffle bag, open it, and carefully organize every single content within the bag.

One duffle bag was equivalent to one person, its contents were: 1 recyclable plastic bottles containing 50 Nanopills each, there were also food and water that could possibly last for 2 months if used correctly, close-range communication devices, and basic medical supplies.

If he was to open all 5 duffle bags, he could obtain about 5 bottles of military-grade nanopills with a total equivalent of 250 nanopills. Which, depending on the usage could last for months to years. The food in the bag was canned, and like the bottles of nanopills, he could also make it last for several months, the same went for his water.

As for his weaponry, it comprised of 5 ACLPR Model 4, a light plasma Rifle that were one of the standard weaponries for naval personnel. Due to its compact design and ammunition, it’s buttstock was able to be bended to be easily carried— almost resembling a sort of box-structured suitcase. It also possessed another 5 PWLPB model 9, a light plasma blaster that acted as the navy personnel’s pistol, while it may be small, it had about enough fire power to kill a Myrophix and even a human if they lacked proper armor.

For the rolled leather carriers, it only carried around 3 knives, one plasma knife, an electromagnetic knife, and a metallic knife— All of which had their own value.

“That’s about it.” Kleist then took one of the medium sized duffle bags and started organizing, using efficient methods, so as to make sure everything he needed was to be able to join him.

While he was a soldier, and for soldiers, it was an instinctively ability to determine what type of necessities should they only bring. But because of Kliest’s current situation— Entire fleet almost decimated, Lone survivor, lack of equipment and supplies, unable to request reinforcements or rescue, but most of all, was the fact he was stranded in an unknown planet.

So at best, for Kliest, he had the idea that: “Hey… It’s better to take everything than nothing…”

“—Pod, The surroundings?”

“I have finished examining our surroundings, Commodore,” The pod’s AI then informed Kliest of their landing sight, “Currently, we’ve stopped somewhere near an entrance to a forest, due to being unable to properly obtain a bird’s eye view, I can’t tell how large it actually is. On the opposite side, where my rear part and thrusters are currently pointed at— is a Lake that I am unable to calculate its approximate size nor depth.”

“Atmosphere status? Habitable or probable?”

“It is habitable, Commodore,” Adding, “The trees are dense and abundant, I could also see living animals taking their time collecting food on the stumps and roots of the trees— Commodore, it is habitable.”

“I see…” Kliest then took his stuffed duffle bag from the pod’s floor which in actuality was the pod’s ceiling and carried the duffle bag on only one hand. Taking out a PWLPB model 9 light blaster as his main weaponry on his other hand.

The rest of his other armament such as the remaining PWLPB and ACPLR were reshuffled into smaller, more compact state. Placed inside the same duffle bag of his Nanopill bottles and supplies. Though it was absolutely overloaded, almost like it was about to explode when he opened it. Kliest felt little to no discomfort with it. Thanks to his rigorous training during his early military life.

“Pod, I suppose you know what’s about to happen.”

[Understood, Commodore, opening pod doors.]

Slowly, the pod’s doorway opened in a vertical manner, excreting the pod’s oxygen onto the bright blue, sky. Considering that the pod wasn’t erected in its normal manner, it was expected that his first sight wasn’t greenish land but either the sky or some tree’s bark.

After the pod’s door opened for his body to clearly exit. Kliest then effortlessly threw the duffle bag filled with several of his armaments and supplies outside the pod. After throwing the duffle bag outside the pod, Kliest subsequently jumped onto the pod’s doorway and grabbed its edges, probably the pod’s exterior wall/casing.

“Hup!” Given that Kliest trained his body, carrying himself upwards was an easy task that required barely any of his strength, barely breaking a sweat and without even requesting aid from his Nanomachine.

Once his entire upper body was able to exit the pod’s interior, he shifted his body towards the edges and slowly climbed all the way to the pod’s exterior wall. Lifting his leg onto the pod’s exterior wall and finally exiting the pod.

Upon finally exiting, his first course of action—

“Hup…” Was a deep breath of the world’s oxygen, “Haaa—“, finally determining with his own body that the world’s atmosphere was indeed habitable, Kliest doubt about the planet slowly disappeared as he first laid foot on the ground.

*Stomp* *Stomp*

Kleist stomped on the planet’s mushy ground, surveying what type of land it was. Since he didn’t major in any subjects that involved plants and geology, his knowledge was decent when surveying land structures and or formations.

It’s mushy… I can’t clearly tell cause of my combat boots but I could somewhat feel that rain passed on the ground. Kliest thought before taking his duffle bag on the ground, placing the straps on his shoulders and carrying it.

I still don’t know much about this world, Information gathering is limited due to the fleet’s extensive damage, I also don’t know whom exactly are the natives of this worlds, either their humans or non-human, I’d rather hope that the former are the natives.

Kliest then examined the seemingly endless lake and clear blue sky, feeling the light breeze pushing against his face, the aromatic smell of flowers and nature entering the entrance of his nose— It was a sight to behold.

Kliest then took his first steps forward the unknown land.

He didn’t expect much, but it was better than no expectations.