The lift's doors opened to the lower hangar deck on the Epimetheus. Dimitri immediately strode out. The light basking on him from above seemed to bend and warp around him in his newly donned armor. The hangar ran the length and width of the Epimetheus. Flurries of activity by drones as they scurried about making whatever preparations that AI had decided on. Dimitri began to stride through the hangar, purpose resounding with each footfall.

Flanking on both his left and right were drones upon drones for all functions and purposes in their bays. All in their deep slumber, waiting for the call to action. There were a make and model for everything a colony could need. Transportation, Agriculture, Building, Resource Collection, Defense, the list went on and on. If there was a purpose, there was something here for it. Or at least the schematic for building it. Not everything could be brought along with the Epimetheus. The two massive creation fabricators slumbering in the back of the hangar were there for everything else they couldn't bring. Waiting to be spun up to churn out material and drones alike.

Dimitri paid everything in the hangar, no mind, as he made his way to a particular bay near the exit. The drone feed appearing in his vision was much of his interest. The drone having cleared past the churned black dirt surrounding the ship a couple of minutes ago. The forest canopy covered most of the view now. He was in a bit of a shock earlier. Having seen what was left of the engines, it seemed like the anomaly had simply cut them off. Gaping wounds were all that was left, laying the engine's innards to the open weather. The cuts themselves being absurdly clean. As if anything on the other side of the cut ceased to exist.

The world so far was extremely interesting. A spitting image of Earth, pre-industrial era. The AI had been able to get some more atmospheric data, which espoused that fact. Having been able to have the drones repair the arrays. There were no markers of industrialized civilizations but inklings of some form of civilization with the biomarkers present in the atmosphere. Civilization would complicate things, especially Dimitri's own mission. The threat determination and possible integration of the civilizations would fall to him. Or just the brokerage of some form of agreement to have the colony. Although if the assessment would be in the negative, denoting a danger posed by the alien life. Other courses of action would have to be taken.

Already the AI was warming up the birthing vats in preparation for starting the colony here. There was only the need for the green light from Dimitri now. Though he did have to admit there wasn't much, they could do with the engines simply missing. They were going to have to work with what they had at the moment. 'Probably why the AI is already starting up the birthing process.'

Dimitri's eyes continued to stay fixed on the feed coming in during his musing. The forest stretched for kilometers in all directions. Not much could be seen through the treetops with the basic camera, and having switched to thermal, a few small creatures could be made out through the tree's boughs. The occasional bird passing from bough to bough drew his attention but nothing else of note. The flashes of thermal signatures only in the feed for moments before disappearing again. Not long enough to actually be studied. However, seeing the small forms of life through the feed was surprising. It had been a long time since he had seen any animal. Most were dead and gone before his time. Let alone another living thing. How long had he been on this ship? This mission?

'Too long.'

Coming upon the final bay was his ride. A bike made specifically for offroad terrain. Nothing compared to the bikes he used to ride on through the neon hellscape of home. This one was simple. Made to make sure he could get around and do his tasks as denoted in his contract. Nothing more.

Unslinging his cargo from himself. Dimitri slung it over the rear of the seat, strapping it on. With a quick once-over, he made sure he was set. He had brought along enough supplies for a couple days. His hands ran down to his waist, checking on the rest of his equipment. Faintly touching, the energy sub-gun folded into its compact form, resting in its usual place. The battery box filled to the brim with spare batteries for the energy needs of the weapon. On his other hip, his fingers traced the hilt of his old trustworthy. Fingers tracing along the hilt, parting the blade from its sheath briefly before replacing it to its position.

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Dimitri was good to go. Slinging his leg over the bike, he mounted up. Sending a command for the gate for the bay to open.

The gate parted in the center, a vertical shaft of light entering the bay blindingly from outside. Both halves slide to the side. The alien world becoming more and more visible. The foreign light invaded the ship, and a light breeze brought in the outside air.

Dimitri took a deep breath through his helmet. The air still tasted of being recycled, but he didn't care. It was symbolic in nature and nothing else. He had at least taken the advice of the AI and suited up for the excursion. A form-fitting undersuit with add-on armor interlaced over like the scale armor of old, smaller armor pieces in a hexagonal shape interlocked to disperse energy bolts throughout the suit. The relatively thin armor allowed for ease of movement yet gained in thickness the closer you came to the vitals. He wore a helmet simple in nature, an air scrubber to keep contaminants out, and a sensory system. The cameras and sensors connect with his cyberware, providing him with sight and senses as normal without any external openings on the helmet.

The door having fully opened, Dimitri flipped a switch to turn the bike on. With a small whine, the bike jolted under Dimitri. The quiet bike drove him off the ship to the ground below.

His first objective was to enter the forest past the charred ground and continue an orbit similar to the drone. Though in a more thorough nature, hoping to come upon some of the creatures spotted with thermal imaging. The drone was to keep continuing out in its orbit, documenting as it had been. If it came across anything interesting, Dimitri would go investigate in person.

A few smaller drones were taking samples of the charred ground off Dimitri's right. He assumed, at the command of the AI. It was weird that the ground was charred this way when their own ship had apparently not been affected in any way like the ground.

'If you didn't count the engines that is.'

A chill ran up Dimitri's spine, thinking of what would have happened if the anomaly had cut the Epimetheus in half instead of just taking off the engines. The idea of the decompression was unnerving. It was not a way he exactly wished to go out. Shaking away the thought, he began accelerating towards the forest's edge. Putting the ship and the small drones in his dust.

Arriving at the edge of the forest, Dimitri began to slow down. Making sure to keep his eyes peeled while entering the forest. He was on an alien world, and even though it may appear harmless, there was no reason to not have his guard up. The pines were enormous and frankly breathtaking. They stretched into the sky, some pushing 70 to 80 meters in height. He had only seen something similar when he had worked with a wealthy exec from one of the major corps. The man had the upper portion of his high rise converted into an atrium with different biomes. It was pretty but nowhere on the same level as this. His atrium simply paled in comparison. Yet, just like that time, business was business. 'At least this time I'm not having to 'dissuade' another corporation on a merger. A messy business those.'

Dimitri accelerated again, weaving through the trees and starting his rounds. Keeping in mind the drone feed at the edge of his vision, he started to comb through the forest.

The canopy extended over the forest floor, almost blotting out the light on the ground. The plant life taking a toll from the lack of light. The undergrowth being pretty much non-existent. A few small plants and lichens dotted the ground and the trunks of the pines. The forest was still. With a small breeze and the whine of the bike's engine, Dimitri weaved between the pines, dodging the occasional low-hanging branch.

The stillness continued for a time before notification from the drone came in. The drone had made it almost 10 kilometers when he received the notification from it. The feed and notification drew Dimitri to pull the bike to a halt. In the distance on the feed, the drone had picked up the sight of rising smoke. On the horizon, several plumes were rising. Being very light in color, denoting no harder fuel being burned but not dissimilar to what you would see from wood or a nonchemical fuel. Yet, there were no columns of smoke indicative of a forest fire or similar.

Quickly Dimitri sent a command to the drone to move toward the smoke. Immediately burning its thrusters centering on the smoke to get a better look. It burned for several seconds before the feed was lost, just as it passed the 15km mark from the Epimetheus.

'Shit'