Light is Green

Posted on Sat Jun 12th, 2021 @ 11:57am by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dante Fox

Mission: A New Legacy
Location: South American Coast, Earth
Timeline: 3 Months Ago
801 words - 1.6 OF Standard Post Measure

An explosion in the distance rippled the space around him. It shook the inner lining of his stomach, making him feel slightly uneasy. The early breakfast he had this morning, begging to use the emergency escape hatch but he forced his gag reflect to keep it down and remain steady. No use ruining someone’s day by holding on to his bag barf.

Additional explosions were heard in quick succession in the direction the Marine transport was headed. His team had hitched a ride with some Marines since they were all headed the same way.

Dante saw concern on their faces as they sat in their seats. Some of them checked their gear and weapons. Others commenced small talk amongst each other to avoid thinking about the one thing that should have been on their minds - the mission ahead. It was these little things human beings did to avoid the task at hand. To be fair, none of them knew, not even Dante, what to expect ahead.

“Damage Control Team (DCT) Gamma, ETA to drop: 30 seconds. Get ready.”

For the first time, Dante was getting nervous just like the rest of them. He tried his best to not show it.

The pilot of the marine transport activated the rear decent ramp. The ramp began to descend downward as air and light rushed into the cabin and revealed the coast of the South American continent just beneath them.

….Swooooosh….

The fresh breeze danced around them. The smell of the ocean hit their faces all at once. A mix of crustacean and seaweed smell. It reminded Dante of a vacation he took once to Thailand. Beautiful white sand beach but the ocean kissing it.

The transport descended downward. His team and the marines in the rear all looked out over the scenery. They could see could see the small structures below just before the beach and sand, the small favela town that was a relic of the past but still hosted local youths and party animals.

Just then debris started to become visible. Bodies littered the beach. Small shuttle crafts and twisted metal salt and peppered the area below. It was a crash.

Hundreds of personnel, both marines and naval, were down there on one giant search, rescue and salvage operation, the biggest had ever seen during his short time with star fleet.

Several hours ago, the USS Thor, a small marine expeditionary vessel crashed landed on the planet during a training mission. Cause unknown. Survivors, maybe. His team was assigned to the nacelles that detached from the rest of the ship.

“DCT Gamma, ten seconds out!” The pilot announced over the loud speaker.

“Alright, Gamma! Get ready to repel down.”Dante stood up and yelled over the 30 MPH wind that entered the shuttle and it’s engine blaring in his ear. “Remember, our task is to seal and contain the hydrogen leaking from the bussard collectors. If unable to, the hydrogen could ignite. We need to seal that leak. Team 1 with me toward the bussard collectors. Team 2, to the rear and analyze the damage. Seal whatever is leaking on your end. Are we ready?!”

“Ready!” his party responded with a synchronized shout with thumps going way up.

Each of them sported black overalls with orange stripes at the center and wore orange helmets with a hand and wrench decal on the front. It was his team's personal touch back at the academy. The four others - Ashley, Rico, John, and Lee, were merely the team that graduated together and immediately became friends.

Dante turned around away from his team and walked closer to the edge of the ramp. His team followed. The last two in the line carried large bags of equipment strapped to their backs. Lastly, they slapped down their darkened visors which were part sunglasses and part protection for their eyes from some of the equipment they’d be using for this mission.

The transport banked upward to slow its momentum and then came to a full stop about twenty feet up above the ground over the right nacelle. The nacelle was cracked right down the middle at the center. It also leaked a misty gas at the front. Unknown if it was hydrogen from up here. The rear of the nacelle was also partially submerged in water but most of the nacelle slept and slumbered on the beach, right up to the where the beach ends and the boardwalk begins.

Two ziplines shot downward from the transport’s inner ceiling and anchored itself into the sand.

“DCT Gamma, light is green, go… go… go” the pilot yelled as Dante grabbed onto the first line and began to slide down. His party followed in two small lines as they slid down the line and landed on the beach.

TBC