Norbert listened to Preston and Lyles as they began the launch sequence. Their voices were calm, soothing. This was just another planet, just another day in the life of a USEF crew.
"Ignition, check," said Preston. "All indicators are go. Navitron display?"
"Check," said Lyles. "All navigation systems go. Ready for boost at your leisure, captain."
"On my mark," said Norbert, reciting the ritual that brought men into space a hundred times a day. "Make ready, first fret to clear the bay in three, two, one..."
The engines burst to life and the roar echoed off the walls of the bay. The craft rose up slowly and made its way through the airlock. Stars, undisturbed by atmosphere, appeared in the windows and pulsated with their individual rotations. Below them, Bernya sat like an expectant mother, swollen and silent.
"Full speed, Preston," said Norbert, and the shuttle lurched forward, sending them toward the surface of a heretofore unknown world.
They entered the atmosphere in short order, burning a swath through the ozone as they descended. The insulation of the craft protected its crew from the hellish temperature of the hull, but the sight of flames through the viewing window was always unsettling to Norbert. Truth be told, had he not needed the healthy salary a life as a space captain could bring, he would have holed up on some planet and never looked at the sky again. As it was, he had a family to feed and a retirement to plan, so he faced he trepidations with stoicism and soldiered on.
The planet surface appeared as they broke through a thick cloud bank.
"Set us down in that clearing," ordered Norbert. Preston expertly navigated the shuttle, gently tapping the controls until he was directly above it. With a flick of a switch, the landing thrusters kicked in and lowered them to the ground.
The door opened onto a lush tropical landscape. Had the team not been using their breath tanks, they would have smelled fresh dew, new growth and the hint of something not-natural, something chemical, that seemed to permeate the subconscious and sound a silent alarm. As it was, the procedure upon landing on a new planet required full bio suits and artificial air.
"Alright," said Norbert. "Let's start collecting data."
"Ignition, check," said Preston. "All indicators are go. Navitron display?"
"Check," said Lyles. "All navigation systems go. Ready for boost at your leisure, captain."
"On my mark," said Norbert, reciting the ritual that brought men into space a hundred times a day. "Make ready, first fret to clear the bay in three, two, one..."
The engines burst to life and the roar echoed off the walls of the bay. The craft rose up slowly and made its way through the airlock. Stars, undisturbed by atmosphere, appeared in the windows and pulsated with their individual rotations. Below them, Bernya sat like an expectant mother, swollen and silent.
"Full speed, Preston," said Norbert, and the shuttle lurched forward, sending them toward the surface of a heretofore unknown world.
They entered the atmosphere in short order, burning a swath through the ozone as they descended. The insulation of the craft protected its crew from the hellish temperature of the hull, but the sight of flames through the viewing window was always unsettling to Norbert. Truth be told, had he not needed the healthy salary a life as a space captain could bring, he would have holed up on some planet and never looked at the sky again. As it was, he had a family to feed and a retirement to plan, so he faced he trepidations with stoicism and soldiered on.
The planet surface appeared as they broke through a thick cloud bank.
"Set us down in that clearing," ordered Norbert. Preston expertly navigated the shuttle, gently tapping the controls until he was directly above it. With a flick of a switch, the landing thrusters kicked in and lowered them to the ground.
The door opened onto a lush tropical landscape. Had the team not been using their breath tanks, they would have smelled fresh dew, new growth and the hint of something not-natural, something chemical, that seemed to permeate the subconscious and sound a silent alarm. As it was, the procedure upon landing on a new planet required full bio suits and artificial air.
"Alright," said Norbert. "Let's start collecting data."
