Borderworld

Chapter 1: The Landing

KING, JESSE

01:34:32

01/19/2682

PERIMETER OF "THE KEY", ATMOSPHERE OF HURON-II

The last thing I see before the pod jets away from the ship is Felix falling to the ground. Shot to death by a couple of "pirates" from the boarding party I saw when I woke up. As my pod flies away from the ship, I observe everything. The ship is long, made up of steel, silver, uranium, and plasteel. On the side of the ship, a large golden circle with a smaller orange half circle in the center reflects the light of the center star all throughout the system. Turrets litter the hull of the transport and as opposed to the rest of the Old Fleet, this is one of the only ships without a built in Energy Cannon.

Connected to one side of the ship is another. Obviously the boarding party had to be from this planet, since their ship was relatively small, meaning less fuel, which means less distance travelled. Their weapons were definitely made by humans, and their ship also wasn't manufactured by any machine. Their armor was also definitely military. Maybe ex-soldiers turned space pirates, forced to intergalactic crime and scavenging.

I turn away from the ship and look down at the planet. The pod has begun gaining a lot of speed, which means I've entered the atmosphere of the planet. As I scan over the planet, I try to see where my pod was aimed. I'm definitely going in on a slope, meaning I'll come to a crashing stop, but I'm definitely angled so that I'm not crashing into the ocean of the southern hemisphere.

Very quickly, the ground starts getting closer and closer and the land starts getting more detailed. The pod begins to rattle and shake from the pure g-force of the entry, guiding me towards a large patch of trees. Only a few minutes pass and the pod begins crashing through the trees, throwing me back and forth violently inside. The wound in my shoulder begins to sear with pain once more.

The pod comes to a crashing stop in the middle of the forest, leaving me looking skyward through the dirty and blood-stained glass. I grab a nearby lever labeled 'eject' and pull it, causing the pod door to fly off of its hinges and fly deep into the dark brush. I use my left arm to grab onto the side of the opening of the pod and pull myself out. Slowly, I climb onto my feet and look around me. The only light illuminating the area around me are the small flames littered on the forest floor and the small lights glowing from the pod. I reach back in and grab the duffel bag Felix gave me before I left and sling it over my shoulder, looking around once more.

I'm not going to be able see anything this late in the night, so I just decide to feel my way around to a nice tree branch and brush the surrounding area clear of sticks, leaves, and rocks and lay down, clutching the duffel closely next to me. Slowly, I drift off to sleep.