Alec's POV:
There it is... I didn't think I would ever see it again. Earth. Last time I saw it, it was from the smallest and dirtiest and dingiest window at the back of a ship. I think it's fairly natural to see her again for the first time from the biggest cleanest window of all: from the front deck.
I was fourteen at the time, and I still remember the planet darkening after we exited the atmosphere. I thought, with my young and overactive imagination, that the planet would collapse on itself, but it was not so... Now here I am, commanding the aptly named Freeing Eden to land for the first time in a decade on Earthen soil.
At the age of eighteen, seven years ago, I joined the military, and I have been climbing the ranks since. Of course it helped that my best friend was the famous General Jones, the greatest strategist in the war since he was recruited at the age of sixteen and only a year or two older than I. His competitive streak, next to mine gave me ample opportunity to polish my skills of the mind and body. When we first came to Mars it was adventuring: which one will arrive at the top of that mountain of hill first, which one will learn a whole other language first, such things. He was best at honing his mind, and I, my body, hence our arrangement: he's stuck with the desk job, and I with the manual labor, the grunt job.
No one knows we are best friends apart from family and close friends, it wouldn't do, people would think I used him to skip ranks, but I fought in the war for two years until it ended five years ago and earned my upgrades fair and square.
We became best buds on the Fall of Eden, I was alone, my family already gone and my parents were left down on Earth, and he had left a little sibling, so I just filled the hole in his family.
Now I am going to Earth.
We had sent a message to the people on Earth explaining the end of the war and that we were coming to fetch them, but I don't think they'll be happy we wasted so much time fighting instead of getting them out. I guess we'll find out.
"Prepare for entry"
"Friction shield, engaged"
"Decelerators, ready."
"All baggage and personnel, secured"
The list went on and on...
"Breach, opened!"
"Entry in ten, nine, eight, seven, six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Ze-"
The ship suffered a massive shock from the sudden deceleration, cutting off the pilot.
Visibility was close to nil, but that won't deter us. Thunder roared around us, lightning licked the surface of the ship, glancing off the hull harmlessly. The ship trembled more, groaning and moaning from the force of the reentry. Our eyes were riveted on our respective screen or the beautiful yet slightly more frightening display of electricity visible on every window. This spectacle ended quickly as we had passed the altitude the lightning gathered at, leaving us to admire an other sight, or lack thereof: the ground. Indeed, the computers were continuously informing us of the proximity of the ground we would land on based on current trajectory thanks to a multitude of tests (laser, sound...), relayed diligently by Ensign Johnson, and if they were correct, which they moat probably are, then we should be able to see the ground below us, no matter the lack of visibility: the power of the lights used topside would be visible from here. Yet we can see nothing. Just pitch darkness, comparable to the black of space, only with no stars or sun or anything really.
Thankfully, my crew was well trained, and didn't loose their cool. Given that we have no reason to believe the ground level had changed in the last decade or so, and we have no information by eyesight...
"Land according to the computer"
"Yes, Sir" answered the pilot.
"You all right down there?" I send to engineering.
"Alright for now!" Good answer.
Quickly, the distance to the ground diminished, pushing the pilot to start the different steps of a ground landing.
I have to admit, while I have done many things quite terrifying in my short life, being responsible for the personnel on the ship currently landing with possibly erroneous data and no visibility took a special place in the top ten.
Fortunately, my pilot, who we call Suru, as a joke, is true to his name and can control this ship perfectly. While not above loosing his cool, now he was eerily calm, as if I didn't order him to potentially destroy this ship, and landed smoothly, albeit slightly less smooth than usual.
Because yes, we landed. On earth. On Earth. On Earthen earth.
Shaking myself from my torpor, I quickly announce to the whole crew "people, the 'Freeing Eden' has safely landed on Earth"
Now, we are a small crew, only minimum personnel for such a ship. One wouldn't be able to believe that by hearing the cheers. I'm pretty sure Mars would hear that if sound could pass through the empty void of space...
Well, now that the trip is done, come phase two... Where the fuck are we?
"Johnson, can you find our location? Earth's topology and geography should still be in the database, can you cross reference with the measures you get from your tests, please? We shall prepare for exit."
While he should know exactly what to do, it's best, I've found, to at least remind ensigns when it comes to crucial matters. The please is because on a ship and especially on the bridge we need good relations and also because I was raised to be polite so it became second nature... Still haven't shaken the habit of saying sorry when I bump in the furniture.
The preparation for exit was due to the difference in pressure between the ship and out, as well as air tests needed to measure pollution and oxygen content, to see if we shall need masks or not. We didn't have the time yo get used to it from the pristine Martian air.
As we were changing in the docking space, we received the all clear, albeit with an alarming quantity of pollution and oxygen, from the med bay, as well as Johnson's truly alarming message.
"Sir, the computer is unable to find any matches with the topology of this area. The measures taken upon entry were unable to help, I am afraid I have no way of determining our geolocation. We do know it's not far from where they received and transmitted the messages, to the starboard side of the ship, but that is all and pretty relative... I am sorry."
Okay, wow, today was a good day this morning, why does the universe hate me all of a sudden?
"Thanks Johnson. Okay people, you heard him, we'll have to do without. Bring rations and gear, as much as you can. We do not know how far we must go and what the trip will entail, we might have to cross a pole to get there. We leave in thirty."
----
Burdened with heavy bags, we make our way to the hatch to make our exit. We were dressed in suits capable of sustaining many different temperatures, pressures and climates, sleek, stark white, very modern, and sticking out like a sore thumb on this dark planet.
"Depressurizing" Pause.
"Pressure, stable" I stumble a bit to the hatch, which must be opened manually, and pull the lever, activating the doors, breaking the airtight seal of the hull.
A screeching hiss met their ears, just before a searing heat blasted through. The team, with me at the head, stepped out into the darkness.
----
We were in a forest. It started not too far from the landing site, and we mostly realized its existence due to Moriyama walking straight into a tree. At the time, out eyes were not used to the lack of light at the time, not like they are now. Funnily enough, we can still see the sky from here. The light from the lightning is truly powerful in contrast to the darkness of the sky. If you listen closely while all is silent, you can hear the faint crackle of the light source.
The heat was unbearable. At first, we thought it was due to the feat of the hull after entry, but that was only part of it.
We were all quiet, focused on looking about to doge trees and roots, when a voice suddenly shattered the silence.
"Y'all the folks from Mars?"
Raising my arms in the air in the universal sign of 'I am unarmed or do not intend to use it', I stepped forward to show I am leader and speak for the whole group.
"Yes, we are the people from Mars, our ship is over-"
"Yeah, we know where ya ship is, wasn't what I call discreet, an' we got eyes"
"Oh, yeah, I guess... May we get your names? Or at lest see you?"
"Nah, ya 'may not' get no names. Follow us, we are bringing you to base."
Suddenly, seven specters detached themselves from the shadows, becoming visible, albeit with a bit of difficulty.
Seeing no other choice, we started following the specters, trying to walk where they walked to more easily avoid obstacles.
"Is there anything we can call you? I don't know, chief guy, Robert, Pooch?" Asked a cadet marine in my team. I am not hiring him for a diplomatic position anytime soon. For some reason though, the last one made them laugh. Creepy, full belly laughter.
"Nah, Pooch ain't fer us, we the Shiemon squad."
Well that's clear as mud.
With that completely cryptic answer, we resumed our walk, which was now more of a jog, through the trees.
-----
" Here we are."
"This is your base? There is nothing here!"
"Not quite."
Turns out there was not 'nothing here' as there was a vehicle right in front of the leading specter. Huh, the things you learn everyday.
The squad hopped in, with us gingerly on their tails.
It was scary, to say the least, being on a high speed vehicle in almost total darkness.
We were gripping seats, grinding teeth, and holding back tears.
After an eternity and a half, we finally saw something other than the fucking lightning: another light in the distance, like a star on Earth.
"That's the base. It's bigger now cuz the folks from the other base are here, so it's got a good quarter of the population at least. Some grunt folk are still cleaning up and shit."
"A quarter of the population? As in, the world population?" Wow, okay, that must be a big base.
"Yup, biochem and nuclear warfare ain't good fer crops an' cattle, wouldn't work with no light anyway, so no food enough for too much folk."
Wait a minute... Biochemical and nuclear warfare made this?
"Hey, I may be crazy, but I didn't think we left this much devastation when we left... And are biochemical weapons illegal according to war laws?"
I do not know what I said and how it could be funny, but, as before, they burst out laughing. It was eerie how they could laugh loudly and yet quietly, for no sound crept out of the vehicle, and how it echoed in said vehicle, for it did not possess any windows or doors of any kind.
"Ye think ye caused this blackening? When you left fer Mars, did ya stop da war?"
"No, we started a 'naval' war, in space, with our ships..."
"Why do ya think it was any different down here? We continued the war, it only ended four days ago. As for the war laws, well no one gives a shit."
"Fou- what!? Days?!"
They started laughing again, but this time, with no trace of mirth in their voices.
"Yeah, four days. War number three was a bit longer fer us, eh? We ain't the best people to ask though, the higher ups will debrief ya."
I can't believe it... I mean I can, but figure of thought...
"Just ta warn ya, folks ain't like they were b'fore ya left, 'leven years of war'll do that to ya. They may be a bit weird or insane. We, the Shiemon squad, are one o'the best behaved, 't's why we came fetch ya."
"You guys say that, but only you have been actually speaking..." This, folks, is why we are Marines, not diplomats.
"Yeah, speaking ain't easy, not when... well, you'll see why, we ain't the best to explain that. Oh, they're also in casual dress, not uniform, since they're on base, ya may not be used to that. I hope ya brought ya rations, we ain't giving ya none. Clear?"
By then, we had arrived to the base, or at least the fortifications, like this huge ass wall that strongly reminded me of this old anime I saw as a kid, Attack on Titan.
We mumble a clear, which was apparently the cue for the gates to open.
Okay, seems like we are doing this... Did I mention we are not diplomats?
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Okay, author here! So next chapter is again gonna be in Alec's pov, but then we go back as in the previous chapter... it just got too long and I had to cut it in two. So there! I hope you enjoy!