Syarrhe [SPECTRA - BOOK ONE]

Chapter Two

PLANET: ASCUNA - DATE: 25 MARCH 2167

The shuttle hurtled through the atmosphere and into the sky of Ascuna. Syarrhe swallowed bile threatening to come up through her throat, images of massive explosions or broken gears filling her mind. Calm down, she breathed. You'll be okay. These things land safely all the time; one hasn't crashed in seventeen years, and that was because it was shot down, not due to any technological malfunction or bad piloting. It'll be okay.

The feeling of hurtling through the stratosphere eased, and she dared a glance out the window to see they were hovering, still a good twenty meters off the ground. A gusty whistling sound came from below and they began at last to lower; Syarrhe jolted her eyes from the window, accidentally meeting the watchful gaze of Sergeant Kapler.

"First time flying?"

"First time since infancy," she corrected. "I was five months old last time I was forced to partake in space travel."

"Don't think you minded as much back then, right?" He guessed, his dark eyes glinting with humor. Sergeant Kapler was a good-looking man, if a considerable bit older than Syarrhe, with a dark ochre complexion, easy smile, and definitive muscle tone. He'd been a sergeant before Syarrhe enlisted, and she'd been in for four years. Unmarried, as most of Cerridwen's military members were, but also uninterested.

"I screamed during the whole trip," Syarrhe replied, coming back to the conversation with a grin. "They thought I would stop at some point from Shiuq to Cerridwen, but no. It was hours upon hours of screaming infant."

"That must have been one hell of a trip; I'm glad you broke that habit."

As the gusty whistling of the shuttle lowering grew louder, Syarrhe forced a grim smile. "Just barely. I've learned to keep it internal by now."

He chuckled. "Progress is progress. Someday, you won't mind so much."

She doubted that, but didn't say as much. Instead, she allowed her focus to turn to the mission ahead. She had memorized her packet, and now began to mentally review the information therein. Her troops had already been assigned to their squads within her platoon; she wouldn't actually do much with them besides PT, most inspections, and the actual mission, which wouldn't take place until each other group had finished. The projected mission time was one month, in case of casualties or injury prolonging the time; intel should be done in the first week, EOD by the next, and then it was a week and a half for her squad to wipe out the renegades (in case any were missed), and then four days to prep for leave and finish up the paperwork. It shouldn't be a lengthy or difficult mission, if all went well.

A tumultuous crashing sound and jerk of the entire shuttle signaled their return to land. The pilot's voice came over the speaker: "Whoa, sorry about that, folks! Bit of a rocky landing- seems Ascuna didn't prep the landing pad. No worries; just gonna take some minor repairs to get this thing running again. Please remain seated while I inform the Ascunian officials of our arrival; I'll be back momentarily to let you out."

Syarrhe gripped the arms of her seat, barely suppressing a frustrated huff. "Why does there have to be protocol for everything? At this point, I'd eat nothing but Fit-Shit bars for a month if only to get out of here sooner."

Sergeant Kapler chuckled again; the man was easily amused by her discomfort it seemed. As the lights had dimmed upon the rocky landing and now flickered, there was nervous tension flooding through the shuttle, as no one liked being stuck in a small tube with dimming lights.

Kapler gave her a reassuring pat. "We'll be out of here before you know it, and then you'll be on Ascuna. That's when the real fun begins."