The Iron Pillars

Chapter 13

The Stingray sped over the treetops of the jungle in Jasmidian's interior. Resembling a green carpet, the thick vegetation clung together beneath the ship, affording no places to land. If only the carpet were a little more uniform, the vessel could have landed right atop it. 

Inside, Aaron glanced over at Sila in the copilot's seat. "We're getting close." he said, "How about a heat scan?" 

The robot pressed a button. After a whirring noise filled the cabin, it shook its head. "Too many signatures." 

Aaron frowned. "How's that?" 

"Animals intercepting beams." 

With a sigh, the sandy-haired man scratched his head. Sometimes, even three words wasn't enough for the robot to convey its intended meaning. "You mean there're so many animals in the treetops that it keeps the beams from even reaching the ground?" 

Sila nodded. "Yes." 

"Just wonderful." he muttered. After making sure no obstacles lay ahead, he twisted his body to eye Wendy and Hannah in the back seats. "I'm not finding any good landing spots. It looks like we'll have to make a drop." 

Their reactions proved as great a contrast as night and day. Wendy rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seatbelt, while Hannah smiled and flashed Aaron a thumbs-up. 

"So, you're staying up here again, then?" Wendy asked. 

Aaron shook his head. "No way. I'm tired of sitting." he tapped Sila's shoulder. "You can juggle, right?" 

"Not indefinitely." 

"Okay, well, I'll juggle for a sec. You see if any of those dudes in the back know a thing about flying." 

Sila rose to its feet and pivoted on its metal foot. "I'll be back." 

Aaron turned the wheel to center before rising from his seat and sliding over to the copilot's chair. He sat there for a few seconds and tapped buttons before heading back to his original spot. Sila returned in no time. 

"I found someone." 

Aaron nodded and looked up to see a wide-eyed young man standing behind Sila. He sported ruffled black hair and a smile perched on thin lips. The brawny pilot patted the man on the shoulder and gave up his seat. 

Aaron, Wendy, and Hannah made their way out of the cockpit after saying farewells to Sila. Aaron and Hannah retrieved parachutes and strapped them to their bodies while Wendy waited with crossed arms. Then they descended to the landing area just inside the doors. Fifteen Kemarian soldiers waited there, and after a brief explanation from Aaron, they scrambled up the ladders to retrieve parachutes of their own. 

After everybody had finished buckling them on, they snatched up their weapons. Aaron armed himself with nothing but a pair of green gauntlets covered in an array of flashing lights. Hannah held a hefty rectangular gun of a violet hue in her hands, with a shotgun strapped to her back and a full ammo belt tightened around her hips. Wendy wore her armored suit, with her bow clipped to a hook on her back and arrows strapped above it, and the Kemarian men all armed themselves with pistols or machine guns. 

Aaron opened the door, and in quick succession, the eighteen gliders leapt down. He smirked to himself, satisfied at the silence of the Stingray's thrusters above them. The only sound was the rustling of the parachutes above. As they descended farther, however, the calls of the animals below filled the atmosphere. Even if it weren't for those silent thrusters, he mused, I still think that blanket of noise would've been enough to conceal us.