A smooth male voice came over the intercom as the squad awoke, breaking the otherwise quiet background hum of the ship. "Alright Alpha Team, quit the chatter. We have a distress call from the planet below, colony says they're in some dire need of help. This'll be your first sortie mission so be cautious when engaging enemies."<br/><br/>From the hallway came a floating drone. It beeped and chimed at the presence of the awakened pilots, spinning around happily. "Oh good oh good! You're awake! Come on come on! We need to get you to the drop ship!" Those who were paying attention during orientation would remember this as the ship's NHP, Dolly. Energetic and inquisitive, Dolly loved to interact with new people despite her job.<br/><br/>Once the pilots made it to the hanger, they were shuffled in to the dropship. "Don't worry don't worry! Your mechs have been loaded upon the ship and are ready for you to deploy when needed!" Once everyone loaded aboard, takeoff was smooth and easy. The ship was positioned close enough to the atmosphere that it would be a short trip through the atmosphere to the landing zone.<br/><br/>The deck rumbles beneath your feet, and for the first time you hear the howl of wind shear as the autoshuttle breaches Hercynia’s thick atmosphere. Seen through a condensation-streaked porthole, the world below is an emerald smear, scarred by ragged tears of black and brown. Patches of gray cloud cover speak to the months-long rainstorms that plague the surface.<br/>“Thirty minutes out.” The flightcom’s voice in your ear, unaffected by the turbulence, comfortable back aboard the ship. “Leave your helms on for now, cabin’s not pressurized. And you’re going through a helluva lot of chop – don’t want to bang your head on something before we get you to the ground.” His radio clips off. The cabin lights flicker from an especially hard knock, then the wind shear dies down, and the howling engines settle to a level cruising roar. The hiss of air through your helmet subsumes all other sounds. Below, emerald Hercynia.