Constellation Cancri...
The journey of both Special reconnaissance units went without any major problems, they traveled by warp drive and several wormholes for about 20 days (unlike battleships, the transports are designed to be as quick as possible, at the cost of their minimum armament).
"First we'll land at 55 Cancri c, E is is purely mining planet. First we should contact the people here." Captain Norton told the Beta group.
"Beta understands, we are preparing to descend on 55 Cancri c." After the two transports descended into the planet's atmosphere, there was a loud squeaking sound, and a beam passed through the Beta transport jets, which suddenly went out and the transport began to fall down. "What the fuck was that?!" "This is Beta, we are falling to the coordinates..." One of the members began to report the coordinates of the fall while the transport disappeared from the Alpha unit's sight. There was another sound. Transport twitched to it's right side.
"Status!" Captain Norton shouted.
"They've hit the air circulation, commander. If we don't land immediately, we'll suffocate!" Rosseau replied in dismay.
"Damn! Everybody hold on to something! This will hurt a lot!" The captain shouted as he turned the transport straight down to get to a height where it is possible to breathe. Another shot.
"The drive is down, sir! " Collins reported. Captain Norton tried to push the transport upwards to ease the fall.
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"Are you alive...?" Smith said.
"Norton, I'm alive."
"Derren, I live."
"Collins, I still breathe."
"Browning, a bit bruised, but alive." "Rosseau? Lieutenant! Browning come here!" Collins called from the back of the transport. Browning approached the lieutenant.
"He's breathing, he probably hit his head pretty hard and fainted."
"So what? Will he live?" Smith asked incredulously.
"Probably yes, but it's hard to say I can't tell when he wakes up..."
"Damn! Do something with him! He's got to wake up, he's the only one who knows this system!" Captain Norton urged Browning.
"I can't just talk to him! It just can't. When he wakes up, he wakes up."
"Hell, we can't stay here, those who shot us down already know where we are and sent someone to find us."
"That's true, captain. I and Smith will carry lieutenant." Collins offered.
"All right... Praetor Derren?"
"Yes, captain?"
"I hope you have some special training to survive on an unknown planet, don't you?" Norton asked hopelessly.
"Perhaps my training might be of use, I'll look around and think of something, sir." Derren replied.
"Great." Norton answered with relief.
"In the meantime, we will gather supplies from the transport and weapons if any survived the fall." Norton added.
Derren reached the hill of a barren, sandy planet.
"I crashed on a barren planet full of people trying to kill me, with a group of newcomers, who rely on me getting them back home thousands of light-years away without injury. I couldn't wish a better birthday." "Oh, let the Empress forgive me, how can I be so arrogant in such a situation." Derren began to look around.
"A safe place to be..." Derren thought. To the north towered yellow-brown mountains. "There could be a cave in the mountains in the north." Derren returned to the transport, where the unit was ready with supplies and backpacks.
"What is the situation, Praetor Derren?" Captain Norton asked full of anticipation. "To be honest... The situation is pretty poor, there is only a wasteland all around, the only hope could be the mountains about 10 kilometers north."
"To the north? But Bravo crashed in the south!" Browning shouted in terror.
"Your desire to help others is commendable, but unfortunately it is impossible. To the south of us is just a desert, and moreover, those lasers probably also fired at us from the south. We would go against the enemies, the dead would not be very useful to them." Derren replied with great seriousness.
"Derren's right, do you want to trudge through the desert with an unconscious lieutenant?" Captain Norton supported Derren.
"You must be right, so north..." Browning sighed. The group went north, across the desert. After about five kilometers, the star Cancri A began to fall behind the horizon, and yellow-orange clouds began to form in the desert beyond the unit.
"And what is this again?" Collins blurt out.
"I don't know, but I don't want to find out, hopefully it won't catch up with us before we reach the mountains." Captain Norton said uncertainly. They actually reached the mountains a while before the strange clouds and hid in a cave at the revert side of the mountain, so that the clouds did not go in.
"Now, everybody rest, we'll go when the clouds disappear." Captain Norton said. Everyone except for Derren and Browning had gone to sleep. Browning was sitting besides lieutenant Rosseau and gave him an infusion of liquid food.
"I admire you, Praetor Derren, how you handle such stressful situations quite calmly." Browning spoke to Derren sitting on the stone facing the cave entrance.
"It's just my job." Derren answered briefly.
"I still envy you, your courage." Browning continued the conversation, even though Derren obviously didn't want to.
"What is Praetor's life like?" Browning asked.
"Solitude and a great responsibility." Derren sighed.
"Solitude? You meet and speak to the Empress herself." Browning was confused.
"Yes, but Praetor's life also means that you are constantly working, trying to inspire others, representing the Empress herself, so you must never show weakness." "Doesn't your family help you with solitude?"
"I don't have a family..." Derren bowed his head a little sadly, and after a moment he rised up again.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Browning apologized.
"It doesn't matter, sleep as long as you can." Derren replied hurriedly, Browning stared at him for a moment, then she went to sleep too.
"Get up! We have to go!" Captain Norton shouted at all the members of the unit. The unit gathered supplies, Smith and Collins picked up lieutenant Rosseau again, and they all set off on a trail between the mountains farther north.
"In the name of the Empire, surrender!" There was a distant voice and a warning shot heard.
"The Empire is not surrendering!" Captain Norton replied, and all the members of the unit took hold of the rifles and covered at the mountain walls.
"If you're from the Empire, identify yourself!" The voice shouted.
"Captain Edward Norton, First Battalion of the Empire's Special Reconnaissance Division, Alpha Unit!" As the echo of the captain's words in the foreground faded, a man emerged, moving closer to the unit in an uncertain step.
"I'm Jack Roy sir, security officer at 55 Cancri c, or rather I was..." An unknown man identified himself.
"Are you from the Empire? What happened here?" Browning asked.
"Yes, I am from the Empire, but now there is no time to ask questions. We need to get to a safe place, come on!" Roy replied and ran down the path.
"Do you really want to trust him? Just because he said he's from the Empire?" Collins said skeptically.
"It doesn't look like we have another option, private. " Norton replied, and the unit went after Roy. After a while a green valley appeared, a piece of nature surrounded by mountains on all sides, strange trees with greenish-yellow foliage, and bushes and green grass was growing beneath them. They went down into the valley along a rocky path and saw a small village in the middle of the valley.
"So, we survive modestly here, captain." Roy pointed at several hovels.
"And we will bring you some food."
"Thank you fellow citizens for your kindness, let the Empress reward you for this." Derren said.
"Unfortunately, the Empress no longer has control of this damned place, sir." One of the attendants spoke.
"I dare to disagree, with her representative here, it's as if she were here alone." Browning said with pride.
"What? You mean the Praetor? Is he on his way here?" Roy cheered, bearing fruit.
"I must have disappointed your expectations... I'm Praetor." Derren replied slightly.
"You...? Forgive me, I suppose that the Praetors are part of the whole imperial armies, not... reconnaissance groups." Roy saddened.
"The entire army's journey here would take at least two years, since our battleships are unable to travel through the wormhole that they can use, but he is still here to help you." Captain Norton said in defense of Derren. "Oh, forgive my impudence, Praetor."
"All right, I understand you." Derren reassured him.
"Our friend will need a shelter." Collins said pointing at lieutenant Rosseau.
"Of course, what happened to him, if can I ask?" Another men of the village residents asked.
"He hit his head in the fall of the transport and fell into a coma." Browning answered. Two men took the lieutenant into a round shelter.
"Will you tell us what actually happened here?" Smith asked.
"We were attacked by some mercenaries, without badges, without procedures, without honor. A couple of transports arrived, identifying themselves as members of the intergalactic trade community. Those who stepped out were dressed more like workers than merchants. We led one group to our command station, of course we searched them, but we didn't find any weapons. As soon as we entered the front door, they began to attack our guards. They were disarmed in a moment, those bastards are damned well trained in close combat. Afterwards they opened the door to other groups that began systematically killing everyone in the complex. I set off the alarm and our armed forces made a stand against them, several of them were downed, but it was a futile fight, the enemies already controlled almost the whole complex. I had it all at first glance, while I was operating security cameras." Roy explained.
"So mercenaries, the Consortium knows how to cover things up." Smith said confidently.
"Do you really think it was the Consortium?" Browning wondered.
"Of course, who else would benefit from this event." Collins supported Smith in his statement.
"Do you have a doctor here?" Norton asked the villagers.
"Unfortunately not, sir."
"Browning will stay here, supervising lieutenant Rosseau's condition. The rest of us are going to "visit" the mercenaries and show them how the Empire treats those who attack their people." Norton ordered. Four men from the village armed with rifles came forward. "Well go with you!"
"All right, at least somebody will guide us through this planet." Captain Norton finished and they set off.
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