Time: 1342

"Commander Ratz. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Killip asked, still in his office.

"Permission to speak freely sir," The woman requested; all the while still standing at attention. Juniper Ratz had been born into a military family, and as result felt additional pressure to rise through the ranks and rise she had, only in her mid-twenties.

"Permission granted?" the admiral half asked, somewhat confused by what she was asking.

"The hell did you put Dutra in charge of the mission for? He's still technically a junior officer. This isn't something that should be in his pay grade," Juniper stormed.

"Normally, yes. However, your nanite specialization is tactical processing. You're able to outperform some super computers for the task, but can't shoot better than a warrant officer. Regulations say I have to put the most qualified officer available in charge. He has an endurance-based specialty. It's a new planet. We need that. Besides, when was the last time you entered a live fire zone?" The admiral explained, unmoving from his position.

Ratz stiffened, adjusting a lose strand of auburn hair. "Very well. Sorry to have disturbed you," she said, before showing herself out.


Time: Late afternoon on planet

"Systems check complete. Landing confirmed. Pod is on solid ground. Atmosphere is… breathable. Gravity is… safe. Disengaging exit hatch," the electronic voice of the escape pod's computer system droned. Rubbing his head before standing up, Jon stumbled out of the pod. To his surprise, Jon didn't experience the sudden chill of the planet's speculated temperatures. Instead, it was rather mild. Slowly turning around to gather his bearings, Jon then realized he was inside a forest not unlike one on Earth. Before the mass industrialization movement of PF 0453 at least.

Sticking his head back inside the pod, Jon quickly checked the location systems within the pod. His heart immediately plummeted upon the red blinker for the transmitter coming alive. Without it, nobody would be able to converge on his location. If anyone was to find him, it would be accidental. Having come in from the upper atmosphere, who knew how far away the nearest pod had fallen?

Going in further to grab the survival packet, Jon was shocked by the sound of a moan. In all the confusion, he must not have seen the extra occupant. Unable to see the other person's face based on when they'd fallen, Jon was only able to read the insignia on their uniform.

"Ensign… With a medic's cross," Jon muttered. As the girl continued to stir, Jon finally saw her face. Dark, ebony hair had fallen out of its regulation braid, contrasting with her pale skin. Dragging herself to her feet, she finally saw Jon.

"How long was I out for?" she asked still holding her head.

"We landed on schedule, but a lot rougher. I just woke up myself, so I have no idea," Jon answered.

"Ensign Viola McNaughton. I was part of the medical team. Where are we?" she asked, before Jon began to introduce himself and respond.

"Lieutenant Commander Jon Dutra. I've got no idea where we are. The transmitter's broken too. I really don't know what to do now." Shaking his head Jon made motions to step outside. "You're welcome to come. It's safe."

Back in the clearing, Jon double checked the packet's contents. Water for a week for two people, food for five days if they rationed it, a flare, a couple blankets and an extra sidearm with energy pack. Everything that there should have been in there, was.

"Looks like something North American, maybe a century before it all fell," Viola observed. "In fact…" the junior officer trailed off, approaching one of the trees, "I've seen almost an exact copy of this in old stills."

"You clearly paid attention in biology," Jon said himself, "But we need to get going. If we find someone, we might be able to get off this planet and I have no idea when it's going to be dark."

"Do you think there's life here?" Viola asked, now starting to pick up on the real value of the trees.

"Yes, but we need to get going. The nearest pod could be just through that clearing," Jon directed.


At the same time

Lt. Marina Gonzalez climbed out of her pod, only to be bombarded with the contents of a blizzard. Stepping back into the pod for a moment, she then activated a module on her suit to prepare herself for another march into the cold.

"That bad, huh?" asked Lt. Thomas Commodan, shaking his head. His gray eyes then managed to get a proper look at the woman who'd climbed in with him throughout the commotion. Her dark brown hair was held in its regulation braid, complementing her dark blue eyes and slender figure. He considered making a move before seeing her expression and shrinking back.

"Yes," Marina agreed. Double checking the survival pack, she then glanced at the transmitter. Working. Perfect. "We just need to wait now. They'll send help."

"Okay there…" Thomas trailed off, not knowing her name.

Marina then stared back into the man's eyes, keeping up her intimidating effect even though he was slightly taller. "Lt. Gonzalez."

"Well, I'm Lt. Thomas Commodan, so I believe a first name would be in order?" Thomas prompted, a sly glint in his grey eyes.

Marina then took one last look at him, turning to the hatch. Pulling some of the supplies out of the bag so that Thomas wouldn't be left to die, she promptly stepped outside of the pod, briskly moving now that the cold was a non-issue.

"The hell?" Thomas muttered, waiting for a short period of time. Realizing she could have wandered off to die herself, he then grabbed some of the water and ran to her. Using his enhanced speed, Thomas reached her within a moment despite her headstart.

Marina was about to retort, before freezing up. Staring at one point off in the distance, she slowly drew her sidearm.

"The hell are you doing?" Thomas yelled, more confused now than before. The red of his face was a beacon against his sandy hair, now dotted with snow. A bellowing roar then went off in the distance, its shadow slowly coming closer.

Hail then slammed against them at a more intense and blinding pace than before. The creature darted in and out of view calling its name- "Abomasnow!", each time closer than the last.

Marina then pulled the trigger, and a short burst of plasma quickly arced towards its body, colliding with a near blinding flash. The creature then broke into a run, enraged by this action. A trickle of red soaked down its body, revealing that it was near white itself with only a deep green on its lower body and hands for any sort of colouration.

Joining Marina in the counter assault, both soldiers released volley after volley at the creature, which stopped just short of the two. Able to see its scruffy faced in the moments before it collapsed, the two watched its furious eyes slip into a whited-out state, devoid of life.

"Shit. There is life on this iceball," Thomas panted, shocked by the realization.


Pilot Jack Sharp groaned, waking up from the impact. As the man flying the dropship, he'd been fortunate to last this long. It was protocol for the pilots to be last to leave, and they'd begun the downward spiral too quick. Being at the rear of the convoy had helped his odds, but not by much.

Climbing out of the wreck, his diminished stature showed against the already large ship. His brown hair was well kempt, as part of the military's strict standards. Surveying his surroundings, Jack realized he was in some sort of mountain range but something had to be somewhere. Sweat gathered along his brow while the sun beat down on him.

Taking off at a blazing pace, Jack knew he'd find someone sooner or later. Every step drove him farther from the wreck, closer to a far off rescue. If he'd made it, others definitely did.

As a call came off from the distance, Jack stopped his breakneck run. Turning around, the source of the noise's shadow blocked out the sunlight. Yanking his sidearm out of its holster, Jack unleashed an orb of the standard plasma, frying the thing before it hit the ground.

Upon a closer examination, the victim's only remaining features were its long, spindly neck and beck, blotted of colour.

Humans were not the first people to arrive here.

And there you have it! I might take a couple more characters based on how the story progresses, but I think I've got room for one more at the moment.

Can anyone guess the bird that got fried? Or have an idea what regions the continent is made up of?