It had been three weeks since everyone was briefed on the situation. In those three weeks many things happened.

The first was the new area being given the code name 'Juno'

The second was the scout drones discovering life… In the form of massive black creatures never seen before on Earth which only strengthened the theory that the place the portal led to wasn't Earth.

Scout drones travelling at night time also discovered that the moon of this world was shattered, which was what proved that this wasn't earth

Many samples were taken by robots and drones, leaves, gravel, rocks, all of the same composition as those on earth.

The next was testing if organic matter could go in and out unharmed, first was an apple on a scout drone that went in and out, after being tested, the apple was still completely the same. The next step was bugs, which also after return ended up completely the same, then mammals, specifically rats, this was also to test the possible effects on the human brain. After a 30 minute stay. The rats were returned, they were living and completely fine.

Which meant the atmosphere was not harmful to life from earth, since certain bugs are known to be able to survive out of Earth conditions for a short while. Then they sent in chimpanzees which practically ended the same way the rats did

Then finally, an actual human being. A scientist by the name of Benjamin Steele, walked through the portal, took one breath then went back in. He was completely ecstatic, and overjoyed at the success of the experiment

He stated that everything was pretty much the same, gravity, the atmosphere, humidity, temperature and more. Many scientists then followed all going out and taking some time staying out. Many scientists were then requesting to put a research facility out there.

Two weeks after the first entry through the scout drone, as more and more scientists spent time in Juno, an incident occurred. Three scientists went out to take their own notes. That was when one of the black creatures approached, the camera picked it up, but the scientists weren't paying attention to the camera feeds, luckily one of them noticed the black creature approach. They all immediately run into the portal, but the creature followed, luckily, two soldiers were guarding that room and they all fired at the creature, killing it swiftly.

But before anybody could examine its carcass, it dissipated into dust.

Nonetheless, after this, it was agreed that at least one ranger squad would accompany scientists during their trip out

They avoided having the drones going farther than thirty kilometers from the portal site, not until a proper facility was established. But it seemed that the more people visited Juno, the more attacks came from the creatures. So first and foremost, they would have to set up a proper defense, likely a small military base housing a research facility. A request was formally sent to the White House, which was still pending.

Meanwhile, back above ground, the temporary base that the US had built now became a permanent installment, and had grown very large, but the Chinese were starting to get suspicious. As discovered by radio interception, they were suspicious as to why the US was making such a fortified base right where an old GLA base used to be. So the US built multiple phony bases around central Kazakhstan to avoid suspicion. They would not allow anyone to have this information.

Office of the National Security Advisor, White House, United States of America

0900 hours.

"Come on in."

Kirkman entered, In front of him, sitting by a desk, was Herman Lynch.

"Last time you called me, we discovered what was likely a portal of alien origin that leads to a new planet. So what's the news?" The General smiled

Lynch chuckled. "Take a seat" Lynch gestured to a chair in front of his desk

"The people over at MOB Kostanav are requesting for an FOB (Forward Operating Base) to be set up at Juno. They want to be able to properly do their work without interference from those animals."

Kirkman put his hands on the desk "We should really designate a codename for those, calling em animals or creatures doesn't fit very much.

"I agree."

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"Being National Security Advisor, I don't have direct control over you, but I advised the DOD to send you over. You're going to be the one setting up the FOB."

Kirkman gasped, his breath faltering for a second. "Wow, I definitely wasn't expecting this." He was shocked, he should be shocked, but then he thought for a bit.

This was the perfect opportunity to finally do something that didn't involve the GLA.

"…But I'll happily accept"

Lynch continued. "You will be in charge of all military operations in Juno and even be given some non-military powers. You will officially be given the title of 'Supreme American Commander of Juno" or SACOJ for short, the title is subject to change." Lynch laughed.

This was huge, less than two months after the defeat of the GLA, Kirkman was now in charge constructing a military base on a different planet, and was also now in charge of all military operations in that planet. It was honestly amazing.

"The Secretary of Defense will formally brief you in a few hours, be ready."

Kirkman nodded. Lynch gave him a salute as Kirkman left the room.

Main Operating Base Kostanav

1100 hours

General Kirkman was accompanied by four army rangers inside a humvee, in front and behind it were two paladin tanks also accompanied by rangers and missile infantry. The team in charge of the base had greatly expanded the cave system, making it look like a proper underground base.

This was the first time that Kirkman got a good look at the portal, it was massive, it was rectangular in shape, around 250 feet tall and around 280 feet wide, which would mean that most aircraft, tanks and even ships could fit through it. But anything that couldn't be transported directly through the portal would have to be built on site, which was why the General requested for tons upon tons of material as well.

He saw the Paladin in front enter and slowly disappear, then the Humvee slowly entered as well, seeing the green light overtake it, he braced and closed his eyes, and felt nothing, but looking out the window, he saw the Juno for the first time.

He stepped out of the Humvee and so did the other soldiers within it, Kirkman admired the sight, luscious trees, the sounds of birds chirping, the smell of fresh air, looked like it came straight from Earth. After a few seconds, another Paladin came from the portal, then two construction dozers and a few transport vehicle containing construction workers, military personnel and more.

"Set up a perimeter, I don't want a single area within eight square kilometers open. Stay in your squad, only attack leviathans if you have at least two other soldiers close to you. Move out." The black creatures were given the umbrella term "leviathan" though it is to be noted that there are apparently multiple different types, some bore the resemblance of a werewolf in folk tales, some looked like deformed bears, and in one case a drone spotted a giant two headed snake sixteen kilometers east of the portal. According to the Secretary of Defense he would soon be getting some Vomanches for air support.

The construction workers got to work on a command center and a barracks while rangers set up sand bags and barbed wire around the construction work. He planned on covering up the giant portal in a steel facility with massive steel doors serving as an opening to anything being transported, then have a second entrance that is connected to the command center.

Certain construction workers also began to cut down trees for proper flat land. If all went well, they should be finished setting up a perimeter by nightfall, and the command center and barracks should be done in a little less than two weeks.

Nine days later.

A perimeter was set up, sadly, two rangers and one missile defender lost their lives in setting it up, the squad consisting of five rangers and two javelin operators encountered a large pack of more than a dozen leviathans, they were overwhelmed.

Shortly thereafter, the first few Comanches arrived in Juno, they were able to locate the leviathans and avenged the fallen. Kirkman would have to write a letter to their families stating they lost their lives in a firefight with a small force of GLA operatives that were still alive.

He hated to lie, but the operation here in Juno and at MOB Kostanav was highly classified. So he sadly couldn't tell the truth.

More and more trees fell, and most of the land within the perimeter was flat now, work on a research facility for the scientists had already began. The command center was expected to finish being constructed in two days. While a barracks had already been set up.

Barbed wire and sandbags now surrounded the perimeter, soldiers guarded it with extreme focus. They encountered leviathans regularly so they had no choice but to be focused, but once the command center was set up they would finally be able to allocate the construction work to reinforce the perimeter with wired fences, patriot missile systems, fire bases and more, meaning less soldiers would have to risk their lives to this degree.

More and more things were discovered about the leviathans. They were very prone to anti-materiel rifles, so snipers with Barrett M82s were stationed all around the perimeter to kill any leviathans they spotted.

Howitzer 155mm artillery guns soon arrived which meant they could now set up fire bases which could kill any larger leviathans. He diverted some construction workers and dozers to work on a few fire bases.

The general, so far, was happy with how much the base was progressing, there were currently two thousand military personnel stationed here. Most of them were in charge of defenses, but some were helping out with reconnaissance and even construction.

Scout drones still were not allowed to go farther than forty kilometers from the base, at least not until a proper airfield was set up for refueling.

But they had already done enough reconnaissance for them to get a good idea of what was around their base. Thirty nine kilometers south and southeast, drones encountered a mountainous region, twelve kilometers northeast, they found a body of water, same for northwest, but for thirty kilometers southwest, drones only found forest plains and hills.

Five days later

Kirkman was sitting on a table in the Operations Center of the Command Center, signing a progress report on Operation 'Forging Steel'. There have been no leviathan related casualties in the past week, as the soldiers slowly got better at fighting them. The perimeter was a lot more reinforced now and construction on two cold fusion reactors, and an airfield had begun.

Once the airfield was finished, Raptors, Lightning IIs, Blackbirds and more would be transported to the base. He originally didn't need any aircraft apart from Comanches, but after a pair of Comanches doing reconnaissance came upon a large avian leviathan, Kirkman asked for more conventional aircraft. Though the Comanches were able to easily dispatch the avian leviathan, it was concluded that there may be much more dangerous forms of avian leviathan.

Thus many more aircraft were requested.

The next two weeks were a blur of construction work and small scale fights with leviathans. The first casualty in two weeks occurred when a squad of fourteen men encountered a scorpion like leviathan, the armor was impenetrable through the M4 rounds, and the men were unable to fire their rockets due to worry that it would hit their fellow soldier, which led to the death of one of them.

But after firing the missile, the leviathan was killed instantly.

The first tank to leviathan combat happened when a crusader tank came across a group of wolf leviathans with one being heavily armored, the machine gunner fired the tank's machine gun at the less armored ones, while the turret instantly killed the armored one with a single tank shell.

The soldiers so far were happy with Kirkman's leadership, though the scientists and researchers weren't, it seemed Kirkman's focus was more on the military aspect of things rather than scientific, his reasoning being that setting up a proper defense is very important.

The presence of fire bases and snipers with anti-materiel rifles definitely lessened the risk, being able to kill leviathans easily and at a long distance was a big plus.

Currently though, the aerial leviathans had to be killed using Comanches, if he encountered high flying or faster aerial leviathans then he'd have to use the planes which would soon arrive.

Once the cold fusion reactors were completed, he would then add a few Patriot missile systems. Which would effectively make the aerial leviathans powerless.

Kirkman finished signing the report, then giving it to the Colonel in front of him, they gave each other a salute and he walked away. He stretched his arms

He had barely gotten any sleep the past two weeks. He'd had his fair share of sleepless nights fighting the GLA though, so this was something he was used to. But a full seven or eight hours of sleep would be very much appreciated.

Apart from the military progress, Kirkman was also happy with the scientific progress, the scientists were able to conclude that the atmosphere was almost the exact same as Earth's with only very slight differences that were harmless. It was also impossible to get leviathan specimens, because they dissipated on death, a trait which perplexed scientists, getting live specimens was out of the question until proper defenses were set up, and so research on leviathans would have to be delayed.

The trees were also compared to those on Earth and were given a proper name. Everything was the same as Earth, the only key differences being a slightly higher oxygen level, leaves having a different pattern compared to the closest versions they could find on earth, and the most obvious thing, leviathans.

Kirkman had seen one with his own eyes when he paid a visit to a fire base at the defense perimeter, and a bear like leviathan showed up, which was immediately shot and killed by the snipers stationed there.

He had never seen anything like it, it had jet black fur, a bony white mask, and glowing red eyes, they were terrifying, which made it a good thing that they were killed so easily.

Kirkman stood up, walking through the many rooms and corridors of the command center, before finding the door outside, he opened it and took a step out.

Watching the construction of a nearby cold fusion reactor

A few days had passed, and FOB Juno had grown into a large military base, the cold fusion reactors brought much power to the base, with bluish control roads from Alexander offering extra power. He already got a few Patriot missile systems set up.

What was most important of course, was the airfield, which just finished construction the day before. Reconnaissance flights using drones, and an SR-71 Blackbird going beyond would begin shortly. Zero casualties since the incident last week.

Kirkman sat at his desk and looked at the papers in front of him. They were documents of the manned aircraft he currently had.

"Four F-35A Lightning IIs, eight F-22 Raptors, one SR-71 Blackbird, twenty two AH-66 Comanches, four AH-64 Apaches, and ten UH-60 Black Hawks." He read aloud.

As far as he was concerned, the aircraft, specifically the planes that were given to him, were too much, he only requested for two Raptors and two Lightning IIs each, as he wasn't expecting leviathans with capabilities that trump those of the anti-air defenses he already had to show up. But he wasn't going to complain.

'I wonder how the Blackbird pilots are doing' He decided to go meet them, stepping out of his office and out the doors of the command center. Kirkman walked over to the airfield, after around ten minutes of walking, he saw the massive Blackbird and the airmen viewing it.

They took notice of him, they all immediately gave him a salute.

"At ease, men."

"Sir." The reconnaissance systems officer replied

"I'm here to simply greet the men who will be conducting the first manned air reconnaissance mission on a different planet. How are you all feeling" He smiled at them

The men smiled back.

The pilot on the right replied first

"I think I speak for all three of us when I Say we're a bit nervous." The other two seemed to agree. "I mean, we don't know what to expect, it's a completely different planet. But like always, we'll do our best."

Kirkman nodded,

"Good, I'll be watching your mission with great interest." He gave them a salute and walked away

In less than an hour they would depart, flying southwest of the base.

"Is that a city?!" Were the first words that Kirkman heard on comms when he entered the operations room of the strategy center.

"What?!" Kirkman

The rest of the officers in the room also went into a frenzy

"A city?!" One of the senior officers spoke into the microphone

"Yeah! We snapped a few photos of it. We're not entirely sure though, could just be weirdly shaped trees."

The Blackbird is an incredibly fast and powerful aircraft capable of travelling up to Mach 3.4 and it had just found what the pilot claimed to be a city in just under five minutes of travel.

"We're coming up at what looks to be another settlement, it's on an island! It's a lot smaller."

Kirkman collapsed onto a seat and put his palm on his forehead, the implication of this were huge, if the pilots were correct, which would soon be made clear once the photos came, then that would mean that not only was their more animal life here than leviathans, but that life was also intelligent.

Which meant that the very nature of this operation would change. This wouldn't just be about making a base in a different planet.

Now there may be sentient life added to the equation, and that complicates things very much.

Would they be hostile towards his forces? Would they see the US as an invading force or as an ally? Would they even be able to communicate with humans? And how far advanced or primitive were they? All these questions would be answered soon.

But for now he had to wait.

Nineteen minutes passed before the pilots spoke again with more info.

"We're seeing a desert." There was a pause for thirty seconds "Multiple possible settlements spotted" The reconnaissance officer stated.

Kirkman stood up.

"I need to start working on a report, I'll be back in my office, once those photos arrive, I want them on my desk immediately." Kirkman firmly said

The officer speaking on the comms looked at Kirkman. "Yes sir." He nodded.

Kirkman stepped out.

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