The escaped pod’s body trembled by its current speed. I wasn’t able to concentrate on what was my current position on the planet’s orbit, but I could feel the pod’s exterior heating up, which meant that I had already reach the planet’s atmosphere.

“Admiral, please prepare for nautical landing.”

Nautical landing, a term that is widely used when crashing or just landing on water. I payed little to no attention to its warning, as the pod had a mechanism designed for water landings.

But I braced myself anyways, if I weren’t careful, I could just hit my head in this tight-ass pod. I gripped my seatbelt as tight as I could possible could to prepare for impact.

And a few seconds later. Large thump can be heard from outside the pod. I have landed on this unknown planet, for now I need to assess my surroundings or at least analyze this world’s characteristic, for all I know this could be a future colony for the federation.

“Admiral, we have successfully landed, there haven’t been any problems. You may leave the pod.”

The Pod’s voice announced.

Suddenly my transmitter went on.

“Admiral, It appears you have landed safely, currently we are still maintaining the left engine, I may not be able to contact you for the time being. So, Admiral, I have one request for you will you permit me?”

It was Lisa, and it seemed the left engine still hadn’t exploded. Hearing her on the transmitter, I decided to permit her request and press the speaker button.

“I Permit.”

“Admiral, Please… Take care of yourself in that planet.”

And she hanged up immediately.

I sighed, on her childish request, but it seemed that my Ai really is worried about her commanding officer. I soon unbuckled my seatbelt. And soon took the military bag that was currently packed in the pod’s small and cramped storage box. I picked it up and strapped it at my back.

Hopefully that optical spectrum analysis is correct. I don’t want to die by breathing harmful air.

Before opening the pod, I took a deep breath and opened the door as slowly as possible. And once the pod’s door fully opened, a sudden bright light covered my view of the outside. So, I reclined my head forward and outside the pod’s door, and looked outside.

At first, I was shocked at my current landing site, currently I had seemed to have landed on a lake surrounded by a massive forest, or maybe jungle, it had a swarming amount of trees. Just by looking at it, it almost makes you feel like once you enter it, you won’t get out again.

I forgot I still held by breath, so I decided to exhale my current air, and inhale the new one. Following my decision, I immediately exhaled and inhaled the planet’s air.

Huh, it’s breathable and clean air, alright.

Seeing my current situation, my main plan was to get a few meters away from the pod and try to camouflage it up, it would be quite troublesome if this were to be found by the planet’s locals.

With my military bag strapped behind me I was now prepared to leave the pod.

“Pod! wait for my orders for you.” 

I announced at the floating pod.

“Roger.”

It replied, seeing my way of camouflaging is done, I jumped onto the lake’s water, and, finally after quite some years, I finally swam again. It was impossible to swim in space, and swimming lessons in the marines and navy were basically lessons on what to do when your stranded on a planet.

I swam a few meters away from the pod, but not close enough to the land that surrounded the body of water. Just at the right range for the pod's recognition system to here my voice.

“Pod, I order you to start a total shutdown sequence.”

I ordered the floating escape pod in the middle of a body of water.

“Roger, initiating total shutdown sequence.”

After a few seconds of floating and waiting in the water, the pod slowly started to sink to the bottom of the lake.

“Well, the camouflaging part is done, time to find a place to stay for the night.”

I talked to myself while watching the pod sink, before finally swimming to the body of land. As, I reached the body of land I immediately lifted myself upwards from the lake and onto the dry land.

I looked at my surroundings again and inspect the contents of my Military bag. Once I opened it, what Lisa said was true, there was both food and water that could last for a month but only in rations, but at least, I also had a small amount energy bars, because, the rations taste sucks.

Then, we have the spare clothes, out of all my clothing she chose the one that could make me stand out the most, it was one of my assault uniforms but I had plenty of better ones, she chose the one that would almost fit in a ceremonial type of event. It was a gray officer’s tunic and pants along with its own black Lethonian leather, a rare type of leather.

on the gray officer’s tunic there was a total of 10 tightly packed rectangular chrome plates in a single long gray plate that were place at the left side of the chest, 2 on the top left had gold colored tiles, and starting from left to right at the top and bottom, were 4 blue colored plates, and the remaining 4 were red colored plates. that made it stood out the most, because it was my rank insignia plaque.

As for my weaponry, she gave me a bendable, LPR Model 23, Light Plasma Rifle, LPR models were mostly used by navy personnel as their standard defense weaponry it because of its design and ammunition, its design was that its buttstock was able to bended to be light and compact. For its ammunitions It used lethal gemstones, the firing pin inside the gun was made of a metal that was able to push a small amount of lethal energy from the gemstone, that once directly hitting the gemstone, will release a lethal laser through the barrel and enough to go straight through and clean a normal human body.

As I finished inspecting my necessities, I then planned on investigating the planet, and its life.

“That’s good enough.”

I then closed my Military bag, and started walking the planet’s surface, I walked to the forest that I had first seen and went straight the dense and sea of trees.

“I wonder what this planet has in store for me?”

I tried expecting something surprising from this planet.

“Hmm, I seem like I’m forgetting something.”

As I walked, I kept remembering something inside my memories. But I didn’t pry any further maybe it was just some useless type of memory in the academy or my training days.

I walked casually walked in the dense forest, but as for what I can see, I only saw trees and flowers of the sorts, I’m not a botanist I can’t name what kind of trees are those.

Night slowly approached, and Inside the forest was lucky to find a small cave that I can sleep for a while. I entered the cave slowly, my feet inside my boots could feel the cold and coarse ground of the cave. But not being to able to find any other places to sleep in, this was a good find. I placed my bag at the ground, for it to work as a small pillow. And took my night’s rest.

By the time I woke up the sun still hadn’t risen, but I could feel the cold breeze from outside the cave. I continued my journey In this planet. And there I saw the same characteristics as that of normal colonies.

It had trees and plants, Breathable oxygen, and life can certainly prosper here. I could make this a forward operation base, If I ever identify my current coordinates.

The following day, I suddenly came across a small mound almost near nighttime. The sun was setting, so I decided to take a small rest and lie down. I unstrapped my bag and placed it down, like a pillow again. And lie down the small mound that had erected in this planet’s surface.

As the sun finally set, I looked straight up to the atmosphere, seeing the brightly glowing stars, separated and many, It was a sight to behold. And suddenly a sudden event occurred.

A meteor shower had occurred, some of them passed the planet’s atmosphere but some started to drop in the planet itself, it was a rare sighting.

Near the mound I was resting on, one meteor landed a few miles from my right. At first, I didn’t want to investigate it, but I decided to investigate anyway.

I took my Bag from the ground and strapped it again onto my back again, and begun my walk.

As I got closer to the meteor’s crash site. There, I saw something shocking. It wasn’t a meteor or asteroid, but it was shrapnel from a ship, My ship. it was a good thing that I had investigated the crash site, which only meant one thing, the meteors shower's contents were not rocks, but shrapnel from my ship.

I took a few meters away from it due to its heat. At my first glance at It, I could already tell that those are indeed part of my ship. The Left engine had exploded. What could’ve happened? I looked at the sky and then at the ship’s shrapnel.

And suddenly my transmitter went on.

“Admiral, forgive me, I was unable to stop the explosion, I thought we could be able to stop it.”

Hearing her, I pressed the transmitter’s speaker button. To prepare for my reply.

“That’s fine, I remember that you already said that the explosion was inevitable.

That was not the main problem for me, what is now the ship’s current condition, was the question I needed to ask.

“The ship’s current condition?”

I asked.

“You don’t have to worry, Admiral, we were able to limit the explosion on only the engine room. The only thing that it could emit throughout the ship was its shockwave.”

Hearing her response had eased my mind for a little, that ship was currently the galaxy’s most powerful and formidable dreadnought that had been commissioned and launch by the Federation’s navy.

“The Armaments?”

I asked about the current condition of the ship’s weaponry.

“All the ship’s armaments are still intact, but a few cannons and guns at the rear had suffered a considerable amount of damage, but can be easily repaired and restored to its previous state.”

I noticed that she was finally done with her explanation, decided to end our conversation there, I had already heard what I wanted to hear.

“Alright, Lisa, that is all for now, I need to take a rest.

“Understood, Admiral, please take your rest.”

I lifted by finger from the transmitter’s speaker button. I calmly sighed. Everything was fine on the ship.

Once the Flagship is repaired, I might take a planet-wide invasion into account. It seems I still hadn’t encountered other lifeforms other than the trees and plants.

Seeing that it was already nighttime I decided to camp near my ship’s shrapnel, though I have to take scavengers into account, but like I said, I still hadn’t confirmed any other lifeforms, so sleeping her for the time being might be safe.

In the middle of my sleep, I started hearing a growl, not of a human's but, that, of an animal. I Immediately woke up from my sleep as I heard the growl of the animal getting louder. I immediately stood up from the ground, and was surprised on what I saw in front of me.

It was a large wolf its length was at least 320 cm and it's height 150 cm, double than it's normal size, it had already taken it's pouncing posture and was ready to attack me at any time, I wasn't able to get my LPR because the bag was still closed shut. But I had my plasma pistol at my waist and it had the same firepower as that of a PAR, Plasma Assault Rifle used by the marines. 

We stared at each other, not knowing when each of us were gonna attack, we stayed alert. But, it was a disadvantage to me if we were to keep waiting here, and so I decided to make the first move.

Immediately, I took my plasma pistol from my pouch, and aimed it at the large wolf.

My first shot, missed him, as he evaded quickly to his right. I continued to rain laser's at him until he had absolutely flanked me, that was when I knew, he had already gotten the advantage.

Clever, I like it!

As he got closer to me, he used one of his sharp claws to maul my torso, instantly ripping my Uniform and slicing my skin clean, I started bleeding from his attack. My body was shocked by his sudden scratch at my torso, making me unable to move for a few seconds, that attack made a small time gap, that he used against me.

After scratching me, and using the small time gap to his advantage, he immediately swung his strong tail at me, eventually being strong enough, to make me fly at the air, a few meters away from him, and thus, making me hit a tree, severely weakening me and my body.

I looked back at him, but he stood still at his current position. I could tell from his movement and reaction, that he wanted me to get up and fight again, instantly looking down at me for being a weak opponent. didn't he notice that I was still holding my plasma pistol at my hand.

Is this son of a bitch looking down on me?