FNS Perilous Wonder
Dawn-Class Heavy Cruiser
Location: Unknown
Status: Falling from orbit. Crashing into ground.

Alarms blare inside the ship as it plumets down from space and towards a planet after making an emergency warp jump. It's armor burning up upon it's fast descent, escape pods and transport craft left the doomed ship. Boarding one of those escape pods, an unlikely squad would save the planet.

Fredrick: Get inside! She's falling apart!

He barked out to his squad, all of whom entered the escape pod and sat down on the seats within and fastened the safety harnesses.

*SMACK*
*PSCHOOM*

Fredrick punched the launch button and the airlock door shuts behind them at the last moment, one of the ships crew had just arrived.

Crew member: No! Please no! Help me! I don't wanna die like this!

Before anyone could do anything to help the poor soul, the pod had launched leaving the unfortunate soul to the ship's fate.

Fredrick: Damn it!

Jack: Sir you should sit down!

He did as he was told by the Lance Corporal. The escape pod buckles and quakes as it entered the planets atmosphere, looking out of the pods internal viewports, the occupants saw as the ship continued it's descent. Sections of armor ripping off, hull aflame, it was a sight of sorrow.

Clint: There she goes...

Vintel: Truly a marvel of your kind's work, she is still fully intact.

Michelle: Not for long probably...

Fredrick: Hey, Sienna.

Sienna: Yes sergeant?

Fredrick: What are the odds that the Federation would find us?

Sienna: The chances are high sergeant.

The female automaton responded, Fredrick thought to himself.

Jack: Sienna, even if the chances are high the Federation won't be finding us! They lose one ship they bat an eye away!

Michelle: Jack, please. We need to have some faith that they do.

Fredrick: Oh the Federation would be coming to look for us alright. There's one cause to this.

Clint: What is it sarge?

Fredrick: Perilous is transporting cargo the Federation deems too valuable to be lost. 

Michelle: What is it?

Fredrick: A whole data server belonging to the Privateers. If the tech heads back at home could access those data's, the Privateers are going for a long gone.

Clint: Why are we being told now?

Fredrick: The mission came from the General Henschel himself. Only I, Vintel, Sienna, Lieutenant Brasch, and Captain Tyrian were informed. He wanted the op to be a secret, so that's why when we land our focus-

*CRASH*

Debris from the ship had unknowingly crashed into their escape pod.

Jack: Shit!

Fredrick: Pod, status!

Escape pod A.I: Collision with debris, escape pod's descent has increased.

Michelle: What does that mean?

Sienna: It means the pod's landing speed is more than recommended!

Fredrick: In other words, we're going to meet ground zero faster to the point the chute won't be of much help!

As they entered atmosphere, the parachute deployed. Where it meant to slow the fall only ripped from the force.

Fredrick: Brace for it!

The ground came faster than anyone could have thought.

*CRASH*

The pod hits the ground hard, the force of the impact was strong enough to also kill the occupants inside.

*CRACK*
*POW*

Luckily they survived as Fredrick kicks open the pods doors with full force.

Fredrick: Everyone out now!

Everyone rushed out from the pod with Fredrick being the last to do so. Looking at their surroundings, there is only one thing they notice.

Jack: Hold on, this planet's inhabited!

Clint: More likely "was."

They had apparently landed in a once suburban city, buildings surrounded them all dilapidated and abandoned.

Vintel: Looking at the architecture, this planet appears to have been colonized by your species.

Clint: Yeah well... Where is everyone?

Fredrick: Let's not ask that now, we need to-

Overhead, the Perilous Wonder descends as it came crashing down. 

*CRASH*
*METALIC SCREECH*

Clint: That sounds close!

Fredrick: Sienna, how close was that?

Sienna: Estimated crash site is 50 kilometers from us.

Fredrick: Alright, let's save our pondering for later. Right now we have more pressing matters, so gear up and move out.

Humans: Yes sir!

Vintel: Very well, Sergeant.

Fredrick: Sienna, lead the way please.

Sienna: Yes sir.

With Sienna in the lead, everyone hurried from their escape pod's crash site and towards the now crash Dawn-Class ship.

Meanwhile
Ark - Outpost

Somewhere on the planet, humans had managed to survive against the Raptures, sworn enemies of humanity since they appeared out of nowhere, the surviving humans constructed the Ark and fled underground.

Up on the surface where the Ark is, an outpost stood there, many said being stationed there already meant they were to die from attacking Raptures. In one particular building, a man sat on a chair typing away at a keyboard. Being a Commander was something he wanted to become, yet at the moment he's writing reports like there is no tomorrow.

Commander: That's number 3... 7 more to go...

As he continued to type, the door to his quarters opens, he looked back to see who it was.

(I don't want to break anyone's hearts further, so for this story Marian will be uncorrupted.)

Commander: Marian?

Marian: Commander, there's a mission for us.

Commander: Finally! Something that doesn't involve typing in and submitting reports. What is it?

Marian: There's been a report saying something had crashed from outer space. The object's still unknown, that's why we've been sent out to investigate.

Commander: Alright. Where's Rapi, Anis, and Neon?

Marian: They're already waiting for us.

Commander: Okay, let's get going then.

Marian: Yes commander.

Perilous Wonder Crash Site.

At the crash site of the downed Perilous Wonder, Fredrick and his squad had arrived at a cliffside overlooking it. They were surprised to see the ship fully intact, albeit heavily damaged from bow to stern.

Clint: Shit, the ships still intact after that fall?

Sienna: The ship utilizes honeycomb bracings throughout key sections of the ship, that could explain it's superior structural integrity compared to other classes.

Surviving soldiers who were on the ship when it crashed can be seen hurriedly onloading fortification barriers which flanked the port and starboard of the vessel.

*COMMS BUZZ*

 Fredricks comms device buzzed, he then tunes it and a voice calls out.

Mother Goose-1: This is Mother Goose-1, Sergeant Fredrick is that you?

Fredrick: Glad to hear you Mother Goose.

Mother Goose-1: I'm coming to pick you up, I just transported survivors that got on my boat to the ship. Captain's gonna want to brief you on the situation.

Fredrick: Copy that, we'll sit tight.

Jack: So sarge, what's the plan?

Fredrick: We'll probably have to wait here until Federation reinforcements arrive. I'll brief you all privately later on why we were sent to get that damn data server save.

The dropship of Mother Goose-1 came into view.

Fredrick: But for now, let's just hope to whoever is up there that we'd survive.

As the dropship arrived, it does a 180 and lowers it's ramp. Fredrick and his squad boards the transport and it's door closed then flew towards the crashed ship.

TBC

(Production notes: The Dawn-Class of Heavy Cruisers are just heavily modernized, upgraded, and modified CAS066 cruisers from Infinite Lagrange.)