The cargobay was a busy place again after 10 days of silence. Most of the crew was working with passion. Word had gotten out that MacCabbe and Zeeky would not be leaving with them and would remain on the dropship . Mac was to be restrained to the infirmary. Zeek would keep an eye on him and stay in contact with the pack while they would be exploring the planet. For some, the news was a relief, but others felt uneasy in missing two valuable members of the team. 

 

Solo and Webley sat in the cockpit reviewing Solo's results. 'Scan shows it's a very damp planet. This is probably the reason why previous investigations were unsuccessful. I expect the planet to have some plantlife, and maybe a few small amphibian creatures. Be prepared for equipment failure and communication problems. Try to keep everything as dry as possible.' 

'It sounds like paradise.' Webley took a drag from his cigarette and smirked at Solo.

 

'Ten minutes till landing!' Everything was loaded up into the APC. The pack sat in their seats, side by side. As the ramp of the Epsilon opened, the UD4 began to drop down towards the planet. This was Private Ganchan's least favorite part of being a marine. The former boxing legend had received many punches, from which his nose had never recovered. He had taken every punch without as much as a whimper, but dropping down out of orbit made him turn white as a sheet. Lance Corporal Buzz noticed the fear on his face and patted him on the shoulder. ' Hold on Gan! This will all be over soon, then we can get to the real scary stuff!!' His roaring laugh sounded trough the room, loud enough to be heard over the blasting engines. Ganchan gave him a grin and hoped he could keep his food inside until the landing. 

 

Finally the dropship touched the surface of Hades IV. Solo left the ship in the hands of Zeeky and joined the others in the APC. Once settled behind the wheel, he activated the engines. Together with Weeperr he would navigate the vehicle across the planet in search of the origin of the signal. Weeperr activated the cargodoors to open up. They slowly drove down the ramp. During the first few yards they moved as blind men, and Solo stopped the APC to take a look around. It was as if they were surrounded by gray walls, a thick and heavy mist laying all around them. 'Holy shit!' Weeperr cried out. 'It's gonna be impossible to find anything on this planet.' Just as he finished his sentence the radar started bleeping, it was the signal.