Capítulo 91: Chapter 91: "We Land on Our Feet!"
Miles Quaritch, who issued orders over the communication channel, was a former RDA member from Universe 02.
In October 1994, Quaritch selected 15 veteran subordinates from AECS and another 15 veterans from ARS to form a special operations squad.
In November 1994, Quaritch was ordered to lead this squad across a space gate and deploy to New Paris on Earth-01.
Subsequently, Quaritch received direct orders from the Atlas owner:
"Colonel Miles Quaritch, you are to build an airborne company based on this unnamed special operations squad.
Requirements for members: They must pass the most rigorous gravity endurance training and possess skills in deep surveillance, long-range reconnaissance, and wilderness survival.
Unit nature: A highly mobile special operations force capable of engaging enemy forces in the most heavily fortified areas, securing a safe landing zone for follow-up troops, or performing flanking maneuvers, infiltration, reconnaissance, and more.
Unit name: Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST)."
Quaritch immediately began execution. By May 1995, the company had taken shape, with a total of 146 members from different divisions of the company, even different universes.
In July 1995, the Akra facility began producing specialized equipment for the unit.
Now.
Inside the drop pods;
The "soldiers" in black combat suits were ODSTs.
Their gear might not match the hazard suits (HEV) of the vanguard, but once their helmets were securely linked to their suits, they had pressurization capabilities and an internal air circulation system.
This meant that even if they were exposed to space, they would have ten minutes to fight or save themselves.
Hiss—!
As gas hissed out, the helmet's screen gradually lit up, providing an ODST with comprehensive data and real-time status.
The screen also displayed the name of this ODST, "Carlos Oliveira."
Beep—!
Suddenly, the lights inside the drop pod switched to a dark red hue.
"Drop in thirty seconds, everyone get ready," came Quaritch's reminder over the comms.
Upon hearing this, Carlos double-checked that his mechanical exoskeleton was securely attached to the pod's harness.
After confirming everything was in order, Carlos began silently counting down in his mind.
Twenty seconds;
Through the observation window of the drop pod, he saw that the drop dock outside had plunged into complete darkness.
Ten seconds;
The outside lit up again, but the light source wasn't artificial; it was natural light shining from below.
Zero seconds;
Click—.
A sound came from the top of the drop pod.
Boom—!
Next, the noise of the engine firing transmitted through vibrations into the pod.
At this moment, everything outside the observation window began "moving" upwards, indicating that Carlos's drop pod was descending rapidly.
The view outside shifted from the dim, narrow drop dock to the vast expanse of space and the Earth, too large to be fully seen.
Before long.
Boom—Boom—.
The shaking of the drop pod became more intense.
"Attention all personnel, we are about to enter the blackout zone, be ready...zzz...zzz!"
Quaritch's reminder was cut off by a burst of static.
Carlos frowned at the sound, closing his eyes tightly.
The stunning view outside had already been replaced by "raging flames." Even worse, the drop pod's violent shaking had reached its peak.
Carlos felt his body being forcefully "dragged down," yet his brain seemed to "float up," and the intense rocking made his consciousness start to blur, almost to the point of passing out.
These were the effects of breaking through the "blackout zone."
The drop pod entered the atmosphere at high speed, causing friction that generated temperatures exceeding 2000°C.
Without the heat-resistant coating on the outer wall, the drop pod would be destroyed by Earth's atmosphere before reaching its target.
The term "blackout" refers to the plasma created by the intense heat, which blocks electromagnetic waves, cutting off communication.
The physical effects of the blackout zone also make it nearly impossible to see clearly.
The violent shaking lasted for a full three minutes.
When the flames outside quickly dissipated, the scene was no longer the dark void of space but a deep blue sky.
"Ugh..."
Carlos's head felt swollen, and it took him over ten seconds to fully recover.
His comrades beside him were also shaking their heads, looking like they were waking up from a hangover.
"Stop daydreaming and launch the decoy pods immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing Quaritch's order, Carlos and his team responded in unison. Carlos used his left hand to pull the red lever beside him.
With a forceful tug.
Boom~Boom~Boom.
The decoy pods were ejected from the drop pod.
However, due to the angle and altitude, Carlos couldn't see this from inside the pod.
Boom—! Boom—!
Soon, he heard the faint sound of scattered explosions outside.
It seemed that thousands of decoy pods had successfully interfered with the few enemy intercept missiles.
After a few more seconds, Carlos could see the lakes, forests, rivers, and a mid-sized city thousands of meters below through the observation window.
"Forty seconds until impact! Don't forget your mission!"
"We land on our feet, sir!" Carlos and the ODSTs shouted in unison.
"Good! After landing, Teams Three and Four will clear the area, Teams One and Two will follow me to capture the target... Twenty-five seconds until the drop pod auto-brakes, be ready!"
"..."
Hearing this, Carlos took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as much as possible.
Boom—Boom—.
The drop pod executed several braking maneuvers in quick succession, causing Carlos to feel as though his brain was sinking while his body jerked upwards. The sensation was just as overwhelming as when entering the blackout zone.
Thankfully, the twenty-five seconds passed quickly.
Thud!!
The heavy impact caused a violent shake.
Hiss—!!
Then came the rush of air as the hatch opened.
A series of noises indicated that the drop pod had successfully landed.
As soon as Carlos and his nine comrades saw the green light, they released themselves from their restraints, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out of the pod, deploying drones to provide them with a more comprehensive view.
"Go! Go!"
"Enemies at three o'clock!"
"Target's location identified!"
In the drones' aerial view, the hideout of the NIA organization's leader was now surrounded by six drop pods.
More precisely, it was surrounded by forty ODSTs, four specialized mechs, and six heavily armored, heavily armed Tyrants.
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