|PILLAR OF LIGHT|
UNKNOWN|CLOUD PILLAR|RECON TEAM
The recon team has successfully reached point six.
Irregular contact with native species. Reported being watched and followed by unknown contacts.
Direct contact with local fauna, however the closer they got to the pillar, the more sparse fauna becomes.
Olive sends his report back to the PMC via relays through rage team and the escort fleet.
At point six, the recon team has successfully established a base camp 100 meters away from the base of the pillar.
Now that everyone has had time to relax and recover to optimal status, the first expedition into the pillar was about to depart.
Several drones have been deployed into the pillar, only to loose contact with them immediately.
A squad of four men are to enter the pillar, attempt to retrieve the drones, and capture photos and videos of the environment, then return immediately.
Each soldier has a rope wheel equipped to mark their location and route from the entrance.
Quite a primitive form of navigation, but it's the best they can do after loosing contact with the drones once they entered the pillar.
"Alright Rover squad, you know what to do. Good hunting." Olive sent them off from base camp, watching them slowly approach the wall.
As Rover squad got closer and closer, they could not shake the feeling of being so small in the face of such a phenomena, like they didn't matter in the scope of the universe.
However, their training and discipline prevented them from breaking under the natural pressure coming from the cloud wall in front of them.
"Rover 1, setting up directional relay in front of the wall." The captain of the squad announced, setting up machinery in an attempt of getting a signal through the wall.
"Captain Rivers, relay is set, laying down wire to prepare the second relay within the wall."
"Alright. Line up Squad!" Capt. Rivers ordered, causing the squad to line up behind him, on hand on their shoulder, the other pointing their guns forwards.
This formation was to ensure that they would not get separated as they walked through the wall.
Back at base camp, the rest of the recon team watched as the four men disappeared with the only sign that anyone was there was the rope and relay machine.
"Alright team, back to work!" Olive barked. "Two men on overwatch to observe the cloud! The rest of you secure the perimeter! We got thirty minutes before they come back out!"
The base camp then descended into organized chaos as everyone returned to their posts.
—
How are they still moving?
They are in the presence of the holy ones.
Those heretics.
heretics.
Heretics.
HERETICS.
No, We cannot act, the great ones did not act, we cannot act.
Why have the great ones let the through?
I do not know. But we must honor their decision.
HOW? They are HUMANS!
THE UNPURE!
THE SINFUL!
WE MUST ERADICATE THEM!
Temper yourself. This is why you are no longer considered a candidate.
ARRRGH!
—
"It's been twenty minutes. Rover squad should be returning now." Olive muttered as he checked his watch.
"Calm down." He told himself as he could feel his heart rate increase. "They are going to be fine, the stuff they are going to bring back is going to make us famous in the PMC."
*zzt_*
The radio started sparking, as a broken signal came through.
"*zzt- Camp! Rover squad to base camp come in!"
Capt. Rivers voice came through, a sign that the relay within the pillar and its direct connection with the one just outside was working.
"This is base camp! This is base camp! Do you read!?!" Olive grabbed the radio receiver and yelled into it.
"Loud and clear. Requesting medical, repeat, Requesting medical over."
Olives heart sank. The first casualty of the new world came from his men under his command.
"Request received. Medics will await you outside the pillar, over." Olive spoke somberly into the receiver.
Hearing the change in tone, Capt. Rivers then clarified his request.
"Not for us General," Capt. Rivers spoke with a slight hint of confusion. "We have recovered our drones, along with a local."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Olive then paused for a moment before repeating what he heard.
"A local?"
"Yes sir. We are on our way back. Can't wait to show you what we saw." Capt. Rivers replied, this time sounding giddy at their discovery.
—
"It's an elf."
"It's an elf."
"It sure is an elf."
A crowd of soldiers gathered at the entrance, watching Rover squad carrying a stretcher with a unconscious person on it.
The first thing they all observed were the long pointed ears.
Next was the forest green clothing and pure white hair.
Finally was the face. With feminine features that are reminiscent of the beautiful marble sculptures that could be found back in their old world.
"BACK TO YOUR POSTS NOW! THIS IS NOT A SHOW!" Olive yelled at the gaggle of soldiers, causing them to scramble in all sorts of directions.
Olive then followed Rover squad into the medical tent with a frown on his face.
With the unconscious elf, for a lack of a better term, lying on the bed. The medics in the tent staring at Olive, at a loss for what would be considered a stable vitals for a native species.
"Just make a record of everything for now, then go off of feeling. If their face changes or body reacts, mark it down." Olive could only give this order, before motioning towards rover squad to meet him in the command tent.
—
"What the fuck."
"Language. Sir."
"Oh, sorry about that. *ahem* What in the fuck?"
"..."
No longer bothering about reminding Olive about his language, the rest of Rover squad looks over the photos and videos of what they captured within the pillar.
Clear skies, with no signs of a cloud wall.
A vast plane filled with flourishing flora and fauna.
In the distance at what is presumably is the center, super tall trees towered over everything.
No immediate signs of civilization, save for the scattered drones at their feet, and the unconscious elf they had 'rescued'.
"Do you think that one of our drones smacked them in the face?" Rover 2 asked gingerly.
"That's what most likely happened." Capt. Rivers confirmed as he thought back to their first encounter with the world in the pillar.
—
Rover squad slowly shuffled forwards for what felt like an eternity before being blinded by sunlight.
Training kicked in and they all hit the floor to reduce their profile while they adapted to the sudden change in sunlight.
As they got their vision back, they were greeted by a grassland that filled their vision. A couple small trees dotted their surroundings along with bushes and shrubbery that helped conceal them.
They checked the ropes and wire, once they were sure they were still connected, set up the relay point and started looking around them.
It was then they found their drones, along with the unconscious person, now identified as an elf.
Making sure that their equipment was hidden, they pushed forwards to capture photos and videos of their surroundings before hightailing it back out.
They followed the rope back into the forest behind them and encountered a deep fog. Still keeping track of the rope trail, they successfully made it back outside the pillar and met up with the medic squad waiting for them.
—
Olive was sat down, holding his head as a headache overcame him.
On this expedition to the black zone, he was expecting to encounter danger, so he didn't bother grabbing a couple linguists to help communicate with the locals.
So now, he has a 'kidnapped' local in his base camp, a thriving land beyond the cloud wall, and his whole team was being stalked by something out there.
"This is going to become so much paper work." He complained as he reluctantly got back up.
He called in the officers responsible for the camp to issue his orders.
"Send a message back to HQ. The black zone that we have encountered is not dangerous. It may contain a intelligent species that is not human. It is also thriving, as such it may be a massive source of materials and research. Request back up."
"On our way here, we have been stalked by an unknown group, make note of that in the message to HQ. As such, we are to fortify our position till we get orders back."
"As for the jeeps left at point five. Leave them, they are booby-trapped anyways, no conventions to obey here. That is all for now, dismissed."
Olive commanded as non of the officers had questions for him. He then turned to Rover squad that was still in the tent.
"Pick out four friends of yours." He directed to them. "You are now in charge of security for our guest. Pitch up a quarantine tent for them and stand guard. Call for me whenever they wake up."
"Yes sir!" * 4
Watching them leave, Olive sits back down to nurse his headache.
"I really don't want to do all that paperwork..."