It stands to reason that Winter, who grew up in the farmland, and Hayes, who struggled in the bottom nest, would never have any intersection throughout their lives, but this is the wonder of fate, or it can be called a miracle, and maybe it is not. Unobtrusive, but still a wonder.
Also because of their similar age, Winter and Hayes quickly established a friendship. Hayes was very envious of Winter's complete family, even though he was not rich, because he probably would never be able to experience it in his whole life, spending time with his father under the scorching sun. After farming, I returned to the cabin in the evening and saw my mother having prepared meals and chattering away.
And the joy of playing chess with my brothers and sisters at night before bed and blaming each other for bad moves.
So Hayes hopes that he can help Winter return to his hometown alive as much as possible. It would be very painful for such a family to lose anyone, because they would grieve the loss.
As for Hayes himself, he knew that except for the people in the class, Uncle Hashet and Xiao An, probably no one would be sad because of his death. Maybe if he was lucky enough to return to the chaotic and dark nest, then he should also What can be done...
He heard from the battalion commander that the war might be over. This was a good thing. They were all still alive and already stronger than 60% of the people. This was what he heard from Chief Ayin. It seemed like something The death rate among recruits in the same batch as him has exceeded 60%.
"Ready to launch, one minute countdown."
A screeching metallic sound came through the hidden transmitter, and Hayes heard the scraping of metal as the assault ramp slowly closed.
The sound returned as Hayes felt the vibrations from the assault craft's engines grow stronger.
"Prepare to launch, thirty seconds countdown."
At this time, he noticed that Winter was tightly holding the Skyhawk pendant hanging around his neck.
"Don't worry, Winter."
Hayes looked at the man with a smile, trying to ease the recruit's anxiety, like a friend.
"When I first landed, Uncle Hashet said that what you need to worry about is not falling, because nothing will kill you until you hit the ground."
"...Ten seconds countdown."
The metallic sound continued to count down, and Hayes and Winter prayed to the Emperor for a safe descent.
"May the Emperor bless you."
A more human voice sounded as the engine ignited, and then Hayes found himself suddenly weightless.
They left the safety of the troopship.
"Bearing 17 degrees 15 minutes."
Amid the roar of the engine, the parchment-thin tone of the hoarse navigation machine slave was barely audible in the cockpit.
"A heading correction of -04 degrees 09 minutes is recommended for optimal atmospheric entry, all other system readings are normal."
"examine."
The main pilot said solemnly, automatically pushing his control column forward to adjust.
"New bearing: 12 degrees 07 minutes, course correction confirmed."
"Correction confirmed."
The pilot slave's yellowed, dull eyes rolled in their sockets and rechecked its calculations.
"Enter the atmosphere in five seconds...two, one, enter the atmosphere, all system readings are normal."
The brief bump quickly fades.
"Look at that light."
The co-pilot chewed his gum, raised his eyes from his instruments for a fraction of a second, and saw through the observation port in the lander's nose that the spacecraft was surrounded by a bright red halo of fire.
"No matter how many planetary drops we do, I'm not used to it. It's like riding in a fireball. I have to thank the Emperor for being the first to build a heat shield."
"Heat shield readings are normal."
The machine slave made a sound, gears spinning in its throat as it mistook the comment for a question.
"External temperatures are within allowed operating thresholds and all system readings are normal."
"That's because you've only done a dozen airborne drops."
The main pilot picked up the coffee pot and unscrewed the lid, took a small sip, and then tightened it again.
"Trust me, when you do it a dozen times, you won't even notice it. How about the landing beacon signal? I don't want to miss the landing."
"The beacon signal reading is strong and clear. There are no hostile signals in the air scan. It looks like the sky is ours... Wait! The detector is reading some-"
"Warning! Warning!"
The machine slave interrupted all sounds.
"An unmarked small target was found approaching quickly. It is suspected to be an enemy anti-aircraft missile. It is recommended to perform evasive maneuvers. The trajectory of the first batch of missiles is 87 degrees 03 minutes. Warning! The second batch of missiles were found to be launched. The trajectory of the missiles -"
"Evasive action confirmed!"
The main pilot's voice became very nervous. As he spoke, he pushed the control column forward to push the lander into a dive.
"Keep an eye on enemy trajectory and airspeed until further orders are given, deploy chaff!"
"The chaff was activated and the instrumentation to read the chaff was successfully deployed."
The co-pilot looked at a screen in front of him and his voice suddenly became hoarse.
"Wait a minute, the chaff blocked part of it, it seems...throne! There are too many enemy missiles! They are conducting covering fire, and we didn't get any warning!"
"What do you mean? Well, if that's the case, we have nothing to worry about. If they fire blindly, then they don't necessarily have a chance of hitting us if they fire a thousand."
Even if you say this, you still have to hide if you should.
"Prepare for a hard landing!"
the lead pilot said as he shouted orders for the lander to move forward into a steeper dive, and from outside they could hear the first missile explosion.
"Servant: Release standard flaps and navigation safety protocols, I want full control! The landing point may be slightly offset!"
For Hayes, the experience was unlike any other.
He felt like he was really falling.
Nothing can slow or stop them.
Like a comet.
Falling down from the stars at will.
In the crew compartment, everyone was slammed back into their seats by the force of acceleration, and Hayes felt as if his stomach was being pushed up from his throat.
All around him he heard cries of mercy and whispered oaths, while at the same time the skin of his face was stretched so tight that he was sure it was about to be torn from his bones.
Then, far louder than any noise he had ever experienced before, there was the roar of another explosion and the subsequent sound of tearing metal.
With these sounds the fall began, and he found himself pushed back into his seat with greater force.
Winter screamed.
"We're hit! We're hit! We're falling from the sky and we're going to die!"
"Wen, especially if you do this, you will scare other people, you have to-"
Hayes had barely said a few words when he felt a sickening tide of acid rise in his stomach, and the half-digested remnants of his last meal spurted uncontrollably from his mouth, soaking the seat in front of him. That unlucky guy.
But before the weightlessness could torture his stomach further, the whole world stopped spinning, and the assault craft let out a bone-chilling crash and a terrifying scream, like the death knell of a mortally wounded beast finally struck. ground.
The interior of the crew was plunged into darkness, and there was silence for a moment.
