Chapter 199: Descent to Planet X-317

Chapter 199: Descent to Planet X-317

The first wave was already sealed inside the escape pods when Noah entered the monitoring section of the starfortress.

The main display showed dozens of pod markers divided into descent groups. Each marker carried a number, current status, and position relative to the others.

Imperial personnel occupied the stations surrounding the display, checking guidance links and waiting for authorization to begin the invasion.

The senior goblin commander stood beside the central console. He turned when Noah approached and moved aside to give him a clear view of the launch groups.

"The last pod sealed a few minutes ago. Imperial personnel finished their checks while you were on the way here. My officers have not reported any problem from inside the pods."

Noah looked toward the Imperial insertion officer responsible for the launch.

"I want the Imperial status as well. Are there any mechanical faults or guidance warnings that still need to be resolved before we send them out?"

The officer checked the final status panel.

"Nothing that requires a delay. Two pods reported warning indicators during inspection, but maintenance cleared both before they entered the launch sequence. Every first-wave pod is sealed, every guidance link is responding, and the launch lanes are clear."

The senior commander pointed toward the route displayed between the fortress and Planet X-317.

"The landing route is still unchanged, correct? My officers have the original coordinates. If something has changed, I would rather know before their pods leave the fortress."

"The route has not changed. The plateau remains the landing target. We may adjust individual pod trajectories during descent, but we are not changing the destination."

The commander nodded.

"Good. They already have enough variables to deal with once they reach the atmosphere."

Noah looked across the status indicators.

Nothing on the display gave him a reason to keep the soldiers waiting inside their pods.

"Begin the launch."

The insertion officer immediately passed the command to the launch crews.

The first group of escape pods detached from the starfortress.

Their markers moved away from the fortress symbol in a controlled formation. A second group launched after the assigned interval, followed by a third. Within a short period, the entire first wave was moving toward Planet X-317.

The senior commander studied the display.

"They look closer together than I expected. Is that the actual spacing?"

"The display compresses the distance between pods so we can track the entire wave at once."

The insertion officer pointed toward the scale indicator.

"If we showed their actual separation at this magnification, several groups would be outside the display."

The commander indicated one of the wider formations.

"Group Three has noticeably more space between its pods."

"That group contains more pods, so we gave it additional lateral separation. If one pod starts drifting, we do not want it crossing directly into another pod’s path."

The commander kept watching the formation.

"How much drift can you correct before it becomes a serious problem?"

"At their current altitude, quite a lot. We still have distance and time to work with. The closer they get to the surface, the smaller our safe corrections become."

The commander looked toward him.

"So if a pod drifts early, you pull it back toward the route. If it happens near the ground, you may let it land away from the others rather than force a dangerous correction."

"That is the general rule. We would rather have one group land farther from the plateau than lose the pod trying to place it exactly where we originally intended."

The commander gave a small nod.

"I can work with soldiers landing in the wrong place. I cannot work with a pod that never reaches the ground."

"That is how we look at it as well."

Noah kept his attention on the leading group as the atmospheric boundary appeared ahead of it.

One of the operators spoke from another station.

"First descent group approaching atmospheric entry. Guidance remains stable."

The insertion officer adjusted the display.

"The formation will open once they enter. That is expected."

The first pod crossed the atmospheric boundary, followed by the rest of its group.

One pod moved farther west than the others while another began falling slightly behind.

The senior commander pointed toward the western marker.

"That pod is moving out of formation faster than the others. Is it still under control?"

The insertion officer checked the identification number.

"Pod 14 entered at a different angle. The atmosphere is pushing it west, but its guidance remains functional."

"If you do nothing, where will it end up?"

"Too far from the rest of its group for an easy regrouping. We are correcting it now."

The officer entered the correction.

A second operator responded from the adjacent station.

"Pod 14 accepted the adjustment. Lateral drift is decreasing."

The senior commander watched as the marker gradually stopped moving away from the group.

"That looks better. I will try not to assume every marker that moves out of place means the pod is about to fall apart."

The insertion officer smiled slightly.

"That would help. If something actually starts falling apart, I promise we will tell you."

"Make sure you do. I would rather be annoying than discover afterward that everyone in this room knew about a problem except me."

"That is fair."

More descent groups entered the atmosphere.

The monitoring section became busier.

"Group Two entry confirmed."

"Pod 27 showing lateral drift."

"Correction request transmitted."

"Group Three maintaining interval."

Each report referred to a specific group or pod, allowing the insertion officers to react without interrupting one another.

Noah watched the first wave gradually spread into broader clusters.

The senior commander pointed toward Group Four.

"They are opening much more than Group One."

The insertion officer checked their entry data.

"They entered with wider spacing and a slightly different angle. Every pod is still inside the descent corridor."

"Will they reach the same landing region?"

"They should. They may touch down farther apart from one another, but they are still headed toward the plateau."

The commander leaned closer to the display.

"Farther apart is acceptable as long as my officers do not allocate their precious time trying to find half their companies."

"Nothing we are seeing suggests that kind of drastic separation."

"Then I will save that concern for later."

As the pods descended, the display increased its magnification on the target region.

The plateau appeared near the center.

Noah ignored the terrain details he had already studied during the final briefing and focused on the movement around it.

Several indicators appeared northwest of the plateau.

The senior commander noticed them.

"Those groups have changed direction."

An Imperial sensor officer enlarged the surface view.

"Several Astragoths are moving northwest of the landing zone. Another group farther south is also moving."

"Are they heading toward the plateau?"

"Not yet. The northwest group is moving toward higher ground. The southern group is heading toward an open rocky area."

The commander looked at the southern group.

"If they were trying to approach the plateau, they would be moving the other way."

Noah pointed toward the open region. ℴ

"What is in that area?"

The sensor officer increased the magnification.

"Mostly exposed stone and loose rock."

The senior commander stared at the feed for several seconds.

"Then we are probably about to see the warning from the briefing become real."

Several Astragoths reached the rocky area.

One stopped beside a large stone and curled its long tail around it.

The tail tightened.

The stone shifted across the ground.

The commander moved closer to the display.

"That one has already selected a rock."

The sensor officer increased the magnification further.

The Astragoth pulled the stone free from the surrounding debris, then dragged it toward a clearer patch of ground.

Nearby, another Astragoth wrapped its tail around a smaller rock and lifted it with much less effort.

The senior commander looked toward the insertion officer.

"They really are going to throw them with their tails."

"That is what their movement indicates."

The commander pointed toward a larger Astragoth approaching a much heavier stone.

"That one is choosing something considerably larger."

The sensor officer compared the rock to the creature’s body.

"The larger Astragoths appear capable of handling heavier projectiles."

The commander watched the tail tighten around the stone.

"If that hits one of the pods directly, what happens?"

The insertion officer answered without exaggeration.

"It depends on the impact. A poor hit may only damage the outer structure. A large rock striking with enough speed can destroy the pod."

The commander looked toward him.

"So the pods can take punishment, but nobody should be treating them like armored fortresses."

"That would be a very bad assumption."

Another operator called from the side station.

"Additional movement east of the plateau. More Astragoths are gathering around exposed stone."

The senior commander turned toward the new feed.

"How many separate groups have started doing this?"

"Three confirmed. We may have a fourth group farther south, but the image is still unclear."

Noah watched another Astragoth drag a rock into an open area.

It planted most of its body against the ground while its tail remained wrapped around the stone.

The senior commander narrowed his eyes.

"It moved the rock away from the others before doing anything with it."

The sensor officer nodded.

"It needs enough space to swing."

The Astragoth began moving its tail.

The first swing was slow.

The rock passed behind its body and returned.

The second swing carried more speed.

By the third, the creature was twisting its body with the motion.

The commander leaned toward the display.

"It is not just using the tail. It is rotating its whole body to add force."

"That is what the feed shows. The body provides the rotation while the tail holds and releases the rock."

Another Astragoth began doing the same thing nearby.

Its stone was smaller, but the tail moved more quickly.

The operators started marking the throwers.

"Northwest thrower one identified."

"Second thrower marked."

"Southern group preparing projectiles."

The senior commander looked toward the descending pod markers.

"How high are our leading pods now? I need to know whether these rocks have any realistic chance of reaching them."

The insertion officer checked the altitude and descent data.

"The pods are still high enough that the first throws will be difficult. The larger Astragoths may still get some rocks close enough to matter."

The commander pointed toward the largest creature on the feed.

"That one certainly seems convinced it can."

The Astragoth completed another swing.

Its body twisted sharply.

Its tail snapped forward.

The rock left the ground.

One of the Imperial operators immediately raised his voice.

"First projectile airborne from the northwest group."

A new marker appeared on the display.

The tracking system began drawing its trajectory.

The senior commander moved closer.

"Can you tell which pods it is heading toward?"

"Not yet. Give the system a few seconds to calculate the full path."

Before the calculation finished, a second Astragoth released its rock.

Then another.

"Second projectile airborne."

"Third projectile from the southern group."

More threat markers appeared.

Several rocks climbed at poor angles and began losing speed early.

Others continued rising.

The commander pointed toward one of the steeper trajectories.

"That one looks much better than the first throw."

The insertion officer checked it.

"It was released at a better angle and with more speed. That is currently the most serious trajectory."

An operator at the surface station interrupted.

"Additional throwers preparing east of the plateau."

Noah looked toward the enlarged surface feed.

Several Astragoths were already swinging rocks with their tails. Others were dragging stones away from nearby obstacles before starting their own rotations.

The senior commander watched another rock leave the surface.

"They are copying each other faster than I expected."

"They do not need to understand the pods. They only need to understand that throwing rocks at them is possible."

The commander glanced toward the descending formation.

"And the lower our soldiers get, the easier those throws become."

The insertion officer nodded.

"The rocks have less distance to travel, and we have less time to react. The next stage of the descent will be more difficult than this one."

Noah looked toward the active projectile list.

"How many current throws can actually reach the first group?"

The insertion officer reviewed the calculations.

"Most will fall short. Three deserve close attention. Two currently have possible intersections with Group One."

The senior commander pointed toward another climbing marker.

"What about that one? It still has plenty of height."

"It has the wrong lateral angle. Even if it reaches the correct altitude, it will pass behind the pods."

The commander watched it for another moment before turning back to the highlighted threats.

"Then I will stop watching that one and worry about the two that can actually hit someone."

"That is a much better use of your attention."

More rocks left the ground.

The attack was becoming more organized without any visible command structure.

Astragoths in several areas had found suitable stones, moved into open ground, and started timing their swings toward the descending formations.

An Imperial operator spoke louder than before.

"Six projectiles currently airborne. Two possible intersections with Group One. One additional trajectory may cross Group Two if it maintains speed."

The insertion officer moved closer to the primary controls.

"Mark the confirmed threats. Prepare correction options for the affected pods, but do not alter their paths yet."

The senior commander looked toward him.

"You already have two possible intersections. Why wait?"

"Because possible is not the same as confirmed. If we move the pods every time a rock appears threatening, we will spread the formation ourselves."

The commander studied the trajectory lines.

"So you let the poor throws fail without reacting and save the corrections for the ones that will actually reach the pods."

"Exactly. Every course change costs us something. I am not spending that margin on a rock that is going to miss anyway."

The commander gave a small nod.

"That is the answer I wanted. My soldiers already have enough problems without us making their landing worse from up here."

The insertion officer glanced toward him.

"You are beginning to sound like you trust us."

"I trust you to keep the pods in the air. I reserve the right to complain about everything else."

Several nearby operators smiled while continuing to work.

Noah kept his attention on the two highlighted rocks.

Their predicted paths continued narrowing toward Group One.

Below them, more Astragoths were wrapping their tails around stones and beginning fresh swings.

The senior commander watched the numbers update beside the first projectile.

"That first one is still on course."

The insertion officer shifted his hand toward the controls.

"It is close enough that we are preparing to move the threatened pod. We need a few more seconds of tracking before I commit to the correction."

The commander did not argue this time.

"Then take the few seconds. Just make sure they are the right few seconds."

"They will be."

More rocks rose from Planet X-317 while the escape pods continued descending toward them.

Noah watched the threat markers climb and the pod markers fall, their calculated paths drawing closer together across the display.

The first wave had entered the range of Planet X-317’s defenders, and the next correction would determine whether the first thrown stones passed harmlessly through the formation or struck Eldrath’s soldiers before they ever reached the ground.