Chapter 200: Under Fire

Chapter 200: Under Fire

The first highlighted trajectory settled into a confirmed path toward Pod 8.

The Imperial operator tracking the rock leaned closer to his console as the projected line crossed directly through the pod’s descent path.

"That rock will reach Pod 8’s current position before the pod clears it. We need to move them now."

The insertion officer responded immediately.

"Shift Pod 8 west. Keep the correction small. I want enough distance from the rock without pushing them beyond the plateau approach."

The marker moved across the display.

Noah watched the rock continue upward while Pod 8 shifted away from its original route. For several seconds, the two paths still looked uncomfortably close.

Then the rock passed through the position Pod 8 would have occupied.

The senior goblin commander ignored the missed projectile and watched the pod instead.

"That correction moved them well west of the rest of Group One. Can they still land on the plateau without another major adjustment?"

The insertion officer checked the updated route.

"They can. Their touchdown point will be farther west than planned, but they still have a clear path onto the plateau."

"Then leave them there. Do not waste another correction trying to put them back beside the others."

The officer looked toward him.

"I agree. Moving them east again would only expose them to another unnecessary maneuver."

The commander nodded toward the pod marker.

"My officers can cross a few hundred meters after landing. They cannot solve anything if the pod never reaches the surface."

Noah looked across the rest of Group One.

"Keep the pods on safe approaches even if that spreads the landing. The officers on the ground can reorganize once enough troops are down."

The insertion officer returned his attention to the display.

"That is what we’ll do. From here on, I am only correcting position when the current route becomes dangerous."

More rocks were rising from Planet X-317, but the Imperial staff no longer called out every projectile.

Many of the throws were clearly poor. Some stones began falling before they reached the pods. Others climbed well behind the formations or passed through open space.

Only the trajectories capable of reaching the descending force remained highlighted.

The senior commander noticed the change.

"You’ve stopped reporting most of the throws."

The insertion officer nodded toward the display.

"My operators are filtering them. If a rock cannot reach a pod, there is no reason to fill the room with reports about it."

"Good. I need to hear about the ones that can change the landing, not every stone that leaves the ground."

A new warning appeared before the officer could answer.

An operator on the opposite side of the room raised his voice.

"Fast projectile from the southwest. Possible intersection with Pod 17."

The insertion officer checked the line.

"Move Pod 17 south and keep them clear of Pod 18."

The pod marker shifted.

The first trajectory began separating from the pod.

Then another line appeared.

A second operator leaned toward his console.

"New projectile from the same general direction. It’s entering Pod 17’s corrected path."

The senior commander stared at the crossing lines.

"Can you move them east instead?"

The insertion officer checked the nearby pod markers.

"Pod 18 is already east of them. If I push Pod 17 that way, the two pods will come too close during descent."

"Then keep Pod 17 moving south. I would rather have them land farther from the company than risk a collision."

"Agreed. Continuing south gives them the largest open corridor."

The officer sent the correction.

The first rock passed behind Pod 17.

The second continued climbing.

The tracking operator watched the projected intersection update.

"The second rock is still on course. Pod 17 isn’t clearing it fast enough."

The commander moved closer to the main display.

"Can you push them farther south without losing control?"

"Not enough to guarantee a miss. Their descent is already becoming unstable from the correction."

The rock struck Pod 17.

The marker flashed.

Its descent line shifted sharply southwest, breaking away from Group Three.

The senior commander stepped toward the console.

"Give me the pod’s condition. I want confirmed status, not guesses."

An Imperial operator opened the damage readout.

"The pod is still transmitting. External damage is confirmed. Guidance response is degraded, and the pod is descending outside its assigned route, but it has not lost control completely."

"Which troops are inside?"

A goblin staff officer checked the deployment list.

"Part of Third Company. One rifle section, part of the company command element, and one radio team."

The commander kept his attention on the damaged marker.

"Can you still choose where they land, or are we only watching the pod fall?"

The insertion officer tested the guidance link.

"I still have limited control. I can make smaller changes to their direction, but I cannot safely bring them back toward Group Three. A stronger correction could make the instability worse."

"Then do not try to bring them back. Show me what is below their current route."

The surface display shifted to follow Pod 17.

The operator enlarged an area southwest of the plateau.

"There is open ground below them. No major obstruction is showing in the landing path. We can guide the pod toward that area."

"How far from the plateau?"

"Far enough that the soldiers will have to move before they can rejoin the main force."

The commander looked toward Noah.

"If they land there intact, the officer aboard can decide how to reach the plateau. Trying to recover the original route now only adds risk."

Noah nodded.

"Send them toward the open ground. Their separation can be handled after touchdown."

The insertion officer changed the guidance priority.

"Pod 17 is now committed to the southwest landing area. We are no longer trying to return it to Group Three."

The commander watched the marker settle into a less erratic descent.

"Can the crew hear us?"

A communications operator checked the link.

"Telemetry is intermittent. Voice contact is worse. We might get a short message through, but I cannot guarantee the entire transmission would reach them."

"Then only send information they need for the landing. They already know the pod has been hit."

The communications operator glanced toward the insertion officer.

"I’ll hold the channel unless their route changes again or we need to warn them."

"That is useful. Keep it that way."

The senior commander remained focused on Pod 17 for another moment before looking back toward Group Three.

"What did the hit do to the rest of the group?"

The insertion officer enlarged the formation.

"Pod 18 moved east to maintain separation. Two other pods opened their spacing slightly. They are still headed toward the plateau."

"So the group will land wider, but Pod 17 is the only one completely separated."

"At the moment, yes."

The commander nodded.

"I can deal with that. One detached pod is a problem. Losing the whole group because we tried to keep everyone together would be worse."

The landing continued.

Imperial operators made several smaller corrections without announcing each one to the entire room. Pod markers shifted east or west as dangerous rocks approached, while projectiles that could not reach the formations were removed from the threat display.

The first wave no longer resembled the clean arrangement that had left the starfortress.

The pods had divided into uneven clusters, with some still close to their original groups and others approaching the plateau from different directions.

The senior commander studied the spread.

"How much distance are we actually talking about between the main groups now?"

The insertion officer checked the landing projections.

"Most will still touch down within the same plateau area. The spacing is wider than planned, but the officers should be able to see or contact nearby units once they are on the ground."

"And Pod 17?"

"That one is outside the plateau landing area. They will have to reconnect separately."

"Then the rest is acceptable. My officers can reorganize a wide landing as long as they are not isolated from one another."

Another warning sounded.

An operator turned toward Group Two.

"Pod 26 has been hit."

The senior commander looked over immediately.

"Can it still be controlled?"

"Yes. Guidance remains stable. The rock damaged the outer shell but did not knock the pod off its route."

The commander compared Pod 26 with Pod 17.

"The impact looked almost as hard as the first one."

The insertion officer checked the damage data.

"The difference was the angle. Pod 17 was struck along the side while already making a correction. Pod 26 was clipped across the outer shell. Most of the force did not drive directly into its descent path."

"So Pod 26 continues without a new correction."

"Yes. Its current route is still safe."

The commander nodded.

"Then leave it alone. Damage matters when it changes what the pod can do. If it can still land, let it land."

The insertion officer gave him a brief approving look.

"That is exactly how my team is treating it."

Noah looked toward the altitude readings.

The leading pods were now much closer to the surface.

The insertion officer noticed the same change and raised his voice enough for the room to hear.

"From this point forward, safe touchdown takes priority over restoring original positions. If a pod has a clear route to usable ground, keep it there unless a new threat forces a correction."

The senior commander looked over the scattered markers.

"So this is roughly how my first wave is going to reach the ground."

"Yes. Most pods are still headed toward the plateau, but they will not land in the original pattern."

The commander studied the projections.

"I have worked with worse deployments. At least this time my officers will know why the formation is ugly."

The insertion officer gave a small laugh.

"I’ll make sure the flight crews are relieved to hear that."

"Do not encourage them. If they survive this, they will already have enough stories."

A few nearby operators smiled while continuing to work.

Noah pointed toward the leading marker.

"Which pod reaches the plateau first?"

An operator highlighted Pod 3.

"Pod 3. It has not needed a major correction and still has the cleanest approach."

The senior commander looked at the marker.

"One pod managed to stay exactly where it was supposed to while everyone around it was dodging rocks."

The insertion officer glanced toward him.

"I would prefer you not to celebrate until it is actually on the ground."

"I’m not celebrating. I’m surprised."

"Surprise it after touchdown."

The brief exchange ended when the surface-tracking officer spoke.

"New movement around the plateau."

The display changed.

Several Astragoth groups that had remained away from the landing zone were now moving toward the approaches.

The senior commander leaned closer.

"Those groups have stopped gathering rocks."

"They are moving toward the plateau now," the sensor officer replied.

"Which group is closest?"

The officer measured the nearest route.

"The northwest group. They will not reach the plateau before Pod 3 touches down, but at their current pace they may arrive while the rest of the first wave is still landing."

The commander looked toward the remaining pod markers.

"Then the first soldiers on the surface will have to organize before the entire wave is down."

Noah followed the nearest Astragoth group on the display.

"They do not need the entire wave. They need enough pods on the plateau to form a usable position before those Astragoths reach the approaches."

The commander looked toward the sequence behind Pod 3.

"Which pods are next?"

"Pod 6 is approaching from the east. Pod 5 follows behind it. Pod 8 will land farther west because of the first correction."

The commander pointed toward those markers.

"Then keep them on the safest routes they already have. I do not care if they land exactly where we planned anymore. I need enough soldiers close enough to support one another."

The insertion officer nodded.

"That is the priority now."

A warning appeared beside Pod 3.

The commander noticed it immediately.

"Another rock?"

The tracking operator studied the new line.

"One projectile is climbing toward its descent path. I need a few seconds to see whether it can actually reach the pod."

The insertion officer prepared a correction but did not send it.

The commander noticed his hesitation.

"You’re waiting because they’re too low for an unnecessary maneuver."

"Exactly. At this altitude, I do not want to move Pod 3 unless the rock is definitely going to reach it."

The calculation updated.

The operator spoke.

"It will pass below the pod. The rock does not have enough altitude."

The insertion officer removed his hand from the controls.

"Then Pod 3 stays on course."

The commander released a slow breath.

"Good. At this point, I would rather trust a bad throw than create a bad landing ourselves."

A second rock rose from farther west, but the tracking system marked it as a clear miss almost immediately.

The senior commander ignored it and looked toward Pod 3’s altitude.

"How long until touchdown?"

"Final approach has already started."

The display centered more tightly around the leading pod.

Its descent speed decreased.

The plateau filled most of the central screen.

The insertion officer leaned toward his console.

"No more major corrections unless a direct threat enters the pod’s path. Let them finish the descent."

The commander folded his arms.

"Then everyone leave that pod alone unless you absolutely have to touch it."

Noah watched the altitude counter fall.

Pod 6 remained some distance behind. Pod 5 approached from another angle. Pod 8 continued toward the western side of the plateau.

Farther southwest, Pod 17 was still descending toward its separate landing area.

The sensor officer kept another window focused on the Astragoths moving toward the plateau.

"The northwest group is still advancing. Their direction has not changed."

The commander looked toward the distance between them and the landing zone.

"Will they reach the plateau before Pod 6 is down?"

"They will not reach it before Pod 3. Pod 6 should be near final approach by the time they get close to the outer approach."

"That gives the first soldiers some time, but not much."

Noah looked toward Pod 3.

"They need to get out, locate the nearby pods, and start organizing immediately."

The commander nodded.

"Which is why I want the next several landings to stay close enough that they can reinforce each other instead of forming separate little groups."

The landing operator spoke from his station.

"Pod 3 remains stable. No active projectile can reach its current path."

The insertion officer kept his attention on the status feed.

"Then let them finish."

The altitude continued dropping.

Pod 3 reached the plateau.

Its marker stopped moving.

The status beside it changed from descending to landed.

The landing operator checked the signal before announcing the result.

"Pod 3 is on the ground. The pod is still transmitting, and the touchdown reading is stable."

The senior commander’s attention shifted immediately to the internal status.

"Can you confirm the soldiers can exit?"

"Not yet. We have a stable landing and an active signal. Internal status needs another moment."

The commander looked back toward the remaining pods rather than waiting.

"Then let the landing team verify it. I still have most of the wave in the air."

The insertion officer shifted the main display toward the next pod.

"Pod 6 is entering final approach from the east. Pod 8 remains on the western route. Pod 26 is stable. Pod 17 continues southwest under degraded guidance."

The commander pointed toward Pod 6.

"Then keep Pod 6 moving. One pod on the plateau gives my officers a starting point.

Several pods close together give them enough soldiers to hold something."

Noah looked over the display.

One Eldrathi pod had reached Planet X-317.

Several more were closing on the plateau from different directions. Pod 17 continued toward a separate landing area, while the nearest Astragoth groups were already moving toward the plateau’s approaches.

The descent had placed the first goblins on the planet. Their next task would be to turn the scattered landings into a defensible force before the approaching Astragoths reached them.