After passing through fierce high-altitude currents, the ship continued climbing amid unsettling tremors until it reached an altitude of eight thousand feet. Only then did the mad buffeting subside.
Augustus and his soldiers were strapped tightly into their seats by safety belts. Aside from Harnack and Josephine, who were chatting, everyone silently counted the time displayed on their HUDs.
The transport had no portholes, and the blue emergency lights were the only source of illumination in the troop compartment. About twenty minutes after takeoff, the transport began to jolt again, swaying like a fallen leaf in a gale.
"Communication code β2-4-7-2: We've encountered a Kel-Morian Hellhound fighter. It has already been damaged..." The pilot's voice came through Augustus's helmet.
"Modern Girl is descending—seven thousand feet—six thousand feet... The doors are opening... Hallelujah, good luck!"
The reinforced movable panels on either side of the ship gradually opened, and howling wind poured into the sealed compartment. Augustus and his soldiers unfastened their safety belts and rose to their feet amid the roar of the wind.
Through the open doors, a Kel-Morian camp nestled among the hills came into view before Augustus. Four rectangular tent-like barracks stood side by side along the east-west axis. The prison walls were assembled from slabs of Bole Steel and covered with a layer of white canvas.
To the east of the barracks stood a metallic water tower, with its drainage system made up of interconnected metal pipes.
Thick smoke rose from the hills on the other side. An AOPD-33 transport skimmed past a bunker atop a hill and crashed somewhere beyond Augustus's sight.
They were about fifty feet above the ground now. Below the transport, people were running everywhere, and some Kel-Morians were firing into the sky.
"3rd Squad and 4th Squad jump first! Move, move, move!"