Elite Squad Slow Descent

Liquid Earth is a bane on Mallera-9. It limits movements to concreted corridors but it also makes it easy to find the enemy.

Getting between places is largely left to transports of all types. Typically when a unit is dropped to a Base of Operations of Sector (which ever company they work for), that's where they remain throughout a contract.

Often the only time a unit will go for a ride is that ride to their sector and if they survive, they get to ride out too.

The ZT90 is the go to for most companies.

They're expensive to buy, slow to manufacture and parts are hard to come by. They do have good operational availability through.

Over the course of their growth V-Corp has acquired a significant number of them. But the maintenance schedules have been largely pushed aside so they can meet their operational goals.

The occasional breakdown on the pad prior to departure is the most common place where issues occur. Like many complex machines, things go wrong when you turn them off.

Common problems are the powerpacks losing or not holding charges, heating elements in the engines burning out not generating enough heat to produce thrust and thermal failure in the fan blades (polymer composite).

There are more than just a few design flaws too, mainly a lack of redundancy in all systems.

Additionally over complexity of simple components such as landing legs and door mechanisms.

Many pundits knock Black Faction for opting a stripped down doorless version of the ZT90 called the ZT90C, but in practicality with consideration for some of these design flaws it was a fairly wise choice.

V-Corp opted for the ZT90D, doors but no turrets. Similar load to the C variant minus carrying units externally its been a workhorse for the company especially in some of the major offensives.

The squad pictured above was send to eliminate some Black Faction Friendly contractors in an outer segment of Mallera-9.

On start-up the charge indicator on the ZT90 was showing full charged, once started the pilot disconnected it from the generator cart then the squad ran over and quickly packed in.

Doors closed and they were airborne.

The objective was well over 40km away so they had just over two hours of flight time (ZT90s are fast by Mallera-9 standards but slow by our standards).

After about an hour they came up to the vast expansive wasteland of Liquid Earth (where Zuvics Platform went down) there is a system check normally performed in these areas.

Everything was normal, so she kept on course.

The squad were relaxing in the back, feet up, boots off, sleeping.

The Pilot, a woman in her late 30s had been one of the Black Faction pilots dropping off combat units to the Platform.

She look down at the brown sinking desert, thinking back all those years ago, the chaos, the fighters falling below.

The transports plunging into the gooey mess. She recalls seeing a pilot crawl out of the cockpit to stand on the nose, that is just peaking out of the surface.....with its cargo of combat units already below the surfacer.

She remembers the pilot reaching up for help and as fast as she could do that, she sank away into the deep.

She remembers flying back to pick up the next load, running in eager to fight....breathing heavy, she could see their sweat, the eyes above the mask, sharp. Young, fit, ready to be fed.

She dropped them on the platform and some commanders took their place. She seen them run into one of the doors on the platform and they took off with a commander ordering her to circle high.

Then after mere minutes the platform began to list and lower towards the liquid earth and after some time the top of it disappeared below the surface.

Drifting into a trance she thinks about it. Liquid earth is a horror. She thinks about the interior filling with it. Units being swept into it.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

She looks down, she has an overheat alarm. The powerpacks cooling system has failed and the system starts to shut off.

There is no redundancy for this, she hopes she has enough time to make it over the Liquid Earth but deep down she knows, they're going in.

"girls hang on the powerpack has failed, I'm going to try to bring it in"

One of the units looks out the window slit "where the fuck are we?"

Another looks out the other side "fuck fuck fuck fuck we're over liquid earth!"

Another screams at the pilot "Get us out of here"

The pilot hears it as background noise, she moves the stick...no response then she screams "hang on where going down"

The craft noses down towards the liquid earth picking up speed.

All the pilot can see is the liquid earth rush towards her and blank.

The impact folded the nose into the cockpit, expending the pilot on impact.

The combat Assets in the back braced but were thrown into the front wall of the cargo bay. bumped heads, bruised bodies but they were all ok.

They hit a patch that had not been liquefied yet. Luckily. They put a call out for rescue to which they received a confirmation "We are redirecting an empty to get you girls out"

These Assets have value relative to the Sentries.

Counting their lucky stars they go to open the door. Nothing.

The power is completely out, only 12v emergency lighting is working from the auxiliary pack.

The door mechanism was an all in one actuator system that had no manual over-ride and requires power to open and close, plus lock and worst of all....unlock.

They're trapped inside.

Kicking, pulling an beating on the door, nothing.

Another V-Corp ZT90 arrives but after a few observational circles they leave citing "powers off, doors closed, things half buried into the ground surrounded by liquid earth, not worth risking another ZT90"

All of the noise, vibration must have attracted it or one of them, no one really knows how they work really, but the ground began to liquefy and the ZT90 began to sink.

The light through the window slit gradually darkened and they knew they were under with no way out.

Silent contemplation overtook them. They are not normal people but hardened fighters prepared for their doom.

As the craft sank further the main powerpack cooled and switched itself back on.

One of the combatants stood next to the door open button "I can get this over and done with now"

Then static came over the radio "ladies, its Vanessa. Can you please get a Azog sounding device and switch it on, we want to see how deep it goes".

"Mistress, yes ofcourse"

They clammer for a sounder and switch it on.

"Are there any leaks, is liquid earth coming in?" Asked Vanessa

"Mistress there is a small leak by the door seal, there is probably a quart coming in every couple of minutes".

"you have about 1 to 2 days until that expends you, stay with it I need to see how deep this goes"

"yes Mistress".........

only after a few minutes they can hear sliding and sloshing on the outside.

One looks at the other "there's tentacles out there"

An admin calls over the radio "you're 5 meters down, is there activity outside"?

"Yes Ma'am responds one of the combatants"

No acknowledgement, nothing but radio silence.

12 hours later the radio comes on again, "is there activity on the outside"?

"Ma'am the activity has not stopped, how deep are we?"

The admin on the radio pauses to check "you are now 1800 meters deep and have moved 500meters South West from the sink point?"

Another 12 hours has passed and the liquid earth is just below hip level.

The Radio blasts on "This is Vanessa, can you see anything out the window slit?"

One of them sloshes through the liquid earth to the window "nothing Ma'am".

"That's Mistress to you! you're now over 10km down and 2km lateral. You're down there forever, I hope you enjoy your new home".

"Yes Mistress" Responds one

"Radio in when its at chest height for a last check in"

6 hours pass and they begin the hallucinate from the liquid earth which is now at chest height.

One calls in "Verbessa the right is here to this Mistress"

Vanessa responds "having fun? Go to the window tell me what you see?"

"Ves yistress" she goes to step over to the window but loses her footing, stumbling and sinking below. She doesn't resurface.

Another takes charge "Istriss the bite into the mud"

They can't function.

"WHATS IN THE WINDOW!!!" Screams Vanessa

With glassed eyes, she looks "its beautiful"

"What color is it?" Vanessa asks intently

"All of them"