Planet XI - Planetfall

On the bridge of the Nomad

Maddox got suited and booted. He held his smart gun at rest and kept his eyes peeled as the ship landed, cementing the start of the mission ahead of them on this icy desert-expanse planet.

When he returned to the bridge, he made sure to strap into a seat so that he’s wasn't completely thrown around by the descent and landing of the ship onto the planet.

"Alright." SA-Miii turned to the crew members who were standing on the bridge with a mischievous smile. "Buckle up, buttercups."

The Captain strapped in as SA-Miii made her final calculations for descent. He picked up his console's radio. "Alright folks, you heard the woman..." 'uh... synth?', he pondered. "And if you didn't hear, we're making planetfall. Stop what you're doing, wherever you are, strap in and get ready for the rough ride of atmosphere entry."

The labs and cargo holds were all set up in some way or another to handle rough vibrations and zero-gravity, but the people would have to hang onto something or strap down.

The descent was turbulent, but SA-Miii handled it with such skill that any other pilot would have known she was showing off. As the ship descended, the serene facade of Planet XI gave way to a more rugged and treacherous landscape. The once smooth-looking surface now revealed itself to be an expanse of jagged glaciers, towering ice formations, and deep, bright blue crevasses that cut across the landscape like scars. The ice was not a uniform sheet; it’s layered, with shades of blue, white, and gray, suggesting ancient cycles of freezing and thawing.

Massive glaciers, some as tall as mountain ranges, dominate the landscape. Their surfaces were cracked and broken, revealing the internal pressure and movement of the ice over millennia. These glaciers flowed slowly, their edges crumbling into vast plains, some ice chunks cocked like giant spines and shards.

Closer to the equator, the ice was less stable. Here, the surface was marred by enormous crevasses that plunged deep into the planet’s crust, revealing layers of ancient, compacted ice beneath. Some fissures glowed faintly with a cold, bluish light, likely caused by internal geothermal activity or the reflection of starlight from the subsurface ice. The ice plains between these crevasses were pockmarked with cracks and sinkholes, further emphasizing the instability of the terrain.

The CSCSS Nomad finally touched down gently enough in the southwestern hemisphere of the planet, its landing thrusters scattering snow and ice in all directions. The landscape that greeted the bridge crew was surreal. The distant pale yellow star **Astryllis 179** hung low in the sky, casting a muted, eerie glow over the snow-covered terrain. The light was so faint and far away that it barely scattered through the atmosphere, leaving the sky dark enough for stars to still be visible in some areas. Shadows were subdued in strange ways that seemed wrong, reminiscent of the unsettling twilight during a solar eclipse. The scene was both beautiful and unnerving.

Dr. Adama was strapped into a chair during the decent since he was used to the routine by now. Once they landed he found himself impressed by the smooth landing despite the terrain.

Captain Yoshida exhaled, letting out the tension built up by the turbulant process of planetfall. Like cryo-sleep, it was something your mind may get used to, but your body rarely forgets, "You made that look easy, SA-Miii."

"Thanks, Cap," she turned to him with a wink.

That was new. Captain Yoshida chuckled. The syntetic woman's new personality almost reminded him of... himself.