"We are reaching the exit point now captain!" Zitherlum called out. It had been a long flight down as the water pressure had been far more intense than they were expecting. That being said, parasitian technology was not to be underestimated an Zitherlum had graduated from the flight academy with honors. As such they managed to make it to their destination with little to no damage to their ship.
With one final sharp turn, the whole ship became lit up with the bright lights outside. They had finally exited the tube and were now floating in a large body of water hanging off of their exit.
From this vantage point they could make out a fair amount of details of their target. Her long pale legs surrounded them on either side like an immovable canyon. They met together in the distance at a thin red cave floating half out of the water. Above the cave sat a dense black forest of hair. They would have to be careful exploring it as little light probably perforated its foliage to the surface. Beyond the forest though lay a plane that went on for miles, flat and unmarked save for one small puddle of water in the very center. Beyond the plane, two massive mountains stood, equal in scale, and tipped with a red smooth peak. The mountains were so massive that it was difficult to see beyond them at their current vantage point, but they could just make out their target's face siting behind them. There appeared to be 7 points of entry on the face all of which most likely led to completely different areas.
This was a good target. They would have a lot to report once this was done.
"What are your orders sir?" Zitherlum asked.
"Take us down." Captain Thulumn replied.
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Leanne peeked open one eye as the sound of water dripping from the tap caught her ear. She leaned forward to ensure the water was turned off completely, but there always seemed to be a little bit left over that would drip through the entirety of the bath. She wouldn't mind as much, but the water was always cold and caught her off guard if she let it hit her.
Leanne was about to lean back again when she noticed her toes. Grabbing her big toe between her fingers she began to inspect it. The glossy glitter polish appeared to be chipping off. Comparing it to the remains of blue polish on her fingers she had just painted the other day she gave a defeated sigh. Why could she never make pretty things last?
Leanne fell back against her bath pillow with a huff. As she did so, the waves of bathwater threatened to go over the edge of the tub, but thankfully avoided creating a mess.
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"STEADY! HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE!" Captain Thulumn called out as another massive wave, miles high, threatened to engulf their entire ship.
Members of the crew were knocked to the ground as the ship forcefully entered the wave and then exited again.
Just moments earlier the whole crew were shocked as they were afraid they had broken the prime directive! No sooner had the drop of water they had been observing in fall into the ocean below, then their target leaned forward to their location. Her body was like watching an island move, and they were terrified they had been spotted.
Much to their relief however, the target simply adjusted something far above them, before taking a moment to inspect her toes.
"I'll have to make a note of that attention to details if we ever plan to colonize that area..." Captain Thulumn thought to himself.
Their relief was short lived however; as their target then proceeded to lean back at an incredible speed causing cataclysmic waves in the ocean below.
"HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL WE SUBMERGE!?" Captain Thulumn cried.
"I'm giving her all she's got captain!" Zitherlum replied, "But the waves suck up so much water that the base is much further than usual!"
Thulumn grit his teeth as another wave battered the ship. How many more hits could they take? Would their mission be thwarted before it even began??
Thankfully with one final jolt, Zitherlum managed to get the ship fully submerged under the water. The crew all cheered at Zitherlum's fine piloting skills, but then fell silent as they witnessed what was in front of them.
The clear water all around them warped the light, but it was still a sight to behold. The base of their target sat pressed against the smooth white ocean ground like two titanic hills pressed tightly together into a canyon. At the base of the canyon rested a crater which would lead deep into the depths of their target and was used to expel waste products. Once colonized it would become an important source of methane fuel for parasitian technology, as well as a place for them to dump their own waste products.
Above the crater there was a path that led to the bottom half of the red canyon that had been hidden submerged under the water. Thick black branchless trees grew all around it and it was currently tightly closed, but it was still a sight to behold.
"B-beautiful..." one of the crew members stammered pulling Captain Thulumn out of his trance. He couldn't reprimand the young cadet for saying what he himself was thinking, but also knew he had a job to do. Still, out of all the planets he had scouted for colonization, this country would be by far the most beautiful.
"I think I might retire here once this is all done..." Captain Thulumn found himself saying under his breath much to his own surprise.
"Captain?" Zitherlum asked confused, but the surprise had regained Captain Thulumn's composure.
"We will split up to investigate!" Captain Thulumn ordered. "We don't know how long the target will take in her cleansing ritual, however, we must make the most of this opportunity while we can! All her entrances are currently open to us! We must determine what resources our target can provide so we can report back to the high council!"
All members stood up and saluted awaiting their orders. Captain Thulumn continued.
"Team A will seek out the twin mountains to the north. scanners indicate they contain a complex tunnel system that is capable of generating a near infinite amount of food for our people so we must find a way to get inside and activate them!
Team B-D will go further north to investigate the various entrances there. We will avoid the eyes to provide the highest chance of success, but the nose, ears, and mouth must all be explored and their resources discovered. Team C will take the mouth, you know it is a long journey, but I have faith in your abilities!
Finally, the main portion of the ship will be under my command. We shall explore the reproduction chambers to determine if this target will be fit for our reproduction technology. This is by far the most delicate job but if this falls through then there is no point in pursuing this planet any longer!"
"YES SIR!" the crew saluted. Captain Thulumn smiled for having such a good crew.
"You have your missions!" he continued. "Maintain radio connection at all times and don't take any unnecessary risks, but if you do encounter a threat, you MUST alert the others to it as a top priority! Should the worst happen for any of you, I want you to know.... it has been an honor working with you!"
With that final grim piece of advice, the crew split into their five teams.
Bubbles rose from the cracks in the ship's hull, as the split broke into five pieces. One of the greatest innovations in parasitian scouting technology, these ships allowed for teams to explore multiple areas at once. Each scouting ship not only could split into five unique and fully self sufficient parts, but could further more send out two fighters and one personal transport each.