Cal scanned the report, only half listening to the general. He already knew what happened there; it was old news to him. His main interest now was the planet itself or more precisely, the undetected lifeforms that were obviously present. The biodata seemed fairly standard, even a bit primitive. No resources, no large carnivores, nothing to even suggest anything that could possibly take down a cruiser. It didn't make sense.

He frowned and flipped the file closed. Chanting erupted all around him but Cal didn't hear any of it. His mind was already working, fingers itching with the need to investigate. There was something out there and he was going to find it.

~~~

The drop ship hit the ground hard, jolting everyone aboard. As much as he liked exploring, Cal always hated the drops. All their technology and the government was just too damn cheap to put stabilizing thrusters on the shuttles to make the drops smoother and less risky. No time to think about it now, as Captain Firth was already issuing orders.

He disembarked from the ship, stepping past the unfortunate body of a marine. A glance told him the man had broken his neck in the landing. Cal was surprised they'd only lost one this time; a new class of recruits had just deployed and there were plenty on the Hercules eager for the planetfall experience. Far too many of them only experienced it once.

The drop site was a good one, at least. Mostly clear of trees, with ridges for sniping and scouting. No shelter from the sun, though. It beat down on them with furious jungle heat. Even with just light camo armor Cal was already sweating. The guys with heavy armor were scowling and swearing at the planet. Life wasn't always climate controlled ass kicking, he thought with a bemused grin.

Cal checked his gear, adjusted his armor. With the perimeter already being set all he could do now was to wait for the other squads. Not content to stand idle, he dug out his scanner. The screen flickered grudgingly to life and he began running every scan he could think of in an effort to locate any signs of the Xerxes or the mysterious force that had taken her down.