Heat. I felt it, burning beneath my fingers, beneath my palms. Intensely hot, almost as if my bare skin were on fire — yet I knew that was not the case. The pleasant humming of the machineries within my helmet reached my ears, soft and silky. It comforted me because it meant safety. Yet it was dark. Pitch black. My right hand raced to the right side of my helmet, and the heat instantly faded though a jerk went through my body. Air yanked on my body. With a quick-yet-hard tap to the right side of my helm with armoured index and- middle finger, the HUD within the metal encasing turned on — and with it, sound. Instantaneously, I saw it all. My left hand was clenched around the edge of a metal plate, beneath me only ground. A mountain in the distant with on it a fortress, what seemed to be a stone pathway leading to it, a dark grey like a streak through a perfect, white surface. Thoughts raced through my head while the hard whistling of the air going by me drowned out all other sound. Calculations and observations. I was headed for a massive forest. I lowered myself down to the Cobalt-II plating beneath me, right hand wrapping around the side once more, the jagged, knife-like edge sharp to the touch yet unable to pierce my suit. The real threat was the heat, burning so hotly. My knees touched down on the piece of what I assumed to be part of a spaceship’s hull — scary thought. My eyes shut. Muscles tensed. I counted down. Ten. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. I jumped. I kicked myself up off the plate, the metal crunching beneath the force as I launched myself. My body straightened itself almost automatically, arms closing in to the sides of my body, legs shut together like a seal. I was in a forty-five degree angle, I assumed. The wrenching sound of dirt getting torn apart and trees getting demolished soon hit my ears while clumps of mud and shards of wood hit my armour, and only a moment later, I impacted the dirt ground, only hoping my calculations were correct. The shard of space vessel left a ditch within the earth. A deep scar through the grassy brown. My back hit the ground there where it started declining at a perfect angle and with a hard crash, making me jerk and wobble just a bit, a slight burst of dizziness shooting through my head. I slid down through the mud at dangerous speeds still. My body rocked and hobbled on the uneven ground as I carved through it, the grinding-like noise of dirt getting gutted like music to my ears — because it meant I was still alive. My eyes opened, and above me, I saw the sky, perfectly clear and an ocean blue. The sun shone down from directly above me, and I guessed it was about 1200 in Terran time. Then it seemed like the world ended. My feet hit the same thing that brought me here, pain shooting up my legs, my spine, just to fill my mind with its coursing arcs of hurt. I heard the sickening “SNAP!” of bone breaking as my right ankle, my left shin, and both of my femurs snapped just like that. I was sent flying, flipping through the sky, the alternating scenery of sky and ground making me dizzy. Then I figuratively ate mud, hitting the ground with the front of my helmet and collar, legs curling back with the impact, and for a moment I thought I would flip over again, only to go limp. My feet and knees hit the dirt with a thud, the hit sending another spark of pain through my head. [i]”Would’ve guessed my nerve endings died off after all those years,”[/i] I mused to myself within my head, the pain of my broken bones already disappearing into the background. I lifted my head off of the ground, looking around with an inquisitive slowness. Surrounding me was a slaughter-field of trees and dirt, shards of wood and countless leaves, coloured a lush green, fresh and seemingly full of life. It must have been summer or maybe spring, I concluded curiously. The pain faded further into the distance even as I felt my bone relocate themselves, new material finding itself within the tears. The damage done was repaired within a minute. With a grunt, I rolled over, crushing a twig beneath my weight, dirt getting smudged across my suit further. I was dirty. Needed a shower. Those thoughts quickly vanished as my eyes fell upon the sky a second time. I smiled, the corners of my lips curling upwards. I was not worried, even if I was on a - presumably - unknown planet, maybe even in an unknown galaxy or star system. It was a scary thought, soon getting pushed aside. [i]”I crashed with a piece of ship, nae…? Where is the sky battle?”[/i] Slight panic filled my mind for a millisecond, a slow breath leaving my lips into the respiratory system of my suit, oxygen getting filtered out and into a tank. Curiosity hit me with that breath. [i]”Could I breath ‘ere?”[/i] I questioned myself, mulling the words over. [i]”This planet’s akin tae Earth thus far…”[/i] I decided to dare it. With a simple thought, the respiratory system was cut off, and with a careful, inquisitive breath… I could breathe. Fresh air filled my lungs. What a weight off my shoulders. I exhaled in relief. [i]”Contact the fleet. The Triumvirate’s my home. They need tae know.”[/i] Without a second thought, I contacted the private channel with the second-in-command of my flagship [i]The Conqueror of Stars[/i]. My radio crackled, and soon I spoke, confident and self-assured. “This’s the Lord Commander Stephanie Anoor, contactin’ second-in-command, Jakob Hendrickson, from wha’s presumed tae be an unknown planet. Over.” Silence. My words were met with silence. Crushing, almost depressing silence. Not even the signature static of a bad connection. Just silence. [i]”Shite,”[/i] Was the only thing that I thought as I lied there, armour dirty, covered in smudges of mud and pieces of grass, small chunks of wood stuck within the dirt. I knew I had to move. I sat up, tensing the muscles within my stomach, effortlessly moving. I took a deep breath in preparation and to calm myself before getting up, pushing myself off of the broken ground with a hard shove of my hands. Once I stood, I stood steadily, the exosuit within my armour providing unnecessary assistance to my dizziness. My head swam as I looked around, the sudden transition from sky-high to boots on the ground quite a shock, then the crash… [i]”My gun,”[/i] I thought. Instinctively I reached to my right hip with my right hand, an unheard sigh of relief leaving me when the tips of my fingers touched the maple wood of my gun’s grip, silky smooth to touch, finely crafted. It was there, safe and sound, good condition. I was in a foreign place, my fingers slipping around the grip of my pistol, pulling it from the ornate leather holster with a faint “shink” sound. Time to head north. That was roughly where that fortress on the mountain was. My feet almost started walking on their own, step by step, the grass rustling beneath my feet, dirt crunching beneath my weight. It was comforting to me, even therapeutic. The rhythmic crunching and rustling with every step I took. The scenery soon changed. It turned from fresh green grass and lush trees into stone tiles, coloured a dark grey just as I had seen from the sky. I turned my head and upper body, eyes to the air. My crash left quite the trail, a hole in the clouds up above, with a dark trail of smoke. Surely people would come for me. With a nonchalant shrug, I walked onto the pathway and started heading up. Steps. A seemingly infinite amount. Endlessly up. My metal boots thumped on the stone, leaving clumps of dirt in my wake as they dried up and fell off of the Cobalt-II plating of my suit with the jerk caused by me walking. Then I saw them. Those formidable gates, the doors made from fine, dark wood, studded with what seemed to be iron. I could get past it, both the wall and the gate something I could climb with ease. I could kick the gate open, too. Yet I did not. Instead, I found myself walking forwards, thumping of metal on stone resuming, then my left hand knocking on the gate. Three times. Hard, with an interval of a second between knocks. Boom. Boom. Boom. Then I waited. (Open for interactions 'n testing! First post in a long time, so please be gentle with your judgement. Also, person description will come once the interaction starts.)