A squadron of mechs patrolled a gorge that was some distance away from the base that had been set. A couple of unarmed drones that had been sent into the dark opening in the earth had lost contact with the base. After that had been done, a squad had immediately set out. It would have been best to send more drones, but Dreyfus had chosen to meet the threat with overwhelming force instead.
"This planet gives me the creeps. I haven't set foot on another planet aside from Mars." A mech pilot that had been lucky enough to be on one of the logistics support ships that had survived spoke into the squad transmission channel. He was a relative rookie, only having been in the military for a year or so. He had not seen much action while serving on Mars, so he was still green.
"Man up, Rhode." Another pilot, Debby, chided. Debby was a seasoned veteran that had served on over a dozen different moon bases and planets since she started serving in the military. She was a muscly brute of a woman, but possessed a motherly vibe that she did not hesitate to show to those she felt deserved it.
"Debby's right, kiddo. Everything will be fine." Another mech pilot, Kaden, laughed over the channel. Others chipped in as the squad headed deeper into the gorge. It had been night time on the side of the large planet they had landed on. Dust Light IV was roughly three times as large Earth.
Caw!
All of a sudden, everyone came to a stop. Their scanners and sensors worked at full power, and soon enough, it identified a strange bird like creature.
"Is that... A dinosaur?" Rhode asked in awe.
"Mouth shut, Rhode." Debby commanded. She was the squad captain so she had the authority to tell them what to do. She piloted her knight mech to the front, joined by two other knight mech pilots. Rhode held up his rifle at the back, along with another two riflemen mechs. The remaining mechs consisted of two swordsman mech types and two spearman mech types.
Caw!
The strange creature turned its head to the squad of mechs. Of all things, the bird creature resembled a Pterodactyl. Its large, pointed beak clicked together as it regarded the mechs, then it took off into the sky.
"Shoot it down!" Debby gave her order and a shot was fired from Rhode's rifle. A ballistic round pierced the fleshy body of the bird, and it gave a dying cry before falling to the ground.
Unknown to them, that single kill would cause a lot of problems for the base camp that was being set up.
Behind the team was a caravan of armored vehicles that carried a team of researchers and their equipment. When they heard that there was a specimen available for examination. Very quickly, a small camp was set up and their equipment was deployed.
"Unimaginable! It's almost as if we have gone back in time!" Someone exclaimed.
"Except that there were no humans, no such technology back then." Another laughed.
The bird was propped up on a platform where it was carted into the largest building that had been quickly erected through the use of pre-fabricated walls. The walls just had to be placed down around a location, and a building would give rise.
The carcass of the bird was soon brought in and stored within an air tight tube. Small, robotic arms held up the bird while a few tubes and other things were attached to its body. Then the researchers dove into the study of the animal's physiology.
.
.
"Say, I wonder how long we will stay here." Rhodes said, munching on a nutrient bar as he sat by the foot of his mech.
"I don't know. Until the researchers are done poking the bird." Debby replied, taking a swig of water. They were in an enclosed location with filtered oxygen. The air outside had been confirmed to be safe to breathe in, but not many people were comfortable enough to roam about without hazard suits and the like yet.
Caw!
All of a sudden, a sharp bird cry cut through the night air. The mech pilots all froze for a moment as they recognized the sound before they immediately sprang into action. They quickly hopped into their cockpits and interfaced with their mechs.
Wooooo!
A shrill alarm rang through the small base camp and the researchers and other personnel began taking cover.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The mechs began to circle around the base. There were just six mechs, but they believed that they possessed the necessary strength to protect the base. Behind them, an energy shield was formed around the base, which acted as a necessary buffer for any stray attacks. No one knew what exactly they were facing. The bird from earlier was not too much of a threat, but who knew what other mysteries laid within this gorge?
Caw! Caw! Caw!
A cacophony of bird cries burst through the veil of night. The floodlights that were on the frames of the mechs shone brightly, parting the darkness and allowing them to see the approaching flock of birds.
"Oh, shit!" Rhode swore, raising his rifle higher and taking aim.
"Fire!" Debby gave her order. All their mechs were armed with a ranged solution. The melee mechs all carried backup pistols for any emergency. Although they were not as effective as a genuine ranged mech, they were still useful in certain situations. Situations such as this one.
Bright laser beams flashed through the night, momentarily lighting up the dark gorge. There were few trees in the place they had camped, so they were able to get clear shots. But they were in for a shock.
"A resistance to heat!" Kaden swore. He quickly changed the firing mode of his rifle to physical rounds. Although the ammo he had was quite limited. Unfortunately for the melee mechs, they did not have that option and had to keep firing their weapons like that. The birds possessed a resistance to head, but they were not immune to it. Only time was needed to whittle down the defenses of the birds and kill them.