Tales From The Mind of Thomas

The engines hummed a constant, pulsating roar throughout the gunship Corporal Penn rode in. Peering his head through the window, he saw a canvas of a war-torn destruction that painted the landscape beneath him. He could only imagine the beauty of the once vibrant green and colorful vegetation of the landscape below looked like before the war reached in the current battlefield.

He only saw the pictures of the planet and what it looked like before the conflict during the mission brief. He felt his heart wept for the world torn apart, he also couldn’t help but see the beauty of the destruction below. He still saw sparse greenery. Despite the fighting, despite the destruction, nature was still clinging to life. Resilient life clung to existence. An indomitable spirit. That filled his body with hope. Hope that one day this brutal war will be over. But he knew the road to peace would be one pathed with more fighting.

“One minute out!” Barked his squad commander, snapping Penn back into reality. Penn’s training took over, he checked his equipment, chambered a round, and activated the heads-up display in his V3 TrueSight Helm. He rose from his seat, shoulder to shoulder with his brothers-in-arms and waited for the drop ramp to lower. His body tingled with anticipation and anxiety. The minute long wait seemed to last a lifetime.

“Lower the ramp!” The pilot roared from the cockpit. The flight engineer dropped the ramp without hesitation. Penn’s squad rushed out of the gunship; meet with a stream of fire they dove for cover. The atmosphere was thick with smoke, the air was cold.