Stone made a series of gestures to Dagaa.
"Thank you for your understanding my friend." Dagaa said to Stone as he also spoke with his hands. "But they are not lost just yet. We can do this if you are up to it as well."
Stone responded with a sober nod.
Dagaa's expression shifted to one Providence had yet to see. This was his game face. It wasn't the diplomat, it was the warrior she looked upon now. Dagaa opened communications to the other ships.
"Cyprian we are taking the north-west colony, you will take the southernmost colony but watch for the storms that seem most aggressive close to the poles. Vintor, you will take the eastern most colony, Payim the south-eastern, and Faktil take the one mid-continent, but keep your eye on that volcano. Report to my team your colony population estimates. The Agurtzane will assist with the largest." Dagaa instructed.
"Yes Ardrigh." The commanders all replied in turn.
"You know where to find me." Providence stood.
As much as she wanted to watch their descent she needed to head to the loading bay to confirm their gear was set.
"No sit!" Dagaa said firmly.
Providence looked at him in surprise then sat back down without argument. There was a reason he wanted her to stay here for now. From the intense expression on Dagaa and Madhava's face it had more to do with what was approaching than some overprotective sentiment. Dagaa's tense expression softened.
"Providence I want you to strap in. The gear can wait till we safely land."
"Of course." Providence replied.
"Everyone strap in, it's going to be a rougher landing than anticipated." Madhava reported to the crew.
Providence struggled with the harness on her seat, not having had to use it up to this point.
"Here let me help." Madhava leaned over and adjusted the restraint.
She looked nervously at her men and Stone as they did the same. Take-off and landings were the most dangerous moments during flight. She would've never been up, moving around on a plane landing back home, but she'd become accustomed to how the starship handled so smooth, and the fact it wasn't protocol to strap in. She'd forgotten just how vulnerable they really were. Given the look of the swirling atmosphere, this was going to be one of those rare occasions.
No sooner had Dagaa descended into the hazy atmosphere then the vessel started to rattle about. The shaking got worse as the turbulent environment buffeted the ship. Dagaa held everything steady, his face austere. The muscles in his jaw were clenched so tight, Providence worried he'd break a tooth as he concentrated on maneuvering the ship.
Providence pressed her head against the back of her seat, clenching her own jaw to keep her teeth from clacking together as she gripped the armrests. If she had been in the loading bay, she would've been knocked silly by now. Rough landing was starting to feel like an understatement, crash landing might be more apropos.
Sweat poured down Dagaa's face by the time they breached the swirling stormy atmosphere. The haze lifted somewhat, and the turbulence calmed, but didn't entirely abate. The sight that greeted them was a desolate wasteland. Much of the planet's surface was baked and barren. A massive tornado, the breadth of a small city, with three smaller ones dancing about it, whipped the sandy earth, scouring across a broad plain.
Providence took solace in the fact they bypassed it to the east. Unfortunately her relief was short lived as she recalled the scene from space. As shocking a sight as this twister was, it wasn't the epic storm they'd witnessed closing in from the north.
Providence looked north, dreading what she might see. The sky was ominously dark in the distance. Suddenly Providence started to wonder if this was one of those futile missions that sadly sometimes arose. Perhaps Stone had been right.
Providence shook her head gravely. Four hours, they had four hours.
She hazard a glance over at Stone to see a look on his face that broke her heart. He stared at his home planet in utter shock and devastation. His head was tilted to the side as if he were trying desperately to reconcile what he was seeing. His nostrils flared and chest heaved as his sad mocha eyes scanned the ravaged landscape.
Providence wondered if it had changed so much in the time since he'd left.
She glanced back towards the planet's surface to see an area that was shimmering like a mirage in the distance. The monotone brown surface shifted in hue appearing more olive drab. As they approached, she could make out a dry ravine on the left, the remnants of a riverbed, leading to a muddy body of water, the size of lake Erie at best. Near the shore of the shrinking sea were scraggly trees and brush. The sad oasis was the last viable spot in this area that could possibly support life. It was insane to fathom.
"This is where we believe the colony is in this region." Dagaa announced.