Ironclad

River

The orbital launching deck was in the lower decks of the ship. It was a huge compartment filled with different equipment and weaponry.
The OLD was tasked with space to ground combat, planetary landings, and siege weaponry. It was a vital part of any ground war that a ship had to take part in.
The Olympus Mons was the only ship out of the three that features an OLD, so as ground troops from the Atlantis and Everest shuttled over to the Olympus in their dropships, Dasyil was making his way to the mobile operation center that was docked inside the OLD.

Dasyil's heavy footsteps made the metal floor clank underneath him. Adjusting his suit as he took notice of the pipes running along the dark, minimalist walls, the bright lights shining onto him from above. 
He turned to his right and towards a door that was labelled "Orbital launching deck airlock"
And although it said airlock, he had no concern of being blasted out into space, as the Pellet was already docked and awaiting the crew to board.
He approached the door and inserted a password into the door. It slid down into the ground with a mechanical hiss, and he stepped in.
The interior of the Pellet's bridge was much more sleek looking than that of the Olympus Mons itself. A lot of dark blues and blacks, with glowing blue control panels and consoles.
He watched as his command crew got into their positions, with a few of them carrying tablets where they can monitor things remotely as they walk around to carry out different tasks.

He was pleased with their organization and walked over to the middle of the room, where an armchair with buttons and a control panel sat on an elevated platform. He sat down on it and looked forward at the large window that went across the wall and even to the sides a bit. It overlooked the hull of a craft that was inside the Olympus Mons.
Smaller guns were placed across it, and other smaller command decks could be seen. Sticking up ever so slightly out of the hull like an operations center on an aircraft carrier.
He exhaled and leaned back in his chair, before a voice got his attention.

He looked up to see a beautiful woman with crimson hair and similar golden eyes. Her face was elegant and noble yet somehow frightening. Her skin was a slight tan colour, and she had a few scars across the visible skin. Her chest was large, and she seemed to have a lot of muscle on her. Her hips wide and her legs toned. But looks aside, Dasyil instantly recognized the woman as River Polarto. A legend among soldiers.
She saluted Dasyil, and then put her arms on her side
"Sir. Reporting for duty. I'm the commander of the soldier detachment for this operation. We met briefly before we left Earth, but I thought it would be good to inform you that I'll take orders directly from you when we hit the ground" her accent was Russian, it was thick, but it was also watered down from years away from her home.

Dasyil nodded and smiled slightly, resting his chin on his knuckle
"Ah. Thank you. It's good to finally meet you. Last time I saw you we all just sat around a table in silence listening to the plan." he chuckled
"But I appreciate it. Hopefully we'll be done here quickly. Will you be stationed here on the bridge or will you be taking part in the fighting?"

"I'll remain aboard the Pellet, but I will be stationed down in the hull where the soldiers will be deployed" 

He nodded and leaned back, then to her "I must ask, I've followed your work. Is it true that you stormed the bridge of an enemy cruiser yourself, and then vented every room into space?" he asked with a curious expression.

River paused at the question, then she smiled and nodded "I'm not one to brag, sir. But yes. I did that about, two years ago. It was during the Battle of Pluto. Me and my squad boarded it with ten others, and we were wiped out, except for me... I crawled through the ventilation shafts to avoid detection. Then I was able to shoot everyone in the bridge when I burst out above them"

Dasyil nodded and clapped "I've not met many people willing to go to such lengths to complete a mission. I've always respected you as a soldier. But, now that I've met you, I can respect you as a person" he said with a smile.

River smiled back and bowed her head "Thank you sir"

Dasyil bowed his head in return, then saluted the crimson haired legend. His expression quickly shifted back into a serious one as he looked towards the windows overlooking the hull
"Report to your station now soldier, and good luck"

She nodded, saluted back, and left the command deck. However Dasyil turned to watch her leave, and he noticed the subtle sway in her hips. He was lost in thought, before clearing his throat and shaking his head clear of anything that wasn't mission important.

He sat in his chair and pressed the communications button "Orbital Launching Deck, this is Pellet control. We're green and ready to drop"

The other crew members in the bridge sat down at chairs and strapped themselves in with safety harnesses and buckles, as did Dasyil as he awaited a response.

"Pellet control, we're good to go in a few moments. Just retracting the personnel tunnel and fuel pipes" 

"Roger that. We'll standby" he said, looking back up at the windows. Then he brought up the schematic for the Pellet on a holographic monitor that was brought up in front of him.

The Pellet was a six legged mobile fortress designed to act as a base when traditional buildings are impossible to build. Able to break through enemy lines and cross any terrain, it was the ultimate ground force in the UPA arsenal.
Built like a battleship, the Pellet had a main citadel in the middle of the hull which looked over the battlefield, with the main hull below it housing weapons, engines and fuel.
Many weapons littered across the body. Fully rotating cannons on top to fend off air attacks. Larger tank like guns fixed to the underside to attack enemy armour. Even small machine guns placed on the feet and legs to keep infantry from trying to climb up it.
Even if they managed to get close enough to do so however, the armour had no gripping points, and could be electrified if necessary.
But the Pellet's main gun was a monster of a machine. Similar to the Olympus Mons' magnetic cannon. It ran along the whole length of the walker's spine and the barrel stuck out of the front end. 
It was a kinetic lance, firing magnetically accelerated slugs of iron and tungsten that tore through most defenses.

Dasyil seemed impressed, he knew the Pellet was a powerful machine, but this was its first ever use in a real battle. 
He wasn't going to get cocky with it, as nobody knew if it would be as effective in execution than it is on paper.

Checking back with OLD, he pressed his finger on the button.
"Orbital Launch Deck, this is Pellet control. Are we ready to drop?"

"Pellet control, we're green here. Initiating drop sequence... Now"

There was a loud alarm that went off throughout the Pellet, and the lights all went red. A robotic announcer voice began to speak moments after.
"Please find a seat and make sure your straps and harness are secure. Orbital reentry will begin momentarily. Do not undo these safety measures until the lights are no longer red"

Dasyil took a breath, and looked to the window in front of him as metal shutters closed over it and monitors were brought up with cameras to view the outside instead.
He wasn't afraid of the entire thing failing, but he was concerned about anything that could go wrong. The tests were done in controlled situations. This was the real thing, and he was about to find out if the engineers and scientists back on Earth did a good job.

A second alarm went off, and suddenly Dasyil felt the blood rush to his head as the Pellet detached from the Orbital Launch Deck and began its descent to the forested surface of Titan.