Moments after contact was made with the Formics and Kenwe Zubeka's shuttle was destroyed, three massive spherical landers, each a kilometer across, separated from the Formic scout ship and streaked toward South China. Captain Mazer Rackham and his crew, deployed in China to train Chinese pilots to fly the experimental HERC aircraft, witnessed the impact of the landers and provided medical aid to injured villagers in the area. While doing so, the lander opened up to expel thousands of Formic fighters and troop carrying aircraft. The Chinese military managed to shoot down a few aircraft, while taking massive casualties in return.