Kami sat in a darkened corner of the Jester barracks bar, her boots on the chipped table before her, a half empty glass of whiskey in one hand. She sighed, swirling the amber liquid around before taking another long draught. Aeos had been virtually buried by paperwork in her new position as Storm Platoon Commander, and had subsequently asked Kami to step up and take over the reins of Jester. Although she’d led her fair share of squads before, Jester presented a new challenge, and a new set of associated issues. And truth to be told…Kami felt completely out of the loop after leading a pack of savages for the last few months under Worga’s intense scrutiny.

“Hey boss.” Maze slid into the booth opposite her, not bothering to ask permission to join her. Suppressing a flash of annoyance, Kami arched an eyebrow at the Falleen, “You lost?”

“No,” Maze offered a charming smile, “Just figured you might enjoy spending time with a civilized gentleman after so many days in the company of savages.”

Kami barked out a laugh, genuinely amused, “You’re hardly a gentleman Maze, I’ve seen what you’re capable of.”

Maze took the barb in good grace, dipping his head in acknowledgement and widening his smile, “Once again, you’ve seen through my elaborate and meticulously conceived lies.”

Dropping her feet from the table, Kami tipped the rest of her drink down her throat, then gestured for the middle aged barman to bring over two more. Sighing again, she waved a hand in apology, “You have to excuse my shortness. I’ve become so used to playing the bad guy I’m having trouble relaxing.”

“I can imagine,” Maze gratefully accepted his whiskey, “But you are once again amongst comrades. There is no need to stay on edge.”

Kami nodded, pushing a stray length of her ebony hair behind one ear, “A good night’s rest will do me a world of good I’m sure.” She flashed the Falleen a brazen smile, “That and a decent shower.”

It was Maze’s turn to laugh, the sound delightfully musical in quality, “I wasn’t planning on mentioning the smell…”

Offering a mock glower in reply, Kami glanced down at her new drink, thought better of it and came to her feet, “Enjoy the brief reprieve, I’m planning on having you all up early tomorrow for drills. We all need a few solid hours to remind ourselves that we’re Imperial elite, not average everyday mercs for hire.

It was Maze’s turn to glower into his whiskey, “As you say boss. I await your call.”

*        *        *        *        *        *

The rain was getting harder.

Kami tilted her head up to the sky, allowing the steady drizzle of Tadath to pour down her face. Her helmet was tucked securely under her arm, its front marred with a smear of bright colors representing a successful kill. Jester and another local squad had spent the better part of the last hour engaging in a friendly firefight, their usual ammo replaced by fluro paint. Jester had done extremely well thanks to the location of their course, a forested platuea that had enabled them to utilize their capabilities as recon troopers.

Unfortunately for Kami, the sudden rainfall had made for perilous footing, and she had been ‘killed’ a few minutes earlier as the sand beneath her feet gave way, placing her squarely in the enemies sights.

Verkur was crouched at her side, sipping on a water bottle, the entire length of his armor dotted with bright splashes of color. He too had had some difficultly with terrain, and had ended up sliding directly into the midst of the other squad just as they had finished reloading.

He fixed Kami in a mournful stare as he realized her attention was on him, “I hate this game.”

Kami grinned and shook her head, “Feel free to jump back in. You’ll last about two seconds in that getup.”

“There a festival on that I wasn’t informed about?”

Both troopers started at the sound of a familiar voice behind them. Kami turned to see Aeos, impeccably presented in dress uniform, the crisp lines of her jacket protected beneath a wide umbrella.

She flashed her friend a smile, stepping forward to clasp her arm, “This is a lovely surprise.”

Aeos beamed back, “I had a free hour between meetings, heard you guys were down her testing out the field,” She paused to arch an eyebrow at Verkur, “Did you even try?”

Verkur’s frown deepened, “Don’t go teasing now…”

“This isn’t just a social call though is it Ae?” Kami interrupted, noticing the metallic file stamped with the VE logo clasped securely beneath her arm.

Aeos’s smile faded, “Wish it was Kams, you have a moment?”

Kami nodded, casting her helmet at Verkur who dropped his water bottle in the mud in order to catch it. Stalking away from the Lance Corporal’s cursing, Kami followed Aeos to the relative shelter offered by a small shed set up to hold the training equipment.

“HC was impressed by Jester’s, er… diplomacy on our last mission,” Aeos started, shifting the file from her grasp and holding it out to Kami, “A small colony has recently been discovered on the outskirts of the Vectra System. Now usually, the Navy would deal with the inhabitants, since Vectra is technically their zone. But, apparently, these locals are terrified of aircraft, and mechanical devices in general.”

“They sound backwater in the very least,” Kami murmured, her green gaze tracking the outline of the small moon on the first page of the file, “Why are they so important? This moon’s barely habitable, let alone important.”

Aeos offered a slight shrug, “Guess the flyboys don’t like having unknowns so close to home. They’ve put in a request for us to look into it, and deal with the situation as we see fit.”

“So see if they play nice and shoot them if they don’t?” Kami summed up, snapping the file shut with a click.

Aeos grinned, “That’s army diplomacy for you.” She glanced down at her chrono before continuing, “HC has given you guys four days. If you have any trouble don’t hesitate to contact the Navy, they’ve been informed of your assignment.”

Kami nodded, “Suppose you have to run?”

Aeos flashed an apologetic glance, “Yeah, I’m really sorry. Give me a call as soon as you get back hey?”

“Of course,” Kami stood back into the rain, ignoring the freezing water as it unmercifully pounded at her face, “Take care of yourself.”

Aeos watched Kami as she made her way back to the training grounds, and the rest of Jester, her reply drowned out by the roar of thunder, “Yeah…you too.”

Verk cursed as he set Kamis helmet on his knee to keep it out of the mud, and retrieved his mud covered water bottle from the ground. I will never do this in the rain again. Stupid rain. Verkur shook his head and looked up at the sky. The rain coming down in steady sheets, the dark clouds moving slowly overhead. Standing, Verk wadded through the grime to a garbage can, and dropped his water bottle in.

"What a waste, plus im still thirsty." Verk groaned, making his way back to where he and Kami had been sitting. He smiled as Jinx came over, his side covered in paint, and a large smear across his helmet. Lifting his own helmet, Verk rubbed some of the water from his hair and slid on the clone commando helmet, waiting a few seconds for the HUD to come online. Verk sighed in his helmet and then turned to face Kami.

"So what was that all about? We heading out again?" Verk asked, rotating his right shoulder. He had fell on it when he had slipped and fell into a whole group of the opposing teams members.

"Once everyone gets back, and we are all finished here ill be sure to explain." Kami replied.

Verk shrugged and handed Kams her helmet. He turned to face Jinx, stumbling a bit in the down, and almost losing his balance.

"I hate it when it rains, and I hate the mud." He groaned.

Jinx and Kami laughed at Verks expense.

"I'll be sure to remember this. I'll get you two back." Verk said jokingly. "So have fun? And hows your side doing since Worga's?" Verk asked Jinx once the laughing had stopped.

Verkur nodded to everyone once the meeting was over, and moved to the bar with his drink. He checked his chrono and decided to go in about a half hour. Swirling the amber liquid in his cup, Verk began to prepare himself mentally for the upcoming mission. With what had happened on Da Soocha, he thought he might be good to do it before every mission just incase. Lifting the glass verk took a swig of his whisky.

Verk was never a big drinker, but past events, and the taste of the liquid called for it. He sighed and set the glass down.


No armor. Ha, that'll be the day. Though I really don't feel like being the one to screw this up. Damn this is gonna be a tough one. Though I guess this can be the mission I test my ubese armor I bought not too long ago.


Verk lifted his glass and downed the rest of his whisky, and decided to leave sooner rather then latter. Standing he left a few credits on the bar and made his way to his room in the jester barracks. On the way he passed the squads new recruit, Quillia. He nodded to her, received a nod in return and kept walking, never stopping.

Verkur slid his door open and stepped into the room, the door closing behind him and the lights automatically coming on. Verk yawned and kicked off his boots, and dropped his jacket onto his desk chair. Picking up his datapad, he set the clock and left it on his night stand. Yawning again he ran his hand through his hair and moved over to his armor locker.

Entering the combo, the door popped open revealing the three sets of armor Verk personally owned. Verk took out his ubese armor and set it on the trunk at the end of his bed, he also pulled out a large green and black camo cloak that would fit easily over his commando armor and hide it from view. Speaking commando armor, the set was piled in the corner, still covered in dry paint.


If I wear it like that maybe they wont care who we are.


Verk laughed to himself and shook his head. He spent the next half hour cleaning the armor, and then piled it into a large heavy duty duffle bag. Verk then put in his DC-15 blaster rifle, DT-57, and his deathwind, and some extra ammo for all three weapons. In a separate pack he placed four frags, two thermal detonators, four flash bangs and five ration packs.

Verk stretched to wake himself up, he was getting tired and it was getting late. Grabbing his throwing knifes and ryyk blades, Verk piled them on top of his ubese armor and then crawled into bed, turning the lights off, and passing out rather quickly.


* * * *


Verk awoke the next morning still a little tired, but feeling better then the night before. His alarm had not gone off yet, so he checked the time and turned off the alarm, with a half hour before he had to be at the hanger, he showered and ate breakfast rather quickly. Once he was set, Verk threw on his under armor, and then his ubese armor. Lifting his ryyk blades, he slid them into their usual spots on his back. Verk then began to securely fasten, and hide, his throwing knives.

Lifting his pack he slung it over his shoulder, placing his ubese helmet inside. Verk looked around his room just to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Oh, I almost forgot. Moving over to his weapons locker he pulled out a heavy slugthrower pistol, checked the ammo, and slid it into a holster on his hip. He grabbed a few more clips and dropped them into his pack. Now that he was ready, Verk lifted the rather heavy duffle bag off the floor, and proceeded to the hanger.

Verk arrived right on time. If it wasn't for a passing hover lift, he would have been late. Pulling up to the shuttle, he nodded to Kami and dropped the duffle bag on the floor, a loud thud emanating from the metal floor.

"What in the world...?" Kams asked, amazement and confusion spread across her face.

"Well you said low-tech, and ubese armor is so, thats what im wearing. But I did bring myself some backup. There is no way I am getting caught unprepared this time. I dealt with is on the Worga mission, but thats done and were not undercover. Ill hide it when we land, and retrieve it if we need it." Verk answered, lifting the heavy bag again and lugging it onto the craft.

Verk dropped the bag towards the back of the craft, and dropped his pack on top of that. Once he was sure everything was tightly secured, he moved back out onto the landing platform and stood next to Kams.

"So, what kind of mission is this exactly? I mean come on Kams. I might not have been here long, but from what I know, a Jester mission definitely goes far beyond and 'away' from what the mission specs actually say." Verk asked, stretching his arms out in front of himself and cracking his knuckles.

The alarm sounded, beeping louder and louder with each passing second.  Jinx reached over and slapped the snooze button rather hard and knocked the alarm onto the floor which caused it to erupt in a shrill ear piercing tone that immediately made Jinx jump out of bed and turn the alarm off.

"Still hate myself for installing that into the alarm" Jinx grumbled, "so what if I always hit the snooze button".  He sighed and replaced the alarm onto the small table next to his bed.  "Ok, get dressed and get to the hanger" he said to himself.

He looked around and nearly forgot about the "low tech" rules for the mission as he had reached for his normal armor.  Instead he opened up his armor locker and grabbed his newly purchased 611 combat armor.  "Yay for low tech once again" he sighed and began dressing.

It had taken him a few minutes to get the armor on but  he looked himself over once again before gathering the rest of his gear.  He had just purchased a shotgun and extra ammo the night before so he packed the ammo and fastened the shotgun to the armor.  He also grabbed his vibroblade as it made him feel better knowing that he had something else in case he got to trigger happy.

Once he was sure that he was not forgetting something important he grabbed his duffle and left the room, shutting the door behind him.  The trip down the hall was short, it always felt short no matter how long it actually took.  Once in the hangar he saw the three other Jesters, "well at least I'm not the last one"  he said as he entered the shuttle and set his bag down next to the others.

Verk swayed as the shuttle descended to the planets surface. Holding onto a hand hold, Verk put his foot onto his gear bag. Guess I didn't secure it well enough. With a shudder the craft landed and the bay door hissed, then began to lower. Verkur picked up his pack and threw it over his shoulder.

"C'mon guys, the faster we get out the less of a chance we get our asses wet." Kami yelled over the engines of the shuttle.

Verk grabbed his gear bag, and heaving it off the metal floor, was the last one out onto the planets surface. Jester moved away from the shuttle, next to some large boulders, and lifted their hands to block the dust as the shuttle took off and left them alone on the moon in Vectra.

"Hey Jinx, give me a hand with this?" Verk asked once Jester decided to move away from the clearing and into the foliage.

"Yea, sure thing." Jinx said, picking up his own stuf and then grabbing the other handle.

With Kami and Maze up front, Quillia and Jager in the middle, and Verk and Jinx bringing up the rear, Jester made their way through the vegetation on the moon and weaving through large boulders. After several minutes of walking, the squad found a suitable place to set up camp.

"Alright everyone, this is home for the duration of this mission, make yourselves comfortable, then well worry about the locals and guard shifts." Kami voiced to all around her.

Each member of the squad nodded and then moved off to set themselves up. The area they had setup in was surrounded by trees, and thecamp was in a small copse in the middle. Large boulders dotted the edges of the camp, and the surrounding tree strewn area.

The squad setup in a makeshift circle around a central campfire. Where Verk had setup, Kami was to his left, and Jinx to his right. Across from Verk was Maze and then Jager to his left, and Quillia to his right next to Kami as well.

"This should be exciting." Verk mused to himself, and on that note, it began to rain.

Thankfully the trees blocked most of the wind and the rain wasnt too bad. Verk dragged his gear bag to a safe and easily reachable spot between some blouders, He covered it with branches that had fallen off the near by trees.


*  *  *  *  *


Several hours later and the rag tag squad was all settled in and around the camp fire, and large stack of wood piled by its edge. Each member sat on a makeshift stool, though Verk preffered the ground over a hard rock, and a moldy log.

"So we wait here until the locals find us?" Quillia asked Kami from across the fire.

"Pretty much. I have no clue where they are located, and im not really sure how or when they are going to find us." Kami answered back calmly.

"Great. Stuck on some backwater planet with no link to anyone or anything." Jager complained, stretching his hands out to the fire to get them warm again.

"So boss, what about those guard shifts?" Maze asked, sitting on a rock next to Verk.

"Not really sure. Well pair up and the shifts can go about two hours at a time. Just circle the copse and sit by the fire. Anything shows up, wake everyone else." Kams said, gazing into the fire.

Verk yawned. "So what are the pairs going to be?" He asked, looking in Kamis direction.

"Me and you can take the first shift. Maze you go with Jager on the second shift, so that leaves Jinx and Quillia for the last shift." She said looking in his direction.

"Sounds like fun." Verk mused jokingly.

"Well if thats how its going to be, I am heading to bed." Jager voiced, standing and making his way to his area of the copse.

One by one each member of Jester moved to thier mats and quietly fell asleep, leaving Verkur and Kami sitting by the fire. Verk picked up a log and dropped it on the fire.

"I need to use the facilities, while out i'll make a quick sweep of the surrounding area." Verk told Kami, standing and heading towards the trees.

He came back a few minutes later to find Kami right were he left her. He took a seat opposite her. He looked up to the dark clouds in the sky, and then over to Kami.

"Looks like it gonna rain again." He sighed.

"Sure does" Kami said.

The two made idle chit chat, they were concentrating more on what was going on around them, the sounds and listening for anything suspicious. Every now and again they stood and made their rounds, making sure the area was safe. Their shift was uneventful. So it went for the next few days, nothing of real interest ever happening.

“Put that away,” Kami snapped at Jager as the private rolled to his feet blaster in hand. The private looked blankly at her for a moment, then cringed, re-holstered his blaster and ducked lower beneath the relative shelter offered by the nearby boulders.

Resisting the urge to cast her eyes skyward, Kami thumbed her comlink to repeat the order instead, “Jester, do not, I repeat, do not pull your weapons.”

“I’d prefer not to die with a thousand arrows sticking out of me Sarge,” Came the reply from Maze, “If you want to try to talk to them you better do it fast.”

Kami thought wildly for a moment, then decided to take a risk. With a single leap she ascended the nearest boulder, using it as a stepladder to carry herself to a higher vantage point. The camp was surrounded by human shaped shadows, each hustling forward slowly as a hunter might stalk his prey.

Focusing on the nearest group, Kami held both arms out wide, her shout stunning a figure in their midst and causing his arrow to fly wide of its mark, “We are unarmed!”

The vegetation about Jester’s base camp abruptly stilled, Kami’s voice continuing to echo down the hillside. There was a moment’s pause in which the wildlife of the small moon was audible, before a wizened looking man walked forward into the weak light of the clearing.

He almost looked human, his skinny, sun browned form visible beneath a dirty fur cloak cast about his shoulders. The native regarded Kami with strange amber eyes, wild, silver hair littered with what looked to be animal bones clinking about his face in the breeze.

“Imperial?” The word was spoken with great difficulty, the elder local twisting his mouth about violently to properly emit the word.

Kami nodded, her hands still before her, “Yes, Imperial.” She gestured back at her squad who had formed a loose circle behind her, “We are unarmed. We have come in the hope of forging an allegiance with you on the Vast Empire’s behalf.”

Blatant confusion flashed over the native’s face as he struggled to make sense of Kami’s words. Finally, he smiled, revealing black, rotting teeth, “Friend?”

Kami glanced back at Jinx, who offered a helpless shrug. Turning back to the elderly spokesperson, she nodded, “Yes, friends.”

The man cackled, wringing his hands together in obvious delight. Spinning back to his people he launched into a foreign jabbering language, his arms waving in the air as he explained. There was another pause, before the rest of the natives shuffled forward to regard Jester, their gleaming eyes taking in every detail of the foreigners, their blackened teeth bared in grins.

“Now they’re happy to see us?” The frustration was evident in Jager’s voice as he finally popped up from behind cover, “What the hell is going on?”

“Atakapa!” The elderly native was saying excitedly, gesturing with a wide arc of his arm to encompass his people, “We are Atakapa!”

Kami arched an eyebrow as the Atakapa tribe cheered loudly, clapping their hands together and leaping from one foot to the other.

“They’re insane,” Quilla murmured.

“Don’t suppose they get many visitors though,” Verkur answered, pulling his arm back as a local reached out to stroke it.

“Come with Atakapa!” The spokesperson was saying, leaping forward until he was just below Kami, “We take care of you!”

Feeling completely bewildered by the change in circumstances, Kami hesitated. She had no idea where the locals would take them, and whether or not their final destination would be within reach of the camp. Turning, she signaled out Maze and Quilla, “You two stay here with the gear. I’ll contact you in an hour to inform you of our whereabouts.”

Both troopers nodded, unashamedly relieved not to have been chosen to accompany the Atakapa. Careful to sidestep around the flailing arms of the elderly spokesperson, Kami jumped down her boulder, Verkur, Jinx and Jager following in her wake. Meeting their new guide’s gaze, she ignored the chill that abruptly traveled down the length of her spine, gesturing with her hand instead for him to lead, “After you.”

"Welcome to Atakapan."

Verk raised an eyebrow and looked around, almost disgusted, and a bit disturbed at what he saw. Even though the buildings were well constructed, the same did not go for its residents. They were what appeared to be shorts, ripped, torn and shredded, and held up by bits of rope. For shirts they wore patched pieces of cloth that just hung over their bodies. The people themselves, if you could call them that, were dirty and gross, covered in gunk and grime.

The elderly man continued to smile, one that caused unease among the Jesters, turned, and lead the group through the streets of Atakapan. The Jesters stayed close, and tried to avoid the dirty natives. Verk regarded everyone they passed with an inspecting glare, trying to size them all up. What disturbed him most, was the look in their eyes as they watched the squad move.

That stare, he had seen it before. It was a stare of hunger, and longing. It was that look from someone who had an addiction, one that required constant feeding. A stare of complete and utter want. One that could destroy the life of anyone or anything that stopped the achievement of that want. Verk was set at a great unease with that stare, he knew only dread and suffering would result from this mission.

"Whats the matter Verk? You dont look so great?" Kami asked, sensing his unease and slowing to walk beside him.

"Their eyes. Look at their eyes. There is something majorly wrong here and I dont like what I see. I really really have a bad feeling about this." Verk answered, his eyes never leaving th locals, one hand silently slipping under the folds of his ubese armor, and grasping the hilt of his pistol, the other grabbing a dagger.

"You worry too much. Though they are a bit strange. Just keep an eye out though alright?" Kams replied.

"Sure thing." Verk said.

The group continued to walk through Atakapan, on and on they went, passing more and more natives. Finally they came to a large building. From the way it was built it appeared to be a meeting hall. Its large doors made of metal and wood. The elderly man turned around and faced the Jesters and smiled his toothy smile.

"Hall." He said, which placed a look of confusion upon the Jesters.

He turned and waved them to follow. Jester hesitated, and then they were pushed from behind to enter the large, ominous building.

"Your right, this feels wrong." Kami voiced quietly to Verk and the rest of the squad.

Jester followed the old man into the large building, and the doors shut behind them.

Jager stared blankly at the food, or what he thought may of been food, that covered the table. It resembled more of a rainbow, plates of greenish mush next to bowls of red stuff. Apprehensively he placed a large amount of green mush onto his plate and began poking it cautiously with the fork like instrument that was next to his plate.

After several minutes of aimless prodding Jager stopped and lent over and whispered to Verkur.

"Uh.. Corporal, i need to use the bathroom."

Verkur raised an eyebrow, "Do i look like your mother Jager?" he whispered back.

"No, I didn't mean... whatever, just do i get up and go or what?" Jager replied smirking slightly 

Verkur paused and looked around, before he could answer Jager a voice from across the table interrupted

"Is there a problem with the food" Jordan inquired suspiciously, catching the two men off guard.

"Private here needs to use the little boys room, that wont be to much trouble would it" Verkur responded, discreetly kicking Jager in the leg.

Jordan let out a forced chuckle, "Thats fine, just head outside and to the left and two huts down, You cant miss it". Both men faked a smile as Jager slowly got up ,pushed his chair in and headed outside.

"Left and two huts down... you cant miss it" Jager mumbled in frustration as he stood near a ditch. Suddenly a disgusting idea hit him, slowly Jager peaked over the edge of the ditch.

"And i thought the dinner smelt bad" he mused, holding his nose. Before Jager turned around to head back he's attention was grabbed by a whistle behind him. Curiously he turned to see what it was, Jager assumed it was one of the children of the village but instead he was met with a rather ugly looking man, carrying what looked to be a small log.

"Hey...." Jager greeted, holding his hand out. The male responded by violently swinging the log, which Jager dodged with a quick step back. Instinctively Jager's right hand went for his blaster, but another swing knocked it out of his hand.

"Cant we be civil about this" Jager stated hastily, dodging another swing. The savage didnt show any signs of stopping his onslaught, forcing Jager to make a rather rash decision. Throwing a handful of dirt into his attackers eye's, Jager went to push his attacker to the ground. Unfortunately for him, the savage recovered faster then Jager would of liked and instead of him shoving the savage to the ground, Jager was met with a log to the stomach sending him half flying, half rolling to the edge of the ditch.

The savage stood over Jager and raised the log in the air to perform the killing blow. Swallowing, Jager shut his eye's tightly and threw himself into the ditch. With a disgusting splat  he slid to the bottom and their he lay winded and on the verge of throwing up a years worth of rations, hoping that his attacker would be to repulsed to follow him down.

The mixed smell of mud and feces brought Jager around. It took him a few seconds to come to his senses, then realize he was lying in a ditch full of shit, but before he jumped to his feet and get out he remembered the circumstances that led to him lying face down in the ditch. Slowly he tilted his head to the side, partly to check his surroundings, partly to get some air.

The sun had just risen, casting a dull grayish colour over the forest and village. Jager guessed from this that he must have been in this ditch for about five hours give or take. He was certain that his attacker must of moved on, thinking him for dead... but the only way Jager would know if this was true would be climbing out of the ditch. Slowly Jager began crawling towards the edge of the ditch, moving only a few centimeters at a time.

About halfway across Jager's hand brushed against something. At first he thought it was a stick, and in need for anything large and blunt he grabbed only to discover it was a bone... a human bone. Hurriedly he began feeling around, finding more and more bones, Go to find a toilet and stumble upon a mass grave.... Great he thought as he reached the very edge of the ditch.

Slowly he scaled the edge, if he was going to be caught it would be now.. but no one showed up. Reaching the top got low and headed for the nearest hut. Why anyone would have a hut near an open cesspit didn't make to much sense to Jager, but then again neither did a lot of what just happened. Upon reaching the hut, It became clear that these people hadn't mastered construction. It looked like something he once saw in a Tatooine scrapyard, just bits of everything crudely secured into the shape of a small house. Peering through one of the many holes in the wall revealed that no-one was home, So Jager pulled one of the panels off and moved inside.

Why does this entire village smell like shit, he remarked as he scanned the small hut for anything of use, to which he found nothing. As quickly as he had entered the hut, he had left it. Still no sign of his Squad mates, and oddly still no signs of life at all. Jager lent against the side of the hut, momentarily pushing his current situation to the back of his thoughts

...Cant find the Squad, Cant find the villagers... No weapons except this stupid bone.... Dammit

The full weight of the current situation hit Jager, he was alone against an unknown number hostile beings on a hostile and unknown planet with little hope of being rescued..... At first these thoughts crippled him, but after several minutes they seemed to drive him, the drive then grew into a maddening rage. Jumping to his feet, he began searching for his lighter.

If we got dropped here, then there would still be a ship in orbit... So what better way to signal the ship then a forest fire, Yeah.. that would show up on their sensors, it has to... but... what about the Jesters He thought, still searching for the lighter. 

"Their probably all dead.... The only reason i am still alive is because they thought i was dead...." Jager then stopped as he became aware that he was talking to himself. After several more minutes of searching he found the lighter, Then quickly he yanked a piece of wood off the hut, and with a great joy he lit one end.

"This is for Verkur you savage bastards" he announced as he set fire to the hut. Jager didn't stop with one hut, there were several more to his left which he quickly got to lighting. Pretty soon four huts, along with some trees that stood nearby, were ablaze. Jager began cackling madly as the huts burnt, knowing soon that he would be saved. The fire's quickly attracted people, but no the people he had hoped for. Several of the village occupants emerged from surrounding huts and attempted to quell the flames, which were now threatening the entire east side of the village. 

Two large males moved towards Jager, who in his slightly mad stated was still on his knee's laughing. The two savages began circling Jager who, realizing they were there, had picked up the now smoldering piece of timber and was swinging it wildly towards them. With a grunt one dived towards him, only missing him by an inch, with this Jager panicked and threw his crude weapon at the second savage then made a dash for the forest.

The Fire had now spread across the east side of the village, but the villagers had it under control and were slowly taking back what the fire had originally taken. The forest behind these huts was a different story as several trees began burning, which in turn lit the surrounding trees alight, but what Jager hadn't anticipated was the Savages organization and as a large majority of them tended to their burning homes several had moved to control the blaze in the forest. By now Jager had lost sight of the camp, and lost all his sense of direction, but the maddening rage that drove his fleeing was still there. All he knew was that if he stopped running, the savages would catch him and kill him, like they did to his poor squad mates.

"Hey morning sunshine." Verk heard Jinx whisper into his ear.

Verk groaned, his head hurt like hell, a his stomach didnt feel great either. The bad thing though, he couldnt remember the last few hours. All he did remember was coming to Atakapan. Rubbing his head, Verk felt the dried blood caked to the side of his head and face.

"Great. They hit me. Thats why I cant remember anything. Hows Kami? And wheres Jager?" Verk asked Jinx, sitting up and leaning back against the cell wall.

"Kami's fine, and I have no clue where Jager is." Jinx replied.

"Damn, they took my pistol. How about you two?" Kami asked moving over to where Jinx and Verk were sitting.

"Yea they got my blaster too." Jinx replied. He and Kami looked at Verk who was sitting on the floor laughing to himself.

"Heh, you guys make it seem like I need a blaster to fight." Verk said, still laughing as he pulled out several throwing knives. "If there is one thing I know how to do, its how to hide my blades, though they did get the ryyks." Verk said, standing.

Verk distributed the knives he had evenly, and then began to pick the locks on his chains. Within a few seconds both his cuffs were on the floor and he started working on the others. Once everyone was free, they sat together and quickly made a plan.

"Ok, we escape, find Jager, and the leave this hell hole. Good?" Kami said quickly. Jinx and Verk nodded.

"Ok, we hide and wait for someone to come back, then them by sur......."

Unexpectedly the door burst open and two scraggly looking natives with large wooden sticks entered the room. Just as suddenly, Verk let two of his knives go, each connecting with the throat of the two men, silencing them forever.

"I think its time to leave." Verk said, standing and retrieving his knives.

The three Jesters stood and left the cell behind, the two bodies dragged inside and chained up.

The three escapee Jesters ran through the smoke filled halls of the prison. They could hear the shouts coming from behind them as the Atakapa tried to get the fire under control and give chase the trio. They ran and ran, and though they were tired, kept moving. After fifteen minutes of straight running, they finally came through a door.

Verk, Jinx and Kami stood at a rear exit of the main hall, smoke pouring from the door. They quickly closed it, and barricaded it with a few nearby rocks and logs. In the distance they could hear more screams and shouts, and could see more smoke. Verk just shook his head.

"I guess Jager's alive after all." Jinx said, laughing and coughing on smoke at the same time.

"Come on we have to keep moving." Kami said as she started off into the woods.

"I dont mean to sound like Jager and complain. But why cant we go somewhere and not have to run from someone or something?" Verk voiced, running after Kami and Jinx.

Through the woods Jester ran, the Atakapa hot on their heels. A few times Verk was able to loose a dagger at their pursuers, twice he threw a killing blow. They ran for a good two hours, only stopping for a few seconds at a time. Well into the night they ran. Behind them, far into the distance, the trio could see the dim lights of torch's.

"Looks like we lost 'em." Jinx said, huffing and puffing, trying to regain his breath.

"We keep moving, but we can move slower now that we have some distance between us. We keep a brisk pace though, they know the area better then we do." Kami said to the two accompanying males.

Verk and Jinx nodded, and off they went.

OOC:

Short I know, but if I had kept going. I probably could have ended the stroy myself. And as much as I want to move on to the next mission so Bright can join us. I still want this to continue on a bit more. Even if it is just another two or three posts.

Kami screwed her nose up to prevent herself from gagging thanks to the horrible smell wafting from every pore of Jager’s body. Blinking watering eyes, she led the way as the trio, a semi-conscious Jager slumped on a retching Jinx, leapt back into the meager protection offered by a patch of twisted vegetation.

A cry of excitement sounded behind them, its proximity causing Kami to quicken her pace. The cry was taken up by others, the Atakapa tribe hooting and shrieking in sheer delight at the thrill of the hunt.

“Remind me to kill someone at HC when we get home,” Kami managed to gasp out between breaths as Jester broke free of shelter and into a clearing. The screams of their pursuers lifted at the sight of their prey, the sound broken by the whistling noise of arrows as they began to fall.

Kami was knocked sideward’s as an arrow caught her directly in the back, its impact dampened by the light armor beneath her tunic. Allowing Verkur to help steady her, Kami murmured a quiet thanks to the genius men and woman of VEA manufacturing and risked glancing back to survey the scene behind the squad.

Atapaka tribesmen were billowing out from amongst the trees, their faces pulled back in rage, blackened teeth bared in fierce expressions of hunger. Kami started as she noticed Jordan amongst their ranks, the seemingly docile spokesperson now appearing equally as savage with a spear in hand. Scrabbling for her comnlink, which had thankfully been left untouched by their captors, Kami thumbed it on and hailed Maze.

“Sarge!” Maze was obviously relieved, “We hadn’t heard from you in a while, we though something might have…” The Falleen hesitated as the cries of the Atakapa filtered through the airways, “What the hell is going on?”

“Contact the navy, and get a shuttle down here as quickly as possible,” Kami shouted back, leaping over a small boulder in her path, “In fact, get a few dozen bombers if they so feel obliged.”

“I take it the locals haven’t impressed?” Came Maze’s dry response, quite oblivious of his teammate’s current situation.

“Damnit Maze call them in now!” Kami snapped, “And load up whatever it is that Verk brought with him in that case, we’re incoming to your position.”

There was a burst of static as Maze abruptly realized what was going on, “Oh…oh shit. Quilla! Quilla!”

The comn dropped out. Glancing back again, Kami saw that the Atapaka had gained again on the tired members of Jester. Clenching her jaw, Kami vowed once more to have someone’s head if she survived, and forced her tired legs into a quicker pace.