The transport shuttle sliced through space at high speed. Just hours ago, the squad inside had received a priority mission from High Command. They had left Tadath immediately for Tareth. Even at the high speed the shuttle was traveling at, the trip had taken several hours. The occupants inside were becoming impatient. Their squad leader had not even briefed them on the mission yet. What they did not know was that the squad leader had not received his orders either. He sat in the comm room awaiting the transmission that would relay his orders.

A blinking light appeared on the console and the man jumped up from his seat in excitement. He punched the receive button and snapped to attention. The image of the newly promoted Major Garryll Gates appeared. The Major took no time getting to the point. He laid the mission out for the young man in front of him. The squad leader’s excitement faded as he began to grasp the gravity of the mission he was being sent on. This would not be the normal rough and tumble mission the squad was used to. When Gates was finished relaying orders, his image dissolved with one final salute.

“Shit.” was all the squad leader could think of saying before he called a squad meeting.

***

Eclipse Squad filed into comm room, which was spacious enough to hold them all. They threw casual salutes to their squad leader before sitting down. First Lieutenant Norith Skarr stood at the table, images already projected into the air. He did not want to waste time briefing the squad. There was a mission at hand, one that was important enough to send the elite squad on. The shuttle would arrive at Tareth in just under fifteen minutes.

“You’re all most likely wondering why it took so long for this briefing, “Skarr began, “The truth of the matter is that I did not even know what the mission was. The planet you see here is called Tareth. The government and people of Tareth are quite friendly to us and have provided us with many a useful thing over the years. It seems now is the time to help them.”

“Who is it, boss? New Republic, Imperial Remnant?” Meteora asked.

“Earthquakes.” the squad leader answered.

“Did I hear you say earthquakes?” Terre pointed out. “I don’t think I’m qualified to shoot at earthquakes.” Skarr shot her an amused look and shook his head.

“Yes, you heard me say earthquakes. For decades, the planet has suffered from minor quakes. Recently, they’ve become a whole lot worse. Seismologists, geologists, and a whole bunch of other ‘ologists have agreed that the planet is ripping itself in half.” Skarr explained.

Razor lifted his hand up, indicating he had a question. “What does this have to do with us? That’s regular stormie work.”
Skarr shrugged slightly, “We’re there to evacuate the High Council of their government. Apparently, they’ve vowed to stay until all of Tareth’s population has evacuated. Predictions are that the planet will rip apart before the whole population is off planet. We are being sent to make this High Council feel all warm and fuzzy. They need convincing to get off planet. The situation on Tareth is highly dangerous. The environment will be hostile, not the people. However, we may expect a few people to panic and riot. For that purpose, our blasters are to be set for stun the whole mission unless I say so.”

The squad nodded in understanding. Skarr continued, “The mission should be easy, get the High Council and get out. Understood?” A chorus of affirmatives rang through the comm room.

The intercom crackled and the pilot’s voice came through. “Approaching Tareth.” Skarr dismissed the rest of the squad and headed for the cockpit. He wanted to see the planet for himself. He reached the cockpit just as the ship exited hyperspace.

“Emperor’s black bones,” Skarr cursed. The planet was covered in storm clouds that flashed lightning almost every second. The clouds had a greenish hue to them which was only intensified by the lights of the lightning. The squad leader grimaced, this was not going to be a fun mission, easy or not.

The pilot looked up to Skarr, “I’m going to land at the staging area.”

“Negative on that, we need to land at Checkpoint Charlie.” Skarr snapped.

“It’s not clear enough for a landing, it has to be the staging area.” The squad leaders sighed and nodded as the ship plummeted to Tareth.

OOC:

WC: 751

Not the best post ever, but good enough to start. We're landing at the staging area of the evacuation and must make our way to Checkpoint Charlie. We'll be acquiring speeders, but as we make our way to Charlie, we'll run across earthquakes and dangerous lightning strikes. When writing for this story, think of disaster movies.

Therex felt the ship move under him as they touched down. It was light. Whoever was piloting knew what they were doing. It was hard to touch down that lightly in good conditions, let alone the weather they were navigating now. Clearing his throat, he sniffed and reached down to undo the webbing that barely held him to the chair. It was stretched very tightly over his large frame. Finding the lock, he thumbed the button, waiting for the release of tension on his chest.

It never came. The netting had been pulled so tightly that the mechanism inside the lock couldn't move. Pulling at the webbing, Therex tugged hard, hoping to "manually override" the web that held him to his chair. However, it dawned on him pretty quickly that something meant to hold you to a chair in the worst of flying conditions, probably wasn't going to break when someone, even a Chiss, tried to rip it with their bare hands.

Sighing in defeat, he laid back in the chair. Trying to relax, he started breathing deeply. His efforts were hindered by the straps, digging into his chest and stomach with every inhale. Slowly, Therex was losing any calm that he had.

Snapping, he threw himself against the webbing. He heard it creak under the force, and he could of sworn that the ship tilted ever so slightly. Exhausted from the one burst, he slumped against the chair again. Defeated he hung his head. Before he could ask for help, a pair of boots appeared at his feet.

Looking up, Therex saw Razor, a knife in his hand. Initially panicking, Therex calmed down as Razor made one swipe and slashed the webbing from the lock.

Why would that scare me? Therex thought, as he pulled himself from the mess of straps.

Standing from his chair, Therex looked down into Razor's eyes.

"Thanks," he said, putting a hand on Razor's shoulder, before walking to retrieve his gear.

In the back, he found a small black bag and unzipped the top. Small clinks and clacks could be heard as the bag shifted. Opening the top all the way, Therex pulled out one of the metal cylinders that filled the bag. Examining one, he ran a finger across the domed top covered with small holes.

Sticky grenades. Modified to fit in his handheld launcher, lovingly called the "Pup." It rested on the bottom of the bag. Loading it with a single grenade, he turned the safety on, and holstered it on his belt. Still digging, he found an E-11 blaster rifle. Standard issue, but had the kick of an old Ewok. Thankfully, they only needed them for stunning any unfriendly members of the local neighborhood.

Grabbing a knife from the side of the bag, he sheathed it on his belt, next to the Pup and E-11. Re-zipping the bag closed, he grabbed the strap and slung it over his shoulder. It rested comfortably between his shoulder blades, and barely restricted his movement. Stretching out his arms, he popped his arms, backand shoulders before exiting the ship.

The first thing he noticed was the weather. He had grown up on an ice planet, so the cold and wind didn't bother him. But the rain was different. It had an icy, piercing feel to it. Closing his trench coat, Therex sighed as the special materials the Faska had lovingly put into it, wicked the water away from his skin and repelled all rain that hit it. He felt something behind him, and from the breathing, Therex identified it as Terre.

Smiling inwardly, he chuckled at the idea of a small woman turning to the least mentally stable member of the squad for comfort. Sighing, he tightened the strap on his bag, and started to head towards where Skarr was talking to a delegation of the locals. After a second of talking, the delegation led Skarr to an elevator and motioned for everyone else to follow.

Everything that happened after that was a blur. Therex had stepped onto the elevator. There was a loud sound of metal on metal. And the walk way behind them collapsed. Turning around, Therex saw the pilot plummeting, and barely reacted fast enough to help Skarr bring Terre into the elevator and to safety. Suddenly everything returned to normal, and Therex was holding a shivering, shaking form of Terre. Reacting on instinct, he stroked her hair and shushed her. Soon, Terre regained her composure and went over to the delegates.

Therex stared at her, pondering. Something about her was unsettling, but other parts about her were plain, intoxicating. Shaking his head vigorously, he cleared the thoughts from his mind. Looking down, he checked his blaster one last time, and waited for the elevator to arrive at their floor.

As it moved, another small tremor shook the tube. Therex was used to the ground shaking. On Csilla, the glaciers often collided and rubbed against each other, creating massive earthquakes. Thankfully, the Chiss learned pretty early on how to keep themselves safe, but their were those curious, stupid few, who would stray from the protected zones during the earthquake "seasons."

Therex had been one of those. He often hiked the ice plains and waited for the earthquakes. They had excited him. Now, they were terrifying. They were claiming lives. Looking around the elevator as it stopped on their floor, Therex wondered if any of them would also be claimed by the planet.

OOC:

WC: 910
Not my best, but I did what I could so as to keep Razor happy. =P

Terre fell behind the group, shuffling her feet. One step closer, one second faster, she thought, and he would still be here…

She smelled acrid smoke, heard a building begin to collapse a few streets over. She glanced up and saw Razor’s back a few meters ahead. Good. She hadn’t lost the squad completely. Staring down at her feet, she trudged on. She heard something off to her left and turned to look. Some street kids were crouched over a body. She stopped, wondering what they were doing. Taking one step closer, she alerted them to her presence. One of the boys looked up, blood smeared around his mouth. He growled at her, and she backed away quickly, covering her mouth. She almost ran into Razor, who had turned back momentarily to look for her. She hurried back to the squad, shuddering. She started softly humming a song to herself, trying to calm down.

Seems a downright shame…
Shame…
Seems an awful waste…
Waste…
Such a nice plump frame… what’s his name has… Had… Has… Seems an awful waste… I mean… With the price of meat what it is… When you get it… If you get it…
…Ah…

She shuddered. She couldn’t remember where she’d heard the song, but it seemed to fit. She pulled her coat a little tighter around herself, shivering. Are they really that desperate?

Apparently so, as she saw the same scene a few streets over. She shuddered violently. It was horrifying what humans would do in times of despair, those times when all the mind thought was survive.

The ground lurched beneath her feet, and she could smell a rank, foul scent. Looking down, she nearly lost the contents of her stomach. She stepped away from the small animal carcass she had slipped in.

"Aw, cripes..." she hissed, wiping her feet. The delegates didn't seem to notice. They walked with the solemn, defeated dignity of one walking to the gallows. Terre had never seen anyone so despairing.

Terre knew how it felt to have one's world torn apart. It had happened to her, if only in a metaphorical sense. She knew what it felt like to be so resigned to your fate, you couldn't see any other alternatives. She knew what it felt like to lose everything you knew and loved in an instant.

She didn't want to see that happen again. To anyone.

Armed with her new resolve, she straightened up, held herself with pride, and squared her shoulders. She was here to ensure that the Tarethian society continued on for generations to come.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small boy standing next to a rift left from the earthquakes. She squatted down, beckoning him forward. He tottered forward on spindly legs. She pulled her pack off and took out a pack of rations, handing it to the child.

"Here," she whispered. He took it carefully, holding the treasured food in his hands. Suddenly he looked up at her and grinned, then ran off to share his treasure with others. Terre slung her pack over her shoulder and straightened.

"What was that?" Therex asked.

Terre sighed. "Saving another life," she said, picking up her pace to a trot.

Therex smiled. "Hope has been rekindled," he murmured, tousling her hair. She smiled at him, looking up at him. Things were much less awkward between them, though they were careful to avoid the topic of their brief kiss. It was simply as if it hadn't happened.

Terre didn't care much. She was pleased to simply be friends. Therex was a confidante, a protector, and a very close friend, one she didn't ever want to lose. She had his back, just as he had hers.

And that was the way she was going to keep it.

The delegates stopped in front of a small, dingy building. Terre stared at it, confused.

"This is Checkpoint Charlie?"

OOC:

WC: 653

And the Sweeney Todd song is A Little Priest. Look it up, Youtube!!!

The dignitaries led the squad inside the bunker. Terre held back, completely on edge, every sense tingling. I don't want to go in there... If I die in there, no one will know... It's a complete blind spot... She shuddered. Invisible from the air, a blank spot on sensors... It's the perfect place for a mass murder...

Why do I even think like this?!

Therex put a hand on her shoulder, gave it a quick squeeze. She glanced up at him, heaved a sigh, then gave him a half smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, thankful for the support. She pulled her blaster loose, fiddled with the setting, clicking back and forth from kill to stun. Therex took the pistol from her, set it back to stun, then returned it to her hand.

"Don't take that risk, Terre. No one has to die here," he warned. She sighed, slipping it back into her holster.

"I have every worst-case scenario running through my head right now..." she whispered, her brow furrowed.

Therex nodded. "I know," he murmured. "I do, too."

Terre shook her head, sighing. "Therex... I'm afraid..."

"I know." He took her hand in his. "We can go in together, if you would prefer..."

Terre glanced at the door, then squeezed his hand a little tighter. "Please?" she asked, her throat threatening to constrict around her vocal cords.

"Okay," Therex murmured, steering her towards the door.

Terre hurried inside, ducking her head. They reached an antechamber where the squad had stopped temporarily and Therex released her hand. She immediately adopted an introverted pose, seeming to pull everything into herself. She folded her arms and slouched a little, her mouth drawn into a tight line. She felt uneasy, as though the walls themselves were pressing in on her. She shook herself, scowling. The dignitaries finally led them into a larger room, full of what seemed to be council members. A single Tarethian decorated as a military man stood in the middle of the room, several soldiers ringing the room. Terre immediately straightened, keeping an eye on everyone. She stood on the edge of the group, keeping her hands free.

"My lords, the military squad has arrived," the military man said, gesturing to the group with a bow.

Skarr stepped forward, bowing to the council. "Lords of Tareth, my name is Norith Skarr. I am the leader of Eclipse Squad, of the Vast Empire. Our mission here is brief. We are to evacuate you and your people off the planet before it tears apart and takes your people with it."

The council drew in a long breath as one. Finally, one Tarethian stood and spoke in a low, breathy, raspy voice.

"State your business, outlander," he wheezed. Skarr's brow furrowed.

"My lord, we mean only to evacuate you and your fellow council members to preserve your culture for generations to come. We come as ambassadors. We want only what is best for your people."

Again, the single breath was heard and another council member stood, this time a female. "Outlander Norith Skarr," she breathed, her voice sounding as that of a thousand whispers. "We of the Government Council cannot leave until such time as our people, all of them, are off planet and safe in a time of planetary crisis."

Skarr looked puzzled. "You mean to tell me that until the entire population is off-planet, you won't leave this bunker?"

Once more, the breath was heard, and a third member stood. "That is correct," he rasped.

Skarr sighed impatiently. "Is there a military commander I could speak with?" he asked.

The decorated man stepped forward once more. "I am the Commander," he stated. "How may I assist?"

"Please, Commander, we are wasting time. We need to get the council members off-planet before it becomes any more unstable." As if accentuating Skarr's words, the ground suddenly lurched.

"Outlander Skarr, please, try to understand. It is the Council's duty to ensure the safety of the people. Were they to leave now, their duties would be compromised.”

Skarr began to protest, but the Commander grabbed Terre’s arm, pulling her to the side. She shrieked in surprise, struggling against him. “Let me go!” she cried, trying to shove away. “Let me GO!”

Her distress drew Therex’s attention and he made his way towards her, pushing Razor out of the way. His jaw was set in a thin line, and his eyes were bright, glowing slits. Two of the soldiers stepped forward, blocking his way. Barely slowing down, he pushed past them, his focus entirely on the Commander.

The soldiers grabbed his elbows, jerking him to a stop. He spun abruptly, throwing one into a wall and knocking the other off balance. He kicked him away, spinning and ducking to dodge another who had come up behind him. He elbowed him in the head, sending him sprawling on top of the second soldier. He spun straight into another soldier, who gave him a sharp blow to the back of the neck, sending him to his knees. He shook his head, his eyes dim with pain, staggering to his feet.

“Therex!” Terre cried, leaning towards him earnestly. He looked up at her, the rage in his eyes ebbing away slowly. “Listen to me,” she pleaded. “I’ll be fine, okay? I’ll be safe here. I’ll be okay.”

She was trying to be reassuring, Therex knew, but he saw the fear in her eyes, turning them a dark brown. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and comfort her, but the spots were still swimming before his eyes. Terre was pleading with him, her tone earnest, trembling slightly with her underlying fear. Therex saw tears rising in her eyes, and he staggered into a wall. “Terre,” he rasped, his voice hoarse. “I’ll be back for you, okay? You’ll be alright. I promise, you’ll be safe.” He turned to the Council, coughing slightly. “What are your demands?”

The Commander answered. “Half of the Council members are willing to leave now. The other half will wait until the majority of the people are on shuttles prepared to leave the atmosphere.” The earth shook under their feet, making Terre shriek suddenly. “And I would hurry. It appears we don’t have much time.”

Therex bristled again, wishing he could stay with Terre. Before anyone could stop him, he stepped forward and kissed her cheek. “Stay strong for me and keep an open comm with me, alright?” he whispered in her ear. She nodded, and he wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised, stroking her cheek with his thumb. She nodded again, and he turned on his heel sharply, heading for the exit.

Skarr quickly took charge of the situation that seemed rather out of control. “All Council members who are ready to leave will have to come with us now. The rest stay here and we will be back shortly. I would highly suggest you allow Terre use of her comm, since we will need to give you updates on the evacuation efforts.” He executed a stiff salute, then turned on his heel. The Council members prepared to leave stood and walked towards the door, seeming to glide or float, no actual steps discernible. Once the squad left and the sound of the door shutting was heard, the Commander finally released Terre. She slumped to the floor, staring at her comm in shock, tears springing to her eyes.

I’m stuck here all alone… she thought hollowly.

OOC:

There ya be, lads and lass! 1251 words. If anything needs to be fixed or somesuch, let me know.

As HammerHead looked around, he was horrified. The carnage was spread far and wide, as if the population was put through a meat grinder. Ever since Eclipse arrived on Tareth.

After their last mission, HammerHead had to wait three months before he was returned to active duty. He still had a bit of trouble walking, but he had suffered much worse wounds before so he wasn't complaining. Since HammerHead had seen an entire  squad of Stormtroopers engulfed in genetically engineered monsters, he had become a little jumpy. One of the first things he did was break protocol by bringing a loaded revolver almost everywhere he went, including Tareth. Since his arrival, HammerHead had been constantly fighting the urge to draw his weapon. When the squad reached the elevator, they were greeted with a very depressing site. It was a group of rag tag group of citizens, wielding everything from metal pipes to vibro blades.

A man wielding and axe stepped forward, an angry and hurt look on his face. He rased the axe and pointed it at the elders.

"They aren't going anywhere. They are not leaving us here to die."

Skarr handed his blaster to Razor and took a step forward.

"This is not all of the Elders; this is only those who are ready to leave. The others said that they would not leave without you. Be at ease, evacuation efforts are already beginning."

"SILENCE OUTLANDER! These are not your affairs. If what you say is true, these cowards are trying to abandon us! They must DIE!"

HammerHead reached into his jacket and wrapped his hand around his large caliber revolver. Therex reached over and grasped his right arm. He leaned over and said "Take it easy big guy." HammerHead let go of his slug thrower and decided to see how things went. Skarr was desperately trying to calm the mob, but his efforts were useless.

HammerHead scanned the mob, and noticed something that he didn't notice before: almost all of them were terrified. The look of extreme fear in their eyes was obvious, only a few men were as dedicated as the leader. HammerHead was not the only one to notice; Therex leaned in and whispered "Do you see it?" HammerHead simply nodded. Slowly, the whole squad noticed how fearful the mob was, and their stances became more firm.

However, the leader was becoming more irate, and his posture suggested that he was ready to attack. HammeHead once again reached for his powerful revolver, but this time Therex didn't try to stop him. As he rapped his fingers around the grip, HammerHead slowly drew his pistol and lowered his hand out of his jacket.

HammerHead's eyes looked over the crowd of fearful men before them, and it seemed that only one had seen him draw his gun. This man however was built like a tank, and his fear turned into anger. HammerHead could see the change in his eyes. He gripped the pipe he was wielding and started to shift towards the front of the group. The large angry man was now standing directly behind the irate leader.

HammerHead's attention was then drawn to the leader's increasing voice volume.

"I have had it! You tried to justify your presence outlander, but I am not apeased!"

The man gripped his axe, razed it over his head, and lunged at Skarr. "DIE!" he screamed.

OOC:

WC:556 I know that this post is short, but it was just a quick post to get me back into the story. If there are any problems, PM me.

As soon as Skarr had given him the go ahead, Therex had bolted down the streets, heading back to the bunker. It wasn't a long trip thankfully, and soon he was standing at the corner of what remained of a building. He glanced around cautiously, hoping not to attract any attention just yet. Outside the shack that disguised the bunker entrance, stood two guards, armed with Force Pikes. Therex grinned, reaching down to his leg, checking to see if his electrostaff was there. Satisfied, he stepped out of his cover.

"Hey, fellas," he said, trying to catch them off guard.

Sadly, they seemed ready for him. Both charged at him, their pikes held at the ready. Therex, having not planned for this, stumbled back a bit, trying to regain composure. Just as the first guard came within striking distance, Therex remembered his weapon.

Ducking under the force pike, Therex popped the canister on his leg open, revealing a large cylinder. Wrapping one hand around it, he let the first guard stumble past him, and brought the cylinder up to the second man's jaw. The crack was loud, but it merely knocked the guard back slightly.

Tough bastards.

The first guard had turned around, and was once again bringing his weapon to bear. Therex thumbed a button on the cylinder. Within two seconds, the tube had become a full length electrostaff, it's tips already humming with energy. Without turning, Therex drove one end into the guard behind him, knocking him backward, slightly dazed.

As his comrade regained his footing, the second guard lunged with his pike, a brute move, but effective. To a degree. Therex caught the tip of the pike with his staff, the two humming even louder when locked together. Twisting forward, Therex tipped the alien back onto his heels. Before he could recover, Therex swung the weapon around, catching the guard across the face, sending him reeling to the ground, unconscious. Continuing the swing, Therex clocked the second guard as he charged, allowing him to join his fallen comrade in the dirt.


Good thing these things have a lower power setting. I don't think Skarr would appreciate me killing a bunch of people.

Stepping over them, Therex continued to the door, punching in the code he saw them use before. The pad responded with a mean beep, denying him access. Sighing, Therex tried again. When the same beep replied, he started to get angry. Obviously they had changed their codes. Therex tried a third time out of desperation, and before the panel could even beep at him, he drove his fist through it. Pacing, he tried to come up with a plan. Suddenly, a sound stopped him. It was faint, but Therex had ears the could hear a bug skitter along the ground from across a room.

It was his name.

Throwing all caution to the wind, Therex used his staff to force the door open, only to be faced with a metal door for the elevator. His staff would probably break before he got in. Reaching into one of his pouches, Therex pulled out a fist full of detonite, a small, but powerful and stable explosive. He slapped the clay like substance onto the door, and inserted a blasting cap. Running around the building, Therex pulled the trigger on the detonator.

And was promptly thrown to the ground. The shockwave took out the top section of the shack, and most of the wood that hid the elevator shaft. And had thrown Therex's helmet off. Coughing, Therex sat up, flipping through his filters, trying to make out the damage. He was fine. The back of the shaft had kept him safe from the majority of the blast. Standing slowly, he continued coughing, waving his hand in a desperate attempt to clear the air. He found his helmet, crushed under a piece of the shack.

Oh yippee. Every time.

Throwing the remains of his helmet to the side, he walked around the building, finally getting a glimpse of the damage from the explosion. The whole front of the shaft was gone. The sides were red hot and bent inward. The elevator itself was no where to be seen, but the dangling cables gave evidence of it's whereabouts. Peeking over the edge, careful to avoid the sides, Therex spotted the elevator, dangling from an emergency cable. From below it, Therex could hear the shouts of the aliens inside, some panicked, others angry. Cursing, Therex grabbed up his staff, and considered his options. They knew he was there, so sneaking wasn't an option. And they had a lot of personnel down there. Not just guards, but innocent civilians. Sighing, he took the only course of action he could think of.

Leaning over the now cooling sides of the shaft, he reached out and grabbed the remaining emergency cable. Taking a deep breath, he pulled himself out, and started making his way down, hand over hand. It took him less than a minute to reach the elevator, and pry off one of the exit panels on top. Sliding through, he waited. The sounds of people could be heard outside the door. Obviously, part of the elevator was at the bunker. Most likely the bottom half of the door. Suddenly, the sounds of metal straining echoed around the elevator, as they tried to force the door open.

Here goes nothing.

OOC:

I figured that I would pause here. My headache isn't making it easy. I will continue it later. Till then, post away.