freedomliveson

Rescue for the ages(Seravee/Freedomliveson)

"You're right, a Tuk'ata would've eviscerated the bodies and probably dragged a couple into it's lair for food. This seems almost like a disease of some kind. See how there are no signs of battle?" He pointed at the blasters that were still in their holsters, then to the trooper wedged in the doorway, his blaster rifle slung on his back.
"Whatever had happened, they weren't expecting it nor was it a foe they could have seen. Poison in the tomb, maybe?" He cursed at himself silently for not bringing rebreathers for the both of them, but all the research he had done indicated that Korriban's atmosphere would be safe. He hadn't even thought of the tombs potential traps.

Yerbol walked to the doorway, dragging the Republic soldier's body out a few feet away from the door so that the entrance would be clear. The heavy stone door stayed open, as if to challenge the young Knights to conquer it. He could hear nothing but strained silence, but he could see some fluorescent light coming from within the tomb.
"They were able to set up shop at least." He pointed at the lights, then looked to Leoria, apprehension flashing across his eyes.
"This is..." Breath.
"This isn't going to be easy, is it?" A nervous smile.
"But that's why we were sent, right? We're the clean up crew."

____

They were able to snake their way through the open doorway and through the initial passages, all of which sloped downward. There were portable lamps stationed every fifty feet or so, but no other gear was visible. After reaching a level hallway, Yerbol spotted several paths that branched out from where they were, the hallway directly ahead dotted with lamps, albeit fewer and far between. About to take another step, Yerbol's foot froze in mid stride as a tortured shriek echoed off the walls, assailing their ears. His lightsaber instantly crackled to life, the silvery blue casting the chamber they were in with a surreal glow. The scream came again, coming straight at them. He backed away, both hands clutching the hilt of his saber tightly.
"NO MOOOORREEEE PAIIIINNNNNNNN!!!" Two troopers rushed into the room the Jedi occupied, their eyelids coated in blood, rivulets running down their cheeks as one sunk to their knees, the other extending his arms in the air.
"ALL FALL! ALL FALL BEFORE THE COMING!" The one on his knees began to seize violently, convulsions taking over his body as he chattered:
"N...O...M...O....REEEE....PAIININN....."
"THE COMING! THE COMING OF THE TRUE!" Yerbol opened his mouth to speak, but the standing trooper then pointed at both Jedi.
"YOU! YOU! YOU WILL NOT WITNESS THE COMING!" Sparks of electricity flew from his fingertips, Yerbol deflecting as much of the energy as he could, his body being driven backward as he tried to block.
"RIA! DO SOMETHING!"

Rescue for the ages(Seravee/Freedomliveson)

"I hope, for the both our sakes, that they were wiped out a long time ago with the rest of the Sith." A shudder shot down his spine as the hatch door swung open, Yerbol breathing out sharply.
"Here we go." He muttered, taking a couple of steps onto the surface of the planet and almost instantly felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. He rubbed his eyes, attempting to adjust to the glare of the fierce orange orb hanging in the sky. The storm that they had passed through must have only been in the highest layers of atmosphere or some kind of anomaly, seeing as the sun seared into the surface of the planet with no obstruction. He grimaced as he took another few steps forward, the bitter heat not doing anything to alleviate the chill that had infected his entire body.

Yerbol caught sight of a distress beacon jutting out of the sand a hundred yards off, a flashing green light mounted at the top of a skinny metallic pole that guided them towards the actual machination. After trudging forward to the beacon, Yerbol reaching down to the base of the beacon and pressing a large orange button that projected the content of the distress call onto their holo communicators, which buzzed to life. Yerbol withdrew his to find a holographic projection of a man clad in the typical white and blue Republic trooper armor, helmet off to reveal wide eyes and fidgety movements.
"Private Malcom Juno requesting immediate evac from Korriban. Breaking radio silence due to the severity of the emergency...my squad is..." He paused, looking to his right.
"Gone, most of them gone. Just me and a couple of others that I lost in the tomb. Please, send he-" The transmission ended, causing Yerbol to look in the direction that Private Juno had.

That was when he first laid eyes on the gaping entrance to the tomb.

There were two ornately carved stone doors, one of which was already cracked open with the body of a trooper wedged in the doorway. Two more troopers were face down a couple of feet away from the entrance, their arms outstretched. Yerbol approached one of the bodies slowly, turning it over to find a female, her eyes open, the corneas tinted with a dark shade of crimson, dried spots of blood on the edges of her eyelids and cheeks. There was also dried blood on her forehead and caused her hair to mat to her head in a crumpled heap. He turned the other body over.
"Same exact wounds." There were no other distinguishable wounds on the bodies.
"Odd."

Rescue for the ages(Seravee/Freedomliveson)

No, no, it's great!

By the way, you have done your research! I didn't even know about the Pelko bugs...need to read that Darth Bane book.

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

So this group I came up with...I was thinking that they could be a militia of some kind that's trying to restore order to the Eastern Seaboard. What do you think?

Also, the Harbingers is another group up in Portland that wants to control the Northeast with that liquid...

Does that sound alright to you? What do you think? Comments/questions/subtractions/additions?

Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

He shook his head at Cam's question, telling her:
"Only rumors, whispers from friendly camps and loners that brag about surviving the North and living to tell about it. I've heard about pre-event goods being bartered around commonly like coffee makers and fully automatic weapons left behind by the military. Then, I've also heard that people refused to work with each other and are more than likely to kill you than to try and help you out. Suppose we'll see when we arrive." He didn't like going in this unprepared, it bothered him, but what else was he supposed to do? Yet, just ahead, a familiar sight aided in filling in the gaps of knowledge they had about the area.

Another tanker trailer with the same symbols on it about two hundred yards off. Justin withdrew his pistol, approaching the trailer with caution. The same coppery scent wafted off of the trailer.
"Same marking, same material used to make them." He walked around the trailer and advanced a few more feet when downtown Hartford became visible.

Chaos was the first word that sprung to mind when examining the ruins from afar. The streets were littered with debris, chunks of building and other unidentifiable objects strewn about with no distinct pattern. In that chaos were a few clearings with what looked like...wagons? He couldn't tell from the distance, but as they closed in on the entrance to the city, his suspicion was confirmed. Wagons lay out in the afternoon sun, tarps covering whatever goods were on them, which meant that there must have been other humans around. Somewhere.

Glass crunched underneath their feet as they walked past derelict entrances to subway stations and rundown apartments that could have been the height of luxury in downtown. There was always a curiosity Justin held whenever passing through a major crossing such as this. What were these people thinking when the event happened? How did they react? Did they have families? What could hav-

"Stop." A calm voice floated down the avenue, Justin scanning for the source.
"We're not here to hurt anyone. Just need to pass through."
"Uh huh." From the alleyways crept a group of men and women garbed in sweeping black and blue colored tunics, their pistols trained on the duo. One of them, a blond haired man, spoke as he moved to face both Cam and Justin:
"Not the first to drift through here claiming to 'just be passing through'. Where are you headed?"
"Portland." A snort.
"Stupidest decision of your life."
"I'd beg to differ." The blond's eyes examined Justin before looking to Cam, his gaze fixed on her for a few moments before returning to Justin.
"You know what's up there, don't you?"
"I assume you'll tell me?" The man's safety clicked off as he retorted:
"The Harbingers are there. All of them."
"Harbingers?"
"You don't know, do you? From the South?"
"Yes." His pistol lowered slightly.
"Most don't know what the situation is like up here. Most want to rob, pillage."
"Like I said, just passing through." A few beat of silence, then the man spoke again:
"It's not safe to talk here. Come on. There's an outpost we have about half a mile up from here."
"Why the sudden change in tone?"
"Because I've got a feeling about you two. Come on. Keep up."

All in your head(Omerta/Freedomliveson)

Gotcha! Will respond ASAP :)

All in your head(Omerta/Freedomliveson)

Quick question before I respond: has Auspice made herself look like Superboy in costume alone or in appearance as well? So I suppose a better way to clarify would be: when Clark flies into the vault, will he see Auspice in superboy's costume or will he see Superboy himself?

Rescue for the ages(Seravee/Freedomliveson)

"Make any preparations you need now. I suggest, Yerbol, that you bring along the texts you were reading on Korriban. They may help refresh your memory as to why the Order has been so hesitant to approach the planet."
"Of course, Master."
"And I expect the both of you to return intact." Yerbol smiled slightly.
"We'll do our best."
"Report when you're nearing the surface, then we will not communicate again. We cannot afford for any to intercept our communications."
"So wait...we'll be on our own?" Mansuto nodded.
"We believe that you both can handle this."

He hoped that belief wasn't misplaced.

__________________________

The orange hue of the deserted planet below seemed to project an ominous aura from the porthole of the shuttle that had been used to take the two Knights to Korriban. It was about a two day journey from what the nav computer had informed them, the jump to hyperspace giving them a way to meditate for the coming operation. Mainly seated in the co-pilots chair(he deferred to Leoria for space travel...she was much better when it came to piloting), the young Knight studied as much as he could on the planet, reminded once more of the malicious history that Korriban had. He had read a few sections to Leoria aloud for emphasis, but for the most part, he kept quiet, studying as much as he could or meditating in the rear of the shuttle so he could stay as centered as possible. He knew that the...burning he felt inside of him needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, but it seemed as if the flames were subsiding, confirming his suspicion that inaction was something he continued to struggle with. Ironically, he thought about this through meditation, which was physically the peak of inactivity.

He had been dwelling on his thoughts at the rear of the shuttle when they entered Korriban's atmosphere, the once smooth ride turning bumpy in a hurry.
"Are we flying right into a windstorm?" He slid into the co-pilot's chair to be greeted by the sight of debris and sediment flinging itself at the viewport. Yerbol looked down at the nav computer, noting that there wasn't a map showing up to guide their landing.

Well, crap.

He flicked a few of the stabilizer switches, their speed reduced, which in turn ensured that the turbulence they were experiencing was not as violent. Still, it was difficult to see anything...until they got past the whipping and turning of the atmospheric storm to get a clear view of the planets surface. He stood up, mouth slightly agape.
"We're actually...here..." Ruined temples and monoliths lay beneath them, crumbling into the sandy dunes. Here and there existed the remnants of an excavation post, as indicated by the modern, spiral shaped lights that were visible even from their altitude, but the camps were deserted. Korriban was indeed a husk.
"How are the readings? The coordinates that the Masters gave us should already be on the map by now."

Rescue for the ages(Seravee/Freedomliveson)

Oh man that's awesome. Yes yes yes.

I can do that, sure! Get you a post in a bit :)

Pyramid scheme(KrystalKleo/Freedomliveson)

Upon mention of water, his mouth seemed to instantly dry up. He nodded, granting her a thankful smile as he told her in Arabic:
"Thank you." And then a follow up in English:
"That's very, very kind of you. I appreciate what you're doing." Even if not every word was understood correctly, he hoped that his tone would communicate how grateful he was for her hospitality. There was a part of him that very, VERY hesitant to take her up on the offer, seeing as Paul had been emphatic about not getting involved too much with the locals, but it was only a glass of water, right? What would be the harm?

He entered through the now opened gateway and admired the beauty of the yard she tended. It wasn't as if Cairo had lush plant life everywhere, yet this yard seemed to be teeming with it. He pointed at the plants and gave her two thumbs up, asking in his butchered Arabic:
"Take care of all this? Just you? Great job!" He himself had a terrible green thumb, but he didn't know how to convey he blew chunks at anything agricultural in another language. It was then that his phone buzzed, Kyle holding up an index finger as he answered:
"Yes, Kyle speaking."
"Where are you? I needed those extradition forms on my desk a few hours ago."
"Sorry, Paul, I'm a bit...lost at the moment, but I'm getting back!"
"Just haul yourself back here." After hanging up, Kyle told his new companion:
"Boss mad. No problem, though. I'm thirsty." He then extended his hand, telling her:
"Name is Kyle. Yours?"