Team 3: Troutrooper, Kalon, Riverche - Homecoming Run-On

The rain had stopped down on the surface as one of the two teams sent out to inspect the missing life forms were getting ready to set off. The team of three had enough experience to know that it would be dangerous out there; but the answers to the questions that Sanguinius had needed people to check out the camps. Kalon was going to lead the group, but it was already off to a bad start as a random trooper ran through the corridors and finally found the group.

“Sir, I have a message to deliver from Aedile Cethgus. He has orders to follow on your current mission.” The man’s tired voice showed he had been looking for the team for a while.

“What is it?” The Battleteam Leader replied, almost calm and methodical as he spoke, waiting for the message.

“Sightings of weird cults have been spotted east of the camp, through the normal route. Your mission is to simply find out what the hell is going on.” He finished his message towards the team before turning off and heading elsewhere, his job clearly requiring him to be in too many places at once.

“Right then. I guess we should get this thing going?” Kalon turned to face the other two who quickly nodded in agreement. It seemed that they just wanted to find out as much as the Quaestor and Aedile did.

Moving through the corridors of the Galeres base they finally found the hangar bay. There were two transports and both seemed to be being loaded as if two squads were moving out to different directions. A man went over to them with speed; it was clear he was running the show in the hanger.

“Ah, so you guys are going to find the random sightings. Well, shuttle two over there is yours and the pilots are ready to drop you off. I'm afraid you’ll still have a heavy walk ahead of you to get to your destination; but we can give you a drop closer than expected.” His voice was calm as he moved off, straight away heading back to his duties.

The team moved off towards the shuttle. Making sure they had everything one last time, they boarded it swiftly. The pilots took no time to wait, letting the ramp slide up and shutting the back doors before it departed towards their mission. Kalon allowed his hand to slide over his datapad, checking that everything was still in order.

“Troutrooper, Riverche, it seems this mission may just be a wild nexu chase, but we need to make sure that we fulfill it.” His eyes glanced towards the Mon Calamari and the female member of Soulfire.

…..........................................

Kalon, Troutrooper, Riverche

You three have been assigned to go through the terrain of Galeres’ home planet, search out these mysterious sightings, and engage and destroy the colony of Death Walkers that will be waiting for you. There will be a high-level leader with them of Equite-three stature. They are not easy to kill in numbers and their camp will be close in size to a small army. Whether or not you fail or succeed is your call.

Have fun

Cethgus Tiberius Entar Arconae
Aedile of House Galeres

Kalon sat silently for the rest of the shuttle journey, eyeing his squadmates behind the shrouded visor of his Mandalorian helmet.

The unexpected events on Eldar had scattered Dark Forge as well as Soulfire, meaning that several smaller mixed teams would be sent in rather than an entire Battleteam at the same time. This was probably why Kalon was with Troutrooper, another member of Dark Forge and Riverche, from Soulfire for the mission. He still did not have a clear idea of what to expect on the ground but he had the feeling that they would find something very soon. The seriousness on his Quaestor’s face when he was assigned the mission almost confirmed this.

Troutrooper sat silently, leaning back in his own seat. The Mon Calamari seemed rather peaceful despite the fact that the shuttle was shaking harshly from a sharp entry into Eldar’s atmosphere. Riverche sat more tensely; this was perhaps her first shuttle drop in combat conditions. They had not had to drop like this that much during the Dark Crusade, but the fact that this was the Galerian homeworld and because no one knew exactly what was going on added an amazing sense of urgency to the mission.

The Mandalorian had never seen the Guardian before and as such was clueless as to how useful she was in a combat situation. Nevertheless, he was glad that there was a third person in the team for this mission, meaning that they would hold better when it came to fighting. Although, Kalon doubted they would find themselves outmatched by whatever they encountered as they did have a Dark Jedi Master with them at the end of the day.

“Landing imminent.” Came the rough voice of the pilot booming through the speaker and into the trooper compartment of the shuttle. All three Arconans instantly braced in their seats for a hard touch down.

The transport hit the dirt with a quick shudder and a hard thud, making Kalon bounce in his seat. He was glad he had strapped himself in at the last moment, surmising that he would probably be all over the ceiling otherwise. Riverche was the first one to unstrap herself and walk down the now open ramp, Troutrooper and the Sith Warrior not far behind.

It was about midday on Eldar, and the light helped the place not look too depressing. They had landed in a convenient clearing in one of the many forests that dotted the mountain ranges on the planet and were not too far from the objective at all.

“Look’s like we’re about two clicks from the camp.” Began the Mandalorian, looking at his navigation device thoroughly. “It seems we should have a nice time. There isn’t that much uphill climbing from here.”

“Fantastic!” Exclaimed Troutrooper. The Mon Calamari was probably more into swimming then climbing anyway, and it always helped to have the morale of the team high, so that was definitely a start.

“Let’s get moving then, shall we?” asked Riverche, tilting her head in an inquisitive manner.

“Of course.” Replied Kalon, promptly beginning to walk in the correct direction as the shuttle took off from behind them. They were on their own now, and what they could face was not that far away, only getting closer as the team themselves began the journey across Eldar’s rocky terrain.

Troutrooper realized he had exclaimed too soon. “Wait...Isn't the base in the opposite direction? You know, toward that flatter, more serene area? That way looks way, way too dangerous for me—I mean, us. Too dangerous and treacherous for anyone, really. You'd need heavy equipment, like an AT-AT to tackle that hill...er, mountain. Crag. Cliff—Sheer cliff!”

“C'mon, fishy,” the Sergeant twitched his head in the direction of the camp, “it's this way.”

“What is?”

“The camp.”

“Who's camp? Are they friendly? Is there a campfire? If so, I'll pass. Never been into campfires. One side bakes while the other side freezes. Put your feet too close to it and your flippers turn medium rare. Smoke makes you cough, but no smoke is a vacuum that nature fills with a billion biting bugs. And the food. Yuck. Nobody cooks rustic-style any more, so when we try, everything either comes out raw and unsafe for consumption or overdone and more leathery than a desiccated mynock wing.”

Kalon was unamused. “Are you done yet?”

Troutrooper blinked. “Have you met me? Of course I'm not done. Another thing, the—“

“Shut up!” Riverche covered her ears. “Stop talking and start walking. Please. I assume they have patrols, and two klicks is well within most patrols' radius. Besides, your gurgling is making my head hurt.” The Guardian glared—as much as a Miraluka can—at the Mon Calamari as she fell in line behind Kalon, who nodded his thanks.

Troutrooper sighed. “I hadn't even gotten to my arguments against—OW! You punched me! Wait...you punched me?” He blinked.

“And I'll do it again if you don't shut...the...frack...UP!” Riverche turned back, rubbing her hand, leaving the Dark Jedi Master rubbing his arm.

“How did I not see the blind one—“ the Mon Cal cut himself off in response to the Miraluka raising her fist.

Kalon chuckled. “I don't know you, but I'm beginning to like you.”

“I don't know him,” the Miraluka seethed in the direction of the whining fish, “but I'm beginning to dislike him.”

“He'll grow on ya,” the Sergeant nodded. “Until then, why don't you take the lead? Fishy isn't so fast over rough terrain and I want to keep you two apart for a bit.”

Riverche still rubbing her hand, more for emphasis than anything, took Kalon’s suggestion and started to lead the way up the hill.

She was glad for the opportunity to be slightly separated from the whinny fish. “He was her senior and she knew she shouldn’t have hit him, but he was getting on her nerves. She will have to apologize to him later, maybe if he does not repeat his whining.” Riverche rationalized to herself as she walked along.

By the time Riverche realized she had been lost in thought, Troutrooper was lagging slightly behind. She paused long enough for the other two to catch up.

“Sorry, I will slow down.” Riverche said as Kalon and Troutrooper reached her.

“We do not want to get separated out here.” Kalon replied.

“How much further? These rocks are…” Troutrooper trailed off seeing the fist form.

“The camp is over that ridge.” The Mandalorian nodded in the direction they had been traveling.

Riverche took the lead again, but this time she was careful not to go to fast and choose an easy route up the hill.

“Kalon was right we do not want to get separated, and besides what is the rush to get back to base?” Riverche started to think to herself. Riverche adjusted her speed to the slower pace of the Mon Calamari; after all, she did promise to slow down. Upon reaching the summit of the hill, Riverche stopped for a second to make sure the other two had not fallen behind again.

The other side was slightly steeper than and just as rocky as the side they had come up. Near the base of the hill, they could make out the outline of the camp and movement along the edges. The route down will have to be carefully picked, if they did not want to alert the camp. Riverche knew she did not have the experience or training for this, so she relinquished the lead back to Kalon.

As Kalon took the lead again, Riverche looked at the Mon Calamari and said in a quiet, but firm voice “Be quiet.”

Kalon stood silently for a moment, looking over at the camp below. His hand tapped his lightsaber hilt in silent contemplation as he thought of a method to maintain the element of secrecy.

“Well...” he said, looking towards his two teammates, a rather amused tone evident in his voice. “...we can always roll Fishy here down the hill to serve as bait. I’ll even get a rod if you're up to it?”

Troutrooper glared at the Sith Warrior, or at least Kalon presumed he did whilst Riverche let out a quick snicker.

“For your information, sir.” begun the Mon Calamari, but before he could finish the Guardian raised her fist at him, hissing for him to be quiet once again.

“I know.” said Kalon quite suddenly. He began jumping on the spot in a moment of self excitement which was mainly from his self-claimed genius, though it was something he didn’t do too often.

“What?” asked Troutrooper and Riverche in sync, their eyes shifting between the Mandalorian and the camp below them. Small figures could be seen moving around but it was hard to get a decent view from so far away, and Kalon had left his magnification devices on the Darkest Night. He had cursed silently in his head when he realized he had forgotten them during the drop in the shuttle.

“Carefully and silently climb down the hill, keeping low and moving or avoiding any of the bigger rocks that get in your way. If we stay in a line behind each other then we should have no problem getting down undetected.” explained Kalon, pointing to a convenient ditch to the left side of the camp. “That’s where we want to be.”

There was a split moment of silence whilst both the Galerians contemplated on this option. There wasn’t a lot else available to the group at the present moment in time, and that was exactly something they didn’t have much of.

Troutrooper was the first to break the silence;

“That’s a terrible plan. What’s wrong with kids these days, all wrong in the brain.” ranted the formidable fish.

“Look.” began Kalon, catching Riverche’s fist which she had aimed at the Mon Calamari. “There’s probably a puddle or something in the ditch you can hydrate yourself in. It has just stopped raining after all. But if you’re still not feeling up to it just remember; I can always go with my previous plan.”

The Mandalorian waited with his arms crossed while the Dark Jedi Master made up his mind.

Troutrooper gurgled a grumble and plopped his amphibious butt on a rock. Since talking out loud is painful for all of us, I'm going to go right to the source. Both Kalon and Riverche shook their heads in confusion before realizing the Mon Cal's telepathic voice gurgled less than a babbling brook (though it still babbled on occasion.) Riverche snorted. You said shut up. My mouth is shut tighter than a princess's hair bun. Anyone finds us, all they'll see is three people staring at each. Admittedly that's weird enough to warrant shooting first and asking questions, so let's hope no one finds us here.

The issue was less that our position would be revealed and more that my head hurt. This isn't helping. Riverche said-thought with a grimace.

The fish waved a flipper. Deal with it. Anyway, I have another—read: better—idea. Instead of fumbling down the hill on our bellies, we'll run down the hill.

Kalon and Riverche blinked. “That's so fail, I had to say it aloud,” the Sergeant shook his head.

The Dark Jedi Master scowled. I wasn't done. We'll run down the hill...after we create a distraction.

Better, Kalon said-thought. Well, better than just running down the hill. That was a failpancake topped with failsauce with a side order of stupidity.

Don't forget the glass of whatthefrack, the Guardian mimed taking a shot of an unpleasant beverage.

Of course.

Troutrooper covered his face with his flipper. Moving on...

What was your idea for a distraction?

Well, he pointed a flipper in the direction of some decent-sized boulders, there are a lot of rocks on this hill. We're on a hill, so...

...And?

We attach one to a line, thread the line through a hook, skewer fishy with said hook, toss him down the hill. A huge rock isn't an ideal bobber, but we don't have other options. The Warrior's smirk was infectious.

Troutrooper seemed immune to the hilarious contagion.

Oh, come now. We're just having some fun.

Riverche grinned. Yeah. We'd let you at least pick the rock-bobber.

The Mon Cal fumed as his teammates giggled. Fine. I'll find the ideal rocks to slide down this hill while you two figure out how to get down the hill quickly and subtly.

Riverche took in a deep breath followed by a slow exhale as she pushed the old thoughts and her headache into the farthest reaches of her mind.

Now onto the task in front of us. Riverche thought studying the hillside for what seemed like seconds to her.

Both of them had part of a good plan. Kalon was right on where we wanted to go, the ditch on the left side of the camp. Troutrooper’s idea of a diversion by a rockslide was plausible and could work. The main question was how to make this work.

There were a couple of solutions to getting down the hill and all of them were not going to be easy nor did they have much time to think and discuss.

The first path Riverche saw, which she dismissed almost instantly, would leave them in plain sight as they ran down the hill after causing the rockslide and hope the campers were to occupied to notice them.

The next route would require them to do what Kalon originally suggested, move down the hill in a single file line keeping low and moving following the path of the rockslide which might end up in the ditch.

The final plan that Riverche could see was to do the rockslide on the right side of the hill, which could potentially drive the campers into the ditch, as they silently went down the other side. The last plan would be the trickiest of the three with the most variables.

As Riverche surveyed the area silently mapping out potential routes down the hill and contemplating the options, she noticed that there was a small group exiting the right side of the camp.

Just as she was about to say something, Kolen said-thought. We see them too. It’s just a scouting party; I do not think they have seen us yet, but we need to get moving soon.

You have one of the noisiest minds I have ever heard. We have heard everything you have been thinking. Troutrooper chimed in.

Sorry, I am not use to people being able to hear my thoughts. Riverche responded.

Deal with it. Troutrooper thought.

I hope you are right. Ok, so what now? We pick a plan and make it happen? Riverche thought looking at Kalon.

Basically, yes…

...but we don’t want to be detected now that they are leaving the camp, work your way down the left side of the hill one at a time. I’ll go last because I’m a gentleman.

Hey! I was the one who would do the distraction. Thought the Dark Jedi Master, a tone of annoyance evident.

Well, too be honest...I doubt you can create a good diversion with your flippers. Just follow Riverche down the hill, I'm sure she's lighter on her feet than both of us.

Riverche nodded, a sardonic look evident on her face as she made her way slowly over the edge of the hill, Troutrooper right behind her. The noise level wasn’t so bad considering the fact that there were rocks of all shapes and sizes literally everywhere. Occasionally, one of the two would stumble, making quite a bit of noise, but luckily not enough to attract the attention of the patrol leaving the camp.

When the pair of Arconans were around halfway down the hill, Kalon walked to the other side of the large hill. This was the side that patrol were passing by and it the Mandalorian had an idea about how to distract them. Satisfied that there were enough boulders at the top of the mound for his plan to work, the Galerian began to systematically push down one after another.

As the boulders found their way down the hill, they made lots of noise, mainly due to the fact that they were constantly hitting and smashing other rocks scattered upon the hillside. It seemed that the patrol had noticed the commotion and were now on their way to the other side of the hill, ideally making the journey down for the three Arconans easier.

It didn’t take long for Kalon to catch up with Riverche and the Mon Calamari, who had reached the ditch before he had even started his way down. The patrol were now out of side, investigating the disturbance, and it was deduced that they had guessed it to be a small rock slide which was not uncommon on this terrain.

That was sloppy. Began Troutrooper as Kalon knelt besides the pair, his fish-like features made the Sergeant uncomfortable to say the least, this was not at all helped by the fact that he had just come out of a rehabilitation facility on Onderon due to his fishing addiction.

When I was twenty years younger I could have easily done that without making any noise. Kids these days, I me- ooohmph!

The Dark Jedi Master was silenced by a clean slap from gill to gill by the Galerian Guardian. She glared daggers at him, raising her hand again as if making it clear that she would strike again.

I warned you twice. Thought Riverche, irritation obvious in the simplicity of her words.

“Children...children...!” mumbled Kalon, trying to focus on the task at hand without getting caught by his own urges to fry the Mon Calamari.

You don’t need to speak! We’re too close to the camp for that! Blubbered Troutrooper, his voice a permanent scar in Kalon’s memory.

“Well then shut the phwoar up!” suggested the Sith Warrior, still in a low voice. “Your complaining is giving me a headache.”

Before the Dark Jedi Master could respond, Riverche broke the tension.

Guys. Look, we’re right at the outside of the camp and we still have a mission to accomplish. How are we going to get inside undetected?

“That’s a good question.” whispered Kalon, turning to Troutrooper to see if he had an answer.

The camp, though it seemed to be busy enough with activity, was less a hive than they expected. As the Dark Jedi group was not far away from the camp, they could see its inner-workings, watching people moving around weapons and other things being pulled out of the tents.

Although, what the team failed to notice was the group of enemies that was patrolling around them. It seemed that their talking had simply gone on for a while and gotten them into a situation that they would soon find less than pleasant.

“INTRUDERS, THERE!” A voice rang through the camp as they pointed out the group. Instantly, the camp was awash with movement, people grabbing weapons that were around and available. It seemed though that the group had been prepared to snap into action like this, knowing that trouble would be heading their way. It was almost amazing how quickly the Death Walkers responded to this threat.

Very soon what appeared to be the leader of the Walkers emerged as the ravenous group spotted the Dark Jedi and began their advance. It didn't take long for Kalon and his team to begin to run for their lives, being outnumbered and chased by more Death Walkers than they could count.

The Mandalorian lead the team through the forest, searching for anything that they could hide themselves in or keep them out of the way; but it would not be as easy as expected to slip away.

“This way, quickly.” Kalon barkered the order over the noise of screaming that was following the group.

Finally, they saw their chance in one of the bunkers that had been set up for training exercises. Steering the two other members of his team that way, Kalon headed them straight in, hearing the noise of crackling twigs behind them as the Death Walkers got closer.

Riverche was the first one through the door, her chest rising and falling rapidly from the sprint as well as the adrenaline that was running through her system.

Trouty was second through. Making it quickly, he spun around and waited for Kalon. Before he even made it halfway through the door, the Elder hit the button nearby, shutting the door just as Kalon made his way through fully.

Hearing the dull thuds from the outside as well as scratching sound only moments later, it was clear that they had just survived the attack for being found.

“That was a close call...” Kalon’s voice was calm as he spoke to the group. “I need options. What do we wanna do now?”

The pounding at the door as well as all over the bunker continued. It was clear that the group was in no situation right now to escape any time soon. They had been surrounded in the bunker and needed to get away; but how they were going to do it would be a mission they yet had to achieve.

There were a few bits and pieces around the bunker that would aid them in this, but it would be a race for time as the Death Walkers seemed to be finding the small slits in the window and opening throwing random spears or other things they could find inside the bunker in an attempt to drive them outside.

…..........................

Kalon, Troutrooper, Riverche.

You have been spotted by the Death Walkers and forced inside of a training bunker. Unable to escape easily, your time is running out and no aid is coming from the outside. You have got no other option but to try and escape before the Death Walkers capture and kill you. The way you complete this mission is completely up to you, just make sure it gets done.

Have fun.

Cethgus Tiberius Entar Arconae
Aedile of House Galeres

Kalon dusted himself off. “Okay, let's assess. There are three of us.”

Riverche nodded.

“There are...hold on a moment,” the Dark Jedi Master's bulbous eyes half-closed as he felt the area through the Force. “There are a lot of Death Walkers actively trying to kill us.”

Riverche nodded.

Troutrooper frowned. “Wait a second...How did we get into this mess in the first place? I mean, what the heck was I doing that I wouldn't have noticed a patrol in the area?”

“Introspect later, like when we're not about to be swarmed by insatiable crazies,” the battleteam leader glanced around the bunker's rattling walls.

“I know I can get tunnel-vision and shut everything else out sometimes. But this sort of thing doesn't happen to me. I don't get ambushed. I ambush!”

“Who cares?!” Riverche snarled.

“TT, that was then. This is now. We need you to focus on our current situation, not the five minutes ago situation.”

“Maybe I'm slipping in my old age. Maybe my powers aren't what they were. That's not depressing at all.”

“We've lost him,” Kalon said as he watched the Mon Cal talk to himself, oblivious to the enveloping cacophony.

“I could punch him back into reality,” she rolled up her sleeves.

“Won't help us. What's in those lockers?” He pointed at a bank of broken, busted, rusted storage containers.

“I remember when I had potential, when my best days lay ahead of me. Everyday was a new challenge, a new thrill. 'I can do what through the Dark Side? What do I need to do to learn that trick?!' Ah, good times, halcyon days even if me and Halc never crossed paths back then.”

“Nothing except old, worn boots, spent blaster cartridges, six containers of anti-fungal powder, writing utensils, and sadness,” the Guardian slammed the lockers in frustration. A plume of dust erupted.

“Oh, hello,” Kalon smiled behind his helmet. “Look what the teacher's box had: a concussion grenade. Instructors have all the fun.”

Riverche smiled. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

“Possibly.”

“Not at all.”

“Huh?”

“Not for one moment did I have any inkling or desire to become an Obelisk. Yet here I am, a trooper in House Galeres.”

Kalon and Riverche sighed at each other.

“Now, can I punch him back into reality?” Riverche said looking at the babbling Mon Calamari.

“Yes, we need him, now.”

Riverche walked over to Troutrooper and raised her fist ready to strike. “No need. What is the plan?” Troutrooper replied placing a flipper on Riverche’s fist.

“We make a run for it.”

“What!? Are you two nuts? That is a stupid plan.” Troutrooper complained.

“Do you have a better plan?”

“Yes, let’s stay here in safety…”

“Guys! We do not have time to discuss this. They have made a crack in the back wall and most of them are focused on it. If we run now, we only have to deal with part of them and the rest we can outrun. Unless you want to wait here until the back wall crumples around us and they pour in and eat us, we need to go.” Riverche interrupted as a locker crashed to the ground exposing a good size crack behind it.

“Trout, you go first. River and I will pick them off. Are we ready?” Kalon explained as he unsheathed his blaster.

“Ready!” Both said in unison. Troutrooper unhooked his saber from his belt and Riverche pulled out the blaster she had on her.

Kalon pushed the button for the door to slide open moments before the back wall started to fall. As the door was opening, Kalon’s grenade landed into a group of Death Walkers to the left of the door; effectively scattering the group. Troutrooper took the explosion as his clue to start carving a path through the remaining Death Walkers. River and Kalon followed closely behind shooting at the Death Walkers that clawed and scratched at them.

As the trio made it to the outer layer of the cannibals, they could hear them start to scream and chase them. Troutrooper picked up the pace and led the group deeper into the forest.

“Don’t you just love a morning jog in the woods?” remarked Kalon, his accent turning from a gruff Mando’a dialect to a posh version of Galactic Basic.

“Indeed” replied Riverche, followed shortly by Troutrooper as he turned to watch the mass of enraged cannibals follow mere metres behind them.

“Quite.”

They had been running for at least six minutes now and were almost lost in the thick forest. The Mandalorian did not have time to check his navigation instruments. He inclined his head to Riverche who was now sprinting alongside him. The Guardian looked only slightly out of breath, her ‘eyes’ concentrating sternly on where they were actually going.

“There’s nowhere to hide, we’re gonna have to fight them.” surmised Kalon, noticing that they were nearing a dead end where the ground dropped down like a cliff's edge.

“Agreed.” responded the Miraluka female, turning to watch as Troutrooper stopped in his tracks, his now ignited lightsaber swung as he ground to a halt. The resulting clash with the still running Death Walkers caused one to fall to the ground, cut in half at the waste.

The other two teammates quickly stopped themselves and took up firing positions, pounding the cannibals with a horrifying concentration of blaster fire. Kalon held his ignited lightsaber in his other hand, taking out any of the enemy that got too close to him.

“Darn kids, got to do everything yourself these days.” grumbled the Mon Calamari as Death Walkers fell before him like dominoes.

“Evidently.” scowled Riverche, taking careful aim of her targets. She made sure she could hit them as they lept between the trees before pulling the trigger to her blaster rifle. An intimidating smirk formed on the Miraluka’s face as those before her also began to drop.

The Sergeant, on the other hand, was spraying with his blaster and laughing hysterically to almost idiotically insane proportions. He swung his lightsaber in repeated circles, it serving as a shield as well as a wall of death for any cannibals who were stupid enough to find the light attractive.

“KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOON!” bellowed the Mandalorian as he got caught up in the thrill of open combat.

“Oh dear.” sighed the Guardian, taking time to facepalm between shots.

The pile of slaughtered savages began to stack at the forest's edge, slowing the Death Walkers. Those that made it through Kalon's and Riverche's laser lances fell before Troutrooper's laser sword.

“For a last stand,” the Miraluka smiled at the Mon Cal, “I'd say we've got this situation under control.”

“The problem with last stands,” the Mon Cal did not return the smile, “is the finality. Remind me of how they arrived here in the first place.”

“I don't know,” Riverche shook her head then picked off an Anzat who tried swinging over the mounting pile on a vine. “Drop ships? Shuttles? Transports?”

“And how did they avoid detection? Our early warning systems?”

“Beats me.”

“I don—Whoa! Close!” The Dark Jedi Master spun to avoid an axe. A backhanded slash separated his assailant's head from his shoulders. “I don't know either. However, if they landed, they've got ships that can fly.”

“So?”

“If they can avoid detection, they're better than the cannon fodder they've sent after us.”

“So?”

Troutrooper looked at Riverche. “Think. Use your brain and the Force. You're a Krath, so be a Krath. They can fly, they have better forces than what we're handling.”

“...Oh...” She turned toward the edge of the cliff and peered over it. “Kalon...?”

“DDIIIIEEEEE!!!”

“Kalon...!”

“DDDII—What the...Aw man! My gun's spent!”

“KALON!”

“What?!” He looked at Riverche and Troutrooper, then looked in the direction they were looking. “...Oh...”

Two stealth version Low Altitude Assault Transports stared down the three Arconans, a dozen ravenous pairs of eyes sizing them up from each hovering craft. “Good job, Riverche,” Troutrooper nodded at her. “You figured out that the weak walk while the strong fly. What was that about this last stand going well?”

Riverche let a laser bolt fly at a razor tooth humanoid climbing over the pile of his dead comrades. “I’ll let you know later when we’re done here.”

“Fair enough.” Troutrooper spun around to chop another cannibal in half.

“Any ideas?” Kalon asked adding to his own body count and watching the transports hover near the cliff.

“Not yet… Survive? Add them to the pile?” Riverche turned her attention back onto the ships hovering close by.

The ships seemed to be waiting for something. Riverche studied both of the ships and their occupants for a second before noticing what they were doing. One pair of the eyes was not staring at them; they were looking over the scenery of the area. They must belong to the leader of this group concluded Riverche.

“That’s the idea. But how do we survive?” Troutrooper turning to look at the distracted Miraluka, then at the ship Riverche was focused on.

“Take care of the last remaining stragglers and then wait until they either repel down and we can pick them off before they reach the ground or they could land on either side…” Riverche trailed off as the ships started to separate. One headed towards a spot to the left and the other with the leader went to the right flanking the trio.

“And swarm us.” Kalon finished Riverche’s sentence watching the ship on the left come in for a landing.

“Not the best plan! We need a better idea.” Troutrooper said keeping his focus on the ship carrying the shifty eye cannibal.

“Take one of the ships and get out of here?” Riverche blurted out. Troutrooper half turned his head to glare at the Miraluka.

“Check your gun!” Kalon killed the last straggler as he turned to watch the ship on the left land and unload the cannibals it had carried.

Riverche checked her gun and pouch before replying with “Halfway through this cartridge and one more unused.”

The Death Walkers from both ships started to charge towards them, but the leader of the group stayed with the ship on the right.

More and more Death Walkers continued to move towards the pinned group, knowing that there was no way they could escape. It seemed that the commander continued to watch the group and what was taking place, being careful to not make any kind of move. The leader was happy to continue to shout orders from his safe place and just watch the members of Galeres get swamped down by the sheer amount of opponents that they faced off against.

Suddenly, blaster fire could be heard from the back of the group, bolts slamming into the Death Walkers. It seemed that a squad of troopers bearing the Galeres symbol had come to the aid of the stranded team. Their weapons all trained onto their opponents as they continued to blast away the Death Walkers. It was precise firing from the rescue squad that allowed them to take down enemies without endangering their comrades; but they soon found the masses of Death Walkers heading towards them, and had to rethink.

“Squad Two take flanking, Squad One pull back.Move it people!” The Galeren squad commander spoke quickly, forcing his team to back track away from the incoming Death Walkers. They broke into formation,shooting shot after shot off at their targets and dropping multiple Death Walkers.

The two teams continued to blast at their opponents as they backed away, hoping it was enough to give the Galeres members enough room to make some form of counterattack.
Squad One was soon outnumbered by their opponents, and the screams of dying men could be heard echoing out as they were bitten and clawed to death.

Retreating wasn't an option for them any more, and the teams knew it as they just squeezed the trigger down and held onto it, making damn sure that they would go down fighting. When it came to it, knives were being drawn and used as the two squads of Galerens finally went down, unable to hold on any further.

The commander was still just standing, blood dripping down his armour as he swayed in his position. Holding onto his rifle, he slammed his helmet into one of the Death Walkers before finally being grabbed and dragged down, ending the rescue attempt of the group. As he lay there, he unclipped the pin on one of the grenades on his belt, causing a huge mass of body parts to fly as it exploded.

And just like that, the members of Galeres were once more on their own.


…....................................

Troutrooper, Kalon, Riverche

Though a rescue attempt was made, it has failed completely, leaving you in the same mess that you were in before, only lightening the numbers of enemies that you face. You are to try and get out alive if it is possible and return to Galeres headquarters. This is your only priority: try not to die on us.

Have Fun.

Cethgus Tiberius Entar Arconae
Aedile of House Galeres

Kalon let out a horrendous roar as he swung his saber in a wide arch, decapitating three of the Death Walkers that crowded around him and the rest of his team. The Mandalorian could feel the rage begin to built once again in the pit of his stomach, revenge was all that his mind could focus on. His honour demanded it.

After rolling forward and impaling another zombified human with his saber upon rising, Kalon glanced to his right. He noticed Troutrooper forming a wall of corpses around him as he initiated his own killing spree. Riverche stood further behind the Mon Calamari, letting target after target drop before her blaster rifle.

“This is quite charming.” commented the flubbering fish, neatly cutting apart an oncoming enemy with his deadly saber skills.

“For you maybe.” hissed the Guardian, knocking down a Death Walker which got just a bit to close for comfort.

By this point Kalon wasn’t really paying attention to the words spoken by his teammates, his vision had turned red as the instability that defined his character became more manifest. The Mandalorian found himself laughing and screaming at the same time, locked in a point of joy for the slaughter and anger for the deaths of the squads that came to assist him, Trout and Riverche.

Despite the ferocity with which all three Arconans showed whilst fighting, it gradually became clear that they were losing ground. More and more Death Walkers came from the thick edges of the forest and into the clearing where they were now currently bogged down.

“Our window for escape is closing.” said Riverche, watching Troutrooper curiously as the Dark Jedi Master used his Force ability to crush several of the enraged cannibals surrounding him.

“Wait...we have the Force!” realized the Miraluka, pushing away two Death Walkers with her own power. “I totally forgot about that.”

“Kids..” sighed Troutrooper, turning his own gaze to the rampaging Mandalorian fifteen metres in front of him.

“Kalon, get back here. You’re getting cut off.” called Riverche, a frown etched on her face.

The Mandalorian continued to cut apart the oncoming tide of Death Walkers, his body a blur of motion. He slung the blaster rifle in his right hand over his shoulder and proceeded to flip the bird to his comrades for several seconds before taking hold of his weapon once more to continue with the onslaught.

“How distasteful!” commented the Mon Calamari, feeling the beginnings of a rant stir within him as he stabbed through the gut of yet another enemy.

Troutrooper blinked. “Did...Did he really—Hey! I'm about to unload on my sergeant!” He shoved his saber through the back of his interrupter's throat. “Did he really do that? Nobody gives the fish the bird! Nobody! I'm a—Seriously, would you idiots stop throwing yourselves at my saber while I build up to a glorious smackdown of my superior?” Two purple arcs cut down another Death Walker. “Kalon, get over here and apologize!”

The Sith either ignored or did not hear the request, his focus on slaughtering the never-ending stream of Death Walkers.

Riverche chuckled. “That went well.”

“That's it! No more! This nonsense ends now! Kalon, come here!” The Dark Jedi Master reached out and Summoned the rampaging Sith to him. If not for Riverche's intervention, the summoner would have regretted summoning the summonee. “Thanks for stopping his arm. Okay, we're going with her plan. Implementation will be a bit ad hoc, but stay with me.”

“Is this gonna suck?”

“Yes.”

Kalon and Riverche shook their heads.

“Ready?”

“Wait, how are we doing this?”

Troutrooper blinked. “Oh right. We take out one ship, I send Kalon aboard the other, we get on, go home, enjoy dinner.”

Riverche nodded. “Sounds easy enough.”

“Did I mention the part where you have to cover the two of us? I may have forgotten that.”

“Oh.”

“Alright, let's do this.” The Mon Cal turned and took a deep, focusing breath. He lifted his flippers and the piles of dead Walkers rose from the ground. Shoving his arms forward, a Wave of bodies assaulted the transport. He marched forward, sending more corpses flying. The ship's cannons stopped some, but not all. And those not stopped dented and wounded the bird. Kalon finished off the bird with several well-placed hits, sending it plummeting below.

“One down, one to go...”

The trio turned to face the small hoard of Death Walkers between them and the other ship. Both Kalon and Troutrooper lit their lightsabers and started to carve a path through them. Riverche followed close behind them carefully shooting at the ones that stood in the way.

“Keep them off of us!” Troutrooper shouted as he sliced through a Walker that had charged at him.

“I am doing the best I can!” Riverche replied shooting one Death Walker and pushing another that had gotten too close to her.

“Do better!” Kalon shouted in return as his saber separated the head of a Walker from its body.

As they got near the edge of the hoard, the Walker’s commander and few other Walkers turned and boarded the ship. Riverche could see that the pilot was about to start the engines. “We need to hurry if we do not want to walk from here!”

“They are not leaving us behind!” Kalon exclaimed charging through the remaining Walkers towards their way of escape.

He barely made it on the ship, when the engines fired to life, and the transport started to lift off the ground. Troutrooper and Riverche were not far behind him. Troutrooper made the jump onto the hovering ship look easy; however, Riverche landed halfway off the platform. Before she could pull herself in, one of the Walkers jumped and grabbed her leg sinking its claws into her ankle. Riverche grabbed at the nearby wall and kicked the Walker off of her, sending it falling down the cliff.

She pulled herself to safety just as Kalon rammed his saber through the pilot’s chair and into its back. The ship gave a small jerk as Kalon took the controls and sent the corpse out of ship.

“A little help here!” Troutrooper called out as he decapitated one of the five Death Walkers left on the ship before turning his full attention onto the commander.

Kalon glanced at the situation in back then back to the controls. He smiled as a plan erupted. Riv, TT, grab hold of something, anything.

Troutrooper stared down the six Death Walkers in front of him. I'm holding my breath.

Riverche snarled from behind the fish, her ankle swelling with infection. When...if we survive, I'm hurting you for that.

Hold onto something attached to the ship. On my mark. One...

The commander roared, sending his bodyguards at the Dark Jedi.

“MARK!” Riverche yelled as she and Troutrooper dove to the deck.

Kalon yanked the flight stick as far left as it would go and opened the side access door simultaneously. The transport banked hard, emptying itself of the bodyguard Death Walkers. The commander reacted in time to sink an ax into the deck. His tenuous grasp held him for the moment. His savage scream called reinforcements to his side.

The Dark Jedi Master gurgled a chuckle.

Riverche glared at the fish. “You're laughing?! We're holding on for dear life, their leader calls for reinforcements, and you do nothing but laugh?”

“Duck and wait for it...” Troutrooper flipped a flippertip and the right side access door opened...just in time for three Death Walkers to fly through the open door, slam into their commander, and drag him along with them to the bottom of the canyon below.

She shook her head. “...I don't even have words.”

“I do.”

“You always do.”

Troutrooper nodded. “Kalon, right this ship and let's go home.”