Ask Lost Souls

[Nox Solus]

The cockpit sparked violently, multiple flashing lights conveying the same message that things were not in good shape. Nox sat in the pilot seat and at the controls, his fingers wrapped around the sticks tightly enough that his knuckles would turn white underneath his glove. The Solus grunted as he used all his might to yank them upward, attempting his best to adjust the course of his craft as it fell straight into the atmosphere of a planet. Flames would scorch and flicker outside the window and across the body of it, the entire ship rumbling as it tried to remain intact.

With a hurried glance back, Nox took inventory of the crates that had been strapped down to the cargo floor behind him, his weeks of effort and contracts. They were all filled with seeds, medicine, weaponry, and other necessities for his clan. Somehow, he had been tracked by pirates and was able to scan what he had been carrying aboard. It resulted in a firefight that he had quickly lost due to being outnumbered before he was able to escape. His ship gave the last of its life in order for him to get out and it was evident as it could barely lift itself anymore and plummeted to the surface. Despite the obvious outcome that he could die, the only thing he could think about was getting those supplies back to his people.

As the ship broke through the clouds, a city would come into his view, completely overgrown by nature as it had retaken what had been lost. It had practically turned into a forest. As he continued to lose altitude, he realized that the buildings were actually multiple stories tall and stood right in his way. Shit... The Mandalorian muttered in mando'a as he still yanked the controls as far back as he could, realizing what would happen. Thankfully and possibly blessed by Kad, with whatever sliver of life that still resided in it, the ship managed to tilt upwards as the sputtering engines gave some resistance so it wasn't a straight dive.

Instead of hitting the ground, the side of the craft would strike into a building, an explosion of brick, mortar, dirt, and plants as the sound echoed throughout the entire city. The ship would then crash on the top of a small building, dragged by momentum across the roof before it simply fell and into the middle of the street, cracks forming across the ground from the weight. The window had shattered, the cockpit filled with dust and dirt as Nox would be completely covered in a layer from head to toe. If it hadn't been for his helmet, his skull would have most likely cracked from how it had been thrashed around. He was slumped forward on top of the controls, a few moments passing until he woke up with a gasp as he patted himself down to check that he was still alive.

Nox's world was spinning and somehow he managed to undo his buckle. An attempt to stand was made but instead, he simply rolled over and fell toward the ground with a thud. With a groan, he slowly pushed himself to all fours, one hand of his being pressed against his helmet as he tried to steady himself.

@Sreeya

 

[Livi Cross]

OOC: Prior to this thread
​

A crash or loud noise was a very dangerous thing on this planet. There were few survivors to begin with, and those that thrived did so by maintaining complete silence. Days often passed without the sound of anything but birds and nature. Thus when the sound of a ship crashing into multiple buildings and skating across a roof erupted thunderously against the complete silence, a sense of dread filled anyone that heard it. Normally this was when everyone knew to run clear in the opposite direction.

However, Livi had seen the ship streak across the sky like a comet. For a moment it felt as if it had been divine intervention as professed by Ashtel. She was located on a nearby balcony from doing a city run for supplies. She had found some canned beans and was having a private feast when the crash happened.

Livi stashed the half eaten can away for later in her backpack, hopping over the railing and down to the lower level. She was nimble by nature, her old dance and gymnastics tricks coming handy for maneuvering around obstacles. Livi made her way down with ease, landing in a crouch as she bolted towards the thick plumes of smoke. There was only a small window of time before the infected had this area completely overrun. A crashed ship meant supplies or potentially a working ship.

She had knives on her, hurtling one at an infected’s head with precision. She yanked it out of its skull as she passed, jamming another into an infected’s eye as it came from the side. Livi was a whirlwind of motions, hacking away at the odd infected that stumbled in her path before she came across the ship.

Livi bolted up the twisted ramp and the loosely hanging door. Her first priority was gathering up supplies and she quickly looked around for food. Spotting a few medkits, she quickly stashed those and made towards where she guessed a kitchenette would be. Livi stopped in her tracks as she heard a groan from the other direction.

With a grimace, she made her way to the cockpit, coughing as smoke plumed out. She could make out a figure that was helmeted and she marveled at the full state of armor. It was just the kind of thing that offered full protection against the infected. Livi wanted to kill the man and take the armor, but her weapons were worthless when there was no opening.

“HEY!” She called out against her better judgement, “Move it! This is an infected planet! GET UP!”

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox's head pulsed, the pressure intense as he shut his eyes in order to help withstand it. The helmet pressing against his skull aided but he still needed a few moments to calibrate. Livi had already entered the ship but he couldn't hear well with the pain in his head and the ship groaning as it settled into its new home for the time being. By the time that she had entered the cockpit, she would find him with one hand on an armrest, utilizing it as his support while he tried to stand on his feet but still remaining on the ground. Her words were muted to him for a few moments, flying over his helmet before she finally screamed at him to get up, the intensity piercing through his haziness.

The Solus lifted his head to find a young woman standing before him, clearly a survivor on whatever planet he had managed to find himself on. When his black T-visor met her gaze, it would be the motivation he required to find his strength as he shot to his full height with a grunt, a majority of his body resting against the co-pilot seat. On an unknown planet, injured and facing an unknown person, Nox relied on what he knew and immediately drew out his blaster and aimed it toward her chest, his finger resting above the trigger guard but ready to be dropped if she did anything.

Where the hell am I? The question asked in mando'a as he reverted to his common tongue, forgetting the whole concept for a brief moment that only his people understood the language. If replied back to or not, they would begin to hear the clattering of footsteps behind them, one pair as it grew louder and more distinctive, no attempt being made to be quiet. Nox would glance at her then the doorway, wondering if she had an accomplice with her.

But what broke forth from the shadows wasn't human, at least it wasn't right then. An infected sprinted toward them, the smell of decaying following it as it screamed and beelined towards them. It was unlike anything the Mandalorian had seen before and was an abomination. Without hesitating, Nox would take a slight step to the side and straighten out his arm that held the blaster. He squeezed off a bolt and it would fly over Livi's shoulder with a buzz and strike the infected right in the chest, the noise echoing. Another was fired after, this time finding the creature in the head as it fell backward motionless.

Tiny smoke columns raised from the fresh burn holes as the thing didn't get back up. Nox lowered the blaster and glanced over to Livi, her words from earlier coming back to him as what he saw brought him back to reality. "I'm not leaving this ship." His voice modulated slightly but carrying his stubbornness still. The Solus would walk past her, one hand against the walls as he did, and to the cargo hold. The ship didn't matter to him, it was what it was carrying that did.

 

[Livi Cross]

Livi looked over her shoulder as the man fired the blaster, gritting her teeth. While he likely thought he was the coolest thing since portion bread, he was making a lot of noise. If the ship crash weren’t bad enough, going pew pew when the dust was settling certainly was. Her jaw tightened as he walked past her. She didn’t know about Mandalorians and to her he was just an impressively armored idiot that didn’t know Basic.

When he grumbled about not leaving the ship, Livi watched him walk off in silence. She shrugged and turned towards the opening formed by the cracked front transparisteel. She had her bag stashed with supplies she stole from him and was good to go.

“Suit yourself, dumbass,” She stated calmly as she placed her hands on the edge of the metal frame and began to climb out. This left the armored man behind as infected quickly began to pile into the ship from the side entrance she had originally used to get in.

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox walked past her and stepped over the body, the flesh still sizzling from his shot. The concept of AMS was unknown to him as he had never come across it before. Because of that, he still held it tightly in his hand as one of his most reliable weapons. He could hear the woman behind him start to climb out of the ship and he was thankful for it, not putting it past her that she could have fingered through his things before he had been able to get up. She would need the distance between them if she had stolen from his clan.

The Solus entered through the doorway and into the cargo hold but the moment he stepped through, an infected tackled him into the wall and pressed against him as it snapped its jaw. Nox had put up his arm reactively and the teeth sank into his armor but instantly shattered amongst impact. With a quick spin, he would switch positions with the infected and have it against the wall underneath his left arm. In one smooth motion, he launched his elbow from his other arm right into the head of the creature, easily cracking through its skull as it exploded. The body dropped afterward as he stepped back to give it space.

What is going on? Nox asked in mando'a before he turned around and that's when he heard it, the scuttling of footsteps that grew louder and louder. Glancing down at the hold, he soon saw an infected flood into the ship and right into the room with the crate of his supplies. The Mandalorian was about to smash a fist into the metal frame but then he realized that the sound most likely attracted them. Stepping back quietly, he would make his way back to the cockpit and find the same exit that the woman used.

After a few minutes, Livi would be walking along the street before she would hear a voice behind her, "What planet am I on?" The mandalorian would be standing there slightly more bloody than last time.