Ruins of Dis [Imp Mission]

[Chask274]

1600 hours
Aboard an EF89 Nebulon-V Escort Frigate, the ISV Immolator
The Planet of Dis Debris Field​

As he walked to the armory of the frigate, Isaac ran the details of the mission through his head again. The briefing had been short and to the point. Alongside a duo of Sith, Isaac and a fireteam of Stormtroopers were being deployed to a recently discovered (and mysteriously silent) Chiss outpost that was located on one of the many fragments of the formerly-existent Planet of Dis, and investigate why it was here and unresponsive. Ordinarily, two Sith would be more than enough for a job like this, however, the unusual circumstances warranted the extra support. Officially, it was because Chiss maser weapons, called charrics, had unique kinetic properties that tended to disarm anyone attempting to deflect their shots with a lightsaber. Unofficially, well, even Isaac had heard the stories. The destruction of the planet made that particular possibility a very unlikely one, but in the event it actually happened, the troopers would be there to gun down any undead.

Like any good soldier going on a mission, Isaac was a tad nervous. Unlike most soldiers his age and rank, however, it wasn't the prospect of combat that scared him. The Battle of Naboo got rid of that particular fear very quickly. It was the creepy circumstances that were making him nervous. Zombies and derelict installations are supposed to be stuff for holo-vids, yet the possibility of both was very real for this mission. Isaac had a sinking feeling that once this was over, he'd be adding Dis to his growing list of nightmare settings.

Arriving at the armory, Isaac was given his usual kit by the quartermaster. Holstering his pistol at his side, Isaac slung a lightly armored backpack filled with various explosive goodies onto his shoulders, grabbed his light repeater, and made his way to the hangar bay. He arrived just as the rest of the Troopers did. The other members of the squad were also Privates, albeit inexperienced ones. The Troopers began stowing their equipment in the shuttle's various storage racks and strapping into their seats. Isaac remained standing, however, and waited for the Sith to arrive.

Spoiler: OOC

@Moheep @Epicjester
I'm running off the assumption that exact details on what happened on and to Dis are classified, but stories about the Phirisian Disease and the zombies it creates are known. (i.e. ghost stories told around garrison card tables that aren't entirely factual)

 

[Epicjester]

This was quite the experience for Rhem. His first ever official Imperial mission. Oh sure, he had done a few errands in the past. But thy were never of any importance. Deliver a message, look over some documents or simply stand somewhere and look menacing in dark robes.

You know, typical grunt work for any aspiring Sith apprentice.

But this particular mission was different. It had some sense of actual importance! Not only that, but it had zombies in it! By the Force, Rhem wanted to see if he could take one of them back with him. While his area of expertise was mechanics. Rhem still knew his way around a test tube. So there was a small chance that he would be coming away from this mission with some valuable SCIENCE if he played his cards right.

So good was his mood, that a small tune began to escape from his humming lips as he made his way from his quarters to the hanger. A catchy little song that he had heard that one time in a cantina. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not get it out of his head. So he might as well embrace it and hopes it goes away in time.

Finally entering the hanger, the troopers would be met with an odd sight. A young man, no older than seventeen with brightly coloured hair making his merry way into the hanger. Dressed in casual clothing with a small backpack on his back, one could almost assume that Rhem was a civilian that had wandered onto the ship. But the lightsaber that hung on his belt spoke otherwise.

It seemed that Issac and his team would be escorting someone several years their junior. Who knows how the team would react to that?

Taking a moment to pirouette on his heel to get a better look at the hanger, Rhem finally spotted Issac as the one trooper who still seemed to be standing up. A slight grin spreading over his features, the young Sith made his way over to the Private.

"Hi there." He chirpped, his voice far to outwardly friendly for that of a Sith apprentice. "Are you the commanding officer here?"

 

[Vosh Deo]

The lone medical officer placed his medical kit and bag into a area of the ship where he could get to it quickly, his mission was rather different from the rest. Straight from one of the high commands he was told to get a blood sample of the infected, though, Vosh would not called them zombies, it is what they were up against. This was Vosh's first full mission as a trooper and not just a lone medical unit. His armor was slightly different from the rest. On his shoulder had a Medical symbol in red, His helmet also had a some red on the helm and mouth piece. He was different from the lone white Troopers.

As he saw a Sith come into the shuttle he stood up and stood straight from where he was prepping his medical supplies, his hand rose to his forehead and his left arm hung straight against his side. He said nothing, he hadn't said a word all day, he was too busy thinking of what he might do, of how he was to be helping the others how was he suppose to help the ones who are dying, what if some one got infected his mind raced with ideas and he was trying to plan them all out. None the less the Medical unit was as loyal as they come. He would stand and die by the commanders side. Even if it meant to give up his own.

Vosh lowered his arm as the Young Sith spoke to who he thought was in charge, no one told him anything, maybe because he was medical? It was very rare now days for the Empire to have any means of medical on missions anymore, it was easier for them to risk the life of the troopers than to save them. But this was different, this was a missions souly to him, he was going to try and find a cure, he had to. After all it was something that was important to the Empire. If they could use this as a weapon the Jedi could fall, then peace would finally come through out the Galaxy as it was suppose to be until the Jedi came and ruined it all.

He changed his gaze from the medical supplies he was working with to the Young sith, he slowly walked over to him and rose his hand again, saluting him until he was able to speak, which was only when the Sith gave him permission. In the back of his mind, Vosh hoped this sith was not like most, maybe this one would be nice to the troopers, or maybe he would be unforgiving and cruel like most.

 

[Sara Rain]

After completing her preliminary inspection of the VAAT/i gunship scheduled to transport her and the rest of her recon team down to the ruined planet of Dis, Sara exited the craft and began to make her way back to her temporary living quarters to pick up a duffel bag loaded with all the equipment she would need to complete her upcoming mission. Among the items packed were her blaster, vibroblade, training saber, datapad, and commlink, as well as some light body armor and a week's worth of survival rations. Slinging her bag across her right shoulder, Sara made her way back to the hangar, where her team was probably already assembling.

Arriving back at the hangar, Sara noticed a small squad of stormtroopers as well as a young man boarding the VAAT/I. It took only moments for Sara to recognize that these were the stormtroopers that had been assigned to assist her throughout the duration of her mission. The flamboyant young man currently addressing the squad's leader was most likely Sara's acolyte partner for the mission, judging by the small impression he left on the Force.

As Sara drew nearer to the group, she found herself immediately disliking her fellow acolyte. Much to her regret, she had not goten the opportunity to meet with him prior to now, mostly because she had spent most of her time on the ship reading into dozens of reports and history records that could possibly assist her with the mission. Gazing at the male acolyte, Sara could not believe he planned on actually wearing that appalling civilian garbage during the mission. Sara herself was currently wearing a set of loose-fitting black robes. Potential enemies would see his hair coming from a mile away, that is, if they did not hear his friendly high-pitched voice first.

Sara was not sure how she should feel about the stormtroopers either. A large part of her identified strongly with the brave men and women who fought bravely to defend the Imperium. Sara herself had been a member of the IAF for several years before eventually moving on. Another part of Sara told her to put her past camaraderie with the IAF behind. The young woman who had joined the IAF was not the woman Sara was now, nor the woman Sara aspired to be. Sara was a Sith, and Sith thrived in positions of power. To display her situation clearly, Sara was not sure if she should act like the stormtroopers' equal, or as their superior.

Walking up the group, her body language displaying a mixture of cool confidence and cold superiority, Sara did a quick scan of the gathered stormtroopers. Judging by the markings on their armor, most of the squad we're inexperienced rookies, though Sara was able to identify at least one experienced soldier, the obvious leader of the squad, standing tall among his brethen. She also identified the squad's medical officer, and gave him a slight nod. Not wanting to be one to interupt, Sara waited for the private to answer her fellow acolyte's question before introducing herself into the conversation.

@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

When the teenager entered the hangar, Isaac was baffled at first. What the hell was a kid doing aboard this ship? He was about to voice that question when he noticed the lightsaber hilt hanging from the teen's belt. Thankful for the privacy of his helmet, Isaac sighed and rolled his eyes. 'They're giving sabers to kids now?! What the hell has the Imperium come to if they're trusting that kind of weapon to someone so young? Hopefully this guy knows what he's doing, because I'm not here to babysit.' When the acoylte approached, Isaac leaned his repeater against his seat before straightening up and standing at parade rest. Acolytes were technically of equal rank to Army Privates, so Isaac didn't feel the need to be at attention and salute.

Giving the newly arrived woman, whom he assumed to be the second Sith, a nod in greeting, Isaac turned to the teenager and replied to his question. "Yes, I'm the acting CO of this fireteam. I'm Private Isaac Stover, nice to meet both of you. I'd suggest getting aboard the transport now, the outpost is a decent ways into the debris field, so we'll want to leave ASAP. We can review the mission objective enroute. Any objections?"

If there were no objections, the shuttle would take off after they were all aboard, and make it's way into the debris field.

 

[Vosh Deo]

The Medic didn't say a word, he simply sat down and brought up his Data pad, and worked on his medical reports. Not much more he could do. Though it was annoying he had to take orders of someone who is the same rank, but he had no say in the matter, he was simply. The medic. Though he was happy to have more than one Sith with them, made him feel a bit calmer than before. His fingers typed away at the data pad, a steady stream of words passing though, all on how this mission was to go down for him, how he was suppose to do it, and in the time he had to do it. Yet something had caught him off guard was the Female Sith, she had looked annoyed, angry even. He kept glancing at her, not noticeably because of his helmet All he had to do was shift his eyes to look.

A red message came to his screen and it told him of a new report, it seemed the vaccine he was working on had failed on the first test subject. This...angered him, the hours he spent working on his damned thing, to only have it fail? How cruel of a joke it was. Vosh kept calm though, knowing once he got enough blood he could easily make a better vaccine. He still had an uneasy feeling, something was going to happen, something felt off and he couldn't pin point what it was. He placed his data pad down, the Failed Vaccine report could now be seen by others if they looked, while he checked over his medical gear once more

 

[Epicjester]

Rhem's eyebrow quirked upwards as he spoke to the trooper that seemed to be in charge. He could feel the slight shift of disbelief in the sea of emotions of the man in front of him. Giving himself a brief mental pat on the back for brushing up on his emotion sensing before he came here, Rhem simply responded to the trooper's statement with a brief smile. It didnt matter to him what some trooper thought of him. His skills were up to the task. Otherwise he would have never have been sent on this mission.

Or maybe whoever sent him just wanted Rhem dead. One could never tell with the machinations of Sith. They were tricksy like that.

Speaking of Sith. It seemed that his fellow Acolyte had arrived. Craning his neck back to look at Sara, Rhem's eyebrow once again rose as he saw the older woman wearing the standard dark robes of the Sith Order. "You know they usually go for the ones in robes first right?" It was mostly out of pragmatism that Rhem only wore his robes when necessary. No one ever suspected the slightly ratty looking teenager was able to choke you with his mind.

The other part was for comfort. He felt that the robes were too heavy for his liking and itched terribly. Give him a hooded top and normal pants any day of the week.

"No objections here Private. Feel free to fill me in on the way there." The Acolyte replied, already sauntering into the shuttle to make himself comfortable for the flight.

 

[Sara Rain]

Sara ignored her fellow acolyte's snide comment, and instead focused on the words of Private Isaac Stover. When he finished, Sara simply nodded her head and boarded the ship. She agreed completely with his chosen agenda. The team would have plenty of time to discuss the mission once everyone was on the ship.

Placing her bag down by her feet, Sara opted to take the seat between the medical officer and one of the stormtroopers, leaving the two seats directly across from her and the medical officer open for Pvt. Stover and her fellow acolyte.

Once everyone was strapped safely into their seats, Sara lifted her commlink to her mouth and gave the pilot the go-ahead to take off. A few seconds later the landing ramp closed and the pilot's cheerful voice cold be heard over the ship's intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Beltsign. If you haven’t already done so, please take your seat, fasten your seat belt, and make sure to stow your dangerous ordinance and weapons safely under your seat as to avoid any explosive accidents during today's flight".

Sara rolled her eyes. She always hated getting pilots who thought they were funny.

"Before we take off we would like to remind you that this is a non-smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories".

"They have lavatories on these things", the trooper beside Sara exclaimed with mock surprise, earning a few laughs from his colleagues.

Sara lifted her commlink back to her mouth. "Please cut the druk and get us in the air". The pilot mumbled his consent back through the commlink. Sara hesitated before adding, "And I expect the intercom only be used for necessary communication only from now on. Thanks".

While Sara knew that a little bit of laughter was good for the morale of the soldiers under her joint command, she also wanted them concentrating on the difficult mission ahead of them.

Nanoseconds later the roar of the VAAT/i's engines began to echo in Sara's ears. Her stomach began to twist in a knot as the gunship slowly lifted off the ground. For a few moments, the ship hovered in it's place. Then everything inside the cabin lurched slightly as the VAAT/i shit out of the hangar and began navigating its way through the debris field.

After a few moments of silence, the pilot's voice once again buzzed over the intercom. "No problems to report concerning our take-off, flight mission should proceed as planned. We are enroute to the terrifying ruins of Dis, ETA is fifteen minutes. We hope you enjoy the flight".

Sitting straight in her seat, Sara introduced herself in a clear voice, "Hello, I am Sara Rain, I am one of the Sith Acolytes who will be leading this expedition". She gestured towards Pvt. Stover. "Before your CO begins your briefing, I would like everyone to provide me with a name I can use to address you under fire".

 

[Chask274]

As the transport lifted off, Isaac elected to forego his seat altogether, and instead held on to one of the overhead handholds. While he did think that Sara was being a bit harsh when she shut up the pilot and the laughing troopers, he knew better than to voice his opinion. When Sara asked for everybody to introduce themselves, the other troopers of Isaac's team introduced themselves as Privates Smith, Jenkins, and Ross. After the medic and other Acolyte introduced themselves, Isaac walked to the front of the compartment before turning to face the others.

"Alright, listen up people. For those of you who don't know, approximately fourteen hours ago, the ISV Immolator detected a Chiss outpost on one of the larger asteroids in the field we're flying into to. It hasn't responded to any hails, so we've been sent in to investigate. This asteroid field is all that's left of the Planet of Dis, which was destroyed several months ago when it was discovered the entire planet had succumbed to a virus known as the Phirisian Disease. This virus infects its host, and slowly kills it before taking control of the body. The infectee then proceeds to roam around and try to infect others via biting them. To make a long story shorter, its a zombie virus, plain and simple. If we encounter any undead, avoid being bitten and any contact with their bodily fluids at all costs, and execute them with extreme prejudice. Headshots aren't necessary, as the virus still needs a working circulatory and nervous system to keep the host mobile. Any injury that would put down a normal humanoid will be able to kill a Phirisian zombie."

Isaac paused for a moment before continuing. "However, and I can't emphasize this enough, the chance of running into any victims of the disease are slim to none. The planet's surface was completely destroyed, with along with any trace of atmosphere. It's very likely the only thing we'll find in that outpost are a bunch of Chiss who are trying to hide from the Imperium. Capture them if possible, but otherwise it's standard RoE; Shoot them if they shoot at you. That's all."

As Isaac went to sit down, he noticed Vosh's datapad and the "Failed Vaccine" message on it's screen. Opening a private comm channel with the medic, Isaac switched off his helmet's external speakers before speaking. "Whatever medical research objective Command gave you is fine by me, but it does not interfere with the mission, alright? Do what you have to, but the lives of our teammates come before anything else. Fair enough?"

 

[Vosh Deo]

Vosh heard the sudden voice in his years, he was shocked to say the least. Maybe he was too busy with his work...or maybe he was too worried to lose a life again. He had lost his squad not long ago, as stated before but this meant a lot to him to see how he could help someone, be the better medic he wanted to be. This was a new day, a new chance, he was more than ready for this mission. Plus he had his medical kit, this was a custom medic kit made for the mission, when he was given this, he was a little worried of where it might lead but that was just him. Now he was calm, feeling better now they took off. Right, the message, the words of the acting leader repeated through his mind as he thought of something to say. Would he address everyone or just him. None the less he was getting some looked from the other troopers, well no not looks but he felt their eyes on him.

"If I may Private Issac I know my mission, did you mean to insult me when you are telling me the team comes first? Do you know how lucky you are I am even coming along? Tell me Issac how many combat medics do you know now? Hmm? Very very few, because they keep getting killed off. The two most targeted units are the Fireteam leader, and The medic. You know why? Because the Medic can bring others into working order after they had been shot, cut, or anything that happened. Though a Leader can be replaced, a Medic can not. Do not tell me who comes first, The squad is more than enough. I will treat them before anything but you understand this Private Issac, if you ever, tell me the team comes first again, I will blast a hole through your chest. You don't understand what I have lost do you. I was Fireteam leader on a mission to capture a Jedi, you know what happened? My whole squad, but me, had lost their lives. I know the team comes first I have been beating my self up from the loss of my team! My friends! My family! And yet you come here and say. The team comes first. You haven't been a medic have you, we know, what to do, we know the team comes first an you know what. This vaccine I am working on might just bring back my friends from the dead, ever thought about that? Maybe I'm doing this for more than one reason"

With that Vosh turned off the private com and looked down at his hands, he had been harsh but who could blame him, he had lost his best friend, it was right infront of him Fry was the team sniper they were in the clear then suddenly a Saber stabbed right through the chest of his friend. It was a Jedi, those horried Jedi who did worse than the Sith. He saw his friend fall and die, he couldn't do a thing about it. From that day on, he had been out to kill hoping he could get a Jedi one day.

((OOC: Vosh isn't mean or anything he's really nice but this is a touchy area for him. He knows his job))

 

[Epicjester]

"Oh don't be so grumpy." Rhem admonished the other Acolyte. Technically he had the same level of authority the female Sith had on this mission. Perhaps even more considering that he actually had his own lightsaber and everything. Having proven himself skilled enough in both bladework and force skill to wield one. "Until we actually hit the ground. I don't mind chatter." He spoke up, overruling Sara's previous order. Hopefully endearing himself to the men as "the friendlier Sith."

It always paid well to have the men look favorably on you.

Upon being informed that the chances of encountering zombies were actually rather low, Rhem's face changed to one that a small child might have if someone just ran over their beloved pet. It seems he wouldn't get to play mad scientist with what could be a disease he could make quite a bit of use out of.

Raising his hand like a child in a classroom, Rhem did have a question to ask of the Private in charge. You said we would be dealing with Chiss. Any idea if they have masers on them?" Maybe he couldnt get out of this with a zombie tied up in the cargo hold. But if he was lucky, he could get a rather useful new toy to play around with.

 

[Sara Rain]

To put it simply, Sara was already beginning to dislike her fellow acolyte. Not only was he directly undermining her authority, but it seemed as though he would rather listen to the pre-flight announcement of a luxury cruiser than the briefing for their upcoming mission. Despite her growing anger, Sara suppressed the urge to put him in his place. Despite her dislike, they were still on the same side, and they did have a mission to perform.

The briefing given by Pvt. Stover revealed nothing Sara had not learned by reading the pre-mission report, but she was glad that everyone was now on the same page. As the Pvt. Stover took his seat, Sara opened her bag and began strapping pieces of light armor over her robes. The armor would provide some additional protection, while not taking away from her mobility.

Her eyes on Pvt. Stover, Sara could tell by his body language that he was having a conversation with one of his squad mates through their private comms. As she looked around in an attempt to deduce who the CO was speaking with, Sara suddenly felt a wave of anger from the medical officer beside her, who subsequentlly lowered his head to look down into his hands.

For a moment, Sara was confused. It was clear Pvt. Stover had said something very upsetting for the medical officer, but she was not sure what. Sara decided to let the situation play itself out before interupting their conversation.

 

[Chask274]

Isaac was taken aback by Vosh's reply, but to be honest, it was warranted. Isaac should have known he'd make sure the ten cane first, he was a medic after all. He was about to reply when the comm connection was cut. Before he could do anything to fix the situation, the pilot came on the intercom again. "Target sighted. Looks like there's a small hangar to land in, stand-by."

The outpost was a small, single story facility built on a skyscraper sized asteroid. It was divided into two distinct sections; the hangar and a lab building which was several times larger than the hangar. They were connected by a short tunnel. As the shuttle approached the hangar, it decelerated quickly before gently gliding through the atmosphere containment field and setting down. The craft barely fit, and it was evident the hangar was only meant for one ship at a time.

Isaac turned to the fireteam. "Alright, let's disembark! Secure the hangar and keep eyes on the entrance. Smith, get to work on the door. If the lock can't be sliced, we'll blast it open. Pilot, once we're clear, take off but remain in the area. We'll most likely need to use the shuttle as a comm relay to maintain contact with the Immolator." As the team exited the shuttle and set about doing their assigned tasks. Isaac turned towards Vosh and called him over.

Lowering his voice, Isaac faced Vosh. "I want to apologize for earlier. It was insensitive of me to assume that you wouldn't put the team first and it wasn't right. I only meant it as a reminder, because I've heard of and seen plenty of people who screwed their comrades over just to get a job done. I'm also sorry to hear about what happened to your team. I know how that can feel, my entire platoon was killed off by a pair of Jedi and a Mandalorian during the Battle of Naboo. I was one of two survivors. That day still haunts me..." Private Smith suddenly called out that he'd gotten the door open.

It was time to find out what was going on here

 

[Vosh Deo]

As bosh heard what Issac said to the men, he smiled under his helmet, he knew they were in good hands but how much could a leader do in a point like this, both of them, loosing someone they loved as family, brothers. The Sith couldn't care less about the troopers, to them they were just a helmet, but to the troopers, they were family. It seemed that Issac had gone through a lot just as Vosh did, this only made him feel worse. He held Issacs shoulder making sure the Trooper faced him. His helmet looked at his. Then he clicked the Private com.

"I was far too harsh on you, that was wrong of me to go off the handle like that. You were doing what was right making sure I knew my job, making sure I knew who to treat the squad. I was being rash. Again, with you by my side I know this mission will go smooth. Heck we don't even need the Sith! We will be just fine. Give me orders and I shall follow. I have the upmost faith in you."

He slowly walked out of the shuttle his blaster raised, he checked left, then right, keeping pace with the team. Softly there were groans and raspy breathin from some angel but Vosh couldn't find it, he looked left right up down and yet there was not a soul in sight. This gave chills to the medic, as he watched and waited, the old area seemed to be gloomier than before. Which was impressive. As he slowly end walked around checking the blood on the wall he took a swab and put in the data pad. It came up as Trooper blood, one of the 32nd. His eyes widened. They had left almost 6 months ago. And yet there was fresh blood on the wall. this made his heart sink to his sotmach, he then thought about the reports, they were attracted to sound... If the stories of The infect was true sound would draw them near. He looked to Isaac and opened the com unit.

"Blasting that door open is not a good idea. reports from this ship, as they were given to me by the medical officer. Is that the infected are drawn by sound. They can smell and hear but the eye site is not the best, if possible we should fine a different way around."

@Epicjester

 

[Sara Rain]

As the stormtroopers set off to complete their assigned tasks, Sara paused for a moment immediately after exiting the ship. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and concentrated on the Force around her.

Almost immediately Sara started gasping for breath. The Dark Side of the Force radiated strongly from the abandoned outpost. Sara herself was no stranger to the raw fury of the Dark Side, having trained in the cold temples of Ziost and experienced the presence of the Sith Warmaster himself, but the death, decay, and despair clinging to the air around her felt very different from the way the Dark Side was supposed to feel. Clenching her teeth, Sara focused for a few more seconds, just enough time to confirm that there was nobody else alive on the outpost save for Sara and her teammates.

"If there were ever any Chiss fugitives here", Sara whispered just audible enough to be heard, "They're either dead, or they've found a way to hide their presence from me". To be honest, Sara was not sure which option she preferred.

Opening here eyes and glancing around, Sara noticed that Pvt. Stover and the medical officer were continuing their conversation from before. Luckily, Sara did not need to use the force to determine that whatever tension that had formed between the two had vanished as quickly as it appeared.

As for the door, Sara had a solution. Brandishing her datapad, Sara approached the door's control pad. Ordering Pvt. Smith to stand aside, Sara attempted to succeed where he had failed. While the soldier's understanding of slicing was rudimentary at best, Sara had received intensive training on the craft during her time in the Ubiqtorate. Furthermore, her datapad contained a few very effective coding algorithms that would allow her to open a wide variety of electronic doors very quickly.

After a few seconds, the door unlocked with an electronic click. As the hangar door began to slide open, Sara took a step back from the entranceway and aimed her pistol at the opening, preparing to defend herself and the men under her command from anyone, or anything, that might come out.

 

[Selk Deolos]

Private Selk Deolos had waited long enough. He had arrived ahead of the squad with his helmet on and gear already prepped and taken the co-pilot's chair when he saw that they didn't have one assigned. He had his particle rifle on his back and his blaster carbine at his side and was carrying more than two times the number of ammo packs that troopers usually carried. He had also scored some armor that the armory was going to get rid of. It was a little obsolete but had better vacuum seals than the current suits and a built in air supply. There was a lot of chatter right off and the pilot thought he was funny. Chatter didn't bother Selk. He didn't know this squad or the two Sith that were accompanying them. His kept his comlink was open but he said nothing and focused on the task at hand. If the squad leader had been informed about his last-minute addition to the team then he would be addressed. If that bit of trivia hadn't hit the leader yet it wouldn't do to throw him off by interrupting. He would let the man get a feel for most of his squad and the Sith before introducing himself. He listened intently but the briefing wasn't particularly demanding. It was a simple enough mission for most of the squad. Though he had heard some rumors about the medic having a different objective nothing had been confirmed in his hearing yet. It didn't matter. He would keep as many of them alive as he could.

After the rest of the squad had disembarked and the pilot had withdrawn the ship to a safe holding distance, Selk disengaged his harness and made his way through the small craft, checking one compartment at a time. The squad leader and the acolytes hadn't noticed him during the flight so he hadn't received any direct orders just yet. He took the opportunity to clear the ship and make sure that nothing foreign made it onboard while it had been in contact with the facility. The pilot seemed a little confused by this trooper's behavior but the practiced way he moved and the zero-gravity mobility gear he was carrying silenced any protests. His armor was vacuum sealed as well which wasn't terribly common. While it didn't have more than thirty minutes of air capacity it would still let him reach the facility and join the squad once he was done. He checked the vehicle quickly but thoroughly for any kind of foreign object or fluid as well as any possible stowaways. The chiss were not to be underestimated to say nothing of the potential for unknown threats. Still, he found nothing and finally spoke into his comlink on a closed communication to the squad leader.

"Private Selk Deolos reporting. Landing craft clear of any signs of possible contamination, damage, or tampering. Request permission to join the squad." The older trooper said in an even voice as though it would just be a walk down the hall instead of a thruster assisted vacuum approach along a grapple line. He didn't feel that it was necessary to mention that he was already standing on the outer hull of the ship with the hanger in sight and his longest grapple ready to go. After all, it wasn't his first such trip.

((Invited by Vosh Deo, cleared by Chask274))

 

[Chask274]

The door slid open with a hiss, revealing a dim corridor barely lit by flickering red emergency lights. The far end of the corridor was hidden in darkness, although it thankfully appeared to be empty. Isaac was about to give the signal to move in when he was surprised by a radio call. "Umm, roger that. Permission granted, on the condition that you thoroughly explain who you are and how you ended up on this mission when you get here." Turning around, Isaac squinted at the distant dropship, barely managing to make out the silhouette of a trooper on it's hull. 'What and who the hell is this guy?!? Is he going to do what I think he is?'

While he waited for the new arrival to make his crossing, Isaac kicked on his helmet's built-in flashlights, illuminating the darkened corridor. He would have simply used the low-light vision mode, but elected for light for the benefit of the Sith. Twenty feet down the hall was another closed door, although without a fancy encrypted lock like the first one. Approaching it, Isaac slapped the 'Open' button before stepping back and raising his weapon. Except the door didn't open. Trying the button again, Isaac noticed that the panel flash red. Something was leaning against the panel on the other side, pinning down the 'Close' button. A cheap and moderately effective way of keeping out intruders, it would do little against a breaching charge. Removing the two-meters of det-tape from his belt, Isaac unspooled it before tearing it in two and applying it in a X shape to the door. "Before any of you protest, this will take far less time than cutting it open, and probably make just as much noise. For those of you without a helmet on, I'd suggest closing your eyes and looking away. In 3...2...1, BREACH!" Yanking on the tape's pull cord, there was a loud bang and a bright flash as what little of the door wasn't vaporized was blown into the room beyond. Rushing in to secure the room, Isaac's flashlight beam fell on the shuffling forms of three half decomposed Chiss as they closed in on him and the others.

"Here we go!'

 

[Sara Rain]

As the squad continued deeper into the facility, the sense of dread Sara had been feeling since the very beginning of the mission continued to grow in her stomach. While she could not be sure, Sara was confident that her companions were feeling it too. The entire stormtrooper squad had fell silent, save for Pvt. Stover issuing orders in an almost mechanical tone.

While Sara was skeptical of the newcomer, she would not deny that an additional trooper could mean the difference between life and death on this frozen rock. Sara could question the newcomer concerning his unorthodox behaviour later. For now, she was just happy to have another blaster watching her back.

Because of her light armor and lack of helmet, Sara took a position near the rear of the group, where she was confident that she would be most useful. Feeling a rush of heat when the blast went off, Sara raised her blaster and followed the stormtroopers inside.

The entire room was covered in a shroud of darkness, making it impossible for Sara to determine how large it was. With her inability to sense the presence of the undead, Sara would have to rely on the narrow beams of light shining from the stormtroopers' helmets.

Despite their rotting flesh, the undead moved rather quickly, and Sara had barely enough time to raise her rifle and unleash three blasterbolts into the center mass of one of the zombies. Working in unison, the Imperial strike force was more than capable of handling the three undead, but as the third corpse fell unmoving to the floor, Sara heard an unsettling screech from the darkness.

Before anyone could react, two more undead had emerged from the darkness to assault the stormtroopers squad. Pvt. Smith, the friendly trooper who had exchanged banter with the VAAT/i pilot earlier, was suddenly tackled to the ground of one of the zombies. Smith struggled bravely against the beast, but it had him pinned to the ground. It seemed that, despite their condition, the undead had retained at least a scrap of intelligence, because the one on top of Smith ripped off his helmet and began biting into the soft flesh underneath. The trooper cried out in pain and terror.

Meanwhile, the second zombie lunged straight towards the squad's medical officer.

 

[Vosh Deo]

In a force of habit Vosh turned around and let the blast hit his back. Small tinks of metal hiting his armor fell to the ground as the unit moved in, flicking his light on the first thing...was it a thing, was it even a forum of life? He was unsure but he saw what seemed to be the undead charging towards the group. A few quick shots took down the the first three. Then. All Vosh could remember was that he was being pinned to the ground but a drooling, blood lusting, ....Trooper?! Vosh's eyes widened at the site. He knew they were going to kill some infected but nothing like this. But he snapped to as he held the snarling and clawing of the undead Trooper away from him. The long nails of the infected scratching at his armor. His chest plate now full of scratch marks as the thing reached for him, wanting nothing more than to end Vosh's life. Vosh had to think quckily. time was not on his side as he remeber of his small pistol strapped to his right thigh. Quickly he grabbed one hand on the neck of the bony creature, with a soft grunt Vosh held his weight of the infected with one arm as he pulled out his pistol from his side, placed it in the mouth of the infected trooper and fired. Blood splattered all over the wall behind the thing as well as blood hitting his armor. With a snarl Vosh threw the thing off, Vosh didn't even remember to breath. When he took a huge gulp of the artifical air their suits gave them he let out a cough, seeing one of the troopers dead next to him. He knew he was lucky to be alive....no thanks to any of the other troopers but he knew it wasn't their fault, they had tried to save Smith. Poor guy...he was a nice one, loved to make jokes over all made people feel better. This was a lose that wouldn't be in vain. Still not speaking Vosh raised his pistol again and shot Smith in the head. Blood now pooled not just from the wounds but from his head. Where he laid. Vosh looked to the Squad his chest plate showing how he was still breathing hard. He then looked to the Sith....he just gave a slight stare then knelt down to the Infected. reaching in his pack he took out a small syringe and placed it in the neck of the now dead, twice, dead, creature.

"...That..was..interesting. To say the least. Glad you guys could lend me a hand making my job easier. I also have some info for you all. If you are bitten, Or you get scratched in any way shape or form you will be executed on site. This goes for Sith as well. We can not risk having any more of these things, if you have wounds you tell me. I will see if I can treat them, if you don't tell me, and I find out, You're getting a Blaster Bolt to the skull. Another note. Aim for the head. The Infected will still move with out a head for a limited time. It kills them still but make sure to aim your shots well. We do not have unlimited Ammo. Let's get going...nothing more to see here"

Vosh pushed his way near the front, some what mad at the Sith. They had the force right? Why didn't she just help Vosh and force push that thing off him? Was she in shock? Why didn't the other Troopers help him. This was something to think about for another time but right now they had a mission to do. Vosh had his blood, he just needed a few more samples. Though the ones they killed before, wouldn't do. The body had to be some what fresh. With a huff he turned to Isaac.

"Let's get a move on..."

 

[Selk Deolos]

Private Deolos acknowledged the order with a click of the comm as he saw a series of dim flashes in the distant dark of the facility. The squad had advanced and encountered the enemy. He fired his grapple and waited. It was several long seconds before it finally affixed itself to a maintenance grate in the hangar floor and took in the slack from the cable. He deactivated his magnetic boots and fired three short bursts from the small thrust belt at his waist. Silently, he drifted toward the facility. He could hear the spinning of the winch as it pulled him to the grappling hook but no sound escapes in space.

He watched his approach angle and speed before firing the thrusters one more time. They were already in combat. He needed to land at a run. This was now a hot insertion and he was coming in hard and fast. He flashed through the hangar forcefield and impacted the floor a second later, slamming into it with his boots and rolling several meters before coming up at a jog as he released his grapple with a flick of his thumb and raised his rifle. He would have some bruises after this one.

Private Deolos advanced across the hangar at a ground eating jog and passed through the first doorway without slowing. His turned on his helmet lights and rapidly approached the second doorway, talking into his comm on a squad frequency. "Private Deolos reporting." He did not stop at attention but, seeing that most of the squad was clustered just inside the room, stopped short with his carbine ready so as to not block any existing lines of fire and be prepared. He also took the opportunity to take stock of the squad's condition. It wasn't good for first contact but it could be worse.

Judging from the condition of the dead trooper his caution with regards to the craft was justified. He hadn't been heard anything about shooting the wounded over the communicator but the attitude of the medic made any explanation redundant. Contamination results in execution. No room for mistakes then. He turned to look at the sith. One of them had a blaster. No matter how good she was with that it spoke volumes about how much he could expect from her. Sith were dangerous and unpredictable when they were confident and worse if they had something to prove. Still, he hadn't seen her performance yet. Everything remained to be seen with a squad of rookies. Yet, having their kind here made him uneasy.

The dead hostiles had two distinct wound patterns. It looked like the medic favored headshots. Someone else had made it work with a concentrated cluster of shots to the target's center of mass. These things followed normal rules then, no matter how they looked. Kill the nerve junctions and you kill the dependent body part. With so much of their body decayed it would be easier to target the spine as well.

This time, Private Deolos spoke openly instead of on a closed channel. "Private Isaac, sir. My reassignment was short notice. I only received word a few hours before launch. Here's the order I received." His voice in person betrayed his age. He pulled a small datapad out of one of his belt compartments and held it out for his commanding officer. "I thought that you had been duly informed." He left it unspoken that this kind of situation had all the signs of being in violation of at least a few regulations. Someone had stuck their neck out to send this old recruit on a dangerous mission, probably with fudged paperwork and a couple padded pockets.

The datapad held more than just the order. It had a summarized version of his file and a copy of his earlier military record including the last unit he was assigned to. It was in everyone's best interest for the commanding officer to know who was under his command. It was little enough information but at least it would give Private Isaac something to work with.

Pt. Deolos kept looking around. He was itching to switch to night vision but the headlamps of the other troopers would blind him. They needed to find out the layout of this room quickly. There could be more enemies incoming from any of the available dark directions. There really wasn't much time for discussion. Still, it was the commanding officer's decision whether to move or hold position. It was his job to kill anything that attacked before anyone else died.