Answer question

Well, holidays are over, and I was just wondering about the status of Dark Tide.

Smoke filled the corridors of the ship and sirens wailed. The main generators had failed and the dim emergency lighting cast a feeble orange glow, barely bright enough to make anything out through the acrid clouds of smoke. The vessel shook under another barrage of shots followed by an explosion that rocked the hull and threw Benku to the floor. A doorway beckoned to him across the corridor and he crawled towards it, coughing as he tried to clear the noxious fumes from his lungs. For some reason the doors had failed to close properly and he pulled himself through the narrow opening. Moments after passing the threshold another explosion echoed through the ship and without warning the door slammed shut, sealing him in the room. He sat himself up and leaned back against the wall of the room, pausing for a moment to survey his surroundings.

“Anyone here?” he called, peering through the dim orange light. Crates and supplies littered the room, some had tumbled haphazardly and lay in untidy piles.

“Yeah, who’s that?” came an answering voice.

“Benku.”

“It’s Janis. Help me, I’m pinned by these crates.”

Benku pulled a flashlight from his pockets and shone the beam around the room. On the far side a pair of eyes caught the beam. Janis lay on the floor, propped on one elbow. A crate had fallen on his legs while a couple more held it in place. Benku stood and walked towards him, he placed the flashlight in his mouth and heaved on one of the bulky storage containers. It slid easily across the floor, creating enough space to reach the one that held Janis’ legs. It lay at an awkward angle, to free Janis he’d have to pivot it back. If he dragged it off there was a risk of causing further injury and he wasn’t even sure yet how bad the man was.

“I’m going to pull this one towards me, as soon as you have space you need to pull your legs out and get clear.”

Janis nodded under the torchlight, his face pale and eye’s wide. Benku placed the flashlight on the floor and took position against the crate, both arms stretched over the top.

“Ok, one, two, three!” He heaved back on the crate and it began to tilt towards him, he pulled it further until he heard Janis scrape across the floor.

The ship rocked and shuddered again as another explosion thundered through it and the dim orange emergency lights blinked out. Benku lost his balance and the crate fell forward again with a clang of metal against metal.

“Janis!” he shouted scrambling on the floor for the flashlight. He threw the beam back towards the mans last position and breathed out in relief. Janis lay on the floor, his upper body angled up and both elbows holding him up off the deck. He was staring at the crate and it took a few seconds for him to acknowledge Benuk again. The soles of his feet were touching the sides of the container, he tapped one against it and looked up towards Benku.

“That was close.”

“You’re telling me.” Answered Benku, kneeling beside him. He began squeezing Janis’ legs, starting at the top and working down. “Any pain? Any breaks?”

“Don’t think so. It was heavy but it didn’t fall on me hard enough to break anything. It just kind of slid towards me. Listen.”

The two sat in silence and Benku tilted his head, trying to catch whatever it was Janis had heard.

“I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly. Nothing. Not even the engines.”

Janis was right, not even the gentle hum of the Blockade Runners engines could be felt or heard through the deck plates. They were drifting blind in space.

Benku stood and began moving the crates around them. “Help me out!”

“What? Why?”

“Because if we’ve lost power and engines then we’re on borrowed time, we were approaching Tattooine.”

Janis paused before speaking again. “We’re caught in the planets gravity aren’t we?”

Benku closed his eyes and nodded. “We’re falling towards the surface.”

The two men worked to form the crates around them in a crude barricade and took shelter in the middle. The ship began to shudder again as it entered the planets atmosphere and red tongues of flames flicked around the ship as it tried to push it’s way towards the surface. Like Benku and Janis, pockets of rebels took shelter where they could and hoped for a miracle.

With the Sentinel safely onboard, the Star Destroyer turned and headed away from the Null system. Safely out of the planets gravitational influence, she quickly disappeared in a flash and entered in to hyperspace.

Admiral Bothar sat back in his chair, a finger resting against his lips as he contemplated his new orders. The Black Wing project had been recovered and all involved were securely held in one of the hangars to prevent contamination among the wider crew. He was glad it would soon be off his ship, he had been part of the task force sent to destroy the “Vector “ and had heard the rumours of its effects. Still, he felt uneasy about deploying it among a civilian populace, Rebel groups or not. He activated a holo channel and Ross’s image appeared before him.

“Yes Admiral.”

“We have received new orders. The weapon is to be deployed.”

Ross smiled, making him appear menacing in the holos pale blue light. “Excellent. A suitable target I trust?”

“Tattooine. Recent events there have incurred the wrath of the Emperor and Lord Vader. Rebel groups are believed to be active on the planet and they have chosen it to be your first chance to demonstrate it’s potency.”

“Tattooine?” Scoffed Ross, “A backwater planet that half of the galaxy has never heard of!”

“That may be so,” answered Bothar, leaning forward towards the projection, “but it will also allow you to study the virus in more depth without risking any unwanted infection across other planets. Two Star Destroyers and a Cruiser will remain in orbit to prevent anything leaving the surface.”

Ross paused for a moment before answering. “Very well Admiral. I suggest all those involved in the recovery are also used to transport the virus to the surface. It may help prevent unwanted complications later on.”

“Agreed. Send me your recommendations when you have finalised them. You shall have my full support.”

Darek watched as Angelus paced up and down the small bunk room. Since returning from Null they had been kept in the hangar deck of the Star Destroyer, in fact the hangar had already been prepped for what looked like would be a long stay. Imperial accommodation cells had been placed in one area, with a small but well stocked galley linking them together. On the other side of the hangar was larger series of shelters that housed the Scientist’s and their equipment. In the middle stood the Sentinel and a smaller Lambda.

“I’m telling you, we’re walking dead men.” Rumbled Angelus. “Me, you, the crew, the stormies. We’re all going to end up trial subjects for something.”

“Relax, it’s probably just a precaution.” Darek leaned back in his chair as he put his legs across the corner of a table and his hands behind his head.

“Yeah, to make sure that whatever they got hold of doesn’t kill the rest of the crew,” Angelus snapped back, “I’ve heard rumours you know. Experiments on alien’s, genetically bred super diseases, all sorts of weird stuff.”

He walked over to Dareks table and slammed both hands on to it’s surface then leaned towards him. He shot a suspicious look towards the scientists corner of the hangar.
“I’ve even heard a Star Destroyer was reduced to slag by Vaders personal fleet after one of their little experiments went wrong.” He whispered.

Darek laughed, “Don’t you think something like that would be noticed? A whole ships company just disappears and no-one talks about it?”

Angelus drew himself up to his full height and shook his head. “It’s not impossible. Just lock up or dispose of anyone with links to it and poof, goodnight.”

“Take it easy Angelus. It’s just a little cautionary quarantine, we’ll be out of here soon enough. Nothing is gonna happen.”

This thread is gathering dust! It needs an update from someone special, say, Twigs!

TK7642 raised his arm and waved his men forward. As the group of Stormtroopers headed out across the barren landscape he took a look back towards the Sentinels cockpit. A face in the window watched the group move off and the trooper gave a salute before following his men. In the middle of the group of Stormtroopers walked the science group, guiding their cargo sleds and occasionally glancing at datapads. He could see that none of them knew which direction they needed to go in, despite the occasional gestures indicating a new direction.

“Perhaps we could be of more assistance if we knew what you were looking for.”

“Captain,” answered one of the scientists, frowning and looking at his companions, “we’re not sure what exactly we are looking for. That is to say, we know what it may look like, but we don’t know where it will be.”

“I see.” Answered TK7642, his voicy tinny and impersonal through the helmets voice modulator. “Well if you could give us some kind of idea, perhaps our scanners may be of some use.”

“In this case, I don’t think they will.” Answered another of the group, “This area was destroyed by aerial bombardment, we suspect that what we are looking for may have survived but we are not sure. In any case, it has the ability to hide itself from standard scans.”

“So it’s some sort of creature or sentient being?” asked the Squad leader, starting to become a little annoyed by the scientists’ cryptic answers.

“Captain, the best I can tell you, is that we will have to check any standing structure or object in this area.” With that, the four scientists began moving across the plateau once more. As TK7642 turned to follow them, one of his stormtroopers shouted and waved before pointing towards the edge of the plateau. Everyone turned to see what he had spotted, some of the troopers also dropping to one knee and raising their weapons. TK7642 raised his hand to the side of his helmet and activated his macro binoculars. It took a second or two for the area to come in to focus and he carefully moved from left to right before spotting it.

“Over there,” he indicated, “ATST wreckage.”

“I believe that would be a good starting point,” the lead scientist spoke up, “when we reach the area Captain, you and your men are to take defensive positions around us, do not approach the wreckage until we have cleared you to do so.”

“Aye sir.”

It took five minutes to reach the walkers wreckage. Not much remained and it was a miracle they had noticed it from so far off. Only half of the cockpit could be seen, the rest of it lay buried and fused in the ground where molten rock had swept over it. The group stopped a few metres away and TK7642 motioned to his men to circle around it. As the troopers carried out their orders and took position, the four scientist’s began removing equipment from the cargo sleds. Masks and containment suits were soon visible on the floor and the men wasted no time putting them on. With their protective gear in place they approached the ATST husk. TK7642 and the other Stormtroopers took another step backwards as the men got closer. No-one had mentioned anything about containment suits.

The first of the four scientists reached the ATST and carefully examined the ground around it.

“No signs of leakage on the floor.” He said as the other men took position around him.

“It may not even be here. We have nothing to suggest it survived.” Said another.

“It survived, it always survives.” The Chief Science Officer squinted at the sun then looked round at the Stormtroopers. Even behind the safety of their white helmets they appeared agitated, nervous.

“It’s here alright,” He continued, “waiting for us to take it somewhere else to feed.”

“Ross, nothing could have survived this, not even this super virus.” The man spoke as he raised himself back up from the surface and dusted off his suit, carefully checking for any leaks.

“Listen. There are no birds, no rodents. This happened weeks ago, so why is it so quiet?”

They all noticed it then. Here on top of the plateau, they were the only living things.

“Open the hatch.” Ordered Ross, “Sivon, you got here first, you take the honour.”

Sivon blew out hard before stepping forward and grasping the locking ring that would open the ATST’s entry hatch. He turned it sharply anti-clockwise until it stopped then pulled back. It refused to open at first so he gave another hard tug and it started to give with a sickly squelch. He let go of the hatch and it swung down on the hinges, clanging heavily against the hull. Thick black strings of liquid pooled here and there and began to run down the walkers heavy armoured casing.

“I think we found it.” He said, carefully stepping away and checking his hands for droplets.

Ross motioned another of the men forward, “Check inside. Sivon, go bring the sled over.”

One of the men moved towards the hatch and shone a bright torch inside. It appeared to be empty, though here and there more of the strange black fluid seeped and ran down the walls. He poked his head through the hatch and looked down. A large puddle of the stuff had pooled and white bones could be seen reaching out from it. One area of the black pool appeared to ripple more than the others, something was moving in there.
“It’s here.” He said, pulling himself back from the dark confines of the walker.

Ross nodded, looking round to watch as Sivon brought the cargo sleds across. “Ok, begin extraction. Cover the walker, no one outside this group is to see anything.” He looked round at the Stormtroopers as he spoke. He stopped as his gaze fell on TK7642 and the Squad Leader gave him an imperceptible nod. “You unfortunate souls,” murmured Ross, “you don’t even know you’re already dead.”

It only took a few moments for the four men to assemble a heavy dark tent around the walker, cutting them off from the Stromtroopers protctive gaze.

“What have they found?” the voice echoed inside TK7642’s helmet and he looked round for the source. One of the men opposite him raised a hand slightly, TK1911.

“I don’t know. Whatever it is needs some pretty heavy protection.” Answered the squad leader. “Keep your distance from them though, these suits aren’t rated for that level of protection.”

As he finished speaking two of the scientists emerged from the tent carrying something between them. It too was covered up to prevent unwanted looks from the troopers. Whatever it was, it looked to be held in some kind of storage container judging from the way the heavy material was draped over it. They placed it carefully on one of the sleds and began moving it away as the two remaining men stepped out from the containment shelter. One of them stopped to press something before throwing it back in the tent and waving at the Stormtroopers to follow them.

Ross opened a clear com channel so that every one could hear him, “In a few moments that device will destroy everything, I suggest we move quickly.”

“Sir, is there anything we should know about your mission?” asked TK7642.

“I assure you Captain, you will find out soon enough.”

The Imperial Star Destroyer exited hyperspace and the sublight engines ignited, casting a brilliant blue sheen across the rear of the hull. As it neared the planet a single Sentinel class shuttle left the hangar and it’s wings folded down as it increased speed towards the planets surface. The rear of the ship contained a strange collection of tubes, sensor equipment and storage tanks, while towards the front sat an odd assortment of personnel. Stormtroopers sat on one side of the ship, staring blankly across the aisle at the four scientists they had been sent to guard.

The ship began to shake a little as it began to enter the thicker atmosphere of the planet and the scientists gripped their chairs a little harder, causing one of the troopers to smirk a little inside his helmet. In the cockpit Darek Moortel eased back the throttle a little, trying to reduce the drag on the large ship. He ran through his landing checks and activated the weapons systems, despite the sensor readouts showing no life signs in the immediate area. His co-pilot and weapon operators were all running through their own checks, he reached forward and opened the com frequency to the crew compartment.

“We’ll be landing in a few moments, area appears clear. Troopers take positions near the crew doors.”

He flicked it off and turned to his co-pilot as the landing site came in to view, “Look at the state of this place, orbital bombardment?”

“Looks that way,” answered Angelus, “can’t see what could have been worth it here though. Wasn’t it one of ours?”

“That’s what I heard. Keep the weapons hot, I’ll handle the landing.”

“You got it.” Angelus looked back towards the passenger compartment as he spoke, “Meat shields are in positions, clear for crew doors.”

He turned back to his control panel as Darek manoeuvred the Sentinel ever closer to the intended landing site. The area was awash with rubble and metal, much of it fused together from the heat of high energy impacts. Angelus spotted an area that looked suitable to touch down on and pointed to it through the transparisteel cockpit. “Right there looks good, firing in three, two, one.”

A trail of smoke burst forward from below the sentinel and streamed towards the site as Angelus fired off one of the Sentinels powerful missiles. It was quickly followed by bright streams of laser fire as Darek fired his own high energy blaster cannons. At the same time he pulled back hard on the throttle and pulled in the flying surfaces. With practiced ease the Sentinel quickly drew to a stop in mid air as the repulsorlift engines kicked in and took over from the sublight drive. At the same time its large wings effortlessly folded up as the landing gear dropped down in to position. Crew doors on either side of the ship opened out and the contingent of Stromtroopers took positions, peering out across the landscape through the rifle scopes, alert for any signs of movement.

Darek waited for the smoke to clear and made a final check of the sensor systems.

“Going in now, slow ahead.”

He maintained a steady grip on the controls and edged the ship forward, with the Stormtroopers behind him keeping watch from the doors he had to be careful not to accelerate too quickly, or the g-force could send them tumbling to the ground below. Angelus and the weapon operators scanned back and forth through their sights for movement as well, their job was to protect the ship from surface attack. With the ship moving so slowly through the air it was an easy target for surface to air missile attacks, or even worse, EMP weapons.

The ship’s landing gear made contact and Darek cut the engines. “We’re down,” he announced, “report in.”

“Clear ahead.” Announced Angelus and the two weapon ops.

The stormtroopers had already disembarked from the ship and had fanned out on each side, lying prone on the planets surface. “We are clear outside,” reported the squad leader, “standing by.”

“Ok Angelus, your turn now, I’m heading aft.” Said Darek, already unbuckling the restraint harness and standing up, “keep the systems running till I get back.”

“Aye sir,” answered the copilot as he glanced up Darek, “any idea how long we’ll be here?”

Darek shrugged and took one final look through the cockpit. “Nope, but from the look of it out there I don’t think there’s much for them to find.”

The science group had already left their seats and were now unhooking the equipment from storage. Darek approached them and helped one move a large storage container on to a cargo sled, it’s antigrav motors whining briefly as they compensated for the new weight.

“What do you guys expect to find here?” he asked casually, tapping another piece of equipment in curiosity.

“None of your business soldier.” Answered one of them curtly, snatching the item away from Darek, “you are here only to transport us to and from the surface. This is way above your clearance level so keep your nose out and follow orders.”

Darek bristled at the rebuttal and squared up to the man, standing toe to toe he towered easily over him and used his height to his advantage, staring him in the eye. “Well that’s the thing now isn’t it. We’re supposed to drop you here then wait, flightdeck secured with no admittance to anyone after landing. So, that gets me wondering, it’s got to be something dangerous hasn’t it? Radiation? Something contagious? Or maybe something likely to rip my arms out. So, since I got to carry this cargo, I want to know what it is.”

“Captain, you would be better off doing as you have been told. As I said, you are only here to follow orders, orders from the Emperor himself. This wasted attempt at intimidation will not yield any more from me, I can assure you of that.”  The man stared back at Darek, giving away nothing and clearly not impressed by his attempts to assert his authority.

Darek growled before turning away and stomping back towards the cockpit. He took one last look back towards them before slapping his hand against the door controls, sealing the crew off from whatever would soon be onboard.