NationStates Jolt Archive

The Commander shrugged,
"We have no idea" He shouted over the rain, "We thought they were in this mountain but it seems they weren't"

Viff sighed dejectedly. There went her hope of an easy capture. And without any vessals in orbit or any kind of recon craft at all, there was no hope of finding them. Not on foot. It would be faster, searching the mountains, than before due to the absence of struggling upward under fire, but the chances of locating a civilian population, even a large one, were astronomical. Especially since they did not even know the point of origin. Viff began to despair, continuing to stare out over the mist and mountain tops spearing though. Turning now, Viff spoke in low tones to her second-in-command, telling him to begin erecting permenant shelter and send scouting teams out to search the surronding mountains. There was very little hope, but they had to try. A XFC soldier informed Carson as Viff passed out the orders to her XFC, kitsune taking Imperial weapons and leading their prisoners away to the main column.

Carson watched Viff for a few seconds then approached her side, carefully,
"You shouldn't worry about the Civilians" He said while staring out at the rain covered mountains, "They're probably in the deepest, safest part of the mountains by now"

Viff shook her head, the two standing within a hive of activity of APA, XFC and captured Imperials. "It won't matter, in the long run. They'll just starve, or freeze to death, or become infected with diease, or even all three. Out there, even with supplies and equipment, is certain death. You can spend time here, but there's little flora and no animals suitable for hunting that I've seen. As it is, we've been raiding and capturing Imperial stocks of rations to fuel our armies."

Carson shrugged,
"The Imp Officer I was talking to said they'd been here for decades. They know where the food and supplies are." He looked grim, "They also have their own Army, although it's been hidden from the Imperials. It may start to come out a bit more now that their grip is loosening. This may turn into a three way war"

Viff shrugged. "If it comes between my soldiers and armed civilians, I'll take my soldiers in a second. Any food stocks we find belong to the Resistance. Any if they decide to attack, we'll do to them exactly what we did to the Imperials. Decimate their forces and put those who surrender in chains."

"Except that they know this land better than we do and they're more like an army of sharpshooters than what we're doing" he indicated to the column,
"Anyway," He clapped his hands together, "I'm starving! Let's get something to eat"

Viff nodded as they walked off towards a massive tent that was the mess hall. "Snipers aren't immune to artillery shells," she said dryly, "and I'm not going to go looking for snipers. These people have got to know we're not out to help them, not to fight them. But if they start shooting at us, we'll shoot back."

"True, I don't think they'll do much. Although they may want their planet back and for us to bugger off," He gave a chuckle, "I wouldn't mind that actually"

Viff smiled. "Nor would I. All my soldiers want is to get away from here, now that the Imperials have been defeated. I'll be lucky if I never see this place again." They entered the tent, which was almost caverniously huge, with wooden tables spread out all over, a metal serving line to the left with chefs behind it. Already most of the XFC and a good number of APA soldiers were inside, eating and drinking, conversing little and saving their energy for lifting their forks or spoons to their mouths.

Carson accepted a bowl of warm soup and took a deep sniff. He shuddered at it's vile stench but with a lack of supplies, there was little to spare on food for the men.
"Better than nothing" He reasoned sadly.

Viff looked at her own food. What looked to be rubbery noodles were decorated with little dried, sad-looking vegetables, floating in a warmed-over watery liquid. Delicious. "Only just, I'm afraid," she said, lifting a spoonful of the stuff and eyeing it suspiciously. "Even ship cooking was better than this," she sniffed, "I guess it's hard for the Imperials to feed an army of millions."

"I guess," He frowned and picked up what once may have been a piece of meat but had long since ceased to perform in that function. He eyed it suspiciously,
"I think my dinner's winking at me" He sighed.

'I wouldn't eat that, if I were you," Viff nodded to the peice of meat, which had fallen off his fork and appeared to be scooting away. "Unless you'd like to run it down and bite it to death."

"I think you're right" Carson gave a nod, sighing, "What are the noodles like?" he asked Viff hopefully, "Anymore editable?"

"Anymore editable?"
Viff prodded the noodle with her spoon, watching them carefully. Without a word she lifted it to her mouth and took it off the spoon, chewing thoughtfully. The kitsune made a face as it went down and considered. "Better than the meat would have been," she admitted, taking a swing of water from her canteen.

"Fair enough" Carson took a spoonful of the noodles and made his own face as he chewed. He chewed longer than was normal and eventually forced the food down his throat,
"This wasn't designed for sentient consumption" he said unhappily

"Obviously," Viff had stopped eating and was contenting herself with the occasional drink. "We really have to see about better food. Even basic XFC rations are better than this, and we're supposed to be on the losing side!"

"Now you can see why they want to join us" He grinned, "If only we could contact the Native peoples, they might be able to show us where there's decent food," He took a drink, screwed his face in disgust and spat out the mouthful again,
"And clean water," He finished.

Viff sighed, pushing the bowl away from herself entirely. "But we have so little equipment. How are we going to communicate with them? Shoot a mountain and spell out the word "HELP" on the side with the craters? I'm as sick of this as you are, but despite our climbing and fighting, we really don't know this planet that well. We could search for years and never find a trace of the existence of the civilians."

"Maybe," Carson was thinking, "Or maybe we've going about this the wrong way. What do we do to try and find them? We storm up a mountain with a Platoon of armed troops. That's never going to work is it? Maybe we have to be a little more...tactful" he was still thinking to himself about the possibility

"If you can think of a better way, please share. We can't find them if they don't want to be found. They don't trust us, so any gifts we try to leave out won't be taken, any calls we spread across the planet will go unanswered." Viff said. She was exhasted, and not really in any mood for looking for the civilians now.

Carson was about to speak again when an Officer came into the tent,
"Is there a Light Company here!? I heard where was a Light Company billeted here!?"

"Yeah?" Carson looked even more exhausted at that point, "We're the Light Company. What do you need?"

"Colonel wants you to set up Piquets around the Battalion. You have five minutes" His departure was met with a chorus of moans and abuse from the Skirmishers who started to pick up their packs and sigh,

"You coming?" He asked Viff, "Indicating to the XFC"

"I suppose," she nodded, standing and hoisting her own pack and weapons. "We're as much a part of the Resistance as the APA is." Around her the kitsune were standing and grumbling as well, though they were careful not to let anything discernible reach her ears. The sound of weapons being picked up and packs being shouldered echoed thoughout the tent.
OOC: TG.

So one of the APA's 8 battalions was camping on the peak of a mountain. 4,500 men were getting ready to camp on the cold and wet floor of the mountain to await the dawn and another day of being shredded by artillery and hit by snipers.
However, 500 men were now forming up the Piquet line for the night. The first line would be taken up by just 100 men to act as Sentries while the other 400 were formed up to act as an emergency defensive line. This was where Carson's men were based,
"Nice night isn't it?" He said grimly as the rain continued to lash down in the dark.

"Didn't we do this last night?" muttered Viff, remembering how that had turned out. Over two miserable weeks now, filled with rain and mud and blood and death. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Viff would have traded anything she owned, and most of her limbs, to be able to get off the Qonnforsaken planet, even if she had to serve on a starship for the rest of her life.

Carson read her expression and nodded,
"I know what you mean. I can't remember the last time I was in a warm bed with clean, dry sheets and a nice breakfast waiting for me in the morning." He shook his head, "The joys of conscription eh?"

"Conscription?" Viff laughed. "I volunteered. My rank is such because I was one of the few survivors of the Xiscapian Grand Army, a veteran, as it were. Those with combat experience against the Imperials were in desperately short supply in the XFC, so they took me in and basically gave me my old job back. See, as much as I and my soldiers may hate being here, we're all here because we asked to fight the Imperials. There's no conscription in the XFC."

"I was in the Imperial Army," Carson admitted, "And I was conscripted. I used to be a Carpenter. I loved working in the open air during the Summer. Then I was enlisted. I fought all over the place until I realised what we were doing. So I joined the APA and here I am" He sighed, "All of my men were conscripted. None were Soldiers by choice."

Viff nodded sadly. "For a long time, we thought all of Alversia was against us. Then we learned about the terrible conscription laws brought upon you, how the vast majority of Alversian soldiers are fighting to stay alive, not out of any sense of duty or hatred of those they help oppress. Only the fanatics, like the Twelfth Legion, are like that." She smiled softly. "Most of you would rather be home, instead of out here, laying your lives down for a Empire you don't like, a military that doesn't respect you and a Emperor who doesn't give a flying fuck whether you live or die."

Carson nodded,
"We are cattle being fed into the grinder. The Empire will send Legion after Legion into a battle until the Enemy collapses with exhaustion. That or we just glass the planet. That is what we did to the Alumina. Most of the Alumina." He sighed, thinking of the pitiful few who still resisted stubbornly,
"Now we are in the APA and suddenly we feel like Soldiers, not just men with guns but soldiers. People who know what we are doing. It is a wonderful feeling after so long wondering if it was to be your legion that stormed the fortress and was slaughtered next"

"Imperial tactics are horrifying, for both sides involved. I've seen holos of many of the battles we fought as the Imperials made their slow, sure progress into the Kitsune Empire. Fights where there would be a mere platoon of Xiscapian soldiers in a machine gun bunker, trying to stall the advance to give civilians behind them a chance to escape on transports.

The soldiers attacked, and they climbed over mountains of their own dead only to be struck down by the fire. They just kept coming and coming and coming, and when they finally made it inside, they slaughtered the soldiers in the bunker, caught up with the civilians, destroyed the transports and killed anyone who was left. Then they burned the city to the ground, steamrolled it into dirt and paved over the dirt. It was like the city had never been there. And...what they do to prisoners," she paused, not wanting to go on any further. Everyone knew what they did to Prisoners of War and unfortunate civilians captives.

Carson shuddered and shook his head,
"That is why we have to make sure that the Empire does not survive this war" He said firmly, "We need to make sure that they cannot spread this to other worlds."

Viff snorted. "We're already too late for that, don't you see? The Empire has spread impossibly far. Every world it takes only adds more resources and technology and growing room for more soldiers. They're fighting battles in places we've never heard of, places we'll never see in our lifetimes. But all is not lost. If we can strike at the heart, the Empire will crumble. Most of the military has no loyalty to the Emperor, so the minute he's dead they'll all turn around and come back. Only the extremeists will stay and fight, and there's far too few of them to make any difference."

"Good point," Carson admitted, "If we can kill the Emperor, then the Admirals and Generals will start to battle for the title. The Empire will fall apart. That is what we need to do" he said firmly.

Viff watched the rain for a little while, perched on her rock, glumly staring outward. "I think we still have a while yet before that happens." she said. What would she do after the Empire fell? She had been fighting practically her whole life, first against the Korr, then against the Imperials as they forced their way into the Empire and finally now, as part of the Resistance. What would she do, once it was all over? Settle down, get a job, raise a family? Not likely, she decided. "I've had enough action for a lifetime," she said aloud, "but it's all I know. I've been fighting someone forever, born with a chip on my shoulder and a sword at my side. You," she gestured to him, "you have something, back home. A carpenter. Me, I've got nothing. All I've ever know is the battle."

"You could try and make a life for yourself" Carson insisted, "You don't know what you can do until you do it. Look at me," She spread his shoulder wide, "I was a Carpenter and I would never dreamed of being a Soldier. Now I command my own Platoon. Not bad eh?"

"Well, that's one thing," said Viff, "but the thing about being a soldier is that anyone can fight, with the right tools and training. Not everyone can be a carpenter. Admittedly, not everyone who joins is a good soldier, but anyone can be at least decent, if they try. Not the same with a carpenter. I mean, what skills do I have?" She looked at the mud. "I can shoot off a man's head at thirty paces with a rifle, I can cut someone in half with my sword, and I survived this. What can I possibly do with that?"

"Well," Carson thought, "You never know, you could be a Carpenter, anyone can be one as long as they practice" he smiled, "Do you want to learn?"

Viff shrugged. "It's as good as any. When I'm off duty I carve with my knife, so that's a start. I know wood, anyway. So what's the first thing I need to know about carpentry?"

Carson was about to speak when an explosion sounded from further down the line. There were calls and reports from the section and Carson sighed,
"Back to heaven eh?" He said.

OOC: Heh, nice dodge on that one.
IC:
"Artillery must have found the line, either that or the Imperials are attacking again," sighed Viff, and both took off for the site of the blast. Viff looked at Carson as they ran, and decided if he wanted an apprentice once this was all over she wouldn't say no. She actually liked the guy, and if he wanted to go further then that she wouldn't mind. But right now she had soldiers to question and probably a defensive line to fix.

Carson arrived at the scene and sighed. One of the empty trenches had been blown out but other than that there was no damage. He sighed. He hadn't been joking about Viff becoming his Apprentice. He had no family and it would be nice to have someone in his workshop with him. It was something to look forward to.

Viff shook her head and caught a APA soldier running by. "What happened here?" she demanded. "Did a shell hit?"

"Dunno Ma'am" The Soldier shook his head, "There was just an explosion then this trench blew out. We haven't seen any Imperials so..." The man shrugged, as if at a loss on how to describe what had happened.

"Explosions don't happen for no reason," muttered Viff darkly, waving the man away. "And this trench is empty, so there's no chance of a store shell or belt of grenades accidentally going off, so..." she looked at Carson. "The civilians, perhaps?"

Carson shrugged,
"We were told they could dark in and out without evern being seen. A warning perhaps?"

Carson shrugged,
"Perhaps. A warning maybe?"

"Perhaps. A warning maybe?"
"Quite possibly," said Viff, still staring at the trench. "Why are they so frightened? When has the Resistance ever killed civilians? Who do they think we are, Imperials?"
Of course, the XFC had built up quite a reputation for brutally executing any Imperial soldier they captured, but they had never killed civilians. The Imperials did enough of that for everyone.

Carson shrugged again,
"I dunno. Perhaps they want to be left in peace on this godforsaken hellhole" he looked around to see that the peaks had been shrouded by a combination of darkness and rainfall. He shook his head,
"We need to find a way to talk to them" he called over to her.

Viff grimaced. "We discussed that, remember? With a ship in orbital we could easily locate them, but we don't even have so much as a single fighter, so we're stuck on foot. So we can't go find them. We'll need to put out a message they can find and understand...if we're to co-exist on this rock, we need them to know we're not out to fight them."

"That may be difficult" He sighed, "They seem to see us as the same sort as the Imperial Army. They won't like us being here" He looked about, "If they are in this area then we may need to organise a Skirmishers sweep to try and clear them out" He sighed again, knowing that it was going to be difficult to clear them out, in the dark.

Viff shook her head. "No. I'm not sending more of my kitsune out to die, especially not to fight civilians. We need to talk to them, not kill them. You can send out the APA, but if you intend to kill them like your Imperial brothers did, I will take no part in it."

"It's either that or let them attack the camp again tonight. Or bombard it, there's hundreds of artillery pieces abandoned in the mountains. If none of them fall into Local hands I will be surprised." he sighed heavily, "On the other hand, my Skirmishers would be butchered in the dark in unfamiliar terrain. Looks like we are going to have to sit here and take the punishment."

"If we attack them, we lose all credibility of trying to help them," said Viff,
"but in the course of their offensive wouldn't be that hard to take a few captives and make them talk. If they attack us directly, with infantry, their base can't be far from here. Or we can simply track them back to their point of origin once they retreat."

"If only it were that easy" Carson nodded and looked back at the camp, "Looks like everything's died down over here, I'm going to check the rest of the line. You wanna come along or are you okay here?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and preparing to run through the storms again.

"I'll come with you," she nodded and turned around. "How is morale among the APA?" Viff doubted it was any better than among her own kitsune, and it would only get worse once she told them they might be thrust into combat with the very people they were trying to help.

"It's been better" Carson sighed, "The weathers just getting to the men y'know. They're not wimps but even they like to be dry at least once a fortnight." He looked up at the swirling black storm clouds, "I so hope we don't have to fight the Locals" he stated, "They seem rather formidable"

"They seem rather formidable"
Viff frowned. "How do you arrive at this conclusion? All they've done so far is blow up an empty trench. Did an Imperial prisoner tell you about them?" she inquired.

"Some of them" Carson admitted, "They just appear and disappear. They'll appear from behind a rocky outcrop, fire a few rounds, kill a few troops and disappear. They said their nerves were shot from the tension"

Viff shook her head. "We're the XFC, we've mastered guerrilla warfare. If they try to use our own tactics against us, it won't work. We know how to combat that. The Imperials obviously weren't so lucky."

Carson shrugged again,
"If you think so. But you're making the same mistake the Imperials did. You're underestimating them. Look around" he spread his arms wide, "There's thousands of sniper points were one could be shot from. We can't cover them all. Even a dozen men could do some real damage in this sector."

Viff shook her head. "We have hundreds of hand-held scanners taken from Imperial soldiers for that exact purpose. The Imperials armed themselves incredibly well against XFC hit-and-run tactics, and now we have their equipment. We will just do what the Imperials did to the XFC: See them before they get here and take them out before they can possibly do any harm. The only way we were ever able to hurt the Empire was when the soldiers were stupid, or got lazy. Then we got lucky. I am not taking any shit from these people," she said suddenly angry as she looked at the mountains, "we've put up with the fighting too long to do it anymore. There will be a peaceful solution to this problem, I don't want to have to kill them. I will walk the mountain ridges myself if I have to, but no more have to die here if we can make this work."

Carson shook his head,
"And the scanners really helped the Imperials" he pointed out, "you're assuming that one lesson in guerrilla warfare will automatically work in another when it might not"

"You're assuming that one lesson in guerrilla warfare will automatically work in another when it might not."
Viff turned her head, cocking it to face him with a expression of puzzlement. "I do not understand. How do you mean?"

"The Imperial Army was able to effectively lock down Xiscapia right? You could hardly get a punch in. That is what you have admitted. Yet, at the moment, an estimated 3,000 locals including women and children have managed to effectively pin down large parts of a force of 15,000 combat troops. Obviously their tactics don't work."

Viff frowned. "Firstly, you should never, ever underestimate what women and children, even civilians, can do with a gun and a little training, especially if they know the terrain." It may have been easy to forget when she was covered in mud and as exhasted as the other soldiers, but Viff was nevertheless a female. "Anyway, it's not that we're pinned down. From this point, all they've done is set off a bomb. We just don't know where to go next. Our own scans and scouts have reported nothing in the immediate area, but that dosen't mean the militia isn't hiding over the next ridge."

She looked almost reflectively into the huge walls of rock. "I have an idea," she informed Carson quietly, "but there is a very good chance I will die, or at least never return to my soldiers. I want your opinion and analysis before I impliment it."

Carson frowned,
"By all means" He said, looking carefully at her, trying to think, "What have you planned?"

Viff bit her lip. "I want to stop the violence, the killing. It's all so senseless, and the morale of my troops is at rock bottom from the mud and the rain and the mounting death toll. We're down to less than half our original force here. Like I said, the civilians could be hiding over that next ridge. So I'm going to point myself in the direction where our most accurate observation of the majority of them to be, and start walking. I will climb the mountains, alone and unarmed, to them. If they capture me, so be it. I must make them hear me out, hear us all out. We are not their enemy, and they need to understand that we can help each other here. My presence among them may influence peace talks." She looked Carson in the eye, quietly grave. "Most probably I will be shot, and even if I am captured, they may decide to execute me. But it's a risk I'm willing to take. To stop the fighting, because I don't think we want to or can do it anymore."

Carson looked torn, as though he were choosing between life and death. After a while, he gave a heavy sigh and nodded slowly,
"Fine then. But me and my Company will be just over the ridge if you need help"

Viff nodded sadly. "I know. But even if they threaten to kill me, I will not call for help and risk sabotaging the only chance we might have at making peace. My soldiers are under your command now. Good-bye, Carson."
Viff unslung her rifle from her shoulder and put it on the rock. She unholstered her pistol and put that there too, and finally her combat knife on top of both, leaving her with only her katana. She stood, bent over to Carson, and kissed him softly on the lips. For several seconds they remained locked, then Viff parted from him. She looked at him in sorrow for a moment, then gave a wan smile. Turning on heel she walked away into the night and the driving rain, and her form was soon lost in the darkness.
Viff did not look back, but silent tears mixed with the rain on her face.

Carson's eyes widened as they kissed and as soon as he had come to terms, she broke off and headed into the darkness where she slowly vanished. Mason lowered his head and allowed his tears to mix with the puddles on the ground. Would he ever see her again? He would. Of course he would, he would level a mountain if he had to. She must just keep walking and hope they wanted to talk rather than shoot.

Viff walked down the mountain to the next one, coming to the base of the slope quickly enough, practiced feet avoiding loose rocks and slippery mud. Her tail was wrapped around her for warmth, even though it was as waterlogged and dirty as the rest of her. The temperature, away from the camp in the dark, alone, seemed to be dropping. Her vision made the entire landscape seem in twilight, late afternoon. She did not think. She did not feel. She just kept walking, onward, putting on foot in front of the other.
Camp...
A XFC soldier came up to Carson some time later, cradeling his rifle, face half shielded by his helmet, only his chin and mouth exposed.
"Where's the Captain?"

Suddenly, there was noise next to Viff and a voice called out, hidden by the rocks,
"You there! Stand your ground! What is your business here?" There was no evidence of who the voice could belong to, just a wet land covered in mountains.

Camp

Carson just looked at the Kitsune,
"She's gone to talk to the Locals see if we can persuade them to stop attacking our camps." Carson spoke flatly and honestly, there was no point in beating about the bush with a Soldier.

Viff stopped, feet in the mud, battered by the driving rain. "I seek the civilians who hide in these mountains, only to talk. My intentions are not hostile, and I bear no weaponry apart from my sword."
Camp...
"What, out there!" the soldier pointed into the darkness. "Without an escort? She'll be killed for sure!"

"Drop your sword!" The voice called, sounding perfectly clear despite the howling wind and rain, "And put your hands over your head! Do it now!!"

Camp

"The Company is on call if she needs help but she wants to do this alone and we must let her do what she thinks is best" Carson replied with a heavy heart, he felt like the Soldier, he wanted to do nothing more than tear into the mountains and rescue her to be with her. But it wouldn't happen, he would have to have faith in her.

Viff dropped her katana, that beautiful deep blue thing, hand crafted before the Imperial invasion, into the mud and raised her hands above her head. It was not hard to tell where the man was hiding, now that he had spoken, but there could be any number of yet unrevealed snipers hiding among the rocks and ledges.
Camp...
The soldier nodded silently, almost to himself. After a time he spoke again. "Who will be assuming command in her absence? The Lieutenant?"

From behind one of the many rocks, a man approached. His face was covered by a robe, wrapped around his head so that only his eyes were visible. He was also carrying an ancient rifle. He raised the weapon at Viff,
"Put your hands behind your back now and do not turn around. Kick the sword over to me"

Camp

Now Carson looked serious,
"Before she left, Captain Viff left me in command of the Freedom Corps on the surface. Therefore you will be merged into my Platoon."

Viff lowered her hands to clasp them behind her back and put her right foot in the mud, under her sword. A kick and the sword flew though the air, spinning once before arching back down and bumping the robed man's ankles.
Camp...
"Sir!" The soldier instantly snapped to attention, remembering the rigorous lessons Viff has drilled into them again and again. Now her training had paid off with cold discipline. "Warrant Officer Kiko reporting from off-duty to assigment, sir!" He saluted Carson.

As Viff stood there, two men came up behind her. One of them slipped a black hood over her head while the other bound her hands roughly with a thick cord. They were talking as they worked,
"Holy shit! Have you seen this?"
"What?"
"She has a tail!"
"A what?"
"A tail! A fox's tail!"
"You're kidding! Let's see! Holy shit! You're right!"

Then they began to push and pull her into the mountains while the third Man picked up her katana and brought it with him.

Camp

"Very good, Warrant Officer" Carson nodded with a lump in his throat, "I need you to patrol the Front Positions with me. It's where your troops are as well" He stated.

It was tough going over the rocks and mud without her sight to guide her, stumbling over the ground and slipping, but Viff managed to keep upright. She knew if they decided to kill her, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. So Viff stayed silent.
Camp...
Kiko nodded. "Aye sir." As they walked he tried to make conversation, not noticing Carson's apparent discomfort. "Our soldiers have gone from kits to yako and vixens from this fight. As veterans they'll be highly prized in the Resistance, when we get away from here." He didn't say it, but the unspoken words hung in the air: If we get away from here.

Viff was led to a cave in which there were a large number of Cloaked soldiers. They watched with interest as Viff's hood was taken off and she found herself facing a very old man,
"So you are the one who tried to take our land?" He asked in a weak voice.

Camp

Carson noticed the remark that was not said and did not follow it up, he knew that he had to try and keep morale up. Losing a senior officer was not a good start.

Viff waited as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, bringing everything into sharp focus. "We do not seek your lands. We only want peaceful coexistence between our two people. We have no way away from here, nor do we want it. If you do not disturb us, we will not bother you, but I think mutual protection and pooling of resources may help us both, should you accept."
She spoke in calm, neutral tones, knowing that she could be killed at the slightest offense.
Camp...
Kiko subsided into silence as they walked down the lines of APA and a few scattered XFC, here and there, always in pairs. The kitsune had a gaunt, despairing look about them. The climate, the fighting and endless mountains were affecting them badly. Kiko occasionally bent or knelled and murmured words of encouragement to his comrades, who responded with a smile or nod.

"Pooling of resources" The man sneered, "Meaning you take our minerals and we give you our tax. That's how it's always worked. No more, we are taking a stand here and now." he was unarmed and unprotected. He was safe with Viff's hands behind her back still.

Camp

"I have noticed" Carson said after a while of silence, "That the Xiscapians seem to be suffering from this climate more than my own troops. I wonder why?" It was an innocent question.

"That is how it worked for you under Imperial rule," said Viff quietly. "We are not the Imperials. Pooling of resources means food and and shelter for us, and weaponry, training, land and whatever else you desire for you. I come as an emissary, not a soldier, for I bear no weapons."
Camp...
"We are not used to the rugged terrain, at least not these kitsune. True, we are a people of the mountains, and of the plains and forest, but these soldiers have never experienced what you may consider our natural environment. They were never able to, under Imperial rule. They know houses, and starships, rather than ground and sky. It doesn't help, either," sniffed Kiko, "that we do not do well in water. And that is in abundant supply everywhere on this planet, it seems." He was quiet for a moment. "Still, it is hard to suppress natural instincts and ability, and while they may suffer from the climate, I have seen them climb these mountains like they have done it all their lives. We are nothing if we cannot adapt."

"Yeah," The Elder gave a sarcastic nod, "You all claim the same. Peace for all, peace for one, then your soldiers come and take everything! You tried before and we stopped you once. We can stop you again. And we will"

Camp

Carson nodded,
"That is true, I am hoping we get rotated out of here at some point, maybe not to far in the future, but I am not hopeful" He looked up at the clouds then back down again as another Alversian Trooper rushed to his position. They exchanged brief salutes before a messaghe was given.

Carson walked over to Kiko, "It seems I have been summoned to the Colonel's Tent. I will be back in an hour. Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity" He nodded towards then mountain then turned and walked into the heart of the camp.

"You seem to continually confuse the Resistance and the Imperials. Do I even look," her top ears twitched in annoyance, "human, to you? You can attack us, and we can fight, and nothing will be gained from that. Or we can make peace and live together comfortably. I realize in the past you have been tricked by the Imperials. We will not do the same. If we were not serious about this, do you think I would be here, alone and unarmed?" asked Viff.
Camp...
"Aye sir," Kiko nodded and saluted as Carson walked off. He turned his back to the camp and stared out into the mountains, wondering where his superior officer was, and what she was doing.

"Resistance Army, Imperial Army you are all the same!" He shouted, "This is our land! Get off it now and there will be no further bloodshed. Don't you see? We don't want you here!!"

Camp

Carson returned sometime later, pale and rather stunned looking,
"One of our Camps has been attacked. There were heavy losses" he was lookat Kiko, "I have been ordered to take two Light Companies into the Mountains to try and flush the attackers out" he shook his head

"We could not leave even if we wanted to, we have no transport," said Viff softly. "I will repeat myself: We can go to war, or we can coexist. Either way, the Resistance is here, and we won't be leaving any time soon."
Camp...
Kiko looked at Carson, most of his face still masked, but one would be able to sense his disbelief. "They just sent out my Captain to risk her life on a diplomatic mission, and now we are being ordered to attack the very people we are trying to make peace with? Is that not rather counterproductive?"

The Elder looked at Viff again with curiousity as well as anger,
"You do seem a little unusual, Fox Woman. What has brought you to our planet? War!" he announced darkly, "Why can't we live in peace!!"

Camp

"The mission was Viff's decision, nothing to do with the APA and now they want a sweep. They are preparing for a big push in a few days to rid these mountains of the Imperial Army once and for all. For that to be successful, they need those slopes clear of Bandit snipers." Carson shrugged, "order are orders"

"That is what I am offering. Peace. We have liberated you from your Imperial overlords, the same who take your work and taxes and leave you with nothing. Surely you know there are still Imperial soldiers and garrisons, still here in the mountains? If we work together, we can crush them. If we work apart, and against each other, there is a possibility the remaining Imperials may step in and destroy us both." said Viff, looking directly into the old man's eyes.
Camp...
Kiko looked alarmed. "She is acting without authorization? If we fight the civilian militia, they will surely execute the Captain while she is in their possession! If we launch an attack on them, we will be undoing all the work she might be, all the diplomacy and negotiations she will be using! If we attack now, we sabotage any hope of peace." He looked at Carson, licking his lips, pulling his helmet off now to reveal ebony fur and dirty, matted but dry Blondie hair with fierce orange eyes. "Can't you convince Headquarters to hold off? Explain to them the situation, so we can wait for results?"

"Thats what you all say" He stated, "We are Liberators, we are here to rescue you. Lies lies and more lies!! I could have you executed but instead, I think I might keep you as a ransom. You are a high ranking Officer are you now, Fox Woman? I could pursuade your people to leave with you. That is what I will do, I think"

Camp

Carson shrugged,
"I have a two hour window to play with, if nothing has happened in that two hours though, I have to attack. Orders are orders."

"Are you deaf?!" Viff asked, finally losing her cool. "We could not leave even if we wanted to! We have no vehicles of any kind! Why do you not listen? Why do you drive your people down the path to destruction?" Her eyes were like fire as they glared into his old, blue ones. "Who are you?"
Camp...
Kiko grimaced. "Two hours. We'd better hope the Captain can make good work in two hours. Otherwise we'll be condemned to war over this useless rock until the day we die."

"I am as old as the mountains themselves" The Elder stated, "I have been here as long as the Stars. I have watched my people suffer my Protectors. No more. Tonight, I raise my people from their slumber and we shall raise to a great Empire of our own. No more submission and no more pain. We, Fox Woman? We are..."
The Elder turned and touched a button buried in the rock, it turned on a series of lights into a long vast cavern, the cavern was filled with thousands and thousands of bodies wrapped in the same clothes as those with Viff,
"...We are the Skull'Gar!" The Elder announced with glee

"...And our time has come"

Camp

"I hope so" Carson sighed, "I really don't want to climb those mountains in this weather."

Oh shit.
Viff was stunned by the sudden change, but she tried not to show it.
"So," she said quietly, looking out over the tens of thousands of cloaked bodies, "you would trade your own hurt for the pain of others. We want to help you, not fight you. Obviously your time under Imperial rule has taught you nothing, no warning about trying to be like them. You are blind to the sufferings of others, you think only of yourselves. So be it."
Camp...
Kiko silently agreed with the Alversian. "How many civilians are there, do you think? A few thousand?"

"Ha Ha! You misunderstand us, Fox-Woman" The Elder laughed, "We do not want to capture other races. What's the point? All they'll do is fight! We want to exterminate them, erradicate them! Have nice clean little planets for us to rebuild our Empire, long since diminished by an evil we barely survived! All those thousands of years ago. The red eyes" He shivered slightly, "You will witness this victory from our very capital!" he looked gleeful.

The cloaked figues were waking up,
"Look, they rise, they rise! The victory has begun!"

Camp

Mason shrugged,
"Dunno. Imperials reckoned it was a few thousand but who knows how many are about there." The ground started to tremble, "Funny. Never had earthquakes before"

OOC: The red eyes! :eek:
IC:
Obviously they were past the stage of diplomacy. But Viff could do nothing, she was bound and surrounded by soldiers even as she watched an entire army rise up. But, for some strange reason, one thought went though her head:
I fight the Imperials, win control and kill or capture most of them, finally meet a decent male, and now what? A fucking army!
Always on my @%$& watch!
Camp...
"Oh no," Kiko moaned. "You've got to be kidding me. Rain, mud, cold, mountains, and now earthquakes? What's next, tidal waves? Meteor showers?"

OOC: Yup :p

"Now we shall reveal our true forms!" The Elder called to the army that just drilled and moved into position. With that they began to shed their cloaks, those with Viff did the same as well. They revealled a strange form (http://zombies.monstrous.com/brom_rotten_man_1024x768.1.jpg) indeed. All began to snarl and roar and cry out in loud cheers.

"Now is time for our Victory!!" The Elder roared in his new form and watched as the long columns of troops began to move out of the caves and into the open wind and rain.

Camp

"Commander!" It was one of the Skirmishers, "Come and see what we've found on one of the mountains! "We think it's an Imperial Weapon!"

"Fine" Carson started off towards the other side of the Camp, "You coming?" He asked Kiko.

Viff shook her head as she walked out with them, beside the Elder, hands still bond. She had her eyes on the one who held her katana in its grasp.
Camp...
Kiko nodded. "What new horror could they unleash upon us now?" he asked as he jogged with Carson along the line.

The columns of Skull'Gar marched on and on towards the camp of the APA, where the men were sleeping or relaxing, only a thin line of Alversians and Xiscapians on sentry duty were in any way preparing for a fight, and even most of them were not at peak effecientcy after weeks without sleep.

The Skull'Gar continued their slow march through the valleys, silent in the wind and invisible in the rain.

Mountain Cave

"What am I looking at?" Carson asked in bewilderment.

"We don't know. We think it's somekind of...cyborg."

"Impossible"

They were staring at a group of a dozen seemingly dead metal men. Dead because there was no light from it's eyes and no movement from the metal skeletons,

"What do you think?" Carson asked Kiko as they both started at the skeleton-like creatures, some of which there half buried in rubble.

Viff wanted to shout, to alert the slumbering soldiers and blurry-eyed sentries that they were creeping up on. But to do so would surely get her killed, and only rush the attack of the Skull'Gar. If the APA and scattered XFC soldiers were to get enough time to plan and prepare, they could probably hold off against these people for some time. The Skull'Gar carried no weapons she could see, and every one of them looked like a slowly rotting corpse. Viff assumed the Skull'Gar fought at close range, probably deploying human wave tactics, to charge enemy defenses with so many men they were overwhelmed. Viff knew her only chance of escape was to keep quiet and wait to break free and fight her way out to freedom.
Camp...
Yaka hated sentry duty with a passion. There was nothing like staying up half the night in mud up to your ankles, listening to the rain drum on your helmet and shiver in the cold. Yaka sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, rifle flat on the ground beside him, a seven foot deep trench behind him. In front of the kitsune was a tangled nest of razor-wire, trip-wire, stakes and spikes placed at angles to slow invaders and explosive mines rigged to go off at the slightest touch. Any enemy approaching from the slopes would be forced to fight their way though the static defenses, alerting the sentries and calling upon soldiers to come to the trench to fire down on the attackers as they struggled up though the layers of wire, metal and wood. Confident that no Imperial or civilian attack would come today, screened by the rain and wind, Yaka dozed off.
Cave...
In response Kiko drew his sword and slashed the katana downward at an exposed tarnished silvery limb. The sword clanged off with such force that the soldier's entire body shuddered, and he lifted the blade, inspecting the limb critically. He looked from the katana to the limb several times, then shook his head.
"It's barely scratched." he nodded to the arm. "Cortosis is what my sword is made of, and the strongest metal we know. If that were iron, or steel, or even titanium, it would have been ripped in two or at least dented. But whatever metal the cyborg things are made of, it's damn durable. Think of it: All this time half buried in a cave, but exposed to the wind and rain and mud and rock, and they look like they've been here some time, and my sword only barely nicks the armor."

One of the APA Soldiers was looking out onto the wind and rain. He could see nothing. There was nothing to see. He sighed and turned with his back to the cliff to look into camp. Those lucky Bastards got to sleep in cold, but dry tents while he froze and saturated in the rain. He hated this planet and the sooner the rebellion ended, the sooner he could get home to his family.

Then he felt someone grab the shoulder of his armour and spin him around. Before he had a chance to take in the rotting corpse that had disturbed him, the creature opened it's jaws wide and engulfed his entire mouth. He couldn't even yell before he was dead, the creature severing his neck with a lone bit.

Bursts of random laser fire erupted from along the entire line with the lone cry

"We're Under attack!"

There were thousands of the creatures and while the laser blasts were slowing them down, it was taking a conentrated effort to bring one down. And there were thousands of them. One Alversian was grabbed by the stomach and thrown face first from the cliff they were camped on, screaming as he fell to the bottom. In too short a time, the Skull'Gar were in the camp itself, the wire and wood of the defences seeming to do minimal damage to the creatures.

Camp

"Incredible" Carson shook his head, "Why did the Imperials abandon them here? These look like the latest in cyborg technology, these could turn the war against us" Carson realised with horror as he stared at the dead Cyborg. Then he saw a flicker.

At first, he dismissed it as nothing more than a mere gleam of light reflecting off the armour. Then he saw it again, brighter and he knew something was up. And indeed it was. His eyes were drawn to one of the limbs, which was starting to move. The APA Soldiers with Carson raised their weapons wearly as the dozen creatures began to stand up, ignoring the reems of rubble as if it weren't there.

Now that they stood tall, Carson could see they were well taller than he was and much heavier built than he had oringally thought. All had identical piercing red eyes that seemed to bore through to the core,

"IDENTIFY!" It demanded in a deep, mechanical voice.

The XFC portion of the camp, a mere thirty-one soldiers, responded to the walking dead with blaster fire and grenades. It was found only concentrated fire on any one creature would bring it down, but grenades were much more effective. To blow one of the things apart was to make it not a threat any longer. But the grenades were minimally effective once the things got close, and as they got to the top of the slope soldiers opened up with heavy machine guns on them, sending many corpses to tumble back down the mountain side into their fellows, or off a cliff. Still, the first trench and sentries were quickly overwhelmed, and the XFC began to fall back, attacking the Skull'Gar from range and only engaging with their swords if the enemy made itself close enough.
Cave...
"Uh..." Kiko looked from Carson to the cyborg. "Warrant Officer Kiko, Delta Squad, twenty-third company, Xiscapian Freedom Corps, Resistance. We, uh, come in peace."

The battle was fierce in the camp as the Skull'Gar moved through the sleeping camp. Well, not sleeping camp as soldiers grabbed what weapons they could and fought for their lives amongst burning tents and bodies of unlucky soldiers. Now the Skull'Gar revealed their own weapons, they were like smaller versions of the RPG but seemed to fire some sort of plasma. One soldier was hit and tumbled down the mountain he was standing on. The explosions filled the camp as the Skull'Gar washed over it.

Standing high on a mountain, listening to the cries and gunfire, was the Elder. He was watching with glee then turned to Viff,
"Our Empire arises" He said with menace, "You are our first blood"

Cave

The Cyborg in front twisted it's entire upper body to look at Kiko, red eyes meeting fox ones. Then it seemed to stand still.

"INILIASE PATHFINDER CONTACT!" It ordered, then waited, "CONTACT CONFIRMED. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: PROTECT THE GENESIS CORE!"

Then the dozen behind repeated the order in a haunting chorus,
"PRIMARY OBJECTIVE RECIEVED!"

Then it looked back down at the small group of Alversians and the Xiscapian,
"YOU WILL BE DISSECTED. HOSTILE VARIABLES WILL BE ANNILIATED!" Then the group started to move forward against the small band.

"Uh..." Carson took several steps back from the methodical walk, "I don't think they're friendly! What about you?" He called to Kiko.

The worst thing about the Skull'Gar weapon was that it seemed to have no significant weakness: Sure, it was bulky to carry, and useless in close quarters combat, but it had all the power of a RPG, all the speed of a bullet, and all the burn of a laser. The XFC continued to fall back, and one of the Sergants was frantically trying to call up artillery support to cover the escape of the line to the main column.

Viff looked at the Elder, then back down at the losing battle being fought below. Two vanguard Skull'Gar were standing as guards to the Elder. They too watched the battle, one of them rubbing his dead fingers over Viff's katana, obviously thinking her no threat.
Clearly they had never met an Xiscapian.
"Empires rise and fall..." she smiled sweetly, "some more quickly than others."
She lashed out and sent the first Skull'Gar flying off the cliff down the mountainside, bones breaking and flesh being torn open as he fell on rocks and finally went into free fall to the gourge far below. The other guard turned, drawing the sword and slashing at Viff. She held up her hands and the sword cut partially though her bonds. She wiggled them off her hands and avoided a second swipe, grabbing the hilt and digging her nails into the hand of the Skull'Gar warrior. He screamed in pain and tried to bite her, but she shoved him. He stumbled backwards and she cut off his head with a single stroke, kicking the body to the ground and turning to the Elder, sword pointing at him.
Cave...
"I don't think they like us!" Kiko screamed, leveling his rifle. "Let's get out of here! Open fire!" He acted on his words, laser bolts flying at the strange Cyborgs.

"Ha! You think you can kill me that easily?" He gave a long, horrible shrieking laugh, "I have waited for a thousand years for this moment. You are not spoiling it now" With that, he jumped over the edge of the mountain and went in a controlled slide down the moutain. Behind Viff, another long line of Skull'Gar approached, weapons raised.

Caves

The APA troops fired at the Cyborgs as they withdrew, then saw them stop. The troops stopped running and started carefully back towards the dozen stationary machines. Then they saw the right arm start to disintergrate into a series of panels and wires. They watched in horror as two barrels appeared, settled above the wrist then were sealed off with armour again.

"Retreat!" Carson called as the lead Cyborgs raised their arms and pointed the guns at the Rebels

"ANNILIATE!!" They cried in a cold mechanical voice as they fired. Yellow pulses of light hit the two lead Skimishers and both were thrown back. Now the Cyborgs were advancing,

"Out of the Caves!" Carson roared, "Out of the caves now!"

Viff slashed at the man, but he was already halfway down the mountain, her strike too slow after the cut off of circulation in her hands by the bonds. She saw the line of Skull'Gar behind her and picked up the RPG plasma-cannon the Skull'Gar she had shoved off the side of the cliff had dropped. Feeling the unfamiliar weapon, she aimed it at the approaching enemy, muttered a quick prayer, and fired.
Caves...
"No! You fools..." hissed Kiko as the Skirmishers went back up to inspect the suddenly lifeless Cyborgs. "Don't-"
They came to life, crying a single word in unison that chilled Kiko to the core and brought forth strange images of two women, one kitsune, one not, but both strangely unlike their Xiscapian and Alversian peers, two females that he had never known, never seen before in his life...
"ANNILIATE!!"
He scrambled down the slope as the first two men went down, smoking holes in their chests as they fell down the incline. Kiko fire desperately as he descended, waving his other hand to signal the men back, not that they needed any encouragement. "Get back, get back! Retreat!"
OOC: How many "cyborgs" are there?

The gun fired and a rapid burst of fire came from the gun, it hit the lead Skull'Gar and he was cut clean in half by the laser fire. The rest continued forward, some with weapons, some without. Those with weapons raised them and fired at Viff.

Cave Mouth
OOC: A dozen or so

The Cyborgs kept coming forward, fierce red eyes burning as they continued to fire rapid plasma bursts at the back of the retreating Alversians. Three more of the troops were hit in the back and collapsed forwards into the mud. The rest continued to advance with the words
"ANNILIATE! PROTECT THE GENESIS CORE!" as they moved forwards."

Carson stood at the end of the cave and looked in, sweat easily identifyable on his head with the rain,
"What the hell was that?" He asked in disbelief.

Viff twisted and dove behind a rock, blind-firing with only the gun showing over the rock, spraying into the approaching Skull'Gar. She looked down the vally, bit her lip, and looked up, shooting the entire time.
Boy am I in some deep shit...
Caves...
"I don't thing these things are going to stop," Kiko shook his head. "We have to get back to Camp, there's heavy weaponry that can be used to destroy them there. Let's keep moving." He winced as a bolt flew by his ear.

The Skull'Gar continued to advance through the camp, shooting and burning anything and everything in their path, ignoring Viff. The APA were withdrawing from their ruined camp and fleeing to the mountains. At the same time, the SASM were advancing into the camp, shooting all in their way. Both advancing towards the same area.

Carson and his men were still scrambling from the SASM, still being killed, still watching their fire bounce off the SASM,
"I don't think we're gonna..." he paused, "...what the hells happening there?" There was a red glow from there the camp was situated.

Viff rolled out of cover, firing her stolen weapon a few more times into the ranks of Skull'Gar as she rose and ran. Viff sprinted down a crude path and past the burning ruins of the camp, ground littered with APA and Skull'Gar corpses, with one or two XFC uniforms Viff saw. She made it to the other side of the camp, seeing the retreating backs of APA soldiers fleeing into hiding, and followed them.

"More of 'em," Kiko breathed. "We have to get out of here, away from the camp. We'll hide in the mountains, if we have to."
He was incorrect about the identity of the attackers of course, but after what he had just seen, how could he think he was wrong?

The Skull'Gar continued to rampage through the path at the same time that the SASM entered the camp at the opposite side. Then the two met in the middle and seemed to stop. The Skull'Gar went from screaming lunatics to totally silent and the SASM ceased fire for just a few moments. Then at the same time, two consecutive roars went up at once,

"RED-EYES!!"
"ANNILIATE!!"

The Skull'Gar began to fire wildly at the dozen SASM Bioroids and watched with horror as their rounds just bounced off the armour. The SASM fired their green blasters into the crowd and started to march forward into the middle of the camp. The Skull'Gar that had confronted the SASM were soon dispatched and now a new battle arose with the same calls ringing throughout the camp,

"SKULL'GAR!"
"ANNILIATE!"
"SKULL'GAR!"
"ANNILIATE!"

Carson watched the new battle from above the camp and turned to Kiko, stunned,
"I've never seen anything like that!" He was pointing at both the Skull'Gar and SASM

"I've never seen anything like that!"
"The robots have got the upper hand," yelled Kiko, watching as Skull'Gar plasma just reflected off the armor of the droids, while the green blasters blew away dozens of Skull'Gar. "This battle could go on all night!" said Kiko, "if we don't want to be killed by the victorious side, we have to keep moving, to hide in the mountains!"

Viff had climbed a high hill and was also looking down at the battle, along with a dozen APA soldiers. The XFC were scattered thoughout the fleeing Resistance, numbers having dropped to twenty-eight after the attack.

"We can't leave!" Carson realised desperatly, "We need the central power unit in the camp, if we leave it behind, we'll just die one by one in the wild with no hope of rescue..." He paused as one of the tents erupted into flames,
"We need to go down and get it" He sighed.

"How many people does it take to carry it? If it's small enough, I'd suggest we only send down two or three men...and we're the two most senior ranking officers..." Kiko paused at the implications of this.

Carson shook his head,
"It's small but heavy. It usually takes a dozen men to lift te thing then at least that many again to escort it" he sighed and looked back at the camp, "We have a choice to make"

Kiko frowned. "I don't see it. That many soldiers would be noticed by the cyborgs and the...things, and be struck down for sure! The only way to ensure the saftly in transit of the unit is if the Resistance attacked as a diversion while a few squads transported the power core away. Then we can fully withdraw. But..." he winced, thinking even as he looked down at the battle, "there would be a significant loss of life."

Carson watched as another band of Skull'Gar were wiped out in front of the SASM advance,
"I have a better idea" He said with a small grin, "I think we need to stop shooting enemies and start making friends."
He took a nearby transmittor and started to broadcast a message,
"Calling Imperial Control, Calling Imperial Control. Yohoo! Anyone home?"

"Are you insane!?" hissed Kiko, orange eyes widening with surprise and fear. "They'll kill us all! If we can't do anything against them, what makes you think they can, anyway?"
The Warrant Officer's fear of the Imperials was hardly irrational, after the oppression of his people and the brutal, gruesome cruelty and horrors done at their hands. Not to mention they had been fighting to take the planet from the Imperials, not ally with them. But if it got rid of the monstrosities down in the camp...and it was true that no one wanted to fight anymore, even against Imperial bastards.

Carson gave a sorry shrug,
"It's that or die" He said then went back to the transeiver. He talked into it for several moments before looking back at Kiko,
"They have agreed to a general ceasefire and we are going to unite against both these zombies and the Robots. It seems that they have been attacked as well"

"Alright," said Kutt grimly, "when and where are they coming?" The XFC soldiers arrayed around the cliffs and ledges near the camp stared at the battle in shock and fear, two titans battling it out. But maybe, with Imperial aide, they could overcome these forces...

"We don't need to defeat them, just distract them until we can get our power core out" Carson glanced down to see as the Skull'Gar and SASM continued to fight with each other, small band of troops in black armour dived between the cover and added their fire to the SASM.

"Time to go" Carson indicated and unholstered his weapon.

Kiko nodded, and scrambled down the slope, APA and a few XFC that he could see following suit. He didn't fire on the assembled Skull'Gar or SASM cyborgs, just darted around and though destroyed tents, burning equipment and sprawled bodies. The power unit was squatting amid a destroyed tent, dark and unassuming with the corpses of the men who had died to protect it lying in a ring encirculing the machine. Kiko silently directed soldiers to get around and pick up the core as more made a perimiter.

While Kiko was in charge of getting the core, Carson couldn't leave their Imperial Allies to be crushed and so he led a dozen men towards the battlefield.

They were now in a narrow area, lined with tall cliffs each crammed with Skull'Gar firing down on the SASM. Their shots just bouncing off the armour of the Cyborgs. The Imperials lined either side, concealed behind rocky outcrops or boxs lying at either side. The SASM were firing green blasts up at the flanks as well as forward and Skull'Gar were falling left and right, collapsing from the cliffs as well as falling in front of the advancing Cyborgs.

Carson took up position near the Imperials and started to fire at the SASM as well, their weapons fire just adding to the bouncing shots.

Kiko could see the furious firefight in the narrow ridge gap, watching bodies fall from above and laser fire simply reflect off armor. A dozen men, straining, lifted the entire core into the air and began to stagger away with it. Now was the most criucial part: If any of them men were hit, the weight of the core would be unevenly distributed and dropped, and it would be hard to pick it up again, especially under fire. The remaining APA and XFC made a solid wall and dug in behind cover to defend against any marauding cyborgs or Skull'Gar that might try to attack.

Viff smiled at her contraption. It had combined a blaster rifle and the Skull'Gar plasma laucher, making it twice as powerful when the energy cells of the rifle were linked with the core of plasma in the Skull'Gar gun. It wasn't terribly accurate, but a single blast had blown a good-sized boulder apart.
Now came time to test it.
Hoisting the heavy weapon onto her shoulders, the female Xiscapian hurried off from the shallow cave to join the battle

"Retreat!"

The Imperials and the Rebels had now merged into a single group as they ran down another pathway, abandoning the Skull'Gar to be cut down the advancing SASM. They had now split up and two were moving down the path in pursuit of the Rebels and Imperials. Their fire still bouncing off the armour, a growing carpet of dead Alversians gathering on the pathway.

"Retreat!"

Elsewhere, the rest of the SASM continued to advance towards the mountains, ignoring the Skull'Gar that had crowded into the area to try and stop them. They were firing, twisting from the waist to get a shot off in all directions. But of the ten that were left, two were standing in the middle of the crowd and not firing but advancing.

--------

At Viff's position, she was greeted with a dozen Skull'Gar who came from all directions. However, rather than fire, one of them tried to speak,
"We...spoke...peace...now"

The cyborgs were barely even being slowed down by the vicious fire being sent at them, and for each shot they fired a human fell to the ground, dead or wounded. The Alvo-Xis force moving the core was going at a double-time speed. They were at the head of the crowd, and the Alversians and Xiscapians sweated underneath the huge power unit.
----------
"So someone more bad-ass than you comes along and you don't want to fight anymore?" Viff sneered, leveling her large home-made gun. "Like I said, some Empires fall faster than others. What exactly are you proposing?"

An Alversian was sent tumbling by a shot directly to the head, his helmet being sent spinning away by the force of the shot,
"Fire! Fire! Hold them back!" Carson called as Alversians, both Rebel and Imperial came up from behind cover to fire at the pair of SASM advancing then ducking again. The SASM still were not even behing slowed and each shot was leaving a dead Alversian on the ground.
"We need to withdraw!" An Imperial Officer called over the screams, explosions and laser fire.

Carson shook his head,
"Not until that power unit is out of here!" Another Alversian tumbled back from his cover, screaming.

--------

The Skull'Gar looked at her,
"We...together...killed...red-eyes...both...destroyed" He was struggling with the words but the message was clear enough, the SASM would destroy both of them if they did not work together.

Xiscapians were few and far inbetween in the sea of Imperial and APA soldiers, and their laser bolts and grenades made just as much difference to the advancing Biodroids. None. A kitsune, wild with fear, charged the cyborgs head-on, and was hit, spinning, her sword flying from her hand. Another bolt, and she was hit again, and again, and a fourth time, fifth, sixth, until her smoking corpse was finally allowed to drop. By this time only twenty-five Xiscapians were left, reducted from fighting the Imperials, Skull'Gar and SASM from full Company strength down to Platoon.

"Alright, I get it," Viff nodded, "you need to do whatever it takes to distract or divert them. Anything. By the sound of it, our soldiers aren't faring too well, and if this keeps up even if we escape we'll have almost no one left. Our only hope is to escape, at least until we find a way to fight them."

The Alversians kept firing at the SASM, watching in despair as they came closer and closer, red eyes boring deep into each soldier, their wrist mounted blasters blasting away at the defensive positions of the Alversians. Their shots didn't bounce off the Alversian's cover so much as explode against it. Carson was looking around desperately, the SASM were advancing quicker than the retreating XFC could get away with the core. At this rate they would be overrun long before they got to the mountains.

Then, from a small pathway in the cliff face, several Skull'Gar leapt into the two SASM, screaming and roaring at the Cyborgs as they tried to bite and pummel their opponents. But the SASM would not be overcome by this opposition and even as Carson watched, he could see the Skull'Gar being smashed into the cavern walls, of the ground or being thrown into the air,

"Time to go!" He called to Kiko.

-------

The Skull'Gar shook his head,
"This...home...no...run...we...die...somewhere"

"What do you think I've been doing!" cried Kiko back from under the weight of the core. More and more soldiers, APA, XFC and Imperial alike, got under the bulk of the power unit and soon they were moving along at a rapid clip. It was still far too slow, however, and at their current rate they would be overtaken before they could reach safty....

"Then hold your positions and die." said Viff grimly, turning on heel. "We have to move, now. The battle's almost lost."
It was absurd that a dozen of any enemy soldier could kill so many attacking APA, XFC, Imperials and Skull'Gar, but the cyborgs were like nothing Viff had ever seen.

"Well sorry for the..." Carson began to say before the Alversian next to him was thrown forward by a blaster shot. He wheeled around to see that the two SASM had defeated the last of their attackers and were now moving forward again towards the Alversians and Xiscapians. The troops now turned and continued the futile firing on the SASM. Carson had never seen anything like that before. What seemed to an entire Battalion was being driven back by a mere two enemy. These things weren't normal, that was for certain.

-------

The Skull'Gar began to point behind him,
"You...followed...us...Elder....explain...gooder" he was pointing back at the mountain, where Viff had last seen the Elder.

"Shit!" Kiko screamed. There was barely anyone left defending now, and in a few shots they would hit the soldiers moving the power core. A few were breaking and running now, forward in an attempt to save themselves from the doomed convoy. The bodies of APA, Skull'Gar, Imperials and a few scattered XFC littered the ground behind them, sprawled and twisted, dead in vain.

"Well, okay," said Viff, turning back around to follow the Skull'Gar, "but any funny business and you all go down this time. Got it?" She needed both hands to hold her constructed weapon, but could drop it and have her sword out in an instant if needed.

Carson was with the core now, shouting and screaming at the Troops lifting it to move as quickly as humanly possible. There could be no guaruntee that the few troops left would be able to hold these two attackers off much longer.

Then the SASM wheeled right and stopped firing. They headed up head another path in the cavern wall, back towards the main camp. Whatever they had left for, Carson wasn't going to complain and so he turned to add his weight to the people carrying the core itself. Then they reached the main camp and Carson saw why the SASM had left the fleeing Alversians alone.

The main camp was alive with Skull'Gark, it looked like thousands had crammed every available platfrom to try and get a shot in at the small formation of SASM marching through the camp. Even this large number were having no effect on the SASM and small numbers of Skull'Gar fell with every shot. Then the two that had been in the middle moved forward, each of their arms transforming into something.

"Whatever that is," Carson stated, "It can't be good."

--

The Skull'Gar led Viff back through the paths and mountain she had been brought as a prisoner. From this view point, the small strings of green laser and the massive explosions that seemed to appear randomly from parts of the camp could be seen clear as day.

Here, in the mountain's core, standing watching something over a cliff, was the Elder,
"Glad to see you again Commander," He said sadly, "This time our meeting is under rather different circumstances"

"Yeah...but it's...buying us time..." Kiko panted as they at last reached cover. This by no means meant safety, and the only thing stopping the cyborgs from coming back to kill them that minute was the fact that they were now shooting at what seemed to be several hundred Skull'Gar.

"I'll say," Viff growled, staring down at the wreckage of the camp and the hundreds of bodies lying strew amongst the collapsed or flaming tents. "Things didn't turn out quite the way you expected, did they? Rise and take control, and yet everyone, you and us and the Imperials alike, are being decimated by a mere dozen cyborg soldiers. What can you tell me about this?"

The Skull'Gar continued to fire into the small formation of SASM, screaming both challenges and curses at their opponents. Then they saw what the two SASM had as weapons and they roared even louder in defiance. In place of the SASM's arms were mini-gun like weapons, each pointing straight at the dense formation of Skull'Gar,

"Dear Lord" Carson muttered softly as the two SASM opened fire.

After a few seconds of a high pitched whistle, they stopped. Where there had previously been over a hundred Skull'Gar, there were now just bloody corpes. The two SASM twisted from the waist and continued firing, each sweep clearing a section entirely of Skull'Gar. The whistling sound continued, yet the Skull'Gar continued to come to the slaughter.

---

The Elder looked down and sighed,
"We call them the Red-Eyes. We do not know their real name. Once we were at the heart of a vast empire. Then they came and destroyed it almost to a planet. We managed to stem their attack on this planet by stealing something that they needed" He pointed down into the pit he had been standing behind and revealled what looked like a giant silver machine,
"Their Core Processor," He sighed, "The very centre of their being. If it were to be destroyed, all Red-Eyes within a thousand lightyears would be killed. But there is a very big catch. We have tied our own genetic coding into the processor to allow us to rebuild our own numbers. If the core is destroyed we also die. All two billion of us" he gave another sad sigh.

"Great Qonn..." murmured Kiko as he witnessed thousands of Skull'Gar fall in a single blow. There was barely an inch of ground that was not covered in blood or a corpse. Smoke rose into the night air, almost invisible, and the only lights were the burning tents, few functioning glow lamps and the terrible red eyes of the cyborgs.

"Why are you showing me this?" Viff asked, looking steadily at him. "The decision is not mine to make, Elder. I am not one of you. Only you have the fate of your people in your hands...but tied to that is our people, the Resistance. If you chose life, we all die. If you destroy the core, you kill yourselves and the Red-Eyes. I believe it would be an honorable death, to sacrifice yourselves to kill many more of the enemy. But I have no say in the matter. Only you can chose."
Unless asked, Viff would not destroy the Core, even if it meant the deaths of everyone on the planet. She could not decide for an entire race, no matter the cost.

"Move!" Carson roared at his troops as they rushed back up the hill with the core. This was unbelievable. The SASM had just wiped out an entire force and now he was fleeing for his life again from a mere dozen enemies. How could they win? Would they just be chased across the planet until they were destroyed to a man? He didn't know, all he knew was that he had to keep running.

"Come on!" He snapped as the SASM stopped firing. There were no more live Skull'Gar in the camp, just a carpet of bodies. Now the SASM started after the Alversians.

------

The Elder twitched slightly as if recieving some sort of message, he looked back at Viff with sorrow,
"Our forces in your camp have been wiped out. There is nothing between them and your soldiers. I suggest we work together. If we keep the Red-eyes occupied, will you try to find a way to defeat them? It is our only hope."

OCC: Xscapia are yuo going to make a thread for the upcoming Greal conflict?, and im loving your roleplaying ^^ as with you Alversia.

The exhasted soldiers had never stopped moving, and they continued up the rapidly steepening slope, panting, sweat rolling off them, several of the kitsune's tounges hanging out in a dog-like fashion. Muscles strained and feet dug into mud and rock as they hauled the core up the mountainside.

"None of our weapons have any more effect than yours...except..." Viff looked down at her home-made weapon. Maybe, just maybe...a dozen targets, the element of surprise, assistance from the Skull'Gar...all banking on the hope that her construction would be powerful enough.
Could she do it?
Well, Viff could sure as hell die trying.
"I have a plan."
OOC: Yes, NC, I'm writing a post up in Word right now.

"We need to keep moving!" Carson called as another Alversian was sent tumbling back towards the burning camp. They were never going to get to safety in time. The SASM were advancing too quickly for them to escape. They were going to be destroyed. Then the SASM turned and started to head up another path, towards the peak in the mountain. The Alversians stopped and watched for a few moments before they continued to advance up the hill.

In the heart of the mountain, the Elder stopped again,
"We are under attack" He sighed sadly.

As with before, the kitsune never stopped moving except when they had to, but by this point they were on the verge of collapse, weary from effort and fear. Leaving their fallen comrades behind, the force continued their march up and away from the destroyed camp and glowing red eyes.

"There's no time to lose." said Viff, leveling her rifle. "If you can keep them from concentrating on me, I might be able to destroy them. Can you do this? Can your people continue to sacrifice themselves, even in their darkest hour?"

The Elder shook his head,
"Our weapons cannot destroy them and your weapons cannot destroy them. If two armies containing hundreds cannot defeat them what makes you think that one hybrid weapon will do it?"

Even as he spoke, hundreds of plasma rounds were fired at the SASM, as before, the rounds seemed to have minimal effect and the SASM began to return fire up the hill, several Skull'Gar falling already.

Viff shrugged. "Those armies of hundreds weren't equipped with my weapon, were they? Each of our weapons have their good points, and by putting them together and intensifying the power, I may have a gun that can blow them apart. If not, well, I'll die trying to dismantle the red-eyes."

With that she turned and ran down the hill, fast-moving and hard to pick out among the mass of Skull'Gar. All were firing down at the cyborgs, and nothing seemed to be happening, except more Skull'Gar were dying. Viff scrambled atop a small rock, put a bead on a cyborg firing it's weapons into the horde of Skull'Gar, and fired.

The recoil nearly put her on her tail, and she could only watch as the hissing, sizzling blue-white bolt flashed towards it's target.

The shot hit one of the Cyborgs and, instantly, one of them fell to the ground, weapon still raised. The Skull'Gar roared in delight at the sight of the small victory. Then the two SASM in the centre of the group fired again and, as before, the masses and masses of Skull'Gar just seemed to vanish. The others had turned and now they were firing at Viff with deadly accurate shots.

Viff yelped in surprise and fear and rolled off the rock as it exploded under the force of the bolts. One down, eleven to go. Stumbling, she immersed herself in the mass of Skull'Gar, firing down hill at the cyborgs targeting her even as dozens of Skull'Gar were blown away by fire. Her gun did not have the capacity for much ammunition, but with the amount of fallen Skull'Gar and their dropped weapons, she would have little trouble finding more magazines.

The Skull'Gar were now giving ground to the SASM and most of the initial defending force had been decimated. There was a carpet of bodies in front of the advancing Cyborgs. They were still advancing, the two central Cyborgs with a minigun for each arm was taking a frightful toll of Skull'Gar. They could not hit them for the defending SASM around them like a protective screen.

The Skull'Gar turned and began to march away from the frontlines, calmly taking the fire in the back as they withdrew in an odd fashion.

Fuck!
Viff moved back with the Skull'Gar as they retreated, aiming from her perch on the hill. At the angle she was looking from, a shot fired would speed directly into the middle of the cyborgs, regardless of the others physically blocking level attacks. She pulled the trigger and kept pulling it even as the stream of Skull'Gar vanished around her and she was left standing alone on the hill, screaming with a battle cry as the bolts flew true to the cyborgs in the middle, who were just now swiveling to target her...

A shot managed to strike one of the SASM on the shoulder and blow the arm clean off. However, this did not stop him as the weapon was mounted on his other wrist. They now looked up at Viff, identifying her as the key threat to them and now they started to fire up at Viff's position with their deadly accuracy.

Viff dove once more as bolts smashed the ground around her, tumbling down the hill into a small shield of rocks, which was now being blasted into rubble. She was now much closer to the cyborgs, the down side being that they in turn were much closer to her. She blindfired over the top of the boulder they was steadly being ground into pebbles, spraying fire into the cyborgs.

The shots were blind fired and so missed. Already, the SASM had split up again and, while a large number kept her pinned down, several moved forward to combat her on the flanks and around the rear of her position.

Viff had run out of ammunition. She threw away the clip and stuffed a new one from a nearby gun into it. The SASM were at a disadvantage. She could sense them coming well before they could shoot her. Moving quickly, she balanced on top of a rock and peered over the boulder where her ears told her several of the cyborgs were. As they looked up she shot at them, mere feet away, before ducking back down to avoid the return fire.

The split second that Viff had shown herself was all that the SASM had needed. She may have been fast, bu not fast enough to avoid a blast from a laser weapon and not faster than a super processor. The nine SASM locked on to her instantly and, while one did fall, the rest fired at her exposed shape before it ducked away again. Their accuracy was flawless at this close a range. They could not miss.

OOC: So, she's dead or what? All she did is stick her head over the top of the rock, but the way you put it, there's no way she could have avoided the return fire. I'd rather she didn't die, but if you're firm on this...

OOC: I was thinking more wounded. Maybe hit in the shoulders or arms

OOC: Well, I guess that works. I mean, she did stick an arm over to fire when she popped up...
IC:
Fortunately for Viff the bolts were not as on-target as they had been for many Skull'Gar, but connect they did. One hit directly in front of her, sending heated shards of stone into her right arm, and a second badly burned the same arm and sent Viff flying back off the rock she was standing on. A third bolt disintegrated her right fox ear, leaving nothing but a bit of charred skin where it used to be. She fell heavily into the mud, loosing her grip on the gun, knocking the wind out of her. For a moment the kitsune could only stare at the black sky and blink away the rain and tears of pain. With her good arm she found the gun and began to sit up, dragging herself back further into the recess of the rocks.

The SASM advanced on Viff's position, still shooting in her direction, still looking for that killer strike. Just as they were about to break over the rocks, Viff was saved.

A dozen Skull'Gar leapt from above her, screaming a terrible battlecry as they connected with the Cyborgs. They were joined on the ground by screaming Rebel and Imperial troops who rushed to join combat, firing at the SASM as they did.

Then Carson was above her and looked down at her with pty,
"Come on" He said to her, gently picking her up, "We need to get you out of here"

Already Skull'Gar and Alversians were being thrown in all directions by the wild punches of the SASM

"The gun," rasped Viff, pointing with her bleeding finger on her left hand at the strange weapon lying in the mud. "One-hit kill-" She sank into unconciousness as Carson dragged her away. Kiko lept forward onto a cyborg, grabbing it's head, but a strike from the arm sent him flying into the side of the hill. He tumbled down it and lay still, groaning indicating he was still alive.

Carson picked up what she was saying and turned to the gun, calling to his men.
Immediately, a Skull'Gar leapt forward to grab it but was instantly thrown back by a powerful sweep of a SASM arm. The SASM had now matched past the gun and it was concealed behind an endless series of dead bodies both Skull'Gar and Alversian.

One of the Alversians saw that Kiko was groaning and managed to pick him up. He staggered forward before a shot hit him in the small of the back and he tumbled to the ground. Two more Alversians were able to pick him up and flee back up the path.

OOC: TG, Xis

OOC: Responded.
IC:
Kiko struggled and managed to walk on his own just as the man on his left side went down, hit in the head from a blaster bolt. He grabbed the other Alversian and they ran though the mass of Resistance, Imperials and Skull'Gar fleeing the ten SASM. He could see Carson will Viff slung over his back slugging doggedly up the slope as Skull'Gar swarmed around them. Shots behind them killed men at the back, corpses tumbling down the slope as the gleaming silver cyborgs continued their relentless march.

The SASM suddenly stopped. The Skull'Gar were still running but the SASM had stopped and headed down towards the camp again. It gave the Alversians and their new allies a chance to regroup,
"Unbelieveable" Carson said for what felt like the hundredth time, "How do we stop them?"

Kiko had gotten over to Carson, looking back down at the camp. "I don't know...what was the Captain trying to do?" he asked, looking at Viff's form over Carson's shoulders. "Take them all on with a rifle? It's suicide."

Carson nodded,
"I know, hundreds of rifles couldn't kill them yet she was trying to. She muttered something before she passed out but I didn't hear it over the battle." He had just handed her over to a Medic, "I wonder why they've withdrawn?"

"Who can tell why they do what they do?" Kiko shrugged. "You heard them say something about...what was it..." He frowned. "The Genisis Core. Maybe they got new orders from it. If they have to protect it," he reasoned, "it's important to them. If it's important to them, it's probably good for them, which is definitly bad for us. We need to find it and destroy it...whatever it is."

"Well, that's a problem," Carson admitted, "What is the Genesis Core? Whatever it is they have to protect it. Where is it? This is a big planet, it could be in any of these mountains and even one of those things would be devastating to any search party" He indicated into the valley where the SASM had remained,
"Where to look" He stroked his chin

"Now we don't even have a camp. Any shelter we make could be easily decimated by them. All we can do is move as far away as possible...but where they are concentrated is probably where the Genisis Core is, which we need to destroy. The only missions we could send against them would be suicide bombers..." he looked sick at the very thought of more death. "How bad were the casualties?"

"Dunno," Carson thought for a moment, appalled by the idea of suicide bombers, "Heavy. We need to get away from the warzone to regroup, let the Skull'Gar handle the fighting for a while" He was thinking tactically

"Let the Skull'Gar do the fighting for a while?" Kiko repeated in disbelief. "How many of them are there? There's spots out there where you can walk without stepping on the ground for the carpet of bodies out there! It's useless to try to attack them anymore, nothing's worked, obviously."

"But the Skull'Gar will not withdraw" Carson gave a sad sigh, "And we cannot afford to continue with this slaughter in small groups and being routed continiously. We must withdraw and regroup, when we have the numbers, then we can move in" He was looking at the camp now, the SASM had withdrawn to it and were now standing at various points along it.

"The Genisis Core must be in there," Kiko breathed. "If the Skull'Gar want to suicidally sacrifice themselves without reason, that's their choice. I agree, we need to regroup and come up with a strategy. I hope the Captain gets better, she'll know what to do." The kitsune soldier said confidently. "Say...you two were pretty close. Did you...I mean, did you ever...you know...?"

"No, we did not" Carson answered firmly, still watching as wave after wave of Skull'Gar threw themselves against the camp's boundries and were slaughtered. He shook his head,
"Why are they waiting there?" He asked, indicating to the SASM, "Why stop now? This planet is theirs so why quit? And what is so damn important about that core?"

"Oh, ugh," he coughed, "right." Kiko stared down at the cyborgs for a time reflectively. "I can only theorize, but I don't think they consider us a threat. I mean, we haven't even scratched them, for all our firepower and numbers. As to the Core..." he shook his head. "I have no idea. Maybe they get orders from it. Maybe they get energy from it. Maybe it's some artifact of whoever created them, and they are it's guards. We just got too close." He shrugged. "Does it matter? As long as they're here, we can't complete our mission."

"And what is our mission now?" Carson asked, indicating to where Imperial and Rebel troops sat side by side, sharing meagre rations and talking quietly in small groups, "I think this is what we need to bring us closer together as a people"
He was still staring at the camp in frustration,
"It's far from a defendible location" He reasoned, "There must be something there that the mountains cannot. But what? What do they so badly need in our camp that the Skull'Gar can't give it to them?"

"Our mission is to hold this planet for the Resistance, however long we need to," said Kiko seriously. "The camp though...maybe that's where the Genisis Core is! Maybe, under only the most unfortunate circumstances, we were on top of it! That's the only explanation," he looked at Carson, "Logically they would go to where ever their precious Core is, and given as they withdrew after we retreated a distance, they must act like guard dogs. Chase an intruder out a certain distance, then fall back to the base, to protect the valuable thing."

"Resistance, Imperial" Carson looked as though he was weighing two sides of one arguement, "What do they matter now? We are one people against another, this race of cyborgs and as for the core" He shook his head, "The camp is way too exposed and there's not enough of them to create a full perimeter. Why not move it?" He was getting annoyed, these questions could give him what was needed to defeat this menace, but first, he had to answer the questions.

"Of course it still matters!" Kiko exploded. "If this hadn't happened, do you think we would be at peace with the Skull'Gar, or the Imperials? No! Maybe not so much this one planet, but the Empire is still a huge threat. We're nowhere near being able to defeat them yet." He shook his head. "Great Qonn, this isn't what we need to be talking about. The Core...yeah, the camp is exposed, but we can't see the Core, can we? If we don't know where it is, we can't strike to destroy it. Given that nothing works against them, why should they worry at all? From what I've seen, they can hold out indefinitly, and it dosen't matter how many soldiers we sent at them, we can't destroy them. Maybe they can't move the Core. Who knows? We don't have enough information. All we can do is speculate." He said hopelessly.

"Perhaps," Carson replied darkly, "And it is true that we are still at war with the Empire but for now our survival depends on us working together as one. If we can do that, then maybe the Empire does not need to be destroyed" he indicated to where Imperials were sharing their rations amongst the starving Rebels, where they joked with them and dressed their wounds. Carson gave a sad sigh,
"If we stopped fighting and took off our helmets, we would see that we are not that different after all."

He then turned back to the camp, his eyes scanning the horizon,
"If they can't get to the core why do the Skull'Gar persist? They're not that stupid. They must have something that the Skull'Gar don't want them to have and if it is not the Genesis Core..." he got up, "I think it's time we had a little chat with the Skull'Gar Commander. What do you think?" he looked at Kiko.

"It's not...them," Kiko gestured to the Imperials. "No one wants to fight anymore. Our quarrel is not with the Imperial people, it is with the Imperial government. That must fall if peace is to be achieved." he sighed. "None of us want to be here, but for one reason or another, we are. If we can stay here together, and not fight, then maybe we can live, instead of just surviving."
"I think it's time we had a little chat with the Skull'Gar Commander. What do you think?"
"I agree. If your suspicions are correct, there is something he's not telling us. But do you mind if we check on the Captain first?" He shifted uneasily from one leg to the other, leaning on his rifle.

"Sure," Carson nodded himself, "Let's get down to the Medical Bay" He walked amongst the ranks of the Imperial and Rebel infantry, heading towards the Medical tent,
"I wonder what she was doing out there on her own with just a rifle?" He asked in wonder

"I wonder what she was doing out there on her own with just a rifle?"
"No idea." Kiko shrugged. "This place gets to you, ya'know? Endless rain and mud and fighting...we've had some soldiers bedridden because they're essentially lost their minds to the toil and monotomy. The problems with this planet seem constant..."
He stopped as they reached a hastily erected hospital tent, one of many. This housed mainly APA casualties, with a few XFC and Imperials. Inside there were rows upon rows of beings, some groaning or crying, twisting and tossing on their bedrolls, while others stayed ominiously silent and still. Harrassed doctors and nurses, field medics mostly, ran among them this way and that, understaffed and poorly equipped. There was no privacy, and everyone could see a Imperial soldier under drugs being operated on by a small cluster of nurses, repairing a particularly nasty laser wound.

Captain Viff was lying still on a stretcher, still in her combat uniform, hands clapsed over her stomach, eyes closed. Her breathing was regular and steady, but it was clear where she had been hurt. Her entire right arm was in a cast, and a bandage wrapped itself half way around her head, obscuring her left eye. Aside from the various minor cuts and bruses on the little skin that could be seen, Viff looked fine. Like everyone else, she was in desperate need of a change of clothes and a shower, but such luxeries were not to be found even for the highest ranking officers.

Kiko bowed his head in respect, removing his helmet at the sight of his injured superior. One orange, blood-crusted eye opened from the kitsune on the bed. It was dulled with pain and sleep, and looked from Kiko to Carson for a moment before settling on the Alversian. "Carson...?" asked Viff weakly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Carson was unmoved by the sight of the Medical Bay. It was the same across the Empire as Army doctors were in short supply. When he saw Viff, however, he felt an overwhelming pity. He leant next to the young Xiscapian and nodded,
"Yes, Viff, it's me" A slight pause, "What were you thinking?" He asked desperately.

She smiled weakly. "I constructed a gun powerful enough to kill them," she raised her good hand, trembling with effort, "I couldn't let the Skull'Gar die. I had to try. There's this thing. It's called the Genisis Core. It's the command brain for the cyborgs. If we destroy it, the red eyes will be shut down for good, but every Skull'Gar will die as well..." It seemed the very act of talking exhasted her.

"A gun that can destroy them!" Carson's mind wandered back to when Viff had so desperately tried to keep a hold of her gun as the Allied forces were retreating, of course! The gun could damage, even destroy them! They would have to recover it and make more but for now, Viff was too exhausted to even move. Then something else hit him,
"Sleep, Viff, sleep" He said soothingly as he pulled her blanket around her and watched the wounded Xiscapian drift off. When he was out of earshot, he turned to Kiko,
"The core is powering them? That can't be right. If it is, then what was making them move in the first place? When they attacked us?" He shook his head, "I think our Allied leader is not telling us the whole story"

Viff closed her eyes gratefully and once more she was dead to the world. Kiko looked worried. "She must have gotten this information from the Skull'Gar. We might have trigged some kind of proximety sensor, got too close. I don't know, but you're right. We need to find their leader." He picked up his rifle, put on his helmet, and walked out of the tent with a last look at his Captain, fast asleep. "C'mon," he muttered to Carson.

After a great deal of difficulty, they finally managed to find their way to the peak of the mountain in which the Elder nestled. All around the entrance were the dead of the previous battle while more Skull'Gar marched from the cave down the paths to try and storm the camp, and fail miserably.

Watching the columns and columns withdraw was the Elder, standing over them. He did not even turn around but gave a small sigh,
"I knew you would find me here" he said calmly, "May I help you? How goes the battle? How is your Commander?"

"The Captain is doing fine," said Kiko stiffly. "How goes the battle? Have you not seen the mountains of corpses? Why do you send your men to die?" he demanded, angered that the Elder was not even looking at him. "What purpose could more death possibly serve?"

"We have to get that core back, my young friend" he still did not turn around, "if we cannot retrieve it then all is lost and your world will fall. Does this surprise you? It does not surprise your ally"

"Of course!" Carson gasped, realising what was happening, "The Communications Array! In our camp!" His face had paled dramatically as all colour fled from his head.

"What? What in all the Forgotten Realms are you going on about?" snapped Kiko, looking from Carson to the Elder's back. "It's a dozen cyborgs, who can they possibly contact?"

"More," The Elder replied solumnly, "More of them. More Machines, bigger machines, more than you can imagine, all will be summoned and our world will fall"

Kiko looked desperate. "But what can we do now, then? If this is so then it is already too late. If they've gotten the signal out, we're the walking dead..."

"Maybe they haven't got the signal out yet!" Carson was thinking quickly, "If they are stilll defending the tower then they could still be trying to connect the core to the communicator! We may still have a chance!"

"Well then we have to attack!" Kiko looked back at the camp. "That tower must be destroyed at all costs. They may have erected a shield around it, so instead of missiles or artillery we might have to go in close and dirty."

"That's what it's looking like" Carson turned to face the Elder, "Are you ready for a proper battle? We need to get close enough to lay charges."

The Elder nodded,
"We are ready for a battle"

"Then I suggest EMP flares" Carson thought aloud, "If we can hit the ground directly in front of them, we may be able to disrupt their weapons long enough to get in and out with minimal casualties"

"It'll be risky," Kiko said, hitting his communicator button, "get into fire teams, on the double, I want you locked and loaded in under two minutes." He turned back to the other two. "If we're too early or too late we'll take massive fatalities. Given that they can make a physical wall and melee our soldiers to Paradise, we need to give the charges to those who can make it over or around the cyborgs."

"The plan," Carson stated, "is that the Skull'Gar will advance from the North and distract the Cyborgs from there. Then we can come in from the east and cause another distraction. From there, we can work on coming in from either the south or west and try to plant the charges" He sighed, it was going to be a difficult battle whichever way one put it.

The Elder nodded,
"We are ready to play our part" he said, as if the casualties that were bound to be inflicted upon his people meant nothing.

"You may be underestimating them," Kiko grimaced. "If they defend all four points with only three cyborgs, it's more than enough to stop us from getting though. We need a fallback plan, some way of getting in if this plan dosen't work."

"That," Carson sighed grimly, "Is why we need the Commanders Weapon. The one that can destroy them. We may be able to draw them out with that as bait" He was gambling something terrible but it was what was needed to stop them calling their comrades then it was what he would so

"First we need to find it. The Captain went down fairly close to the camp, so our troops may have to advance under fire to get it. If the soldier that is holding the gun is struck down, the one next to him will have to pick it up and keep firing." said Kiko. "If we're to stop them, we need to do it now. The last of the XFC is in position. Shall they make a run for the gun?" he inquired.

Carson was about to shake his head, to deny Kiko his request. At that range, the Cybotgs would tear the Xiscapians apart. No survivors. He couldn't have that. However, the Elder cut across him,
"Let us go first" he said flatly, "We can act as a shield for your men. We are ready in position."

Kiko nodded. "Then let's do it."
Less than a minute later the pitiful twenty-strong remnants of the XFC were charging across the exposed slope to the screen of rocks at the bottom. The Skull'Gar got in front and they were off.

OOC: TG Xis

The Skull'Gar could not run but they walked quickly and they were several ranks deep to ensure that none of the shots from the SASM would make it through the small team. That was an optimistic tactic. As soon as they were out of the cover from the rocks, Skull'Gar were falling as shots bounced off the rocks and ground. Already, the Xiscapians were running over a carpet of dead Skull'Gar.

OOC: Responded.
IC:
The XFC had been specifically instructed not to stop to help any wounded, even their own. Their only objective was the gun, lying in the mud among the rocks in a puddle. Soon enough most of the Skull'Gar were dead and the first kitsune died, a shot to the chest, toppling over to lie still. The Xiscapians crowded behind whatever cover they could find as three kitsune and a few Skull'Gar got behind the rocks. One soldier picked up Viff's gun, stepped up the slope, and began firing at the cyborgs. The other soldiers stood by barely out of sight, ready to take up the gun if the one manning it was killed.

More Skull'Gar started to collapse as one of the SASM's main cyborgs arrived. It's arms deployed into the miniguns and began to fire. Not only did it rip the Skull'Gar to shreds but the cover behind which the XFC was hiding began to disintergrate under the fire. However, one shot did hit a SASM and it collapsed backwards, smoke rising from it's torso.

OOC: Is there a difference between regular Biodroids and the "main" ones? Are they more heavily armed?
Also, how many of them are there in the area?
Thirdly, aren't you going to RP the main force attacking the camp?
XD
IC:
The XFC ran for cover again as rocks cracked and shattered under the brutal fire. Anything to prevent the bullets from reaching them would do, and there was an abundence of rocks on the slope. However, not all of them would do as cover. Another Xiscapian went down, screaming as his leg was torn away, then abruptly silenced by a second shot that blew his head off.

The kitsune with the Gun, as it was now known, pumped his fist in the air as a target fell and concentrated on the main cyborg, which was responsible for the destruction of cover.

OOC: A standard Bioroid is one that has one gun mounted on a waist while the 'main one' is an Assualt Bioroid which hands turn into miniguns. They can't do anything else. And there are only two of them and ten other standard Bioroids. Two of the main Bioroids have been destroyed.

IC:

As the SASM moved to combat the new Skull'Gar attack, Imperials, Rebels and Skull'Gar swarmed the camp from three other sides. The plasma grenades went off as they leapt into the camp boundries. However, two of the SASM turned around and started to fire into the main mass of Alversians and Skull'Gar. Both types collapsed in droves as they took cover and tried to return fire as well as advance at the same time.

-

The Skull'Gar were still being shredded by the SASM, including the two Assualt Cyborgs which sprayed four neverending streams of fire towards the Xiscapians as well as the Skull'Gar.

More Skull'Gar took the hits and died, small hills of dead collecting on the ground. The kitsune with the Gun was hit, once, twice, three times, before collapsing to the ground. Before he had even dropped the Gun another Xiscapian took it from him and continued firing. Marksmanship was made hard by three factors: The driving rain, the fact that they had to keep moving to avoid being targeted and killed, and the unfamiliarity of the weapon. A few more kitsune died, and their numbers fell. What had started out as an entire company landed on this planet would soon be reduced to a couple of squads.

Within the camp, more and more Alversians and Skull'Gar were dying but they had managed to flank the SASM were now advancing on the tower. The core itself did not matter, what mattered was the tower and destroying it. The SASM were distracted with too many targets to destroy the small squad that had crept around with detonators. Elsehwhere, the rest of the Allied forces continued to be slaughtered.

Of the twenty kitsune who went out, five were dead. Untold numbers of Skull'Gar had died, lying sprawled and lifeless among the rocks and half sumerged in pools of dirty water. Blood mixed with rain and sweat as the cyborgs pounded the rocks. The Xiscapians had no way of knowing if their mission was already complete, moments from victory, or if the entire attacking force had been massacured. They would just keep fighting until they were either called back...or every last one was killed.
New Camp...
Viff woke suddenly and strained her ears. She thought she could hear...
Blaster fire? Explosions?
"Doctor!" she called out, voice hoarse from not being used. "Somebody! What's going on out there!"

The small squad of Alversians sweated as they worked to attach the explosives to the mast that stretched high into the sky. Then one of the SASM turned around. The Alversians continued to fire while one of them continued to quickly place the remainder of the charges. However, that one female was hit with blasterfire and tumbled backwards, some of the explosives falling from her hand. Another ducked backwards to try and pick it up but he was hit in the back by more fire. By now half of the squad were dead and the rest were slowly being killed one by one.

However, the explosives were remote and one of the Commanders, standing high on the cliffs that launched the explosion. The mast was torn into shreds as the metal was flung in several directions. The SASM, which had been advancing towards the destroyed squad, was blown to pieces by the force of the explosion. The rest of the SASM turned and marched back into the camp.

New Camp (lol)

One of the Doctors moved forwards and placed his hands gently on Vix's stomach to prevent her from getting up
"It's alright ma'am" he said, "They're attacking the camp to get the weapon back and stop the SASM from calling for reinforcements"

With the destruction of the communications tower and the retreat of the cyborgs, the last thirteen kitsune, two carrying wounded, withdrew with the pitiful remains of the Skull'Gar sent with them. They would have preferred to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades, but they dared not linger at the rocks, and settled with taking their swords. Despite the casualties, the operation had been a success. They were among the first to arrive as the exhausted Xiscapians added two more to the army of wounded and sank to whatever seat they could find around the center of the camp for debriefing. All had the infamous look of a soldier in the thousand yard stare, bleakly gazing off into the distance, eyes dead, life sucked from them. One held the Gun limply in his hands, staring at the ground.
Hospital...
"Reinforcements?!" Viff's eyes were wild, and sweat on her forehead could be clearly seen. She was obviously not herself, delirious perhaps. "You need to let me out! I need...I need...my kitsune..." She seemed to grow weak, struggling against the Doctor's hand on her belly like it was a insurmountable wall.

Carson appeared in front of them and gave a grim nod. It was technically a victory although no one felt like celebrating. Casualties of the Imperials and Rebels were heavy. Perhaps this new weapon could change that. If the Alversians could adapt their own weapons to this one, the bloodshed would end. He doubted they had that time though,

"Well done, Troops" He said to the Xiscapians and Alversians grimly, "You have repaid our dead tenfold. They are trapped here"

Nou Camp (:D)

The Doctor looked over her and gave a sad sigh. It seemed the fire from the SASM gun had caused more damage than he could see from here. He needed more supplies but there were none,
"Sleep" he whispered to her, "Commanders Kiko and Carson have it under control. Your Kitsune are safe"

"Great," a soldier snarled, "and so are we. What's next? If they counterattack, we won't survive. We only have the Gun to hold them off." He looked sullenly at Carson before Kiko smacked him roughly on the back of the head. "You will show respect to your superiors!" Kiko growled.
New Camp(:p)...
Viff sank back down on the bed, sweat running off her, eyes suddenly dulled. With a tired sigh she sank back into oblivion once more.

Caron held a hand up to silence Kiko,
"He is right" He uttered, "We are trapped here until the rest of the People's Army deems us ready to be lifted to safety. However, if we want to survive that long then we need guns. Lots of guns. If I think I know these enemy like I do, then they follow conventional and boring paths. No surprise attacks and no pointless excerises. To them, we are still irrelevant and we can use that to our advantage"

Nou Camp (http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/80464.jpg) :p

The Doctor watched as Viff drifted back off again and shook his head,
"What a terrible price of war" he said no one but himself, "That such a burden has to be placed on so young a girl" he went back to scanning, trying to think of what they were not short of so that he could give her some to ease her stress.

"Guns?" The soldier who had been reprimanded looked surprised. "You mean like this?" He waved the Gun in the air. "We could probably mass-manufacture these with the right tools and equipment. It's really just one of our rifles with the power core and magazine replaced with Skull'Gar ones, the barrel over sized and ammunition fused." Kiko didn't look convinced. "Do we have enough parts? Hell, do we have enough soldiers?"
---------------
The Doctor, in his scans of Viff, would find many things. Aside from the usual cuts, scratches and bruises that were universal to the soldiers here, Viff was suffering from extreme fatigue and symptoms of combat stress, as well as high fever.

"I reckon we should" Carson was thinking, "If the Skull'Gar can hold them off for long enough for us to make them then I think we should be able to make enough to defeat the ten or so that are left"

New Camp

The Doctor shook his head and looked down at Viff,
"I doubt you'll be near the front again soon. Maybe never. I think it's time you retired for a while" he sighed and gave her a small dose in order to calm the fever it was all he could do.

"Well," Kiko shrugged his shoulders, "we'd better get started then. But first, I think my soldiers need a rest, and we need to make sure the wounded are getting proper attention. I'll assign a few kitsune good with their hands to figure out the internal workings of the Gun, and we can start to make more of them."

Carson nodded,
"Very good, we need to get to it. I think the Skull'Gar will be able to hold the line until we can produce enough weapons to combat these Robots. Let's go" he was looking at Kiko and the other Alversians and Xiscapians

Kiko got up, as did the other kitsune, wearly dragging themselves away, either to the hospital tent to visit wounded friends, or back to their own tents to rest. Two stayed behind, and one received the Gun. Heads together, muttering to each other, they moved off with several APA and Imperials in tow, all looking over the Gun. Finally it was just Kiko and Carson left. For a moment there was nothing except the sound of the rain, Kiko looking at the ground, gun pointing loosly at the ground.

Carson was walking away from the tent when he saw that Kiko was still standing in the tent. He turned around to face the Xiscapian and raised his eyebrows slightly,
"Yes, Commander?" he asked, "Is there a problem?"

The kitsune appeared not to hear him, before looking up suddenly, mouth half open in surprise. "What? Oh, no sir. No sir." He closed his mouth, gave a grim salute, and trudged off to the hospital tent.
We started out with eighty.
It dropped to forty in just two weeks.
Then thirty-two.
Then twenty-five.
Now fifteen.
How long until there is only ten?
Or five?
Or one?
Or none?

Carson watched him go, then shook his head sadly, he hated being in the middle of nowhere, he was cut off from the rebellion and it meant that none of his men knew if they were winning. Or if they had already won, or lost this war.

Hopefully, the Cyborgs would soon be defeated and the Skull'Gar would rest and leave them alone.

Two Days Later...
"We did it Lieutenant!"
Kiko looked up as a private and a corporal rushed into his tent, the corporal holding a replica of the Gun in her hands. "You made more of them?" he demanded.
"Yes!" The corporal excitedly thrust the Gun into Kiko's hands, pointing along it. "We've replaced the power core and magazine, and with a few modifications, it's a whole new weapon! We've got five already, in no time we'll be able to outfit the whole patrol! If we get enough men in on it, we should get out enough to supply, oh, I might hazard a platoon by nightfall!"
"Excellent!" Kiko happily, "we're on the road to victory! Keep up the good work, corporal."
Hospital...
The next doctor or nurse who made his rounds would find Viff's bed empty, with only a depression from her body after days of occupation.
Carson's tent...
"Carson!" Kiko's voice came from outside the tent. "Carson!" He burst in, relaying everything the corporal had said at rapid speed. "Do you think you could get some people on it?" he finished breathlessly. "I as many of our people armed with the Gun as possible. If I'm going to be leading the next attack-"
"That won't be necessary, Lieutenant." came a voice from behind Kiko.
Kiko turned to find Viff stand at the entrance flaps of the tent. She looked rather better than the last time the two had seen her. While the bandages were still there, her eyes were calm and placid and her expression that of satisfaction. No one could have predicted the Xiscapian would be up and about so soon.
"Captain!" Kiko immediately dropped to one knee, head bowed.

"Viff!" Carson was both stunned and overjoyed to see her up and about again. The Doctors had hallmarked her for shipment out of the planet as soon as possible, with combat fatigue as the main reason. Now she looked as right as rain.
"Are you okay?" He asked a little suspiciously

"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," said Viff a little curtly. "All I needed was rest. I nearly lost my mind near the end, but as soon as I was ready, I got out of there. Can't just lie around while my soldiers are out fighting." She looked at Carson seriously. "Heard you took out a communications tower back at the old camp to stop them from summoning reinforcements."

OCC: can you send me a tg about what threads i can get in, since all of them are over.

"Yeah," Carson scratched his head guiltily, "We managed to destroy it, but casualties were heavy. Now we don't know where they are or where they're going. I assume we're going to follow the trail of Skull'Gar bodies to find them?" He looked at Kiko and Viff,
"Are you up to a little pest control?" he asked, smiling

"Certainly." Viff smiled predatorily. "Lieutenant Kiko, if you would be so good as to come with us and fetch a few Guns, I think we can make a hunting party for the red eyes."
Inside Viff and Kiko both worried about the Skull'Gar. Of course, they had the largest presence here, but they had already lost tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, to the cyborgs. How long could they keep going?

The Skull'Gar were taking heavy losses and the SASM were moving through the moon with relentless effeciency. The Skull'Gar existed through the cloning and it was how their people were created. However, the losses of the SASM were faster than they could spawn and so they were dwindling. The war needed to be ended and quickly. The Skull'Gar were sweeping over the north of the moon.

With that Viff, Kiko, Carson, a few Rebels and Imperials and a horde of Skull'Gar set out across the moon, chasing the cyborgs. The red-eyes weren't particularly fast, but they were relentless, marching over anything in their path in a straight line, never tiring, never stopping. By what their chronos recorded as being high noon, however, the party had caught up with the SASM, who were being almost constantly hounded by the Skull'Gar.

Viff crouched in the cover of a small ledge, watching as the cyborgs repelled yet another Skull'Gar attack with their chilling cries of "ANNHILATE!"
The little team was hidden above the red-eyes, lying in wait for the right time to attack. The cyborgs were marching away from them, and Viff looked at the others, Gun pointed forward, centered on the back of the head of the leader...

The Skull'Gar cleared away, having been repelled again. Most had been shot. Some had gotten close enough to fight them hand to hand and that had been a short, bloody battle indeed. The broken bodies proved that.

Carson, armed with a conventional rocket launcher, which might cause damage no one had checked yet, he gave a small nod to Viff. The SASM were in a small group with the two Assault ones in the centre of the group, concealed from view.

Viff squinted down the sights as Kiko and a Rebel soldier leaned next to her, also armed with the Gun. In almost perfect unison they fired, each one choosing a separate target. The idea was, after the shots were off, that they would move, and quickly. The cyborgs had a disturbing knack for destroying cover, and only by short "hops" from one piece of cover to the next would ensure survival in such a small group.

The leader at the front of the group was hit and collapsed forward into the muddy ground. However, now one of the assualt Cyborgs turned around and directed it's weapons upwards at the small group,

"Move!" Carson called as the last dozen rocks they had been jumping from disintergrated under the punishing fire from the two mini guns.

The squad scrambled as rounds cheweed up the ground and cover behind them, diving behind rocks or into small crevices, blind firing in hopes of hitting one of the cyborgs. Viff twisted and got behind a rock, down on one knee with her Gun resting on the ground vertically beside her. Her head darted out as she determined the location of the red-eyes, then receded and the Gun was stuck out the opposite side of the rock, firing in that direction.
OOC: I'm only RPing Kiko and Viff, you're free to RP the rest of the party.

One of the Assualt Cyborgs was hit in the chest and fell backwards into the mud, still firing it's twin weapons. The other seven continued to fire up at the group and two of the Alversians accompanying them, where hit and sent tumbling down the mountain face. The fire sounded like a drill, from the speed of the weapons,

"We have to knock out that other fast one" Carson shouted, pointing at the last assualt Cyborg, "Without it, maybe the Skull'Gar will stand a chance!"

Viff just gave a nod over the scream of weaponry firing back and forth. More shots blazed out of the Guns and there were a few roars of rockets as shoulder-mounted lauchers were fired. Kiko made a run, sprinting from one rock to the next, a good ten yards, firing his Gun all the way at the Assault cyborg.

Two of the cyborg twisted to fire at Kiko as another one was hit and collapsed. The Alversians on the ridge giving covering fire were being torn to shreds but at least it was giving them a chance to destroy the SASM one by one. The Assualt Cyborg was hemmed in by the others and obscured from view. They knew it's importance.

"Carson!" Kiko screamed, ducking into cover next to the Alversia. "Use the rocket, it's the only way we'll punch th-" His voice was abruptly cut off as a round hit him in the chest and the kitsune collapsed backwards. The Gun clattered from his hands across the rocks and he stared into the sky, breathing shallowly, blood welling up beneth his armor.
Viff did not see this as she was lying prone as the shots whined around her, firing out of cover with her Gun though spaces between the rocks.

"Kiko! Medic!" Carson stood up, fired off his rocket and ducked back down without looking to see the results. He was by the Xiscapian now,
"Stay with me, mate, stay with me!" He called to the Wounded Male before looking up,
"Where's that Medic!" He called to his men

Kiko panted, both hands over the injury, groaning in pain. A medic half crawled his way over to them, not even blinking as fire flew around him. "We can't evac him, sir, the fire's too heavy!" yelled the Imperial medic. "We need to clear hostiles before we can treat him!"

Carson nodded and poked his head over the rock they were sheltering behind. He turned to face the Medic and Kiko,
"I think we've done it!" He called to them, "They're withdra..."
At that point, a burst of green laser connected with the back of his head. Carson's eyes dulled instantly and his smiling expression slipped as he fell forward into the mud without another word.

The SASM were indeed withdrawing, with another sweep of the cover which claimed several more Alversian lives.

The medic just sat there, stunned, as Carson fell forward, killed instantly. Kiko beside him had closed his eyes and was breathing steadly, and as the fire slackened off, the Imperial knew what he had to do. Half carrying, half dragging Kiko's limp form, he loaded him onto a stretcher and sent the two stretcher bearers back to camp with an escort. Only then did he go back to Carson, lying facedown in the mud.

Viff darted over to where the medic was. "Where's Kiko?" she asked, frowning and looking around. "Carson, they've-" She stopped when she saw the medic's expression and looked closer. The back of Carson's helmet had been driven into his head and blood leaked out, the gray of brain matter showing in horrible glimpses. For a moment Viff stared stupidly at the corpse while the medic stood. "I'm so sorry-" he began, but Viff had turned and began to run, snatching a second Gun from a passing soldier.

The cyborgs were retreating away, and they were halfway up the opposite slope when Viff burst out from nowhere, a Gun in each hand. "CARRRSSONNN!" she screamed, firing both guns in a heated stream of deadly fire. Instantly the SASM returned fire, and as the bullets and beams connected with her, Viff only staggered and forced herself onward. Shot after shot tore chunks from her flesh and shattered bone, but the Guns kept firing until there was nothing left in front of her but a twisted pile of smoking metal.

Viff had taken over twenty shots, her left arm fully torn off, and there were large burns and hole in her belly, chest, arms and legs. She staggered for a moment, the ground around her dyed red, before finally collapsing into death among the destroyed cyborgs.
OOC: If this isn't good, let me know and I'll edit it.

OOC: Naw, it's cool.

The battle had ended. The burning remains of the SASM and the bodies of Alversians, Xiscapians and Skull'Gar littered the battlefield. Only now did a small crowd of Imperials, Rebels, Skull'Gar and Kitsune crowded around to look at the bodies. The Elder came to the fore and looked at the smoking body of Viff, He bowed his head in respect,
"Thank you" He said to her before shuffling out and back into the mountains along with his men. The Alversians and Xiscapians began to collect their dead for burial. The Skull'Gar had permitted them that. Their own dead were left to rot.

The battle for the moon was over.

Kiko stood with his hands behind his back, looking on as the two soldiers in what passed for dress uniform here approached. One was kitsune, the other APA, and each held a lit torch, guttering in the rain and wind. The entire camp was lined silently along the tents, making a huge open space in the middle for the two with fire to walk down. At the end lay a large wooden structure, dry on the inside and holding two bodies wrapped in white. Carson and Viff lay side by side in death, sleeping restfully in the way they had never gotten a chance to when they'd know each other in life.

Kiko had barely survived his own wound, and could only trust what others told him about the death of Carson and Viff's brilliant, ending charge. She had gone out in a blaze of glory, when her only wish had been to get off this moon and go back home.
That was no longer an option.
Maybe it never had been.

The kitsune, one of the thirteen still alive, stepped up to Carson's side of the structure, and the Alversian to Viff's. Both held their lights to the wood at the same time, and it erupted into flame, blazing high in moments even in the gusting wind and driving rain. As the funeral pyre burned the soldiers, kitsune and APA and Imperial alike, began a deep, resonating song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvkf1dSFcBw&feature=related) that was heard throughout the mountains. It had no words, at least none in a language anyone understood. It was the voice of sorrow, the out spilling of emotions from the soldiers who had known both Captain and Commander and even those who had not.

Kiko found tears mixing with the rain that streamed down his face and he lowered his head. With Carson and Viff dead, he was both the leader of the pitiful remnants of the XFC and of the Skirmishers. He doubted there would be anymore combat here, for what it was worth.
It did not matter to him.
For Kiko, the war was over, even as it dragged on and even began elsewhere.
The deaths of his superiors and only true friends had ensured that.
A muffled sob.
"Goodbye, Viff. Goodbye, Carson. Qonn speed to Paradise." he whispered, and walked, alone, back to his tent.

OOC: :( lol, Sad

Shall we move on to the rest of the war?

OOC: Yes, please. On with the plan we discussed.

OOC: Do you need to post first or do I?

OOC: Please, feel free to post first, and I will follow appropriately.

MEANWHILE...

The Second Alversian Civil War was over. It had resulted in a defeat for the APA and the XFC. The two pronged attack, dangerous as it was, had been repelled by fanatical Imperial forces around the outer colonies of the Alversian System. The Calypso, the flagship of the Rebel Fleet, was badly damaged in an ion storm while during battle and was attacked by well over 100 Imperial Ships before it could be repaired. Out of options, the Rebels destroyed it with the loss of it's captain and the crew it had been carrying from the future Federation. However, while some had been lost, others were found. General Cavourna, long believed to be dead, had emerged again, retrieved from an Imperial Field Hospital. He was fighting fit and soon in the frontline again.

The Rebellion was shattered, it's surviving forces scattering throughout the galaxy to remain hidden and rebuild their numbers. The Imperials pursued them relentless and this resulted in the fall of the Rebel's main base and the destruction of most of it's fleet. Amongst the Xiscapian Prisoners on the planet was the Vanadict. However, unaware of her value, the local Commander placed her amongst a consignment of slaves to be shipped to the Korr Empire. She is now in the servitude of the Korr.

Elsewhere, the Alversians fulfilled their promise and invaded the Korr Empire. The war was fierce and hard. Many of the Korr's outer systems had already fallen before the battle dissolved into a stalemate. Neither side had the power to defeat the other fully. Losses were heavy on both sides.

--
Korr Space

Cavourna, now looking a little older and a lot more tired, was with the main members of the Resistance. Those who had survived anyway. They were on a simple mission in the Star Snake, the rescue the Vanadict from some Korr.

Now they were passing through the remnants of some battle. No idea who had won. Judging by the numbers of burning Korr hulks to Alversian ones, he guessed it had been an Imperial Victory.

He shook his head,
"Such loss" He sighed.

Korr Planet

Thomas Bennett was an Alversian Mercenary, an ex-Imperial Officer and one of the many who had been hired by the Korr to try and drill the tactics needed to defeat the Empire into their own troops. He was with one of the many Korr Generals now, watching as his guards milled about before his eyes fixed on the Xiscapian Slave he had with him,
"Sir?" He asked, still looking at the unknown Female, "The battle of Sector 2003002 was a defeat for your forces. You did not follow my tactics"

"Such loss"
"Loss?" Kartosh snorted from his pilot's chair. He was looking out the cockpit window, head resting back cupped in his hands, feet on the control panel. Skyler was in the back of the ship, sorting out weapons and equipment they might need. "Loss of what? Korr? Imperials? Ships? I'm more concerned about the loss of my time and equipment. I still haven't been paid you know."
Planet of Drakorr...
Vanadict forced herself not to meet the gaze of the Alversian. She kept her head down and kept scrubbing the floor beneth her, on her hands and knees. The former Chief of Diplomacy had long been stripped of her dignified purple and black robes and was now dressed in a short beige shift that ended just below her buttocks. She wore nothing underneth, and there was a reason. While Xiscapians did not abhor nudity, the point of the shift was to humiliate the party wearing it into thinking they are covered when it may be taken from them at any time. Vanadict fulfilled both the roles of a domestic servant and a sexual slave.
"The battle of Sector 2003002 was a defeat for your forces. You did not follow my tactics"
"Tactics?" The Korr General rumbled. His name was Grunge, and he was an impressive sight, weighing over a fourth of a ton and standing at eight feet in height, all muscle and leathery skin. "Your "tactics" Commander Bennett, were not suited for the situation. You did not factor in the new Dreadnought class, and therefore the forces you advised us to send were underarmed and destroyed. The only thing keeping the battle from being a total failure was the devotion of my forces, Commander, to the cause. Their last-minute actions turned much of the assaulting Imperial fleet to dust. Over fourty percent of their forces." He growled. "If you are to remain here, and not being digested in my belly, Commander, I would suggest you provide us with all the information for the next conflict..."

"We have to rescue the Vanadict" Cavourna stated firmly at the pair, "You've as big a bounty on your head as I do. Every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be looking for you. You're as cornered as me."

"If you are to remain here, and not being digested in my belly, Commander, I would suggest you provide us with all the information for the next conflict..."

"I did give you a full list of the new classes weaponry and specifications, My Lord" Bennett replied calmly, "If you check your database, you will find them there, waiting to be studied. As for the numbers, it was your reckmendation to send those numbers, not mine. I advised twice that number but you thought it would be a waste of manpower." He was still looking at the Vanadict,
"I recomend you abandon this base and regroup with Korr Forces further into the interior, you do not have the forces to defend this position" he stated calmly