TERRIER ABANDONMENT - 300KM FROM LEAFLET
A party of epic proportions captivated those present. The beatmaker danced inside the perimeter of a motion sense beat synthesiser for every Tatskaf Battlemonger member to dance to his musical guile. The one at the helm was a worm named Squirm. He had a flat bottom and long protrusions at his top. The being jumped in place as his standard moveset. The synthesiser rested upon a porch and a brown board hung over it for shade.
Squirm's house was tall and bent like the rest. Lack of basic amenities was the reality for those stranded, but for the Tatskaf, this was a literal vacation.
The genre transition was effortless. A lifeform on its arms and legs arched its spine and gyrated its hips to this change. Another one, a Chesadee with a profound stomach, had his fists clenched and moved to the beat before the switch to a different tune.
The crew-about three thousand in total-made up the majority on the outskirts of Terrier. The only real economic activity was when the odd ship landed-which hadn't happened in two days. Being an illegal transhipment point for all things criminal would have one believe there would be more activity, but civil war was a great deterrent.
The boisterous atmosphere irritated Tatskaf's neighbours.
"Nah, man. How they wicked so? I wanna relax," A male Cardigaul said from inside his home. "But I can't do anything about it." He became sad.
The music transitioned once more. The melodies kept them in a carefree, rhythmic state until...
BEEP BEEP, BOOP BOOP!
These were the sounds of a familiar blackened starcraft in the sky.
Squirm, being the beatmaker, was happy to see it return with all its hugeness. The Tatskafs cheered with exuberance at this development.
The music then changed again to something more lively than the last. It was just right for the mood.
The worm began to flail his body similar to someone twirling their shirt at a rave. The rest formed a conga line to a hit song as their starcraft came down.
* * *
La rested in bumps and bruises with white bandages pasted with medicine to hide and heal them. Their medical technology was way behind most parts of the galaxy. The general worn-out nature of everything wasn't appealing. Hospitals were one of the largest buildings in each town that made up Leaflet. The only facilities that were bigger were the living arrangements and the waste recycling facility.
She tried to break the spell her sleeping ability had on her. It was something that needed improvement if she wanted to establish herself in her new position.
La wanted to ask Mezamica Um something she needed to know. The communications were down, but for her desire, she struggled mightily to get out of bed. It would never go away until she got her answer. With her rank, she felt that she must know what was previously unknown to her in the organization.
"Hey. Where are you going?" A medical practitioner saw La with all her injuries moving through the busy hallway.
"Don't bother me." Most were preoccupied with taking care of those that had put their lives on the line for the Defence Force. They laid on anything that could give comfort while being treated in the hallways-whether on seats, gurneys or the bare ground. Their plight to their hasty treatment unsettled those that sought to help them.
"But miss ..." The practitioner waded her way through this sight of agony until a targeted yawn pacified her. His sudden fall prompted rapid aid from multiple doctors.
It didn't take long to reach Mezamica Um's room. She saw him being dropped off here before her, so she knew where to go.
"What are you doing here?" He was curious.
"I wanna ask you something." She managed to reach the edge of the bed to sit despite her current physical predicament.
"About what?"
"The battle at Grassy Plains."
"Not sure there, La. Don't wanna break the unwritten rule."
This didn't dissuade her. She knew how to break down such walls. "Remember the secret you want me to keep?"
"That secret?"
"Yep, that one."
Mezamica Um got him to break his truth embargo. He was the one Ippe trusted the most in the Defence Force due to his combination of experience and service, but he forfeited that for his own sake.
FOUR YEARS AGO
Amaruca was a landscape as diverse as the lifeforms that comprised it. One of these was a plain of vast shoots of green that towered over the one hundred thousand combatants.
"Looks like I overdid it today," said Das while staring at an enemy being ripped apart. His wheel attachments were exceptional for unparalleled mobility. Some were on his legs as skates, but many were attached to the ends of his hair as well. The War Troupe could not affect him, for the strength he carried was incredible. Buried in the vast reaches of grass were the bodies he had slain. To quantify them was difficult.
"Good job as usual, Das." Ippe was proud to have someone like him.
"No problem, bossman. Always here to do what best for the Force."
More action took place in the distance to the right. But before Das pressed forward, he gave himself a bit of time to recover.
The grass rustled. He remained firm against the unsettling noise.
"Das," Ippe's stance became less concrete. It was getting to him, even with suspicions of its origin. "Is tha ..."
A loud buzzing ran through the air; his fighting instincts kicked in and Das' shredding powers were activated.
"Like I got you two good there." Mezamica Um nearly burst into laughter from the looks they had. The sounds he made from his mouth certainly deceived them.
Das got himself into this jovial mood with the acknowledgement that he had been fooled, but Ippe wanted them to remain in their warrior mentality. A simple call to action brought them back to said mindset so they could rush into more conflict.
After they murdered a few enemies, they arrived on a bare patch of land. There, a blaster battle lost its lustre. Soldiers resorted to lashes, whether with empty weapons or their body parts due to a dearth of ammunition.
Next to Das was a rock with a smooth surface of grey. In a glance, the air around it deformed-a snippet of the mastery of his powers. The wheels beneath him loosened before his incredible speed and precision knocked the stone toward a soldier. Half of his Cardigaul form was gone; bodily fluids gushed while flesh was reduced to pudding.
Grins and cheers of his weaker colleagues motivated him to kill more. Mezamica Um and Ippe followed along with little challenge. There was no point to go all out on fodder. In ten strikes, the enemy infantry was slain and their maimed corpses laid to rot. The few alive would soon succumb to their injuries.
Das halted in the middle of the space for the troops to gather and give thanks for his assistance.
His rounds of praise were then pierced by an artillery shell. The open patch was filled with smoke and heat.
"Wow, I misfired." Zartzs was hundreds of meters up in her more destructive form that sacrificed maneuverability. This covered her in black armour plating, made her wider and longer, and more reliant on weapons that were based on the old but potent power of gunpowder.
Mezamica Um swiped away the lingering cloud to reveal Das toppled over. His upper portion was gone. No medical assistance could save him.
Das, the valuable military asset and second in strength to Ippe, had failed in battle.
Ippe caressed what remained of him. "We lost an INCREDIBLE soldier." The deaths of many impacted him little, but a being like Das was too much.
He removed himself from Das and sunk his fingers into the ground. A crack took shape where Ippe and Mezamica Um stood. While this took place, the soldiers complied with the removal of his body to ensure Das didn't get caught in his upcoming attack.
Most of the area within the cracks became coated in black with a nice sheen, from the grass to the dirt, and the bodies of enemies as well. The ground trembled with the potency of a minor earthquake as the lift revealed a chunk of earth many tons in weight where pebbles fell from below and a body unable to resist gravity, unceremoniously slid off.
Now nestled in his palms, he threw it. The chunk ate the distance like a voracious lover of food. His target was too big to miss. Zartzs redirected her main artillery cannon to overwhelm it with an explosion of epic proportions. The carbon fibre withstood the blast and pressed forward.
Ippe positioned himself like a sprinter once the explosion died down. He made adjustments to avoid the gaping hole and.......... HE WAS OFF. A straight line was maintained while running, leaving a trail of flattened grass as compact as carpet.
Zartzs skirted around the mass of dirt that was out to get her. Her form wasn't as suited to this. It was cumbersome to carry around all that armour.
Ippe was close. He could feel the urge for battle.
KABOOM!!!
Another explosion came towards his dark projectile. For Ippe, this mammoth rock was his way of saying welcome to her.
"Sorry, I have to wrap it up now. Have to go on a mission. Don't want to be late." Mezamica Um's injuries were much less severe than most. Due to this and other factors, he was chosen to lead the retrieval party to bring back Hahbou. He was practically ready to be discharged.
"I'm satisfied. Sorry for barging in."
"No worries."
La propped herself up and began her return to her room. Right after leaving, a doctor grabbed her and said, "What is wrong with you? We were wondering where you went, you know."
It didn't matter. There was no point in resisting. She got her answer.
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