The Galactic War: Rogue Element ~The Beginning

[Chad32]

Claxter follows Ossanlin, eager for them all to leave this place behind them. The mission looked like it would be successful, with no real losses. Everything would be reversed as soon as Claxter and his Prince demorphed. He just hoped nothing would go wrong at the last minute. Surely they had had enough difficulty.

Soon they would be going back up those shafts again. Would he be able to get up with one arm? Was the pregnant Human fit enough to climb? They'd just have to try their best, he supposed.

[Estelore]

Enorryma waited a beat to verify that Ossanlin was able to move on his own power, then nodded and quickly moved to point position, leading the group up and out of the tangled trap of hallways and toxic gas where they had collectively cornered themselves.

<<Shorm? I am honoured at the notion, but let's save that designation for when you're not under duress.>> Now was no time to get emotional, but she was truly moved that Ossanlin would even consider valuing her that highly.

She moved forward with a curtailed urgency, limited by the humans' speed and her own need to check and clear corners as they turned around them, paranoia proven valid.

Soon she could faintly smell ship's air. "We are close."

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin nods and follows the large blackish-greenish humanoid blob that he perceives as Enorryma, one hand against the tunnel's wall, the other grasping the case containing the Yeerks.  <<It is alright Esarvit...I would rather you have both hands free.  It is you three who will need to defend our flank if the facility Andalites manage to come up behind us.>>

Ossanlin turns, still leaning against the wall as his vision grows worse, his skin a mass of chemical burns that just won't stop slowly spreading.  "The...atmosphere is bad.  Breathe...shallowly ."  He hits the lever to unlatch the hatch.  The air would still be facility-quality in the airlock until they popped the floor hatch at the top of the ladder.  He steps in behind Enorryma and steps to the side to allow his troops and the hosts to come through with their burdens.

An explosion echoes from back down the corridor.  Ossanlin's eyes widen.  "They must...be getting...through our blockades.  Hurry...everyone into the...environment lock."

He sends a private thought to Leskel up above.  <<Leskel...we're on our way up.  Ready the Mirage...I want to be off the ground in five standard minutes.>>


~


Aurellia follows at the tail of the line, still carrying her burdens.  As the hosts start entering the environment lock, she hears explosions coming from behind her and turns around, leveling her ASAR on a straight shot down the length of the hallway.  If they got caught outside the airlock, there wouldn't be any cover.  She begins backing into those in front of her in an effort to herd them along.


~


As Ehvrin follows the group, explosions from behind catch his attention and he whips around just as fast as Aurellia, leveling his ASAR down the hallway.  He glances over at the female and imitates her, attempting to herd the hosts into the environment lock quickly.


~


Leskel hears his Prince's orders and gallops away from the hangar toward the Mirage.  As soon as he passes through the camouflage, the ramp jumps into view and he mounts it.  He runs to the ****pit and begins warm-up procedures for the Mirage.  <<Yes, sir.>>  He begins to demorph into his own form once the procedures have been initiated.

[Chad32]

The idea that they'd soon be stormed by a dozen or so Andalites sent chills down Claxter's spine. sure he could shoot with his good arm if it wasn't holding anything, but he couldn't run or dodge. Ossanlin's condition was getting worse, and nothing short of demorphing may help. If it helped. The rebels had weapons, but they were still in a negative emotional state. still grieving, and somewhat suspicious of their rescuers. He had to calm down. He couldn't let it get to him. They were almost back to the ship. Just a little farther.

[Myitt]

"****," Tara exclaims, scrambling out of the way as the Yeerk rescue crew tumbles from the ceiling. She pockets her Dracon and hurries along the corridor, dragging Daniel with her. She looks over her shoulder to see if Terenia is still following.

Whatever that chemical material was, it had turned Ossanlin's morphed body into a series of gruesome wounds and pustules, and she was not going to add that to her list of problems. In the frantic rush she notes Ossanlin is carrying a series of metallic cells, hoping that they are what she thinks they are.

Niko steps back as Ossanlin spirals out of the hole in the ceiling, all blades and tail, a trail of chemical fume snaking after him.

He stands, staring, as their ragtag band starts to make a break for it down the hall.

"Dom," he murmurs, taking the man's arm in a vice grip, still staring up at the hole in the ceiling. "Let's get the hell away from whatever that is." Swallowing, he hurries after the others.

By the time Tara makes it to the environmental lock she is coughing consistently, brushing at her nose and eyes with the back of a hand.

[KitsuneMarie]

Tess stumbles backwards with Chris's urging, farther away from the dangerous gas, but the motion is nearly as dangerous as she almost trips, clinging to Chris's arm to stabilize herself. She stares at the vapors that seep into the space. "I can't breathe that," she whispers fearfully as her other hand goes to her stomach. "I don't know what it'll do to them." She pulls farther away and deeper into the crowd of rebels, tugging Chris with her.

Daniel keeps his grip on Tara grimly, his attention focused on her until he spots Terenia's expression. Then he immediately reaches for her hand with his free one. He does not speak, but the concerned look in his eyes says it all.

[Shenmue654]

Joanne continues to follow the crowd nervously, less than pleased with most of these events. She carries the food packet with trepidation, casting awkward glances ahead as if hoping for an explanation. If they've retrieved Tara and the other hosts, does it follow that these guys will be picking up the Yeerks? Joanne hopes so, truly hopes so. She doesn't know what she'd do if she was forced to leave alone.

Joanne's gun is abruptly passed to her by one of the Hork-Bajir, or at least a gun. The dents and nicks on the sides look awfully familiar, though. Joanne grins, kissing the weapon and enjoying the cold feel of its sides. "My baby," she states aloud. "Now we jus' pick up Kess an' we'll all be back together."

Joanne looks ahead in confusion, trying to make out what the front group is doing. There appears to be an environmental lock not far ahead of them, suggesting they're not far from the end. That's good, but where the hell...Joanne's eyes widen as a burned Hork-Bajir suddenly tumbles out of the ceiling nearby. Even she in her reverie isn't blind enough to miss that display of strangeness. To make matters worse, a trail of chemical fumes follows him. "****in' hell!" cries out Joanne, suddenly intent on getting out of there. She's helped along by one of the other Hork-Bajir near the back, who appears to be hurriedly trying to get the entire group out of the base. An explosion shakes the group from much farther behind, and Joanne attempts to keep her head in the confusion. She has lingered for far too long. She can't afford to wait for Keshin.....
**********************************************************************************
Keshin's quiet misery is disrupted by the water about him shifting positions drastically, pushing him right up against the edge of the cell. <What?> he thinks aloud, not particularly expecting anyone to hear him. Whatever just happened means that the connection between himself and the base is disrupted.

Keshin cannot truly move around, or even hazard a guess as to what happened. His best interpretation is that his cell is...moving. The movement he felt had to involve a drop and a lift. Since he is probably in a wall, that means they are either there to kill him or...or something else. A small, burning kernel of hope appears in his heart that perhaps he will not die by starvation.

[Terenia]

Chris leads Tess, helping her along best he can. When she nearly trips he steps forward, his arms going around her protectively. "Come on," he whispers, giving the top of her head a quick kiss before breaking away. He makes for the front of the ranks, pushing past the others towards what, he hopes, is a way out.

Dom's eyes widen at the chemical assault, and he gives Niko a hasty nod, turning and following the group. He stays close to Niko, glancing back periodically to make sure that no one is lagging.

When Daniel's hand closes around Terenia's she looks up in surprise. She lets out a shaky breath and nods, letting him tug her along with Tara. She is still crying, but silently now, not putting much effort into moving beyond what she must do to keep up with Daniel and Tara.

The Mike look-alike hurries along, not interacting with anyone, not making eye contact. Occasionally he glances up to make sure that they are still making forward progress, but otherwise he does everything he can to remain inconspicuous.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin makes his way to the ladder, case still in hand.  He turns around and watches as all the morphed andalites and hosts make their way through the lock hatch followed by Ehvrin, Esarvit, and Aurellia.  Aurellia pulls the lock shut and the room seals.  She switches her ASAR to cutting mode and fuses the the door shut for good measure.

"Keep an eye out....that door is meant to withstand pressure...but if they...find us, be ready to defend."  Ossanlin looks up the ladder.  He attaches the case to the harness underneath his pack and mounts the ladder.  <<I will go first, Aurellia will follow me, then Claxter.  The hosts will file up next.  Enorryma, I need you to keep the rear guard with Ehvrin and Esarvit.  Once the hosts have come up, Ennoryma come up, then Esarvit, and Ehvrin.>>

Ossanlin pushes through the raging pain, parts of his body becoming numb.  That's a bad sign...he needs to morph, and soon.  Each ladder rung is a battle, a lesson in pain, but Ossanlin continues to climb.  One story....two...thre e...and he finally reaches the hatch.  He slides the trigger to open the hatch-release panel.  He grabs the handle and repeats the same motions he'd used to open the door, only in reverse.  The hatch hisses and slides back, revealing the inside of the maintenance hangar.  The poor atmospheric air burns his damaged lungs much worse than the facility's air.  He hacks a couple of times before getting his breathing under control.  He climbs up into the hangar and draws his little handheld Dracon.  The ASAR hanging off his back was probably useless due to the damage.

He limps to the door leading out to the landing pads waiting for Aurellia and Claxter.


~


Aurellia nods to her Prince after fusing the atmospheric lock.  She quickly follows him up the ladder and then kneels next to the hatch to offer Claxter a hand if he needs one.

[Terenia]

Flinching at the explosions, Chris stays protectively behind Tess, moving as fast as he can while still protecting her. When they reach the ladder he comes to an abrupt halt and looks up. "****," he murmurs. That's an awful long climb for someone nine months pregnant with twins. "Tess, can you...?" He glances at her doubtfully. "You go first. I'll be right behind you, okay? Just...be careful."


Dom pulls up as the line of hosts in front of him come to a stop, reaching a ladder of some sort. He looks back nervously, shifting from foot to foot as he waits for the people in front to begin ascending.

"Dom." A voice by his elbow makes him look up. It is Aya. Dom smiles briefly and wraps a single arm around her shoulders in a brief hug.

"Aya," he whispers. "I am glad you are safe."

She nods, but looks troubled. "There aren't a lot of us here," she says quietly. "Zach..." She winces and Dom's arm tightens around her.

"He was off base, I'm pretty sure," she says, chewing on her lip. "I think he's safe. Lanath...Lanath was with me. Dom...I...there's so many missing." She swallows back a lump in her throat. She clears her throat, then adds, "And someone unfamiliar." She nods her head towards Joanne, who is a few people behind them.


Still letting herself be tugged along by Daniel, Terenia remains silent, her eyes glazed over and unfocused. When he stops, she stops. When he moves forward, she moves. She doesn't offer any commentary.

[Chad32]

Claxter waits for aurellia before taking his turn. The climb is a bit hard, but his need to escape helps him ignore the everything else. Whaen he reahes the top, he grabs Aurellia's hand thankfully, and is helped up. He looks down to see if anyone else needs help, knowing this won't be very easy for the pregnant Human either.

[Luke Skywalker (Ossanlin)]

Ossanlin watches Aurellia and Claxter climb up out of the hole in the floor from the door.  <<Aurellia...I need you to cover the landing pad.  This was not my plan but...I'm useless until I demorph.>>  He coughs up a little Hork-Bajir blood.  <<And I need to do that soon.  I will cross first.  Claxter, I need you to cross and cover the open ground from the bottom of the Mirage's ramp.  If they see the others down below...those who have made their way outside...will know...where to...find us.>>  Ossanlin fights the light-headedness and slides the door open, waiting for Aurellia to take up position.  He peeks around the side of the door and notes that the pathway appears to be clear.  The Mirage is still cloaked, but he knows exactly where the ramp is.

<<Leskel, I will be entering the Mirage soon.>>


~


Aurellia nods to Claxter as she helps heave him up, and then jogs over to Ossanlin.  At his orders, she jumps outside, looking both ways to make sure the path is clear before hunkering down next to some crates so that she can cover both directions outside.  She waves to her Prince to go.


~


Ossanlin nods to Aurellia and half-limps, half-sprints toward the Mirage.  His lungs burn but he forces his legs to keep moving.  The sky is still deep black, the stars barely visible due to the planet's shadow.  Thirty meters...twenty...f ifteen...ten...five ...and suddenly he trips over the end of the ramp as he's enveloped by the active camouflage.  He stumbles to his knees, but forces himself to crawl up the ramp a ways before he begins to demorph.

The changes start slowly, but begin to pick up speed as burning, useless flesh is replaced by fresh skin and fur.  Chemical-burned lungs become healthy, fully-functional specimens and Ossanlin inhales greedily, the acrid, barely-breathable atmospheric air tasting as sweet as plains land on the Homeworld.  He disentangles himself from his pack and it slides off to the side a bit, along with the Yeerk-laden case.  Soon, he's fully Andalite again and he breathes deeply.  He doesn't afford himself any rest before starting the Hork-Bajir morph again.  Claxter should be crossing now...he hadn't mentioned it to Claxter, but one of the reasons he wants the Warrior to come across is because he's concerned about the younger Andalite's wounds.

He stands, picking up the pack and case again, his re-morph still underway.  He heads for the med-bay.  He sends a quiet open thought-speech to the case as he unhooks it with his free hand, his morph once again complete.  <I apologize for the bumpy ride, you'll be able to feed soon.>  Hopefully the Yeerks inside wouldn't become frightened at the sound of thought-speech, though that would be an understandable reaction given what they'd been through.  And he hopes that some...one, at least...will recognize his voice.

Ossanlin sends a private thought up to Leskel on the flight-deck.  <<Leskel, seal off that flight-deck...I don't want the hosts becoming frightened at seeing an Andalite.  Not until we're all aboard and off the ground at least.>>  He stashes the Yeerk-case in the med-bay, making his way back toward the ramp to help cover the escaping rogues and hosts.

<<Aurellia, take up a cover position at the hangar's dome entrance in case they figure things out, and tell the hosts where to go if they need direction.>>


~


Leskel nods as he hears Ossanlin mention that he'd be back aboard the ship soon.  His stalk eyes see his Prince stagger onto the ramp and widen at the horrible sight of burned, maimed flesh.  The engines are cycling up...but just as he begins to move toward Ossanlin, his Prince begins to demorph and keeps his position.

He seals off the flight-deck when Ossanlin tells him to do so.  <<Yes, Prince.>>


~


Ehvrin stands back as Aurellia fuses the environment lock with the SB mode of her ASAR, but takes up watch again.  He notes his Prince, Aurellia, and Claxter ascending the ladder before another explosion draws his eyes to the corridor.  He sees Andalites running through the crossing corridor via the port in the hatch.  Suddenly, one notices his face and fires at the lock.  The thick metal seems to absorb the blast, but he turns to regard the hosts and his companions.  "They've seen us!  Go!  Quickly!  As fast as you can!  If you can't climb with the supplement, leave some behind!  Carry as much as you can without it slowing you down!"  Ehvrin shouts in Galard.

The Andalites start running down the hallway toward the environment lock.  <Stop!  They're over here!  Cease!  Surrender now!>  The thought-speech shouts echo through the walls.  <Anyone outside, make for the Maintenance Hangar!>  One shouts into his communicator.

[Chad32]

Claxter started making his way to the ramp of the ship. His bad leg felt like it was about to give out, but he hit it with his fist to put some feeling back into it. When he made it to the Mirage, and was hidden, he began to demorph. He regained a steady balance and both arms, as well as losing that distracting dull pain.

Soon after he saw an Andalite rush around the corner of the facility like he knew exactly where they were. <<They're coming around to the entrance, Aurellia!>> He yelled as he raised his weapon to take a shot. The first was too far ahead, as the distance was a bit far for him to one shot the Andalite, but it made him stop. As he tried to figure out where the shot came from, Claxter managed to hit and stun him. Stationary targets were always easier to hit.

<<We're clear for the moment.>>

[KitsuneMarie]

Tess licks her lips nervously as she stares up the ladder in front of Chris. Then she discards the nutrients she has been carrying, knowing it's a complete lost cause, and places her foot on the first rung. Pulling herself up to the second is a chore, her heavy stomach in the way of her knees and elbows.

With a grunt of exertion, the gap between her and the next person ahead of her growing, she climbs several more feet, pausing to catch her breath. And that is the moment in which they are spotted. The moment shots are fired, she lets out a quiet sound of fear and begins hauling herself upward with greater speed, forehead shining with sweat, painful contractions kicking in. All she wants to do is curl up on herself, but she knows she can't; if nothing else, she is holding up everyone else's progress.

When she reaches the top, she lets out an exhausted, pained sound, panting heavily and clutching her stomach with both hands. "Chris," she whispers, tears in her eyes as she looks back for him, needing his help.


Daniel doesn't let go of Terenia's hand until they make it to the bottom of the ladder, swiveling his head to try to keep an eye out on their attackers. "Go first," he prods Terenia and Tara forward, his now-free hands going for his Dracon.

[Terenia]

"Tess--" Chris gasps. After so long in the cell his legs ache with the effort of climbing, and how Tess is managing he has no idea. He is almost at his limit when the sound of Shredder fire rings out. "Hurry!" he hisses, as close behind Tess as he can manage without crowding her. Once she finally reaches the top he tumbles out after her, scrambling on hands and knees to her side. His cheeks pale when he sees Tess clutching her stomach. Oh no... He swallows back a surge of terror at the thought of having pushed her too hard.

"Tess, are you alright?" he asks, watching her desperately, wishing he knew some way that he could help.


Terenia hesitates, waiting for those in front of her -- including Dom and Aya -- to begin making their way up the ladder. When Daniel tells her to go first she almost refuses, the idea of sitting down and crying much more appealing than any escape. Then the shots ring out, and some sense of self-preservation pushes her forward. Gripping the sides of the ladder she begins to haul herself upward.


The morphed form of Mike finds himself at the back of the line, beside Daniel. He has no weapon to speak of, but when the sound of firing begins to echo through the corridor he steps forward, in front of Daniel. "Go," he says gruffly, in a voice that definitely lacks Mike's accent.