Cracking the Barrens

[Jayce Terryn]

Kro Var​

First Order Scouting Base​

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The planet was miserable from what Jayce had seen so far. It lacked life and activity. Most important of all, it lacked resources. He didn't understand why his superiors would want to expend a scouting team to such a place. They should have been sent to a planet with more strategic value. Though, it wasn't all that bad. Jayce didn't have to deal with rebellions or militia or any problems like that. He just had to walk, look at rocks and lava, and walk some more. His commanding officer dealt with managing the base and scheduling scouting patrols, which meant that his commanding officer would not leave the base.

The base itself was decently sizable. It was located inside a crater, large walls of rock covering the outer perimeter. There was enough deployed structures to provide for three companies of troops, though only one company was present to fill the space. That just meant that there was more room for the men and women that had to suffer being stationed on Kro Var. Jayce had the honor of sharing a building with each of the other officers and being able to converse with them on a daily basis. It was good to know everyone else that held a position of command.

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Jayce shuffled his way down the steps of the Officer's Estate. He was slightly late this morning for his usual patrol. If he were stationed anywhere else, he would have been punished for such a mistake, but on Kro Var, the superiors could care less. There were no hostiles to worry about. Besides, who else would want Kro Var? Running up to the gathered group of troops, Jayce lifted up his clipboard to review it and make sure everyone else listed to patrol was present. After going through the entire list, there was only one person absent.

"Where's Gordon?"

He looked at each helmet, waiting for a response. It was as if he was talking to a bunch of robots. Mute robots. Finally, one of the troopers stepped forward to give an answer.

"He was sick this morning, sir. Probably still attached to the toilet."

"Well, the food here will do that to you. We'll move on without him. Get those vehicle warmed up. We're going to be scouting around an area we haven't gone to yet, even though everywhere looks practically the same, barren and sad."

"Uhh... Should I send for a replacement, sir?"

"No need to bother. It's not like we'll run into anything anyways."

Grabbing hold of the railing of the S-2 FireHawke Tank, Jayce pulled himself atop. He usually liked to sit on the side of the tank when he wasn't walking. He never allowed himself to sit inside the cool cockpits of vehicles. He liked to walk the walk and face the environment just like his troops did. Today felt like another boring day, so Jayce was ready to get it over with.

"Let's get this show on the road. I sent the coordinates and patrol information to each of you, so review that as we walk."

And like that, the patrol departed from the scouting base. Little did they know, this may be the last time they ever depart from that base.

[member="Daniel Imura"]

 

[Daniel Imura]

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Meanwhile, in the basement of a small, yet budding workshop...​

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taptaptataptap-tatatap. "Hm." +more tapping* "Interesting..." Daniel sat at his desk, surfing the holonet for ideas for new and intriguing designs for future vehicles. He didn't do so often, but since he'd made his first creation simply for imaginative purposes, his curiosity had spiked. He stopped his perusing for a moment to look back at the orange hot rod sitting across the room. It certainly was a beauty. Maybe he could add some modifications at some point to make it even better. Ideas, ideas. He turned back to his computer for a moment, only to be interrupted by the sound of the door opening, followed by footsteps. "Rookie- I mean Reggie, what have I told you about knocking first?" "I-i'm terribly sorry Mr. Imura, but this looks like something that might grab your attention for a moment." Reggie was Daniel's chief engineer, and about as close to partners as one could get without actually crossing that line. He was a tall, lanky man with glasses that he constantly had to push up the bridge of his nose, and always seemed to have tons of notebooks, scraps of paper, and something to write with. He jotted down everything he saw, typically, and every now and then, he had something useful written down. However, he now held out a datapad expectantly at Daniel, obviously intending for him to look at it. Sighing inwardly, he took it and tapped the screen a few times to access what the man wanted to show him.

It was a feed from one of the outer cameras, as in the outer cameras. A little thing about his brother who had helped him set up in the first place, he was a stickler on security and had installed cameras inside and outside the building, as well as some in the area surrounding it. And what Daniel saw, as he looked through the eye of a camera overlooking a hill, was what seemed to be a base camp inside a nearby crater. "I don't believe that was there before..." As he zoomed in best as he could, he could make out an obviously military patrol, one definitely not from Kro Var. Handing the datapad back to the engineer, he got up from his seat and walked over to a small chest. "Run off and head back to work, i'm gonna see what this is all about." With a simple nod, Reggie would adjust his glasses and do just that, as Daniel opened the chest and pulled out his Icebreaker pistol, checking the ammunition and strapping it to his side.

[member="Jayce Terryn"]

 

[Jayce Terryn]

Levitating over the rocky terrain, the convoy of three S-2 FireHawke Tanks pushed onward. There were around forty troopers in the patrol. Well, thirty-nine since Jayce left without replacing his missing man. The area they were assigned to scout was one they have never been to before, but it still looked like the rest of Kro Var. The only significance that area had was an apparent cave system alongside a rock wall. They had no idea how deep those cave tunnels went, or if they even went anywhere. The whole point of their mission was to discover that, and if there was anything odd about the caves.

Jayce, who had hitched a ride atop one of the tanks, was now walking near the front of the convoy. Jayce liked to organize his men equally on both sides. That way, he was comfortable in knowing that his formation looked as it should and not like a big mess. Jayce didn't expect to find much. He never did and he figured that he never would. They were stationed on a backwater planet, anyways. One of his troopers spoke up over the communication channel.

"Our FireHawke scanners are picking up suspicious movement in the vicinity. Coming over the ridge now!"

Each trooper quickly raised their rifles and ran to rocks for cover. Jayce did not. He just stood and watched. Coming flying over the ridge was one of the odd wild bird-like creatures of Kro Var. It didn't bother with the troopers. Just kept on flying and increasing altitude.

"Jeez... you guys don't have to jump and run around like that. Just a dang bird. There are no hostiles on this planet. Remember where we are, Kro Var. Possibly the emptiest planet in this galaxy."

The troopers moved back to formation and the scouting convoy continued on its course.

[member="Daniel Imura"]

 

[Daniel Imura]

However, just as the troopers continued on their way, something else did appear atop the ridge. Daniel, clad in grey and black, watching, studying. Crouching so as to avoid being seen, he examined the movements of the men, squinting a little in interest. The one in the middle seemed to be the focal point, their means of leadership. He had stayed put when the infantry had scrambled to positions, showing that either he was stupid, or he knew a bit about the planet. The air of confidence he seemed to radiate suggested the latter. Seeing that this was in fact an offworld military, the fact that this man was well-educated only made him more dangerous. Daniel almost laughed outwardly at his own thoughts. Who was he kidding? He was looking for a fight anyway; his life had been pretty dull recently. Of course then, anything could be seen as a threat. However, before he went to fully engage them, he would test their combat skills a bit. Forming a good sized snowball in his hand, he hurtled it at the middle of the formation, hoping to hit at least one in the head. It wouldn't knock any of them out; he'd only made it dense enough to cover distance and not melt from the heat. Still, he was curious.

[member="Jayce Terryn"]