The Next World [SSC v. Matsu Xiangu]

[Danger Arceneau]

Dromund Kaas Jungle
The Wall
Refugee Camp


[member="Alric Kuhn"]

"ALRIC!"

Danger's cry of alarm cut through the cacophony of chaos and death. Her green eyes were as wide as saucers, watching the black ooze and rust colored blood drip thickly from the Tetan's cane. The pummeling had splattered a mass of it around the ground, some of it catching upon Alric's clothes.

If this was the Dark Harvest virus...

"We need to get everyone out!" she shouted, gesturing everyone to move back. The virus was highly contagious. Danger had no idea that this zombie horde was a product of a Sith. She could only react to what she knew, and she had lived through the Dark Harvest strain. She recalled the death and how it could infect and spread like wildfire.

"SOUND THE ALARM! Send everyone to the ships!" another volley of pot shots dropped three more of the dead to the ground. So many were panicking, and they were quickly getting overrun. A male to the right yelled at his children to flee, telling them to run.

"Go! Get out!"

"But Kara--"

'RUN! ---afdjlsakjf" a zombie tenaciously and suddenly came lunging at the man, tackling him to the ground. Within seconds he was overrun as his screams echoed, hands outstretched with fingers clawing in horror as he was eaten alive.

Danger's visage grew grim, and she started to back away. A single mercy bolt went flying through the air, thudding right at the man's skull. He went limp as the zombies fed.

 

[Dune Rhur]

Brushing away the proffered help, the Bith rose to his feet. His face was set in a grim expression now that belied his usual calm. The pain was wearing and it angered him. Dune's anger crystallized his power and focused it. With a snarl on his thin lips he flung out his uninjured left hand and sent a wave of such magnitude that several abominations' spines and necks were pulverised with a sickening crunch.

His eyes were ablaze as he summoned his weapon and flung it at another attacker, taking it's head off at nose-level. Despite him right arm hanging all but useless, the Jedi was now unleashing the wrath of the Force. A part of him abhorred this feeling but another gloried in the surge of power!

[member="Aldera Antilles"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Jenson Koraz"] [member="Zayen"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

LOCATION: The Jungles of Dromund Kaas, Korribean Compound.
ENEMIES: Zombie Apocalypse - [member="Matsu Xiangu"]
ALLIES: [8x] Qo'saarai Tuk'ata, [2x] Half-finished Watchers.

Dromund Kaas was a dangerous planet for all intents and purposes. Double so for the jungles which were richly populated with all manners of beasts and monsters - Cerita did not know the fine details on how they were imported here for authenticity sake after the restoration efforts, and frankly she did not really care to know either.

All she knew was that those mobs were a metaphorical pain in her bum.

Korribean used to have numerous locations on Dromund Kaas, but there ain’t nothing like an artificial Ice Age induced by asteroid bombardment to demolish your real-estate. So they started over, naturally. The compound had been growing under the watchful eye of the young Knight.

Eight uplifted Tuk'ata helping with her efforts, one of them being Skaara. Who was currently staring out into the treeline from the clearing of their compound.

“Trouble?” She asked while studying her handiwork: the second of the pair of Watchers she was slowly creating.

They were magnificent things. Creations of alchemy. As durable as duracrete, but when they sensed danger their skin turned as flexible as flesh. Highly capable to when you instilled the proper experience into their fledgling sentience. It just took a long time to craft them - comparatively, of course.

“Aye,” the gruff Tuk’ata rumbled, before barking out towards its brethren in High Sith. Her grasp of the language was increasing, but wasn’t fluent yet.

She only caught the back-tail of it. An approach?

“Better you get back inside. Company.” It was almost as if the necrotine creatures could smell the potential of dramatic flair, because as soon as Skaara finished his warning they appeared out of the tree line.

They numbered six and two, followed soon by another four and three.

Cerita snorted.

“Remember who got you that nickname, Scar. I am comfortable right here.”

She rose from her crouching position and looked curiously at the zombies. Ah… what she would give to get her hands on a few living specimens.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"], [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

​

And so the zombie gundark fell and lay there in a bloody heap of body parts, ichor and brain matter. Yummy. Her whole body seemed to ache, but Siobhan pulled herself to her feet and looked around. Finding her bolter, she pulled the weapon back into her grasp with a telekinetic tug.


All around her the corpses of zombies - or rather parts of them due to her use of explosives and overpowered telekinesis - lay sprawled around. The little clearing she occupied seemed like an island in a massive ocean of undead. She had slain many, but the screeches and roars coming from deep inside the forest showed all too clearly that the flood would not be stopped through piecemeal action.


Thousands of screams called to the heavens like a crescendo as the legions of undead advanced towards the distant city. Then there were flashes of electricity when undead were electrocuted. Siobhan, who had until recently been at the Dark Temple, only saw distant flashes, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what the zombies' target was.


More and more zombies charged out of the forest. Their brethren had fallen at the shield pylon, but their hunger would not be denied. Siobhan breathed in deeply as she beheld the amorphous mass of undead. With an Eldarai curse leaving her lips, she pulled upon the tangled web of the Force as she drew its power into her. Yellowish-orange tendrils shot forth from her hand as she retracted her gauntlet.


The snake-like tendrils swam through the air, crossing the distance between her and the undead. Her eyes were pure obsidian, wells of blackness, as she sucked the creatures dry, draining them of the Force. After all, they were sustained by Sith magicks and by severing this connection, their unlife would be extinguished, with the added bonus of replenishing herself a bit.


She'd been warned of the addictive nature of Force Drain, but the hunger would not be denied, inducing what felt like an ecstatic high. However, their deaths were like a drop of water on hot stone. Suddenly a zombie pounced her from behind, bringing her down. As she hit the ground, creatures were drawn to her like moths to a flame. She tried to get up but the creature gripped her and slammed her head into the ground. Repeatedly. Soon they were everywhere, clawing at her, pulling at her limbs, trying to tear her helmet off. The Countess vanished beneath the onslaught of a mass of rotten bodies, then ripples were felt through the Force and blossomed into a massive shockwave that tossed the creatures in all directions as she expelled the energy she'd consumed in a surge of the Force. The air twisted in strange shapes, the ground warped and quickly Siobhan shot upward into the air. The shaking trees were coated with flesh, ichor and innards as the massive wave pulverised undead.


One of the undead managed to grip her leg as she took to the sky and tried to claim a ride. The zombie, whose features were so twisted it was barely recognisable as a human, clawed at her and tried to bite through her boot. Even as she gained in speed and altitude, the creature would not be dislodged and slashed at her with a sword. The aristo rammed her boot into the creature's skull with enough force to send it on a rapid descent. Beneath her was a blazing inferno when suddenly an air strike hit part of the forest, causing columns of mud, dust and rock to ascend up into the sky. Trees were ignited as flames spread, consuming what stood in their path.


It was at this point that she bothered to check her comm. She'd been a bit occupied till now and thus hadn't had time to check her messages! She and Nantaris weren't friends, but there was mutual respect and he knew how to fight a war. Siobhan had fought on zombie-infested Denon and knew an outbreak could spread like a wildfire unless swiftly contained. "Nantaris, it's Kerrigan. I'm in the air. I'm going after the Sith. Is the fleet in position to quanrantine the planet? They need to bombard the forest. Turbolaser bombardment. Failing that, artillery barrage and bombers. It's the only way to be sure." From her lofty vantage point in the sky, Siobhan had a good view of the advancing zombie legions.


"Sending you coordinates of zombie concentrations I can see. We need a defensive line in the city, focused on protecting Hythe Park." That was the only part of the ruins of Kaas City where people still lived in significant numbers. Just a couple weeks ago there had been a bizarre alien invasion. Kaas really never got a break! "Be advised, I fought an undead gundark and I reckon there's bigger beasts on the way. It's not just common zombies. Coalition garrison should've some Mag'ladroths. Deploy them," she added while she shot through the night sky.

 

[Aldera Antilles]

Brushing away the proffered help, the Bith rose to his feet. His face was set in a grim expression now that belied his usual calm. The pain was wearing and it angered him. Dune's anger crystallized his power and focused it. With a snarl on his thin lips he flung out his uninjured left hand and sent a wave of such magnitude that several abominations' spines and necks were pulverised with a sickening crunch.

His eyes were ablaze as he summoned his weapon and flung it at another attacker, taking it's head off at nose-level. Despite him right arm hanging all but useless, the Jedi was now unleashing the wrath of the Force. A part of him abhorred this feeling but another gloried in the surge of power!

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Joza Perl"] [member="Jenson Koraz"] [member="Zayen"]

Aldy shivered as she saw the usually calm Bith Jedi unleash raw power on a level she had never before seen him exhibit, but she quickly squelched it, knowing that he would probably disapprove. She was now so much more than she had been before going to Ilum and wanted to hone the same level of discipline with her new calling as she had with the old vocation.

She brought her twin blasters to bear on anything threatening Zayen, but kept attentive to any assistance she could render for Dune Rhur or others.

 

[Akhilleus]

[SIZE=10pt]Location: Colossus ---> Jungle[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Allies: None[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Enemies: Zombies[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The smell of ozone and burning corpses filled Nikias' nostrils as he stood behind the shield. The smell alone made the man feel as though he'd vomit, and while more and more zombies piled into the shield Nikias began to put two and two together. The creatures weren't smart at all, they barely had enough brain power to match a regular non-sentient predator. At least there would be a chance of a wild animal learning from others mistakes. Yet the zombies simply walked into the shield making the job easy on Nikias. There wasn't any true muscle strain or extraneous activity needed to combat them. It was a game winning plan, at least till one walked up to the shield, and as it took long to burn through it Nikias felt a chill retreat down his spine. "Move you fool!" Trellos screamed out, however it was too late. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]The large zombie belched its acid against the shield and Nikias frowned in disgust. He was already moving as he tried to pounce to the left and dodge the liquid but he soon felt some of it land on his shoulder pauldron. Eyes widening Nikias was forced into a backwards retreat as he quickly scrambled with his lightsaber to cut the straps holding the pauldron in place. The rate at which the acid burned through the durasteel was astonishing and when moving to cut the strap Nikias accidentally nicked his flesh with the saber. A howl left his lips as the pauldron fell free. Better to have a burn on your chest than to lose your arm was his reasoning. Taking off down the path at a regular jog to pace himself Nikias kept his shield raised in front of him mowing down the zombies that ran to meet him. Have to get back to the city. He thought. Due to not having his com link on him Nikias knew nothing about what was going on, he had no clue if the other Jedi had been warned or if they were combating the zombies as well. [/SIZE]

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric wasn't one to argue with his wife, especially when it came to a horde of zombies coming towards him. With the blackish red goo dripping from his cane the old man half turned away, breaking into a run, and only stopping when he half caught view of something beneath a pile of corpses in the distance.

He didn't know what it was at first, he couldn't register it completely. His mind however called for him to turn around, something deep within his psyche. Danger had already turned away, the security forces were already running, the civilians had long since sprinted away. Everything was moving from the Horde of undead, yet Alric couldn't help but turn to look back. The Old man stopped, his eyes falling on a figure buried beneath the weight of already felled corpses. He couldn't have said why he did but, as as soon as he did it he caught sight of her.

A little girl.

She was stuck, or appeared to be, her body struggling beneath the weight of several now dead corpses. Her eyes were opened wide in shock, terror filled her face, her hair caught and knotted with dried blood and caked with mud.

He could see the pure panic in her eyes, the fear.

"Danger!" Alric screamed the name of his wife to get her attention, though he'd already broken into a sprint. The injury in his leg was forgotten, the pain that he ordinarily felt was gone, everything was pushed to the side. Adrenaline poured through his veins, endorphins and drugs naturally produced by his body as determination poured through him. He didn't care if he was the only one, didn't care if he moved all alone, Alric rushed back towards the Horde of Zombies. His cane smashed down into skulls, the hard wood cracking bone as it came down.

The Titan rushed towards the girl, sliding to a stop and coming to a halt beside her. The cane was tossed aside, his hands reaching beneath the first of the corpses atop the girl to pull it away.

 

[Joza Perl]

Location: Kaas City
Allies: [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Jenson Koraz"] [member="George O Rourke"] [member="Zayen"] [member="Jericho"], SSC peeps
Enemies: Zombies

Aiming to decapitate the zombies was harder than it looked, what with how quickly and erratically they moved around. Joza aimed to move as swiftly as possible, attempting to outmaneuver the creatures and work them toward her blade. They were as dumb as they were eager, she found out after slicing through another undead neck. Maybe she should have fought like Dune, keeping them back at a manageable distance while picking them off. A sudden cry of pain pierced the air, but Joza didn’t have to look around find its source. She could feel the wave of pain radiate from her mentor and knew that he’d been hit. Even with this knowledge, the Padawan still spun around to assess the damage, face reflecting her surprise.

Unfortunately, a wave of zombies stood between her and her Master. Fortunately, it appeared that Koraz was on his way to aid the Bith, having been closer. Joza hadn’t seen him fight like a madman, too absorbed in her own conflicts to notice anything other than the positions of her allies. She could hear blaster fire erupt around her, the presence of [member="Aldera Antilles"] permeating her senses as well as the nearby Knight O Rourke.

As much as she wanted to cut a swath through the undead to make it to Dune, something made her pause. A pair of frightened creatures stole toward her and the Nautolan Jedi, clearly panicked and upset, but still undead. What...? The blatant fear emanating from the creatures tugged at her heartstrings and made her want to help them, but instinct told her to keep her guard up. Stepping back in caution, Joza’s eyes flared as the little beasts erupted into acid. Reacting, the Padawan threw up a Force Barrier that would hopefully shield both herself and the Knight from the onslaught of acid. The barrier held, but cracked under the sheer volume of the acid and ultimately shattered, leaving the acerbic liquid to puddle to the ground where it ate away at the stone pavement once more.

Still unable to fully absorb what had just happened, Joza felt another change in her Master—this one far more wrathful than the usual calm aura Dune emanated. The flash of his green saber in the darkness was all she needed to confirm what she had felt. At least he’s up and fighting.

Before she could turn back to George or take stock of anything else, a blunt pain seared through the back of her head. Joza fell to the ground, having been struck behind from a club wielding zombie that had snuck up on her. Blood began to dribble down her face as she struggled to right herself and get up, but she felt a chill run up her spine as a cold, bony hand grasped at her leg.

 

[Aldera Antilles]

Aldy sensed that something was wrong, but was a split-second too late to prevent [member="Joza Perl"] from being bludgeoned.

Instinctively, she blasted the creature's grasping hand, then pulled the young Padawan away from the zombie. With Joza safely away from any acidic backlash, Aldy vaped the monstrosity's head, bringing it a peace it would never have known otherwise.

Separated from the dead brain's influence, the severed hand released its grip.

As the battle with the undead continued at a mind-numbing pace, Aldy wearied of perpetuating so much violence. Her head was aching, though she wasn't certain if it was simply fatigue or if Dromund Kaas itself was assailing her senses with both its Dark Side energies and depressive perpetual rain.

... there is serenity ....

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Aldera Antilles"] [member="Joza Perl"]

Though Aldy had pulled Joza to safety, the Bith whirled on the converging zombies. He snarled as he grabbed one in each hand via the Force. NO ONE hurt his student. Lifting one with each hand, he snapped their necks easily as snapping fingers. Then he flung the permanently dead things at the others, knocking them down if only for a moment.

Now he stepped protectively in front of his learner, teeth showing like a feral dog. Kaas' malignant powers had amplified his fury, twisting his primal urge to kill and maim. Not a one would survive this, he thought, brandishing his lightsaber. Not a one....

 

[Aldera Antilles]

Aldy could see the fury in [member="Dune Rhur"], a marked contrast to the sentient to whom she was accustomed. His presence was magnified as he interceded on [member="Joza Perl"]'s behalf.

I wish that I had some sort of fancy power to take away at least some of the anguish he must be feeling in his spirit, Aldy lamented.

Despite the din of battle all around them, Aldy shouted to Dune Rhur in the fragile hope that he would come out of his berserker rage.

"'There is no chaos, there is harmony'," she said, her words somehow magnified.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Dromund Kaas Jungle
The Wall
Refugee Camp
[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Another volley of green bolts struck three more zombies, the scent of seared rotted flesh filling the area along with the screams. Hearing Alric yell out her name sent a chill of fear down her spine.

Feth. Feth! FETH!

Worry carved upon her face. The growls and sickening moans of each slurping bite as more of the refugees were taken down tightened her belly. Panic flared as she saw her husband rush towards the horde.

What the kark was he doing?!

"Alric!!" she yelled out his name, cursing as she drove forward behind her husband. Just what was he even think -- Then Danger saw her. A little girl, trapped under a pile of bodies.

Mother hen instincts kicked in, and with a straightening of her lips, Danger provided the Tetan cover fire. Adrenaline was pumping hot through her veins. Every breath seemed to burn her lungs and her heart was hammering in her ears. There was just no time to think. No time but to simply act.

Two guards were steadily moving back, retreating as they kept providing cover fire. In the meantime, Danger went reaching down to help the former Titan. A woman's body had covered the youngling, almost protectively. The position made it evident that the woman had died trying to shield the little girl.

"Come on honey," her voice was thick with emotion, reaching down to help pull her out. Her tiny little grimy hands clung to both Danger and Alric, panic and fear etched upon her blood splattered visage.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric wrapped his arms around the girl like a massive gorilla, he snaked about her and pulled her free of the already rotting corpses. There was a slight yelp of pain from the girl as he tugged her loose, likely her foot had gotten caught, though a little scrape or a small spraining of the ankle was hardly a concern right now. As soon as Alric pulled her free the little girl buried her face within the Titan's chest, her hair muddied and caked with blood, her clothes torn and her fingers tightening around his clothes.

The Tetan looked up at his wife, a mix of fear and horror crossing over his features.

There was no question as to what this girl had gone through, as to exactly who she had been stuck beneath. Alric could only shake his head, his eyes twitching to the left as he saw another mass horde of zombies shambling towards them. They groaned and gargled, half of them missing their jaws, the other half shambling forward faster and faster. The Titan stood, dragging the girl up with him and lifting her up into a strong grip. Danger followed her lips sealed.

He said nothing to his wife, not being able to find the words. He twitched slightly, half stuck as the girl tried to scramble back towards her dead parents. He tried to say something, tried to tell her to stop, but all he could do was pull her closer, the girls small and malnourished arms being unable to fight back. Alric's head shook, his voice finally carrying through the groans of the ghouls. "Run!"

It was the only thing he could think to say, a simple command to his wife as he broke off into a sprint.

 

[Jenson Koraz]

Allies:[member="Aldera Antilles"], [member="Dune Rhur"], [member="Joza Perl"]
Enemies: Zombies
Objective: Defense
Location: Outside Kaas City

Jenson felt the rage welling up in the Bith before he even started swinging, and the feeling filled him with dread. The last thing they needed right now was a senior Knight on the doorstep of darkness. Jenson continued to fight, decapitating and maiming as quickly as he could, but the continued waves of darkness prevented him from being able to full concentrate. This had to stop, and it had to stop now.

"Master, don't give in!" he cried as he picked up three zombies and crushed them into a ball before hurling them into several others, "Remember the Code! There is no emotion, there is peace! If you give in now we are surely lost!" Just then Jenson's mental warning bell rang in his head like a fire alarm. Jenson twisted out of the way of the direction of the danger, but he was not fast enough. A zombie screeched at him as he felt a searing pain slice through his arm. This zombie had no hands, only arm bones that had, through some bizarre erosion, formed into razor sharp blades, and those blades had just cut an inch-deep gash in Jenson's arm.

Jenson cried out and gritted his teeth against the pain. He knew it was temporary, Sorians had the ability to rapidly heal injuries, but it still hurt. Jenson swung his saber in a flurry of strikes and the offender fell in five different pieces. Blood flowed down Jenson's arm and he could feel himself getting dizzy from the loss.

"I need help!" he cried out as more undead, as if sensing his distress, began to close, "Somebody cover me!" Jenson had to get out of the fighting so he could heal himself, but right now he was a rock in a sea of enemies. His Soresu techniques kept him from being overwhelmed, but if he didn't get clear now, he would eventually be too weak to fight on.

 

[Aldera Antilles]

[member="Dune Rhur"] Joza Perl


Aldy blasted away at the creatures which were attacking [member="Jenson Koraz"], hoping that the Padawan would be able to get away from the zombies, at least long enough to use some sort of Force technique to heal himself mind, body, and spirit.

"Get out of here," she shouted to him.

"4-D7? Do you read, 4-D7? Now would be a great time to give these guys the tranquility they've been denied for so long!"

"Statement: As you desire, Mistress!"

The Legacy came about, firing turbolasers into the clustered abominations, 4-D7's superior droid brain calculating with cold precision the exact trajectories which would do maximum damage to the enemy, yet greatly minimize any collateral damage to the Jedi and their allies.

"Smug Statement: Droid efficiency ... at its best, Mistress!"

 

[Danger Arceneau]

Dromund Kaas Jungle
The Wall
Refugee Camp
[member="Alric Kuhn"]

Every step felt as if she were trekking through quicksand.

Sluggish and slow. It was all in her mind, but everything just slowed. Yet at the same time, it went by so fast. The two conflicted with each other, and the entire gory scene played out as if straight out of a horror holo-flick. It was just like Dark Harvest all over again.

She saw Alric run ahead, a half hobbled panicked stride that favored his good leg. Saw the tiny, skinny little arms beg and plea over his shoulders, a tiny rose-bud mouth crying out for a mother and father who would never be able to answer her again.

A slack jawed zombie cut her off from Alric.

Danger slid on the muddy ground, her eyes widening. Arms went reaching out for her, bloodied half claws attempting to grab hold. Danger furiously sent three bolts into him, watching the zombie's body twitch and shudder with every hit. It still kept coming.

Backing up, another zombie came to her right. Nek take it! Dodging away, she barely managed to avoid getting her arm grabbed. A series of shots felled one down, but the other one still was coming.

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric half turned when he heard a startling cry call out from Danger. His eyes bulged as he saw his wife fall to the ground, one of the creatures grasping for her. Blaster bolts flew, the small figure that was now clambering onto his chest gripped tighter, nearly sinking her fingernails into his flesh. The Titan let out a small hiss, pain arching through both his skin and leg as he whirled around and dashed back towards his wife.

He would be damned if the force took his wife.

He would be damned if he lost a woman he loved.

He would be damned if the day ended in tragedy.

The Titan Rushed back towards his wife, not quite sure of what he was going to do or even if he was capable of doing anything, but before he could ever really think about it, before he could ever really even give it a lick of thought, Alric acted. He defaulted to something that he had been taught ages ago, something that his friend had told him about fighting slower targets. One arm still wrapped tightly around the little girl Alric whirled forward. His leg kicked for the ones that held the shambling corpse up, hooking and dragging the creature back to knock it onto the floor. Before it came crashing down Alric tore his bad leg forward, kicking the thing in the skull just as it landed on the ground.

Pain lanced through him, and the old man nearly fell to the floor as he struggled to keep himself standing. The creature that had come from Danger's right scrambled towards him, clawing, the girl at his chest let out a loud blood freezing screech. A bright bolt from Danger's blaster seared up, striking the creature in the head and sending it falling to the floor. A sigh of relief flew through Alric, and his free hand came down to scoop his wife from the floor. "Come on, beautiful."

His words left him without thought, without plan, flying free as he pulled Danger from the ground and pushed her forward.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

[member="Alric Kuhn"]

One blood splattered hand took hers, dragging her to her feet. Feth, everything was a mess. Blood and mud tracked along one side of her body and over her bottom. Hair fell from her braid, and bits of brackish red splattered over one cheek and upon her blouse. Running beside him, Danger did her best to keep up, using her blaster to pick off at any of the zombies that got too close.

They had to get to the ship.

"Go, go!" their ship had the capability to be fully automated. It could start at the proverbial press of a button, but they would have to get to the makeshift spaceport first. Already, many of the refugee, foundation workers, and security were ushering stragglers behind the wall. What had once been the fringes of the fortress would allow them a measure of protection.

Up ahead, the first guard post was already activating the light-walls that would lead towards the main portable area of operations. Guards along the top of the wall would yell, using their blaster rifles and pistols for more cover fire.

"Get behind the wall!" Danger would yell out, panting and finding herself out of breath with each step. Almost five decades of smoking had affected her lungs, she wasn't as young as she once was. They burned as smoker's lungs made it difficult for her to breathe, and the closer they got to the wall the more chaotic it became as that bottle neck would thicken.

So many people were fearful for their lives.

Alric was hobbling with a stiffer pace. He must have pulled or at least torn a ligament on his knee. Oh feth his cane! There was no helping it now. They had their own skins to save.

Turning back, her eyes widened as they caught the full damage left behind. There were others there. Others who were trying to escape with their lives, some who were unfortunate souls that would not be able to make it. It was a horrific sight to see. One that Danger wouldn't forget within the coming weeks.

"Virus." she uttered hoarsely. They couldn't risk it. If this was the Dark Harvest Virus..."Need to leave. Now!"

Crossing the threshold, Danger yelled out to the guards. "Evacuation protocols now!"

 

[Alric Kuhn]

[member="Danger Arceneau"]

Alric was a few steps behind his wife, in her effort to keep up Danger ended up rather out pacing the old man, though she hardly noticed it herself.

While Danger had issues with her lungs, Alric was carrying the weight of another person, albeit a small person, and his leg was shot almost completely. His lungs filled with air as they finally pushed through and into the camp, a bright light wall erupting behind them and keeping the horde at bay, for now. He fumbled slightly, nearly falling flat on his face as the ray shields activated to keep the make-shift spaceport free of the zombies that had chased them. Alric let out a heavy breath, half keeling over even as he felt the little girl shake and begin to sob against his chest.

The Titan tried to speak, but he found himself lost for words and out of breath. "Danger."

He caught his wife's attention.

Alric knew that she would want to help everyone. He knew that she would want to stay, that she would want to make sure everyone got out safely, but they didn't have that liberty. The two of them were old, they were tired, and truth be told that last sprint had taken more out of them than either of them would like to admit. Add to that the little girl that Alric had scooped up...and staying throughout all of this was out of the question. The Eve Foundations efforts were in part protected by Saeva, and as the Horde pressed against the barrier Alric could spot elements of Vanir's Military arm beginning to crop up.

"Danger." Alric said more seriously. "We have to go."

The little girl at his chest, squeaked, but didn't say any actual words. Her grip tightened, but all Alric could do was shake his head. "Let the security forces handle this, we need to get out of here."

As much as Danger would have liked to, as much as Alric wanted to help, they both knew deep down that they couldn't take control here, not fully. They were both on the verge of collapse, they weren't soldiers, they weren't Jedi, they were only human. They had to focus on what was in front of them, and right now that was the little girl clinging to his chest. Something they could save at least.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Location: Kaas City Borders
Allies: SSC
Enemies: [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

"HELP ME!"

The voice was young and panic-stricken. The Sephi's head snapped to the right and up, long blond hair trailing behind. It wasn't difficult to spot the young Jedi, barely hanging off the ledge. He couldn't stop though, he allowed the movement to continue into a spinning heel kick that took his current opponent in the jaw. The armored boot literally shattered the bone and made the zombie enter it's own spin. It wasn't a permanent solution, but it gave him a spare second to deal with the second and third ones he was facing. His lightsaber was brought up before him in a swirl, blade facing the ground before twirling up towards the sky. The slash continued, the orange blade continuing its path to arc out, then back across in a reverse. In order: reaching hands, waist, head separated from the rest of it. The movement continued still, arcing into a purely vertical strike that bisected the third enemy from crown to groin. By then the first zombie was moving back towards the elfin Knight; a single thrust and slight coring motion through the nose ended that.

The creatures were swarming above and below the Padawan, though the child could only see those above. They were literally trying to push each other out of the way to get at their victim. Again practice came in handy as his lightsaber was extinguished and clipped to utility belt, then the blaster carbine was brought up simultaneously with another magazine-style energy pack. He couldn't use the Force accurately enough at this distance to end the zombies on the ledge, a blaster would have to suffice. The instant the power pack was in place, coherent packets of energy began spewing from the barrel. Not all of them hit their targets - the head would be the optimal place for the results - but most did. Or hit the torso and pushed the creatures back for a moment, enough for another shot to end them.

That still left a dangling Jedi, and the creatures below were beginning to use themselves as a ladder and grab for the kid. Audren shifted the carbine to hang on its sling across his back, then took a needed and unavailable moment to focus. Right hand formed a fist and the left covered it in a vaguely martial stance as he gathered the power of the Force to himself. With a growl that escalated into a raw shout at the culmination, he took a step forward and made a punching motion, still a half dozen meters from the growing ladder. The gathering Force power flew forward, a mass of cables formed into a ball the size of a melon, which impacted the center of the group. There it exploded, hurling the creatures in almost all directions. Some were hurled at speed into the wall before them, ichor splattering. Others were hurled to either side, or even straight up. The trailing ends of the blast caught the kid's feet, pushing him up enough to get him solid footing.

"Get to the Citadel!"

For his part, the Sephi had fallen to one knee, breathing heavily. Using the Force in such a manner was not his strength, and in fact he'd never accomplished that particular action before. Creativity and desperation had allowed him to do so. He saw when two rotting legs stopped in front of him, felt hands grip his head and shoulder, but could do nothing about them for an eternal second. Then his body caught up with what he needed it to do and surged back into motion. His left arm swung up, bracer slamming into the neck of the creature that was even then moving for the fatal bite. His right arm crossed his body, then swept back to the right as he stood. The combination hurled the zombie from its feet and it hit the ground hard. It still moved, but a dragging kick from the Knight's left armored boot crushed the nose and forcibly twisted the neck to face the other way, shattering vertebrae.

He ducked instinctively and the bile from yet another barely missed his head, catching a few wayward strands of hair. In the corner of his eye he saw the attacking creature, poised as if it was vomiting. Gross. Right hand brought up the lightsaber yet again, bisecting the zombie diagonally across its chest. His left hand however, snapped up, then straight back down. The vibroknife he'd grabbed from its sheath penetrated the crown of the zombie's head, oscillations turning the brain and the brain stem to mush. It was almost instantly withdrawn, then snapped forward in a throw that dropped yet another charging creature. Was there no end to the monstrosities?