To Ashes [GUIDE]

[Isaiah Dashiell]

His eyes shot open and he sprung from his seat with a sharp breath. He blinked several times before he realized where he was and what he just did, embarrassingly enough.

"Atheema, I'm sorry, are you alright?" The dream he had had been so intense, he could barely tell it was a dream. How long had he been out? His eyes drifted from Atheema back down to Mags, eyes still tightly shut. He could see the black lines like veins just like she had in the dream.

It was getting worse.

His fists tightened. "Did something happen Atheema?"

 

[Magdalena Lethe]

"The Nariah has answered our call," Atheema nodded, "Captain Xiao is in orbit preparing for extraction. We need to get everyone prepped to run. Our window for safe retrieval is...very short."

There was an ion storm headed their way, set to hit shortly after nightfall. They would have to time this perfectly or risk further losses.

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

Xiao was here? That meant they could get off this rock. His thoughts drifted to that dream he had earlier...He couldn't let those things get off the planet. Mags might have made a promise, but that was one she wasn't going to be keeping this time.

"Atheema, I have to tell you something-" He was cut off by another GUIDE member shouting that they had gotten confirmation that the Nariah was making its final approach. Izzy's eyes met Atheema's blue orbs. That talk could wait, right now they needed to get their people to safety. If anything...At least they could contain the alien once they got off planet.

 

[Magdalena Lethe]

Atheema paused as she moved to stand over Magdalena's cot, looking up at Izzy with faint curiosity. There wasn't time, however, and she didn't need the announcement to know this.

"You can tell me later," turning her attention to Magda, she carefully moved to pick her up off the cot; one arm beneath her shoulders, the other beneath her knees. Her people were strong for their stature, which was just as well - they couldn't afford to bog down the Pathfinder in such a situation.

"Take point, Pathfinder. Get us to the Nariah and get us there quickly."

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

He gave a quick nod as he pulled his Vangaurd armor up and over his shoulders. GUIDE didn't much care for weapons, but they had found plenty here, no doubt the last group had to use them to fend off the creatures that were no doubt waiting for them. He scooped up his helmet and snapped it into place, a faint hiss indicating it was sealed and running off its own short supply of oxygen. A GUIDE staffer tossed him an ancient looking blaster and gave him a nod and a pat.

"Creia, this is Izzy, how close are you?"

"We're touching down now, I've got a small team ready to meet you and your team and accept any sick and wounded. I'm coming out too." Izzy looked down at his Chron...It was almost time for those things to come out, they needed to be quick.

"Alright people, who's ready to go the hell home, cause I sure am!" He wasn't entirely sure this was going to happen, yet here they were. There were a few people up front with as little as re-breathers on. Looked like they didn't have enough suits for everyone...He just hoped they all made it out.

"Opening the hatch!"

 

[Magdalena Lethe]

"Go on," Atheema, taking up the rear, motioned to the others in front of her to move ahead and follow Izzy, "don't wait up for me. I'll be right behind you."

Several people were helping the sick through the hatch; those who were too ill to walk on their own would take the longest to get groundside. Atheema set Magda down against the wall as she helped the last pair of scientists carefully hand up the lone bodybag containing the single fatality of the mission. Though her expression did not betray her worry, her thoughts were heavy with the hope that there would be no further deaths on this day.

She was the last up the ladder with the help of the others to pull the nearly-dead GUIDE Founder up through the hatch. The daytime was shrinking away from the horizon and a storm was quickly and angrily approaching at the back of the Nariah. They had about 100 yards to go to get to the ship and the Nariah's crew were already on their way over. Picking Magda back up again, Atheema waited until the others had the stretcher up again before following after.

"Keep moving, we have a storm and the darkness to contend with and we won't survive either of them out here like this."

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

They were running out of daylight, the storm was coming up on their arses, and the small group of people were moving slow as syrup. He cursed under his breath but kept his head on a swivel. He had never received proper military training, though he felt that Creia's Pathfinder training was enough to at least get them through this. He looked at the chrono embedded in his suit's arm plate. Not much time left. He could see Creia and her small group headed towards them to meet them. Maybe with a few extra hands this could go faster and smoother.

The wind began to pick up as the storm inched its way closer blowing dust and small debris across the desolate surface. An all too familiar scream echoed in the distance.

They were waking up.

 

[Magdalena Lethe]

"Don't slow down!" Atheema called after the others ahead of her, watching as their steps faltered at the sound of screeching in the distance, "Keep going! We're almost there!"

SSSSSSSSSSSPEK.

It wasn't just Isaiah that could hear the sound this time, it was everyone, and even Atheema cast a glance around at hearing it. The very noise sent a painful shiver up her spine, like the sound somehow solidified their fate here on this forsaken planet.

"GO!" she yelled, "Don't look back, keep moving!"

HAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAA

The shadow of night crept in along their path, falling across their heels as they beat across barren earth. Atheema watched as those shadows took forms that had caused their crew nightmares over the duration of their stay, beady red eyes glowing in the bleak, the sinister coiling of serpentine bodies as they scattered through the darkness.

Then it happened, heralded by a scream, the creatures struck, colliding with one of the two crewmembers that was carrying the body bag. Creia's team wouldn't escape the incoming hoarde, already Atheema could hear blaster bolts raining out from their position not but thirty yards ahead.

"Leave the body! You must leave it and run! ISAIAH!"

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

He had frozen, that's why his name was being called. Images, sounds, feelings all flashed through his mind as the creatures continued to try to contact him. The howling wind and Atheema's shouts snapped him back into the present. He shouted a curse that was carried away by the wind.

He could see blasterfire in the distance and hear the faint shouts of Creia's team as the creatures collided with their team. He felt a thud as one of the creatures slammed into him, taking him to the floor. His breaths came out in short bursts as his fight or flight responses kicked in.

He chose fight.

A shockwave erupted from his palm as the Force bounced the thing from his body. He sucked his teeth and flung himself to his feet. Chaos was threatening to rip them apart. He pulled a blaster from its holster and fired continuously at the creatures as he tried to fight them off the more defenseless members of GUIDE. The barrels swapped places over and over again, the smell of ozone was overpowering.

"Atheema! Get Mags to Creia!" Maybe a little foolish as he had no idea how Creia's team was handling things, also a little selfish calling her by name. It was clear who he thought was most important to get out alive, which is why he sent the message telepathically. "I'll try to get everyone else!" He called on the Force again and tossed a few more away.

 

[Magdalena Lethe]

Atheema managed to catch up to the two that were carrying the body bag and ushered them away, leaving the bag behind. The creatures, for as wild as they acted, did not seem to be interested in the body at all. It made her wonder just how smart they were or if, perhaps more accurately, they were driven by movement.

She certainly wasn't in any position to perform experiements now, not with this many lives on the line.

Izzy's voice in her head sent her thoughts spinning and she staggered after the two others, regaining her bearings after a stumbling set of strides before breaking into a run again. Atheema could feel her heart pounding painfully in her chest, so fast and strong she worried it might crack a rib. Heavy breaths fogging up her visor, boots beating across the ground, she finally caught up to Izzy and ran past him, making way for Creia's team.

A distant rumble caught her gaze and Atheema watched as the Guide ship lifted into the air and began approaching the groups. Creia must have ordered a fly-by pickup. It was likely the wisest choice she could have made given the circumstances.

The Tiefling hovered overhead, it's 4 laser canon turrets blasting away at the writhing shadows to clear a path for the teams while the cargo bay ramp dropped. She watched Creia's people help her team aboard, hauling them up in pairs along the ramp, and met them with Magda clutched so tightly in her arms she was afraid she may have injured her further. Handing her up, she felt the others heave her figure by the shoulders and collapsed onto the panel of the ramp in a heap.

"Get Isaiah! He was just behind me-"

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

Pew! Pew!

The sound of blaster bolts filled the air again as Izzy blasted two of the beasts and his suit's integrated jetpack flared to life with a roar. With his back to the ship's ramp he jumped and floated back into it falling right on his behind once he was inside. Of course one of the creatures still had him by the foot and it was trying to pull the explorer back to the ground.

The sound of a heavy blaster rifle echoed as Creia blasted the creature in its face sending it tumbling back down to its own kind. The rest of GUIDE had made it up the ramp save the ones that could not be saved from the onslaught.

"Thanks Chief," he said with a smirk up to the Ex-Stormtrooper. He received a playful smack to the head and a smile in return.