Wasteland II : Z-Factor

[Moneytalks]

Satra...

Satra glanced up at Lunden after she spoke and a rare smile flashed across her features.

"Well done Lunden, you can join me as I question them as you were the first contact. We need to get everything we can out of them, we can't afford any mistakes right now."

She frowned down at her report-com. Then looking back up at Lunden said, "Ok, show me to them..."


***********


Sage's head was pounding and although she was managing to keep up with the other's she felt like she wasn't really all there.

The voices of her friend's seemed to be so far away, like there was a filter stopping her from hearing it.

'Satraaaaaaaa...'

She screamed when she heard the name reverberatting in her head.

'Relaaaaaaax Saaaatraaa, goooood, very gooood'

Trembling she shook her head trying to clear it.

She waited fearfully, but the voice didn't come back. She felt a cold sweat across her body and she hugged herself tight wondering what that voice was. Still, at least she seemed able to focus again. She felt the hovercraft move under Madge's expert control.

Good, good, they were escaping.

 

[Moneytalks]

Drok...

It was well known that the T-11 team were all male and proud of it. It was strange but not completely unusual for an all male team to be, shall we say, vaguely sexist. T-11 was a prime example of this. The fact that they all respected Satra was evidence of the strength she wielded as a leader. She was the exception. Every woman had to contend with the fact that that would have to earn respect individually from T-11, it didn't come as a matter of course.

"Yeah, our leader rocks. I've seen too many fellow soldiers both human and andromedian fall under crap leadership..." Drok muttered as he lead Tsan back towards the outer encampment.

"Move out T-11 we're heading back to base!" He ordered through his com-link.

The men in his team filtered back, but didn't form an obvious line or group. They remained fairly scattered. Well versed in the knowledge that a group of men in open desert were an easy target. All men kept a keen eye open for any foreign movement as the moved.

 

[The GrandMage]

Assantikkan al zef Rhilin eo'Tsan

He stood aloof. His gaze moved across the men, individualizing them, noting characteristics that were common with people who were trigger-happy or too cocky in their abilities. They were all good warriors, but everyone had little habits that could be exploited.

Should this 'Great Leader' suddenly decide that Tsan Rhilin would be better for their cause dead. He didn't know what they were fighting for, or care. He was a front-line soldier. He only stopped fighting long enough to rest, eat, and get repairs. He'd been know to do all three at once on occasion.

He grunted softly to himself as he scanned the other fighters, wondering what their leader would be like.

 

[Moneytalks]

Drok...

They arrived at a non-descript mound of sand and Drok punched a code through his com-link.

He received a reply and then added another code in response before the ground opened up revealing an entrance to one of the outer encampments.

Sand drifted down the sides of the opening as Drok nodded for Tsan to follow him down. He jumped and landed nimbly on the ground below, which was about 10 feet down.

One by one the other men followed until they all were accounted for. The opening closed once more and artificial light flickered on to compensate for the darkness.

Drok led Tsan to a general purpose room equipped with basic nourishment supply modules and several long tables with rows of chairs.

"I'll take you to see the medic after you've had some food, then we'll organise for your suit to be repaired." Drok spoke even as he grabbed a metal cup-like dish and shoved it into an opening of one of the modules. A gloppy substance was issued and filled the dish which he handed to Tsan before getting another for himself.

The human males found seats and started eating while the andromedian's preferred for the most part to stand. A couple did sit on the floor and one or two did sit with the humans. They seemed quite comfortable with each other.

 

[The GrandMage]

Assantikkan al zef Rhilin eo'Tsan

He removed his headgear, stretching his neck and rolling his shoulders. He nodded, and settled himself to the floor, and eyed the food he'd been given.

"I don't need to see a medic. If there was anything wrong with me enough that I'd need medical attention, I wouldn't have been ableto walk here."

He smirked for a moment, and then began to eat. He didn't notice the taste, if their was any. His mind was lost in thought, as it always was in the lull between battles. And always in the same place.

 

[Moneytalks]

Drok...

"Doesn't matter of you're fit to walk Tsan," Drok replied even as he shovelled the food into his own mouth, "standard procedure to get checked by the medic on entry from outside, to restrict contaminants and potential viruses. Human's in particular tend to be susceptible to stuff like that." He shrugged as if irked by that particular human weakness.

"Come on then." Drok motioned as both he and Tsan finished their meals. He stood up.

"Move out to med-bay 10, T-11!" Drok ordered.

The men disposed of their eating dishes and filed out of the room down a corridor until they reached a door way lit by a flashing red light. The filed through and kept walking until they reached a door marked 10.

The door slid open to allow them all entry. There were enough beds for all of them with a few left over. Each man lay down on a bed and reached over to press a large disk by their side. A beam of light traced over their bodies and moments later a statistical reading of their overall health flickered up onto the screen behind them. When the all clear was given. A pale green light flickered allowing them to leave.

Drok showed Tsan what to do and made sure he was doing it right before moving to a bed himself.

 

[chewbacca71]

Weasal

Weasel strapped himself into the hovercraft tightly. The sounds of lasers striking the ferrocrete around them was a strong counterpoing to the thrum of the engines. Weasels stomach contracted as the craft was roughly handled as it made its way out of the hanger. Waiting for the craft to level out, Weasel made his way forward. "About a half hour travel from here, is the supposed encampment of the rebels. There is a distinctive cleft in the cliff walls, it makes a half moon shape. That is where you want to go. "

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

A moon shape in the wall of a cliff?
I wondered if he'd read this in a storybook somewhere. It sounded a little too unreal to be true. We had, however, escaped, and currently, we had nowhere else to go.
"I'll head out the other way," Madge said, "Just to draw them away form our intended destination. Then we'll backtrack after we've lost them."
I nodded in agreement, then turned to one side, my stomach not quite ready for this type of travel after the ordeal in the prison. I reached out and touched Sage's face with one finger, wanting her attention.
"You okay, Sage?"

 

[The GrandMage]

Assantikkan al zef Rhilin eo'Tsan

He sighed, and submitted himself to the test. He liked to avoid things like this, mostly because of what always came up. Once again, he got that sick feeling as the reaction to him was different.

While he was clean of most things, he carried a noncontagious, uncurable Andromedian disease. It had killed the nerves in his arms and legs, and created a chemical inbalance in his brain. He was usually extremely depressed, the only other emotion being when he becomes angry, during which times the rage took control of him and his body kicked into overdrive. Afterwards, he was left in a semi-content state of almost normalacy for a while.

Of course, over time his nerves would completely dissolve, until his central nervous system was attacked and he became paralyzed. By that time, though, he'd probably either have killed himself at a low point, or died during his battle frenzies. But he didn't like for people to know it. It was one of the reasons he had been assigned to the group he'd been with last. He wasn't trusted with elite groups like this one, or important missions. He was a throwaway soldier to be used in any battle where he could injure the enemy until he was no more.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Lunden/Andidria

I led Satra into the room where the two waited, and turned i military fashoin to face her once we were in the room.
"Sir," I began. "These two have been recieved recenlty after being found in the desert on scout-detail. The female, Nalia, claims to have little to no memory of who she is or what her purpose in the desert is. The male, Dexter, says he needs to speak with you, sir."
I stepped aside, feeling oddly like a puppet, then turned to face the two we'd just brought in.Satra would make short work of them if they weren't genuine, and if they were, she'd find something for them to do around here, maybe even make my job easier.

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage...

I reached out and touched Sage's face with one finger, wanting her attention.
"You okay, Sage?"

Sage focused on Thallon. She smiled suddenly.

"Yes, Sage good." She nodded. "We go far from bad place?" She asked in her lilting way.

"Yes, we're going far from there now Sage, you are safe now."

Sage frowns. "Safe... safe..." She nods and momentarily a flicker of fear crosses her features. So quickly that Thallon can't be sure he really saw is.

"Thallon." She drew his attention back to her immediate need. Her outstretched arms demanding a hug.

 

[Moneytalks]

Drok...

Drok had already completed his scan and was standing beside Tsan when the report flickered to life on the screen attached to his bed.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the results.

"That is very... interesting..." He said. Mildly under-exaggerating. This was some rare disease. So specific to only Andromedian's as far as he knew. It also meant Tsan was a wild card.

He looked down at the soldier.

"How did you say the rest of your team died exactly?" It wasn't in his Andromedian blood to infer suspicion. But there was the definite hint that if he had been human, suspicion would be written all over his face.

 

[Moneytalks]

Satra...

"Nalia, claims to have little to no memory of who she is or what her purpose in the desert is. The male, Dexter, says he needs to speak with you, sir." Reported Lunden before stepped aside.

"Nalia... " Satra murmered softly before looking at the woman.

"Are you two... together?" She asked, referring to Dexter.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

At her request, I reached out and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tightly to me once I had her in my grasp. It had been some time since I'd seen the girl, and I hadn't truly realized until then that I'd missed her.
"It's alright," I assured her. "We'll be back where we belong before you know it."

 

[Moneytalks]

Sage...

Sage murmured happily as Thallon's arms encircled her. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and hugged him close. His arms made her feel safe, for the moment at least.

The voice she had heard troubled her. She wasn't by nature, a person who analysed things. Her living conditions meant that all her life she was subject to whatever the desert threw at her. She tended to think like most animals. Taking each day, each moment as it came, with little regard for that vague concept of 'the future'.

Now, after her time with Thallon and the other's, she was slowly coming to realise that these people, her people, were working towards something. They had plans. They had direction. They had purpose. She hoped she would be able to help. She hoped that that voice wouldn't come back to haunt her.

Spontaneously she kissed Thallon's neck. Pressing her soft warm lips against his skin.

 

[The GrandMage]

Assantikkan al zef Rhilin eo'Tsan

He glared at the other, and shifted his gaze away. He straightened himself for a moment, they looked back. "They died in battle. With honor. Against the enemy."

Tsan Rhilin stood tall, with the same powerful look he had worn through many battles. He may not be perfect, but he was still above such suspicions. He looked away, a pained look crossing his face as he flashed back to the battlefeild when he come back to himself.

Had the enemy really done all that? Or was some of it him? Was he that far gone? Gone enough to attack his enemies. He sighed, and slumped his shoulders.

"Well, are you going to show me to your leader or not? I've only got so much time left, and I want to take as many of the enemy down with me as I can."

 

[Moneytalks]

Drok...

He sighed, and slumped his shoulders.

"Well, are you going to show me to your leader or not? I've only got so much time left, and I want to take as many of the enemy down with me as I can."

Drok stared at Tsan stoically for a few moments before speaking into his com-link.

"This is T-11 Leader, request meeting with HO-2 re Andromedian found in sector."

"T-11, HO-2 is currently unavailable."

"Advise."

"One moment..."

Drok waited even as he thought about the soldier standing before him.

"T-11, Commander will see you at 0800, the Andromedian is in your care until then."

"Understood."

****

"Well Tsan, looks like we have time to kill, I'll take you to the rec hall unless you need rest?"

 

[The GrandMage]

Assantikkan al zef Rhilin eo'Tsan

"Rest sounds good."

He started to spiral again. Within moments, he was lost in his own depression.

 

[Moneytalks]

Drok...

Drok looked at Tsan in surprise.

He'd seen depression before, but never on this scale.

"You know there are drugs which can help stabilise your symptoms, even if we can't cure your disease." He said wryly. He took an injector-gun from the wall unit and loaded it with an Andromedian, strength upper.

He shot Tsan in the arm and although it probably wouldn't cure the depression, it would enable him to function.

"Come on, I’ll show you to a room so you can rest." He ordered and led him down several corridors.

They came to a door and Drok used his voice ID to open it. Inside was a small serviceable room with a single bed and not much else.

"You'll stay here until I come and collect you. If you need to leave you can contact me via the com-station there." He pointed at a box near the door panel. My call number has been programmed in, so you just need to press enter and speak." Drok eyed Tsan. "You should speak to our medical team. They may be able to help." He shrugged, not really believing there was any real hope for someone with Tsan’s particular disease.

 

[The GrandMage]

Assantikkan al zef Rhilin eo'Tsan

He stared blankly at the far wall for a few moments once they were gone. He layed down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling blankly. He lacked motivaion. His thoughts flicked across the ceiling, trying to keep from spiraling down again. He sighed, and eventually his eyes closed, and he slept.

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Thallon

As Madge steered the hovercraft through the desert, Wesel became oddly silent. I'd expected him to prattle off directins and whatnot, but little came form him.
I paid no attention. I leaned back, realizing just then that we were truly free, at least for the moment.
I held tightly to Sage, feeling her chest rise against me, and closed my eyes.

 

[chewbacca71]

Weasel

Weasel looks over at Thallon. "Sorry, I should probably be helping you out with where we are going eh? I was just thinking about the sad life that I had just left behind. At least it was secure, not scary like this new life that I have embarked upon. No matter. Turn the ship to heading 150, and the canyon should be a little over 500 Klicks up ahead. Once you are there, descend into the canyon and down on ground level there is supposed to be a large cave entrance. "

 

[Quiet_Cool]

Dexter

"I'm not with the girl," I explained. "In fact, we just met moments before your search teams came across us. Are you the leader here? The one in charge of everything? Perhaps you can help me find the New Republic?"