|Viraliv|[20-14]Sliue-Ececs|Ora’s Eye|Tepi|Tepi-3|

11,163,955,738cy

Terraformer Station ‘Favala’, Low Tepi-3 Orbit

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Unknowingly what had happened to the team headed by Echo-02 was also happening to the other teams in the operation. To put it simply, their mission to capture the head officers had failed due to the unexpected entrance of a certain faction. Not to mention that the explosion caused by Echo-02 resulted in damage to the station and sent the entire thing into a further phase of lockdown. In that case, even if some teams were still operational they wouldn’t be able to get to the officers anyway. It had seemed like the Malefra faction had come prepared for such situations and upon investigation, no real traces could be found about them; at least no traces that could be followed up on. They seem to have many tricks up their sleeves, and if they could gain access to the station then who knows what other assets they have.

A different story was being played out in the reactor room however. Quite frankly it can be said that the rogue factions are thoroughly demoralized. If the operation had succeeded then they surely would've known about it by now. Since no news has reached them yet, they knew that it must have failed. However, with their backs to the walls they have no choice but to continue fighting even if such a decision is doomed to fail. Many have thought about surrendering but considering their actions and the fact that the colony doesn’t currently have any way to deal with such heinous criminals the odds are that they would simply get executed. At least, that’s what they would’ve done to any faction trying to disrupt their authority even if it is illegal by many standards and agreements. No-one is here to uphold those afterall and history is written by the victors so if they say that no-one surrendered then that’s simply what happened.

Knowing that, they fight especially hard. That kind of energy is not something that the troops on Simiffin’s side can have. Their now advantageous situation has resulted in a breakdown in discipline and effort, this has resulted in the troops fighting more cautiously. Afterall no-one would want to die in battle, and especially so at the end of said battle. It doesn't help that the enemy is just as good as they are. It’s hard not to think about the meat grinder at the beginning of this battle, the bodies are still littered about and stand tall as a reminder of the cost of a weak leader; or just a bad situation. Everyone has their own way of interpreting what happened during this ordeal. None of the soldiers can say that they aren’t wearing the blood of their comrades on their uniforms and in their fur though, a morbid medal given to them by their fallen.

That being said, even the frantic energy of those on the other side of the range are not enough to stop the eventuality of their defeat. Only a little over a hundred of them remain. Having collected any scrap materials they could collect on their gradual retreat to the center of the room, the area closest to the main reactor. All of the scrap is in various states of destruction but they piled it high and created a makeshift shanty bunker, the pure amount of scrap will afford them a worthwhile defense. Currently they huddle inside not wanting to risk a peep outside. The few medics that remain can be seen running around to the various moaning and groaning soldiers inside. Even in their wounded state they’ll be expected to fight, if this bunker is captured only the Egol medics would be considered non-combatants. Currently their plan is to simply wait for the enemy to move, there is no plan to get out of this alive, only that they are forced to continue killing.

Unknown to them, Simiffiin would certainly allow them to surrender as it would save a few soldiers at the very least. However they can only judge the situation through the lens of their own understanding and if they were the enemy commander they would allow no quarter and therefore assume the same of Simiffin. Simiffin also doesn't have a reputation that would make them think otherwise as he’s never faced a situation like this before. Simiffin also doesn’t want to send in soldiers to capture them, doing so would be quite a bit more difficult than simply killing them. It’s a common situation of the two sides not understanding each other.

Perhaps only one squad of the remainders is in good condition, relative to the situation of course. The only squad of the few that have a heavily armored Thelsk protecting them. And protect them he did, most of their wounds are small except for one of their members. The Thelsk’s armour is very damaged though, likely a lot of heat was directed towards it during the retreat. The internals of the suit can be seen, moving and shifting around in their strange mechanical routines, though obviously slower and stiffer than standard. Many of them look up to him as the only thing standing between the enemy and their deaths, it can be said that he’s become some sort of spiritual icon for the survivors. Something to rally behind, something that they hardly realize themselves. Certainly not something that the Thelsk would become aware of, too busy focusing on other things.

Stolen story; please report.

#Point of View of Saroxis Ghej, alias of “Tiny”

It’s hot in here. Noisy too, many moans of pains or screams when the Egols scurry their skinny fingers over somebody with their tools. We’re in a sad state and everybody knows it, it’s practically dripping from their pores. I had planned to leave the battle with my brothers in tow but I couldn’t find a good way to do it. Going by the current situation it looks like nobody can come up with any plan to escape this either. I don’t really care about the others but my brothers should at least make it out of here alive, too bad I can’t think of any good ways. The distractions in here aren’t helping with the thinking, luckily the enemies seem content to wait us out. A good plan on their part seeing as how we didn’t prepare for if the operation fails. Simply put, we don’t have very many supplies to last us, they could just watch us for a few days until we’re too weak to resist. Honestly that might be the best for us as well, that situation gives a slim chance that they’ll just arrest us instead of finishing us off. An insulting smell fills my nose and disrupts my thoughts, probably one of the dead releasing the fillings of their organs, smells like shit in any case.

A noise rings out, a noise that we’ve heard many times during combat. The sounds of a round bouncing off metal, some annoying little brat deciding to poke us. It’s smart though, keeps us on edge and anxious. Makes the adrenaline release in our bodies making us hungrier faster. Perhaps it really is the enemies' plan to siege us out or maybe it’s just for fun. Those around me can already be seen with dark rings around their eyes, the Tarmon’s bioluminescence is certainly dimmer than usual. A sure sign that they need sleep, truth is we all do, including the enemies. Difference is that they can sleep and we can’t. This is the physiological warfare before the real fight, a way to soften up the enemies before killing them. I remember in my youth fighting gangs of grack-jaws, skinny little lizards that hunt in packs. Easy to kill for a full grown Thelsk but good practice for the shell-cracked. Anyway, part of fighting them was to yell as loud as one could, it causes them to freeze up for a moment. At that point you just grab them behind their wiry necks and give them a good twist, or squeeze depending on your preference.

A cough interrupts my thoughts, quite a wet one too. The wizened ones say that you start to think about these kinds of things when you’re about to die. Your dreams, opportunities that you regretted not taking, memories of simpler or sweeter times; those kinds of thoughts. A bunch of shit though, I’m not dying right now. I refuse to accept that, not me nor my brothers will die here. The others may have already given up but I won’t, I don’t care what it takes but me and my brothers will make it out of this alive.

Still that leaves me right back to where I started, how to get out of this mess. I know I’m not the brightest, even among the Thelsk but there must be some way that I can look at it that’s unique to me. Some solution that a Tarmon or Egol would never come up with. It’s difficult to think in this situation though, I’d like to yell at them but they don’t need that right now; nor do they deserve it. They might be weaker than the average Thelsk but they’re warriors all the same. They might not be my brothers, and I wouldn’t care much if they died, but at least I won’t be too rude to them when in this situation.

I huddle up in my sitting position, shoulders brought up closer to my head and with a hunched over back. As I bring my large shoulders more and more forward, the cacophony of noises slowly subdues and gets more and more drowned out. A position that many familiar to Thelsk would know. A position meant to drown out the outside world, to deprive one of their senses, and provide a place to think. Most Thelsk warriors simply use it to sleep during chaotic areas and the like. Me too, this is the first time for me to use it like this. To think, my head is too empty without the noises and it makes me uncomfortable. Usually I’m just in this silence for a few seconds before I fall asleep but this isn't the time for that and so I’ll have to deal with it. I don’t know how the elders back home deal with this, they’ll often do this before making important decisions; which is to say almost everyday.

And I need to make an important decision right now, guess my scales will start drying out soon. My friends back home would think I’d have turned into an elder in that case, haha.

Anyway, time to get to it I guess. I sit there, no thoughts come. Just darkness and silence. Every now and then I feel people moving around me, this is the only sense connecting me to the outside world.

Time passes, I know it, I just don’t know how much. Minutes? Hours? Both seem equally reasonable, a thought that terrifies me. Maybe the enemies have already rushed into our bunker and killed us all and this is the afterlife. No! Surely not, I won’t have died without a fight. Blood rushes to my head, something that lets me know that I’m still alive and perhaps what I needed in order to think clearly. A strong impetus and then a few seconds later a thought comes to my mind. A thought that acts like a seedling, something that grows into a plan. Why not give it a try, in any case inaction will only lead to death. With that finalizing thought I start to break up my position. My senses start to come back. Upon opening my eyes I look around, the situation doesn’t seem to have changed much.

My brothers are around me, perhaps they thought that I was sleeping because they’re all wrapped up in their bundles around me. It’s good that they're getting their sleep in because once my plan starts it’s all or nothing; everything is decided by when the enemies start their attack.