Ciscero turned to the Major, an eyebrow raising at the flippant attitude of the other.
The Major only shrugged and continued monitoring the transmissions from the planet.
This planet is truly the hind end of hell... he thought.
Volcanoes were erupting on several continents kicking up more dust and ash that turned the scanners dark.
"The atmosphere is unbreathable." the Major explained. "With the storms that are constant in most areas, communications and transmissions to and from the planet are a joke. Hence our station..."
"And the rather large transmitter here." Ciscero pointed out, on a map nearby.
"Exactly. Destroy that transmitter and no one can talk to the surface."
"So... how can you know where the cave entrances are?"
"Well there are many caves forming and dying with the tectonic effects Sullust is drowned in. But there are only a few that have actually stood the test of time and their entrances are marked with beacons so our shuttles can find them. I mean, there is no visibility .. just ash and dust and without that signal you'd be in a world of hurt."
"Scanners don't work?"
"You cannot maintain extended flight or the dust and sand particles starts getting into the machinery and your ship falls into a river of lava.
You have to be hugging the ground for your scanners to do any good."
"Down below though.."
"Oh.. it's a different story. While the rock limits scanning to only a few yard ahead, it is another world. Cool, lush... and the Black Lakes are a sight to behold.."
"Shame, I can't stay long."
"We were not scheduled for another ship until a few weeks. You're fortunate the war brought a ship to your direction."
Ciscero grunted. "My momma always said I was lucky." With that he extended his hand to the Major. "Major, it's been nice seeing you."
"And you too.. my unnamed visitor." the Major added, a smile forming.
"I'd best be getting to a shuttle." but before he walked out, he noted the results of the scans coming from the ISD.
The lifesigns are off the scale.. he noted.
Probably the bloody equipment on the fritz again...
*
The shuttles left the orbiting station coving the distance rather quickly since the ISD had moved up. The shuttles were rather spread out as set out in the standard Imperial procedures.
"Look at the lines on her.." a pilot noted, and Ciscero climbed up.
The crew of the shuttle was minimal given that they were picking up soldiers from the warship. A pilot, Co-pilot, mechanic, fuel monitor and a two droids being the usual compliment. Some had one more or less.
In Ciscero's case, he was the one more. He was going to catch a ride on the ISD to it's military destination whenever it's patrol ended.
Who'd want to hit this backwater planet?
The TIE Defenders came launching out and, true to word, took up escorting positions.
As the shuttles moved closer to the warship, the Co-pilot turned to Ciscero and grinned. "Let those Coalition fools try and attack us now! We'll show those alien scum!"
Ciscero only grimaced quietly.
He'd seen too much to be swayed by stupidity.
His eyes watched the ISD with fascination though the hairs on the back of his neck were starting to rise.
Something seemed... off.
But what was it?
His eyes left the ISD and noted the cockpit controls blink quietly... and then it hit him!
It's too quiet!
Pilots always trade spiffs on and off with the flyboys of a warship... something to do with jocks being jocks.
"Talk to any of the flyboys?" he asked casually and the Co-Pilot darkened slightly.
"Tried too. The bloody too-good-for-shuttle-pilots-@#%$ commed off. To me! TO ME!!"
"Strange.." Ciscero murmured and suddenly the ISD seemed more... menacing.
As the last shuttle crossed the 3km mark when the TIE Defenders suddenly broke formation.
"That's odd." the pilot was heard saying.
Ciscero had turned to the mechanic, "How much speed can you get out of this...----" When an explosion rocked their position as a nearby shuttle exploded!
"PUNCH UP THE SPEED NOW!!!" ordered the pilot, intent on making it to the ISD, apparently in hopes that the TIE Defenders would take care of whatever was shooting at them.
It was his first reaction.
Ciscero realized right away what had happened. Either a cloaked ship revealed itself or they were betrayed.
Guess what his money was on?
It's the nature of this damned universe!
"Comms jammed!" the Co-Pilot shouted, confirming Ciscero's assumption.
"Make for the ISD as fast as you can!!" he shouted as the shuttle was already lurching forward.
In the confusion, two shuttles struck each other resulting in an explosion that reduced several TIE Defenders inoperable though they did not explode. They were quick.
The bulk of the shuttles and transports surged forward as fast as they could, the more experienced pilots knowing that their only source of safety lay in the direction of the ISD. Getting in under the guns was definitely more preferable than remaining outside just waiting to be picked off by the Defenders or the ISD at whim.
Some shuttles chose to raise their shields but blaster fire from the ISD ripped their shields to shreds.
"MOVE!! MOVE!!" the Pilot frantically willed his shuttle to move faster than it's safety margin allowed.
Another shuttle exploded near them.
There was only one thing that saved Ciscero's shuttle and a few others from being instantly vaped right then and there.
The launching of the enemy shuttles.
The transport at point was too busy trying to keep his mind on the positions of the TIE Devils that he never saw the shuttles coming before him, his copilot having gone back to lock down a coolant leak.
The two shuttles struck both spinning out of control striking several other shuttles both friend and foe.
In the confused mixing of shuttles the Tie Defenders were kept at bay lest they strike their own.
The big guns of the ISD fell silent not wanting to turn it's "elite" to sludge as shuttles and transports were jumbled everywhere as the shadow of the ISD fell upon them.
Three shuttles and two transports made for the main hanger as the rest of the shuttles and transports were either killed by the Defenders or too far damaged when they struck the enemy shuttles and transports.
"They're bursting at the seams!" the mechanic shouted as the first transport entered the hanger bay.
Unfortunately, not all of the enemy shuttles had taken off yet for the masses of lifeforms filling out the area.
"There must be hundreds of .. of.. what the hell are they?" the fuel monitor shouted, taking a quick glance as the enemy suddenly ran in every direction to escape the leaking transport.
The first transport just couldn't hold it together, the thruster giving out at the last minute, thanks to the sharpshooting of Defender.
He tried to avoid an enemy transport trying to hover out of the way but to no avail. The resulting explosion littered fire and debris throughout the hanger as the aliens began to thrash about burning and screaming.
"Shame our shuttle isn't equipped with weapons.." the pilot muttered.
Two of their shuttles were attempting to hand amid the alien soldiers firing their sidearms at it. The deflector haze around the shuttle collapsed and a heavy rifle blaster shot through the forward visor killing the pilot instantly.
His body slumped at the controls and the shuttle jumped forward mowing down scores of aliens as they ran to get out of the way. The shuttle exploded as it clipped a fueling line for another enemy shuttle.
"SITH SPIT!!" the mechanic in Ciscero's shuttle shouted as fire ran up the length of the fueling hose straight to the source suddenly the ship seemed to rock as their front plexiglass window became engulfed in an inferno.
The 2nd Transport had set down amid the wreckage of the first and the last shuttle began to move to land as well, the pilot having a hard time finding his bearings.
The massive explosion scattered fuel, oil and fire everywhere causing the last shuttle to rise to try and avoid it.
The panicky pilot rammed the shuttle through the Hanger Control Room overlooking the massive bay.
The shuttle became stuck there.
Ciscero's shuttle was on fire and he moved to a view port noting hundreds of things that looked like rats running around ablaze.
What the @#%$ are those?, his mind dispassionately asked. Deep inside he knew they were in a bad situation. While some of the enemy shuttles had been destroyed there were others... He remembered noting the Class 1000s.
"@#%$!" the pilot gasped out as their shuttle struck the floor, a metal beam from above pinning the shuttle down.
"We're going to explode!" the mechanic cried out.
As the fire moved over the shuttle, another explosion finally took place and the atmospheric regulators blew out causing space to rush in.
The hundreds.. perhaps thousands of soldiers laying or running wounded badly were instantly sucked out into space as the vacuum burned the fires out instantly.
*
Ciscero sat there for a while inspecting the bruises and cuts of the others.
Take inventory of what you have..
The bay was eriely quiet, though the vacuum caused weak metal junctions to creak under the stresses inflicted upon it.
A strange smell began to pour into the shuttle and Ciscero wrinkled his nose.
"What the crap?"
"Crap is correct.." the fuel monitor, his job meaningless now commented.
"what?"
"Look, our side impacted into the sidewall of a room...created a breach here."
"Why aren't we being sucked out?"
"The melting of our hull under the extreme temperatures fused the metal together around the breach together."
The pilot grunted.
"As long as our shuttle holds in one piece. Once breached it will expose that entire room to vacuum."
"We'd better move then." Ciscero said, coming to a decision. Vacuum suits, everyone! Now!"
As they started climbing into the emergency silvery suits folded neatly under their seats, Ciscero tried to identiy that smell.
They had finished and began pocketing first aid and hand weapons. Not much but it was all they had.
"I think we are the only one's that made it.."
"Nice flying.." Ciscero grunted.
"Not my fault. It happened too damned fast. We easily had been turned into paste like those poor beasties.."
Ciscero saw the melted flesh of odd aliens fused with the deck. "Must have gotten hot out here.."
Stepping into the room the stench hit them harder. "WHAT THE FRELL IS THAT SMELL!!?"
"Waste..." Ciscero said, suddenly the answers coming to him. "Scans showed a damned huge amount of lifeforms over here. They must have stripped this ship down to it's bare minimums to squeeze that many soldiers in!"
"What are you saying?"
"The typical waste facilities of an ISD can't handle that much ..crap."
The mechanic giggled insanely.
"Neither can the environmental controls..." muttered the Co-Pilot, his forehead beginning to sweat.
"Must have taxed the living daylights out of their systems!"
The Pilot stepped in something gooey. "Ratshit" he muttered disgustedly.
"We picked the damned filthiest ship in the Coalition to jump aboard on." the Mechanic muttered.
"Bothans!" Ciscero suddenly said, the smell suddenly identifiable.
"A shitload of them possibly?" the Co-Pilot grinned and the mechanic giggled again.
They are losing it..
Looking around the room, he sighed. "There are two doors, a hatch and... " he looked up. "And that's it. Let's split up and see what we can find out. See what is going on here."
"I think it's pretty evident.."
"Let's get confirmation.." Ciscero irritably said back.
They went their separate ways.
