The colony magistrate hurried down the hall with a soldier in front of him. The soldier was short with a broad back, sporting light battle armor. His comunicator crackled and he cupped his hand to his ear to listen more clearly. The magistrate couldn't hear the comunication, but he was a bit worried when the soldier frowned looking concerned.
"Affirmative, Over and Out" He clicked a few buttons on the comunicator. Then looking gravely at the magistrate
"Sir, I've just received word that the scape pods have been compromised"
"Oh?" The magistrate raised his eyebrow, looking at his bodyguard "Have the creatures broken through already?"
"No sir, apparently it's the workers, they..."-the soldier hesitated-"... it seems they're taking down the pods".
"What?! Our OWN people?" he cried out. "This is an outrage!. I will not tolerate this. I will not be here when those... things, break through"
He'd never really stopped to think of the danger around him. He had always thought that the pod would take him away from any situation that could arise here. Yes he'd known about the risks of taking on leadership of a remote colony, the constant battle against the elements and the ferocius zerg broods that inhabited the planet. Of course the rewards were very tempting, After all, every once in a while a little mistake could be overlooked in the colony's accounting books, and since refined vespene gas was in no short supply, nobody cared enough to start an investigation over a few hundred thousand credits. Those were the advantages of working in a billion credit operation for an intergalactic mining company. Advantages like having evacuation and rescue priority over everyone else in the colony in case of an attack by the creatures. But attack from the colony?
That he hadn't heard of.
Sure, every now and then there were small rebelions, but most were quickly settled in the negotiation table, since they were most often a way of protesting against something. They either wanted more food, or more money. The company knew that keeping employes happy was good policy. However, when the employees refused to be happy and insisted on making a fuss, then the military corps stationed in the colony were the ones to settle then down. Quickly. Eficiently. Ruthlesly.
'But where are the marines?' He though.
"Come on" he gestured at the soldier " There must be some pods that still haven't been taken out.
Before them the hallway stretched, the hard metallic floor lit by rows of neon overhead. Their steps echoed as they ran down the hall, the sound of battle growing closer. Muffled explosions could be heard now.
They reached a node. An hexagonal room that joined many hallways, topped by a transparent dome that served as a skylight. Looking out of it, they saw an escape pod beginning to lift of... Above it was a man in an SCV, riding it as if it where a wild animal. The worker was using the SVC's cutter to damage the turbines and after a few seconds, the powerful electric arc managed to bring the engine to a halt.
Horrified the magistrate saw the ship come crashing down, bursting into flame as it hit the ground.
"This is getting out of hand!" he said "How can they kill each other like that? Don't they have enough with the zerg coming for us?"
"Let's go" They started running again, taking the hallway to the left. After a few minutes of running to the complex, they reached a domed hangar. The sign on the door read 'Escape Pod Hangar D-31' Stopping briefly to read it.
"This is it, come on" The magistrate started walking by the soldier. Then the soldier grabbed his shoulder before he could enter the room.
"Wait sir, there's someone in there"
Edging closer to the gates he could make out the voices of some workers.
"Come on Jake... start it up already" said one voice.
"Hang on dumbass, this ain't as easy as it looks" said a second voice.
"You wanna get eaten here? Do it already!"
"I said shudup! Come on you lazy bitch START!"
Creeping around the door he managed to see an escape pod, crammed with the two workers and their families. The two wives and three or four children.
The magistrate turned back and said to the marine
"There's 6 people in that escape pod. Not only is it a three person pod, but I don't supose any of them know how to fly that thing. And..."-he added-" they are probably going to damage the controls if they keep at it."
The marine stared at him silently.
"Soldier, I want you to shoot those people. I'm getting off this rock, whatever it takes"
"Sir? You want me to do what?"
This time the magistrate lost his composure, whispering angrily at the soldier so that the workers in the pod wouldn't hear him.
"What are you deaf?" he said through clenched teeth "You either shoot them so we can get of the planet with that pod, or..."
He gestured to the battlefield "... We all stay here and die"
The soldier simply stared at the magistrate. He seemed pale.
"Soldier, You will do what you are told" He said angrily. The soldier's expression remained the same, his gaze fixed on the magistrate.
In fact he seemed to be staring through him.
"Dammit, what's the matter with you soldier! You look like you've seen a ghost" He shoved the soldier, angry.
"Actually..." He heard a deep voice behind him, feeling a cold metal shotgun shoved against the base of his neck.
"...he saw three"
The soldier simply stared, as the other two black-ops decloaked right behind the magistrate.
"Affirmative, Over and Out" He clicked a few buttons on the comunicator. Then looking gravely at the magistrate
"Sir, I've just received word that the scape pods have been compromised"
"Oh?" The magistrate raised his eyebrow, looking at his bodyguard "Have the creatures broken through already?"
"No sir, apparently it's the workers, they..."-the soldier hesitated-"... it seems they're taking down the pods".
"What?! Our OWN people?" he cried out. "This is an outrage!. I will not tolerate this. I will not be here when those... things, break through"
He'd never really stopped to think of the danger around him. He had always thought that the pod would take him away from any situation that could arise here. Yes he'd known about the risks of taking on leadership of a remote colony, the constant battle against the elements and the ferocius zerg broods that inhabited the planet. Of course the rewards were very tempting, After all, every once in a while a little mistake could be overlooked in the colony's accounting books, and since refined vespene gas was in no short supply, nobody cared enough to start an investigation over a few hundred thousand credits. Those were the advantages of working in a billion credit operation for an intergalactic mining company. Advantages like having evacuation and rescue priority over everyone else in the colony in case of an attack by the creatures. But attack from the colony?
That he hadn't heard of.
Sure, every now and then there were small rebelions, but most were quickly settled in the negotiation table, since they were most often a way of protesting against something. They either wanted more food, or more money. The company knew that keeping employes happy was good policy. However, when the employees refused to be happy and insisted on making a fuss, then the military corps stationed in the colony were the ones to settle then down. Quickly. Eficiently. Ruthlesly.
'But where are the marines?' He though.
"Come on" he gestured at the soldier " There must be some pods that still haven't been taken out.
Before them the hallway stretched, the hard metallic floor lit by rows of neon overhead. Their steps echoed as they ran down the hall, the sound of battle growing closer. Muffled explosions could be heard now.
They reached a node. An hexagonal room that joined many hallways, topped by a transparent dome that served as a skylight. Looking out of it, they saw an escape pod beginning to lift of... Above it was a man in an SCV, riding it as if it where a wild animal. The worker was using the SVC's cutter to damage the turbines and after a few seconds, the powerful electric arc managed to bring the engine to a halt.
Horrified the magistrate saw the ship come crashing down, bursting into flame as it hit the ground.
"This is getting out of hand!" he said "How can they kill each other like that? Don't they have enough with the zerg coming for us?"
"Let's go" They started running again, taking the hallway to the left. After a few minutes of running to the complex, they reached a domed hangar. The sign on the door read 'Escape Pod Hangar D-31' Stopping briefly to read it.
"This is it, come on" The magistrate started walking by the soldier. Then the soldier grabbed his shoulder before he could enter the room.
"Wait sir, there's someone in there"
Edging closer to the gates he could make out the voices of some workers.
"Come on Jake... start it up already" said one voice.
"Hang on dumbass, this ain't as easy as it looks" said a second voice.
"You wanna get eaten here? Do it already!"
"I said shudup! Come on you lazy bitch START!"
Creeping around the door he managed to see an escape pod, crammed with the two workers and their families. The two wives and three or four children.
The magistrate turned back and said to the marine
"There's 6 people in that escape pod. Not only is it a three person pod, but I don't supose any of them know how to fly that thing. And..."-he added-" they are probably going to damage the controls if they keep at it."
The marine stared at him silently.
"Soldier, I want you to shoot those people. I'm getting off this rock, whatever it takes"
"Sir? You want me to do what?"
This time the magistrate lost his composure, whispering angrily at the soldier so that the workers in the pod wouldn't hear him.
"What are you deaf?" he said through clenched teeth "You either shoot them so we can get of the planet with that pod, or..."
He gestured to the battlefield "... We all stay here and die"
The soldier simply stared at the magistrate. He seemed pale.
"Soldier, You will do what you are told" He said angrily. The soldier's expression remained the same, his gaze fixed on the magistrate.
In fact he seemed to be staring through him.
"Dammit, what's the matter with you soldier! You look like you've seen a ghost" He shoved the soldier, angry.
"Actually..." He heard a deep voice behind him, feeling a cold metal shotgun shoved against the base of his neck.
"...he saw three"
The soldier simply stared, as the other two black-ops decloaked right behind the magistrate.