Three Marauders left the Command Carrier and abandoned the planet's orbit.
They fell from the sky with maximum velocity.
They plummeted towards the planet and absorbed large amounts of heat as they entered the atmosphere.
They headed for a large, red structure which stood in the centre of a large valley between the grey mountains of Yo'brakh.
One of the two large suns which shined on the horizon turned orange as it headed for it's sunset.
As the Marauders swept through the clouds and approached the facility, they made a swift turn and began to brake.
All tree Marauders stopped exactly above the facility, before hovering in mid-air.
Trapdoors opened and twelve soldiers came gliding down a rope as they climbed upon the roof.
"Excellent job." Bracca said.
He was the only one not wearing a helmet.
This was to show his rank and authority over the soldiers he commanded.
"Primary objective." Bracca said. "Rescue."
The soldier's faces were invisible behind the dark glass of their helmets.
Scorpius anticipated an attack of sorts, and ordered Bracca to prepare for action.
Bracca had to leave to the Command Carrier to get reinforcements, but he didn't expect Moxan to act as quickly as he did.
"I will not say more. You have all been debriefed before the launch. Now stand back."
The soldiers did as the lieutenant asked.
Above them, two Marauders headed back to the Carrier to get more men.
Bracca stuck a grenade against one of the windows and stayed clear of the impact.
The explosion shattered the glass and numbed the security-system.
"Move!"
Two soldiers attached their ropes to the roof and jumped down in the opening.
Their infrared visors made them able to see the guards through the smoke and shoot them down before the opposite would occur.
They secured the area and jammed the doors.
"Area secure, sir." one of the soldiers reported.
"Nicely done." Bracca said proud.
They had just entered one of the southern wings of the facility.
Scorpius was located in the northern wing, the control centre, before his signal was cut off.
They had to find him.
As all soldiers entered the structure by entering through the broken window, Bracca ordered them to move on.
But as they entered the next chamber, they were nearly engulfed with pulse-fire.
Bracca had underestimated the security-system of Moxan's facility...
John didn't recognise the mysterious objects the Xarai carried past his cell, although it didn't take long before he did.
His Marauder.
They were disassembling it. Scavenging it.
God knows why, but John suspected that to survive out here in this hot jungle and on this inhospitable planet you would need everything, use everything and anything, to create a place to live.
Predators stalked the jungle.
Crichton had seen how Kaarvok's Xarai dragged some disgusting looking corpses of animals into the camp, and after which they would eat them.
Crichton still held the keys to his cell clenched in his fist.
But he couldn't escape.
Not just yet.
The Xarai would capture him in an instant if he were to step out of his cell right now.
Crichton knew this.
He remembered what happened to Aenos when he tried to escape.
Both of them.
Crichton looked at the sky.
He waited for nightfall.
Shadows and darkness are his ally.
At least, that's what Harvey said to him.
John only hoped Kaarvok would never notice that his keys are missing...
"We can't get out of here." Aenos began muttering. "We can never get out of here!"
John just stared into the forest as he listened to the Peacekeeper's cries.
"I was right to say that we were going to die here." Aenos resumed. "I've already died once, but because of Kaarvok's cloning-device, we can now die ten times! A hundred times! He can keep cloning us and keep killing us until our cells will ultimately turn to dust."
"Twinning." Crichton said. "Not cloning. Twinning."
"Kaarvok will pay for what he did to me." Aenos whispered cold.
"Everyone searches for vengeance in the Unchartered Territories." Crichton said calmly, and half joking.
"The only thing which stops them from finding it is either fate or bad timing."
Crichton turned his head to look at Aenos.
"And usually those two are the same."
"Timing?" Aenos asked wondering what Crichton meant.
"Timing." Crichton answered as he showed him the object which he held in his hand.
Aenos's eyes began to shine.
"Gentlemen!" a voice suddenly said.
Crichton swiftly hid the keys in his pocket as Kaarvok appeared in front of their cells.
Kaarvok liked to sneak up on people. He liked scaring them.
Lingering in the shadows, like a ghost.
It made him feel powerful.
His eyes examined John.
"Did he see the keys?" John thought to himself.
His hopes for escape diminished slowly as Kaarvok approached the cell.
"Are you comfortable?" Kaarvok asked amused.
"We're great, Karvey." Crichton said. "Now go away."
The keys almost seemed to burn in John's pocket.
"I suggest you aim your anger at someone else. You do not want me to put you back into that pit, now do you?"
"No." Crichton said firmly, as he looked Kaarvok straight in the eye.
John concluded that he didn't know about the keys.
"I wouldn't want that." John said.
Crichton honestly did not want to be thrown into that pit.
It was a ghastly place, and to escape from it would be impossible.
Looking back to the fight he fought in there with Aenos, Crichton concluded that it all was a waste of time.
Kaarvok would've locked them up anyway.
The only reasons why Kaarvok made them fight was to find out if Crichton spoke the truth.
And because he was bored.
"Well, it wasn't an entire waste." John thought to himself. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Tonight I'll put you out of your misery, human." Kaarvok said.
"Tonight, when the three moons are full, an historic occasion, I will finally find out what you are made of, human."
"My name is Crichton." John said. "John Crichton."
"Crichton..." Kaarvok said. "John Crichton. Tonight, at midnight, you will die. Or at least, one of you will die. One John Crichton, out of many."
"What makes you so sure I will die?" John asked.
"No patient of mine as ever survived my treatment." Kaarvok said witty, almost smiling at the prospect of murder.
"You really are one frelling sunnavabitch, aren't you?" Crichton said to Kaarvok before he walked away.
Crichton turned to Aenos as he felt it was safe enough to talk without being overheard.
"We have till midnight." John said.
"It won't be long until midnight," Aenos said. "The sky is already turning black."
"Don't worry." Crichton said. "My plan will work."
"You have a plan?" Aenos said.
"Not yet." Crichton answered. "But I'll come up with something."
He had till midnight to think of it.
To think of a way to escape.
Time wasn't on his side, but Crichton always felt that he worked well under stress.
At least, that was his opinion.
