Corr wearily leaned back in his desk chair with a sigh, looking to the time.
The three eager cadets before him seemed stunned, on edge from his story as they were captivated by such a daring tale.
"W-What happened next, Sir?" DZ questioned, having suspicions of what was to come.
The elder Irken bit his lip, studying his desk in silence before fishing around in a desk drawer, retrieving a small data disc, sliding it before the three younger before him.
"What's this, Professor?" Digits asked, picking it up, inspecting it. "…looks like a video disc."
"It is," Corr nodded, motioning to it. "What you want to know is on that disc, I would tell you myself…but I would rather not relive those events if avoidable."
DZ swallowed, surprised at such admittance from the elder Irken.
"…was it that bad, Sir?" He questioned cautiously, "…what Commander Vult did?"
"Words don't begin to describe what I witnessed first-hand there that day…just watch the video when you get a chance…I won't be surprised if you don't want to hear more," He answered, standing up with his cane shakily, gathering his things. "That's all for today, I'm afraid…see you in class tomorrow, dismissed."
The trio got to their feet, Digits holding the disc still, all three snapping a sharp salute to Corr before exiting. They exited as per usual, closing the door behind them.
"I truly hope that doesn't scar those kids too horribly," Corr muttered to himself, having second thoughts, but sighs as he finishes packing his belongings into his attaché case, "…truth of it is…that's far from the worst to befall any of us." He thought, making his way for the door to go home for the evening.
"So what do you think is on that disc?" Joker questioned, walking beside Digits as he studied it.
"Pretty self-explanatory if you think about it," Digits logically commented, "I think it's safe to agree that without a doubt, Professor Corr is telling the truth about this Shadow Striker business and he was a member of it…there's no way anyone could weave such an intricate lie like that and not trip up at least once."
The two friends present nodded in agreement, knowing it to be true.
"If that's the case," he continued, sighing, "and Corr didn't want to talk about whatever was on this disc…it can't be anything good." He chuckles nervously, "I'm curious…but I'm not sure if I want to know to be honest. The Shadow Strikers were the elite of the elite, the very best and most loyal soldiers to the Empire at the time…if one of them was mentally affected by an event…I don't know if we can handle it."
"Oh, stop being so dramatic," Joker sneered, snatching the disc from his hand, "it's just a video file, so what if there's some violence, even blood and gore…we're soldiers, on our way to being Honor Guard…you two smeets are telling me you can't handle a little blood and guts?"
"It's not that simple, Joker," DZ spoke up, looking to him. "It's one thing to see something like that as a result of war, but it's another when the victims had no hand in it to begin with." He paused, swallowing at the thought, "…from how Commander Corr was going about it and the situation…I think something happened to those civilians…something terrible."
Joker studied the disc in his palm, clasping his fingers around it.
"Only one way to find out then, now isn't there?" He commented, motioning. "Come on, the Archives has vid screens we can use."
"It's almost time for light's out though, and Gis is already pretty irritated with us as it is," Digits warned as they came into the empty expanse of the Archives, the equivalent of a library, the walls lined not with books, but data files to be inserted into terminals for viewing, even checked out to be used on personal data pads. The trio approached one of the terminals.
"He's not going to do anything, he knows we've been staying after with the Professor after PT. He doesn't seem to upset anyway about it, he's usually screaming at us for the smallest things, been pretty quiet lately to be honest." Joker stated, powering the terminal up before inserting the disc, watching the media player open on-screen, waiting for the video to load.
A screen of snow and static graced the frame for a moment before quickly snapping into focus, what appeared to be a helmet-mounted camera was the point of view, the information in the upper right hand corner signifying it belonged to Captain Corr, complete with his serial number, and promptly followed by the time and date…a date that existed a bit over 100 years ago, during the Empire's waning years. The view panned to that of a couple of soldiers dressed in black and red, helmets and all, the very sight sending small chills down their spines.
"I…I don't know if there's any more proof necessary…those have to be Shadow Strikers, never seen uniforms like that before, from the way the Professor described them…there's no doubt, "Digits unbelievably stated what they all were thinking, watching as Corr's camera refocused as he approached a slightly smaller Irken dressed similarly to himself and an Irken Elite with the rank of Captain, apparently arguing.
"Something wrong, Sir?" A clearly much younger voice of Corr's filled the sound, getting their attention, watching at the Elite Captain thrusted his finger at Corr menacingly.
"Tell your lackey to stay out of this," he ordered.
Joker shook his head from sheer disbelief.
"…that's Saro!"
"Who?" DZ questioned, noting his surprise, but unfamiliar with the name.
"Saro, Captain Saro…" hoping his friend would get it, he sighs, "The Vortian Nightmare?"
It instantly clicked.
"THE Vortian Nightmare?" DZ blinked, studying the intimidating features of the Captain on the video, the most prominent being the scarring on his face and lack of an eye, replaced by a cybernetic one. One image that was burned into their minds was the intense, steely glare he possessed, even without it being a hardened one, it was still frightening.
"I'd take Sergeant Gis over this guy any day of the week," Joker absentmindedly commented, watching as Corr held himself back as the other Shadow Striker shoved Saro away, warning him.
"I'm assuming that other one there with Corr is Commander Vult since he called him "Sir", I remember the professor mentioning a few times that he was second-in-command, so it makes sense that would be his commanding officer…right?" Digits stated, looking to DZ as the events continued to playback on screen.
"Seems that way," DZ nodded at his friend's logic, watching, furrowing his brow in confusion somewhat as the view went from about eye-level to the ground, the jarring of the impact affecting the feed somewhat until it refocused, the view upon one Commander Vult, blades of glowing, magenta-tinged plasma...and a lot of frightened, innocent civilians between him and the Vortian Nightmare. His spooch sank as he came to a realization, swallowing hard.
"...please tell me he's not going to do what I think he's going to do," he commented to no one in particular, merely the voice of their collective thoughts.
Soldiers or not, there were some things that any sentient race should never have thrust upon them, both in giving and receiving...this was one of the moments. The apparent difference in generations and regimes were made all the more clearer...as well as reasoning behind why it was imperative that the Empire fell to give way to a somewhat diplomatic and more peaceful Republic.
In a macabre combination of utter shock and horror, the three cadets watched as Corr's former commanding officer of the unit that wasn't supposed to exist advance through the now-panicking crowd of Vortian civilians, literally cutting a swath to create a path, no matter who stood in his way. The chaos and pandemonium of the situation was beyond belief, the cries of terror from the civilians to by what the feed was showing, Corr, Haxx, and Tuu were struggling with all their might to restrain the Commander on his path of literal slaughter, three average-sized male Irken soldiers, Vult still continuing forward, albeit slowed considerably.
The shrieks of pain finally came to a rest, giving way to sniveling, whimpering, relatives and loved ones affected by his violent outburst weeping over those he had slain, the camera feed on Vult's face for a moment as his seething rage was beginning to subside as the three beneath his command held him back, mere feet from a smugly-smiling Saro, the Irken Elite Captain going as far as to approach him, applauding even with a low chuckle.
"I'm impressed, Commander...didn't know you had such a vicious streak in you," he says amusingly as he surveys the destruction wrought by Vult's outburst, making a mockery of the very foundations that the Irken Commander prided himself and his soldiers on, leaning within inches of his face, looking menacingly into Vult's eyes, ones now no blinded by rage, whispering "...consider it a little...payback for Drevin. Not quite paid in full..." he cracks his malicious smile, chuckling again, "...but it's a start."
The trio restraining him felt their commanding officer's body go lax in their grasp, letting go of him. Vult fell to his knees, staring towards the floor in oblivion, his plasma blades long since subsided upon deactivation, looking to his hand shakily before him.
Controlling his own emotions and temper, Corr grasped Saro by the front of his uniform, glaring daggers at him from mere inches away, his voice tinged with an angered growl.
"....Gather your men and move out." the Captain seethed to Saro through grit, grinding teeth. He wanted nothing more than to flay him on the spot for what he had done to provoke Vult into such an outburst, as well as the disrespect he had been showing. Everything about him demanded it to be done, yet Corr controlled himself, knowing that it may not be now or soon even, but eventually...the "nightmare" was to be in for a rude awakening.
Saro huffs amusingly, looking down at Corr's hand, earning him a violent shake, surprising him.
"I gave you an order, Captain, follow it," Corr reiterated, releasing his uniform, "hop to it before Command hears of your disobedience."
Corr may have been the same rank, just a tad shorter than Saro if not equal height, but he knew how the Elite Captain's mind function, using psychological warfare against him, rather simple for someone that was a bootlicker to their Tallest and even Supreme Commander Grimm for that matter. Dedication and obedience to the cause was one thing, but Saro's blind loyalty to the Empire and those who commanded him was disgusting.
Not one to trifle with such a threat, Saro straightens his uniform where Corr ruffled it up, clearing his throat as he brushed past him without a word, leaving Corr near his comrades, the civilians frightened beyond belief, crying, and on the verge of panicking into a literal stampede given their numbers, wanting to get away from the bloodthirsty Irken in their presence. He looks to a sobbing Aero on the ground, clutching at her injured side, Sula rushing up to assess the damage, attempting to console her, but not before shooting Saro and his departing men an icy glare that put even his own to shame, muttering curses at them.
As Aero was tended to, Haxx and Tuu attempted to get Vult's attention, someone who seemed off in a different world still, unresponsive but aware.
"Commander? Sir? Commander Vult? Come on, Sir, snap out of it" Haxx continued, going as far as snapping his fingers in front of his face. A horrible scene lay around them, and he was fully aware of the carnage, as well as the perpetrator. He was more worried about his commanding officer's state of mind at the moment, the circumstances calling for their leader, but he seemed deaf to it.
"What do we do, Captain?" Tuu looked up, asking of Corr, his tone unusually solemn compared to his usual self, Vult's actions clearly affecting him, much like it was the rest of those that witnessed. The line that separated Commander Vult from a monster such as Saro had become quite obscure and blurred.
Corr sighs in exasperation, looking around as he thought, motioning, reluctant at best.
"...We still have a mission to complete, everyone secure your kit and get ready to move out....we've wasted enough time here as it is."
"So we're just going to up and leave after the Commander snapped and went on a killing spree? What about these people and what just happened?" Haxx incredulously questioned of his superior, something he was known for anymore. However, he was entitled to it this time.
"I gave you an order, Sergeant, follow it."
He stood, facing the Captain, his treatment of what had just happened, enemy or not, was wrong. No being of sentience should have saw or felt what had just taken place, but the disturbing fact of the matter was it was a reality before them. Haxx was shocked, insulted even, at Corr's disregard of the matter.
"Corr, he just turned these people into festive confetti and we're going to leave like nothing happened? " He defiantly stated, thrusting an accusatory finger towards Vult. "This isn't right and you know it!"
"I said stow it, Haxx!" Corr actually yelled, containing his own anger, a combination of feelings flowing through him, strangely tinged with a hint of hurt, betrayal even. The teachings that Vult had bestowed upon them in how to conduct themselves seemed all for naught, hypocritical of his words. He cast a downward glance to Vult momentarily before returning to the Sergeant who was more than right before him. "...the mission comes first...we're behind enemy lines, deep in Vortian territory...self-explanatory that we need to get moving again."
As much as he didn't want to comply, it was necessary and he knew it. Haxx finally subsided, without a word as he picked his rifle up once more, securing it to his back, Tuu following him. Corr sighed exasperatedly, looking to his commanding officer, now looking like a broken man on his knees, staring at the floor as if trying to bore holes into it.
Hesitantly, he clasped his shoulder, trying to get his attention.
"...On your feet, Commander...we need to move out, Sir."
Corr awoke, panting for breath in a cold sweat, his old eyes darting about the darkened room...his bedroom, the familiarity of it calming him somewhat...a nightmare...reliving of one, a moment he wished to never see in the remainder of his days. His vision adjusted to the darkness as he wearily looked to the time, groaning in annoyance at the sight. It was hours before the start of his day, several at that, but swung his feet over the edge of the bed, grabbing his cane to stand with a grunt, sighing.
"...no more sleep tonight," he muttered as he shuffled across the room to his closet, getting dressed in a simple outfit, wearing a light jacket as well. He exited his modest accommodations, a middle-class apartment complex, just outside of the base he instructed at, though paid for completely because of the service and duties he provided for his people, regime regardless. Corr had always been a modest individual and only needed the necessities, nothing extravagant or luscious...comfort often led to a dulling of the senses, something that could prove to be a soldier's downfall...even in retirement, he was prepared for the unexpected.
The recent events, the retelling of Vult's loss of control and his time spent in Saro's presence drug up a past that he wished was left better buried...but if it remained locked away, it would have went to the grave with him, no one to know the legacy, the triumph, and in this case...the tragedy of the Shadow Strikers. More or less something to do as opposed to sitting in his dwelling alone and brooding over his visions, he walked the city streets, his destination a small store on the corner that he frequented that was open all hours of the day. Corr took in the sights of the neighborhood, not much to look at, mostly other living complexes, the occasional break in monotony with a vacant lot or site of construction as the Irken Republic remained as prosperous as ever in their diplomatic stance with the universe, a century after the violence and bloodshed that sent tidal waves rippling across the universe. A time that seemed all but forgotten, slowly but surely, various races and peoples of the universe were coming to respect the Irken and even form alliances with them once more.
To Corr, even though their actions then may not have seemed significant beneath the Empire, it still had its consequences and left a mark on the universe. He left the philosophy and reminiscing at the door as he entered the corner market, an electronic bell ringing annoyingly to signal a customer entering. The clerk looked up from filling out paperwork, smiling as he recognized one of his regulars.
"Oh, hey there, Commander...out pretty late compared to usual...can't sleep?"
Corr nods as he searches the refrigerated racks behind a glass door for something to drink.
"You could say that...just have a lot on my mind lately is all."
"Ah, I see, I see...so how's everything going for you over there on-base? Still an academic instructor there, aren't you?"
"Military history, have been since I started there," Corr answered as he sat the bottled drink he wanted on the counter. "How much?"
"3 monies," he politely informed as he keyed the item into the register, waiting for Corr to retrieve some form of payment as two individuals entered the store, one after another, young adult men, barely at that. It happened a bit too quick for him to realize what was going on, finding himself looking down the barrel of a plasma rifle. Corr looked up in time to be shoved violently, falling to the ground in surprise.
"Look out, old man." he sneered as his companion held the rifle of Vortian make up.
"All the monies you got...now."
The clerk, terrified, help his hands up in fright, shaking, and on the verge of panic.
"I said NOW!" He reiterated as he unlocked the safety, shoving the weapon at him.
Corr regained his bearings as he looked up, seeing the two trying to hold up the store...then the rifle. It was nearly an antique by current standards, but was cutting-edge tech 100 years ago, the very same that Vortian soldiers used against them during Impending Doom II. He picked himself up off the ground, the one with the rifle a bit paranoid as he wheeled around, turning it on the retired Commander.
A big mistake on his behalf, or at least prove to be one.
"Don't try anything funny, old man, I'll shoot!"
He wasn't entirely clear of what happened next in all honesty, but once his vision cleared to normality once more, he saw the weapon on the ground away from the two would-be robbers, whom were on the ground, unmoving, the one that had possession of the weapon clearly had a broken arm, the other face down with a small bit of blood pooling from his mouth, the clerk more frightened of Corr now than the actual robbers.
"W-what'd you do to them? I've never seen you move like that before."
He simply pulled a trio of coins from his pocket, setting them on the counter, grabbing his drink, proceeding to leave without another word, hobbling on his cane, quickened at that, knowing full and well what had happened, even if he didn't recall doing it.
"Even after all this time..." he thought to himself unbelievably as he briskly walked with the aid of his cane, the sound of sirens growing in crescendo as security forces approached the store.
"Haxx, on me," Tuu whispered into their comm. link, cloaked from view, their target finally in sight after so much had happened, the sniper of their unit on point, scouting ahead.
"You forget I don't have a gun, Tuu?"
"...fine, Rha, on me," he sighed, muttering to himself, "...he's got the charges to set anyway."
"Understood, on the move," he responded, jogging across the open terrain in the dusky light of evening, nearly invisible to the naked eye. The manufacturing facility stood before them, a towering monolith of Vortian military prowess…soon to be reduced to nothing but smoldering rubble if all went well in their assignment.
At this point...that was an understatement.
Between being ambushed and pinned by sniper fire, linking up with quite possibly one of the most horrid of Irken in existence and the unit at his questionable command, and the incident involving the civilians in the office complex that they all wished to simply forget, something to go right for once almost seemed too much to ask for.
It didn't matter either way, for it was the life of the soldier to always be dealt less-than-ideally what they wished for...so it seemed in the ranks of the Armada at least.
Rha finally crossed the open terrain, joining Tuu just outside the perimeter of the facility; a metal-ceramic composite wall that may have looked like nothing more than a nuisance was quite resilient. Unless they intended to alert the entire base and then some, blowing a hole through it wasn't the best approach. Just as the Shadow Striker mantra stated, sticking to the shadows and remaining undetected was their best bet, secrecy and surprise their advantage.
"How are we doin' this, Captain?" Haxx questioned, having nothing to do in all honesty, Volx was able to walk on her own once more and he only had his sidearm to consider ranged armament.
"Just like in the simulators, Haxx, nice and quiet like," Corr replied, looking through the rangefinder to see Tuu and Rha in position, getting an "all-clear" signal from the Irken Scout..."you're up, Haxx, hold position until we're all across, and for Irk's sake, stay quiet."
"Yes, Sir," the Sergeant grumbled as Corr always referred to him as a bit of a loudmouth, starting his jog across the terrain to the facility perimeter, invisible to the naked eye, but detectable on various energy source scanners. It was hope on their side that Vortian patrols and guards didn't have the equipment to detect them.
One-by-one, the black and red uniforms of the Shadow Strikers was all accounted for, awaiting further orders as Corr, who had taken impromptu command in lieu of the Commander's lack of speaking, simply acting without a sound. In truth, it had put all of them on edge. Vult was easily the most level-headed, calm, and collected soldier any of them had ever met, even compassionate and understanding to a degree of friend and foe alike, to see such a...wild blood rage from such an individual was most shocking. So much so, the perpetrator of it was in silence himself.
His stability in terms of sanity was in question, but no one dared say anything out loud on the matter, especially in such a critical moment. It was a time to simply continue forward, regardless of their personal matters, and put the mission first above all. Corr overlooks the squad, doing a quick headcount to make sure he's not missing anyone before handing out orders.
"We're sticking to the plan on this one, no screw-ups, either," he started off, hoping to get any wandering attention back. "We've come this far, quite a bit behind enemy lines I might add, we've come under fire on a few occasions and no one's been able to bail us out. Let's show Command we've been busting our c'hurtas to make this happen and get Grimm off our backs, okay?"
"Captain, that's nice and all...but what's the plan?" Haxx queried, getting an elbow from Volx to shut up.
"Knock it off, both of you," He sternly ordered, wary of his voice. Even under closed communication from helmet-to-helmet, anyone hacking their frequency or even in close proximity could still hear them. "Plan's simple, scale the wall, Rha is going to plant charges at vital supports, the deeper he can get to the base, the more effective the damage will be and destroying this thing." He thinks for a moment, looking them all over before pointing to Haxx "Sergeant, you're with Rha, help him plant charges, get it done twice as fast."
"What about the rest of us, Captain?" Volx calmly asked of her superior.
"Everyone else is providing security and overwatch while he does his thing." Corr answers, looking down at the time on his clock. "We need to get into position before Saro and his men attack as a diversionary ploy to take heat off of us. This doesn't mean take your time, sooner we're in and out, the better. Everyone clear?"
A series of nods or thumbs up came forth from those present, save for Commander Vult, who was idly studying the ground at Corr's side.
"Alright, up and over, move it out," Corr continued in command, setting a single boot against the wall, the magnetic polarity of the sole sensing the material and angle, shifting to create an attraction, literally allowing whomever wore them to walk up steep, even vertical surfaces. They were another handy tool their unit had at their disposal, allowing them to quietly and discreetly scale the defensive wall between them and their objective.
Corr cued his radio, putting aside what had taken place earlier, focusing solely on the mission, knowing the Vortian Nightmare as he had been infamously known upon Vort and other various colonies elsewhere, would get his due. "Captain, we are on approach to the objective, ETA 4 minutes."
"Your precious Commander not recovered from his little episode yet?" Saro's disgusting voice smugly sneered in reply, chuckling faintly. The man truly was atrocious in existence.
"I am in command at the moment, Captain, that is all you need to worry about." Corr quickly responded, wary of his tone to not entice Saro, "confirm that we are on approach and remain on task."
"So all of you have sucked it up and started acting like soldiers finally…about time," Saro commented in his usual demeanor, "you've got 2 minutes before we start this party, so best of luck." He added sarcastically before ending the conversation.
Corr was beginning to understand. Between the Captain's actions and the way he spoke…he wasn't surprised at all that Vult of all people had assaulted him and ripped an eye from his socket, in fact, the question begged to know why he hadn't finished the job then and simply killed him, ridding the universe of such a vile cretin. Even by Irken standards, he was a monster, nearly a disgrace to his people if not for his blind and utter loyalty to an unhealthy, sickening even, point.
It didn't matter, Saro and his unit were nothing more than Irken Elite they were required to work in conjunction with on this assignment, nothing more. After this, they would part ways and hopefully never see one another again. Given the mission report that was going to be written up in regard to the events and conduct, Corr hoped Grimm would see to it that they were kept from Vult and company as far apart as possible.
Corr hopped down from scaling the wall, now on the other side with his comrades, all had taken up position, invisible to the naked eye, kneeling in a fanned-out semi-circle to watch one another's back, rifles at the ready. As planned, he signaled for Vard to begin hacking, taking defensive parameters down one-by-one, knocking them offline, as well as putting them in the dark. Complete and utterly disconnected from the Vortian battle network, no chance to call for reinforcements. More or less to show off and throw a hint of confusion, he killed the power, forcing the facility into emergency standby, as per protocol, unlocking every single entry point throughout.
On cue, a flurry of hand signals and motions sent the team into action in dead silence, moving as swift as they were lethal, and an entity barely tangible in terms of an opponent to confront. It was nearly impossible to effectively combat an enemy that could not be seen, barely heard if at all, and through superior tactics, provided firepower that was the equivalent of an entire company 100 strong…all from a mere ten sporting the cutting-edge in terms of technology and armament.
Yet another application to put it all to good use in the name of the Empire...something all of them were slowly growing to detest as time went on.
Meanwhile, Saro kept an eye on the mission timer on his wrist, watching every single second count down, holding his other hand up, preparing to give a signal. Just as he had said to Corr….2 minutes.
"5…4…3…" he muttered under his breath as the remaining soldiers in his unit that sported heavy weaponry such as guided rockets, targeting the outer wall, looking up. "2…1…"
No sooner than the signal was given, thunderous blasts echoed as a quartet of missiles fired in near unison, exploding violently on the outer perimeter wall of the facility. They immediately garnering attention of the guards present as the intensity of the firefight ensued, quickly escalating into a fervent exchange of plasma fire igniting the twilight sky with brilliant glows of blue and magenta, casting light from the energy-based projectiles, the klaxon alarms of the facility sounding. Searchlights mounted upon the buildings quickly fixated upon the Irken Elite's positions, further intensifying the focus upon them. Keeping his head down as best he could as the firefight between Irken and the defending Vortian, he cues his radio on Vult's unit.
"Things are getting hot up here, wrap it up."
Quietly, the Captain Corr that he despised at his defiant attitude towards him responded in a whisper.
"Standby…"
"You've got thirty seconds to get out of there before we pull back, expendable or not, I'm not losing anymore soldiers. Got a war to fight, not smeetsit all of you."
Rolling his eyes at Saro's lack of regard for their well-being, sighing briefly, "Understood, maintain radio silence," He replies, closing the channel as the unit was at two different ends of the basement of the structure where the building supports were located, providing overwatch while Rha continued setting explosive charges, looking over his shoulder in whisper between their helmet comm. links.
"How we doing, Rha?"
"Almost…done, Sir," He responds as he adjusts the frequency to the remote detonation to make sure all of the charges go off at the exact, precise moment. "…I assume Captain Saro's wanting to tuck antenna and run to leave us hanging, correct?"
"Indirectly, yes, sooner you finish, quicker we can get out of ground zero and level this place." Corr added, changing over to the second fire team of the squad Volx had commandeered while separated, "…Volx, status?"
"…last charge planted, Captain, ready to extract, awaiting orders."
"Regroup on Saro's position and provide support until we are clear of the structure."
"Yes, Sir, moving out." Volx responded, cutting the channel as she prepared to give the various hand signals to order half of their unit beneath her command as of current to follow the orders given.
Rha clicks the last of the switches into place, a small red light flashing, informing those he were aware that the charge was armed and planted, ready to detonate, "That's all of them, Sir, all the supports are rigged to blow on your command."
"Good, let's get the Irk out of here then," Corr ordered, quietly in a partial crouch beginning to retrace their steps to leave the facility, his unit and commanding officer in tow, one who was yet to speak or give an order after losing control and killing the civilians, muttering under his breath and off the squad channel, "…sooner the better…had enough field time for one campaign."
For once, things seemed to be going in their favor after flawlessly planting all the explosive ordnance on the facility, cloaked and keeping a wary eye out as they are topside again as the firefight between the Irken invaders and the Vortian regulars present continues, the holes blown in the walls by Saro's men in their line-of-sight. Corr turns to his stacked-up soldiers, Vult included behind him on the wall.
"Alright, get ready to book it on my command, cloaked or not, I'd rather not take a stray bolt, I'm sure none of you don't want to either. Rha, soon as we're clear and linked back up with the others, do it."
Rha nods with a thumb up, Vult, Rem, and Tuu preparing the footing to take off at the drop of Corr's orders. Waiting until a group of Vortian soldiers dashed by, more than likely reinforcing the line against Saro's men, Corr gives the motion as he dashes, hopping up and over the rubble present as the others follow closely in tow through the torrent of plasma being exchanged between the opposing factions, crossing the small bit of open ground between Saro's position and the facility.
Just as Corr turned to check their status, a live Vortian grenade impacted into the soft soil, mere feet away from the sprinting squad, cursing the enemy soldier responsible for, more than likely due to a bad throw on their behalf.
"Scatter, grenade!" Corr ordered, diving on his stomach, hoping to be far enough away from the explosion, all but Rha following suit as he was regretfully blindsided by the blast, throwing him off of his feet, detonator still clutched in his hand…and depressed from falling upon it on his side.
"Rha's down!" Rem announced as she rolls him over, seeing his armor and uniform peppered and shredded with shrapnel, but no glaring wounds save for a few minor scratches here and there…he was very fortunate, groaning as he tried sitting up.
"Mother of Irk...am I hit?" He stated disoriented in his current state, patting his body where he took the brunt of the impact, noting the shards of shrapnel sticking out of his armor that saved his life.
Vult helped haul him to his feet, "Negative…keep going!" He ushered, surprising them at the first words he had said since the incident, but the sense of urgency as Corr looked up to the facility as it groaned and buckled, it was clearly shifting and moving…it was coming down as planned, just a little sooner than they liked.
Saro had heard the hollow, muffled sounds of explosions, the structure shifting and beginning to fall…with them in such close proximity, waving frantically to his soldiers as he got to his feet, ignoring the too-close-for-comfort of incoming fire. "Cease fire, cease fire! On your feet, move out, get the Irk out of here, now!"
"Oh ikveda me…" Haxx commented as he watched the rest of his unit amongst Saro's Irken Elite, awaiting as instructed, his comrades-in-arms running to escape the falling debris as the building toppled, collapsing in on itself, quickly at that, yelling "It's coming down, get out of there!"
Corr and company were already aware of that fact as they sprinted as fast as their legs would carry them, Vult and Rem essentially pulling Rha along in his dazed state, the others ahead of the three of them. The Commander refused to leave anyone behind, and despite what raged on in his own mind, his soldiers…essentially his family as close knit as they had become, always came first…he'd give his life without question or remorse to save each and everyone one of them. They needed him as much as he needed them, he needed to put his personal issues and thoughts on hold and prioritize what was important…his unit.
His thoughts where jarred on the matter as a plasma bolt grazes his leg at the knee, crippling him momentarily in pain to the point of falling forward, releasing Rha, and falling face first. Everything instinct and thought in his mind told him to get back up and keep running, the looming superstructure that they brought down and was still in the process of doing so was coming down, quickly at that, and he was right in the line of fire. Corr checked once more to see Vult down, trying to get back to his feet.
"Commander!" He called out to him, preparing to reverse direction and help his comrade and commanding officer, a confliction of his own going through his mind, one all Irken Elite and soldiers of the Armada were told to live by…and to die by… "…for the good of the mission". They all knew it well, further mentioned as Vult waved to him as he struggled to get to his feet at the searing pain in his knee, knowing a nerve had to have been struck for such a trivial wound to hurt so much.
"Get everyone clear, go!"
Swallowing as he made his decision then and there, knowing both had their consequences, both positive and negative, but he didn't wish to endanger himself or those beneath his command any more than they currently were…he continued sprinting with the others, trying to catch up as Shadow Striker and Irken Elite alike were dashing as if they were mad to escape the soon-to-be ground zero of the manufacturing facility.
Falling debris that was far too close for comfort dictated the direction in which he hobbled with his injured knee, the shadow of the ever approaching mass of collapsing concrete and metal didn't help matters any in assuring he was safe or not.
Nearly a full city block away in the Vortian metropolis by now in their full sprint, Corr slows to backpedal, watching as the building crashed down into the landscape. It sent clouds of debris and dirt into the air, thick enough to blot out the sun in places…but no sign of Vult.
Haxx, breathless as he neared Corr, looking back as well as he came to a stop before his current superior.
"Wh-…where's Vult?
Corr simply looks on…it wasn't possible…the man had taught them anything and everything they knew about being the finest example of military prowess that the Armada had to offer…he was their mentor…in some ways, their father in the concept of family.
"Corr…where's the Commander? He was right behind you." Haxx pressed for the answer, more or less confirmation to convince himself that he didn't watch what he thought took place…it wasn't possible.
The man in question found himself in a bad spot, the last individual he saw was Saro…then the sun darkening as rubble fell in great commotion…everything went black.