Chapter 9: A period of silence

They had nothing better to do. They did get some cigarretes from the Battlecruiser crew (they love to smoke). They both wondered where Brian and the strike team were, whether they were dead or alive. The sky was orange and cheerful, and it was hot. The showers were always occupied, and there was a shortage of cooling packs. Most people sat in their battlesuits, which kept them cool. After so many chess games, Jeremy started reading a book called: Protoss and zerg: what you need to know. Trevor went out and to take a walk. The refinery was finally complete. Green smoke risen from it. Nearby, the large crystalline formations were being harvested by the SCVs. Terran bases in those days were strong and quickly built, so everything was back, as if nothing happened.

Trevor went to the computer room to go on the intercom (like the internet) to see whats happening. After reading a few news articles, he got bored. He left the computer room, and heard an explosion. He crouched down and slowly got up and looked around. A guy in uniform ran up to him. "Don't worry, they were just testing the tanks. There will be a drill in an hour, get ready. " said the soldier. Trevor learned that his name was Daniel Sullivan. Like he said, one hour later, the alarm rang. Jeremy thought It was another zerg attack, but eventually, every marine in the camp went back to the tent. Even the commander was bored. Trevor returned to the tent, and hung out there until dinner.

Nothing happened that night, or the next day, but at night, a zerg unit came. A overlord scout had just got into the range of the missle turret. The missle blew the overlord to bits. There was no action. Jeremy and Trevor craved zerg hunting. Even war has its boring moments. After the horror of war, you want peace, but when there is peace, you want war again.

Another day went by, and some dark omnious clouds loomed in the distance. There would be a storm that night. Everyone was happy, because rain would cool the place down, but the rain was still pretty acidic. Acidic enough to slightly sting the eye, and over time thin the tent sheets. At dusk, thunder could be heard. Crimson lightning with pink flashes was the type of lightning for char. The goliaths and siege tanks had blankets put over them to prevent rust. The lightning was loud and upfront. Lightning rods were put up so the goliaths and tanks wouldn't attract lightning.

In the middle of the night, a few travellers showed up at the front gate. They were gained admittance, and were fed. Trevor and Jeremy were in their tent, then the flap opened and a figure appeared. "Long time no see" the figure.

Chapter 10: Back on the road

Brian, Jake, and David were all that were left out of the origional four. They set out from the outpost. "How the hell does a forest grow in this hellhole?" asked David. They all had their seperate theories. The trees were surprisingly thick. Soon, they found their answer. The whole thing was a swamp, with trees sticking out. They walked on the dry land they could find. Using the digital compass, they trudged along the banks of the swamp. Every step was tough, because the mud made their feet stick. They camped out for a night. The fire was hard to make because of the conditions. The air was very thick and moist, and the ground was cold and sopping. They had to put on their long sleeves at day and sleep in coats. One person watched at night. They switched off and they got little sleep.

They continued on the next day. "this place sucks nuts" said Brian "I agree" said Jake "yeah, cold and gay and damp" said David. They talked a lot about their current misfortune. At about noontime, David screwed up his compass reading, and turned them around. "JESUS WERE GOING IN CIRCLES! THIS WAS OUR FIRE!" yelled Jake. They went on the right course and Jake made sure they didn't screw up. They went on throught the night, without any sleep. They ate while they walked. They wanted to get out of the forest as fast as they could.

Behind them they could hear rumbling and cracking. "Its one of those Tstorms of char" said Jake. He described the red lightning and the acid rain. The storm was at the outpost that they stayed at before. They camped out at night, and ate.

Brian longed for his home on the stonecrusher. He wanted to be working on the engine with Jeremy and Trevor. He wanted to be home with his family. It was about Thanksgiving around then. His family was probably enjoying a feast in a warm house, and there he was, in the middle of some forest in some goddamn planet on some mission. He thought all night.

The next day, they woke up to what they thought was night. Brian thought it was still night and went outside. He went back to sleep and saw his watch. 10:00! He yelled at everyone and told them what happened. They ate their breakfast quickly and walked fast. Their nice long sleep did them good for the measly rests they had previously. The storm really sucked, it made the dirt slippery. They wore their raincoats which were camoflague.

They were at the slope of one of the twin mountains. They had made it! But one problem. They thought they heard something big in the distance. They crept silently to see what it was-bad idea, but it was hard to avoid. In a forest glade, they walked right into the open. "Really smart David, lead us into the open" muttered Jake. The animal noises grew louder. Suddenly, a few trees bursted open and an ultralisk set its 8 eyes on the strike team. The team split up- Brian alone and Jake and David. The ultralisk went for Jake and David while Brian got away. he had no compass, but using his eyes, he made it through the swampy craphole.

He felt very guilty about leaving his friends to the ultralisk, but what could he do? He would go to the valley and get some help. Then they could probably get more food, and be on their way. He had an even deeper longing to see his best friends. He made it to the gate.

He flashed his ID to the guard and he got it. He grabbed a quick meal at the diner, and with some help found Jeremy and Trevor's tent. At first, Jeremy and Trevor couldn't believe their eyes. "I'll explain later, we gotta help my friends! Quick we need vultures!" said Brian. Jeremy and trevor quickly led Brian to the vultures. They got permission to use them, and Brian led all them to where the ultralisk was. Brian saw a flare fly up into the air, a signal of help!

David was cornered by the ultralisk. He was backed against a rock wall, and he was the one who sent the signal up. Jake was still in the glade, but hiding near a rock. Brian fired a grenade at the ultralisk. It turned around and Jeremy quickly got David to safety. Then Brian distracted the ultralisk while Trevor took Jake to the base. Brian was actually in trouble, but he moved around and used spidermines. Jeremy and Trevor came back with empty hands and helped Brian get away. They all made it back safely.

"Whoa, we had one hell of an adventure" Brian said to Jeremy and Trevor in their tent. Jake and David were there also. "Us as well" said Trevor "I'm glad to see all you alive!" said Jeremy. The strike team each wanted to tell the story, but Jake ended up telling most of it. After all, his friend died. "We have a story too" said Trevor. He told them about Jeremy and himself surviving the zerg.

Brian, Jake, and David left at about 8:00. They were muddy, sweaty, and cold. They showered and ate (except Brian) and got a tent to sleep in. They had to leave early the next morning and they said their goodbyes to Jeremy and Trevor. They hugged and setted off.

The company was just leaving the gates, and the sun was rising. They were just about to leave the gates, when Jeremy and Trevor showed up in full uniform with provisions and guns and everything. "I will come with you, no matter where we go" said Jeremy "Yeah you need smart people like me" said Trevor. Brian, David, and Jake were reluctant to let them come at first, and then they were delighted to have more people. The five set off to the uncharted world of char, where they had no idea what awaited them.

To be Continued...