Star Wars Republic Commando Infection

8/3/2019 Star Wars Republic Commando Infection

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Star Wars: Republic Commando: Infection

Escape, Part One:

Hey, I have a question, said Scorch, his tone implying that he wasnt thrilled with thesituation. Why the shab are they sending us on another ghost ship mission? Why not send another

squad to be, you know, split up, captured, tortured, et cetera

We get it, Six-Two, cut in Fixer irately.

Scorch didnt shut up, though. He rarely did. I mean, why couldnt they send the Omegas?

Let them get beat up for a change.

Six-Two, please shut it.

Boss decided now would be a good time to intervene. Look, this time were staying together. Norunning off, no splitting up, no getting captured.

And hopefully no scav droids, added Scorch. If there are scav droids, I quit.

Agreed, grunted Sev. It was the first thing hed said the whole trip. Of course, he tended to get

more taciturn when he was ready to kill something.

Boss didnt reply as he watched the monitors of the TIV theyd been assigned. To be honest, he was

just as nervous as the other members of his squad. The parallels between this mission and the

Prosecutor mission were just tooeerie.

Both missions involved Republic Assault ships that had completely cut off contact with Command

and shown up in the Outer Rim. The RAS Titan just up and went missing about twenty-eight days

ago before turning up near the Ogden system (which, as far as Boss could tell, was full of swamp

planets and not much else). So, of course, they sent the Deltas to find out what was going on.

A simple enough op, youd think, but look at what happened last time it was simple enough.

Okay, were coming out of hyperspace in five, announced Boss. Were going to scan the ship for

life-forms before we head on board. Any sign of trouble and were banging out. No sense in havinganother near-disaster this time.

Yessir.

Understood.


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Got it, Boss-man.

I mean it. If I have to save anyone this time, I will not be pleased.

Hey, Sev got captured too!

Did I say anything, Six-Two?

Your tone implied it.

Sev snorted. Your tone implied it. Thats a new one.

Boss couldnt see Scorchs facial expression through the visor, but he was pretty sure the other

commando was pouting. Not very commando-like behavior, but then, it was Scorch. He got away

with osik like that on a regular basis.

One of the monitors began to blip insistently. Boss turned his attention back to the controls. Were

coming out of hyperspace. Get ready to roll.

The ship came out of hyperspace, abstract streaks of blue, white and black solidifying into the

darkness of space, dotted by stars, a small green planetoid, and a Republic Assault Ship. The ship

itself seemed to be drifting lazily in the orbit of the planetoid. Helmets on. Im going to try

contacting her first. Boss slipped on his helmet before opening the com channel. RAS Titan, this is

Delta Squad. Please respond.

No response.

RAS Titan, this is Delta Squad. Command sent us to check on you. Areyou in danger of any kind?

Still no response.

I dont think theres anyone there, Boss, said Scorch.

Boss didnt respond, instead bringing the ship a bit closer so the scanners could check for life forms.

Running the scan now

It was a lengthy process, leaving Boss feeling more anxious by the minute, but when the final result

flashed on-screen, he found himself doing a double-take. Theres nothing there.

What? said Fixer, making his way to the front to see.

Theres nothing there, literally nothing. No life-forms on the ship. If there are, its so minimal that


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the scanners arent picking it up.

Fixer was just as baffled as Boss was. Sarge, I thought the ship was full when it left port on

Corruscant.

It was. An assault ship could hold up to 17,000 crew and passengers, and the Titan had beenpacked to capacity. But according to the scanners, none of them were on board. Fixer, check the

scanner. There must be something wrong with the thing.

Fixer started running some checks while Scorch and Sev pushed their way to the front. Theres no

one on board? said Scorch skeptically.

The scanner says there isnt.

Okay, what joker put us in the ship with the defective scanner?

Theres nothing wrong with the scanner, interrupted Fixer.

What?! said the other three Deltas simultaneously.

The scanner is working fine. We can try moving in closer and running another scan, butits not

the scanner.

Is there any kind of interference from a jamming device?

No, I checked for that too.

Confused and foreboding silence settled over the ship. Im running another scan, said Boss,

moving the ship as close as he could.

The silence grew heavier and heavier as the scan continued. Finally the results came up. They were

the same. There were no life forms on board the Titan.

The four commandos stared at the screen. Airborne pathogen? suggested Fixer. It was what Boss

had thought first, too, and it made the most sense.

Strong enough to wipe out the entire crew? said Sev. That must be one hell of a pathogen.

Well, be sure to double-check your seals and helmet filters, then. Im going to dock the ship.

Uhm, sir? Are you sure thats the best idea? Scorch actually sounded nervous; then again, he had

every reason to be. Whatever killed everyone might still be on there.


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If its a pathogen, which it probably is, well be fine.

Well, what if it isnt a pathogen, then?

What do you think it is? tossed in Fixer. Killer super-bots?

Im just saying.

Scorch, like I saidwell be careful. Okay? Dont worry about it. Thats my job.

And Boss was worried, make no mistake about it.

Okay, whatever it is, it killed the entire crew. But who did it? And why? Are the Seps testing some

new super-weapon?

Or is it something else?

He forced the sense of foreboding down his throat as he pulled the shuttle into one of the hanger

bays. -He tried to tell himself that this wasnt going to be the Prosecutor all over again.

Part of him still didnt believe it.

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Im going out first.

Scorch wasnt surprised by Bosss proclamation; after all, he was the squad sergeant. That didnt

mean he was completely on-board with it.

No way. Were sticking together, remember?

Yeah, well, if anyones going to stick their neck out, its me. Push come to shove, only one of us has

to die, and Id rather it not be you guys.

Cmon, Sarge, dont talk like that.

Just shut up and get away from the door, Six-Two.

Scorch did as he was told, but he wasnt happy about it.


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He knew why Boss was concerned; if the pathogen was advanced enough to kill everyone on-board,

then it could be advanced enough to get through the filters in their helmets. Granted, that had never

happened before, but there was always a first time. And it only takes one time to kill you.

The doors hissed open. Boss stepped out, quickly making sure the door closed behind him. Scorch

stood rigid, watching both the door and Bosss POV on his screen.

A few moments passed, and, finally, Boss spoke up. Okay, were clear, he said. And I mean really

clear. There arent any viruses or pathogens in the air that the helmet sensors can pick up.

Scorch heaved a sigh of relief as Fixer opened the door. Boss stood outside the ship, his body

language screaming confusion. Anyone else notice a complete lack of fighters, shuttles,

anything? he said.

Scorch looked around. Sure enough, the only two ships in the hanger were an ARC -170 that had

seen better days and another shuttle that was obviously undergoing repairs, and didnt look like itcould even get off the ground. So everyone left in a hurry? guessed Sev.

A big hurry. But theres no record of any crew or passengers of the Titan coming forward.

So they didnt make it to Republic space. Scorch did anotherscan of the hanger; the vast space was

more than a little creepy with nothing but the Deltas, their TIV, and two derelict ships. Hello?!

His shout echoed off the walls, causing both Sev and Fixer to shoot him what he could only assume

were dirty looks. He ignored them. He had gotten good at that. Yup, theres no one here, said

Scorch.

Thanks for the observation, genius.

Just saying, ner vod.

Boss cut into the conversation. Okay, the aft data core is closest to our position. Well start there

and make our way to the other data cores. Maybe the bridge if we have to.

Thats a bit of a haul, said Fixer.

Afraid of walking, Forty?

No, just worried about wandering too far from the ship.

We can always come back here after we slice the data core and fly the ship to a closer hanger. Lets

move out, Deltas.


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Yeah, thought Scorch as he checked his Decee and started to make his way across the abandoned

hanger. Adventure ho.

Are we lost?

Scorch was being deliberately annoying again. Boss ignored it. Fixer was having a harder time doing

so. Shut it, Six-Two, he snapped. Were not lost.

I dunno, Fortywe look pretty lost to me.

Were not lost.

It was true; they werent lost. All Assault Ships were built to the same specifications, so once youknew the layout of one, you knew the layout of all of them. However, the Titan seemed to be running

off emergency power, and failing emergency power at that, so the low light and sheer emptiness of

the halls made it all seem a bitforeign.

And it wasnt even empty the way the Prosecutor had been. Here, there were no signs of a struggle,

no signs of anything amiss. The passageway looked as tidy as it would be if the crew was still alive.

Anyone got a weird feeling? asked Sev.

Like what? Sev was known as the hunter of the group, but there was a good reason for it; not only

was his aim one of the best in the business, but he often had thesemoments. Primitive though theywere, they had proved useful on more than one occasion.

Like theres something there. Just sort of Sev paused, and it somehow wouldnt have surprised

Boss if his brother sniffed the air. Sort of like youre being watched, but not. Like it just hasnt

found you yet.

Well, thats comforting. Scorch sighed noisily, the action creating a rush of static in Bosss

earpiece. Sev, do us all a favor and keep stuff like that to yourself.

Hey, said Sev defensively, he asked.

Enough, you two, snapped Fixer.

Aww, cmon Fixer, just messing around.

No messing around, Six-Two, not on this one.


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For the first time in the history of Delta Squad, Scorch actually shut up when asked. This was not

comforting.

Hes actually listening. This is serious.

Irritating as Scorchs chatter was, it was actually preferable to the dead silence of the Titan. Boss

wasnt sure if the commando could keep it upin fact, he found himself wishing that his brother

would say anything to break the silence. But he didnt the rest of the walk to the data core. It was a

new record.

The data core was just as empty as the rest of the ship, but was messier. Smears of a dark substance

that may have been blood and several blast marks indicated that some sort of a fight had taken place

here. What was odd was the total lack of bodies; the Prosecutor had been full of them. I would love

to know what happened here, muttered Sev.

Well, were about to find out, said Boss. He climbed the stairs to access the data core, Fixer at his

heels. Fixer, can you get into this?

It looks a little beat-up, but it shouldnt be an issue. Fixer examined the cores control screen

before tapping at the touch screen. Give me a sec.

Boss stood back to let Fixer work, examining the room as he did so. Sev seemed particularly antsy

(after all, hed been knocked out and captured in a room like this before), and Scorch was on the

other side of the Boss! Boss come here and look at this!

Boss darted over to Scorchs position. What?

Look at this. Someone wielded the door shut.

It was true. The door must have malfunctioned, as someone had to wield pieces of metal to the door

to shut off a gap just big enough for a humanoid male to squeeze through. It looked like a desperate,

last-minute job. Do you think

Whatever killed the crew is behind that door? finished Boss. Possibly. It made sense; if the

whatever-it-was was coming from that part of the ship, then this was probably where whatever crewwas left attempted to cut it off.

Scorch leaned forward to examine the door, peering through a gap in the metal sheets. I wonder

what it Scorch cut himself off mid-sentence, jumping back in shock. Whoa!

What? What is it?


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Boss, theres someone in there!

Boss activated his helmet scanners. Sure enough, not only was there movement on the other side, but

the thermals were picking up something, a living being. Just one, which is probably why the on-ship

scanner hadnt picked it up. Did you see who?

Its really dark, but I think it was Scorch approached the crevice again. Hey! Hello?

Something poked through the cracks; fingers, humanoid fingers, sheathed in an all-too familiar black

fabric. Hello? came an equally familiar voice, weak, but obviously that of another clone. Hello?

Hey! Were Republic Commandos! Are you okay?!

Commandos? I Boss thought he heard a sobbing noise. Pleasepleaseget me out of here

Whats going on? What happened? Scorch turned to Boss. Ive gotta blow these off.

Are you sure thats a good idea? said Boss.

Sarge, hes trapped in there!

Boss could still hear the clones pleas: Pleaseplease, help me

Im going to regret this, arent I? Do you think you can only dislodge a few of the sheets?

Enough to drag him out of there.

Okay, do it, but were sealing off the door once hes out.Somehow.

You got it. Scorch shrugged off his backpack and started pulling explosives out. Hey, listen,

were getting you out, okay? Just get away from the door.

Sev mustve been listening because suddenly he was at Bosss side. Sir, are you sure this is the best

idea?

He might know what happened on here, said Boss. Scorch is right, we cant leave him. Just keep

your blaster ready, okay?

Sev grunted in response. It was amazing how much disapproval the man could express with one

sound.


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Scorch had the charges set, the sort of micro-explosives used for more delicate entry jobs where a

bang was needed but not a particularly large bang. Okay, guys, stand back.

If there was one thing Boss learned, it was that when Scorch told you to stand back, you did it.

There was a flash of the explosives going off, and the metal hed targeted seemed to be spat awayfrom the door with a bamph. What remained was a hole just big enough for someone to crawl

through. The space beyond was dark, almost pitch black, then a distraught face was suddenly pressed

against the opening. It was a clone all right, and a young one too, with some sort of blackish

substance staining his face and wide, terrified eyes. Boss didnt even stop to worry about what else

might be on the other side, he just darted over to help the trooper. Easy, easy there, ner vod With

Scorchs help, he was able to get the trooper through the gap. Udesii. Its okay, youre safe now.

The trooper was shaking all over. In fact, he was probably in shock. Out in the light, his appearance

was worse than Boss had expected; his face was drawn, plates of armor were missing or broken, and

the ones that remained had smears of that black substance all over them. He even had a clump of hairmissing, as though it had been pulled out. What happened to you? Boss asked. The trooper didnt

respond; he just sat where Boss and Scorch had put him down, breathing heavily and staring at his

stained hands. Cmon,vod, look at me. Whats your name?

The trooper didnt make eye contact, but he did answer: R-ruus. M-my brothers called m-me

Ruusika.

Where are they now?

th-they? I dont

Ruus, where are your brothers?

For a second Ruus didnt answer, then Theyre dead. He tucked his knees up against his chest,

tears suddenly slipping from his eyes. Theyre all dead.

It was the answer Boss had expected, but somehow hearing it from Ruus, who looked like hed just

been let off Kamino before this whole thing happened, drove the point home. What happened?

Cmon, vod, you have to tell me what happened.

I dont know. I dont know. I justthey were saying there was some kind of a, a disease, and then

the admiral, the admiral started acting all crazy, and those peoplein the medbaythey got back

up.

What do you mean, they got back up?


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They shouldve been dead, but, but they got up, they were moving around

Ruus, what are you talking about? Are you sure

They were dead, okay?! screamed Ruus. The sudden violence in his tone startled Boss, actually

driving him back a step. Theywere dead, but they got the shab back up! Etad was..he tried toRuus was suddenly a scared kid again, hugging his knees and crying. He

Kid, calm down. Just tell me what happened.

I dont know.

Cmon, Ruus, you have to know something.

I dont know.

Boss, Ive got the data, called Fixer. We should go.

Hang on a second, Fixer, Boss shouted back. Scorch, get that door sealed back up. Sev, you help

him. Boss turned his attention back to Ruus, who was still in hysterics. Ruus, can you walk? Come

on, weve got to get out of here.

Get out?

Weve got a ship, okay? We can get you out of here.

Uhm, Sarge?

What?!

Scorch didnt say anything else; he just pointed at the door.

Thats when Boss heard it, a low moan echoing from the passageway. Not only that, but his motion

sensor was suddenly going crazy, blipping in an instant, almost seizure-inducing fashion. What the

shab?

Ruuss crying stopped, to be replaced with terrified whimpers. No, he said. No, no, nonono

What is that? Whats going

Before Boss could finish the sentence, something reached through the hole, snatching at Scorchs leg.

Scorch yelped and jumped back, dropping the metal hed been holding and snatching up his Decee.


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Holy!

The moaning was louder now, almost deafening, as the squad aimed their weapons at the door. The

whatever-it-was snatched at the air some more before revealing its face. It was barely recognizable;

its lower jaw was missing, and what was left of the face was nothing more than tattered skin, one

missing eye, and the same blackish substance that smeared Ruuss armor. Only the remaining darkbrown eye, and the remnants of red reliefs clothing its arm, characterized the creature as

As another clone.

Ruuss wimpers quickly turnedto screams: No, no, NO!

Boss watched at thethewhatever-the-hell-it-was tried to get through the crevice, pushing itself

against the gap. Another face joined it, this one in one piece, and very another clone. But it had the

same blank stare, the same slack-jawed moan, and the same dogged attempts to get through.

Suddenly, Ruus as at Bosss side, tugging at his arm. We have to go! he shouted. Theyre going toget through, we have to go!

What?!

Another sound joined the cacophony, a creaking sound. The metal was literally bending inwards.

Either Scorchs blast had weakened the makeshift barricade, or there was a lot of those things back

there. The jaw-less one had half of its body through the gap, and Force only knew how much longer

it would be before it spilled in there. Im all for getting out of here, said Scorch quickly.

Yeah, me too, agreed Boss, and they ran for it.

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Escape, Part Three

If there was one thing Delta-Four-oh hated, it was feeling out of his league, like he had no idea what

was going on and even less idea what to do about it. Needless to say, their hasty retreat out of the

data core room was causing him no small amount of irritation.

As he followed the others, he ran over what he did know. One, there were somehow troopers on-

board the ship that werent being picked up by the thermal scanner. Which meant that, two, they

somehow werent giving off any body heat. Three, whatever had happened to them had turned them

intointowell, he had no idea what, but based off that one trooper Ruuss appearance and his

reaction to the creatures, it wasnt good.


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They were dead, but they got the shab back up!

Dead bodies didnt give off a heat signature.

Forty shook that thought away. What was he thinking? That was impossible! Once a person was

dead, they stayed dead. There had to be another explanation forwhatever this was.

Well, if there was, Forty would sure like to hear it, cause he was fresh out of ideas.

Six-Two abruptly stopped, causing Forty to nearly run into him. What the shab are you?

Boss, I dont think this is the right way!

Its the right way, trust me!

We didnt pass this, though

This is a shortcut.

Shortcut?! shouted Six-Two and Russ simultaneously.

Just trust me, okay?! Get your shebs in gear!

Russ took off instantly, Six-Two a microsecond after. Uh, Sarge, what kind of a shortcut is this?

asked Forty. He would never question Three-Eight, but somehow the word shortcut didnt inspire a

lot of confidence.

Avoiding main passageways. Once they get through that door, theyre going to follow the most

obvious route, so were not taking it. I have no idea what those things are, but Id rather not find out

right now.

Valid point. Better to figure it out from the safety of their shuttle than figure it out while the

whatever-those-things-are were chasing them.

Eventually the squad stopped in front of a locked door. Okay, this leads to hall that connects to one

of the balconies. Well make our way downfrom there, said Three-Eight. Fixer?

On it, sir.

Opening the door took under a minute, but when it opened, the space beyond was pitch-black.

Thats not promising, said Six-Two warily.


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Its a straight shot to the other door. Night-vision on, everyone. Kid Three-Eight gestured to

Ruus. Stay close to me. Just grab my pack or something.

Ruus nodded mutely. He was probably still in shock, but they would deal with that later. Right now,

they had to get back to the ship, and fast.

The door shut behind them the instant they all set foot in the hallway. Any light from before was cut

off instantly, leaving nothing but the grainy, green-tinged view of night vision. Thats really not

promising, said Six-Two.

Thank you, Captain Obvious, shot backOh-Seven.

Shut up, both of you, snapped Forty. It was a reflex, a knee-jerk reaction, especially during a

moment like this. He needed the com silence to keep sane.

But the com silence had its own perils. The only sound in the tunnel was a slight drip, drip, drip, theecho of their footsteps, and the throbbing of his own pulse in his eardrums. Occasionally, Ruus

would make a strangled whimpering noise, but the un-silent silence seemed to be almost a separate

being, watching them as they crept through the darkness. And then there was the smell; a mineral,

rotten scent that he recognized instantly. A dead body, maybe more than one. His confirmation was

confirmed when his boot landed in something that squealched. He looked down, then looked back up

just as quickly. Uhm, you might want to watch where you step, squad.

Whyoh. Oh.

Guys? Whats going on?

Ruus, trust me, you dont want to know.

There were bodies, lots of them, and not your standard died-in-a-fire-fight bodies. These were

mutilated. It almost looked like a pack of wild animals had gotten to them. Arms and legs were

missing, chunks of flesh ripped out, throats completely gone. Most had their stomachs torn open,

leaving nothing but gaping holes and trailing organs. And all of them seemed to have been shot in the

head at some point. It was a gruesome spectacle. Forty found himself fighting back nausea. Dont

you throw up in your bucket, Four-Oh. Not here, not now.

Forty heard a sudden yelp, followed by the sound of something falling into some of the bodies.

Ruus? Ruusika, are you okay?

S-something grabbed my ank Ruus cut himself off with a scream.

One of the bodies moved.


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It was a non-clone, probably an officer at one point, with nothing below the waist. Just tattered flesh,

bone, and a few organs trailing out. It dragged itself forward with one arm, the other reaching for

Ruus as it let out that same low moan the creatures from earlier had. Ruus lost it, kicking at the thing

as he scrambled to his feet. Before anyone could stop him he was smashing its head in with one foot,

still screaming as he did so. Ruus! Ruus, stop it! Ruus, stop! Both Three-Eight and Oh-Sevenhad to intervene, hauling him back. Thats enough!

The body had stopped moving. Ruus had effectively crushed in its head into a pulp. The trooper was

still panicking as he tried to pull away from Three-Eight and Oh-Seven. Kid, you got him! shouted

Oh-Seven. Knock it off before I knock you out! He meant it, and Forty was considering letting

him.

It was only when Ruuss screams turned to muffled sobs that they all heard it. More moaning.

Approaching their position. Probably from another door leading to the hall. The problem with assault

ships is that they could be like mazes, and you never knew when someone was going to sneak up onyou...

Go! Move!

They moved all right, running down the hall as fast as their legs could carry them, Three-Eight

dragging Ruus behind him. The moans only grew louder as they ran, reaching the end of the hallway

only to find

Osikyr! swore Three-Eight. The control panel was smashed beyond repair, and the door sealed

shut. Scorch, get over here!

What is up with these people?! said Six-Two as he started pulling detonators from the loops on his

pack. Give me a sec, okay?

Make that half a sec, Scorch, weve got company!

Forty saw them too, more of the strange creatures. It was hard to make out definite features through

night vision, but they appeared to be mostly clone troopers, all staring blankly ahead, their jaws

slack, shuffling straight towards the squad. One was missing an arm, another part of his face, and a

thirds leg was bent out of shape. Most looked like their injuries should have caused them to bleedout ages ago, but some didnt seem to have a mark on them. He realized that he had his Decee aimed,

even though he didnt even know if the things wanted to hurt them. Something, some deep animal

instinct, screamed that these things were dangerous. Unnatural at the very least. Boss, are we

opening fire? shouted Oh-Seven over the groans.

I dont know!


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Those were the last words Forty ever expected to hear out of the squad leaders mouth: I dont know.

Something grappled at Fortys sidearm holster, pulling the gun loose and firing off a few shots. It had

to be Ruus. Hey!

Three-Eight shouted for them to turn off their night vision. Forty barely had time to comply before

the squad leaders helmet spot-light flared to life. The sudden flash wouldve blinded him for sure.

The creatures stopped briefly, just enough time for Ruus to fire off another shot, catching one

between the eyes. It went down, twitching briefly as it hit the ground.

Forty had no idea why the clone would fire on his own kind, but he knew what those things were,

they didnt, and they were getting close. Too close.

Oh-Seven was the next to open fire, hitting one in the shoulder and another in the knee. Warning

shots, the kind meant to incapacitate without killing. The one who was hit with the knee shot fell andgot back up, and the other didnt even react. Thats not good.

Someone else, Three-Eight maybe, scored a few chest shots that created spurts of flesh and black

ichor and not much else. The things were knocked back, then kept coming. Ruus shot another in the

head and it collapsed.

Aim for the head?

Forty tried it. The head burst, sending a spray of the black stuff and brain, and it collapsed. The

others walked around it, over it, not seeming to notice or care. Three-Eight and Oh-Seven caught onas well, taking out a few more. One shuffled closer, arms reaching, when suddenly a shot burst

through its eye and it collapsed. The shot had come from Six-Two, who was at Fortys side. Im

assuming theyre hostile now, he quipped. Charges set, Boss! The blast is directed away from us,

but I suggest getting out of the way anyway.

To where?! pointed out Oh-Seven. He had a point. The hall was blocked, and there wasnt

anywhere else to go. Technically the squad was okay, but even if Ruus had been wearing a full set of

armor, any stray shrapnel still posed a risk. Meat-can armor wasnt on-par with the commando

variety.

Another one of the things got too close, looming above Forty. He pulled the trigger, missed the head,

pulled the trigger again, this time hitting it in the chest. The creature fell on top of him, its hands

grabbing at his armor. For a second his vision was nothing but nothing but teeth and a wet tongue

scraping at his visor, until he managed to get his Decee under the creatures chin and pull the trigger.

He pushed the body off before it even stopped twitching. It tried towhat the shab


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Three-Eight knocked Ruus down, shielding the trooper and yelling for Six-Two to hit the detonator.

Forty ducked. Six-Two hit the detonator.

There was a bang, thud, and the sound of metal bouncing off his armor and colliding with against

flesh. Forty was on his feet and running the minute the explosion stopped. They were on the balcony,but Force only knew how they were going to get down now...he whipped around to fire off a few

shots into the slow-moving swarm of creatures, only vaguely hearing Six-Two shout something

about the turbolift being out.

Gernade!

Someone had tossed a thermal into the swarm. The resulting explosion knocked several of the things

down, tearing some to shreds and incapacitating a few. But it didnt stop them, it only slowed them

down. It was enough for the squad to run through an open door into a different hallway. So much

for that plan! shouted Six-Two.

You have an idea for Plan B? Three-Eight shouted back and he closed and locked the door behind

them. The moaning of the swarm was cut off. Weve got to

Hey!

The entire squad turned at the sound of the shout. Forty raised his gun without thinking. The man at

the other end of the hall, the one whod shouted, returned suit. Hold fire! shouted Three-Eight.

Hold fire, were friendly!

The man kept his gun aimed. He was another trooper, his face hidden by a battered and stained

helmet. Are you infected?! he shouted.

What?!

Are you infected?!

Infectedwhat?! What are you talking about?!

What do you mean what are you talking about?

We just got here, dumb shebs! snapped Oh-Seven.

Did any of those things bite you?

No! replied Forty, stepping in before things got ugly. One tried to, butno. Why?


17/82

The trooper turned his attention to Ruus. What about you? Did you get bitten?

Ruus shook his head. No. Im not infected, I swear!

The trooper finally lowered his gun. Okaywho are you guys? The circus?

Forty bristled slightly. Were Republic Commandos, trooper, said Three-Eight, his voice brimming

with the Im not in the mood tone. We were sent out here to find out whats going on.

The trooper finally lowered his weapon. Command sent you?

No, we just happened to be in the neighborhood. Of course command sent us.

Just you guys?

Yeah, why?

The troopers shoulders slumped. Oh. Thats good actually. Another assault ship would be nice,

but

We can get you off the ship if we just get to the hanger.

Get to the hanger? No way thats happening. Not with that swarm behind us.

As if in emphasis, something started banging on the door. Come on, weve got to get out of here.

Were not going anywhere until you tell us whats going on!

Look, do you want to live or not?!

The question silenced Three-Eight. He thought about it. Okay, he said finally. Okay, well go

with you.

Smart man, noted the trooper. Come on. They wont get through the door, but theres more of

them out there.

How do you know?

Trust me. The trooper shrugged. You dont have much of a choice anyway.

It was true. They didnt.


18/82

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Anatomy, Part One:

They didnt see any more of Those Things on their way to the so-called safe place, and Scorch was

thankful for that.

He realized his hands were shaking. He hoped the others didnt notice.

Scorch tried to remember the last time hed been so...bothered by something hed been through.

Okay, bothered was the wrong word. He was scared, the sort of paranoid fear that makes you glance

over your shoulder every five seconds, certain that any second now somethings going to come and

attack you. He hadnt been scared like that since he was a kid.

Scorch glanced over at Ruus. The trooper looked even more scared than Scorch felt; he was glancing

over his shoulder every three seconds, still clinging to the pistol hed nabbed from Fixer, his entire

body trembling. Part of him wanted to ask what had happened, what hed seen, what hed beenthrough.

The rest of him knew he didnt want to know.

Scorch couldnt help noticing the varying degrees of destructions; it was just like on the Prosecutor,

like only some areas had seen battle while others went relatively untouched. The similarities were

just too damn eerie. The next time Advisor uses the words assault ship and missing in the same

briefing, I am volunteering Omega, I swear on the Force.

One common denominator was the sheer amount of doors that had been sealed off; most of themwere just barricaded with debris, crates, whatever, but a few were welded shut in the same hasty way

as the door in the data core room. Hey, uhm said Scorch, suddenly aware that he had no idea

what the troopers name was.

Kato, said the trooper.

Kato, right. Whats with the doors?

Oh, that? Its just so we know where theyre coming from. Eliminates a lot of the guess work.

You did that to every door on the ship? said Sev skeptically.

Not the whole ship. A good chunk of it, though. Used to be they were trying to seal the Walkers in,

you know, quarantine, then lead them to choke points, but now Kato shrugged. Not many of us

left to fight em, but at least we know the only entries and exits.

Scorch exchanged a look with Boss before switching to the squad-only channel. Should I tell


19/82

him?

Later. Boss turned back to Kato. So, what are theseWalkers, exactly?

What, he didnt tell you? said Kato, gesturing to Ruus.

Excuse me?

Considering his appearance and the fact that Im pretty sure he wasnt with you guys originally, Im

sure our friend here knows perfectly well what those things are. What, didnt you tell them?

S-sort of, mumbled Ruus.

Well, why dont you tell em now? Go on, kid. Tell the commandos what theyre dealing with.

Ruus glanced off into a dark corner as though checking it for enemies before telling them.Theyrethe walking dead. Thats what Etad called them.

Fixer groaned. Not that again, please

What, you dont believe him?

No! They cant be dead! They were moving around and

Well, thats why theyre called the walking dead.

Its ridiculous. You dont get back up once youre dead.

Well, these guys did. Fixer went to protest, but Kato cut him off. Im not saying it makes sense,

Im just saying, thats what happened.

Fixer didnt say anything, but his disapproval was obvious.

He had a point. The walking dead? It didnt make any sense.

Well, except for the blank stares, the body injuries that shouldve killed them ages ago, the fact thatanything short of a headshot didnt do osik

Okay, just to warn you, there might be a straggler through here

Kato opened the door in front of them before anyone could ask what he meant.


20/82

Something was in the hall in front of them, a form hunched over another form that lay inert on the

floor. Ah, hell, muttered Kato. HEY!

The crouched form looked over at them. It was another trooper, with the same pale skin and blank

stare as the other walkers, and blood dripping from its lips. It dropped whatever it was holding and

stood, but Kato put a round through its head before the thing had time to take a step. Scorch didntcare how they were acting, or even if they were probably out to get him; seeing one clone shoot

another freaked him out on a very, very deep level. Stupid mirsheb, muttered the trooper. Scorch

was a little surprised the trooper knew that word (although he would be lying if he said he wasnt

impressed). Not another one

The inert form turned out to be the body of another clone, lying on the floor with its entrails hanging

out. Part of its ear was missing as well. Scorch realized what the walker had been doing, and felt a

sudden urge to vomit. Waswas he eating?

Oh, yeah, replied Kato. He examined the body carefully. Damn, no one got to you yet Heprodded the bodys head with his blaster. Why didnt you find us sooner, shabuir? You were so

close. He sighed. Oh, well, same result either way. Hang on a sec, guys, this shouldnt take long.

What are you talking about?

Just hang on a sec

The seconds ticked on. Scorch wasnt sure why they were watching a dead body stare blankly at the

ceiling, but he didnt say anything. This is just weird. This is too damn freaky.

Fivefourthreetwo

Suddenly, the body twitched, once, twice. The eyes grew wider and the mouth slowly opened. One

hand reached out for Kato, who casually stood up and got out of range. Scorch took a step back as

well, more out of shock than anything else. What the?

Kato sighed. Sorry about this, ner vod, he said, and casually shot the trooper between the eyes. Its

arm dropped and it lay still.

Kato turned to Fixer. Still dont believe me?

Fixer didnt say anything.

Cmon, were almost there.

Kato walked off without another word.


21/82

The rest of them followed. Scorch glanced over his shoulder at the body.

Okay. I am officially freaked out now.

Maybe the dead were walking on this ship.

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Anatomy, Part Two:

The safe place Kato mentioned turned out to be a secluded corner of the engine room, up amongst

the jungle of catwalks. Is it really safe up there? said Forty warily. Hed never been a fan of these

maintenance catwalks. For reasons he couldnt quite fathom, the people who built these things

werent big on handrails.

Trust me, its safer up there than it is down here, replied Kato. He smacked his fist against the side,

causing the ladder to fall down with a clatter. Well, up you go.

Three-Eight went up first, and Forty followed. He tried to ignore the way the ladder kept creaking.

Easier said than done. He was almost relieved to be off the ladder and onto the catwalk itself.

Either that things unstable, muttered Six-Two as he pulled himself onto the metal surface, or Im

getting fat.

I thinkyoure getting fat, said Kato, deadpan.

Six-Two shot him a one-fingered gesture that Sergeant Vau had told them to never use in polite

company. Kato returned the gesture. Where he had picked it up was beyond Forty.

Kato led them along the catwalks to a platform smack in the middle of the engines, the sort of area

that was only used when the engines were off. And youre sure its safe in here? said Six-Two.

Oh, the engines havent been working for twenty-seven days, said Kato nonchalantly. Well be

fine.

And youre sure about that?

Aww, whatsa matter? asked Kato as he took off his helmet. Is the big bad commando scared?

Despite the fact that he was technically identical to Forty, he found himself marveling at

howdifferent the clone trooper looked. His face looked drawn and tired, almost like he was sick,

and jawline was covered with stubble, the sort of stubble you got when you were deep behind enemy

lines and didnt have time to stop for even a dry shave. And there was something else about him,


22/82

something Forty couldnt quite put his finger on. It was like the wear of the war had been

accelerated, leaving behind an empty, smart-mouthing shell going through the motions of survival.

His thoughts were interrupted by Six-Twos voice: Im not scared! he snapped as he took off his

own helmet. He looked peeved. Now you know how I feel. Constantly. I just prefer to keep my head

on my shoulders.

Kato smirked. Whatever, squaddie-boy, he said. So, command finally noticed we were gone?

Yeah, replied Six-Two, scratching at his scalp. They tend to be really dense sometimes.

Tell me about it, Kato snorted. So, now what?

Three-Eight stepped in. Well, first were going to go over that data, he said. See what it tells us.

Fixer?

Got it, said Forty, digging the memory chip out of his belt pouch along with his datapad. He

slipped the chip into the datapad and, lacking anywhere else to place the datapad, sat down on the

floor with the pad in front of him.

Hey, dont start without me, said Kato as he made his way across the small space.

You already know what happened, pointed out Oh-Seven as he sat down and took off his own

helmet, a slight frown marring his face.

Yeah, but not all of it, pointed out Kato. He pulled a container out from behind some pipes. Anyof you guys hungry?

Forty felt his eyebrows shoot up. After everything theyd seen, how could Kato be hungry? Were

fine, thanks, said Three-Eight quickly.

You sure? How about you, kid?

Ruus considered it, then nodded fiercely.

Okay, dry rats coming up. Kato pulled a few packets of dry rations out of the container, tossing onacross the room to Ruus. You guys sure? I just raided the cargo hold. Theres plenty.

No, really, said Six-Two quickly. Were fine.

Kato shrugged flippantly. Suit yourself.


23/82

Three-Eight turned his attention to the datapad. Where do you think we should start? he asked,

sitting down beside Forty and Oh-Seven.

Well Forty opened the folder with the data. I downloaded as much of itas I could, but theres

this one file in particular. It wasnt encrypted in any way, and its flagged as important. Its like they

dont care who opens it, as long as someone sees it.

Well, then, lets see whats inside, shall we?

Forty nodded briskly and opened the file.

It turned out to be a holo file. The datapads projector flickered to life, showing a recording of a

clone trooper, a sergeant if the armor markings were any indication. I dont know if anyones going

to see this, said the sergeant, keeping his voice low, buthell with it. Im Sergeant CC-09/5780.

Its The sergeant hesitated, then laughed. Hell, I dont even know what day it is. Day seventeen

since It started, I guess. Something like that. He glanced once over his shoulder before continuing.Im recording this so thatwell, people have to know what went on here. Another glance over the

shoulder. By the time anyone sees this, I may be deador I may be one of Them, and Im not sure

which is worse.

Ill admit, its a bit ofa toss-up, said Kato dryly.

Six-Two shushed him. It was such an odd reversal that the rest of the squad stopped watching the

video to stare. Six-Two didnt notice. He was too busy staring intensely at the holo. really all

started when one of the guys came back from the surface with the bite wound. He said hes waded

out into some shallow water andsomething attacked him. He got out of the water, but itd bittenhim pretty bad. Managed to take a chunk out of the back of his leg. It wasnt until after they were all

back on the ship that things gotinteresting. The woundthey cleaned it up, bandaged it, shot him

full of antibiotics, but it still got infected. I wasnt there, but Fifty-Four, he was, and he said it was

bad. The feverit just ate him up. He was dead in three days. The sergeant paused. Thenwell,

things went downhill from there.

I dont really know most of what happened between then and Day One, but I think thats part of the

problem. No one knew what was going on, what he had, how it spread. All we knew was that the

officers were starting acting funny. You were given the third degree if you wanted to visit a brother

in the med bay, we were expected in our stations after every meal, and if not there, then in ourquarters. It was like curfew back on Kamino, but different. Something was wrong, you could tell, but

no one was saying what. I remember me and a few of the boys were told to patrol the halls during the

curfew time, but we werent told what we were looking for, if anything.

Well, itwent on like that for about a week, thenwell we found out what we were looking for. We

found out the hard way. The sergeant swallowed. The bad thing was, it was broadcast over the


24/82

entire shiponly a few of us saw the holo, though.

What holo? said Six-Two impatiently.

Oh-Seven glared at him to shut him up.

One of the officers was addressing the ship, giving some half-shebs explanation for why things had

gotten so strict. I was on the deck, giving a report from another one of those stupid patrols, so I saw

what happened. As he was talking, twowell, at the time, I just thought they were more clone

troopers, but there was something off about them. And I never did find out how they got in there.

But, as the officer kept talking, they The sergeant swallowed, hard. Thethey just went after

him. Startedattacking, no, eating him. Right in front of us. The officer, he wasnt armed that I

knew of, or if he waswell, he was having his ears torn off, I dont think he could really do much at

that point. And he just kept screaming He sergeant shuddered. I can only imagine what it was

like for the other guys, only tearing the screams and thethe sounds of tearing fleshnot knowing

what was going on.

The sergeant fell silent. In his mind, Forty could almost hear itscreams of pain, the sound of skin

and muscle tearing under the assault of cracked human teeth, and...

He shook the thought out of his head. Dont think about it, dont think about it, dont

Well, even after that, they still didnt tell us what the hell was going on. The Admiral, he gave all of

us whod seen the video express orders not to tell anyone what wed seen. The curfew was more

strictly enforced, the med bay was sealed off entirely. Sometimes a trooper would be randomly

pulled aside for some sort of testing. I was one of them. They drew blood, did a full-body check, keptasking me if Id been bitten at any point. I got lucky; they let me go. Not everyone was let go,

though. As I was leaving, I heard a guy being dragged off. He kept shouting that it was just a scratch,

and asking what they were doing. I never found out if he made it out, if he was infected or not,

but The sergeant shook his head. It doesnt matter. Hes probably not alive any more, anyway.

So, its been about a month since we left the planet. One of my men, Thirty, he gets pulled aside for

testing, doesnt come back. Tens, he freaks outthose two were always close, you know? I kept

telling him that he would be fine, and that if something was wrong with him, theyd fix him. He

didnt believe me. The sergeant stared directly at whatever device hed been using to record this, his

eyes blank. I shouldve kept a better eye on him. I shouldve He hesitated before continuing.He snuck out while we were all asleep. He wasnt there the next morning. I wasnt sure what to

doI mean, if I went outside the group for help, hed get in trouble, but we couldnt run around the

whole ship looking for him, and going to the medbay to see if he was there wouldnt work. Wed just

be kicked out. I was still trying to figure out what to do on our way to the mess hall, when I heard

someone screaming my name. It was Tens. He was limping down the hall, covered in bite wounds.

He was crying. I have never seen him cry. When I ran over to him, he just kept apologizing to me. I


25/82

asked him for what, but he just kept saying Im sorry and Thirtys dead. I asked him what

happened, who did that. He saidthat Thirty did this.

But you said Thirtys dead, I said to him. And he didnt get a chanceto reply, because thats when

the screaming started.

Another pause. Another chance for Fortys mind to fill with screams. He tried to banish them to the

farthest reaches of his mind. It was hard.

I dont know how many were in the med bay, but it was enough. They were all clones, and none of

us knew what was going on, so of course we werent going to shoot a brother. So the Infected just

attacked, and it spread and by the end of the day The sergeant shrugged. Well, that was Day

One. Most of us managed to barricade ourselves in other rooms, but then you had to deal with the

banging, the moans. He shuddered. And we had some of the injured in the room with us. We didnt

know what they would become, it made sense at the time.

Day Two, the Chief Medical Officer and the Admiral finally broadcast a message ship-wide and tell

us what the hell is going on. The Med Officer, he says its some sort of a virus transmitted through

the Infecteds saliva. Very contagious. A drop is all it took. The virus overwhelms the victims

immune system, kills the host, and then takes over. Now the people who were bitten are technically

dead, they dont have heartbeats, they dont feel painall they know is feeding. They eat the living,

or at least spread the disease. And they didnt know how to cure the virus.

Osikyr, breathed Six-Two.

Things got worse.

Worse?!

The Admiral said that, in favor of keeping the infection from spreading outside the ship, hed cut off

all communication, ejected the escape pods, and destroyed the engines. We were adrift, with no help

from the outside. He said that hed only open communications again if all the infected on the ship

were destroyed. And The sergeant swallowed again. He gave the order to shoot anyone whod

been infected. Dont wait for them to turn, just shoot them now and get it over with.

Again, the room feel silent. For a little while, anyway. They wanted them to do what?! said Three-Eight, his voice shocked but bordering on the outraged.

They cant justthey wouldnt, added Six-Two.

Forty knew, though. He saw it in the eyes of that sergeant. I think they did, he said.


26/82

He was looking at Kato and Ruus when he said it. Kato had completely lost interesting in his food,

and Ruusnow slumped on the groundlooked like he was going to cry. The sergeant in the holo

resumed talking: In the room I was in, we werent going to. We only had three injured, we could

restrain them and wait for them to turn. But onehis injury was really bad, near a big artery in his

leg. He mustve finally bled out and come back while we were arguing, cause he went after the man

who was looking after him. I managed to get a lucky shot to the head, and no one was bitten butHis gaze grew even more blank as he remembered the incident. One ofthe other injured, he lost it.

Somehow grabbed a pistol from one of the others. We tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldnt

listen. He Pause. He shot himself.

Stunned would be the mild version of Deltas reaction. De haar Kara, muttered Three-Eight.

The last guy, we managed to convince him to wait until hed at least died before we did it. I dont

know if it was because he wasnt bitten as badly, maybe the infection took longer spreading but it

took him another day and a half to die. One of his brothers tried to shoot him, but he couldnt. I had

to do it for him. The sergeant fell silent again. By that time most of the dead on the other side ofthe door had lost interest and went searching for easier prey. We were able to get out, hook up with

another group. It was pretty bad early on. We had no idea that you have to shoot them in the head, or

that grenades didnt work because even if an Infected lost both his legs hed just drag himself by his

arms. We didnt realize that their heads kept biting even if you chopped them off, and that you had to

shoot every dead body you found if the Infected had gotten to them, because theyd come back,

regardless of how much was left of them. I saw a lot of those, lying there looking like theyd been

torn to shreds by wild animals, their eyes wide open. Those were the worst. And by the time we did

figure all this out, wed lost so many. Soon they outnumbered us, and The sergeant shrugged.

Well, here we are.

I dont know if anyones left alive to see this,but if you are, heres what you need to know. Stay in

high places. Get onto catwalks, upper levels of whatever, destroy the stairs. They cant jump or

climb, so you should be set until you run out of food and water. They cant run either, but dont get

cocky. The newly dead can still speed-walk, and if theres a swarm, it doesnt matter how fast you

run, you will be cornered. No amount of armor is going to save you from that. Try to avoid using any

weapon that makes a lot of noise. The noise just attracts them. And above all, always aim for the

head. Nothing else will work. And dont get bitten, either. In fact, make sure you cover any open

wounds, cause we dont know if getting their blood in yours does it too. If someone does get

infected, youll know. The wound will get infected almost instantly, theyll get a nasty fever, and,

well He shook his head. At that point, all you can do is make sure theyre comfortable, becausetheyre not going to last much longer.

I know its going to be hard to shoot the Infected at first. Theyre brothers, right? But He sighed.

You have to get over that. Those men died a long time ago. Theyre not brothers anymore. Theyre

the enemy. You do what you have to if you want to survive. He made eye contact with the recorder

again. I dont know much longer Im going to live, but if you see me, and Im one of those things,


27/82

shoot me. Please.

I dont think were going to defeat them. We are outnumbered. If you have an opportunity to get off

this ship, do it. Theres nothing cowardly about it. If theres anything you can do to keep yourself

alive

do it.

And with that, the sergeant turned off the recorder. The holo fizzled away into nothing.

They didnt stop staring at the space where it had been for a long time.

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I didnt want to do it.

It was the first thing Kato said once they recovered from what they had heard. I kept saying that we

should wait, he said. Butyou know, we had an order. Thats what some of the others were

saying. His blank expression quickly turned into a scowl. It was a stupid order, and I hope the

Admiral rots in hell. He glared at the room in general. Yeah, thats right. I said it. You hear me,

you shabuir?! I hope you rot in hell!

Scorch wanted to point out that the admiral couldnt hear them, but decided against it.

Do you have any idea what you forced us to do, huh? Do you? What I had to watch?! You slime!His clenched fist was shaking. Do you have any ideado you Without warni ng, he collapsed to

his knees, his face buried in his face, looking like he was about to cry.

Scorch felt his eyes go wide with surprise as he turned to face Boss. Boss didnt react at first, before

finally getting up and walking over to Kato, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. Im okay, said

Kato, his voice muffled by his hands.

No, youre not, replied Boss.

Youre right, Im not. Kato laughed bitterly, letting his hands fall onto his lap. His eyes lookeddecidedly damp, but his face we still dry. Sorry about that. I think that was overdue.

After everything youve been through? replied Boss, somewhat shakily. I think that was

justified.

Understatement, Boss.


28/82

Ruus hadnt said anything. He just sat there staring at the other side of the space. Ruusika? said

Scorch carefully. Are you?

Thats when they heard the rattling sound.

The entire group froze. I thought those things cant climb, hissed Sev as he got to his feet andpulled out his Decee.

I did too, breathed Kato.

So then what the hell was that?

I dont knowa mynock?

Another clatter came from the catwalk area. So not a mynock, Kato, said Scorch as he pulled out

his Decee.

Shut up, squaddie, he shot back.

Stop calling me that!

Both of you shut

Fixer never got to finish his sentence because the clattering of boots on metal was coming closer. The

group raised their weaponsall except for Ruus, who was standing with his head cocked slightly to

the side, gaze intense. Guys? he said hesitantly. Guys, I dont think its one of them.

Before anyone could ask what the hell that meant, a voice came from around the corner: Kato? You

there?

It sounded like another clone trooper. Judging from Katos reactiondropping his weapon and

sighing iratelyit was someone he knew. Dammit, Romero, you shabuir! he said. Dont scare me

like that!

Someone rounded the corner. It was a clone trooper, helmet-less, with a disapproving frown and

three parallel scars running across his face. It looked like a trandosioan had tried to claw his face off.He was holding a standard blaster rifle in one hand. The disapproval melted slightly when he saw

Ruus and the rest of the squad. Okay, he said. Id demand to know where youve been for the past

three days, but Id rather know where these guys came from.

Go to hell, said Kato.


29/82

Whoa there, said Scorch, utterly baffled, as he lowered his weapon. Whats with the sudden

animosity?

He can, said Kato, irately. He can go the shab to hell.

Kato, sighed Romero. We donthave time for this. Im not your enemy.

Whatever, man. Kato scowled irately. You dont have to baby-sit me. Im fine.

We stick together, Kato, shot back Romero. You could tell hed had this argument before. I

thought we agreed.

I never agreedto anything. Not while Kato cut himself off. Why the hell am I explaining

myself to you? Youre not my CO. Hell, you dont even have superiority, Private.

Boss cut in before Romero could retaliate. No, but I do, he said sternly. Back off, both of you.He turned to face Romero. Command sent us to see what was going on. Im Sergeant 01/138. And

you are?

Private 01/940, replied Romero. Romero, sir.

And you know Kato, I assume?

Were both part of the same group of survivors, sir.

The entire squad did a double-take. Survivors? said Fixer. Where? How many?

The bridge and not many. Theres me, Kato, the medic Kev, another private Torr, and one of the

non-clone officers. Hes in a bad way, though, so Ive taken charge.

Infected?

No, butwell, we found him wandering around near the mess hall. Hes barely said a word since

we found him, wont tell us his name, doesnt have any ID on him. Trauma, Id say. Force only

knows what hes seen. Romero ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. And before you ask,

ship-wide communications are down and we cant get them working again. We havent had anycontact with any other survivors. As far as we know, were all thats left. He tilted his chin in Katos

direction. He thinks his brothers are still out there, though. Keeps running off trying to find them.

I can hear you, said Kato irately. Yeah, Katos the crazy one, keeps believing in the impossible.

Well, you know what? At least I didnt leave my brothers behind.


30/82

I did what I had to, shot back Romero. His entire demeanor changed the instant Kato mentioned

leaving behind brothers; he was angrier now, more defensive. What happened wasnt my fault.

You abandoned them, youre still abandoning them!

Okay, thats enough! snapped Boss. We do not need a fight on our hands. You two want to fightthis out later, thats fine, but not here, not now. Save it for the enemy.

Katos scowl deepened and he didnt reply. Romero took a second: Understood, he said finally.

Kato still said nothing.

The awkward in the room was so thick Scorch felt like he needed a machete to cut through it. Or

maybe a lightsaber, that would work too. The squad had no idea what was going on between those

two, and Ruus had this look, like the argument had brought up some bad memories for the trooper.

Mental note: harass him about that later. Look, Torr is keeping watch and hes probably gettingantsy, said Romero to Kato. Are you coming back or not?

Hmm, let me think about it, said Kato. Uh, no. Im not done out here.

Overruled, said Boss. Youre coming with us.

What? No, Im staying.

Listen, we need to get as many people as we can off this ship. You somehow managed to survive,

and I am not letting you throw that away and get yourself killed.

Thats not your call to make.

The statement was met with what felt like a good minute of stunned silence. Scorch instantly felt

sorry for Kato; Boss had that look that was somewhere between utter bafflement and utter rage.

People often suffered broken noses after this look was activated. Excuse me? said Boss in that tone

he only got before he laid down the law (violently).

Kato didnt flinch. This is my choice, sir, he said, still totally unaware of the danger he was in.

Im not going back there.

You will obey orders, Private.

Family comes first.

Romero cut in: Kato, you cant keep


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Suddenly, there was a pistol in Katos hand, pointed right at Romero. Back the shab off! he

snapped.

Scorch took a good two steps away from trooper. You know, I sort of suspected, but I didnt think he

was this nuts! Put the gun down! barked Boss, reaching for his own pistol.

Kato moved the gun to Bosss head. Scorch aimed his Decee without thinking, Fixer following suit.

Put it down! said Fixer.

Back off, all of you! snapped Kato. Scorch caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his

eye: Sev, who had been sort of hovering in the back until then, was cautiously sneaking up behind

Kato. I am not going back without my brothers, you hear me? Im not

Sev chose that moment to pounce, grappling Kato from behind. There was a brief struggle, then Kato

let out a tiny yelp suddenly went limp.

With a sigh, Sev lowered the troopers body to the ground. Nerve cluster, he grunted. He should

be out for a while. He shrugged. He was getting on my nerves, anyway.

Yeah, do me a favor, said Scorch warily as he lowered his weapon. Promise youll never do that

to me.

I make no such promise, ner vod, said Sev wryly. Now, whos going to carryhim? Cause Im not

doing it

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Outnumbered, Part One

So, how are we getting him down the ladder?

Romerowho had insisted on carrying Kato, despite the fact that he looked ready to fall over

sighed. I dont know, he said wearily. Well cross that bridge when we come to it.

Boss frowned slightly. To be honest, Romero looked like osik. He had the same drawn, tired face that

Kato and Ruus had, and was almost as skinny as toothpick-sized Ruus. He didnt look like he should

be carrying anyone. Look, are you sure you dont want me to take

Ive got it, said Romero insistently. Trust me, he gets pretty light after a while.

You say that as though you have to knock him out often, said Scorch jokingly.


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Romero shot him a weary look. Scorch caught on pretty fast. Ohhh, he said. UhIll just shut up

now.

Fixer muttered something that sounded like thank you.

Eventually they reached the way down. Torr! called Romero. Could you give me a hand? I needto lower Kato down.

Whatdya mean lower? called back a new voice. Something clambered up the ladder, peering up

at the group. What happened to The person, another clone wearing a battered-looking helmet of

a soft-shell. His gaze landed on Romero and the unconscious Kato almost immediately. Again?!

Seriously?!

Yeah, I know. Are you going to help me or not?

Sure thing, Rom, but an explanation would be nice. The soft-shell, whom Boss could only assumewas Torr, eyed the rest of them. Ey, look, theres more of us. One of you want to get down ere and

help me?

He didnt seem very surprised by the sight of four Republic Commandos, but then again, hed just

lived through a ship being overrun by the walking dead as Ruus had put it. Boss doubted that

anything was going to surprise that trooper. Or any of them now, for that matter.

Unless something weirder than cannibalistic corpses shows up Boss winced at the though. Force, I

hope not.

Between Fixer and Torr they were able to get Kato down without dropping him. Damn, whistled

Torr. How hardya hit im this time?

Ask the commando, said Romero, pointing at Sev. He knocked him out this time, not me.

Nerve cluster, grunted Sev.

Torr raised an eyebrow. Im not goin to ask, he said. Boss kept trying to figure out what the deal

was with the troopers accent. It was subtle, nothing an outsider would notice, but it definitely wasnt

the standard flash-learned accent of a clone trooper. Then again, Boss hadnt actually met a soft-shellbefore, so maybe they all sounded like that. You want me to take him, Rom?

Ive got him.

No, you dont. Torr was already making his way towards the unconscious Kato. Youre a good

guy, Rom, but youre a terrible liar.


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Romero frowned, but didnt object. So, I assume I can get an explanation for the newcomers on our

way back to base, said Torr. And I demand a thorough one.

Its a long story.

And a longer walk. Torr grinned, the first really genuine smile Boss had seen since hed boarded

this damn ship. It was a welcome sight. So start talkin.

Sodoesnt it freak it out?

Torr paused mid-stretch to stare blankly at Scorch. Doesnt what freak me out? he asked.

Not having armor, said Scorch. He couldnt help but think about the mission-that-never-officially-happened on Coruscant, and how wrong it had felt not being in armor. Doesnt that bother you?

Not really. I dont see any combat, remember? Just fix hunks of junk like this girl. He gave the side

of the turbolift an affectionate smack. Poor lil lady. Youve been through a lot, avent you? He

gave Scorch a once-over. I think Id be more freaked out if I wore the armor. Isnt that heavy?

You get used to it.

Torr shrugged before changing the subject. Anyway, you guys plannin on getting us out of here?

If we can get to the hanger without dying, replied Boss. Are you sure that your group is all thats

left?

Well, I did think that until he showed up, replied Romero, gesturing towards Ruus.

I was the only one, said Ruus. At leastI think I was. Everyone in my group died and I never saw

anyone else while I was alone.

If we can fix the ships communications, then we can try to contact any survivors, said Fixer.

Good luck with that, laughedTorr. I dont know what they did, but those comms are dead. Ive

been tryin for days.

Ill have a look anyway, said Fixer. So, once we do that, how long before...?

He was cut off by the lift suddenly screeching to a halt. Scorch found himself with an eerie sense of


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dj-vu. Oh, hell no

The lift dropped a good five floors before abruptly stopping again, nearly giving Scorch a heart

attack. Ruus yelped, Sev swore, and Kato somehow stayed unconscious. Once the lift finally stopped,

there was a period of silence that felt like it went on forever. Anyone else feel like weve been here

before? asked Boss finally.

If thats the detention level, I am done, said Scorch. Seriously. Done. Good luck finishing this

without me, guys.

Fixer fiddled with the control panel for a second. The door slid open, revealing not the detention

level, but another long, nondescript hallwayand one of the walkers. Son of a!

It barely took a step before Sev dropped it. I hate this ship, he growled.

I second that, said Scorch.

Third it, said Torr. Oh, and theres another lift down that way. Not too far. I dont know about

you, but I am not gettin back in that one.

I second that as well.

Lets just hurry, said Romero. He looked nervous. There might be more walkers nearby that heard

the gunshot. I dont want to get swarmed.

There was no sign of any walkers on their way to the other lift, but Romeros comment had all ofthem on edge. Except Kato, who was still unconscious. If he doesnt wake up in the next five

minutes, I vote we slap im, said Torr.

Or dump water on him, added Scorch. Does anyone have ice cubes? Or a chrono with an alarm?

Have you done this before?

Yes, he has, grumbled Sev.

Scorch couldnt help grinning. I know he just sounds like a big tough guy, he said, but if theresone thing that Ive learned over the years, its that he hits like a girl.

Six-Two, I swear, when we get off this ship, I am killing you myself.

Scorch laughed. Yeah, right.


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Out the airlock.Right into the vacuum.

Funny, last time you said it would be a stabbing

Shh!

Scorch rolled his eyes. Calm down, Fixer, just having a little fun

No, I mean it, said Fixer sounding urgent instead of mad. I heard something.

The group halted and fell silent. Scorch heard it too, faint, but there. The low moan of the walkers.

Oh hell.

Run, said Romero.

They didnt just run, they bolted.

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Outnumbered, Part Two

The moaning of the infected was growing louder. It sounded like there was another group coming

from the opposite side of the hallway.

And the lifts door was locked.

Can you unlock it? asked Romero, yelling to be heard over the moans.

Sure thing, Rom, but

But what?!

I dont know how long its going to take! This console is messed up pretty badly.

Romero swore.

Sarge, should I take care of this? asked Fixer.

Only if he cant handle it. You and Sev take that end of the hall, me and Scorch will Boss

stopped in mid-sentence as more moaning came from the broken viewport across the hall from them.

Are you kidding me?


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Its one story down, they wont be able to get us, said Torr without looking up.

But theyre going to attract more, said Romero grimly. Kid?

Ruus didnt respondat first. His eyes had gone wide and youd have to be blind not to notice his

hands shaking. Ruus! snapped Boss.

Y-yes sir?

We need you to wake up Kato. Any way necessary. We need the extra hands and Im sick of

dragging him around.

G-got it

Sarge?

Boss switched to the squad-only channel. Yeah, Scorch?

How dead are we?

Depends on how fact Torr can get us in that lift.

Fantastic. Hed better work fast.

Sarge, Ive got incoming

The walkers were worryingly close. Headshots only! he said. Dont waste any ammo. And only

shoot if they get close. Torr

I know, speed is of the essence.

Good lad.

He wont wake up! said Ruus frantically.

Yeah, good job, Sev, said Scorch.

Scorch, shut it.

Scorch shut it.

Boss hadnt meant it to be that harsh, but they were in a hallway surrounded by the walking dead,


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who were moaning loud enough to make his ears ring. And moving slowly. So, so slowly. Somehow,

Boss wouldve preferred it if theyd charged. At least then he could shoot. As it was, they were too

far away to be a real threat, and wasting ammo would be a bad idea.

But of course, the universe had to read his mind and make things worse.

Uhh, Boss

Boss glanced over his shoulder. Two walkers were pushing their way to the front of the line. There

was something different about them. Their skin wasnt as grey and rotting, and the bloody injuries

Boss could make out had fresher-looking blood, not the blackish clotted stuff the other walkers

oozed.

Thats not good, said Romero, his voice deceptively calm.

Why?

The walkers charged.

It was a lurching, shuffling speed-walk, but it was still charging.

Fixer managed to drop them both before they got too close for comfort, but to say that the incident

was unsettling was an understatement. What the shab was that?! yelled Scorch.

Newly dead, shouted back Romero. His face had gone pale and he looked afraid, genuinely afraid.

Runners. I didnt

Runners?! yelped Torr, glancing over his shoulder at the group. There are run

You! Door! Opening! snapped Boss.

Right, right, working!

Another one pushed through the group on Bosss side of the hall and charged. He barely made it

halfway. How many of these things are there? thought Boss, then

They were alive. They were alive not too long ago.

Got it!

The lift door slid open with a hiss and a low moan


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Wait.

Completely forgetting the Walkers in the hall, Boss turned around.

There were Walkers in the lift.

And they were looking right at them.

Oh, shab

The world around him was fuzzy, vague, bright. He heard screaming. Moans. Moans?

Watch it!

Theyre everywhere!

Sarge, on your six!

With a groan, he opened his eyes.

There were Walkers. Everywhere.

Kato was very, very awake now.

Look out!

Kato yelped, scrambling away from the outstretched arms of a Walker. Someone, one of the

commandos, maybe, shot it in the head. Kato scrambled for his own weapon, only to find that it

wasnt there.

Oh, yeah, I pointed it at Romero.

Gun! he yelped, scrambling to his feet. Gun!

Boss tossed him one. Kato, despite his shaking knees, managed to catch it. Okay. Gun. Ammo

loaded. Walkers everywhere. Time to get busy.

He aimed the pistol and started shooting, trying not to think about who he was shooting. Dont think

about it. Aim and fire.


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Their backs were to a cracked viewport and the open lift was on the other side of enough Walkers to

make a charge through them impossible. More Walkers on the other side of the viewport groaned

their hunger. All in all, worst situation ever. What are we going to do?! he shouted.

Just keep shooting! shouted back Boss. Scorch, we need to blast our way through!

On it!

It wasnt going to last, Kato knew, but it would be enough for them to get into the lift. And they

needed to act fast, because the large but manageable group of Walkers was rapidly turning into a

swarm and if they werent careful then

Kato froze.

There was a Walker standing a few feet away, looking at him with one dead brown eye was

No.

Kato felt his gun drop to his side, his gaze unable to tear away from the Walker.

No. No. No. Youyou were alive. You were alive, I knew it. You were

Ven

There was no recognition in the Walkersin Vens eyes as he lurched over. Kato knew that he

should shoot, knew he should end it for his brother, his friend, but he was frozen in the spot and

Look out!

Someone pushed him out of the way.

Kato hit the ground, feeling the wind get knocked out of him.

He saw Scorch shoot another Walker he hadnt seen, right between the eyes. Ven was right in front

of him, suddenly, grapping the commando, going for the visor. Scorch struggled, but the struggled

drove them both back towards the window, and

Scorch!

The transparisteel broke.

Both Scorch and the Walker fell back through the viewport.


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Someone started screaming.

SCORCH!!!

Hed reacted without thinking, dropping his Decee and pushing Kato out of the way. Hed managed

to shoot the first Walker, but then the other one was in his face, grabbing at his helmet. Scorch

wrestled with it, feeling his drive him back until suddenly there was nothing behind him. Nothing but

air.

Oh

He was falling back, clawing at the air for something to grab onto. He saw Fixer lean through the

viewport, reaching out for him. Just inches short.

The fall seemed to last an eternity, then

The landing, despite being partially broken bysomething, something obscured by the darkness of

the roomdrove all the wind out of his lungs. He managed to suck the air back into his lungs and

turn on night vision, just in time for him to be surrounded by Walkers. Dozens of them. Hundreds.

All swarming around him, reaching, grabbing, pulling at his armor and helmet. Hungry for his flesh.

Scorch started screaming.

It all happened so fast.

One minute, Six-Two was slapping on his anti-armor attachment, and the next he was being driven

towards the broken transparisteel. Fixer heard his squad mates nickname being drive past his lips.

The name he rarely if ever called him.

Scorch!

The transparisteel broke.

Forty started running forward, screaming the same name. SCORCH!!

The next few minutes seemed to happen in slow motion. He saw Six-Two fall backwards, arms

reaching out, helpless.


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He reached out himself, trying to grab his brothers hand. Their fingertips brushed, briefly, but it was

too late.

It was a two-story drop cushioned by a swarm of Walkers.

No! Scorch! SCORCH!!

And soon Forty wasnt the only one screaming. Six-Two was screaming too. Ahhaaahhhgggh!!

SCORCH!!

Something exploded behind Forty. Someone grabbed his arm and started dragging him off. He

struggled, trying to wrench his way back to the viewport, but now Boss was dragging him forward

too. Scorchs screams still filled his ears, resonating through his helmet. Mocking him.

They managed to get into the lift. Six-Twos screams were punctuated by static. Three-Eight was

trying to get the lift to go down, but Romero was blocking his way. We have to go back for him!

shouted Three-Eight.

You cant! We have to get out of here!

Six-Twos screaming grew more and more sporadic, quickly replaced by nothing but static. Sarge,

we lost him! said Oh-Seven.

Its too late, we have to leave now said Romero.

Im not leaving him!!! shouted Boss.

HES ALREADY DEAD!!

The lift went totally silent. If a swarm got him, hes already dead, said Romero, his voice shaking.

It doesnt matter how much armor hes wearing, hes dead.

The static in Forty only served as proof.

Im sorry.

The lift started moving up. Away from the Walkers.

Away from Six-Two.


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Outnumbered, Part Three:

The arms were tugging at him from all times, pulling, trying to drag him under.

He kept pulling the trigger of his pistol but for every one he managed to hit there was another.

All the while he kept screaming.

It was a primal scream of terror as the hordes of the undead surrounded him. His entire world was

made of teeth, arms, fingernails. His helmet was shorting out from the nonstop pounding, static

bursting across the screen, distorting his vision, the night vision flickering on and off

Then the screen shorted out entirely. No night vision. Just vague shapes and darkness.

It felt like he couldn't breathe.

He was running blind, pulling the trigger but too afraid to take the helmet off. If he took the helmet

off, they would bite him and he would be dead.

He kept forcing his way around them. He kept pulling the trigger.

He broke free.

There were no more hands pulling at his armor, no more snapping of teeth. He pulled off his helmetand started running, desperately making a break for the door. He made his way through and kept

running. He could hear more moans coming from every angle and all he could do was run.

Eventually he managed to find a maintenance closet. He opened the lock as fast as he could,

collapsing in the closet and shutting the door behind him.

There was only darkness, and the harsh sound of his own breathing.

In addition to his helmet, he was missing a shoulder pad and a knee pad. His backpack was probably

partially crushed, and he should probably look at it to make sure that none of the ordinance was aboutto go off.

He felt like he was covered in the spit of the dead.

He had almost died.


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He realized he was crying, tears of fear silent streaking his face.

He didnt care.

Scorch sat there in the darkness, curled up against the wall, too afraid to move lest he make noise and

attract the hoards of the living dead.

But he was alive. That meant something.

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Revive, Part One:

Hes dead.

Im sorry.

To the outside world, Delta-07 probably just looked angry as he stood there, fists clenched, body

rigid. Inside, he was screaming.

He just shut off his helmet from the outside and screamed.

He wasnt angry. He was furious. He was furious, he had never been more furious in his life, he

waswas

Is this what sorrow feels like?

It felt like anger, but it burned hotter. It forced the tears past his closed eyes and down his cheeks. It

felt weakening and made him want to throw up.

He hadnt cried since

He couldnt remember the last time he cried.

But he was crying now, and he hated it.

Eventually the ache in his arms from how hard his fists were clenched hit him, along with a soreness

in his throat and the realization that Romero or whatever the hell his name was saying something. He

was able to catch the tail end of the sentence: Okay?

He turned on his mic long enough to snap, Im fine before turning it off again. It wasnt a very

convincing Im fine but if the trooper tried to push the matter, Sev was more than willing to show

him what pain felt like.


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II couldnt

Couldnt what? Couldnt shoot? You lose your nerve, white job? I didnt know they were sending

girls out to the front.

Hey, back off! snapped Romero.

Stay out of this! snapped Sev back.

I Kato got up, looking more and more shaken with every second. Youyou have no idea

No idea of what?!

That was my brother.

He wasnt your brother anymore. Why was he pursuing this? Because someone has to pay. He

was one of those things. Dont try to use that as an excuse to be spineless.

Katos face went from shaken to enraged in seconds. Anan excuse? You sonof a he said, no,

snarled, trailing off when adjectives failed him. You wouldnt be talking so tough if it was one of

your brothers.

My brother is dead because of you!!

Enough! shouted Boss, physically stepping between the two.

The lift came to a halt. Torr and Ruus couldnt get out of there fast enough. Romero, Boss, and Fixer

remained, almost as if they expected to have to break up a fight between Sev and Kato. Both of you,

stop it, said Romero. We dont need to fight right now.

Shut up.

Sev

Dont call me that.

Okay, enough, said Boss. You two, step outside. This is commando business.

Kato and Romero got out of the lift, Kato somewhat hesitantly. Personally, Sev wouldnt mind if the

trooper made the first move. It gave him an excuse to hit back. Hard.


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Sev

Documents

Star Wars Republic Commando Infection