Thread: An Eclipse of Corruption (Vuxayl x Cricket)

Karilel had hoped that it would have been longer to reach the planet. But all of a sudden it was in view, looming ahead of them. She had eagerly, defiantly accepted the mission. But in transit, she began to remember the feeling of dread and unease that crept upon her those years ago. There had been many reasons she directed the ship back to the station that day, but one of them was because she was afraid of what the planet was hiding. She had chosen dutiful cautiousness over Xayuns reckless curiosity. The many delicate layers of metal making up Karilels body were flickering here, shifting around there. Not enough for anyone to really notice, unless they were paying attention to her. And no one was paying attention to her. It was something that happened when she felt apprehension. But when youre a cold-hearted commander, no one gets to know you closely enough to learn your habits. She was squinting out the ships window, not willing to pay attention to much else. She was waiting for any bad sign, anything to indicate she should turn around. The low buzzing feeling started in her body. Karilel frantically looked around the crew, to see if they noticed anything too. She finally made eye contact with one crewmate, the only one who looked like he might be nervous about something. He had a paranoid edge to him. Do you feel it too? Karilel was dying to ask. But she kept her professionalism. Feeling alright? she approached him. Now he looked nervous that she was talking directly to him. Yes, commander. Just ready to get this done with. He gave a sheepish smile and looked like he politely wanted her to leave. Because when youre the cold-hearted commander no one wants to be honest or vulnerable around you. As she stared the planet down, the sudden static overtook her. Karilel, as a LautHaler, wouldnt really go limp unless suffering from a major system malfunction. Instead, when losing sensory input or encountering other errors, her body would lock upright in place. When she found herself focusing they were already landing on the planet. Only a few eyes were on her for direction no one seemed to notice anything that happened. She couldnt turn back now. Okay, the small, chosen squad with me. There should be another transport ship meeting us here with the freelancers, she said. Her crew went off to suit up. The majority of her crew needed protective suits, but some species and herself could endure the atmosphere, or lack of it. Still, she wore a heavy suit loaded with all the necessary devices and utilities, as was protocol for these types of missions. The airlock opened with a hiss. Karilel and six others stepped out with her. The planet was mostly unremarkable to look at. However, as soon as her feet touched the ground she felt as if a weight was pulling her onto it. An increase in gravity, she told herself. She gathered up the crew just to give a brief rundown of the mission and make sure everyone was on the same page. The crash signal is roughly one and a half kilometers towards this planets east, she said, gesturing with her PDA armband. It would be feeding them important navigational information. Thats just over the ridge up ahead. Our priority is survivors, but if there arent any then well need everyone to haul back salvage. Its not feasible to try to land a ship there, so well have to do it ourselves. After evaluating the site, we can also fall back to use the retrieval bots.