Post by Jai Theron Cross "Crossfire" on Aug 27, 2013 18:10:34 GMT -5
IN THE CROSSFIRE || Manhunt on Hailos
I want to start this off by saying that my Jissy days are not my favorite to reminisce about but I pulled an assignment on Hailos worth tellin', for the fact that I don't think I've ever experienced another like it in my life. As a collector you hunt outlaws and criminals everyday, but not like this, not on such a hostile planet with an escaped prisoner who knows how to hide.
Me and a crew of three other Collectors landed on this planet and Hailos is all... mountain, desert, rock and stone everywhere. It's as barren as I've ever seen a place and yet rich at the same time. The prisoners mine there, pullin' Bach-Ore right outta the dirt. And the blue reflection of Karklun in addition to the sun makes it that you have to wear eye shades most of the time or else you wouldn't be able to see a damn thing around you. We came fully equipped with shades, breathers, and all the tools needed to capture or kill a fugitive. We were thinking this was just going to be like any other assignment, no sweat off our backs and we'd find ourself back at HQ Javos-side in no time.
The local JSS officers monitoring the prisoners working in the mines explained this particular prisoner used his axe to break his own bindings and was probably injured. They said the last they seen his tracks led off into the mountains nearby and they wanted to make sure he didn't come back to try and attack the mine and free some of his comrades. I had no doubt they were in for a hell of a scolding once they returned to Blackrock but that wasn't my business. For once it wasn't me on the line for reprimand; must've been my lucky day. I remember the names of the officers with me, Smash, Vix, and Zippy.
We wasted no time in getting the hunt started, knowing the man was probably far ahead of us as he was already hours removed from his bindings. I remember the feel of the rock dust and sand in my fingers, bending down to pick up his tracks while one of my partners read some of the convict's profile. "Let's see what we got here," He said, "Multiple counts of murder and armed robbery, managed to slip the local authorities on Midway Station and hid in the duct systems for a full week before he was found, slippery fucker, violent, extensive survival skills, known to be able to fashion weapons out of anything at his disposal. This one sounds like a damn winner." A damn headache was more like it, I remember thinking to myself. But I'd never failed to track down a mark and this wasn't going to be my first failure.
So we tracked this bastard through the mountains, picking up signs of his movements here or there, but the guy was good. He didn't move in a straight path. He doubled-back constantly as if trying to confuse those he knew were after him. We knew at any moment he could get the drop on us but we were all seasoned officers, except for Zippy. The man was thin as a rail, young and everyone knew him to be a habitual smoker. He seemed a bit jumpy on this new turf. I made a note to keep an eye on him, but I had to stay focused. Smash was a rough fellow the size of a Wingo and the kind of guy that shot first and thought second. And then there was Vix, sassy little bitch that could rumble with the best of them. Pretty eyes, bad attitude.
"Heads up, fuckers," Her voice rolled out and demanded the attention of all three of us. There it was, this entrance into a cavern I hadn't even noticed. It looked naturally-made, not one of those remnant mines that had been axed dry and left by the JSS like a deep scar on the surface of the planet. That meant the space within could be unpredictable. There was the skid mark of a boot there in the dirt, something he'd obviously tried to hide in a rush. What was his objective? Welcome the darkness and use it to his advantage, along with however many other countless crevices and nooks were tucked down there. "Alright, we're going dark, people, you know the routine, night vision on, thermal sensors ready, guns hot."
We suited up and dropped down into that cave, as pitch black as can be. Never seen anything like it, so many twists and turns in the passageways, gigantic chambers bigger than the mess halls at JSS HQ and stone columns holding up the ceiling like a damn palace. I wanted this bastard alive. I had my stun gun ready and wasn't missing a pebble drop. When you're raised a hunter you're extra sensitive to these things; your ears, your eyes, your nose, all in tune with the world around you. I could smell the stink of his sweat from a mile away through all of this stone. Too bad it wasn't me that found the bastard first.
"I got something!" It was that skittish string-bean Zippy. Before any of us could utter a peep or make a move Zippy starts firing like a maniac when the fugitive came running at him, didn't hit him once. Next thing we know, Zippy's on the ground and the bastard's got his gun. Fucking slimeball didn't even see in the dark. How the hell do you let him get the drop on you? Zippy was reassigned a few days later, but that wasn't the main reason, that came later. Anyway, so the fugitive takes a shot from Smash and doesn't fall, he ambushes Vix and takes her by the neck, threatening to put a burst right through her brain if either of us fire again. Obviously he doesn't know Vix. She lunges forward and kicks back, puts a boot right to his balls. He fires in the wall and then Smash and I unload on him. I put a stun burst right between his eyes and down he goes, shivering and shaking like a fish outta water. You stun someone in the head? There's almost always gonna be brain damage. So we had to carry this drooling, babbling bastard back out of the cave and to the mining camp on our backs. One back for him, another for Zippy.
The rest of us would've gotten a good laugh out of it if not for the fact that we found out that Zippy had been stabbed right in the gut with a shank. He'd lost plenty of blood and was sobbing like a baby, whining about his ma and his pa. Oh the wound wasn't all that bad, they got him patched up real quick right there at the camp. But the mental damage was clearly extensive. Me and Smash are teasing the guy about the fugitive getting the drop on him and his near death experience and Zippy decides to snag one of our guns and lunge up, bleeding all over the floor and all, stumbles into the holding area where this guy is being prepped to be returned to Blackrock and he pops the smirking, cross-eyed bastard right through the brain. We're stunned as hell, Smash and I are disciplined for goading the guy... and Zippy is discharged from the JSS forever and sent to a mental hospital on Javos.
A harsh planet and a descent into the darkness... a fugitive turned dead... and a jumpy Jissy Collector turned psycho... what could be more memorable?
(A Note from the Mun: These entries are purposely out of order, Jai shall be recalling them as memories and often jumping between different periods of his life, each serving as a puzzle piece that builds upon his backstory and history. Consider this to be continued...)
Me and a crew of three other Collectors landed on this planet and Hailos is all... mountain, desert, rock and stone everywhere. It's as barren as I've ever seen a place and yet rich at the same time. The prisoners mine there, pullin' Bach-Ore right outta the dirt. And the blue reflection of Karklun in addition to the sun makes it that you have to wear eye shades most of the time or else you wouldn't be able to see a damn thing around you. We came fully equipped with shades, breathers, and all the tools needed to capture or kill a fugitive. We were thinking this was just going to be like any other assignment, no sweat off our backs and we'd find ourself back at HQ Javos-side in no time.
The local JSS officers monitoring the prisoners working in the mines explained this particular prisoner used his axe to break his own bindings and was probably injured. They said the last they seen his tracks led off into the mountains nearby and they wanted to make sure he didn't come back to try and attack the mine and free some of his comrades. I had no doubt they were in for a hell of a scolding once they returned to Blackrock but that wasn't my business. For once it wasn't me on the line for reprimand; must've been my lucky day. I remember the names of the officers with me, Smash, Vix, and Zippy.
We wasted no time in getting the hunt started, knowing the man was probably far ahead of us as he was already hours removed from his bindings. I remember the feel of the rock dust and sand in my fingers, bending down to pick up his tracks while one of my partners read some of the convict's profile. "Let's see what we got here," He said, "Multiple counts of murder and armed robbery, managed to slip the local authorities on Midway Station and hid in the duct systems for a full week before he was found, slippery fucker, violent, extensive survival skills, known to be able to fashion weapons out of anything at his disposal. This one sounds like a damn winner." A damn headache was more like it, I remember thinking to myself. But I'd never failed to track down a mark and this wasn't going to be my first failure.
So we tracked this bastard through the mountains, picking up signs of his movements here or there, but the guy was good. He didn't move in a straight path. He doubled-back constantly as if trying to confuse those he knew were after him. We knew at any moment he could get the drop on us but we were all seasoned officers, except for Zippy. The man was thin as a rail, young and everyone knew him to be a habitual smoker. He seemed a bit jumpy on this new turf. I made a note to keep an eye on him, but I had to stay focused. Smash was a rough fellow the size of a Wingo and the kind of guy that shot first and thought second. And then there was Vix, sassy little bitch that could rumble with the best of them. Pretty eyes, bad attitude.
"Heads up, fuckers," Her voice rolled out and demanded the attention of all three of us. There it was, this entrance into a cavern I hadn't even noticed. It looked naturally-made, not one of those remnant mines that had been axed dry and left by the JSS like a deep scar on the surface of the planet. That meant the space within could be unpredictable. There was the skid mark of a boot there in the dirt, something he'd obviously tried to hide in a rush. What was his objective? Welcome the darkness and use it to his advantage, along with however many other countless crevices and nooks were tucked down there. "Alright, we're going dark, people, you know the routine, night vision on, thermal sensors ready, guns hot."
We suited up and dropped down into that cave, as pitch black as can be. Never seen anything like it, so many twists and turns in the passageways, gigantic chambers bigger than the mess halls at JSS HQ and stone columns holding up the ceiling like a damn palace. I wanted this bastard alive. I had my stun gun ready and wasn't missing a pebble drop. When you're raised a hunter you're extra sensitive to these things; your ears, your eyes, your nose, all in tune with the world around you. I could smell the stink of his sweat from a mile away through all of this stone. Too bad it wasn't me that found the bastard first.
"I got something!" It was that skittish string-bean Zippy. Before any of us could utter a peep or make a move Zippy starts firing like a maniac when the fugitive came running at him, didn't hit him once. Next thing we know, Zippy's on the ground and the bastard's got his gun. Fucking slimeball didn't even see in the dark. How the hell do you let him get the drop on you? Zippy was reassigned a few days later, but that wasn't the main reason, that came later. Anyway, so the fugitive takes a shot from Smash and doesn't fall, he ambushes Vix and takes her by the neck, threatening to put a burst right through her brain if either of us fire again. Obviously he doesn't know Vix. She lunges forward and kicks back, puts a boot right to his balls. He fires in the wall and then Smash and I unload on him. I put a stun burst right between his eyes and down he goes, shivering and shaking like a fish outta water. You stun someone in the head? There's almost always gonna be brain damage. So we had to carry this drooling, babbling bastard back out of the cave and to the mining camp on our backs. One back for him, another for Zippy.
The rest of us would've gotten a good laugh out of it if not for the fact that we found out that Zippy had been stabbed right in the gut with a shank. He'd lost plenty of blood and was sobbing like a baby, whining about his ma and his pa. Oh the wound wasn't all that bad, they got him patched up real quick right there at the camp. But the mental damage was clearly extensive. Me and Smash are teasing the guy about the fugitive getting the drop on him and his near death experience and Zippy decides to snag one of our guns and lunge up, bleeding all over the floor and all, stumbles into the holding area where this guy is being prepped to be returned to Blackrock and he pops the smirking, cross-eyed bastard right through the brain. We're stunned as hell, Smash and I are disciplined for goading the guy... and Zippy is discharged from the JSS forever and sent to a mental hospital on Javos.
A harsh planet and a descent into the darkness... a fugitive turned dead... and a jumpy Jissy Collector turned psycho... what could be more memorable?
(A Note from the Mun: These entries are purposely out of order, Jai shall be recalling them as memories and often jumping between different periods of his life, each serving as a puzzle piece that builds upon his backstory and history. Consider this to be continued...)