Extrictarium Nebula, Iego

[Jonas Eisley]

The hovel was small, but it would suit their needs for the night’s remainder. Demon attacks during daylight hours were virtually unheard of, but it didn't mean it wouldn't happen. With four shipwrecks, they were bound to push traditions, and general safeties. The angel's home held two humans, and by the looks of them, they were definitely offworld. Judging their physical condition, they were an element of the four crash sites. His eyes locked onto the younger of the two, his tone obviously cautious by their arrival...who wouldn't be, especially if the company was full of Imperials.

"She was kind enough to offer us a night to stay," Jonas interrupted their speech patterns, the mortified looks had disappeared, their stances easing up as the conversation continued.

"Who are you?" the lad asked.

"Jonas Eisley, originally from Nar Shadda, but ended up like everyone else here," his eye catching the woman's before returning to her companion, "You?"

“Lucas Pallanén-Davad,”and as the name rolled off his tongue, Jonas had instantly connected him to the Kuat Drive Yards powerhouse. Their family had been political legends, and now, not only worked, but owned two of the most prestigious companies in the galaxy. Kudos, “of Kuat, and my companion: Tseneca of…” his voice drifted as though to place her…

[Jallorn]

"Copy that," Jallorn answered simply as he climbed into his ship. "C5, I want you to plug back into the ship. We're going to meet our client, and I don't want her to know about you yet."

"Yes master," C5 responds. Moments later, Jallorn is taking off, his ship headed for the aforementioned island.

[Vera Nico]

“There is a vessel approaching,” hissed one of the lizards, its automatic launcher pointing in the direction it had sensed. And sure enough, the hum of atmospheric engines grew louder and louder as Cade approached. “I want both of you to take point, one in the ship, and one outside. Use cameo, he is, after all, a notable bounty hunter. I’d be a fool to trust him full heartily.” Still, she had picked him for the job, because he had a heart. And that was something that was needed to fulfill jobs above the average hit. Not every assassin followed a code, which made him unique in his own right.

[Jallorn]

Jallorn guides his ship in, noting Vera standing next to her ship. "There's no way she came alone," he thinks out loud. As he lands a little distance away, he extends his awareness. "Two others, in or on the ship." Emerging from his ship, Jallorn moves towards Vera.

[Vera Nico]

Warning: This post will contain graphic material, that may not be suitable for all readers.

The sun beamed brightly across Kuat's skies, the bright rays gleaming against the cityscape, gliding onto the prison, before being absorbed by energy panels. In the dark cells of Kuat's underworld, a large man towered over the shaved woman, her hands shaking over her face.

"Why did you kill those men?" his voice was strong, the tone unyielding to any kind of emotion. His large hands flicked a raw portion of her skin, while his feet transversed the short distance of her cell, to the other side of her. "You have quite the rally behind you, and yet, you cowardly sit here, ignorant to the duty of justice and the lives of the people you destroyed."

The cell was damp, a droplet of water echoed against the corner, as cool air slipped through a variety of cracks and unsealed portions of doors and windows. Insects and arachnids crawled on the floor, ignoring the man's fabric shield, and instead, feasted on the woman's bare flesh. "You're disgusting," his voice was bitter, the first sign of emotion finally showing. "You are not worthy of the title of citizenship of the grand Kuat. We are the enterprise of the galaxy, one of the wealthiest, prosperous peoples, and you sit here, in filth and disgrace."

Her breath fogged against the chilled atmosphere, the moments of interrogation passed slowly as the dehumanizing questions and personal attacks continued. She had been stripped of her beauty, her freedom, food and water. Her voice had been strained by biological poisons slipped into the little food given to her, as her own internal organs vibrated in a disgusted counter struggle. Her entire essence as a woman, as a human, had been removed entirely.

Vera Nico finally looked up. Her eyes met with the man, the satisfaction gleaming against the side of his cheeks, as the connection held for several moments. "I am Vera Nico," she stated, softly at first, as the words scratched against her throat, "I am Vera Nico."

"A killer, a murderer..."

"No, I am not those things," Vera restated, the first defiance she had ever shown, "I am not those things, I am not." She repeated, "I killed those men, but I freed the girl. I freed her from something that would have ate away at her. Something that is worse than this. For that, I am suffering. I am suffering, so another shall not." The man was silent, before he struck her across the face. It was a mild blow, but it didn't phase her determination. "I am not those things, I represent something greater. I suffer, so others shall not. I destroy, so others shall not have to."

The man's hand swung again, but in a simple adjustment, she had dodged his hand. Her eyes rang with unseen fire, unseen power. She struck him in the groin, as hard as her feet would allow. As the man bent over, clutching the broken balls of testerone, she reached for his eyes and pulled them out. They snapped against the pressure as he screamed like no man had screamed before. As his mouth lay open, she stuck them inside, and kicked him in the throat. In a strange body flux, he swallowed.

"I am Vera Nico, and I am not those things." she sat in the corner, the insects and arachnids feasting on something else for a change.


In the cold, dark night of Iego, Vera was reminded of her night in the cell. She remembered facing something, someone that was greater than herself. She had overcome that. "Cade Antilles, its a pleasure to meet you." She handed him a briefcase, "That's for the Corellian job, with an added bonus for joining me on Iego. Do you have a communication array, I wish to speak with my fighters at the edge of the system...."

[Jallorn]

"Yes," answered Jallorn, wondering about Vera's thoughts, "Give me a few moments and you'll be able to patch your radio through the array." As he headed back to his ship quietly, Jallorn opened the case to look at the money, and thought about what he knew. When he had taken the job, he knew next to nothing about Vera Nico. Naturally, C5 had something to say,

Master, this Vera Nico, what do you know of her?"

"Nothing, why?"

"I've been connecting to the holonet more recently, and-"

"What, are you trying to make me expand your memory by filling what you've got with pointless information?"

"Not to worry master, my memory is quite adequate for at least a few decades of information at the current average rate."

"I'm joking C5."

"Ah, quite. But master, this Vera Nico is a very dangerous and violent person."

"You should have said something before C5, you know I don't go back on my word."

"I would have master, but it's not all bad. She seems to have some sort of creed. Believes she's hunting down all sorts of evil men. It's just her psychological profile-"

"There's a psychological profile?"

"Of sorts. It's on the police databa-"

"More importantly, you got access to it?"

"I have acquired a great quantity of information on hacking secure systems, some of it was even in the data you originally gave me."

"From the Jedi databases?"

"It was heavily encrypted, took me ages to decode. But my point, master, is that she appears very unstable. Years of bloody violence and obsessive revenge cannot have been good for her sanity."

"Alright, thank you C5, but next time, ask me before you hack a secure database, especially a government one."

.....

Climbing back into the cockpit, Jallorn proceeded to make the necessary adjustments.

[Firi'Taknik]

Firi led the small band of humans to her home, tucking her wings in against her back, not just because it was growing cold as the night grew darker, but more for the fact that she was more frightened then she had ever been. Here she was, a convict of the Sautu, persecuted for no reason of her choosing, and now she was harboring off-world refugees. Though she was in exile, she could be killed for this.

Nothing stopped her from looking over her shoulder, towards the mountains and the cliffs, toward the place where her clan could be watching her. She shivered, listening to the soft hum of the cliff-dwelling human’s swoop and the arid silence of the lands around them.
They approached the hovel, Firi leading and then pushing the door open before coming in. The young human was awake, and so was his female companion, finally conscious after the crash. The woman looked pale, and was quickly disappearing what had been in her hand. A weapon no doubt.

“you're back.” The young man said “and you brought friends?”

Firi nodded. He was concerned, she could feel the vibrations of his tension. “It’s alright”. She said softly, treading over to a corner of the room. She allowed her voice to send him some sort of comfort, battling the nervous vibrations with ones triggering oxytocin flow deep within his brain. It was a trick she’d learned from her clan, an angels trick. No doubt he was familiar with it from when the angels had attacked his ship. She used it sparingly and with good intention despite what her brethren may use it for. She listened as Jonas introduced himself, pulling a footlocker out from an alcove. The footlocker held blankets and sleeping pallets, but it was good for something else entirely. She straightened as the men filtered in, and gestured fluidly at the trunk. “I ask that you store any and all the weapons you carry in here” She saw them looking to protest and spoke more firmly. “If you wish to stay here, I suggest you do as I ask. We will all sleep more soundly if we are all on mutual ground. It’s what’s best.”

As the men settled in, she gathered small canisters for passing water and dry bread around, then she collected the small tins of dried fruit and meat from the small store she kept near her cooking area. After passing this around she walked through the now overly crowded room to the woman sitting on her bed, and gingerly examined her wounds. Tseneca looked at her, trying to pull away, and then winced with pain.
“You did well,” Firi said, looking over the bone setting the woman must have done herself. “I can give you something for the pain.”

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

As the door open and the band of men followed the willowy angel in, Tseneca found her teeth grinding together and her fingers itching for her blaster. Imperials. She looked at them, feeling as though her eyes were burning through what armor they wore. She clutched at her chest, assuring herself that hers and Emmett’s field tags were well hidden. She didn’t need these men gaining any knowledge of her own militaristic past, or especially that of Emmett Fink.

The handsome young man spoke. He looked only slightly older then Lucas, and decidedly less cocky.

“Just Tseneca.” She uttered when Lucas introduced her. “I pilot the Blight Leaper”

She turned as Firi, the angel Lucas had told her about asked, no, ordered her visitors to stash their weapons in an antique looking foot-locker. It was admirable, she thought. Nothing about this woman sent a minute of distrust in her. She seemed kind, if not completely foolhardy, but kindness this far out in the galaxy was hard to come by, no matter how dangerous it could be to the perpetrator.

The angel passed around food, then came over to examine Tseneca’s injuries. On instinct, she tried to pull away, but the spike of pain through her shoulder made her stop. Firi offered her a vial of crushed and liquefied greenery for the pain, and, against all wary notion, Tseneca took it.
She could tell, looking around at the men, Jedi and Angel huddled in close quarters, this was going to be a very long night.

[Nik Starskimmer]

Wrong account.
_________________
"There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force."
Jedi Code

[Neo Sarkk]

Neo and the other Imperials silently ate their rations as the night dragged on.

From time to time, one of them would slip on their helmet and broadcast an encrypted signal to Dome for several minutes before giving up and returning to their meal. Neo packed away the rest of his rations and retrieved Ellis' helmet from where he'd clipped it on his belt. The visor was cracked from where it had hit the ground, and the HUD flickered wildly when he tried to put it on. He shut the display off and noticed something written along the bottom of the faceplate with a triage marker, practically invisible with the HUD engaged. When Neo read it, he had to polarize the visor to keep anyone from seeing the tears in his eyes.

I love you mommy! from Sadie

Neo had almost forgotten that Ellis had a daughter.

We'll find you, Ellis.

Abruptly, Neo stood and tapped the shoulder of the man who'd been waiting in the hovel when they'd arrived. "C'mon, son. Time to organize a watch." he looked up, his eyes weary. "Huh? What?" Neo felt in his belt pouch for an energy bar and tossed a chunk to the kid. "Eat this. It'll wake you up." He walked to the other side of the hovel, where Firi was sitting with the woman who'd introduced herself as Tseneca. The angel looked up as he approached, a slight edge of fear flickering in her eyes before they settled on his face. Tseneca's eyes, on the other hand, were filled with hate. It threw him off for a split second, and he cleared his throat. "Jedi boy and I are first on watch," he said, jerking a thumb towards the hovel's 'door'. "Mind giving me my blaster back?"
_________________
Master Sergeant Neo Sarkk - Storm Commando

[Firi'Taknik]

Firi looked up as the man approached. He had a hard look about him that frightened her, but when she met his eyes, they were soft. He asked her for his blaster back, to go keep watch. she stood and shook her head slightly.

"It's not a good idea to go out of doors now, you should stay in for the rest of the night, we all should." He looked slightly uncomfortible, she tried to soothe him by lilting her voice a little. He could leave if he wanted, but it was very dangerous. "In the morning, it will be safer to assess the situation, right now we should all rest."

She leaned over to where she'd set the bed pallets on the bed, taking it up and handing it to him, along with a woven blanket. She had a feeling he wouldn't listen, even though she implored him, but she hoped he would. She no longer had the energy to prevent another attack.

[Vera Nico]

The night had grown longer only by several short minutes, before Antilles patched her through to the fighters above. Her voice, strong and quick, "Theta Theta Twelve-Seventy, this is Vera Nico. Voice confirmation delta-manaan," an odd chirp answered, "All units proceed to Iego with extreme caution, I'm uploading sensory data from the Khan... eliminate any flying creatures you may encounter on your descent. Nico out."

She approached his vessel, which was relatively unharmed.

"Thank you," she told Cade, the tension dropping slightly. "Do you have any questions?" She was attempting to small talk, but thought it might open future doors, should they connect on some level.

[Lucas Pallanén-Davad]

Damian beckoned him with a favorite teddy bear, coercing him from the confines of the pillow fortress. Anxiously rising from the corner of the room, he trotted across the open area, scanning wildly for Bella. "Come on, just grab Scrubbles, truce, remember?" Lucas nodded, but his senses had tingled; something was wrong.

Suddenly, Bella emerged from the underside of a guest bed, a spray of water and goo, squirted all over him. His hair tangled chaotically, while Damian dropped the bear, and unleashed a massive wave of his concotion.



The childhood ambush vanished, as he was shaken awake. "C'mon, son. Time to organize a watch," Lucas answered him, the words flowing without thought, before an energy bar hit him in the face. What the frak, he thought rubbing his eyes back into reality. "Jedi boy and I are first on watch," Lucas had realized his lightsaber was no longer hidden, a short groan escaped his throat, as he rose from his position.

The angel, in all her glory, must've either sensed what he was feeling, or plainly disagreed. "I think we should let everyone else sleep,
Lucas whispered, "And we'll guard the door, maybe look out a window or two, but going out there, just might be suicide. What if they track by scent..." Lucas reached out with the Force and collected a wooden stick, and tossed it to him. Lucas looked towards a dreamy Tseneca, "We got this..."

[Jallorn]

"Just one. How can I contact you in the future?"

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Whatever Firi had given her was working, and quickly. Tseneca felt her insides warm, felt a lot of the pain start to dissipate. She felt calm, sinking reluctantly into a childlike drowsiness. Her body released its tension and she was barely aware of the tall Imperial speaking, and Lucas looking down at her with a smug “We got this”

Got what… ? her awareness was slipping and she drifted into a deep sleep.

[Aaron Church]

It was an hour before daybreak, on Aaron's watch. The night had been tense, but the demons had not come. As the first bands of light flickered over the horizon, Aaron felt a small rush of relief. They had made it through the night.
Aaron leaned back in the small wicker chair, and rubbed his eyes before emitting a yawn. He reached into a pouch and pulled out a power bar, and bit into it. Now that it was daytime, they could make some progress.
_________________
Lieutenant Aaron Church
Gauntlet Insertion-Extraction Gunship Unit

Well, here's something you can't do...

Lazer X7

[Jonas Eisley]

Jonas had been up, deciding not to rest since he had slept twelve hours the day before. It was an interesting band, a collection of Imperials and freighter crew of two. He had taken a special liking to the boy named Lucas, the name of his family suggested an immense amount of wealth, that Boots had complained about. The lady at the top, presumably his mother, was an intelligent woman, and extremely hands-on. Her ambition and control over Kuat Drive Yards, was legendary in the industry.

His companion was a mystery, Tseneca. She was a beauty in her own right, but something disturbing reflected across her face, and only increased at the mention of Imperial soldiers. He would keep a close eye on her, should his adventure continue with them.

The angel had cooked something, and by the smell of it, it was a Da'aco. Delicious creatures, but difficult game, even for the seasoned hunter. "Tell me, angel, why do you help these creatures? Are they not an underclass? A sport?"

[Firi'Taknik]

Firi watched as Tseneca fell asleep, slowly collapsing onto the bed. She reached down and pulled the woman's feet up, putting her into a resting position as she listened to Jonas ask her a question, one she hadn't thought she'd ever be asked.

"You can call me Firi." she rebuked him softly, feeling slightly disrespected. "And surely you see that they that call themselves angels, I..." she paused, realizing she'd never voiced this before. "I'm nothing like them"

She walked to the kitchen, watching as most of the band of humans fell asleep or chatted amongst themselves. Lucas and the older Imperial leader, the one called Neo, were pacing the doors. The young man had convinced the other that it would be suicide to step foot outdoors. She was greatful for that, and wondered if Neo wanted to patrol not because it was his training, but for any other reason. He had an intense look about him, one that wasn't softened by his demeanor.

Jonas followed her, and she took care in rinsing her hands in the basin. She dried them on the smock she wore over her long dress, and fixed him with a steely gaze. "I'm only half Diathim." She told him, relinquishing some of her privacy in order to make him understand her position. "Those others..." she didn't like speaking ill of her people, but she reminded herself the Sautu were no longer her family, and maybe had never been. "they are scavengers. Barbarians in the guise of sirens. They lack compassion entirely, and I have forsaken them." As they have forsaken me. She thought

All of a sudden, she turned toward the door as a loud noise jarred the intimate quiet of the small den.

[Neo Sarkk]

The Imperials reacted instantly.

Neo dove for the crate where their blasters had been stowed, ripping it open and tossing them to Lance and Keran. Together the three of them flanked the doorway, their weapons ready to blast whoever-or whatever, walked through. The Jedi, on the other hand, pulled out a small metal cylinder and held it in some sort of ready position. He held a finger to his lips and jerked a thumb out the doorway, using his weapon hand to gesture. Three. One left, two right. Neo nodded, his face anonymous behind his helmet. Somehow the Jedi seemed to know it was him anyway. Neo lifted a hand from his blaster and returned the hand signals. Five count, then you and I go.

He opened a shortwave channel to Lance and Keran. "Cover us. We're checking it out."

They clicked their comms in response and lifted their rifles. Neo held up one hand to the Jedi. Five.
_________________
Master Sergeant Neo Sarkk - Storm Commando

[Lucas Pallanén-Davad]

The room was tense, and it didn't take a Jedi to sense that. Lucas squinted his eyes, attempting to see what rested beyond the doorway, but decided that whatever it was, it wasn't good. Lucas flicked the saber, but didn't activate it until Neo reached one on his count. The lightsaber hissed, while he called on the Force to push the door open.

"Crick!" the foreign explicit falling short on the those inside, but the sudden barrage of blaster pistols sent the Imperials into a frenzy. Lucas managed to deflect a large portion of their blaster fire, allowing the Imperials to hit their marks. It was quick, which only showed their lethal precision.

Jonas pushed through the lot, and was the first to explain, "Scavengers, they live on the outside of Cliffhold, not really the kind of people you want to upset...then again, so are you guys." He was referring to the Imperials, "Nice work, but I think we might have bigger problems..." Lucas moved towards him, examining the Empire's work up close. "If they followed us here, it means some probably found your crashsites." Lucas understood why this might be a concern. If they pulled or stole anything, they might be permanently sentenced to the surface. For Jonas, it was a year before someone new crashed without totally damaging their ships... And with their luck so far, it could take a decade before that happens again.

"We need to secure the ships and the parts we need," Lucas relayed to the rest of the group, "How bad is your ship, Sarkk?"

[Neo Sarkk]

"In pieces," Neo replied. "It's not leaving this planet anytime soon, with or without replacement parts. We should concentrate on your ship, set up a perimeter around the crash site while some of us go hunting for more parts." He took stock of their little band: The Jedi, the five Imperials, the local boy, the injured woman, and Firi. Not exactly a strike team.

He jerked his helmeted chin at Firi. "You know where to find us some extra parts?"
_________________
Master Sergeant Neo Sarkk - Storm Commando

[Firi'Taknik]

The scavengers swift attack had left Firi breathless, but watching the soldiers react with such coordinated ferocity affected her even more. Were these the humans whom she had saved from raging Maelibus only hours before?

"Do you know where to find some extra parts?" Neo's helmet addressed her and she felt even more uneasy. She could take them to the scatter, yes, but that was Diathim land, and more so Demon territory in between. She would have been glad to send them on their way, alone, and return to the peace she'd had before the crashes, but they'd need a mediator... someone to stand between them and the fate they'd find at the hands of her people. There was no other way.

"The Scatterlands." She said softly, looking at them, then at her feet. "Its ship graveyard. you'll find what you need there. I'll lead you to it."

[Jonas Eisley]

He knew of the Scatterlands, and had visited there several times before. It was a vast array of parts and pieces, but they were useless, unless you had a ship that was mostly together. And it sounded as though one of their ships had survived the impact. He made a note to apologize to the angel later, but kept her under his radar. They were beautiful, distracting creatures with fatal side-games.

"Nows the part where we split into two," Jonas decided to be the one to say it, "We need to secure your ship," he looked in Tseneca's direction, "And assess what parts we even need, but shouldn't take very long to do that. Here," he walked over to this speeder bike outside, and took four communication devices. He tossed one to Neo, Tseneca, and Lucas. The Imperial commander had discussed this with him the night before, and Jonas knew the turf well enough to act as a guide for the second team.


"Tseneca, I, and perhaps, an Imperial or two, will survey the ship, and communicate what we need. I have a friend in Cliffhold that will send a skiff to assist in our extraction of parts. She's a little weird, but she's been here for a long time...." Iego did that to some people, " The rest will go to the Scatterlands, and look for parts. You'll need greater numbers there, in case you run into any trouble."

Lucas clipped the communicator to his side, before injecting, "Both teams need to keep an eye out for Nico, I doubt we've seen the last of her. She'll be in need of parts, and service, as well." Jonas nodded, and decided to ask what he was referring to later. "Neo? Tseneca?"

[Neo Sarkk]

Neo nodded. Eisley's logic seemed sound enough. he turned to Church and Tranada, who until now had been quietly remaining in the back of the hovel, both out of their areas of expertise. Neo walked over to them and removed his helmet. "Sirs, I think it would be best if you returned to the freighter. Both of you will be of more use there than in the Scatterlands. You can radio the ship's condition to us and let us know what replacement parts we'll need." Without any verbal communication, leadership had been somehow transferred to Neo, and he was going to make the best of it. Neither officers had cracked (He'd seen enough of that during the war to know what it looked like), but somehow they had realized that they didn't have the older soldier's experience at leading men and women.

Both men nodded, and Church replied, "If you can fix it, I can fly it...Sergeant." Neo squeezed the younger man's shoulder and looked at Tranada. "Keep an eye on the others...just in case they feel we've become a liability. That woman, Tseneca, seems to be drifting in that direction."

The conversation over, Neo returned to the entrance to the hovel. The bodies of the scavengers were still smoking from their blaster wounds, but the bodies had quickly been stripped by the commandos and the Jedi. Neo replaced his helmet and turned to the latter. "We're with you, Jedi boy. Let's get to that junk pile and find what we need."
_________________
Master Sergeant Neo Sarkk - Storm Commando

[Tseneca Lowry-Fink]

Tseneca had been dreaming about Emmett. It was one of the things that rarely happened, when the nightmares just turned into relaxing dreams of fond memories; usually it only happened when she was drugged.

It was a memory of them as they were after he's smuggled her aboard Issard's flagship. Her family had been killed and she was hiding in his quarters. She's lain for days on his narrow bed, overwhelmed with grief, and after his shifts, sometimes during, he would come in and lie with her, holding her, his knees tucked up under hers, stroking her hair. This was one such memory; she could feel his breath on the back of her neck, his arms around her middle, warm and loving.

"its alright." he said. "You're going to be fine, you'll see."

She had cried so much, there was nothing left. But the hollow feeling, the empty terrible sadness was still there. It eased a little when he was there, he told her stories of how they would leave the fleet, start a family. How he'd never leave her.

The raucous noise of blaster fire jarred her from her sleep. She sat up swiftly, making a mental note of the fact that her arm didn't hurt so badly as it had. She found her self looking at lucas's back as he stood, lightsaber at the ready.

"Scavangers!" she heard someone shout. she remembered where she was, the danger she might be in. she cursed herself for letting herself go like that.
her hand slid down to grab the chirp, but the firefight was over before it began. In the quiet afterward, the imperial, Neo, was making plans on how they would get off the planet.

they would split into two teams, Jonas, Herself and a few of the other soldiers would go toward the Blight Leaper. Tseneca had to make sure SAMM was still intact. They wouldn't be able to get the right parts without him. Firi, Neo and Lucas would head to the scatter to salvage replacement parts. Tseneca shot a look at Lucas, displaying her concern at separating from him. But he met her gaze with a reassuring one. She had a weird feeling from Neo and the other Imperials as she watched them talk in hushed tones. She was certain Neo thought her dangerous, and was telling them to keep an eye on her. Inwardly she scoffed. Hypocrites. never in a million years would she trust imperials again.

Dawn was sending shoots of light through the small windows of the hovel. They gathered whatever they'd brought with them, armed themselves, said whatever goodbyes they needed to say and headed out across the plains in early light.