Post by Resonance on Sept 7, 2023 20:12:59 GMT
((Reposting of an old echo for context))
Tom collapsed into the chair, his wings sprawled haphazardly to either side, hanging limply. It wasn’t a comfortable chair, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t stand any longer. He propped his cybernetic arm up on the armrest and rested his forehead into his hand. Ling closed the door to their quarters and dropped her staff beside Tom’s sword before shuffling over to the bed and falling more than flopping down on it, face first.
The mission went badly from the start. After the primary gate had been closed with the help of the dimension hopping Raiders, several small ripples in the dimensional boundary began appearing over the next few months. They never stuck around for long, but they always required a team to go and keep things under control until they dispersed. Kidarians caught near these ripples would often meet the same fate as those who were close to the Gate, mutating or going mad. Tom should have known this mission was in trouble when Harding said something felt off. The rat had amazed Tom and Ling with his intuition, but none of them could place a finger on what felt wrong, so they decided to continue.
The fight was brutal and felt never ending. They lost three soldiers. He lost three soldiers. And a fourth was in the med bay, barely stable, missing a leg. A squad of 12, and a quarter were dead. This ripple hadn’t been like the others. These monsters weren’t like the others… Terrifying images played through Tom’s mind of twisted creatures literally breaking through the ground to drag them below. He and Ling had done everything in their power to keep everyone alive and extract their team and it wasn’t enough.
There was a knock at the door and a muffled voice, “Sir? Ma’am?”
Tom grunted. Ling rolled over and slid off the bed mumbling, “just a sec.” She opened the door to see Harding standing there. Tom looked up, dropping his hand, then pushed himself up out of the chair with great difficulty. He joined Ling before the rat continued.
Harding started to apologize for bothering them, but Ling made a motion with her hand to stop him. They were all old hands at this now, Harding didn’t need to worry about pleasantries when they were all struggling to keep their heads up. He looked to be in only slightly better shape than they were. “I wanted to tell you personally… we just lost Rowe.”
Tom’s head dropped and his fist clenched as if he was going to hit something, but then all the strength and fire drained out of him and he slumped, defeated. Ling reached a hand over to Tom’s arm as he looked up to Harding, “I’m sorry…”
“Sir, you did everything you could. No one can do what you did… you gave him a chance.” Tom and Ling had been using their powers on every mission. Their skills and magic had become invaluable, but it had taken its toll. Magic didn’t work here like it did on Tolaria, and it took a long time to regain magical energy. There wasn’t enough downtime between the ripples, so each mission left them worse and worse off. It took the last of his strength for Tom to stop the bleeding with his white fire when Rowe’s leg was taken. Harding continued, “the medics said he should have pulled through… but I think the shock of what we fought… I think it broke him, and he just didn’t want to come back.”
The three of them stood in companionable silence for several moments, absorbing the impact and sharing the grief. Eventually, Harding spoke again, “I heard other news on my way here, sir.”
Ling asked, “can it wait?”
“I’m afraid you’ll want to know sooner rather than later,” Harding frowned. “Apparently, we heard back from the Council. Myoga told me they’d rejected your request, but they’d still give you the courtesy of hearing you out.” Harding shook his head. The Kidajin government was essentially denying the existence of TRIumph and the gate they’d opened, trying to whitewash the entire situation. It was ludicrous. Harding asked, “is there anything you’d like me to do, sir…?”
Tom shook his head, “no… go get some rest, Harding. Thank you for telling us. We’ll handle it.”
Harding nodded, saluted, and paused for a moment as if he wanted to add an apology for the news or condolences. Instead, he just nodded again slowly, and turned to head back to his quarters. Harding had a great respect for the Major and his wife. They’d done nothing but prove themselves, repeatedly. And every soldier who fought with them felt the same. Even after today, every one of the surviving soldiers would gladly fight beside Tom and Ling again. Because even though they lost four people to the monsters, 8 still lived. If it hadn’t been for those two, there’d have been a damn lot more of them dead. Tom and Ling had their troops’ unending loyalty… but Harding knew, at times like these, they didn’t feel they deserved it.
Ling closed the door and sighed, rubbing her temples, trying to process everything that happened. There was no end to this. “What do we do now…?”
Tom turned and leaned forward, putting his forearm above his head, both pressed into the wall. A squad of 12… and a third were dead. The anger, frustration, grief, and shame welled up within him to the point his head started spinning and tears dripped onto the carpet below. “Tomorrow…” he uttered softly, “…I can’t take any more.”
Ling’s arms gently wrapped around his waist, anchoring him. She felt his shoulders tense as he tried to recall his wings, but nothing happened. His magic was used up. She leaned softly into his back and held him. They stood silently together for several minutes until the wave of emotional turmoil began to ease. Ling stepped away, taking Tom’s hand, and pulled him gently from the wall and towards the bed. “Come on… we need rest. We’ll figure it out. Tomorrow.”
Tom collapsed into the chair, his wings sprawled haphazardly to either side, hanging limply. It wasn’t a comfortable chair, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t stand any longer. He propped his cybernetic arm up on the armrest and rested his forehead into his hand. Ling closed the door to their quarters and dropped her staff beside Tom’s sword before shuffling over to the bed and falling more than flopping down on it, face first.
The mission went badly from the start. After the primary gate had been closed with the help of the dimension hopping Raiders, several small ripples in the dimensional boundary began appearing over the next few months. They never stuck around for long, but they always required a team to go and keep things under control until they dispersed. Kidarians caught near these ripples would often meet the same fate as those who were close to the Gate, mutating or going mad. Tom should have known this mission was in trouble when Harding said something felt off. The rat had amazed Tom and Ling with his intuition, but none of them could place a finger on what felt wrong, so they decided to continue.
The fight was brutal and felt never ending. They lost three soldiers. He lost three soldiers. And a fourth was in the med bay, barely stable, missing a leg. A squad of 12, and a quarter were dead. This ripple hadn’t been like the others. These monsters weren’t like the others… Terrifying images played through Tom’s mind of twisted creatures literally breaking through the ground to drag them below. He and Ling had done everything in their power to keep everyone alive and extract their team and it wasn’t enough.
There was a knock at the door and a muffled voice, “Sir? Ma’am?”
Tom grunted. Ling rolled over and slid off the bed mumbling, “just a sec.” She opened the door to see Harding standing there. Tom looked up, dropping his hand, then pushed himself up out of the chair with great difficulty. He joined Ling before the rat continued.
Harding started to apologize for bothering them, but Ling made a motion with her hand to stop him. They were all old hands at this now, Harding didn’t need to worry about pleasantries when they were all struggling to keep their heads up. He looked to be in only slightly better shape than they were. “I wanted to tell you personally… we just lost Rowe.”
Tom’s head dropped and his fist clenched as if he was going to hit something, but then all the strength and fire drained out of him and he slumped, defeated. Ling reached a hand over to Tom’s arm as he looked up to Harding, “I’m sorry…”
“Sir, you did everything you could. No one can do what you did… you gave him a chance.” Tom and Ling had been using their powers on every mission. Their skills and magic had become invaluable, but it had taken its toll. Magic didn’t work here like it did on Tolaria, and it took a long time to regain magical energy. There wasn’t enough downtime between the ripples, so each mission left them worse and worse off. It took the last of his strength for Tom to stop the bleeding with his white fire when Rowe’s leg was taken. Harding continued, “the medics said he should have pulled through… but I think the shock of what we fought… I think it broke him, and he just didn’t want to come back.”
The three of them stood in companionable silence for several moments, absorbing the impact and sharing the grief. Eventually, Harding spoke again, “I heard other news on my way here, sir.”
Ling asked, “can it wait?”
“I’m afraid you’ll want to know sooner rather than later,” Harding frowned. “Apparently, we heard back from the Council. Myoga told me they’d rejected your request, but they’d still give you the courtesy of hearing you out.” Harding shook his head. The Kidajin government was essentially denying the existence of TRIumph and the gate they’d opened, trying to whitewash the entire situation. It was ludicrous. Harding asked, “is there anything you’d like me to do, sir…?”
Tom shook his head, “no… go get some rest, Harding. Thank you for telling us. We’ll handle it.”
Harding nodded, saluted, and paused for a moment as if he wanted to add an apology for the news or condolences. Instead, he just nodded again slowly, and turned to head back to his quarters. Harding had a great respect for the Major and his wife. They’d done nothing but prove themselves, repeatedly. And every soldier who fought with them felt the same. Even after today, every one of the surviving soldiers would gladly fight beside Tom and Ling again. Because even though they lost four people to the monsters, 8 still lived. If it hadn’t been for those two, there’d have been a damn lot more of them dead. Tom and Ling had their troops’ unending loyalty… but Harding knew, at times like these, they didn’t feel they deserved it.
Ling closed the door and sighed, rubbing her temples, trying to process everything that happened. There was no end to this. “What do we do now…?”
Tom turned and leaned forward, putting his forearm above his head, both pressed into the wall. A squad of 12… and a third were dead. The anger, frustration, grief, and shame welled up within him to the point his head started spinning and tears dripped onto the carpet below. “Tomorrow…” he uttered softly, “…I can’t take any more.”
Ling’s arms gently wrapped around his waist, anchoring him. She felt his shoulders tense as he tried to recall his wings, but nothing happened. His magic was used up. She leaned softly into his back and held him. They stood silently together for several minutes until the wave of emotional turmoil began to ease. Ling stepped away, taking Tom’s hand, and pulled him gently from the wall and towards the bed. “Come on… we need rest. We’ll figure it out. Tomorrow.”
