Nihilus - Lord Of Hunger

Some people had hopes of finding survivors. Emergency Aid and Rescue shuttles were dispatched as quickly as possible, but they knew that their search was pointless long before touching down on the surface of Malachor V - or what was left of it. The devastation was visible from space, but the full extent became more and more clear the closer they got, until it turned the guts of even the most hardened EAR trooper.

From afar you could see the storms ravaging across the planet. Lightning struck without end, enveloping the entire planet in an auro of electricity, like a power generator whose security fuse had blown out. The electric fields were strong enough to make the hair on the back of their necks stand, even while they were still in orbit. As they approached the upper layers of the atmosphere, ion flares jostled the ship on the way down. The shields held up without complaining, saving the passengers from the deadly radiation, but Adi Bharash fliched a little every time the cockpit window flashed in the colors of the rainbow as the shield absorbed the storm's energy. His senior, and old Zabrak who went by the name of Prest, laughed and slapped his back.

"Never been to the Deep Core, have you? This isn't a storm, this is child's play."

Adi stayed silent.

"Dunno why they're sending us down there, anyway. We go in, confirm that everyone is dead, and then leave. In and out in five minutes. Waste of time."

"But what if they're not? If we find anybody down there, we have to save them!"

"If we find anybody down there," Prest corrected, "the best we can do for them is to bury their corpse. If the planet hasn't already done that for us."

He pointed out of the cockpit where the dense clouds opened up and gave way to the view of the surface.

Sharp, ragged cliffs shot up into the sky, like knives stabbing at any ships that dared come too close. Clouds gathered at their summits and surrounded them in lightning. Deep ravines dug into the planet's surface, some as narrow as a hand's width and others wide enough to fly a shuttle through. Where on e there had been houses and cities, they had been ripped apart, buried under deep layers of stone, dust and rubble. An avalanche broke loose and a lightning caused it to explode, sending debris flying in all directions.

EAR shuttles, especially the latest models, were built for one purpose, and one purpose only - to be tough. They were neither quick or agile, nor did they have weapons systems. They didn't need weapons, because where they went, others were usually leaving. With a reinforced hull made out of staggered durasteel panels and multiple shields specialized for different environents, they were built to withstand the broadest spectrum of threats known to the Galaxy, short of a broad side from a Republic Attack Cruiser. Nonetheless, the toughest shuttle is useless without a capable pilot, which is why EAR pilots went through multiple stages of training, teaching them how to expect the unexpected. Only after mastering all modules successfully was a pilot ready to be deployed. The result was obvious. When the debris from the avalanche hit the underside of the ship, there was not as much as a jerk from the controls. The pilot knew what this ship was capable of, and so it was only a matter of time until they touched down on the unsteady surface, finding themselves among nothing but rocks, ash, and bones.

"Waste of time," Prest murmured.

"Keep your eyes open."

They found him around midnight, just when they were about to turn around and return to the ship. His life signs were subtle and irregular on the scanner, but they were definitely there. Cowering in the shadow between two rocks, arms wrapped around his legs, they never would have found him if it weren't for the scanners. His hair was desheveled, his eyes wide and crazy, he was cluthing at his knees like was freezing. Nothing out of the ordinary. When they approached him, he scurried deeper into the darkness.

"Don't touch me! Stay away from me!" he whispered.

Near his feet lay the body of a human male, seemingly uninjured, at least on the outside. Adi investigated the body, checking for wounds but found neither signs of life nor a cause of death. The boy in the shadows watched him the entire time, and when Adi raised his head to look at him, he shook his head violently.

"I don't know what happened. I didn't mean to. Please don't touch me."

Two EAR troopers approached him to take him into custody, but he slipped in between their hands and with three large steps brought himself out of reach.

"Don't touch me!" His voice was like a screech now, and his crazy eyes jumped between the dozen troopers surrounding him. His hands were held close to his chest, and his fingers twitched uncontrollably.

"I didn't do it. Just don't..."

A stun blaster hit him in the side, before he could finish his sentence. Prest casually holstered the weapon.

"I've had enough. Get him on the fucking ship. We're done here."