First Order: Blackwing Virus [Dominion of Mephout and Seoul]

[Halcyon Greenslade]

Escape Pod jettisoned from the FIV Abdicator (Distress beacon activated on First Order emergency frequencies, [member="Asharad Graush"], [member="[/I]Basileus Isauros "], [member="Calenna Madrazo"], [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"])
In orbit of Mephout
Post 1

Lieutenant Greenslade took stock of his options, while at the same time questioning his life choices that lead him to this point. Tired, and confused. Frightened, and alone. He had just barely survived - the only one of his squad, he was certain. The fate of the doomed Imperial-X Star Destroyer was sealed as soon as they had decided to respond to that distress beacon. Perhaps when they had entered the Red Nebula itself - maybe the whole place was cursed somehow. Stranger things had happened.

Stranger things now included fighting off an unrelenting, undead adversary. A grotesque caricature of a living thing, those creatures had been. Halcyon couldn't account for that. His experience had run contrary to his rational understanding of the natural world. If only I had managed to escape with one of the Ren, Hal grumbled in his mind. They would know what this was. Something mystical, no doubt. Mystical shenanigans turned deadly. The galaxy had too much of that already.

"Blast it all!" He grumbled aloud this time, to thin air. His escape pod was on an autopilot sequence, detecting the nearest locale for recovery and setting a hyperspace route to that location on its own. Halcyon watched the display, taking in the name of the world indicated by the rudimentary sensor package. Mephout. Somewhere he didn't want to go, but someplace better than he was coming from - by far.

His sensors showed other contacts, non-planetary contacts, but he couldn't differentiate who or what they were. Hopefully they were help. Otherwise, to the planet he would go.

"Keep cool." He tried to reassure himself in the quiet, looking down at the helmet in his hands.

 

[Marzena Vaas]

Location: Seoul
Stage: 1
Post: 3

Marzena offered [member="Ludolf Vaas"] a smile and a nod as he left her dressing room. It would be nice to enjoy a date night with her fiancé; she just had to get through the show first. But this would be easy; she didn’t even have to perform tonight. She only needed to sit back and judge people. She turned to view her reflection in the mirror, giving her makeup and wardrobe a final check. Pregnancy had done wonders for her appearance, her hair was fuller and thicker, and her skin was glowing. It was worth all of the mood swings and strange cravings.

There was a knock on the door; a production assistant had come to collect her.

She placed a hand gently on her stomach, drew in a deep breath, and left the dressing room. Marzena followed the young man backstage, everything was ready to go. She watched as Hae-Sung moved into the spotlight, the theme to Seoularian Idol playing in the background. Dark eyes could see [member="Hannabeth Yun"] standing in front of her, and it wasn’t long before her rival took her spot at the judges table. Based on the roar of the crowd, Anna was well-liked. Her thoughts were not allowed to linger long, for she was given the go-ahead by the stage director.

The pop star stepped out into the bright lights, a brilliant smile on her face as she emerged from behind the curtain. She waved to the audience as she made her way to her seat, very pleased by the welcoming applause. Marzena glanced over her shoulder and winked at Ludolf as she sat down. Despite their strained friendship, tonight she found a smile on Anna’s face – even if it was all for the sake of appearances. She placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder, and smiled pleasantly. Marzena had missed her friend; it was nice to see her again after so long.

“It's good to see you, Anna.” She whispered, just as the host introduced their fellow judges.

“It is our finale show, and our contestants are ready to battle it out for the win.” Hae-Sung said in a lively tone, he went on to explain that the winner would be named Seoularion Idol and given a record deal with Eyagi Productions. Indeed, it would be a great start for an aspiring artist. A young girl had beaten out most of the talent, a surprisingly strong singer. Lily Kang took to the stage first...

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ry2DxaAUc

Marzena was impressed, her hands clasped together under her chin. She seemed to be a fan favorite, and had been met with a thunderous round of applause and cheers. Her act had an undeniable energy, the girl seemed quite at home on stage. The second competitor took to the stage; the audience grew quite as Bernard Park began to sing...

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdBPlOPIofg

The second act did not dissapoint, Bernard was also very talented. While Lily had a flare for drama, Bernard was heartfelt and sincere. It would be a tough call, Marzena glanced from side to side at the other judges. Their expressions were thoughtful and serious.The lights came on once more, and the host drew both contestants to the center of the stage.

“Please give our judges a moment to come to a decision.” He said, letting the suspense build.

The two singers stood silent, anxiously awaiting their fate...

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Location: Escape pod from the doomed Star destroyer Abdicator
Post 1

Thomas and a few survivors were sitting in the blackness of space. He couldn't tell how long it had been since the ruthless undead overrun the living,and any of those who weren't lucky enough to get to an escape pod were either eaten or made into one of them. The Cybernetic pilot was relatively calm for the most part,but he could not say the same for the rest that were inside. He knew that the longer they stayed in the pod the more of a chance that one of the stormtroopers would crack. Thomas wouldn't however all he was concerned about was for someone to hopefully receive their distress signal.

One of the stormtroopers said aloud to no one in particular. "It is hopeless,no one is coming we will all die here with days if not hours." Kyrel snapped out of his thoughts,and glared at the trooper with his red photoreceptors,he spoke back with an irritated but confident tone. "Calm yourself trooper,with the distress beacon activated help will come in some form at least." Thomas in all honesty he did not know if help would come or not,but he had a strange feeling even after all the hell they had went through there would be some good luck for them. He sat back down in his spots and if in some form of calmness he closed his eyes to relax enjoying the painful solitude of his suit hoping that anyone would come before it would be too late.

 

[Sage Annel]

Post 2
Seoul, Seoularian Idol Event
In vicinity: [member=Rolf Amsel] (Dash Fisko)

A singing contest? Seriously?

It had been no easy task for Sage to be sitting in that seat wearing anything other than a First Order uniform. After all, she had had to "persuade" Dash Fisko to invite her as his date without ever betraying her professional motives. The whole point of her being there was to fly under the radar of the Seoularian officials who no doubt were monitoring the First Order ambassadors. If she hadn't procured a civilian invitation, the whole thing would be shot, and The Director could not do that job for the young woman. The week that Sage had spent in Avalonian Nights clubs across First Order space was the least festive marathon party she had ever attended, and the sheer number of bouncers, musicians, and bartenders that she had to befriend in that short time made the trip far from a vacation. The work had been worth it, as Sage managed to be introduced to Dash without even asking. When she had first met him, it was clear to Sage that he was new to the kind of society that monetary success brought. He was rough around the edges, but it seemed fitting of a nightclub owner. The pair (not for lack of Sage's effort) quickly hit it off. It took all of the half-Zeltron's strength to suppress the groan of relief she felt when Dash had finally offered to bring her to Seoul. The man kept quite attractive female company in his clubs, Sage had doubted her own endeavors a bit toward the end.

With the hustle involved in making the mission possible, Sage was almost disappointed at the anticlimactic nature of the event itself. There was a significant amount of cheering as the judges took their seats, but any drama that may have been taking place between the pair of judges was lost on Sage, being entirely unfamiliar with this world. As everyone settled into their seats, Sage simply sat back into her seat. The quiet meant the show would start soon. If Dash's explanation had left anything out, it would soon be supplemented with experience. The man gave Sage a small compliment as the lights began to dim. She inclined her head to the man and accepted his hand with a practiced smile. "Why thank you, Mr. Fisko. I wanted to be presentable with such distinguished company." She winked, hoping he felt as out of place as she did in the auditorium. "You don't clean up so bad yourself."

And before she could flirt any more, the performance was starting. The first contestant was a young woman who looked to be in her late teens at most.. Sage leaned over to Dash and whispered into his ear with a hint of snark, "I thought you said they were going to be adults." She stifled a laugh, trying to remain courteous to the people who were paying better attention than she. Lily Kang--so the program had identified her--sang through her little ballad with a sort of restrained energy. The audience went crazy for the young woman when the slow opening section ended; clearly the belting was about to start. Sage was a little disappointed, expecting more power to follow in the second half. She was more interested in watching the silhouetted men dancing behind screen than she was in Lily's performance. Still, she clapped enthusiastically as it came to a close--mostly because she had picked up the audience's energy.

The second performance came from Bernard Park. He looked a little older than Lily, but his voice was softer around the edges. Clearly he was the less flashy of the two, delivering a simple, heartfelt song to the rapt audience. Sage was impressed, but not astounded, although she had been serenaded one too many times by young, honest men in her time not to be slightly put off by it. While she didn't find anything exceptional, the irony is that the lovely Sage Annel had a pretty terrible singing voice herself. Maybe it was better that the judgement was being laid out by someone other than the opinionated near-human.

She leaned over to her date again as the audience quietly murmured, awaiting the verdict.

"Who do you think?" she whispered. "My money's on Light Artillery."

 

[Rexus Wenck]

Post II
Location: Approaching the city.

Rexus rolled his eyes at [member="Asharad Graush"] 's warning. Conceited prick. As if Rexus hadn't been tested for this damn virus. What was he? Some kind of reckless idiot? Is that what he looked like. Privately glowering, the Lieutenant nodded, "Sir, I have assurances, all men have checked out." But then he realised that he wasn't even listening. "Wanker." He muttered, "Alright lads, lets move up, and cover the rear."

"Yes sir," A stormtrooper sergeant replied, "Gents, we're gonna fan out, but keep in formation, and take cover when you can. We can't afford to have this be another karkfest, understood?"

There was a collective nod, and rumble of a "yes" from the troopers.

"We take our shots together, flametroopers up in front, with the blaster guys aiming for the limbs and head. No mistakes, understood?" The sergeant continued. Rexus nodded, it was sensible enough he figured.

Remnant Three crept to nearby buildings, but found nothing but recently vacated house. A pot of vegetables on the table still had water droplets condensing on the inside of the glass lid. "Anyone found anything important?" Rexus asked, "We've just entered a house, occupants are MIA, but dinners still fresh on the table."

 

[Perth Levov]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCDdQwVRwxM

Something was wrong.

Usually she visited planets that were busy but places that were quiet. If that wasn’t the case then whatever she was seeking was more than likely gone. To be honest, even an out of the way spot did not automatically mean she’d find anything. She’d come up empty handed almost every time. But she was methodical and relentless. Plus her own kind were now on the look out for her, so keeping moving was never a bad thing.

But the behaviour her scanners fed to her was entirely anomalous. There was a lot of activity. She recognised the First Order for sure. She’d come across them on a previous scavenger hunt. She’d yet to actually cross paths, but she recognised their ships. Their insignia.

But the focus of activity was on a surface that was quiet. Too quiet. Graveyard quiet. Or should that be cemetery? She laughed softly. What did it matter?

But she was wary. Something was wrong and she was heading straight for it. So she proceeded cautiously. She would allow the military to flex their muscles and bide her time. Once they gave their own people the all clear she could progress with her own plans.

 

[Ria Misrani]

[member="Marzena Choi"] | [member="Perth Levov"] | [member="Sage Annel"] | [member="Rolf Amsel"] | [member="Ludolf Vaas"]​

Seoularian Idol
Post Three, Stage One

Anna listened to both Lily and Bernard sing their hearts out, having been invited as a guest judge she wanted to hear everything they had performed up to this point. She demanded to hear their songs, see the video's in order to better decide who would win. Lily reminded her of everything that DIVA Machine was and had been, dramatic, cute and ambitious. Bernard was a sign of the changing times, still, Anna could not let her bias interfere with her judgment. She looked to Marzena and then to the other two judges, getting a contract right out of the gate was no joke and for DIVA Machine - they literally went knocking on music producers doors to get their contract. Things weren't just handed to them, then again, both Bernard and Lily had come a long way. "It's too close to call, I'd like to see them perform something out of their element," she says and looked to the other two judges who seemed flabbergasted. "You want me to give my vote, then I want to see how they perform under pressure."

Meanwhile...

Seon Joon took his briefcase into his lap, running his fingers along the silver edges. He looks up to his older brother, "but you know something, Dal-hyung I remember when we were just boys. Boys learning how to make sense of the world, and I remember you were always the better one of us, Dal Joon the scholar, the athlete and the well-liked." Seon sucked in a breath as he flipped the locks on the briefcase, his eyes looking into his brothers as he simultaneously lifted the case open.

"Seon," Dal got out from his seat and put his hand on his hip where his pistol was with the other outstretched to his brother, "Seon stop, we will shot."

Uniformed officers step back and draw their guns. Seon looks at them as he places the communication device down beside the syringe that lays protected in the briefcase. "You won't shot me, Dal. You will not shoot your own brother, you are too weak to do what needs to be done."

"But," Seon continues, "if your brother is no longer your brother, but a monster - perhaps this will be easier for you, or me." He smirks, Dal doesn't recognize this expression and at this moment he begins to back away withdrawing his pistol from his holster.

"You're right Seon, I could never shoot you, but they can."

Seon quietly presses down on the communication device and pulls the syringe from its protective holding. Holding the communication device in the other and the syringe, he gets up from the table, the briefcase topples to the floor. "And now Dal-hyung it is time for us to part ways, goodbye brother."

In that very instant, Seon jabs himself with the syringe, dropping the communication device. Dal takes a few more steps back as he watches his brother transform, his skin rotting, abscesses forming and popping, teeth rotting and falling out and his eyes. HIs eyes rolled to the back of his head as his body collapsed and his heart stopped. Dal looks from where he stands, and takes two steps toward his brother's body. Startled when Seon's eyes open and the pupils are gone, but the body moves and acts as if it were alive Dal is panicking and the men begin to shoot and in the next instant he tries to stop them from shooting his brother - when his brother bites into his arm injecting him with the virus....

All throughout Seoul, the infected were unleashed - as various criminal elements began to work on unleashing the Sickness in full, their signal had been the words, 'goodbye brother.'

Back at Seoularian Idol's live event...

The doors to the auditorium were locked, but the sounds of pounding could be heard, and when a security guard opened it to see what was going on, he welcomed the Sickened into the auditorium, and the horde now rushed through the aisles...

Spoiler

OOC: All Seoularian Idol Attendees; Seoul is now in Stage 2, Seoularian Police will try to contain and quarantine the infected, however it should be noted that the Auditorium is part of the Quarantine Zone, along with everything within a ten mile radius of the Auditorium. Your job is to escape the quarantine zone and find shelter away from the horde!

 

[Lucien Galtier]

Seoularian Idol
Post 2, Stage 2

http://foreveryoungadult.com/_uploads/images-new/49414/davidbowie__span.jpg
Lucien^^^

Lucien Galtier was just a good ol' grunt. A simple Sargent who has known nothing but war all his life. Recently he had won a ticket to the Seoularian Idol set. All he did was call a radio station. He didn't really think he'd win. Now he had an all expenses paid vacation to some unknown world. He tried to give the ticket to a squad mate, but apparently Lucien needed the "break". Besides, Selourian Idol was all the rage among some of the First Order's top officials. So now, here he sat. In a small stand with a few other lucky people who got to watch from the set. There was a man with a sign which told the audience when to laugh, cheer, etc. The Judges sat right next to the stage discussing their opinions of the artist. Spot lights shined down onto the performer as they sang on the dais and when they finished the lights switched to the judges. Who would enter a rather heated discussions on whether or not the Maestro would go on. Camera bots panned the whole length of the room catching every bit.

Lucien had spent a hole months salary to rent a nice enough suit for the occasion. Not like he really used his money anyways. He, unlike most soldiers, stayed in the barracks with the recruits. He reported to the mess for free chow and only occasionally indulged himself in a book or two. The radio station paid for the hotel, room service, ticket and a short tour. It all bored Lucien to no end. He missed the thrill of combat. The stench of death. The fear in his enemies eye. He crossed his arms and drummed his fingers. He was itching for a smoke, but they were in the middle of an audition and it would be rude to leave now. He sighed and waited.

Then their was a banging at a nearby door. Lucien cranked his neck to observe a security guard walk towards the disturbance. The man opened the door and was quickly swamped by a mass of rotting corpses. They poured over the man with a hunger that only flesh could satisfy. Their undead eyes giving hint to none of the consciousness that had been there before. Lucien hopped down from his seat on the podium. I need a weapon... Nearest thing to my left. A guitar sat propped against the wall. Perfect. Lucien grabbed the guitar and charged the nearest zombie "Now this, is a vacation!"

 

[H3xle]

Post 2
Seoul: Stage 2
Location: Lionheart

Calenna sat in the command chair, typing out her midshift report for her superiors. Everything, even the navy, ran on paperwork it seemed. This time she didn't mind. Playing the show of force didn't leave much for a ship's captain to do. She maintained her ship in geosynchronous orbit over the capital of Seoul, and ran her crew through some drills to keep the less disciplined ones too busy to cause trouble, but it was one of the least interesting duties for a naval officer.

"Captain, we are receiving strange reports from the surface." Her communications officer reported. She was tasked with keeping tabs on the police and military bands.

"What've you got?" Calenna asked without looking up from her report yet.

"Police bands are reporting that...you're not going to believe this, but they are saying that people are turning into zombies." The comm officer's voice spoke volumes of incredulity.

"Zombies..." Calenna now did look up from her report and over to her comm officer, who merely nodded.

"All over the city..." she paused to listen to something else, "They are setting a ten mile cordon. Quarantine protocols...shit. Our people are almost center of the quarantine zone."

"Try to raise the security detail, and make sure the other ships are aware of what's happened. Bring up a view of the quarantine zone on the main screen." She ordered and sat up straighter in her seat. She tried desperately to not think of the old adages of "Be careful what you wish for" and "May you live in interesting times". She turned to the other side of the bridge, where her flight control officer was monitoring flights around the capital city. "Robbinson, get the fighters on ready standby. We may need to cover our people getting out of there. Then try to get the planetside air controller to clear a no fly zone over the city for us."

 

[Marzena Vaas]

Location: Seoul
Stage: 2
Post: 4

The host stood with mouth agape, thunder-struck by [member="Hannabeth Yun"]’s request. He wasn’t the only one. Marzena and the other two judges had turned to look at Anna, all of them too shocked to say a word. Hae-Sung raised a hand to his earpiece, and his gaze locked on the control booth. No doubt, he was receiving input from the producers. He nodded a couple of times, threw on a dazzling smile and offered an apologetic laugh to help ease the heavy silence that had fallen over the auditorium.

“Well, this is a turn of events, isn’t it?” He said, looking to the two contestants. “Ladies and Gentlemen, you will be the first to witness a Seoularian Idol sudden death match!”

Of course, no one could have foreseen the terribly unfortunate choice of words.

“Yes, very exciting.” Hae-Sung continued as the applause died down, “Lily and Bernard will each be given a song to perform – completely unrehearsed!”

Marzena glanced up towards the control booth, silhouettes were scrambling. For a moment, it almost looked like they were struggling. However, they were likely busy making snap decisions for the final performances. The stage lights dimmed and shifted to a tranquil shade of blue, covering the crowd and judges table in a dark shadow. Slowly, the lights around the stage began to pop back to life. The spotlight fell upon the host once more, his head bowed slightly. He was waiting for the cue from the producers, along with the titles of the songs chosen for Lily and Bernard.

There was only silence.

Suddenly, there was sound at the back of the auditorium. Marzena sat up slightly and craned her neck to get a better view. She watched as the security guard made his way to the door, and her eyes grew wide at the sight that unfolded next. A wave of bodies came in through the doors, consuming the man immediately. The breath caught in her throat. Instantly, there was the stench of death in the air. Sickly beings were walking among them, their skin pale and rotting away. Marzena shook her head, shakily standing from her chair. This could not be real.

There were terrified screams, people were up out of the seats and the crowd was growing into a wild mass of panic. Marzena edged closer to Anna, watching as the other two judges began to flee the stage. Gripping the back of her chair, she looked frantically to [member="Ludolf Vaas"]. They had to get out of here, but how?

 

[Progflaw99]

--- --- ---​

Character: Dash Fisko​

Post 2​

Location: Seoul​

In Vicinity: [member="Sage Annel"]​

--- --- ---​

​

A wide smile crossed Dash's face as the woman took his hand. He reflected for a moment, appreciating even something as simple as a shared experience such as this. Relaxing a little bit in his seat he looked back towards the front, accepting the compliment and smirking.

"Ah, I just threw this on, besides no one would give me the time of day had I come by myself."

He Dash raised an eyebrow as the first contestant made their way to the stage. Sage was right, he had been under the impression that the contestants would at least be adults. He leaned over and replied with a shrug.

"I guess I was wrong." he chuckled.

Used to the 18+ crowd of the night clubs he ran, it was a tad peculiar to see such a young contestant perform, though he had to admit he was definitely not in his comfort zone. Truthfully he was glad he wasn't the only one who was kind of amused either. Taking a breath he tilted his head as he began listening to the girl's performance. As the gal began to transition into the second half of her performance Dash somewhat disinterestedly paged through the program. It wasn't so much that her singing was bad as he simply was so far out of his element. Tucking the program back into his jacket pocket he raised his hands to clap at the end of the performance, though not terribly enthusiastically. The girl could sing, he'd give her that, but the genre of choice was likely what had put him off.

Calmly watching as a new contestant approached the stage, Bernard. As the first few notes of the song began he could already tell that it was well outside the realm of his musical tastes. Despite that he managed to keep a semi-pleasant expression throughout the song, his mind wandering back to his business and what not to book in terms of musical entertainment. As the second song came to a close he almost felt bad, and again he found it the case that the genre was just too far outside his interests, though perhaps moreso with this performance than the last. He clapped politely at the end of his performance as well, then raising a hand to stroke his chin. Leaning in towards Sage he spoke softly.

"I think I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one, ol' boy there is a little too slow for my taste."

As they waited for the results, a strange sound caught his attention from behind. Normally he would have tried to resist the urge to look behind him but the noise had turned from a quiet disturbance to gasps and now screams. Hastily turning in his seat his eyes narrowed as he saw a gruesome scene unfolding at the rear of the auditorium. It was as if a mad rush of people were swarming into the auditorium, unhindered. Dash's eyes widened, they weren't just people, these were monsters! He could see their flesh, or what was left of it, pale in most places but blood... there was so much blood. He'd read one too many comic books and seen one too many holo-vids to take his chances. Quickly, before they were trapped in a mass exodus of people attempting to escape the now crowd of creatures he reached out to grasp Sage's hand, simultaneously reaching into one of the hidden pockets of his coat to retrieve something. Trying to keep his voice low, he looked straight into her eyes.

"We need to get out of here sugar, quick-like."

Attempting to quickly exit the row, he shouldered his way towards the front of the auditorium, away from the doors where those creatures were now pouring in from. He hoped Sage was able to maintain a strong hold on his hand, many of the auditoriums occupants had begun standing and trying frantically to find a means of escape. While he wasn't familiar with Seoularian Idol, he had been well versed in the art of acting. Truthfully he'd actually been quite interested in continuing down that path as of late, but hadn't found the time now that he was a business owner. Quickly approaching the stage, he nimbly hopped up, reaching down to help up his date as the mass of people began to panic in full. Once he was able to get her up on stage, they'd have a temporary route of escape, at least enough for him to carry out the next part of his escape plan.

As a former actor, he certainly knew his way around a stage, enough to know there was a series of catwalks and likely a roof exit towards the edges of the building. Now the trouble was getting up to the catwalks before the Zeds were able to catch them. His eyes searched the edges of the stage, looking for anything that could be of use. That's when he saw it, a silly grin crossing his features. This was about to get interesting. He'd spotted a counterweight, sandbags on one end hooked to a pulley. Typically used for quick set changes or moving pieces of set decoration, it would do just the thing to get the two of them up to the catwalk. From his jacket pocket, he now removed his hand, a soft click as a switchblade's point shot forth.

"Let's go!" He shouted towards Sage, he could hardly hear himself think over the sound of panic and screaming coming from the rear of the auditorium. He hoped she could keep up, they'd need to traverse the weight & counterweight together. He'd only seen the one line, it might be a little dramatic but if they were to cling to each other as the weight was released, they'd make it to the catwalk, buying them valuable time to escape the creeping menace.

 

[Wolf]

[member="Darth Veles"]

The fight with the Sith Lord had not gone to the undead Knight's liking. Far out of his depth, he now found himself trapped in a formidable web of energy that kept him stuck to the ground of the escape pod and cut off from the Force. His eyes were wide and bulging with desperate hunger as he eyed the Mon Calamari. The wretch was powerless now, and could do nothing to free himself. Whatever there was of the former Knight seemed to have completely vanished, and now replaced with a feral beast that craved sentient flesh. His breathing was heavy and laboured, his eyes unmoving from Darth Veles as he craved him. His gaze was fixed, his mouth contorted into a permanent grimace as he stared at the Sith Lord.

As the escape pod neared Mephout, there seemed to be a realisation in the creature that they were nearing the surface of a planet. His body shifted slightly, his gaze remaining on the Sith Lord for a few more seconds. And then, as though he was finally defeated and lost of all hope of escape, the creature turned his head away from the Sith Lord and looked to the ceiling of the escape pod. His eyelids then slowly closed shut, his laboured breathing beginning to wind down. The undead creature appeared to have fallen asleep, if that were even possible, his body becoming completely still as he awaited their arrival.

 

[Ben Carlin]

Location: Mephout
Post: 1

He got out of his personal shuttle after hearing about some First Order members heading to this planet after a escape pod from the Red Nebula had come. Walking out he made sure he had a lot of oxygen in his suit to keep him going. Walking towards the village he raised his brow checking the local time. Afternoon, with no one about? This seems wrong... it feels wrong, I don't have a good feeling about this, and I have a feeling the members of the First Order down here have seen the same thing, and have the same thought. But will they fall upon the same fate as the people here? He hoped not, but hope wasn't good enough when the time came. Walking into the village he looked at the houses and the streets and saw nothing, no one, not anything. Just as he had seen from back at his shuttle it seemed like no one was there, even when he reached out with the force he could feel nothing, as if everyone on this planet had died. But what could cause such a thing? The shuttle from the Red Nebula? It couldn't be as simple as that.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Post: 3
Location: Seoul (auditorium)
Stage: 2

Ludolf was surprised to find himself enjoying the performances as much as he did. He clapped when appropriate, and in silent contemplation he found himself rather impressed by the vocal talent of these two singers. He especially enjoyed Bernard's performance, and if he were the judge, he would have deemed it the better of the two. But it was interesting to watch [member="Marzena Choi"] in her element here. For once, he was just a passive observer. Ludolf wondered if his tastes would align with his fiancee's and she would pick his choice.

There was something that had been instilled into him since his days as an Agent, and he still carried with him to this day. Supreme Commander Vaas always carried with him an off-duty service weapon - inasmuch as he was ever "off duty" during his time as an Agent for the Sith Empire. He did not expect to use that service weapon here, tonight. Moreover, he didn't *want* to. Tonight was supposed to be one of his few days off.

When there was a loud bang on the doors behind him, followed by the grisly image of a wave of belligerent corpse-people, whose dead eyes stared into the auditorium, Ludolf instantly knew that his ideas for the evening had been foiled.

His first thought was Marzena - and their baby. Two of his most valuable possessions were here in this auditorium. This was the highest-risk environment imaginable. Vaas immediately sprang up and drew the special officer's pistol that he kept buried beneath his coat, strapped to his chest, and moved to the front of the stage. Marzena was already standing there looking at him; she sensed the danger too. Swiftly, Ludolf grabbed her wrist with a tight hand and yanked her away from the judge's desk and began to move her towards the back of the room. This place was seconds away from erupting in a full panic.

"Backstage, quickly," Ludolf said, pushing Marzena towards the door, the gravity of the situation unfortunately not allowing him to go lightly on his fiancee' as instinct took over. "We need to go for the back entrance."

 

[Tanomas Graf]

Post II
Objective I: Mephout, Stage II

Tanomas took the rapid enlargement of the planet as his sign to buckle up. Even though escape pods were designed to survive entering an atmosphere, neither the heat nor the brunt force of the landing, especially with the thrusters being non-functional due to an incident aboard the Abdicator, would be comfortable for the occupant of the pod. Graf spent the next thirty seconds yelling every expletive in every language as he rapidly tapped, even banging his fists down on the console till they were bruised, hoping for the thrusters to suddenly start working at the timely intervention of the Force.

No intervention came sadly, as the thick durasteel hull began heating up in the atmosphere of Mephout. Tanomas put his hand against some of the exposed metal, he could feel the heat and the rough vibrations on the outside. Quickly retracting his hand he sure hoped that the distress beacon would survive this damned crash, because he sure as hell felt like he wouldn't. Graf could feel the lump in his throat swell when he looked out of the viewport, he had literally just broken through the clouds,

His entire life was flashing through his life again, he had survived a near-death experience hours earlier and he wasn't going to die this time, kark no, he had a navy to lead, a crew to oversee, a ship to captain. No, he was Admiral Tanomas Kriffing Graf of the First Order, and he was going to survive anything, be it a space battle against a superweapon, a ship full of reanimated corpses, and especially an escape pod crashing. Maybe he'd come out of it with a few bruises bu-

Crash, the escape pod impacted on the surface with a resounding thud, following by dozens of pounds worth of earth flying every which way. Had the occupant survived? Only time would tell.

------

 

[Perth Levov]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=def3ob2h-1s

Perth listened to the comms chatter. Much was encoded and she was sure there was also information shared on frequencies she could not access. She was not about to risk antagonising the First Order just to eavesdrop, so she listened to the more public announcements and bided her time.

Mostly it was routine, albeit talk of the planet being way too quiet. But then a word was used and that particular chat was immediately closed down. In fact all public comms channels went quiet and Perth concluded that whatever was mentioned was sufficiently significant to force the chat to go private.

So she searched her database and found it quickly. Blackwing. And what she found made her frown. Project Blackwing was the stuff of legend and if it meant what she thought it meant, then she would have a tough decision to make. To go to the surface was a risk. But to pass up the chance of seeking knowledge when locals and the First Order alike were distracted? She quickly weighed up the pros and cons and decided to head planet-side.

As she did, she read up on what her database held. Project Blackwing, also known as the Sickness, was an infectious viral agent. Some credited scientists with the inception of Project I71A, others blamed the Sith use of alchemy. It seemed the search for everlasting life had found partial success. If walking the planet as a zombie was your idea of immortality.

It seems the virus created essentially killed its hosts and turned their bodies into cannibalistic, brutal undead. The virus had the unexpected bonus of altering the bodies stamina and strength, making its host move slower than prior to exposure. Of course it was not a bonus if you had to face one to keep yourself alive. The zombies had a greater resistance to physical damage.

There were other side-effects. Human flesh turned a hue of greyish-green. The virus apparently communicates with itself and allows the zombies to act as a single entity and to learn things from the survivors. So if they infected a pilot, they would all learn to fly a ship.

The records thereafter were banal, dates and times listed. Casualty rates and locations. The final entry suggested the virus was presumed destroyed. Yet unofficial additional entries through blogs and discussion boards suggested that surviving samples had been retrieved by criminal organizations, gangs, cartels and extremists. The potential for trade or weaponisation was significant.

All Perth cared for was to get in and out without anyone noticing.

 

[Ria Misrani]

Post Four, Stage Two
Seoularian Idol, Seoul

Anna turned over her shoulder to see what all the commotion was and to her horror she watched as diseased, rotting and disgusting bodies poured through the aisles. She wanted to scream but the sound went out in her voice and she looked toward the stage and climbed up on the judges table and then back down before getting help from a security guard to get to the stage itself.

She turned to see [member="Marzena Choi"] and her fiance [member="Ludolf Vaas"] rushing for the stage as well. She wanted to stop and help her friend, but bitterness between them only hardened her heart. She had to see what was going on with Seon and if he was alright. Anna looked to Lily and Bernard and ordered them to safety rushing them to the back while trying to help audience members, but she soon realized that the horde of the dead were spreading.

Those who had once been in their seats were turning into the undead, and that if she were to have a chance at survival she would have to leave now. The Auditorium where Seoularian Idol was being held was now just one of many quarantine zones, all over the city-planet of Seoul, quarantine zones were being erected.

Those caught inside would be doomed to their fates.

 

[Sage Annel]

Post 3
Seoul, Auditorium, Phase 2
Nearby: [member="Rolf Amsel"] (Dash Fisko)

At first, Sage thought that the malfunctioning lights were, at best, some harmless technical difficulties and, at worst, a ploy to incite just a little more excitement for the event in the audience. The young near-human was mildly annoyed either way, but her dull disinterest turned to sharp alertness when she heard screams erupting from the back of the auditorium. Whatever was happening, Dash had noticed before Sage, and the large man was pulling the woman out of her seat and into the aisle before she had even fully registered what was wrong. She grasped Dash's hand tightly as he entered the throng of audience members clamoring for the emergency exits. She stumbled through the crowd in her cumbersome shoes, trying with all of her resolve to stay upright and stay moving. In those moments, visuals and sounds were mostly blurred. There was some shouting and a lot of movement, the flash of a body part here or there. The only things Sage could register with any clarity was the smell of rotting flesh and the feel of Dash's hand clasping her's. It meant something to the woman that her companion had not abandoned her at the sight of danger--Sage may not have done the same if she had smelled trouble first, and she never would have suspected Dash to be an altruist. Still, she was a pretty girl in a short dress: he may have simply been thinking of saving her for less selfless reasons. At present, Sage did not have the time to wonder, nor did it concern her. Regardless of his motives, Dash had potentially saved her life. This was the kind of thing Sage could not help but register, for it meant she owed a debt.

By the time the pair had reached the front of the auditorium, the shock had worn off, and all of Sage's faculties had attuned themselves to the purpose of finding an escape route. Dash seemed to read Sage's mind as she spied a sandbag in the wing, because the pair both broke for the counterweight as quickly as they could. The survival instincts of the pair had put them so in tune that Sage let out a small laugh as Dash produced a switchblade almost the instant she had wished for something to cut the rope with. If she had any sensitivity to it, she would say they were communicating through the Force. The young FO agent instead chose the explanation that they were both simply intelligent people. Sage was not above physical contact with any man when the situation called for it, and she wrapped her body around Dash immediately, feeling his firm musculature under his clothes. She did feel like she had chosen a survival companion well in that moment, among other things. Her date would cut the rope and the two would be pulled upward to the catwalk.

In the moment of suspension between the release of the weight and the pair's ascent to the catwalk, Sage managed to steal her first good look at what was happening in the auditorium: It was horrid, a mass of undead humanoids were struggling with the crowd of diplomats. Sage had never seen anything like these cannibalistic monsters, clawing and biting at her comrades in the auditorium. The seating area had transformed into a sea of writhing violence, and even Sage's hard heart was shaken at the sight. Thankfully, the view was obscured by the large curtain that was drawn above the stage. Sage extended a long leg to swing toward the catwalk, and the two would launch themselves toward the metal walkway as soon as they had reached the appropriate altitude. Sage, unfortunately, was not well dressed for parkour, and slammed hard into the iron structure. One of her heels fell from her foot and clattered onto the stage below. She stood and dusted herself off, inspecting her leg for cuts. "Nice move, Big Guy. What now?" She removed the other shoe and held it in her left hand. Maybe the spike would prove a useful weapon if it came to combat.

Sage looked around. The pair now had the high ground, but they weren't going to be able to stay in any one place for long. They needed to try to escape the building, and assess the situation on the outside. Scanning through their options: Sage saw a choice to be made:

"Either we try to find a way to release the main curtain to create a barrier between the auditorium and the stage, or we just keep moving and try to find a way onto the roof."

If they tried to find the pulley drawing the curtain, they could lose valuable time, yet there was no way to be sure that there was anywhere to go, and if they didn't keep the infected off the stage now, soon they would be overrun. They had to decide how to proceed, and quickly.

 

[Marzena Vaas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhshEnv2a4M​

Location: Seoul
Stage: 2
Post: 5

It was like a scene taken straight from a gruesome horror film. Things like this played out on the silver screen, not in real life. But the screams and blood spilling in the aisles made it abundantly clear that this was all very real. Marzena’s heart was racing. An arm slid protectively around her stomach, the natural instinct to protect her baby was strong.

Her dark eyes were still locked on [member="Ludolf Vaas"], and he was at her side in an instant, his hand curled tightly around her wrist. As her fiancé gave her a stern order to move backstage, she looked up at him wide-eyed. Her high heels took meek steps, and she soon felt Ludolf urging her on towards the back door. She chanced a glance backwards, desperately hoping that [member="Hannabeth Yun"] would follow. There was so much left unsaid, this couldn’t be... goodbye.

She was frightened, and there was a sense of panic inside like she had never felt before. Tears were running down her cheeks, and even though her throat felt tight, a few strangled sobs managed to escape. With the Supreme Commander’s hand wrapped securely around her wrist, she made through the dark hallways.

It was eerily quiet.

Outside the studio, there were flashing lights and sirens, definite signs that the Seoularian Police force had a presence here. All of the buildings in the area were locked up tight. Others come up behind them, audience members and stage crew that had managed to escape. The Supreme Commander was likely the only one of them that happened to be armed. Ludolf was a natural figure of authority, and there were eyes upon him. Marzena drew closer to his side, also looking to him for reassurance.

“Jeogiyo!” A male voice called, and the source came into view. It was a uniformed man, he was armed and wearing a mask. “I Jiyeog-eun gyeoglidoenda. Byeong-iissda.”

Those that could speak Seoulian exchanged worried glances, including Marzena.

“He says this area has been quarantined.” She explained quietly to Ludolf, “And something about a sickness...”

The officer gestured with his arm, about to guide the crowd in the direction of safety. There was movement in the alleyway behind him, the man spun quickly, but it was too late. Before his weapon could even discharge, there was a moving corpse upon him. The shock was enough to disarm him. There was a sickening scream, and then the officer began to convulse violently. Marzena clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a cry of terror.

 

[Ria Misrani]

Post Five, Stage Two
Seoularian Streets


Anna looked above at the stage curtains and then toward the audience, death held a tight grip here and if she remained she would not survive. Ditching the audience the pop singer, made her way through the living and toward the side doors where she emerged to find the streets empty. Clutching at her dress she looked to her left and to her right, and then above as the sky was clear. For the first time in ages she had a clear view of the moon, skytraffic was gone. Seoularian Police were patrolling everything now, off in to the distance ahead of her she swore she saw the figure of a police officer, but soon realized that he like the others had the Sickness.

She took two steps back and found herself against the auditorium's cold brick wall. Hearing the sounds of the dead, Anna felt her stomach lurch and her body tremble. She couldn't afford a mental breakdown right now, and as the sickness possessed officer creeped forward she looked again to her left and to her right. She looked up and decided to climb the fire escape ladder to the roof deciding to take her chances on the rooftop of the auditorium rather than fighting her way into the quarantine zone.

Once on the roof, her dress swirled in the breeze and the pop star looked around and folded her arms, the night air was cold and she wondered where Seon was or if it was now too late to find him...