Darkness Falls - The Story
Chapter Two

Wriiten by Clayton Cameron
"By the Force..." Kyle muttered under gas mask. The massive mining tunnel was......empty. Yet at the same time it reeked of death and decay. Kyle was baffled. But decades of mercenary instinct were not put off by a mere smell; Katarn reflexively set his Bryar pistol to high. He wished he had a better weapon.
Kyle's footsteps echoed slightly as he slowly, cautiously walked down the middle of the mining tunnel, throwing glances at the sides and ceiling periodically. Sure, it seemed paranoid. But to a seasoned soldier, the stench of slaughter was good reason to be paranoid.
The walls were of dull reddish rock, that seemed to ooze a thick, vision-hampering dust. Other than the dust, Kyle could see perfectly. Two rows of lights ran down the roof of the tunnel, providing yellow illumination to the cavern. Strange, Kyle thought, all the other lights in the base were white. Then it hit him; these weren't standard lights. These were security lights.
The tunnel sloped slightly, leveled off again, and made a 90-degree turn. The roof got startlingly lower, too. This was a comfort to the mercenary. He stepped around the corner, gun drawn and held ready. And as he expected, it was clear.
At the end of the tunnel, though, Kyle saw the dim glow of more security lights, running vertically this time. As he approached, they revealed themselves as the two frames of a doorway. The commando surveyed the area: the door was unmarked, and seemed to be in working order. Kyle keyed a small switch on the frame and the door reluctantly slid open.
As he quickly surveyed the room, Kyle found nothing. It was you basic Imperial command room, except without the Imperials. All the consoles were on, all the chairs were upright, there was even a steaming cup of coffene on one table. The mercenary rubbed his eyes and holstered his pistol.
Kyle walked slowly around the room, glancing at all the systems, controls, and glowing lights, most of which he didn't know the function. By this time, he was baffled. The commando had stumbled into a perfectly empty Imperial base, which is rare in itself, much less one that reeked of death. Yet no signs of battle, no burn marks, no bodies, were to be found. It was driving Kyle insane. And worrying him.
He made his was over to a chair and sat down wearily, resting his forehead in his hand. And quickly got up again. He had sat on something; he looked at the chair. An Imperial officer's cap was resting in the middle of it. He picked it up. Sure, it was wrinkled and creased, but other than that seemed normal. Until he reached below it, under the brim. He pulled his hand out in revulsion. And stared at his hand. It was coated in a thin, clear film. Suprised and slightly disgusted, Kyle smeared it against the wall in a effort to remove the goo. Then the console went off.
The hat hit the floor with the slightest thump.
Kyle sprinted over to the beeping console, which was opposite where he had been sitting, and gazed at it. It seemed to be a meter of some sort. As he examined it further, he saw it was a life form sensor. And it is was going crazy. Near frantically, Kyle looked at the display screens.
The readings were coming from all around him.
.......to be continued.
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