Taris, Variah System, Outer Rim
The planet Taris appeared oddly green-grey as the Republic shuttle approached the planet. A few ships were already in orbit, three egg-shaped Valor-class cruisers circled, guardians to the large ruined city below. The shuttle dipped below the atmosphere, slipping into the clouds like a bird diving into the sea. They plowed through the clouds until the faint peaks of destroyed and abandoned skyscrapers began to poke through the skyline.
Applejack had been told about what happened Taris: three centuries ago, the planet was covered in a giant city of sprawling skyscrapers, massive buildings and roads that blanketed the whole surface. The buildings were so thick and tall, the ground couldn't be seen from above. That changed when the planet had been attacked by a fleet of starships that razed the city, destroying it all and left only ruins in its wake. Now, the surface was very much visible with massive lakes of green grass, trees and plant life spreading up through the holes in the wreckage to reclaim the planet.
The orange mare could see the ruins for the viewport. "You're not planning to fix all of this in one season, are you?"
Governor Saresh, sitting next to her in the shuttle, laughed. "One step at a time, Applejack. We need to make sure we have a stable foundation to build on before we try to fix anything."
"Probably a good idea," she said, skepticism thick in her voice.
The HK unit turned his head around from his seat in the cockpit. "Commentary: The Republic has invested a considerable amount of its resources to establish a presence within Imperial space. Why, if not for the first attempt-"
"*Ahem*," Saresh cleared her throat, "We're here to focus on the future
The skyscrapers seemed almost endless as they continued their descent. The shuttle had to wave around more than a few of them, adjust course to evade dangling or broken antenna, railings and twisted metal that jutted upward. Finally, they reached a larger spot of green where several tree-like structures stretched up and around taller skyscrapers. In the center of them was a large round pyramid-shaped structure that rose up like a volcanic island of steel. The shuttle flew into the 'mouth' of the pyramid, down into one of the many landing bays of the Olaris Spaceport.
The door opened and the landing ramp deployed the moment the shuttle sat down in the hangar. Light filtered in from above as Applejack stepped out, the other two passengers following her. The hangar was huge, easily big enough to fit six shuttles of the same size. Everything from floor to ceiling was either made of a marble-like blue stone while the supports and light fixtures were made of a darker blue metal. Upon exiting the shuttle, there was already someone waiting for them.
"Applejack!"
"Rarity! Good ta see ya, darlin'!" The two mares quickly embraced each other.
"It's good to see you too, Applejack. I wasn't sure you'd arrive so quickly."
The orange mare quirked an eyebrow at her friend. "And what's that supposed to mean? You know if one of our friends is in trouble, I'll come runnin'."
Her longtime friend smiled. "Of course, AJ. But Taris is so far away from Equestria, we weren't sure you'd be able to get here so soon."
"Ah, that don't matter, Rarity. You know no amount'a distance could keep us apart," she said, giving her a harder shoulder pat.
"I wouldn't doubt it for a moment," her friend replied.
They took a step back from each other. "So, what's all this you're wearing? Don't tell me we have to wear some kinda fancy-pants… pants while we're here, do we?"
"Haha, not exactly," Saresh said, awkwardly chuckling as she stepped up beside the pair. "Miss Rarity has helped us design some specialized protective outfits for Equestrian volunteers."
Rarity nodded. "It's quite dangerous out there, Applejack- the others will attest to that."
"The others? You mean the rest of our crew?"
HK-55 came up next to the to stand across from Saresh. "Statement: Several of your associates have already been contacted and are currently searching for Commander Twilight. Aerial reconnaissance is being carried out by volunteer Rainbow Dash."
"Ha! I coulda guessed that," Applejack smirked.
"Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow are already looking for her. I decided to stay behind and try to coordinate our efforts with the rest of the people here," Rarity said. "But she hasn't been missing for long. We have every confidence that Twilight's perfectly fine and that we'll locate her soon."
"That is a relief," Applejack replied, wiping her brow with her hat. "Alright then, what can I do to help?"
Rarity took her by the shoulder and the four began walking out of the hangar. "Well, first we need to get you the proper equipment."
"Fancy suit?"
She stopped her before the exit to the hangar, turning to face her friend. "You must understand, Applejack: Taris is a very dangerous place. We can't simply let you go out there unprepared."
The farm girl rolled her eyes. "I get it, I get it, alright. Get me some new duds before we get going, then."
Rarity smiled. "Only the best for you, AJ."
"Uh huh."
The pair walked out of the hangar together. Behind them, Saresh and HK let the ponies get ahead of them until they were in the hangar alone.
"Statement: It appears you were correct, master."
"About what, HK?" she asked, her voice stern.
"Statement: I was simply saying that your theory of her companions aiding in her acclimation proved to be true. They disseminate information quite effectively once familiar with their surroundings. All it took was the proper motivation."
"Indeed," the green twi'lek said, rubbing her chin. "Let's make sure they stay properly motivated."
From the hangar, Rarity walked with Applejack took a turbolift to the main lobby. The two were passed by droids, beings and even a few other ponies as they entered.
"Gotta admit, all this is pretty astounding," Applejack said, unable to help from gawking as she walked. They exited the elevator bank into the lobby, a massive foyer with a walkway above. Decorative plants were placed in areas to greet new arrivals along with large, golden statues that rose up to the ceiling. The floor they walked on appeared to be some form of marble and was covered in a lavish, blue carpet. Flags of the Republic, the blue-and-white winged symbol they used, hung on the walls at equal spaces. It all was a a very curious contrast to the destroyed and ruined landscape she saw flying above the planet.
To their left was a large windowed wall that let them see out into the massive landing shaft their shuttle had just entered from. As if on cue, the same shuttle, or a similar looking one, rose out of the shaft and took to the skies. As they walked from the adjacent hall into the main area, they passed two technicians that were working on something that looked like a large vase. The blue image of Governor Saresh flickered above it, mouth moving and gesturing as if to welcome people coming off the turbo lift. It shimmered in a static haze, not ready yet for visitors.
"It is quite a lot to take in," Rarity agreed. "It took the Republic a long time just to build all of this. The Reclamation Base is the hub for all of our operations and projects so it's quite important. But elsewhere, it's not quite as developed as all of this."
"I can imagine," Applejack said, looking up at the high ceiling. "How long did it take 'em to build all of this?"
"About two weeks, give or take."
"They're sure they need my help?"
Rarity giggled lightly. "Maybe they're wanting to get the next one done even sooner. And with your ingenuity, I'm sure it will be built to last."
"I'm sure," she said, her voice sounding more than a little skeptical.
The lobby was connected to the entrance by a large divider with two entryways on other side leading out. Rarity led Applejack through the entrance and out into the open air of Taris itself.
"Well AJ, welcome to Taris."
"Wow…" the cow pony remarked. "This… is a might bigger than Manehattan."
The Taris Reclamation Base was a collection of several one, two and three-story buildings, warehouses, prefabs and tents sprawled out in front of the spaceport like a small city in front of a castle. Stone walkways cut into the grass between the bases with large trees that rose above the buildings. Around the base were tall ruined skyscrapers that resembled broken spears. Some of them had overhanging floors that stretched over the base, providing an odd partial canopy. A wall connected the skyscrapers at the foundation and surrounded the base up to the spaceport, an almost feudal-like defense.
"Ladies! Please, wait up!" Saresh said, jogging up from behind them. "We must get Applejack registered in the personnel database!"
Before Applejack could say anything, Rarity cut in. "Governor, please, the formalities can wait for-"
An alarm blare cut her off. It was a high-pitched wailing noise that repeated while several yellow lights on the buildings began to rotate and spin.
"Don't tell me," Applejack said, "I'm the ten-thousandth customer today, is that it?"
"Rakghouls!! Rakghouls!!" a voice yelled at them. Down the main thoroughfare of the base, a green-armored soldier ran towards them at a full split.
Saresh squinted as the foot trooper dashed at them. "Corporal? Corporal! You're one of the gate guards!"
"Rakghouls!!"
"Wait!" she held up her hand, "Where's your rifle? Where's the rest of your platoon?!"
"RAKGHOULS!!" he screamed, ignoring her completely and running past them.
"I'm guessing that's bad," Applejack said.
"Very bad," Rarity said. She flipped down her visor and peered into the distance. "Very, very bad."
"How many is it?" Saresh asked, a shrill fear in her voice.
Rarity swallowed involuntarily. "Too many." Her visor's magnification showed them- about thirty rakghouls stampeding their way from the gates down the thoroughfare. They charged fast, closing faster most sentient bipeds could run.
Squinting, Applejack tried to see them for herself. She could just barely make out a collection of odd gray, brown and red figures coming towards them on the road, hopping like strange ape-like creatures. Even as she watched them, they became easier to make out as they got closer. "What in tarnation are those things?"
"Rakghouls," Saresh said. "We have to get back in the spaceport- now!" They began bolting for the spaceport before she finished the words, breaking into a full sprint as the creatures advanced on them. They reached the place they had been standing just as they retreated into the spaceport. Saresh smashed a button on the side of the wall and the heavy doors of the entrance began to close perilously slowly.
Saresh pressed the button rapidly. "Come on, come on!"
"Statement: Master, it may help you to know that repeatedly pressing the button will not accelerate the door's mechanism. In fact, pressing it more than once may cause the door to jam."
"Then do something to make the door close faster, you bucket of bolts!"
HK-55's photoreceptors flickered once in unison, the droid's version of blinking. "Commentary: There's no need for that language." Before the twi'lek could respond, he had already turned to face the door. He pressed his golden arms on one side of the door and pushed. The HK unit effortlessly closed the door's heavy frames just before the first rakghoul reached the base.
"Statement: Task is complete, master."
The creatures slammed into the door. Clawing and snarling sounds came from the other side, the hungry gnashing of dozens of the monsters. They all backed away from it as the creatures banged at the other side but the door held in place. Finally, they received a moment to catch their breaths.
Applejack was the first to recover. "Okay, what in the hay were those things?"
"Rakghouls," Rarity answered.
"I gathered that much."
"Statement: Rakghouls are the result of sentient beings infected by a virus known as the Rakghoul Plague, a disease which is believed to have originated from the ancient Sith Empire and carried by rakghouls. Exposure to the plague causes infected sentients to become rakghouls themselves, predatory creatures completely devoid of their previous personalities and intelligence," HK explained. "A cure has been developed but is only effective at stopping the virus before total transformation has taken place."
Applejack shook her head. "Sounds like y'all got some nasty critters."
"Nasty… critters…" Rarity repeated. "That's definitely one way of putting it. But they are very dangerous, Applejack, even for somepony like you. A single bite or scratch could get you infected by the Rakghoul Plague. It infects ponies just as easily as it does everything else."
"We've lost too many to those damn things already," Saresh said, rage seething in her voice. "And now they're inside the base itself! How the hell did those things get past the guards at the gate?"
The soldier, the furthest one from the door, edged forward cautiously. Even covered head-to-foot in green camouflaged Republic armor, it was clear the trooper was shaken from how much he was shaking. "I-I don't know, ma'am. M-maybe they burrowed! Dug under the gate or something!"
"The perimeter around the gate's solid duracrete, there's no way the things could've dug through that," Saresh said.
"What about the pipes?" Rarity asked. "There's an extensive pipe network that was part of the old city- it runs right under the base. It's possible they could've come up from the manholes."
"The aqueducts," Saresh said, thinking. "We restored a portion of the original system to act as our own water reclaimer. Could they be using it to get past our defenses?"
Applejack looked around. "That water system doesn't happen to run into here, does it?" They all began to back away from the walls and clustered in the center, all except Applejack and the droid. "What're y'all doing? We can't just hide in here and do nothing!"
"We'll contact all the outposts." Saresh hastily pulled a small cylinder out of her pocket, keyed it and held it up to her mouth. "This is Governor Saresh on emergency code Omega. Rakghouls have invaded Resettlement Zone One! We need any and all available help at the Olaris Base right now!"
"Do you think they'll get here in time?" Rarity asked. A loud bash hit the door as if to give her question more impact.
"They'll have to, Rarity. Blast, where are those damn Jedi when you need them?"
Applejack stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. "Alright, I now see why you need my help. Y'all got a critter problem and the first thing you do is go bothering the neighbors. No wonder you're having so much of a hard time."
A flash of rage crossed Saresh's brow. The green twi'lek winced, balling her fists to restrain herself. "Miss Applejack, I don't think you fully understand the situation. There's dozens of rakghouls out there and we don't have the manpower or the firepower to take them all on."
The cowpony simply adjusted her hat. "I understand ya got some hungry varmints on your doorstep and y'all are acting like it's somepony else's problem."
HK blinked again. "Statement: My language databanks contain over seven-hundred forms of communication but I am not finding an entry for the term "varmint." I am now updating the entry for rakghouls to include varmint."
"Well Miss Applejack," Saresh said, controlling herself, "what would you propose we do about this situation?"
She gestured to the door. "It don't take a genius to figure they're hungry. Back home, if we had a heap'a hungry varmints show up, we'd toss some food in the corral and trap 'em."
Now it was the rest of the group's turn to be dumbfounded. "That… might actually work," Rarity said. "We use bait to lure them into a cage or something."
"Some of the larger shipping containers might work," Saresh said, pacing. "But we mostly only have protein packs at the base- stuff doesn't even smell like meat. The rakghouls may not go for it."
AJ adjusted her hat again. "Then, we go with option B."
"And that is?"
She looked back at both of them with steely-eyed determination. "Live bait."
It took most of the walk back to the hangar for Applejack to convince the others her plan could work, most of the climb through the service access that she should be the one to do it and then the entire portion of their travel to the roof to convince them that she wasn't crazy. As they reached the edge of the roof, she finally got them to stop trying to get her to reconsider.
HK poked his head over the side of the roof to discreetly observe the rakghouls. Being a droid, he was less likely to draw the rakghouls because he couldn't be eaten. Not that they wouldn't attack him if they got the chance, just that they mostly went after meat instead of metal. After he had scanned all he could, he crept back to where the group was closer to the middle of the roof.
"Statement: There appear to be thirty-four rakghouls surrounding the entrance to the spaceport. Without armament, I calculate our chances of eliminating such a group at four-hundred and eighteen to one."
Rarity shook her head. "I do not like the sound of those odds…"
Applejack shook her own head in frustration. "We ain't trying to eliminate the critters, just corral 'em. What do you calculate our chances of that are?" She then immediately held her hoof up. "Don't actually try to calculate them, please."
"Statement: I do not appear to have any entries on corralling techniques. It is possible the concept of corralling is not considered a form of combat. My programming may not be prepared for this," HK said.
The orange cowgirl rubbed her forehead. "I'm getting a headache and I haven't even been here ten minutes…" Her friend put a hoof on her shoulder. "Alright, so the plan is to lure all the raky-thingies into one of those big boxes over on the other side of your fort," she pointed at the far corner of the base. "Once they're inside, Rarity teleports us out and we slam the door on 'em."
"That plan is incredibly dangerous," Saresh flatly stated. "You could trip, get eaten alive, get trapped in there with them. This is insane."
"No," AJ fired back, "this is how you get things done. Question is, how're we gonna get down there?"
They all looked over the side of the roof, careful not to be seen. None of them thought they were in danger of the rakghouls climbing up there but they also didn't want to give them reason to.
"No ladders," AJ said, looking to the ground. "Nothing soft to land on either. We ain't gonna be climbing down."
"What about… riding down?" Rarity said. She pointed across the base at the building next to the storage containers. "Look, there's a cable leading all the way to the administration center."
"My office," Saresh commented. "I had a direct power line installed before we got the generators up and running. It was supposed to be taken down once the office was finished. I'm actually glad they haven't gotten around to it yet."
Applejack's eyes followed the long cable to the antenna on the roof where it was mounted. "Yeah… yeah, that could work. Good idea, Rarity!"
"Hmm," the white mare tapped her chin, "but how how are you going to ride it down? You need something to grasp it with so you can slide down easily."
"Ngg… hnng!" the Republic soldier grunted. "Hey! How about this?" He was leaning over the barrier, grabbing something. They all rushed over to help him and also make sure he didn't fall to the ground.
"Corporal, be careful- what are you-" Saresh asked, then leaned over the side herself. "Oh no, you can't. Not the flag."
"You got any better ideas?" Applejack asked, helping the soldier remove the flag.
The governor actually did look around to see if there was anything else they could use. She then decided to keep her mouth shut and help them remove the flag attached to the side of the base.
To balance themselves out, Rarity held one side of the flag and Applejack held the other. With its middle hanging on the cable, they prepared to use it to swing down.
"How are you going to get their attention?" Saresh asked.
"Like this!" Applejack yelled. She and Rarity tucked in their legs, pulled down on the flag and kicked off the roof. "YEEEEHHHAAAAAWWW!!"
The three remaining on the roof watched as they slid on the cable across the compound. Like moths drawn to a flame, the rakghouls looked up at Applejack's shouting, saw the hanging mares and immediately began running after them. They all left the door in a hungry herd.
"Commentary: It appears her tactics, though most unorthodox, are indeed efficient, master."
"I like her," the soldier said, watching them with enthusiasm. "We could use more like her around here."
Saresh raised an eyebrow at both of them. "Are you suggesting she can do your job better than you can, corporal?"
"No, ma'am. I'm suggesting she can do your job better than you can," the soldier said, chuckling. The governor, arms folded, decided to roll her eyes rather than court martial the trooper. They were all having a rough day.
The two mares hit the ground as soon as it was safe enough to drop. The rakghouls, fast creatures, were right on their tails as soon as they touched down.
Rarity looked over her shoulder as she ran. "It's working! AJ, they're actually following us!"
"O'course their followin' us! Keep your eyes forward!" Applejack yelled.
Behind them, the snarling horde was stampeding towards them. They seemed to be moving even faster than before, more eager now. Applejack and Rarity galloped faster, legs carrying them as fast as they could towards the large shipping containers next to the admin building. The ponies reached the container, the sound of their hooves resounding off the crate's walls as they bounded from the pavement to the metal. When they reached the back of it, they spun around.
"AJ! Grab my hoof!"
"Not yet," she said.
Rarity looked back at the oncoming herd. "AJ? They're…"
"Not yet."
The rakghouls charged headlong at them, mouths open as they advanced with savage hunger. Thirty-four of the creatures, some gray, some brown and others an odd pinkish-crimson. Their roars and growls reverberated off of the walls as they came closer and closer. The first of their cloven feet entered the container.
"AJ!!"
"Now!" Applejack grabbed Rarity's hoof. In an instance, the two vanished from sight in a bright flash. The swarm of rakghouls slammed into the back of the container, slathering the walls and smashing into each other. They piled on each other, unable to see that their prey had disappeared.
Instantaneously, AJ and Rarity reappeared behind the rakghouls outside the container. Rarity activated the door button with her magic. The door began to close precariously slowly.
"Uh oh," Applejack said.
Rarity looked at the container door slowly lowering. "You have got to be kidding me." She hit the door button several times more.
Confused, the rakghouls began turning around, looking at them. Not the smartest creatures, they continued to fall over each other as they tried to move around.
"Rarity?" Applejack asked.
"I'm working on it. Confound this thing," the white mare said, hitting the button faster. The door hadn't even closed halfway.
"I was just gonna say, the robot said not to hit the button more than once."
Rarity looked back at her. "I don't think it matters much anyway." For a brief moment, the two just looked back at one another, wondering if they should start running again. They both knew they had goofed; in their eyes, they each apologized to each other even though neither blamed the other. The rakghouls began lurching towards them.
Suddenly, the door slammed to the ground as if on its own. The lock to the side clicked, sealing the horde inside.
"Wow!" AJ said, "Rarity, great job! I didn't know you could do that!"
"I… I didn't," Rarity said. They both turned around to see a pair of hooded figures just behind them.
"Hello ladies! Forgive my interventions, but it seemed you were in need of assistance," the first said, stepping forward.
"I'm sorry my partner and I didn't arrive sooner," the other, a tan-skinned human said. He also stepped forward and pulled back his hood. "I'm Master Vars Algwinn."
"And I am Master Sev-Tai Ell," the other one, a long-haired human with a handlebar mustache said. "We sensed a disturbance in the Force and got here as quickly as we could." Both the new arrivals were wearing green-colored armor of some kind with the robes around them. They would've been somewhat camouflaged against the background of the city if not for the robes.
"It's quite alright, gentlemen," Rarity said, relieved. "You got here just in time; that's what matters."
"Sure does," AJ agreed, removing her hat and wiping her forehead.
"Ah-ha! Masters!" Saresh said, running up to their position with HK and Vasser in tow. "Thank goodness the Enclave sent assistance. Rakghouls breached the perimeter. We think they may have been using the aqueduct system under the base."
"We noticed," Vars said. "That was our deduction as well."
"We've flushed the waterlines and closed off the connecting valves to the old pipes. That should keep them out of the base for now, at least until we can get someone to close off the pipes from the surface."
"That'll have to wait," Applejack cut in, "until after we find Twilight. Now, you just said the base is safe, right?"
"Statement: That is correct, master. And should there be any more incursions by the creatures, I shall ensure that your safety is-"
"Right. In that case, I'm heading out. Where was Twilight when you last knew where she was?"
"Applejack..." Rarity stopped her. The farm mare felt her friend's voice like an anchor on her hooves. "We really must get you prepared if we're going out there."
The orange mare did a complete one-eighty. "Rarity, y'all know there's no time for that! Ya'll keep talkin' about how dangerous this place is but ya keep forgettin' Twilight's stuck out there in it!"
"Applejack-"
"No buts, Rars. I'm going now, and nothing you can say will stop me," AJ said adamantly.
But the white pony was resolute. "Applejack... I know you want to go out and help Twilight right away."
"I do..." AJ said, her voice sounding desperate. Underneath her brave exterior was a pony who was truly worried about her friend. But she knew, they both knew that worrying wouldn't help find her any faster. "You know if one of us was in trouble, Twilight would be out there first-thing."
Rarity walked over to her friend. She grabbed her hooves and held them up, locking eyes with her. "And you know Twilight wouldn't want us doing anything reckless, too. You know she wants us to focus on our own safety first."
AJ's lip trembled but she nodded. "I... I do."
"Exactly," Rarity smiled. "Let's go get you kitted out."
"Alright..." the cowmare said, defeated. She followed her friend and the others back to base. "As long as this doesn't take too long."
"Faster we get going, faster we're done," Rarity replied.
AJ tugged her hat down. "Why do I feel like that's something I'd say?"
Applejack was happy they didn't make her wear the same fancy bodysuit like the one Rarity was wearing. Unfortunately, the governor insisted she wore some form of body protection and so she along with Corporal Vessar(the guard from the gate) jury-rigged a suit of trooper armor for her to wear. Instead of the gloves and arm guards, they gave her a second pair of boots to wear over her hooves. They made her wear a chest guard and something over her flank but she put her hoof down with helmets. Her hat was protection enough.
Finally geared up, she stepped out of the spaceport, determined. The two Jedi were ahead of her standing vigil by the gate awaiting her and Rarity. The day just seemed like it got longer and longer… and she wasn't even sure it was the same day, being on a different planet.
"Ready, Rars?"
Her friend only took a moment to adjust her visor before replying, "Ready!"
"Alright! Let's get this show on the road!" As the two left for the entrance gate, they saw their escorts had already preoccupied themselves.
"Ha!"
"I almost had you with that one."
"Not quite, Vars, not quite! Ha-HA!"
Rarity stopped just short of them but Applejack walked right up. "The heck are you two doing?"
The Jedi were sword fighting right in front of the gate: Vars wielded a single lightsaber with a black-green blade while Sev used a double-saber with a black-yellow blade on each end. They were both wearing green helmets, now, too and their robes were now some kind of kilts tied at their waists. For some reason, AJ didn't think that was because of the swordplay. The sound of their blades clashing and sparking nearly drowned out AJ's question but as she approached, the two ceased fighting.
"Ah, Master Applejack. You're prepared to head out, then?"
"You'll have to excuse us," Vars said, both of them deactivating their swords. "We didn't know how long you'd be so we engaged in a friendly duel."
"Friendly? Right," Applejack said, moving past the two. "You two put away your toys and let's get a move on."
The two Jedi exchanged a glance, then glanced at Rarity. The fashionista pony shrugged; she had no answers for them. They began following her.
Sev ran up alongside her as she marched out of the base. "Actually, Miss Applejack-"
"Just Applejack will be fine, or AJ if you're in a hurry."
"Right, well, Miss AJ-"
"Grrrr..."
"AJ, those weren't toys you saw us with," Sev said. He unclipped his saberstaff from his belt and showed it to her. "They're actually very powerful weapons called lightsabers that-"
"And you were playing with 'em," AJ cut him off.
"We uh, we weren't actually playing," Vars said on the other side of her. "We were engaged in a duel, honing our blades for the task ahead. It was a way of practicing and-"
"And you decided to do this right when we're about to head out?" she said, carrying on. The two Jedi exchanged glances of confusion, Rarity offered an apologetic expression as she passed. "Look, all your fancy-schmancy rules and gadgets don't change the fact that our friend, MY best friend happens to be out there and needs our help. That's all I care about right now. If you can't keep up, I will go alone."
"That won't be necessary," Vars said sincerely.
"My lady, we are wholly devoted to you and finding your friend," Sev added.
"Good," AJ replied. "The faster we find her, the faster we get back to where it's safe," she said, stepping out of the base. She thought to herself, And I'll be on my way outta here. Corporal Vasser closed the gate behind them as they departed, the four of them walking into Taris' untamed ruins and wilderness.