Page 19

Merxes roamed around on the West side of the Valley. He didn't find a living soul, nor had any one of those souls been there recently. The grass wasn't dented into footprints, no smudges on the trees. Merxes sat down and navigated. 
Though navigating was hard when you couldn't put a certain face out of your head. He couldn't stop thinking about that girl Liv from the colony team. She had appealed to him right away. She had acted, not run away as so many others would have. He liked her... no more, he knew he could love her if he could spend more time with her. 
Merxes got up and followed the sun. It was hard finding your way when it turned around in minutes. He set off towards the center of the valley convinced that he was heading in the right direction when another earthquake rocked the planet. This one wasn't as big as the first, it was only the slightest hint of protest from the planet, though Merxes didn't want to stick around to find out how that would be.
He stood still until the quake was over and then stepped further. Suddenly he heard a rumbling above his head. Startled he foolishly looked up and saw boulders ten times his size rain down toward him. The earthquake had tore a giant crevice in the mountain side. There was no time to run and take shelter. There was no time to even pray.
Merxes pushed the buttons of his Telp and hoped the safety coordinates would work and place him on a planet rather than in space.

Follow Merxes to Darkling Dawn

Ovi rocked as the earthquake rolled by. Judging by the sound and the size of it, it's epicentre had been close. Ovi looked around and suddenly heard a cry not far from her. One of the hostages!
"Don't be afraid!" she yelled, "Help is here."
"Oh... Come quick! I'm trapped."
"Where are you?"
"behind the tree with the three trunks! I got thrown in some quicksand!" the woman yelled back. Ovi hastily made her way to the distinguishable trees. The way took her longer than it would normally have. Ovi didn't dare go in too fast just in case she got stuck in quicksand too. 
"Keep still!" she yelled to encourage the woman.
"Hurry!"
Ovi started running despite her rather careful nature. She didn't recall any statistics of how people acted under stress in situations involving quicksand. How many fell into it trying to save the other victim? Ovi didn't know. She only hoped that meant not many did.
Finally Ovi reached the trees. She pushed through and appeared on the other side of the plants and foliage. However the scene she had in her mind wasn't the scene she saw in front of her.
"You good guys are so predictable." Ivana said, "Always ready to help the needy."
"What are you doing here?"
"Making you pay for stealing my man."
"What man?"
"Oh you know him darling..." Ivana said, "Tall, dark and tormented. Raven."
"Raven used to date you?"
"Ever so briefly. And look where it got me.... On a planet ready to be blown to smithereens."
"I'm planning on getting off." Ovi said.
Ivana checked her watch. "Ticktock... only 25 minutes left."
Ovianskina saw the opportunity and grabbed it. People who seized the moment were less prone to depression. Ovi considered being dead one hell of a depression. Ivana screamed as she was hit. Both women rolled down and started wrestling. 
All the time Ovi was trying to make strategies. She could try to get on top long enough to hit and daze Ivana. Then she would run away, but the thief had a gun... she'd be shot in the back. Maybe if she tried to get that... But could she shoot someone?
All her thinking made Ovi lose her grip on Ivana. Ivana grabbed a hold of Ovi's hair and twisted her head backward painfully. Ivana managed to sit across Ovi.
"Seems like I win." She said.
"Never!" Ovi said and pushed her Telp. 
Both women were pulled in the vortex, but before it could get a grip on them both, Ovi rolled away from the startled Ivana. Jumping without a Telp was extremely dangerous and Ovi hoped Ivana would pay with her life for that mistake. 

Follow Ovi to Darkling Dawn
Follow Ivana to Darkling Dawn
Continue

Lantessama Isle
Cy DragonStake  -   Darkling Dawn

Credits:
Backgrounds compiled with images found on Google