[13+] Taezan & the Mice [Kim Taehyung] Christmas 2022

December 2nd

The night had passed slower than any night Taezan could remember. He had gone to bed early to be properly rested for the morning, but the nerves had gotten the best of him, and he had spent most of the night twisting in a restless sleep.

Still, today was the day, and after telling his slime, Tannie, good morning, he put on his best clothes, and made his way to the hangar for a final briefing.

"-and then you pull this when it's hooked on." Demonstrating, Hozi aimed the gun-looking object at a casket in the room, shooting a string out of it, before pressing a button to pull the string and the casket back to him.

"That's so cool." Namzoom complimented, his fingers gripping around a similar device. "So that makes..." He counted on his fingers. "7? No, 8 functions in one device?"

"That I've shown you, yes." Hozi chuckled. "There are several more, actually, but I think these should be all you need for now."

"Thanks, man."

"No problem, bro."

"Do I get one of those?" Joining them, Taezan reached for the gun in Hozi's hands. "This looks so cool!"

"Hands off!" Hozi hissed, slapping the curious fingers away. Pulling the gun closer to his chest, he looked down at Taezan with narrowed eyes. "This is your first unsupervised mission, and I don't want inexperienced hands on this baby."

Looking between the mechanic and the senior officer, Taezan understood. Namzoom was not only older than him, but had been on this ship much longer. He also knew that Namzoom had been to a lot of missions, so it would make sense that he had received proper training for using such complicated tools.

Still, Taezan couldn't help but feel a little unnerved. Although Namzoom was experienced, he was also a wandering danger zone, and Taezan just hoped that his mission partner would be able to keep his clumsiness in check.

Not being allowed the fancy gun was a bit disappointing, as Taezan had always wanted to be a master of tools, but there was no use arguing with Hozi. And so, giving a firm nod, he straightened his back, and got into his 'mission mode'. "What now?"

Lighting up, Hozi put the gun in its holster, and moved to the dashboard. "Stand in the circle." Clicking a bunch of buttons with one hand, he used the other to gesture to the center of the room.

"Where are we landing?" Taezan inquired, remembering from his '001 field book' that a soldier should always know what kind of ground would meet him.

"Hard, and with +19 in gravity." Hozi answered as he pulled a lever. "You will have to use your legs quite a lot for this one. That is..." He added as lights started pulsating. "When you land, ofc."

"We la-" But Taezan didn't get to finish that sentence as the familiar demolecularization made every cell in his body jitter.

One second the mechanic waved cheerfully at them, and next, they were surrounded by air; free falling towards a dark surface that seemed so far away, yet getting closer by the second.

Feeling the air woosh past him, Taezan made sure to keep his hands along his body just as he had been trained to do. However, glancing over at Namzoom, he furrowed a brow at what he saw: The senior officer was fiddling with the gun Hozi had given him, all the while mumbling something as he practiced pushing buttons.

It didn't look anything as instructor Bangza had taught - rather the opposite. It looked unsafe, and Taezan was just about to ask him how come he wasn't keeping formation, when it happened.

"I wonder what this-" At first a clicking sound, then a warning from Namzoom, but it was too late.

A bright light blinded Taezan, and when he regained his sight, he was puzzled at the view. "Yo, dude. Why are you so big?"

Namzoom was gigantic - at least as big as their BTZ-ship - if not bigger. It didn't make any sense.

Blinking, Taezan tried his best to keep his eyes open, but they were so dry that it felt as if they were burning; the strong wind attacking them without any mercy.

It was too much. He couldn't take it anymore. Lifting his arms, he desperately wanted to shield his eyes, but the second he broke formation, the wind saw its opportunity. With a powerful gust, it got a hold of him; unfolding his legs as well, and sending him tumbling around himself, making him lose what little sense of direction he had had.

It all went so fast. Colors blurring in front of him.

His father had always told him that a soldier was supposed to be brave. Taezan wasn't, but he had always tried to act as if he was. But now, tumbling around as his body was shooting toward the surface of a foreign planet, he couldn't hold it back anymore.

He screamed, a primal scream that was ripped from him by the extreme wind.

Then, more colors.

He thought he saw green, then it hit him. Hard. The air knocked out of him, before hitting him again and again.

Crying out, he saw something brown, something dark, and-

Nothing.