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Pinpricks of light for a moment add themselves to the stars. Below a maelstrom rages, a mad rage of color, emotion, death and life. Above slides slender narrowed hulls akin to warships of old cutting a clean path through the wisps of planet. Clean white chariots. Death flies among them, in them, with them. Its presence is not simply noticed by those below, it is felt. The silent harbringers advance with an almost casual purpose.

Inside total silence. Last checks of equipment and coordinates. Signals between vessels cooperating in their delivery of their Heinleinesque cargoes to their prospective clients. "Doomtroopers Unite" peals across the comms as the ship shudders a brief moment disgorging in perfect columns of people dirtwards. Joining the tone are other anthem to the lethal agents departing, "Deathlords Again", "The God of Death Returns" and the ubiquitous "Louie, Louie"

Passing stars, space, atmosphere, clouds, mountains, trees then hitting dirt. For a moment a strange peace. Just dust expanding outwards in covering the moment in silence. Like a winter's snow it quiets the chaos spreading a false sense of tranquility. Everyone outside pauses to watch, to listen, to wonder why their hearts tremble and their souls despair.

Inside business as usual. Young men and women looks out at their new surroundings. It's new but familiar. Same job, different place would cross their minds if they let themselves be distracted. They don't. On one hand they are people but as they plunge away from sky part of them peels off with it. When the strange peace comes it's a silence inside as an entirely different being takes over.

The cloud parts in tiny rays of light, betrayed by their dusty origins. In this moment the death is clean and precise. The next is puncuated by nothing so controlled as one world collapses under the force of another. Despair lasts only for a moment before a more permanent silent is instilled. Time passes very quickly or not at all before peace returns.

In the wreckage they await pick-up. In the wreckage they lie. Lost dreams and controlled nightmares...