Kerikk stumbles into the door of his Jobe apartment, his spirit seemed crushed by the unforgiving vices of the Notum Wars. He merely grasps the wall with a shaking hand, thousands, millions of thoughts going through his mind. Soft sobbing heard, though no tears forming in his blank, dead yellow eyes.

Closing the door behind him, he shuffles down the ramp into his apartment main room, then lower into his bedroom. He merely sits on his bed, hands clenching the sheets, as he looks up at the picture frames containing photos of his brothers-in-arms in the Omni Armed Forces, each one a different person in his squad. He focuses his gaze on the picture of Staff Sergeant Florience, a man he could truly call his best friend.

He lowers his head, then falls sideways, for what seems like the longest time. Almost wishing that he was falling off a ledge into an abyss, and not onto his sheets. Feeling his tank armor get heavy, He slips it off over his head and roughly throws it to the side in sheer disbelief, disappointment, and sorrow. He carefully removes his re-breather, shoving it into the dresser to his side, not fearing any infectious airs that go into his fragile lungs. He lays in his bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about his life, his past, his dreams, before falling to sleep.

=Earlier=

Kerikk had been sharing a drink with his two friends Katelin Phare, and Kenneth Age, at one of the most popular social attractions in Omni Entertainment, the Rompa. He didn't have a care in the world. His friend's happy faces, his spirits high, and the soft echo of jazz through the building behind the chatter of the people inside. Everything seemed utterly perfect, until his AF Comm received an alert. He asks his friends to excuse him, as he walks down the club into a more secluded area. Upon further investigation, he finds his Squad leader, Gregory, contacting him.

(Kerikk): Sir?
(Gregory): Kerikk...

The sound of his voice worried Kerikk. It is not often he hears his commander in such a dark, ominous tone. He pauses for a moment, attempting to rid his head of anything that might have happened, before his leader continues.

(Gregory): Kerikk, It's...It's Florience. Something's happened...

Those were the words he never wanted to hear at a time like this, a prime time of his life where nothing wrong seemed to happen, where Rubi-Ka almost seemed tolerable and free.

(Kerikk): ..What happened?
(Gregory): Florience..he...He was out delivering supplies, to...to the Omni headquarters stationed out in Avalon...Clan forces ambushed him near the border in Wailing Wastes...

He paused, great strain emitting from his voice.

(Gregory): H-He never appeared in Reclaim...I'm sorry, Kerikk...

Kerikk only threw his comm to the ground, breaking it into several large pieces. He walked over to an empty booth, sitting down, clenching his forehead in disbelief. He attempted to shake his head, inflict pain on himself, anything to reveal it was all just a bad dream, but to no avail. Soft sobbing emits from his re-breather, as he slowly slides off his glasses and throws them onto the table. He puts his hands over his eyes, leaning on the table, so many different thoughts and actions going through his mind that he wanted to do. He wanted to charge out to Wailing Wastes, killing as many sentinels as he could before he was killed on the spot, though he resisted that urge, merely sitting and sobbing.

It had been a good twenty minutes before he managed to sit up and return to the booth his friends were sitting at. Revealing his grave news, the only thing that left the bar that night were sad feelings and sorrowful souls.

Florience had been one of the people that went along with Kerikk during his childhood in Jobe. They had shared many great moments and always treasured each other's friendship, no matter what happened. Kerikk had then signed on for the Omni AF in 29470. Later on, when the Shadowlands had been discovered in 29477, Kerikk had been missing for three years, lost in the unforgiving wastes of the Shadowlands without any outside contact. Before he discovered the path back to Jobe, Florience enlisted in the Omni AF, hoping Kerikk would return, and they would be able to serve Omni-Tek together. After leaving Jobe, they both served in the Mechanized Assault division.

- - - -

Kerikk awoke in the morning, though didn't budge from his bed for a good three hours, before he managed to suit up and walk out the door. He walked slowly over to the edge of Jobe, merely looking out at the amazing sights. This had been the only thing he missed about living here. He sighs, slipping his helmet on, then running off.