Trish Ordo "And I heard your thoughts. You think Im crazy, eh? Well thats quite alright. You would've found out sooner or later. I laugh when Im fighting--I've heard that its a frightening sound..." Red smiled dangerously. Trish's eyes narrowed dangerously. Read my thoughts!? Blasted dar'jetii. Well, I'll just think in mandalorian from now on and put up a mental barrier. Try getting through that....*mental barrier.* She was tempted to throw her helment at Red's head right then and there but something held her back. Like the blasted author of her story wouldn't let her create mass mayhem something. She finally released her glare and stared boredly at the astromech. It got stuck on a lip in the metal and she gave it a kick to help it across. "I'm going to get some sleep. I suggest you do the same."
Arioch Morningstar, The Wayward Sith Arioch woke to being slammed into the side of his hidey hole. As he crumbled to the floor, groaning, he realized that such a sudden shift in momentum really only resulted from one thing in space ship. They just got hit with something, and something big, or they hopped out of hyperspace and the gravity generators were faulty. Strong enough, though, to not have the entire ship flattened to a crisp from deaccelerating from light speed to no speed, or least it should. Physics and Hyperspace are ill-bound mates. Space travel, oh how much I hate you. Arioch got up, finding his weapons that had scattered across the ground and found them intact, surprisingly. Well that's nice. A cool little find. As he looked down, though, a few peices of his suit had been scratched, just a few, almost microscopic dents. Arioch sighed. 50,000 credits, reforged plates and new paint, and this crap still dents and scratches at the first whiff of air. I need to get me some new armor. Arioch chuckled. If a better set exists. Arioch slid the cover off of his hidey hole, climbed out and slid it back over again. It's like it doesn't exist. Has room for almost the whole team, and we would be only slightly crushed. Finding his way to the common room, Arioch worked the controls of the hologram projector, turning on a floating image of Nefaria. Perpetually raining, bog and jungle filled wilderness sprinkled with some of the most deadly creatures in existence, either native or suplanted. Rancors do pretty well in the mountains, I hear, and other such large, mean beasties. It was well known to be a profitable, raising large, deadly, trainable creatures. Lots of business in the wake of the Great War and the eve of a Cold one, new and old rivalries inflamed rather than stifled by peace, tended to increase business. The herbovores are the worst, I hear. A scary thought, if there Rancors running around. Arioch shook his head. We'll be running around in the city anyway. Grand Chancellors make for poor adventurers, and better house guests, though he's going to be a host for a worst kind of company than he's used to. Arioch flipped through more controls, and then a second hologram popped up, a giant picture of a sprawling city. Nefaria's capital city, Nefarious. An apt name. Home to a few hundred sky scrapers, and then some, it was also populated with hundreds of thousands of normal apartments, warehouses, industrial buildings, and the normal mix of things that found their home in the hearts of cities. What made this one so dynamic was the fact that these buildings were all routinely rebuilt from the numerious firebombings and automated suicide bombing space ships. The heart of the city itself had to have its buildings so tall, in fact, because the center of the city was built in a crater. The Sith had been the original owners of the planet, out in the Outer rim, and created its society. Without the iron grip and threat of death, the established criminal syndicates flourished under the Republic's laws, like trial by (bribale) jury, inability to be charged of the same crime twice (useful if evidence was 'withheld' by the police for certain 'unexplainable' accounting errors), or even that the police had to have a warrant, only able to be recieved from the (bought and paid for) judges in the city. Compounded by the fact that the Sith never truly left (the jungles can hide all sorts of things, including a small, but able, Sith resistence), the Republic had had a tough time of it. For this reason, the Grand Chancellor Wampei had been given the riens of Neferia's government, and was probably the only shining light the planet had ever seen. Immedietly repealing all laws that even began to impede police justice, coupling this with copious amounts of Jedi into the ranks of the peacekeepers, keeping the police clean, unbribed, and in line, the Chancellor had started to do some good. His own pair of Jedi bodyguards took the definition of 'bodyguard' to also include 'assassin'. The Jedi Masters Tarkin and Leons had singlehandedly killed every officer, leader, or head of every criminal syndicate in Neferia (twice over, if you count those who came to replace them). In short, the planet was actually starting to come back. The Sith didn't like that. Big money was on the table for Grand Chancellor Wampei's death, and the Thousand Swords were the first to take up the offer, and, oddly enough, find out who would be their new recruits. Arioch shook his head. And our only way for our group to have a chance at living is to kill this planet's only hope at ever having an ironic name. Sucks for the planet. Wampei's as good as dead.
Red took Trish's advice and headed to bed. But not before saying, "Here's a little tip in case we run into any real Jedi. If you control your emotions and don't let anything show, they won't be able to read your mind. The more impassioned you are, the easier it is for a Jedi to read you...and Im not even close to a real one." After leaving Red found a empty cot and laid down. She thought about her parents. They had high hopes that should would become a famous Jedi Master and bring honor to the family name. They had probably received news of her escape from the Jedi temple and her career as an infamous assassin. Red sighed. They're probably ashamed of me... On that thought she nodded of to sleep. She had only been out for an hour or so when the ship shook violently. Red sat straight up, too fast, and black and red spots blurred her vision. She waited for her vision to clear and then pulled back on her cloak and her boots. She was fastening her weapon's belt as she strode down the main hall to find Trish, the designated pilot, and figure out what the heck was going on.
Giilan He was rocked from his cot into a heap on the floor. Nice ship. That would be the hyper drive though. He gathered his things, strapped on his pistol belt and thermal detonators, then headed to the main room of the ship. Arioch was already there, checking out the planets specs. Giilan walked over and observed the display for a moment. "So whats the plan?"
TA-01 The ship rocked violently but TA-01 managed to remain standing. We have arrived. The droid packed up his gear and headed to meet with the team. Trish and Arioch were there already. A moment later Giilan filed into the room and Riorach was about to enter also. "So whats the plan?" Giilan spoke up and asked what they all needed to know. The question was directed at Arioch. I guess Sir know-it-all Sith. He's the man with the plan The droid stood to the back of the group waiting for the reply.
"So what's the plan?" TA-01 and Gillian were already in the room, barely getting there after Arioch had brought up the screens. They didn't take their time. Finally a plus in the sea of minuses. Arioch noticed the question was directed at him. Damnit. I was hoping not to be the leader of this band of renegades. I guess I'm the big picture guy, though. Damn. Arioch took a look at the screens and sighed. "Odds are the Grand Chancellor is in the heart of the city, this giant crater here," Arioch said, motioning to the very center. It looked like a giant spike of cities rising out from the ground, the crater only noticable when you took out the buildings, a view Arioch switched between a few times to show them. "I am guessing that, if anywhere, the Chancellor will be there, in the heart of the crater. The tall buildings would be susceptible to bombings or arial strikes, so its going to be in this fairly solid block of construction that is at the bed of the crater, rising in an almost completely solid form to fill up the crater." Arioch zoomed in on the crater, cutting away everything but the shape of the hole and the buildings inside, and rising from, it. "I speak in relative terms of 'almost solid', because most of the buildings and constructions interconnect, a giant bed of buildings. The density of population and construction is only beaten by some areas in Coruscant, which is just an entire planet of city and urban sprawl. This could be described as the heart of the city, and is under the direct control of the Republic Police. The Rep, as they are known on Nefaria, have probably closed down the entire crater, locking it up, and are trying to stem the flow of criminal syndicates probably rushing in to catch the rumored 1,000,000 credit bounty on the Grand Chancellor. Expect anything but order. The Sith have probably already made their move, either planting in small forces or just migrating them from the forests to the city, so Republic response will be on the order of a real military situation. Jedi, Republic soldiers, Commandos, and probably rearmed Republic Police. I don't know anything past that, and its all really just speculation, but it's going to be very chaotic. Landing will probably be easiest on one of the skyscrapers rising into the sky, and taking an elevator down. We should try and get to the very bottom of the very middle of the crater, its heart, and where Wampei probablyis. Arioch looked around. Trish and Red had come in during his speech. He hadn't really noticed, he had been focusing on the holograms, and showing what he was talking about. The group was silent for a moment, and Arioch figured he had left something out. "Odds are, though, that the Republic will also be screening incoming flights, either onto the planet or into the city. We just hopped into space, so we should have some warning, but what do you guys want to do? We could try muscling our way in, maybe blast onto the ground into the skyscrapers, or we could, maybe...try something a little more...subtle.
Trish Ordo "Wonder if he takes call-girls. Red would be perfect." She joked, smiling smuggly. "In any case, subtlety would be our best option. Get him in an open area and I can snipe him easily. Of course...there is always the classic diversion. We send half our group to "attempt" an assination. He runs in the opposite direction. We have one person on each of the possible exits he could take and whoever he runs into gets the privelage of killing him."
Giilan "In any case, subtlety would be our best option. Get him in an open area and I can snipe him easily. Of course...there is always the classic diversion. We send half our group to "attempt" an assassination. He runs in the opposite direction. We have one person on each of the possible exits he could take and whoever he runs into gets the privelage of killing him." "But then you have the problem of getting the diversion team out, especially if security is as tight as you say it is." He directed the last part to Arioch. "We need a clean in and a clean out, or else we need to go in with overwhelming force."
Red "Oh, pfaah", Red replied to Trish's jibe. But she was actually amused and she couldn't help but grin a little. She spoke to avoid looking at Trish. "No, we need to work as one", Red Riorach said in a commanding voice. Arioch might be the appointed leader, but she had plenty of successful missions under her belt. She had some experience and her input was just as valuable. She continued in a dry tone, "As you all might have guessed, my usual approach to anything is blunt, precise action. And I think that we should go with Arioch's first plan--ride the elevator's to the bottom level and find whatever little rat-hole the Chancellor's hiding in. It's quick and simple, and the simplest idea is usually the best. We don't need a big, elaborate plan that'll get us all killed. We're stronger together and we have a better chance of surviving if we run into a Jedi Knight. All right?" She glanced around at their little group.
Arioch Morningstar, The Wayward Sith "As you all might have guessed, my usual approach to anything is blunt, precise action. And I think that we should go with Arioch's first plan--ride the elevator's to the bottom level and find whatever little rat-hole the Chancellor's hiding in. It's quick and simple, and the simplest idea is usually the best. We don't need a big, elaborate plan that'll get us all killed. We're stronger together and we have a better chance of surviving if we run into a Jedi Knight. All right?" "Good thinking, Red, but you guys are getting ahead of yourselves. We still need a way down to the planet, and then into the Crater. Once we get there, it's going to crazy, and probably nothing but open warfare from the topmost level down to the bottom. Soldiers, gangsters, Jedi, maybe some Sith, and going to be everywhere. The Chancellor will have the best protection available in the midst of this, at the bottom most levels, where they are under complete lockdown and and extremely heavily guarded." Arioch looked around at the people for a moment. I wonder how else I can paraphrase "We are going to die"? "Anyhow, I think we should just capture a patrolling Republic ship thats running around out in space, bring it down, and hopefully get some kind of access to get closer to the bottom of the Crater. Or we could just crash land. Whichever one.
Red Riorach sighed and threw up her hands in exasperation. "Then lets do that and get this over with! Less talking, more action."
Arioch Morningstar, The Wayward Sith "Then lets do that and get this over with! Less talking, more action." "Alrighty then," Arioch said, "Trish, get into the cockpit and find us a patrol to run into, unstealthed. Convince them that we're just normal traders, and we'll probably be peacefully boarded, at which time we attack them counter board their ship, and parade around as them. We can leave the Black Hawk here, cloaked, and come back for it later. Towing in a big, stealth and weapon outfitted frieghter would cause too many questions. Arioch looked around. Arioch looked around at the group. They seemed pretty content with it, as far as their emotions would show. TA-01 just stood there, big metal face just glowing form its eye sockets. Calculating about something, somehow processing how to get to somewhere to kill someone. So precise. Arioch actually paused for a moment as well, looking into his eyes. The robot deffered to me. Damnit, I didn't want to be leader of this band. Arioch looked around at everyone, in their own way looking to see what he would say next. Damnit, I just gave out tons of information and a detailed plan. Leader-class info and plans. Damnit. I need to stop that. Arioch looked up. He could avoid looking like a leader if someone else came up with a better idea than him. Perfect, that'll make the other person seem even more...leader-like. You're a smart one, Arioch. "Any complaints? Questions? Better Ideas? Anyone?" Arioch asked, hopefully.
"Nope", Red snapped quickly. "Your plan sounds perfect. I'm done deliberating, too much planning will take away the fun." This was kind of ironic--she was calling killing people "Fun". She continued, "And I think I'll pilot from now on. Trish is good, but I know a few technical maneuvers in case it comes to a star ship fight. Lets get this plan rocking and rolling." Red stomped away from everyone into the cockpit and started jostling the steering controls and pressing buttons. The ship suddenly plummeted at an alarming speed toward the planet, burning through the atmosphere. Red was playing no games. When she saw a blinking green dot on the radar she slowed the ship's speed and headed for the ship. "This is Trade Ship Yellow Bird"--she didn't want to give it's real name in case it had a reputation--"and we wish to board. So you can check our, eh, cargo and stuff." She finished kind of lame, but espionage was never her strong suit. Either way, the patrol ship answered in the affirmative and their crafts hovered side-by-side. As the patrol team started to board, Red yanked off the seat belt and stood slowly, like a deadly snake rising from a basket. To the others she whispered, "Lets make a quick, neat job of this, shall we?" Then she charged forward into the group of three officers and jumped clear over them. She kept running without looking back, the others could handle those three. She ran into another officer in the other ship, and she jumped and cried, "Jedi kick!" She extended a leg and kicked him full in the face--he collapsed on the floor. Two other officers were behind him. Red fired her sleeve guns at them, taking out one, then tackled the second one with her shoulder. He hit the wall and gasped for air. Red left him there and sprinted into the main hall of the patrol ship. The cockpit was right ahead, but four officers were lounging around on metal chairs. Oh gobshite, Red thought as she slipped away her guns and ignited her Lightsaber in one fluid movement. As she engaged her enemies, she sent a silent prayer, hoping the others were close behind...
Pissed off Droid. What in blazes does she think she is doing! TA-01 had no time to come up with a thorough tactical assessment of the situation. The idiot girl had rashly allowed a Republic patrol ship to board and then ran straight into combat without back up. Perhaps we should allow her to her own fate. Either way, Red had allowed 3 armed Republic soldiers onto the Black Hawk. He could see them on the camera feed. A holographic representation of the intruders had been brought up in front of the group. The droid could see them taking up defensive positions by the ships exit and covering both entrances to the cargo bay to the right and left. "As I believe, like me, none of the rest of you have a death wish, I recommend we take this assault tactically. We can flank and outnumber them. I shall take the right flank with one of you. The rest of you take the left corridor, keep in cover. I will activate my shield and head out of cover into the open laying down fire. Whichever one of you decides to join me should take advantage of this by using me for cover and firing from behind me. When we have their attention the left flank opens fire on the group. This is assault has a 83.7% probability of success without a member of our group sustaining injury and a 95.32% probability of success without casualty. If we're all agreed, decide amongst yourselves who will take the left flank and who will join me on the right. When we hold the cargo bay we can assess our next move." and whether or not we should bother rescuing the child from the mess she created. TA-01 allowed the group to consider the proposal and took the opportunity to check his equipment. "One additional observation. I do not believe it would be wise to use explosive weapons in such a confined space within the vacuum of space."
Red, Agitated Red was getting evenmore peeved. This was supposed to be quick and fast!, she thought as she fended off five officers. It's not that complicated--invade the other ship, disengage the patrol officers, take the ship! why are they still in the Black Hawk deliberating? Red was beginning to doubt the proffessionalism of her comrades. Did they always talk so much during time-sensitive assignments?! Or maybe they just didn't believe in winging it, like Red did. They had their objective already--why sit around jabbering about it til the sun came up? If she had to take the ship herself, she would. The Mirialan was currently dueling five guards at once with her Lightsaber. The purple energy blade chopped in half a blaster rifle that was pointed at Red's head, and she continued to decapitate the officer's head. The confined space of the room was working to her advantage. She spun around and sliced into the torso of two other officers, spilling their guts and lifeblood on the ground. Red cackled like mad as she swung her Lightsaber, enjoying every minute of the action. The last two officers had backed into a corner and had drawn their guns. Red had to act quickly, or else she was toast. She slipped away her Lightsaber and backflipped into the hall she had just come through. She quickly crouched behind a metal crate as blaster fire rained around her, scorching the walls and the floor. Red flinched and kept her head low. Red wasn't laughing anymore. She was being shot at and her team was letting her down. They managed to pierce a iron pipe that ran along the ceiling and white smoke hissed out. For a brief moment the blaster fire ceased, and Red could hear the officiers reloading their weapons. Grimly, she drew her laser knife and sprang up. She couldn't see though the smoke, but that meant they couldn't see her either. She expertly tossed her knife and heard a thump! as it connected with one of her attackers. His body slumped heavily to the ground. Suddenly the smoke stopped spraying from the pipe and she was entirely visible. The other officer began firing at her again. Red barely crouched back down in time. She drew her sleeve guns and waited for an oppurtunity to fire back. "Where is my team?!", she grumbled for what felt like the umpteenth time.
Giilan "One additional observation. I do not believe it would be wise to use explosive weapons in such a confined space within the vacuum of space." "Our plan shouldn't be to hold the cargo bay, we need to take that ship. But first off, we have three Republic officers onboard who we need to take care of. Then we moving into the frigate and try and get to the control room. We could vent the atmosphere to get rid of any stragglers on the ship. " Giilan was getting impatient. One of their own people, irritation as she was, was about to get herself killed. Not that that particularly bother Giilan, but it just seemed a waster when there could be so much more useful times for her to run into the middle of things and explode. She was like a thermal detonator, they should be saved for special occasions. "So are we ready? We need to move."
Arioch Morningstar, The Wayward Sith "So are we ready? We need to move." "Yeah, Gillian, we're ready to move," said Arioch. It seemed that everyone was peeved at their effort to save their cannon fodder for the big guns was about to be wasted. "Me and TA-01 will hit them from the right, as he described, and then Gillian and Trish can hit them from the other side as we-" The side door to the common room exploded inward, a small shower of shrapnel created by the metal door. Arioch, standing right in its way, was thrown across the room into the far wall. Arioch cracked his head against the wall, dazing him as he crumbled to the floor and blaster fire, yells and screams filled the room. Arioch moved slowly, painfully slowly with the adrenaline pumping in his veins and bolts were landing across the walls. He rolled over onto his back, and looked at his chest. Small bits of metal had embedded in his armor, but with a lack of blood pooling out of him, he deduced, quite dumbly, I'm not dead. His world, and his mind, suddenly went into overdrive. We spent too long talking, crap that's really stupid, Arioch thought as his hand went to his pistol, firing blindly into the broken, shattered doorway, aiming at blurry figures rushing through, I think that's a new low, talking too much after boarding an enemy ship.
Red Riorach Red waited till the officer paused to load his gun and sprang up to fire back. But it was a trick, the other officer had stopped on purpose to get her to come out. "Say cheese!", he said stupidly, and Red had not time to roll her eyes before he started firing. She ducked and dived down the hall in a random zig-zag pattern and managed to get back to the boarding dock without getting hit--almost. Her legs was grazed by blaster fire and so was her shoulder and the side of her neck and she dropped one of her sleeve guns. She ducked into a niche cradling her the arm that had been hit and biting her lip to keep from screaming in pain. She took several deep breaths, and her pain was eclipsed by her anger. Her team mates were STILL LOLLYGAGGING! What kind of assassins were they?!?! "Globbit gob heck dammit grrguhsablag...", Red cussed under her breath. She gripped her remaining gun and prepared to jump out and shoot the officer, who was slowly coming down the hall toward her...
