Ask A Little Rusty, But It'll Do - Amorris Drive Yards

[Nevizkas]

THE SEEDS OF INFLUENCE

AMORRIS DRIVE YARDS

The Amorris Drive Yards were a large collection of hollowed-out asteroids over a vast area serving as a decentralized manufacturing base for anyone looking to produce goods and vehicles off the books and beyond the watchful eyes of most governments.

Nestled in a far corner of the asteroid belt was an old factory that had long since been abandoned by its previous tenants, and more impressively lost by the authorities until recent activity on site brought it back to their attention. While the Amorris Authorities were equipped to deal with disputes between disgruntled neighbors, they were quickly sent packing by the now-aged CIS battle droids occupying the facility.

Given their desires to stay under the radar, a rogue member of the authority approached a contact representing the Sith Order in an attempt to settle the issue without raising official flags.

Which was where the trio of Sith came in.

Cyutadakyr had some experience working with Sah'ra against treacherous monsters and knew that the woman would be able to hold her own, but knew little about their other companion for the day. Wearing her armor and lightsaber clipped to her belt, the pureblood began the final approach for their shuttle to this so-called droid production facility, with little information as to what they would be expecting to find.

"ETA two minutes, be ready." she chimed into the comlink to both women. It wasn't even certain that they would be shot immediately upon arrival, perhaps they would be able to sneak inside and find a way to take control of the facility, or perhaps they'd have to forcibly evict every single one of those damned droids. Once she had landed on the platform, Cyu would make her way to join the other two.

@Tulos @RedneckLoves @Altaris

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

After what had transpired, how the Order had been broken down, it had seemed that finally Tempest was taking steps towards consolidating and rebuilding the powerbase they had once enjoyed. It was a far cry from the massive swathes of territory that was once held in their yoke, and it would take extensive effort and countless nefarious deeds to return to such standing, but it was a start.

Sah’ra, of course, cared little.

She wasn’t here out of some love for the new Dark Lord or desires to see the Empire punished for what it had done to her people. With each passing day, she wondered if these even were her people any longer. Time would tell. For now, she simply wished to observe and try to understand the path that they were to be guided down.

Hearing the call from Cyu, Sah’ra remained seated for the duration of their approach, eyes closed as she allowed the storm of Force energies within herself to come unfurled. The time was nearly upon them and as the shuttle touched down, the woman sighed and stood, glancing in the direction of the other woman who had accompanied them with a face devoid of emotion before silently walking past. As ever, she remained untrusting of strangers, especially those who called themselves Sith.

@Xorism @RedneckLoves

 

[Brenna Ylva Eir]

Brenna Ylva had been deep in a meditation session when another woman's voice came over the comms and interrupted her. Thankfully, she had had plenty of time to prepare and was feeling at her full potential so she wasn't too annoyed about the interruption. She felt really good about the success of their mission, despite the fact that she knew little about her two comrades. She had researched both of them and knew what was contained in their files, but besides that she had never interacted with them. The fact that they were both strong women and both leaders in their own rights was all that Brenna needed to know to be certain all would go well today.

She wasn't exactly sure what to expect - details on the mission had been sparse. Something about battle droids holding a facility for themselves? Brenna was so confident in her abilities and that of her companions that she wasn't concerned about the details in any case. They had to secure the facility by any means necessary, simple as that. She strode behind Sah'ra so the three women could determine their best course of action as they landed.

@Xorism @Tulos

 

[Nevizkas]

Once the pureblood had arrived near the back and joined with the other Sith it was time to lay out the plan, or as loose of one as they could muster.

"There are three sections to the facility that we need to secure. In no particular order, there is the control room where the master codes of the operation are held. Securing this will yield control of the facility to us, but it will also be the most heavily guarded. The production floor where the droids are assembled is also a vital area to secure but equally important is not damaging the machinery being used. Thirdly, the power plant must be secured before the droids can spike it to detonate for fairly obvious reasons why we can't allow that."

Cyu briefly looked at both women, expecting to compete with the others for the hardest assignment before continuing the briefing. "Beyond knowing that CIS-aged battle droids are operating and guarding the facility, we don't know how many or where they might be. The task is to either destroy the resisting droids or find a way to recruit them to the Order, your choice. Any questions?"

The pureblood would withhold stating which task she favoured and instead looked to Master Ryun to choose first as was her right. From where they were parked, each Sith would be able to enter the facility almost entirely by surprise but from there they would be on their own.

@Tulos @RedneckLoves

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

As time continued to be spent with the Pureblood, Sah’ra had come to know she was more than a simplistic beast driven by bloodlust and primal urges, but rather one who could be relied on. Her presence on this particular mission was partially why the Sith Master had even elected to come; to observe. Despite the bond they now shared, she still held very little in the way of trust towards the crimson skinned warrior but there was a level of intrigue that needed to be investigated.

”Securing the power plant requires a delicate touch,” Sah’re spoke plainly, her focus switching between Cyu and Ylva, but there was no mistaking she was speaking to the Pureblood. ”Something I worry you may fall short of. Perhaps your talents are best spent swinging a blade over the meticulousness of the scalpel. Leave the plant to me,” As she spoke, a snide smirk twitched to life on the corners of her lips. Much of what she said was purely goading sarcasm but she did want to see how Cyu would handle herself against staggering odds. The result could well dictate the future relationship between them, plus with the bond that existed between them, Sah’ra was confident she could sense if Cyu was overwhelmed and readjust the plan if need be.

The wild card, in her mind, was this woman she had yet to meet. She turned her attention to Brenna, offering a falsely sweet smile. ”I hope clearing the production floor is to your liking?” she asked, her tone sincere but truthfully was anything but. For years, Sah’ra had mastered the art of feigning sincerity and this moment was no different from any other.

@Xorism @RedneckLoves

Spoiler

I DID THE THING!!! *self high five*

 

[Brenna Ylva Eir]

Brenna watched the interplay between her two female companions with veiled interest. She didn't think they knew each other well, but they were each clearly manipulating and testing the other. She had no interest in doing the same, however, only in gathering information and completing the mission.

Her role in the plan of attack was largely assumed via process of elimination. She didn't care which task was hers to complete, any of them would have been as easy as the rest. Ylva simply nodded in Sah'ra's direction when she assigned her role in the plan, choosing not to speak her affirmation. She was already ready for battle, so she simply began marching off in the direction of the facility - intent on finding her way to the production floor as quickly as possible.

 

[Nevizkas]

Just a few simple lines were all it took to see the pureblood receiving the tougher assignment. Cyutadakyr's coy smile grew, reading the master's goal and ambition correctly, thus ensuring that she got the task that she actually sought. "Of course, as you wish. A delicate job for a delicate hand," she said, revealing nothing about any meaning behind it.

With the tasks assigned, Cyu nodded to both women before departing on her lonesome. The layout of the facility was fairly straightforward and each Sith would need to either eliminate or take control of the droids in their respective areas. On the entrance to the production floor, Brenna would find a pair of B1 battle droids armed with blasters and assigned to keep nosey individuals from entering. They would not immediately shoot her, but if she approached within their view, they would attempt to demand her immediate withdrawal. There would likely be more inside, so she would have to choose carefully how to handle this.

Sah'ra would perhaps take a little longer to find her target owing to the plant being secured in the belly of the facility. A security checkpoint at the end of a long narrow hallway stood between her and the single elevator down, which she'd need in order to operate it without interference. Posted up front was a squad of four B1 battle droids and one B2 super battle droid for good measure.

Curiously, as she walked the halls of the facility and took the correct turns from the map that they had memorized, Cyu seemed to find nothing but wide empty rooms. At one point perhaps they had housed the workers, but workers being replaced by droids meant that there was suddenly no need for such luxuries and therefore they had become obsolete and disused.

@Tulos @RedneckLoves

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

”Watch your back, Cyu,” Sah’ra replied with a sugared tone as she drew her hood over her head, recalling the moment on Krayiss when turning her back on Sah’ra had placed her in a position of power and allowing the Pureblood the opportunity to glimpse into her mind. With that, the trio of women moved in their own direction and would set about their objectives.

Moving through the facility undetected was simple enough. The notoriety of the simple programming of B1 battle droids was something that had not faded through the ages, allowing the Sith Master to slip by their attention with ease. It wasn’t until she had come to the corridor that would descend to the sublevels that her first obstacle would become clear.

“Why are we even here? Its a waste of our time!” one of the B1s would complain to its partners. “We’re machines of war! Not guards!”

“I’m… pretty sure our programming states that its the same thing, N4,”

“Quit your complaining and follow orders,”

Sah’ra listened as the team of droids bickered amongst themselves, rolling her eyes. It was a wonder that such machines were once considered a threat to the galaxy. Her focus turned to whatever else may exist, her eyes finally settling on a camera nestled above the door to the lift. She not only needed to eliminate the guards but also avoid detection. If these were sentients, this would be simple. It was the problem with droids.

Instead, Sah’ra closed her eyes and leaned back on the wall, raising a hand as she envisioned the B2 standing at the forefront of the guard. Slowly, against its will, it turned to face the others.

“What the…?! What is happening?” it cried out as its blaster arm lifted.

“Commander! What are you doing?!” N4 exclaimed before the B2 fired its wrist canon, blowing the head off its subordinate. This process would repeat, downing droid after droid until finally it began firing recklessly around the corridor, as though it’s targeting chip had fried itself, though in truth Sah’ra was entirely in control. A ‘stray bolt’ would find the camera before finally she turned its blaster on the droid itself.

Only then did Sah’ra step out from behind her cover, down the corridor and then over the smoldering remains of the droids. From the camera's perspective, it would appear as a malfunction in the B2’s programming but she knew she would need to hurry as an investigation team would soon be on their way. Stepping into the lift and turning to face the corridor and carnage as she pressed the button to begin her descent, Sah’ra clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. ”Treasonous statements like that deserve execution, N4,” she mused as the door slid shut.

@Xorism @RedneckLoves

 

[Nevizkas]

Beyond the large empty room was another identical one but unlike its predecessor, it had been converted into a small barracks for a number of droids. Standing guard was a pair of B1s, proudly and eternally holding their blasters and preventing further intrusion by the unwanted. "Halt, turn back." The left droid commanded with a sterile tone. Both firmly clutched their blasters, watching the strange woman approaching their position with keen interest.

A smile brushed Cyu's lips as she concocted a deceitful web to entangle the ancient beings. "Have you not heard? Count Dooku himself ordered me to take command here, take me to the control center immediately." The droids promptly looked at each other in temporary confusion before the left one retorted. "Count Dooku is long dead, leave immediately or we will shoot." With a hidden hint of laughter, she watched as the droid on the right struggled with her announcement.

N13: "Stand down. Didn't you hear? Count Dooku gave her command."
N17: "You idiot. Your memory banks are failing."
N13: "No you're the idiot, how could he give orders if he's dead? plus she has a lightsaber see."
N17: "You can't speak to me like that, I'm your boss."

Amusingly the droids began to point their blasters at each other during their little argument. More droids arrived, entering the same back and forth. With the tinder set, it only took one little match to set it off and the pureblood was more than ready. With a subtle manipulation of the force, she pulled the trigger on one of their blasters, setting off a mass chain reaction as the droids started engaging one another. Blast 'em could be heard echoing through the hall.

Naturally, Cyu moved into the defense of N13 and his apparent allies, helping them slowly but surely turn the tide. Having an inside..well..droid as it were would likely prove quite valuable for the next step ahead and she fully intended to exploit the mistake he had made.

@Tulos @RedneckLoves

 

[Brenna Ylva Eir]

Brenna marched through the mostly deserted facility, mentally referring to the map she had studied in depth prior to landing. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect, though she knew from the previous reports that the droid inhabiting the place were hostile to outsiders. Strangely enough, she saw none of them on her way to the production floor. She had figured there'd be dozens of them roaming around or patrolling or something. Instead, the halls were eerily silent and empty seeming to be long disused.

As she neared the entrance she was looking for, she could hear two droids bickering with each other. These older models always seemed to be bickering with each other. Brenna rolled her eyes and strode towards them. Immediately, their attention focused on her - their weapons levelled on her and the bickering ceased.

"Turn around and remove yourself, this is a restricted area!" One of the battle droids barked a tinny sounding command at her.

The young Sith woman proudly moved past them, not bothering to answer to the threat. She curled her left hand into a fist as her right swept out before her, calling to the mystic power of the force as she did so. One of the droids was hurled into the wall, smashed so badly it slumped into a heap on the floor as its weapon clattered down next to it. The other simultaneously crunched into an unnatural position, hunched over and inwards almost in a fetal position but not quite right.

Brenna Ylva did not hesitate to ponder her work, continuing past the broken droids to the door that would lead her to the production floor of the drive yard facility. She briefly considered that it was a shame to destroy the droids, since they could have been potentially useful to the Sith in the future but she also refused to delay the success of her mission to try reasoning with the metal creatures.

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

Sah’ra calculated her next actions carefully as the lift descended towards the power plant, preferring to preserve whatever droids she could during the operation. While many Sith were of the mind that whatever stood in their way was nothing more than obstacles, she instead preferred the method of repurposing hindrances into benefits. Certainly in time this factory would be put to use by Tempest, for better or worse remained to be seen, but until such a time it could be properly manned and maintained, Sah’ra felt the current droid occupants could foot the bill.

She could sense the two others above, moving through the facility with ease. Much of it had been left to fall into disarray over the century, but in time that would be rectified. That did not mean, however, that they were free to move as they wished. Despite the facility being manned by droids, the life support was indeed operational. If the droids became aware of their presence, they could easily be tracked.

The door to the lift slid open and as Sah’ra opened her eyes to step out, she would see a team of three B2 units who had been waiting for the lift. Unlike the other units above, these were in no mood for discussion. Each raised their wrist-mounted blasters and began to fire, forcing Sah’ra to draw her lightsaber.

Her blade moved with grace, deflecting what shots she could but given the close proximity, she soon felt pain radiating from her left shoulder as a blast made contact. Grimacing, she stepped from view of the droids and slammed her right elbow into the control panel, sealing the door. Seconds later, an alarm began to bellow out across the entire facility. ”I’m never going to hear the end of this…” Sah’ra growled as she looked around, weighing her options.

Spoiler

Rolled a 2/20 for facility detection

@Xorism @RedneckLoves

 

[Nevizkas]

The chorus of blaster fire filled her ears as did the addition of the facility alarms and the clatter of droids running into and falling in battle. The funny thought crossed her mind as she seamlessly deflected a stray blaster bolt back toward its sender. Many years ago, before the empire had been a thing and during the clone wars this sight and sound would have been a common occurrence and yet almost all those who knew would be dead by now.

In some kind of way, the Sith here today were enjoying something of a viewpoint into the past, without even knowing it. Catching another droid unaware, Cyu reached out with the force to push several into another group to clear the way forward. "N13, we must seize the command room before the rebels are able to lock us out, can you lead the way?" The lucky droid turned toward the pureblood and nodded. "Roger Roger, squad advance!" he called out to the other loyalists.

With her support it was only a matter of time before they would reach the door they would need to breach in order to take control of the facility. Cyu could only hope the others were having similar success as she was.

@Tulos @RedneckLoves

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

She could hear the droids on the other side of the door as they began to cut their way through, the bright glow of the fusion cutter slicing through the center of the door and dismantling the locking mechanism. Her eyes darted around the lift, spotting the service hatch that could get her up and into the shaft and she began to formulate her plan.

B2s were significantly more intelligent than their predecessors but they were still a far cry from a sentient being. As the door was finally forced open, the trio of droid units leveled their wrist launchers and prepared to open fire on the woman they expected to be inside but they found the lift to be empty.

“Where did she go?” one of the droids commented before stepping inside and turning from side to side as if they expected her to be cowering in the corner. One by one the droids filtered in, only finally looking up and seeing the woman standing atop the cabin, lightsaber in hand yet unactivated.

“Halt!”

“Stop right there!”

“She’s not moving, you idiots,”

Smiling, Sah’ra ignited her crimson blade and seared through the cable that held the lift in place, sending the cabin careening for the lowest levels of the facility. The Force accentuated her instincts, time seemingly slowing and allowing the Sith to capitalize on her window of opportunity, leaping through the door and out into the corridor before the sound of the lift impacting the ground a few levels down reverberated through the shaft.

Turning, Sah’ra could see the entrance to the Power Plant. Whatever laid in wait ahead of her was her final obstacle, so long as the others were moving along at a similar rate.

@Xorism @RedneckLoves

 

[Nevizkas]

After something of a hectic fight, Cyu and her section of droids managed to wipe out the majority of the remaining droids in front of the command center entrance itself. Fearing that those inside could lock the door from the inside, she needed to act fast and ensure that they broke through before it had been completely sealed off.

Fortunately, it seemed as though N13 had completely fallen in line with Cyutadakyrs commands as he fervently led their group forward to open the door. "N47, open the door immediately," commanded N13 forcefully. The droids inside panicked by the alarm and the combat froze up with indecision and infighting distracting them. N47 an ever-loyal friend of N13, slipped past the arguing droids to activate the door and open it for the outsiders.

"Hands in the air!" N13 further commanded them into submission. Not one to miss a good opportunity, Cyu strolled in shortly afterward to take the view of what they had taken. "Good work N13, I am now the commander of this facility. All droids in this room acknowledge or be destroyed." The pureblood didn't even blink before cutting down the first droid to even consider raising an objection. Seeing that, the remaining droids shook their head in defeat.

Taking a glance over the centre console she spotted the other Sith on screen. "A wise choice, now, let's see what the others are doing. Maybe we'll help them, maybe we won't."

@Tulos @RedneckLoves

 

[Sah'ra Ryun]

As the door slid open to reveal the power oscillators, Sah’ra stood in the opening with a devilish smirk, the pain from her shoulder coursing through her body and fueling her potency with the Force. Droids of a variety of makes and models patrolled the suspended walkway that led to the localized control station as the proximity alarm blared around them. They were alerted to their presence and, much as Cyu had predicted, were in the process of enacting the protocol for such an occurrence; destroy it all.

For the sake of her reputation, failure could not be abided.

The saber in her hand snapped to life as the droids nearest her became aware of her presence. While in the elevator her surroundings were constrained, here she was free to move as she pleased. Blaster bolts zipped by but those whose aim was true would find themselves deflected back at their point of origin. With each step she took, her eyes narrowed in on the control panel, the opposition she faced diminished in unison.

One droid, seeing that ranged attacks were a failing endeavor, rushed in whilst twin blades extended from its wrists. The machine drew its right arm back and up in preparation to stab for her chest but the woman quickly slid under it, searing the blade from its body with the weapon of her own. Her free left hand erupted with kinetic energy, bolstered by the pain from her wound, sending the unit tumbling to the depths below. As the blade was about to clatter to the ground, the same invisible energy coiled around it before it was whipped forth and down the walkway, lodging itself into another droid's chest plating.

Panic began to set in to the pair of B1s who furiously worked at getting the self destruct sequence initiated. Metallic fingers typed away as they muttered in fear but was soon interrupted as a crimson blade melted through the chest of one whilst the other felt the grip of Force energy that proceeded to yank it from the platform.

”Power Plant is secure,” Sah’ra relayed into her encrypted communication device whilst she ensured the self-destruct sequence was disengaged. ”What is your progress, Cyutadakyr? Brenna?” She then glanced at the wound on her shoulder, grimacing at the ugliness of it. Nothing a soak in a bacta pod couldn’t fix, but displeasing all the same.

@Xorism @RedneckLoves

 

[Nevizkas]

Cyutadakyr watched with a gleeful interest as the other Sith handled their tasks differently, while Sah'ra seemed to glide through each droid as if they weren't there, Brenna seemed a bit more occupied with the plant droids. It was quite the pleasure to watch the master work her blade, something that she had yet to see up close herself.

Her faithful companion glanced at the screen and back to the pureblood with keen interest. "Shall we deactivate the droids before your acquaintances are injured, ma'am?" Pausing for a few seconds, just long enough for Sah'ras little duel to settle and then call in her success, Cyu smiled. "I suppose we should." With a flick of a button, the alarm system was deactivated and with another switch, the droids across the facility began to return to their previous duties.

Gently turning the comlink on, Cyutadakyr couldn't help but be smart. "Getting slow in your old age, Master Ryun?" The not-so-subtle jab toward her injuries aside, they'd both done well in completing the mission. "Command Centre secured, we now control everything. Shall we meet back at the ship?"

There were still some things to do such as replacing the command keys and preparing the facility to begin producing ships once more, but fortunately, the latter details would be left with the trusty N13 and his group for now until they could be replaced properly.

@Tulos @RedneckLoves