Across Rolling Hills

[Narir Solus]

Nubia was a surprisingly nice planet. It was the type of place that if Narir had come here to vacation or something it might have been nice, but he wasn't here to vacation, he was here to do Mando things. In most cases, that meant taking something pretty and then destroying it.

Narir didn't like destroying things just for the sake of destroying it, but this was war. People may not have fully realized it yet, but the embers of rebellion were spreading across the galaxy, and Narir was going to see the Empire topple or die trying. That was a distinct possibility, too, that he wasn't going to think about right now. The mission came first.

In this case, the mission was the factory that lay ahead of them... and slightly below. Narir had opted for this particular target because it was something that gave them a nice vantage point to observe their target, which Narir had already done. This place had a large part in exporting ship parts to the Empire's larger assemblers and manufacturers, which meant it needed to be shut down. No problem, right? @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Diocletian was hungry and cranky, he had forgotten to eat again that day. Cursing himself silently he looked at the area around them and sighed, not seeing anything immediately available to scrounge to eat. Why couldn’t they be on an agro-world where food was everywhere? Nubia was a nice enough place, but it didn’t have any food for the cranky Mando and that made him even more cranky.

Turning his focus back to the situation at hand, Dio considered their mission. On planet to take out a starship parts factory. This was his first mission with his clan brother Narir. They had not worked together as yet but he had asked to be on this mission to try and establish a better rapport with the other warrior. He knew that for soldiers to work well together, they needed to have experience with each other.

Dio wore his usual heavy Beskar’gam, its new upgrades were easily apparent to any observers. He had added a jet-pack and a wrist rocket to his usual armament. He had his old standby the Shriek-Hawk across his back and was holding his new bowcaster. He also had his Strill blaster pistol in a holster attached to one thigh and a bandoleer of grenades. He wasn’t sure what the exact plan was here, but he came ready for pretty much anything. At least as ready as he was able to be.

Looking out across the factory, Dio frowned. Taking out a comm tower was a lot easier than taking out an entire factory. Of course, they didn’t have to destroy the entire facility, they just had to destroy its ability to produce parts for as long as possible. That meant leaving the superstructure in tact but taking out the production facilities inside the building. That wasn’t a problem however it certainly made things more interesting.

After his first cursory glance at the facility he looked over and Narir, “Well we are all dressed up and came all this way.” He laughs quietly. “How are we gonna slap this pig?” He waited for Narir to speak, it was his mission and presumably that meant he had some sort of a plan in mind.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir looked over at Diocletian as he referenced slapping a pig. Was that a common expression that he had just completely missed or was it something his partner had made up? Or was this his partner having a stroke? Did he need to call a bondulance? Slap this... pig? he repeated, tilting his helmet to the side as he glanced over. That was... interesting.

All right, enough time had probably been spent thinking about that, and it didn't appear his partner was having a stroke, so he decided to keep it moving along. As far as a plan went, Narir was getting sick of stealth. His natural lack of stealth ability seemed to have become even more obvious in recent days, and every mission he went on with Silent Badger only made it all the more obvious. But then, they just didn't have the firepower for a true gunfight... or maybe he should have said they shouldn't try that. The risk was too high.

We have the high ground, he spoke in Mando'a, which means we can push down and come in from the top and gain access to the roof. Between them they had rocket boots and a jetpack, so gaining access to the roof may not have been completely stealthy, but on a building of this size, if they climbed down and jetted the short distance from cliff to roof, they were unlikely to be in too much trouble. It wasn't quiet, but it also wasn't as loud as a gunshot.

With that, Narir set off in that direction, scaling down the pathway to the base of the cliffs and glancing over. A quick scan through his rifle scope revealed little by way of people that would see or hear them. I'll cover you, he said, letting his partner take the first short jump across the gap while Narir took up position with his carbine. @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

“Slap this... pig?” repeated Narir with this helmet tilted, looking at Diocletian. Dio smiled under his helmet and nodded. “Absolutely, slap this pig, get this done, it was a phrase my mentor used on Mandalor.”

Dio knew that the phrase was a little uncommon but not THAT uncommon. Of course, he could have been wrong, Sulla had been more of an outdoorsman than most. Perhaps it was something that those in the north of Keldabe city used more than other places. He certainly didn’t think it would stump his new partner enough to make him hesitate on a mission.

“We have the high ground” , he spoke in Mando'a, “which means we can push down and come in from the top and gain access to the roof,” said Narir.

Dio looked down at the factory once again and noticed the small game trail that led from near their perch to the side of the building. It was probably used by employees that wanted to walk outside for a smoke or a hit of spice on the job. He nodded and gestured to the path down to the building, using it would make their trek easier and much quieter.

After they worked their way down to the wall and to the building, Narir said “Ill cover you.” Narir started scanning the area with his Shreik-Hawk, eye on the scope and providing over watch for Dio to jet-pack up to the roof. Dio checked his equipment once more to ensure that nothing might come loose in his ascent to the roof.

Satisfied that he had the ability to land mostly intact, he activated his jet-pack and soared up to the roof. Landing there he crouched immediately and surveyed his surroundings. Several climate control units were on the roof along with a single access door to the interior. The roof itself was covered with some sort of gravel and completely unoccupied at the time.

Moving quickly, duck walking to cover behind one of the units, he knelt there for two heart beats, listening for an alarm or any shouting. Hearing none he keyed his comm and said “Clear.” He continued to scan the rooftop through the scope on his bowcaster, the last thing they needed was surprises at this point.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

So far, so good, and that alone had Narir on edge. Things just didn't go this smoothly for him, and if they did, it meant that Bad Luck was saving up all its energy to just really beat him over the head all at once. He'd simply ceased to believe that these missions could go smoothly. Still, he'd enjoy it while it lasted, and gave one final sweep over the horizon. There was no sign of others guards at windows, corners, rocks, or other cover around. Good, he thought to himself before pressing the control for his jetboots.

It was barely a jump over and he landed quietly again on the other side, surprisingly gracefully and without issue. There was adequate cover on the rooftop, and that meant Narir could slip behind one of the cooling units before glancing at the door. He'd worked locks like the one on this door before, and he made his way over toward it, opening up the front panel and beginning to strip away at a few of the wires. He didn't actually tell his partner to cover him, but he knew that he would be. Spelling something so simple was just a borderline insult.

In, he said quietly as there was a moment's brief spark and the doors slid open. The first thing he noticed was that it was warmer inside, and he realized that as the sun had set, the temperature had dropped more than he expected. The warmth inside was almost inviting. Let's go, he said, flicking his head toward the interior as he carefully chose each of his steps.

For the moment, there was no one in view, but the sound of heavy machinery hissing and cranking could be heard below. The door seemed to have led them to some sort of catwalk, and it looked like the operations hadn't quite shut down for the day. No doubt they would be soon, but he wondered how long that would be. He glanced at his chrono and decided it would likely be no more than thirty minutes. That still gave them some time to recon and observe patterns and exits in the meantime. @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Diocletian kept watch across the rooftop as he heard Narir’s jump boots ignite below. This was the most vulnerable time, when he partner was soaring through the air with the greatest of ease. No threats appeared and Dio let out an audible sigh of relief. Remaining in cover, he saw Narir land and immediately scurry to cover. The two of them sat for several heart beats before Narir moved once more, making his way to the door inside.

Dio kept watch as Narir sliced the door lock. Just as Narir knew he would watch his back, Dio knew Narir knew the job and would get it done. After a few moments, he heard over the comm, “In” from Narir. Diocletian turned his sweep towards the door just as it silently slid open. Due to the change in temperature between outside and inside, there was an audible whoosh from the opening as the door opened and the temperatures fought for dominance.

The sound from the opening door caused Dio to pause for a second longer, ensuring that there were no alarms or sentries alerted to their presence. “Let's go” said Narir.

Once he was sure they were still clear, he hustled over to the open door. Duckwalking tactically along the way, his eyes were over the sights of his bowcaster as he moved with practiced ease and stealth. Through the doorway and into the building following after Narir and watching their six. After he passed through the door, he closed it behind him to ensure that no one would see the open door on the roof with just a cursory glance.

The door opened onto a catwalk that ran the length of the building. The factory proper was beneath the pair and Dio scanned the still working machinery for signs of life. He spotted several workers still working below them, but none appeared to be alerted to their presence as yet. Dio set up a faux perimeter on the catwalk, searching the area below for guards but he could not spot any immediately. He was starting to get that funny feeling in his bones and he didn’t like it.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Sooner or later the Mandalorians were going to find the trouble, but he was hoping that before that happened, they might be able to wreck this factory. But first, they had some time on their hands. The pair had about 30 minutes to kill, so Narir did an odd thing: he walked to one of the foreman offices directly along the catwalk, opened the door without turning on the light, and sat down in one of the chairs.

The room gave him a full view of the rest of the catwalk and approaches as well as protection from view to those below when he sat far enough back in the room. His eyes scanned the surrounding walkways for signs of movement or people approaching and he kept watch with his carbine draped across his lap.

So, Diocletian... tell me a little about yourself, he said, smiling under his armor. The absurdity of the situation was laughable. They were in the middle of a dangerous assignment, and Narir was going to sit down and chat as if they were drinking coffee at a StarCred. He was totally unfazed by their surrounding.

The pair was merely waiting now for the rest of the factory to empty, and if - or when - they were found, Narir felt confident the two of them could deal with the situation accordingly. But Narir was curious about the fellow Clan member. They were all people he knew of, but that didn't mean he had spent much time around them at all. While their families may have met at events, it was amazing how insulated many of the individual families were. @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Diocletian stood on the catwalk, the bowcaster in his hands moving back and forth in search of targets among the workers below. These people were working, blissfully ignorant of the death that stood above them should they have the bad luck to luck up. Looking over to check his partner, he noticed the other Mandalorian enter the forman’s office. Unsure what was going on, he followed Narir, entering the office and clearing it behind him.

Upon sighting that the office was indeed clear he turned around to see Narir taking a seat in the foreman’s chair. Well I suppose they did have time to kill, it was a little unorthodox but what wasn’t about Clan Solus. Taking a few minutes to collect themselves from the stress of the factory entry would be good for them. Dio leaned against the wall of the office and relaxed just a moment, keeping his bowcaster at the low ready just in case they had missed something.

Narir spoke first, asking Dio to tell him about himself. It certainly was not Dio’s favorite subject, then again, he really didn’t have a favorite subject. Keeping his eyes on the immediate area outside the office through the windows he started to speak. “I am not sure what you want to know al’verde. I am Mandalor born, adopted into the clan as my mother was clan less. I have no idea who my father was or might have been. My mentor was Sulla Solus, he took me from my mother for my training. I am married and have two children, one of them a son who will start his training in two years.”

After a moment he continued, “I have a small repair shop on Nar Shaddaa that I use to feed my family. There are few credits in fighting a war it seems.” He paused to consider that for a moment, going quiet and thoughtful before asking, “And you?” He turned to look over at the seated Mandalorian. He had realized that he knew about as much about Narir as Narir knew about him, which was next to nothing.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir listened attentively to the other man's story. The Badgers had gone through so many different things to wind up where they were, but each of them Narir trusted with his life. It was surprising to find out all the things that others had gone through on their way. Narir didn't know that his partner had a family and kids. He didn't know he owned a shop on Nar Shaddaa.

My mother was a Veren and my father was a Solus, but I grew up a badger. When my father was killed, Solus took us in, he said. The Veren side was where he got all that nasty luck and the terrible stealth skills. Bounty hunting and contract work has always kept me "gainfully employed." But I don't have a family to care for, he said. The more he thought about it, the more he considered how hard this had to be with a family. Did he struggle with worrying about his family? Did they worry about him? His father had done it, and he never came home.

How's your family doing? he asked. Of course the Mandalorians were a different breed. To die in combat was an honor. I'm sure they get nervous with you out here, he said, but before he could say much more, the lights in the building went lower. Only the backup lights still sent a small glow to cut through the darkness. It seemed the workers were done for the night, and when the mice were away, the cats could play.

I think that's our cue, he said, pushing up from his chair and moving slowly toward the foreman's door. There wasn't any sign of anyone outside, which gave them free reign to wreck the building as they saw fit. Ideas on how to mess this place up? he asked. Perhaps detonating the reactor if they could manage to ensure no one was in here. Narir certainly didn't want to slaughter civilians. @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Continuing to look out across the catwalks in the building, really feeling like any minute the other shoe might drop, Diocletian listened to Narir’s own story. He realized that just as no one had really asked his story, neither had he taken the time to ask them there. Perhaps it was the old soldier syndrome, where you didn’t want to know too much about someone who might die tomorrow. But that was not his excuse, he really had none, he had just never considered asking.

He could not help but feel a tang of envy when Narir explained he had been born a badger. That was something that Dio could not claim. He had been adopted into the clan. Now no one had ever made him feel anything but 100 % welcome, but there was still that little voice that nagged occasionally. He would never be a real Solus blah blah blah. Dio usually found that voice could not survive copious amounts of alcohol and would shut it up promptly.

Narir asked Dio the inevitable question about his family and how they were doing. Dio raised his head as if looking up at the stars, trying to imagine what they might be doing at that particular moment. He replied, “They are well. My wife is of Clan Solus, born to it like you. She works for the Planetary Defense Force, so she can stay at home with the children. I try to get there as often as possible, but she fully supports our mission here and understands my patriotism and need to be involved.”

The lights did indeed dim at that point and that brought Dio up from the wall to stand straight and scan the dimly lit catwalk. Seeing no threats, he nodded to Narir as he declared that their cue to get started. He considered their task for a moment before saying, “Lots of machinery down there, it obviously needs fuel of some type. Perhaps we can blow the fuel? That should put them out of commission for a good while as the rebuild.”

With that he moved to the window and started looking down into the factory proper, hoping to see some sort of fuel dump or tank.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Dice​

The idea was about as good as any that Narir had. They could take the fuel out and it would take out half the factory. This was right about where he was glad that the place was empty. The detonation would be fairly spectacular. Let's do it, he said with a nod. There was a hint of excitement in his tone as he said it. He liked doing this type of thing, and as silly as it might have been, he enjoyed explosions. Simple and absurd.

He headed across the upper ramp, slipping down the stairs and to the ground floor. He heard the quiet sound of a few guards talking as they finished up their rounds. From the sound of it, one was having marital problems while the other was unhappy about being stuck working nights. Neither seemed to expect trouble, and neither noticed Narir as he slipped deeper into the shadows.

The men wandered off and Narir motioned to move forward. Good stuff, he said as he came to a room marked as the reactor chamber. Cover me, he told Dio as he moved inside. It was a complicated system and would likely take him a few minutes, but he should be able to manage to override the reactor's fuel. @Critas

 

[Diocletian Solus]

Diocletian was also happy that the factory would be empty when they started their impromptu fireworks display. He did not want to get chewed out again my Raz alor and really the people in the factory had done nothing wrong. It was not their fault that their boss supplied the wrong side with supplies. They were just there to try and make a living and go home to their families. He heard Narir confirm his plan and nodded, heading towards the reactor chamber behind Narir.

Heading downstairs, they made their way through the factory. They only had to pause once for a guard patrol. Narir and Dio listened to the men talk about their problems from the darkness. Dio hoped the men would get clear before the blast, he understood always being away and missing family, truly he did. He felt a little pang of regret at the thought but pushed it back down inside, no place for it on a mission.

After the men had moved on, Dio and Narir made their way to the room marked reactor chamber. Nodding to Narir he moved to cover the other Mandalorian as moved inside the room. Dio set up station and squatted in a shadow, listening more than watching for any one approaching the room. He knew Narir would be working on overloading the system, he just hoped that fate would smile upon them and it would not be too complicated.

Squatting in the shadow of a large piece of industrial equipment, Dio watched the factory for any sign of alarm as Narir worked. He knew that there were fail safes built into those reactors and hoped that none of them had a secondary monitor in the guard’s station. If it did, this could get real interesting real fast.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir was glad that the pair of Mandalorians had avoided the worst of what could have been here today. Even the guards that were here, Narir wasn't sure they were actually Imperials. More likely just a private security hired by the factory.

He knew he could trust his partner to cover him as he tapped at the console, letting small symbols flash up on the console as he isolated the particular systems he was looking for. It took several minutes, but no one seemed to interrupt the two of them even now.

Almost there, he said quietly as he metaphorically pulled onto the home stretch. He would be done... at any... moment... and there it was! He tapped the final icon and the reactor's main control console began to flash a warning sign. Impending deterioration. Just what the two Mandalorians were looking for.

We need to go, he said, knowing they had only minutes before this reactor detonated and took most of the facility with it. He fired his blaster into the console and abandoned all stealth. That would ensure no one reversed what he did, and he made for the exit with haste, pulling the fire alarm as he left. It might not do anything, but it might make the guards clear out or any remaining personnel.

He checked back to make sure his partner was with him before activating his jetboots and letting them carry him away to safety and their waiting speeder. Good work, let's watch the fireworks, he said, pausing for only a few moments as the facility detonated in a spectacular flash of light. And just like that, the Empire became weaker still.

//Exit @Critas