And Those Other Places

[Narir Solus]

Bilbringi was one of those places that you didn't know what it was until you heard someone mention it. Like you, right now, looking up what it is. Well, Narir didn't really know what it was either until one of his fellow Badgers had told him about it, and poof here he was. He had been here a week and could still barely keep himself from pronouncing it "Bilibringi" for one reason or another.

But this was where Imperials had made one of their shipyards, so it was where there were now Badgers. The great and terrible thing about the Empire from a tactical perspective was that it was huge, which made it all but impossible for your enemies to predict where you would appear next. That was one of the things that Narir was taking full advantage of. Sure, they'd face some minor resistance, but nothing like an ambush. The enemy couldn't predict where they would be because even Narir hadn't known until... very recently.

Their target was one of the Imperial-specific manufacturing centers. It produced nothing but parts for Imperial ships. The Empire had a lot of resources, but losing their manufacturers - even for a behemoth their size - would eventually start to hurt if they didn't get their heads screwed on. Narir was counting on it hurting. These were major - or at least semi-major - military targets, and they were being lost one by one. @Lucid @Painus

 

[Daniel Solus (old)]

Daniel didn't like Bilbringi. He couldn't pronounce the name and he didn't like the fact that it was basically just glorified rocks with a bunch of industry stuff crammed in between. Somehow though, the system was bustling. It was a dreary place and didn't really capture Daniels attention, though the mission they were on, did. An extension of his plan to attack the Kuat Drive Yards, his fellows had decided to go attack the supply chain after hearing about the reconstruction efforts put into place at Kuat. He doubted they would be able to strike there again to finish the job for some time, so this was the next best thing.

Having landed on the system's primary world, Bilbringi VII, they received clearance to dock within one of the loading ports under pretense of being a small courier picking up a delayed shipment of high-tension bolts. A small thing, Bilbringi VII was little more than an asteroid. A planetoid at best, there was little, if any atmosphere; to combat this the shipyards had encased their loading areas with environmental containment bubbles.

Landed and changed into inside a shipping container near the access hubs to the interior, Daniel wasn't sure which entrance to take. There were a couple, from the primary loading port tunnel to the factory or through the smaller passages used to maintain power-lines and other infrastructure.

"Any preference?" He asked over their suit comms.

@Painus @Phoenix

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros thought it impressive that the Empire, in all its immense hustle and bustle, was able to ensure that these random asteroid field were capable of housing shipyards and parts manufacturers. Up until a few days prior, he had never even heard of a place called Bilbringi, let alone knew of its strategic importance to the Imperial effort. He honestly thought Narir was playing a joke with him – after mentioning his desire to do something to get the Empire’s attention, Leandros figured he meant something along the lines of large-scale bombing – until his serious attitude about the matter revealed that Bilbringi was no mere childhood nickname. Rather, it was a place deep in the Empire’s little bubble, a target so unexpected that resistance would be highly unlikely.

That is where the Mandalorians thrived. The Empire was simply far, far too big to be able to be scoured in its entirety and cleaned of Mandalorian raiders. Their strength was in their unpredictability, and with the events of Kuat now in the past, they needed to keep up this momentum and continue to hamper Imperial ship-making. This was the long game that they played; take out the shipyards and parts manufacturers, and the Imperial Navy becomes so crippled that it cannot sustain a prolonged conflict. While they damaged Imperial Naval capabilities, the clans were working alongside independent planets in the hopes of utilizing their shipyards to create a fleet of their own.

Having snuck behind enemy lines for the better part of a week, they had time to become familiar with the area. The trio changed in a shipping container, unseen; they were ready to operate and sabotage the Imperials. He peered out from their concealment, considering the options. ”Meh mhi te'habir subr,” he said, looking at the maintenance passages leading towards the primary manufacturing facility, ”mhi dayra'ja etie mata'yr at juha par gaa'tayl ra irud ta'na'oaragr tolase vaal mhi hicayika udes be ibic naritir.”

He brought his head back in and looked at the other two, open for suggestions. They needed to be careful out here; they were a long way from home.

@Phoenix @Lucid

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir slipped a poncho on over most of his gear, obscuring the gear that he was wearing from a distance. It would divert a cursory glance from all but the closest inspection as they moved, and the T-visor... well, if he didn't look directly at anyone, they wouldn't notice. Not to mention that he could merely pull his helmet off and clip it to his belt in more heavily patrolled areas.

There was little by way of actual guard or security personnel, which meant that they could move with relative impunity, especially if they didn't move along the more obvious routes. Agreed, he spoke in Mando'a. The atmospheric bubbles would have their own primary, secondary, and perhaps even tertiary power supply, with everything else feeding off of the other power. Because while you could lose some power, you couldn't lose your atmosphere.

Make for the maintenance tunnels, he said as he made his way out of the ship. They'd docked at one of the less occupied areas, and Narir made for the maintenance tunnels that ran under most of the docking bays. It was a route for getting to the undercarriage of ships that required repairs, and would keep them out of prying eyes.

He located one of the entry hatches without difficulty and opened it, checking that it was clear before hopping down to the area below. He paused to listen for anyone, and heard and saw nothing. We're good, he said before continuing. @Lucid @Painus

 

[Percy Fleck]

“What do you mean it’s jammed?”

“It’s stuck sir, this large cap here is the fuel cap. Should normally turn clockwise half a turn or so, then you can get the fuel line out”.

“You can you mean...” Percy sighed under his breath. He couldn’t believe the man had fetched him down here just for this.

“Yes sir, exactly. But can’t...get..the damn thing to turn!”.

The young Sith watched the pilot struggle in vain, all too aware these were seconds of his life that he would never get back. He’d already been stuck on this rock far longer than planned.

“Well get it open” Percy hissed. What had such trivia got to do with him? Sure, they needed fuel if the transport was going to make it back to the Resolute in a single trip, but raw strength had already failed and he wasn’t going to cut the thing open. Lightsabers and flammable liquids did not get on.

“Can’t you get some help?!” He glanced around the service level in exasperation, noticing three dockworkers disappearing into a hatch.

“You there” he yelled, striding towards them “come here”.

@Phoenix @Lucid @Painus

 

[Daniel Solus (old)]

Daniel kept one arm inside his poncho as they walked, his grip tight on his blaster pistol. The transport hub was loud and busy, that made Daniel jumpy. It didn't help when some guy, a boss by the looks of him yelled and started over to them. Daniel couldn't make out what the man had said, at all, there was a massive industrial cane near by that was screaming and whirring and clicking as it unloaded an equally massive transport. It was so loud that it blocked out most of the other sounds in the transport hub.

Daniel waited, nervous and taught, for the man to approach them. When he was a few meters away, still yelling almost inaudibly...did he want their help with something? Daniel glanced around quickly, the pilot the man had been helping had returned to his task and wasn't looking and there didn't seem to be anyone else near by. In a single fluid motion, without warning or really even a thought, Daniel raised his blaster pistol from within his poncho and fired two bursts clean at the man's chest. At this range there would be little, if anything he could do. Stealth was important to the Mandalorians now, so far from home and without support, that if they wanted to be stealthy, they also had to be deadly.

@Painus @Phoenix @Alhon

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros kept his gear hidden beneath his own poncho, awkwardly adjusting it as he walked. It was weird; hiding their armor, but allowing the most easily-identifiable feature of it to be seen. Granted, it made them look like hired guns protecting the facility or simple atmospheric technicians, but that façade would be ruined the instant they looked anyone head-on.

The trio snuck out of their hiding space and began making their way to the maintenance passages, intent on taking out the power and more. As they moved, however, a shout came from behind. Ready to be discovered, Leandros tensed up, hand immediately gravitating towards his blaster pistol, Dan drew and fired on the man. The overwhelming noise of industrial machinery around them drowning out the sound of the bolts, Leandros drew his own weapon and turned.

Immediately recognizing the man walking towards them as a Sith, he brought his pistol up and fired his own controlled pair of shots at him, aiming for his legs. With the two coming at his chest and the two coming for his legs at such a short range, the chances of him avoiding the attacks were reduced even further. They could not allow for such minor distractions, they had a manufactory to sabotage.

@Phoenix @Lucid @Alhon

 

[Narir Solus]

It seemed that it hadn't taken long for someone to notice their existence. Narir, however, was already in the tunnels by the time the man called out, and didn't stop when his partners engaged with the man. Instead, he hurried on to the next hatch, popping out perhaps 10-15 meters away and behind the Sith. It was a game of whack-a-badger where the badgers shoot back. His rifle was already in his hand and spat out two bolts at the man's back. He wouldn't see them coming, and they would no doubt find purchase with his friend's shots as well.

Gun safety 101 said to always be sure of your target as well as what was beyond, and Narir was. Even if the man preturnaturally dodged shots he couldn't see, the rounds would not hit his partners and would only travel another 10 feet or so and slap against a wall so that they didn't fly across the area and alert everyone. The entire engagement was likely to last only 1-2 seconds with how many shots the Sith was contending with. He must have been suicidal. @Alhon @Lucid @Painus

 

[Percy Fleck]

The men did not respond immediately, seemingly taken up with their own task. Indeed, one of them had already disappeared down the hatch. Was there no one reliable this side of-

A Mandalorian helmet.

Percy had only seconds to react as the second man glanced around, revealing himself by his helm to be a sworn enemy.

The young Sith ducked down to his left as blaster pistols rang out, leaping for cover behind a support pillar, his existing momentum and Force attuned-reflexes working in concert. Two blaster bolts whipped by inches above him, and a couple lower down. One of the latter caught his outstretched leg before he could scrunch behind the pillar, and he cursed in pain, popping a smoke grenade in desperation as two more bolts lanced past from behind him. How many of the traitorous dogs were there?!

Percy put his back to the pillar and ignited his crimson blade, holding it defensively across his crouched body. His lower right calf burned, the shot having seared through the fabric of his robes and left a glancing wound that would become all the more debilitating as each minute went by.

“Mandalorians!” he shouted at the top his voice, hoping his pilot or someone on the upper level would have the sense to raise the alarm.

He peered ahead through the gathering smoke, breathing hard, all too aware he faced two men behind him and at least one ahead. The Sith’s transport was only half the distance between him and the rear attackers though, which made his way forward clear; he had to reach the ship and get clear of this deathtrap.

@Lucid @Painus @Phoenix

 

[Daniel Solus (old)]

Daniel had been a second too late.

The man, a Sith, it turned out, noticed their helmets and with unnatural speed dived out of the way. One of Leandros' bolts catching him in the shin as he vanished behind a pillar. In his wake a smoke grenade rolled across the ground. There was a moment of stillness, the eerie red glow from the Sith's ignited saber reflecting in the juvinile smoke.

The man moved too soon, the light from his saber telegraphing his direction and Daniel chased after. There had not yet been time enough for the smoke to collect and start billowing. The sith was running for his ship, his pilot looking up and frozen in surprise at seeing his master run towards him with his weapon out. Daniel saw the Sith's mouth move as he shouted something, but nobody would hear him over the roar of industry around them. Smoke too was a common enough occurrence in the hangar full of dilapidated old equipment.

The man was nearly at his ship when Daniel manged to put himself squarely behind him. Daniel stood stalk still blaster raised as he took careful aim and fired one shot at the Sith. The bolt closed the distance between the two in a fraction of a second before plowing clean through the wrist of the hand that the Sith was holding his saber in. The hand and saber went flying, throwing the man off balance and into the side of his ship.

Daniel chased after again, throwing his armored weight against the Sith and pinning him to the durasteel bulk of the ship.

"Leave now and you can escape with your pathetic life. It will be the second life of a Sith that I spared because it would sully my weapons to take your worthless life. Do nothing, take your ship. Our mission does not concern you. You have this once chance." Daniel hissed in basic.

Confident in a man who had already displayed the cowardice to run would not disobey such a threat, he let him go and charged at the pilot. He grabbed the other man and threw him in the direction of the Sith.

"Go take care of your master. The smoke was from a mechanical error in the tunnels and workers have responded." he stared into the man's face with his expressionless t-visor. The pilot could only give a meek nod before scurrying off to help the handless Sith aboard the ship.

Daniel stooped to retrieve the lightsaber that the Sith had dropped before vanishing into the maintenance tunnels with Narir and Leandros.

@Painus @Phoenix @Alhon

see OOC thread for this thread for details regarding this post

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir was out of the tunnel a moment later, tracking the Sith and preparing to fire when Daniel managed to take the Sith's hand off. He wanted to run in at the man and hunt him down or fight him, but he suppressed that urge, holding back and scanning their surroundings for further enemies. He wanted to find any sign of them if they were there. It was possible someone had heard over the roar of the machinery, or grown curious about the smoke, or noticed the abrupt flashes of light.

If there were reinforcements, Narir was going to find them first. But there didn't seem to be anything. There was no one else who noticed apart from who his partners were dealing with. He was a bit surprised when the other pair of Mandalorians let the Sith run away. How was that possible? He supposed leaving a dead body around wasn't good, but perhaps there was something to be gained here. Maybe good publicity? Was that a thing? He figured no one would ever find out it happened. But then, that seemed to be very Daniel. Narir got the impression he didn't like killing all that much, but perhaps he was wrong.

We need to move before someone finds out, he said, pointing out the obvious and waiting to see if there was any further soldiers coming out of the wood work. @Lucid @alhol @Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros watched the Sith cower behind cover far faster than their bolts could travel, only taking a minor wound in the process. Within moments, he threw a smoke grenade and attempted to flee, though his timing was horribly-off and his presence was rather telegraphed. Dan chased him through the burgeoning smoke, blasting the man’s hand off. The last thing Leandros saw before the smoke obscured his vision too much was that Dan had tackled the man, presumably to execute him.

Blaster still drawn, Leandros spun around, hastily looking to see if anyone had noticed their attack. So far, the commotion went unnoticed and their attempts on the Sith’s life had been ignored. This was good; they needed to get out of the immediate area and begin moving towards the power supply, their true objective. Deftly holstering his pistol, Leandros adjusted his poncho and made his way towards the maintenance hatch Narir had gone into, eager to get on with it. ”Let’s move!” he hissed into his internal comms. The longer they stayed in one area, the higher the likelihood they would be discovered. The clock was ticking and he would like to get off Bilbringi rather soon.

@Phoenix @Lucid @Alhon

 

[Percy Fleck]

Percy’s leg was on fire, the cauterised wound screaming in the open air. The pain pulsed through the young Sith’s body, making him feel both nauseous and strong at the same time. It was an impossible combination; a straining of half-forgotten Sith training beneath too much neglect and decadence. He hadn’t fought for his life in a long time and it showed.

In the haze, Percy couldn’t find the clarity to harness his pain and make it his strength. Instead, he would run. The meathead Mandalorians had him on the back foot. Without time and a clear head, his talents were no use against them.

He forced himself to his feet and charged ahead, relying on the gathering smoke and his remaining wits to see him safely to the transport. He would get clear and regroup. Then the ingrates would be sorry.

A sudden force threw him sideways midstride, knocking him into the hull of the ship. His crimson blade evaporated and he reached furiously to reignite it. What was happening-

He saw it then, but his eyes didn’t want to see. Didn’t want to accept. His hand. His hand was-

An armoured attacker barrelled into him like a freight train, pinning him against the side of the transport. Percy couldn’t process what to do first, green eyes flicking wildly from the t-visor in his face to the terror of his right arm. No. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

"Leave now and you can escape with your pathetic life. It will be the second life of a Sith that I spared because it would sully my weapons to take your worthless life”

A part of Percy heard every word, crying out in distress as they were etched there and then in his memory. His enemy’s hands held him fast, but something more terrible still was bearing down on him, a horror he was just beginning to feel. True pain was coming. An agony unlike anything he’d known.

The Mandalorian dropped him to the ground like a discarded urchin, shock and adrenalin the only things holding him up. Percy staggered, cursing through gritted teeth as the useless pilot pushed him backwards into the ship. No. It was not ending this way. He would take them all. Take them and turn their minds inside out. They would see. They would see.

But a red wave of agony rose before him, and Percy Fleck saw nothing but torment.

@Lucid @Phoenix @Painus

 

[Narir Solus]

There was no sign of someone else coming to help their downed man. That was perfect. Narir counted the beats in his head as his carbine scanned the surroundings. The crew working the hangar wasn't even visible from here, and no one seemed to be coming to investigate what had happened. In fact, if there was going to be conflict, that was about as smooth of a process as he could have asked for.

Agreed, he said, dropping back into the tunnel and making sure his partners followed before making his way forward. The tunnels dumped them shortly thereafter at precisely where he wanted to go: the reactor generator for the power and communication system.

If we overload the reactor, we can cripple their production systems, power, and communication, he said. In essence, everything in the facility except the atmospheric regulator was controlled by the main power generators. If they could force those into meltdown, it could be weeks at least before the facility was back up to producing at full power. Anyone have an idea for getting inside? he asked, looking at the door.

There were only two guards outside, so in theory, the three of them could execute on the pair quickly. Narir was fairly confident in his ability to bypass the regulatory system, and no doubt the guards out front would have access cards to the internals. They just needed to move quickly. Time was against them now. @Lucid @Painus

 

[Daniel Solus (old)]

"Yes," Daniel said, he had rejoined the group and followed them through the tunnels after dealing with the Sith. He proudly wore his new lightsaber on his belt. He hadn't had the guts to actually try it out yet though and, tempting though it was, this was not the time to do such a thing.

Without warning or preamble to his partners, Daniel stepped out of hiding, blaster drawn and fired two shots, one at the face of each guard. They went down before they knew what hit them. "C'mon guys," Daniel hissed as he scampered up to the downed guards and started rifling through pockets. After a couple moments he found what he needed; the access key to the doors. The console was on the far side so he trudged over only to discover that it needed palm print-ID as well.

With a disgusted huff, the trudged back to the dead guard he had lifted the key from and dragged him by the wrist over to the reader. He swiped the card and slammed the dead man's hand down on the plate. There was a moment then the pad flashed green and the door slid open. Staying to the side, he pulled a mirror from his pocket and stuck it around the frame, looking both directions. He saw nothing but more steel grating and pipes. He waved his partners through.

They were in.

@Painus @Phoenix

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros moved through the cramped maintenance tunnels, rifle in hand. He swapped his pistol for the heavier weapon once it was certain that they were going to be moving quickly, so he needed the extra firepower it offered. They stalked the tunnels with haste, arriving exactly where they intended to go: the reactor systems. Primary power systems like this were the heart of entire facilities, and Leandros had no doubt that this was the case here as well.

Narir halted and Leandros followed suit, keeping an eye behind them as he covered the rear. So far, there were no signs that they were being followed. Dan, without warning, ran out of the tunnel, firing at and killing the two guards for the reactor without resistance. Leandros stepped out after him, sweeping his rifle across the hall to ensure that they were still unnoticed. Once satisfied, he moved forward, rifle raised, into the power system room.

Enormous tubes and pipes filled with all manner of corrosive liquids, noxious gasses, and thick cables traced the walls and ceiling around them like nerves, zig-zagging every which way as they supplied the station with precious power. Leandros led the group this time, rifle raised in the event of internal guards or workers. His heavy boots clanged against the metal grating beneath him and in the distance, he heard the loud whirr of machinery, presumably the reactors. After several meters of movement, the internal hall opened to a massive reactor room. There were more of the tubes and pipes in here, supplying coolant and other necessities to ensure the system operated optimally.

Surprisingly, there were few workers present. They worked in shifts, and the previous one must have just left, meaning the next shift of reactor technicians was due any moment now. With little time to spare, Leandros looked at his comrades, unclipping a frag grenade. ”Va jate ti solegot, bid Ni cuyir slanar at ctuba bic katkta va ebin be gar kar'taylir biai at liser kat ibic kebise atiu.”

@Phoenix @Lucid

 

[Narir Solus]

Well that was one way to get things done. The two soldiers standing guard were dead within a moment, and the Mandalorians had a clear path to the generator. Dan picked through their pockets quickly and came up with a keycard shortly thereafter, shoving it into the control and letting the lights turn green. They were in. Narir was having trouble believing that they had actually managed to make it this far, but that was just testament to the Empire's insufficiency despite its size. It was a bulbous monster that had grown too large to sustain itself.

The control room was clear, and Narir let his rifle fall to its sling. He was just preparing to tap into the computer when he heard Leandros say that he was going to blow it up. Wait, wait, wait, he said, sticking out his hands and waving them with urgency. He was fairly sure he could make something happen here without having to blow it up... or at least not yet.

Just buy me a minute, he said, tapping at the console. The system was a bit more complicated than he was expecting. He had to click through several systems before he found what he was looking for. Almost there, he said... there were several more taps and then reached under the console and ripped out a chunk of wires. Warning symbols flashed on the screen and Narir let out a devilish cackle of satisfaction.

Niice, he said as he stepped back. Go for it, he said, motioning to Leandros and his grenade. The detonation should make it all but impossible to undo the work Narir had done and they would have to completely rebuild the generators for the facility after it was all said and done. Any trouble? he asked Dan, hoping there was no sign of anyone else coming their way yet. @Painus @Lucid

 

[Daniel Solus (old)]

"Nope, all clear." Daniel's reply was quick and sure. He wanted to be out of here before anymore enterprising Sith decided to get in the way. "Let's get out of here."

As they turned to run out of the control room, Leandros chucked his grenade. It landed on the control console and they didn't spare it a second look. It exploded just as they passed the outer doors at flat run. Immediately there were warning lights flashing but no sirens or other indication that the control room had been tampered with. A screen caught Daniel's eye as the trip slipped back into the tunnels. He paused for a second to glance at it. It was a readout of the reactor core shielding. It was falling rapidly; they didn't have much to get out of here.

Daniel ran after his fellows as they navigated the tunnels back to the primary loading area they had come in through. It took a few minutes but was much faster than he had expected now that they weren't as concerned with stealth. They were operating over a shift change now and the areas were less populated. Quickly they came to the entrance hatch they had used originally and the three piled out, throwing their ponchos back over their armor and heading quickly for their transport.

They signaled the droid pilot to take off the second they were on board. Daniel headed for one of the viewports in the main crew area to watch as they undocked form the loading area and into local space around the planetoid. His mind flashed back to Kuat for a second. It was scarily similar. Hopefully this time there would be fewer deaths. Their attack had been much more targeted and direct this time around.

It was only a few moments before the planetoid had shrunk to the size of Daniel in the viewport; as he watched there was a flash form within the main complex. It wasn't exactly an explosion but it had more than enough effect. The entire installation went dark as the reactors overloaded their shielding and flashed out existence. Little by little backup generators kicked in and some lights began to shine from the larger areas but it was only for show. Backup would keep life-support and other critical functions going however without primary reactors it would be a long time before Bilbringi would be able to produce anything at all.

Just like Kuat, it was all over in a second and Daniel was left staring at the whitness of hyperspace as the ship jumped out of system and home.

//Thread.