Open Evacuation of Utapau

Bast Emblai

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Inhuman screeches echoed in the small room and hall as the Pau’ans fell upon the women. Rylee managed to pick off four before she was overwhelmed. Firing her pistol twice into the surging, hissing, spitting mob, Bast blindly hit a smaller infected. The thing hit the ground with a wet thud, being paid no heed by any of the other mindless beings. It was clear these ones were past any sort of logic or fear. They were no longer fighting the urge to attack or cling to humanity. The people inside the husks were already very much dead.

Five left. If it hadn’t been for her training, she would have frozen. Close-quarters combat scared the Lieutenant because while the blaster leveled the field, and she was strong, others were stronger and faster. She could fight hard, but mindless creatures with no inhibition could fight harder. Elbowing back an extended sinewy arm, she reached to activate her comm.

“This is Emblai-“ Rylee was down, fighting off as many as she could. Bast grabbed around one of the infected and pulled as hard as she could to throw it off balance, frantically glancing around the room for a make-shift weapon. Several pieces of broken glass glistened on the floor. The pau’an did not budge, it’s large body immovable as a wall. “We need back-up, if possible…” Another infected detached its claw-like fingers from the former soldier’s arm and latched onto Bast, throwing its head forward like a striking serpent. She kicked, aiming for the chest to put some distance between them, but the bite landed anyway, only barely glancing off her breastplate.

Falling back, Bast hit the wall hard, the infected landing atop her. She rolled, coughing, trying to avoid the hands and mouth. Her armor was by no means full coverage, and only a tactical suit protected skin from nails and teeth. A gloved fist collided with the underside of the infected’s jaw, knocking it back enough for the woman to jump up and grab a hefty shard.
“Rylee, you still with me?”

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Rhax ra

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Rhax’ra glanced over to Lieutenant Vekt as he stepped in, speaking up, after the Utapuan took back his makeshift weapon. The Tusken Raider had no idea what the Utapuan was saying at the beginning but figured it has something to do about her due to the being pointing a finger at her. Unlike a Tusken though she didn't jump to her own defense or draw any quick conclusions as to what was said. So the female Tusken remained silent.

She silently watched the two exchange words. Naturally from the Utapuan's brief stunned silence accompanied by his shocked expression she caught onto that the two's conversation has moved onto the evacuation that is taking place. The Tusken felt pity. With them being lovked up tight, and well away from any landing areas how could he have known there is an evacuation taking place? Unless there is some sort of communication with others locked up somewhere the truth is that the Utapuan and, if there are, others wouldn't have known. Even if they did, judging by his makeshift weapon, they wouldn't have been able to make it to the ships anyways. Unless they have better weapons stored away.

After the conversation the two had the trio were then led by their new guide. Rhax'ra walked behind Velt. Watching her footsteps as well as their surroundings. Despite how deep they were getting into the Smelter the Tusken didn't let her guard drop at all.

It was when they got through the second door that they will learn how large of a group there is. Rhax'ra counted at least thirty beings in the cramped space. Well to her it looked cramped with everyone coming into view. She noticed that Dusty had left her and Corran though. But her eyes were drawn to the children that were huddled together. Rhax'ra walked over to them, offering them both of her water canteens. Which were eagerly taken. The Tusjen looked around at the group as she mentally went through the route they took to get to the Smelter, "I don't think we can take the route we took to get here to get back to the ships. It maybe crawling with infected." She told the Lieutenant as she walked back over to him, "Is this facility multiple levels?" She asked, " If it is we could use it as cover from the infected as much as possible as we get to a higher level then make a break for a landing pad at a higher level." She suggested. While she is unsure of the civilians being able to understand what she is saying the Tusken knew that the man can.

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Corran Velt

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Despite the survival situation the pair of rangers had just escaped through, Rhax'ra was instinctively quick to humanitarian efforts. Corran slung his rifle over his shoulder and saw the Tusken offer water to a tiny group of children. Considering her people were desert-dwellers, this was a kindness greater than most understood. Under his helmet, the blond ranger grinned. The denizens of the galaxy assumed Sector Rangers were either indifferent gunslingers or annoying beat cops. They had a softer side too, as the Tusken selflessly displayed.

That very same Tusken might have been caring, but she also made good points about their evacuation chances. The courtyard the trio of Rangers had come from was a blasted battlefield at best. Likely that noise had drawn others and their Blackwell air support might still be blasting them to shreds out there, but that was pretty dangerous for civilians to sprint through. Corran's eyes looked downward and off to the left in thought. This never was going to be a simple snatch-and-grab, was it? He raised his gaze to Rhax'ra and shrugged before replying back in Huttese,"I donno. The layout of the building has changed so much. Even droid scans couldn't tell us what's been altered by the survivors or decay."

Just then, the same Utapaun who led them there returned with an ethereal looking woman. She was tall, like all Pau'an, with curved, long fangs. She bowed humble before interlacing her fingers. "I am Ulra, Watcher of this commune. You are Lieutenant Velt and Ranger Rhax'ra?" Corran nodded in greeting, "That's correct. We are here to get you and your people out of here safely and off world. I think the courtyard is too dangerous to go that way." Ulra nodded once, slowly, as if she already knew that. "Is there another way out of here?"

The towering Utapaun looked to the fellow survivor at her shoulder. The two spoke in a single look. Her black eyes swiveled back to the two aliens of their world. "There is another way. One we used to sneak out in the daylight to forage for supplies or other survivors. At the top of the smelter, there is a maintenance outlook. From there we used tethers to glide to adjacent rooftops. They cannot hold many and there is no ability to return except for the ground level." Corran observed the features of the tall alien woman for a moment, taking in all that had been said. Being an officer, he had to think strategically. In their current predicament, there wasn't a lot of good options. The Sector Rangers would have to provide security on either end of the tether or gamble it all to guard one or two rooftops below. Darmus had taught him to think beyond the iron sights of a blaster and he began to pace in front of the survivors and Rhax'ra both.

A sudden idea dawned on Lieutenant Velt's face so obvious it might as well have been a light bulb above his head. He turned on Ulra, "Is the forge still operable? Can it be tipped over?" The Pau'an tilted her head in uncertainty. "Yes, but we use the metal for our tools, weapons, and protection. Our survival." The blond ranger snapped his fingers, but no sound erupted due to his gloves. "You won't be needing it anymore if we are leaving. I got an idea."

He motioned towards Ulra and his fellow Tusken ranger, speaking to both in Basic and Huttese respectively, "We get the survivors to the outlook. You take the tethers down to one roof. You'll need time, so we lure in the infected into the base of the smelter, then once they are crowded in, we tip the forge over. Incinerating them." The Utapuan was plainly skeptical. She unlaced her fingers and lifted a hand in small protest. "You mean to do this with only two of you?" Corran shook his head, "No. We'll get more."

Two fingers pressed to Lieutenant Velt's commlink, "Clane? It's Velt. We are gonna need some manpower. Can you bring Lieutenant Bast and Ranger Suchi to the smelter? Over."

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Dusty Desperado

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It wasn't the sitrep that Dusty had hoped for, but.. it was something. The Ranger would sprint through the halls, using his body to break down barricaded doors until he came sliding into a room with three infected. Each of them would turn their predatory gazes on the ranger before running forward.

"Ahhh kriff..." he cursed. "You just had to do it.." He would roll to the side, flicking a dagger into the head of the closest infected before checking his holomap. The pings for Ranger Suchi and Lt. Bast were almost on top of him. Or was he on top of them? Only one way to truly find out. He'd activate his comm. "LT. Clear the windows!" He'd shout as he leapt through the windows of his floor.

When Velt's comm came through, he was already going through the window and the sound would come over the comms as Clane responded. "Working on it, L.T!" he would yell over the noise of shattering glass and howling infected. This was presently something he wasn't sure why he was doing. He wasn't a hero, he didn't have a death wish, but gods above, this would probably be the best maneuver he ever pulled off. He heard the cries as the two infected leapt after him and with a quick glance back he lifted his arm and fired his repulsor. With no way to ground himself, the force would fire him backwards through the glass of the floor below. Two infected would splat on the ground before robbed of their manwich.

Glass... hurt. He couldn't possibly comprehend how Lt. Velt was such a master of doing it but hopefully this was one for the books. 'Ranger Clane' would erupt through the glass and collide with several of the infected assaulting Ranger Suchi. The fall was cushioned, almost.. squishy. And though everything really hurt, he didn't have the time to digest the current situation. Pulling his gaderffi stick free, he would roll off the pile of infected, shoving them back with a crosscheck for clearance before turning to drive the pointy side into the skull of the remaining infected attacking the Pantoran.

One down, two knocked prone, and Suchi clear. Hopefully he was earning his keep. "Nice job so far ladies, let's take out the rest of the trash."

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Rylee Asuchi

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Bast had managed to divert some of the attention from the infected towards her. Two of the undead beings were focused on the lieutenant now, but this left the four that were ravenously clawing and biting away at Rylee. The trooper armour she had borrowed from the Lighthouse armory was doing a stellar job of keeping her safe for now but if the zombies managed to render it from her body she would be exposed to getting infected herself. The former soldier strained and grunted, wrestling her foe, flailing her legs to try and kick them off her but it was no use. She couldn't even swipe at them with her fusion cutter.

Relief only came when something unexpected happened. Ranger Clane burst through a glass window in the corridor right next to where Rylee was struggling against the infected. He landed right on top of the group of zombies that were trying rip her to pieces, but this only served to crush the Pantoran underneath additional weight. "What the fuck?!" she shrieked, not really knowing what was going on, simply reacting to being squashed. Clane rose to his feet and used his gaffi stick to ward off three of the four zombies attacking her before sticking the final one in the side of it's skull with the pointy end. "Nice job so far ladies, let's take out the rest of the trash."

"Clane you son of a bitch, if I wasn't happy to see you I'd throw you through another one of those windows right about now" she growled, clambering to her feet, reading her fusion cutter for the remaining infected, "Next time you make an entrance try not to crush me to death!" The Pantoran then ran forward, tossing her knife up just enough to catch it blade side down, before using the momentum to slash in an arc across the three infected left in front of her. They reeled back hissing, but simply cutting their undead skin would not put them down. Flipping her blade back the normal way, she stuck the middle zombie in the chest multiple times before withdrawing her knife. The infected to her left then went to bite her gauntlet but she caught it. As it chomped down on the wrist guard, she plunged her cutter into the back of its skull, killing it. Then as the third and final zombie went for her, she dragged the dead infected still attached to her arm across, using the weight of the swing to collide it into the last zombie. The force of it knocked the remaining infected into the wall and dislodged the corpse from Rylee's arm. As the last undead Utai began to stand, groggy from what had just happened, the Pantoran rammed her knee into the side of it's head, smashing it into the wall. The zombie screamed, but Rylee continued to brutally smash her knee into the undead being's skull until it collapsed, silently and lifeless to the floor with the rest of it's fallen brethren.

Breathing heavily, with a lot of blood now staining her right knee and lower leg, Ranger Asuchi turned to Bast and Clane. "We need to find the survivors, meet up with Velt's team and get out of here. If we attract a horde of these things we're all dead..." she said solemnly.

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Rhax ra

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Rhax’ra listened to Corran as he addressed her about the latout of the smelter. Well if the droids couldn't detect what had been changed through a combination of decay and what the survivors may have done to the place, unless the survivors know the layout, they will have to spend precious time just to find a way out of here. As well as hope that the infected haven't blocked every way out just yet. With the commotion a high number has most likely been drawn to the area if noise from elsewhere hasn't lured them away already. With how deep they are inside it is impossible to hear any noise from outside the building, "Well. Here is to hoping that someone here knows the layout of the place." She was going to say more but they were then joined by the Utapaun and another who introduced herself as Ulra.

Wait the tethers can't hold many? Is that at one time or is the tethering so weak that some in the group will get left behind? She found Ulra's explanation a little vague, "Do you mean can't hold many as in small groups at a time should go across or that the tethering has been weakened.. meaning some may get left behind?" She asked the Pau'an directly. While she wasn't sure if she can speak to Ulra directly the Tusken doesn't necessarily care to check first either. The Tuskens gaze drifted to the survivors as some seem to have gathered in the open.

The Tusken listened to the two of them exchange words with each other. It seemed that the small exchange of words were enough to trigger an idea in the Lieutenant's mind. Rhax’ra noted the size of the smelter. It will take more than the two of them to tip it over. Drawing in the infected is another matter, "Sir. To allow the infected inside the Smelter will mean getting the doors open. To avoid getting over run should we blast them open with our detonators?" She asked after Corran spoke to Dusty. is plan otherwise sounded solid.

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Bast Emblai

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The cavalry had arrived, though not in the mode Bast had expected. No sooner had she heard the orbital socket of the infected she was fighting crack, did glass rain down. Opening her eyes and uncurling from the protective position she had taken, the Lieutenant saw a man land on the pile of chaos that was Rylee and the pauans. There was a small scuffle, but Ranger Clane and Asuchi rose from the debris and corpses. Somehow, Clane had not been torn to ribbons, though some blood did streak his exposed skin.

“Ranger, you did realize there was a window that had been previously broken, yes?” Turning away, she resisted rolling her eyes. It was a valiant effort with the traditional rookie flare. “I am glad to see you though. We can get you patched up in a bit. Unfortunately, come citizens are genuinely injured and need help evacuating.“

Something rose slowly, shakily from the ground. Before it even had a leg under it, the pantoran rammed its head against the wall. Then she did it again. Bast flinched the third time. Rylee had a knife… why didn’t she just… Again. Blood spattered the wall. Again. The glass dug into the lieutenant’s palm but she didn’t feel it. She couldn’t feel anything. She couldn’t breathe. A crushed, bleeding scalp. Red on tile floors. It was so hot. Sweat trickled down her forehead. One of the pirates had spit on her. She tried to wipe the sticky, stringy saliva off, but she was bond. The screaming of the infected stopped. She breathed deeply. Just memories. She could tell herself that all she wanted. Whether it would make a difference was up to a throw of the dice. She cleared her throat.

“Ranger Asuchi. You have been given a weapon. Please use it to dispatch opponents quickly.“ If Rylee looked into Bast’s hazel eyes, however, she would see no anger. Hopefully the younger could forgive the older. “Just down the hall to the left are the survivors.“

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Corran Velt

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Shattering glass and groaning undead replied along with Ranger Clane's shouted reply. Corran visibly recoiled from his comm and blinked at it. What had that man gotten himself into in the short while since they separated? He gave his head a brief shake of disapproval. Ranger Rhax'ra spoke in Huttese to the taller alien, but neither were understood. Lieutenant Velt quickly translated and Ulra nodded sagely in new understanding, "The tethers can only take small groups at one time. Too many and they will break. Otherwise they are quite sturdy." Corran relayed this in Huttese back to his Tusken partner. It was a good question. Knowing what they had to do was important.

Her follow-up question was just as good. Rhax'ra was proving to be quite the tactician. Was that because of her upbringing or unique to her? Corran tapped an armored finger against his transparent helmet in thought. The scout droid report of the outside of the building began to meld with the interior the Rangers saw. If recent memory served, the ground floor was entirely abandoned. It was a workshop before all the equipment had been removed, likely up into the levels the survivors dwelt. Now it was merely duracrete floor and scattered trash. A perfect pen for infected if they could be corralled. "We've have to blast the ground level doors open with something like thermal detonators, yeah," the blond man replied, "or something like them. We wouldn't want to do that until the trap was entirely ready."

Corran turned around and spoke to Ulra in his authoritative voice, "Get your people packed up and ready to leave. Get them up to the maintenance outcropping you mentioned on the roof or have them wait on the highest level. We'll have Rangers up there to escort you when we're ready." Ulra moved a thin, grey hand to speak but hesitated. Staying here felt safe, but even she understood they needed to go. No shelter would survive forever. The Pau'un nodded and drifted away to assemble her commune.

Then came the necessary coordination. An open comm channel to the other Rangers in the nearby area cackled to life, "Lt. Emblai, this is Lt. Velt. We've got a plan to evacuate survivors in relative safety from the smelter works. We are going to draw the infected inside the building and dump smelted metal on top of them. Survivors will then take a tether from a maintenance overhang at the top of the smelter to a roof down below. From there we can get to a landing pad not far and be evacuated. Do you think you can make it to our position?"

Saying it all out loud like that made it sound a little crazy. If nothing else, a little unorthodox for someone like Corran. Desperation was the mother of innovation. He gestured for Rhax'ra to follow him. "Let's go. We've got to start getting the machinery ready and planning where to put the explosives."

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Dusty Desperado

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Clane laughed through the speakers of his helm. "I said clear the windows, Asuchi, gotta get quicker." He would look around at the carnage, before glancing at Bast. "Given I came from a floor above, LT. wasn't a whole lot of time to do window shopping. Had a few hot on my tail. Three hundred meters and up a floor is where Lt. Velt and the survivors are." Clane would correct her. "So far, none of the other Rangers have checked in. Either ISC split or they're dead and nothing from Aran."

The benefits of full body armor, he could just hose the blood right off. Some glass had managed to cut through his gloves but the padding would keep his hands fine for now. Hopefully. He was about to say something else when the Lt. seemed.. off. As if she checked out. He made his way to both women. "You two need any medical before we move on?" It was meant for both of them, but his visor was fixed on Bast.

He would then key in Corran. "L.T, got Asuchi and Emblai. Leave the lower charges to us, we're already a floor down."

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Rylee Asuchi

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Having successfully bashed the last infected's head in, Rylee was given some advice from her superior officer. Looking down at her blood stained right leg, her eyes met the lieutenant's. "Oh, sorry, I just had to get that out of my system... sooner them than me, right?" she said a little sheepishly, despite not getting the impression that Bast was particularly annoyed with her about the incident. The Pantoran ranger listened to Lt. Emblai's directions to the survivors and declined Ranger Clane's offer of medical assistance before making her way down the hall cautiously having collected her weapons. She no longer had her blasters armed, instead opting to wield the blade from her fusion cutter if she came across any more undead.

Having already fended off an onslaught of infected, the journey to the survivors was rather uneventful, but Rylee had taken her time to move quietly so as not to attract any unwanted attention. As they were in the office block as opposed to the main smelting factory, the rooms were mostly comprised of offices or shared spaces where people would have had meetings or even grabbed some hot caf. Rylee discovered the survivors cowering behind a heavily barricaded door that lead to one of the meeting rooms. She had to spend a moment or two trying to convince the people inside that she was not a zombie. "Look, the last I checked, infected people don't talk. They just grunt at you, like this: uuurrrgghhh-- no, I am not a zombie, I'm telling you what they sound like! Honestly..."

When she had finally convinced them that she was a Sector Ranger, here to help them escape the planet, they cleared the door and emerged from the room. Rylee turned back to Bast and Clane and waved them over. "Hey, I've got the survivors. We should be ready to meet up with Velt now. Ranger Clane, how do we reach the others?" she asked.

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Rhax ra

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Rhax’ra was able to tell that the Utapaun wasn't able to understand a word that the Tusken had said. If she had then the female humanoid would have replied right away rather than after Velt had translated what Rhax’ra had said.

Okay so as long as it is in small groups they should be fine. That is a relief to the Tusken. She couldn't wrap her head around the possibility of leaving some behind.

Rhax’ra listened to the Lieutenant explain again to her. Naturally she was thinking though what they could do to get the doors open. Well if they use thermal detonators there is that chance they could bounce away from their target. The Tusken spoke up again, "If we use thermal detonators to blast the doors open we will have to be precise so they don't bounce off the door before they explode. Perhaps we can bind them together into one bundle to be placed and shot to ensure that they explode next to the doors? Unless this lot has an explosive we can use stashed away somewhere?" She mentioned before going silent before Velt addressed the female Utapuan.

At first the Utapuan seemed ready to object but just as quickly changed her mind. The Tusken saw that smidge of hesitation in her body language. Though Rhax’ra couldn't blame her. This llace has been their shelter and source of protection. But it may not last for much longer. If they are going to survive they have to leave now.

She heard Velt, using the open comms, to address everyone then saw him turn towards her as he directly spoke to her. The Tusken Raider nodded, "Let's get going." She hoped that her confident tone expressed how ready she is to get to work as she walked over to the doorway they came through to get to the survivors.

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Kalen Ultor

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Aran had bought him the time and space he needed to start moving the people into and up the building. At the roof they started getting loaded into shuttles, and in a stroke of luck more help showed up. When the two shuttles had filled up and flown off with the first batch of survivors, Kal's comm came alive with a hailing call.

"Ya need any help down there?" Kal looked up to see a battered freighter in the air, and his face split into a wide grin. His mother had said that people were inherently good, and times like these really made him appreciate the woman's wisdom. She was right. "Yeah, we sure do." He sent the ship clearance to dock with the ISC vessel in orbit to drop off the survivors, and routed his other shuttles to come help with the evacuation.

What followed was nothing short of a miracle. Word spread, and one by one ships moved in and out of orbit to ferry out the stranded survivors, and soon enough the roof was empty other than Kal and a few droids. The evacuation was done.

"Aran," he hailed the Ranger as he jumped onto a half filled shuttle, and started scanning the surroundings around the building, "the building is clear. We're coming to scoop your team up, time to go."

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Bast Emblai

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To the Lieutenant’s credit, it only took her a moment to regain composure. “No medical care needed, thanks. Though I may ask Ranger Sevrino for some sweets later.” Thankfully neither ranger remarked any further, though whether it was from pity or understanding was unclear. She would take it. She was getting stronger, whatever the commander thought.

Corran’s message came through the comm link. They were to take the survivors up, ideally not by Clane’s mode of transportation down.
“Copy that, lieutenant. See you in a few.”

Bast followed Rylee down the hall to find her engaging in a very enlightening discussion about the communication of infected. As fascinating as it was to watch the pantoran attempt to express her sentience, they were running out of time. A quick survey of the survivors revealed a teenager, a toddler, and a middle aged man. The man’s leg was braced by a makeshift splint and he sheltered the other two behind him, still unsure. The Lieutenant did her best to look friendly, just in case none of the group spoke basic. “Sir, can you walk?” Then, mimicking a scratching motion, “was anyone bitten?” The teenager shrunk further back.
 

Corran Velt

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Bundling thermal detonators together would have certainly expanded the blast radius of those explosive. Remained to be seen if that would force open the main doors to the smelter. The Tusken was a good throw and close combat specialist, but it seemed like a risk too far. All around the remaining survivors began gathering backpacks, food, clothes, and whatever else could be quickly scavenged. No matter what the Sector Rangers decided to do, On the way out to the main smelt-works, Ranger Clane provided the necessary last-ditch huttball pass they needed. Bom Trady would've been proud. "I read you, Clane. Place the charges on the main doors opposite the smelter. We are going to fry those infected on our way out. Send your survivors to the roof, then we can get out of here." Corran then relayed the change of plans to Rhox'Ra and diverted their path to the smelter controls.

Orange and red light illuminated the walkway as the Human and Tusken duo made their way to the control room that sat above the furnace of melted metals. Blue shields protected the underbelly of the structure and heavily tinted windows protected the eyes of the once-alive engineers. The controls had already been hacked open long ago by the survivors, so all Corran had to do was throw his body-weight into the door frame to wretch it open. Terminals lined the wall near the front viewports. Behind were scatters desks, rummaged through and tipped over. Lights flickered from only a single operational terminal system.

The Lieutenant set down his rifle across the top ledge, within easy reach, and began tapping through the screens. It was fairly simple stuff using the automated systems. Hard part was tricking the system to allow the huge cauldron to tip over, ignoring all safety measures. This would take a minute. Pressing on his commlink, Velt checked up on the second squad, "Let me know when those charges are set and you're clear." They'd only get one shot at this.

A faint beeping blinked from Corran's gauntlet. It was a signal from one of the automated drone barge's above. A drone must have fluttered by and locked onto their signal. Had the final evacuation already started? He pressed down hard on the blinking light. It dimmed to a steady red. That summoned transports to their location. It would be a tight fit, but better than being left behind. "Let's hustle, Rangers," Lieutenant Velt said on the all-comm channel, "We've got transports on the way."

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Dusty Desperado

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Clane would nod to Bast and Rylee. "Take them on up. I'll take care of the doors." Once Asuchi, Emblai and the survivors were on their way to Corran, 'Clane' would activate his comm. "L.T. Emblai and Asuchi are on their way up. Heading to the doors now." He would race through the gangway and hop the railing, the landing after the fifteen foot drop in a three-point landing.

Moments later, he would have the charges placed and ready to go. "Alright, L.T, we're good to g-" the door would suddenly get knocked inwards, the rigged locks starting to snap. "They're about to get through! Pop it!" The next pound against the door would nearly knock it wide up and Clane had already begun to backpedal, his disruptor drawn and at the ready. He was definitely within the radius.

He could feel the LT's reservations over the comms. The silence. "It's okay, L.T. Bring the rain!" The doors would burst wide open as the horde of infected charged forward as Clane hefted his rifle and opened fire. One. Two. Three. It was gonna be a good day, then again.. It always was. He could hear Corran say something over the comms, but it was lost in the resulting blast. He would be thrown backwards, grunting as something hit the side of his neck, and a larger object penetrated his body armor in the midsection.

Looking up, he could see the reddish glow as the vats opened on the smelter and Dusty would struggle to his feet. Seeing a ladder hanging down, he would limp towards it and jump, his boots activating him to carry him the rest of the way. As his torso slammed against the ladder, he felt the sharp metal push deeper. Vision began to blur, but he would slowly pull himself up. Fire and heat would quickly fill the room as the infected who survived being ragdolled were then incinerated in a wave of liquid flame.

Left hand. Right hand. Left hand. Right hand. The body armor was heavy, so heavy. But he didn't have the time to remove it. He could hear shouting overhead. Corran? Maybe. Everything was fuzzy. Everything was blurry. All he knew was that suddenly, hands were on him and pulling him up the rest of the way. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and thats when he felt it, the warmth on his neck. He was bleeding from a wound there, he couldn't tell if it was slow or quick. He just knew that between the fuzziness of his vision, he could see his own blood trailing to the evac. Duracrete, to durasteel. Freedom. He had two painstakingly labored breaths and then the world went black.

/Thread Exit

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Rylee Asuchi

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The Pantoran did not exactly get any answers from Ranger Clane about directions, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She went straight to the man with the makeshift splint on his leg, helping him up so that he could use Rylee as a crutch whilst he hopped on his good leg. The ranger held the arm he draped over her shoulder to keep him steady. Bast would need to escort the toddler and the teenager owing to the newbie having her hands full with the injured man. The Pantoran could not help but watch the little one for a moment anyway, feeling both terribly sorry for the mite but also enthralled by how sweet the child was.

Rylee helped the man hobble towards a set of stairs that would take them all the way up to the roof of the smelt works on one side of the facility. The Pantoran was forced to draw her blaster pistol as they climbed, to ensure that any infected they found on route could be dispatched, however they saw nothing. The only sound that could be heard on their ascent was an explosion, resulting from the detonation of the charges on the smelt works doors below. Any undead that remained would have been drawn in the direction of the noise, and owing to the staircase being on the outer edge of the facility their way remained unimpeded. It was fortunate that, being dead, the citizens had become mindless and would not have the consciousness to know they would need to use a staircase to reach the source of the explosion.

There was plenty of chatter on the comms channel. Lt. Velt and Ranger Clane's voices could be heard, but Rylee pushed on. Her mission was to get these survivors out of there alive, not to rid Utapau of infected. The planet was lost and there was no point waiting around to join the countless others that had died here. "Keep up Lt. Emblai, I want to see that sweet little face leave this planet in one piece. Oh, and the kid is quite cute too" joked Rylee when she stopped to take a breath.

Soon enough they reached the top of the stairs. Rylee got them through the door leading to the roof top by short circuiting the control panel with her fusion cutter, and helped the injured man limp over to the shuttle that had landed there. Blackwell robots could be seen hovering over head, just as they had been on the group's way to the smelt works, keeping the evacuation area free of infected. The rangers manning the shuttle were helping other survivors to board. Rylee ensured the middle aged man got a place to sit and was able to elevate his leg, before attending Bast, assisting her with whatever she needed in order to get the teenager and toddler aboard. Finally, the Pantoran herself climbed onto the shuttle, waiting for Lt. Emblai to join her and for the return of Lt. Velt, Ranger Rax'ra and Ranger Clane. Once they got there, they could finally leave the decimated world of Utapau behind.

/Thread Exit

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Rhax ra

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Rhax’ra nodded as Corran relayed to her the change of plans then followed the man as the Lieutenant diverted their path to the smelter controls. The red and orange glow lit their path for them. It was strange. But the heat she can tolerate with relative ease. Watching Corran throw his weight into the door frame the Tusken was quick to help shove the doorway open enough for the both of them to get through.

Inside the scene was a scene of chaos with items thrown about andeft where they fell. But the Tusken will not focus on taking in the scene as she followed Corran to the screens. While the Lieutenant placed his weapon down the Tusken kept hers in her hands incase the plan happened to go south for whatever reason. For a moment the Tusken watched the screen then to the window as the hoard of infected below were incinerated. Natually she hoped that none of their own was caught up in it.

But there was no time to dwell on it. It's time to go. Which she will relay to Corran as she turned to make her way for the doorway, "Time to go!". To ensure that it will remain open long enough for the Lieutenant to get through she put her weight against the door just long enough for Corran to get through. Spotting a ladder that will take them up to the next landing she quickly shouldered her rifle and made her way up. Pausing briefly at the next to make sure that Corran is still with her.

When at the last landing at the top of the very last ladder Rhax’ra took the time to help Corran up. With a silent nod she made her way over to the transport. Helping a few of the rescued survivors onto the transport before boarding herself.

/exit thread

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Corran Velt

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Plans always turned to ash when they were needed most not to. Lack of maintenance, decay, and the rigors of the infected apocalypses had made the main doors into the smelter weaker than anticipated. A mass of infected ravaging against it was too much. Bolts buckled and metal shrieked as they bent open. Ranger Clane was still within the danger zone. Corran's hand hovered over the button with a slight tremble. If this failed, the building would be consumed by infected and overrun. They'd run out of time and crucial survivors, maybe even other Sector Rangers, would perish. In urgency, yet calm, Clane reassured him. "You are a good Ranger," the lieutenant muttered into the comms before pressing down on the detonator.

Kinetic force erupted from the synchronized explosions. The doors blew apart, blowing up the first wave of infected, but more poured in to replace them. Sound alone from the eruptions drew in more from the courtyard beyond. Corran had to briefly shield his eyes with his forearm from the blast alone. By the time he had blinked his vision back to normal, scores of shambling hosts before had crowded into the lower level. With a grunted pull of levers one after the other, the creaky cauldron holding tons of molten metals began to tip over. A mechanical whine filled the main smelter area as the hulking container flipped forward and flooded the lower level. Some infected were covered in slag and melted immediately. Others caught flame as the red-and-orange goo splashed up to their mid-sections or knees. That was enough. When it all hardened, the way would be blocked anyway.

Tusken barks in Huttese drew Corran's attention away from the unfolding scene. "Oh, right. Thanks Ranger Rhax'ra. We're leaving." With the native from Tatooine holding the door ajar, he was able to climb through after slinging his rifle over his shoulder. On a distant walkway, groups of native Utapauns were evacuating in hurried groups. Two of them were dragging someone, but from the distance and angle, Corran couldn't make them out. Rhax'ra had already climbed a few rungs up on a ladder leading to the roof she found and looked down on her partner expectantly. The blond ranger offered an apologetic wave and began climbing to keep up.

With a welcome hand up from the Tusken, Corran was brought up to the daylight of the smelter's darkened roof. A transport loaded with refugees had already taken off, deftly dodging the cave roof. Lives saved. Truly saved. The usually serious lieutenant offered a brief but glowing smile to the other Sector Rangers on the transport. He took a spot sitting on the edge of the vehicle with his feet dangling off the side but still took the precaution to hook himself into a safety harness. As the last of the survivors boarded the ship, Corran signaled the pilot to lift-off. A dust cloud of ash puffed outward as the engines kicked from hovering to flight. Blackwell drones buzzed about vaporizing a few infected before turning to escort the shuttle.

Steady, sky-blue eyes observed the city down below. The original landing pad they had arrived on was vacant. Smoke and debris littered the city streets. A grey hand patted Lieutenant Velt's shoulder and he turned to see Ulra nodding sagely. All around, from other sinkhole cities, transports lifted upward into the sky. Towards the rag-tag fleet in orbit that would ferry the survivors elsewhere. Below was a dead world, but with a living people. People rescued by the Sector Rangers.

/Exit Thread

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Bast Emblai

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Detonations rumbled as Bast stepped onto the transport. All ships the Rangers had brought were full. They had rescued the remnants of a dying planet. While Utapau might be inhabitable for the coming decades, its people would live on, wandering refugees. The thought was bittersweet. Really, The whole operation felt that way. It was reality. No beautiful, meaningful conclusion. Instead they crossed their fingers and hoped for the best. Perhaps the future would be better. The lieutenant scoffed. She wasn’t a starry-eyed dreamer. She knew better.

Despite the overall success of the mission, there hadn’t been any proper closure or debrief. Hell, she didn’t even know if all her men had made it out. Surely they had. She could call the medbay later. The medics would let her know if someone had been injured. Sighing, Bast leaned back and shut her eyes, massaging a bruise on her shoulder. Time did not stop for the weary.

/Exit Thread
 
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