Ask Finders Keepers.

[Covax]

The Xi class shuttle shuttered as it shifted and broke the cloud cover over the surface of Ubrikka. In the tiny cargo hold of the ship, Covax was preparing. The human merc had had been offered the job that few others were willing to even attempt. Break into the corporate headquarters of Ubrinkka Industries, hack the servers and steal as much as possible.

The human was "lucky" enough to get the job because well, no one other than the syndicate pilot was crazy or stupid enough to take the job. The planet was one of the many rim worlds to be ravaged by the AMS virus. The infection rate was so high that he assumed one galactic power would soon enough just opt to glass it and start over. Apparently the Five Syndicates assumed the same and intended to cash out before it came to that.

So here he. Checking out his armor, loading up his pouches with spare charges for his weapons. Twice the normal amount. Also half a dozen grenades. He feared it wouldn't be enough, but he could hardly carry much more. Now he just hoped that this smuggler as good with a gun as she was with a flight stick.

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

The Xi Class shuttle wasn't Dhari first choice of vessel, but for this job she needed a reliable ship, and much as she loved the Blacklight, reliability wasn't among its qualities in its current state. The Mirialan hated piloting rentals, but for now it would have to do. Given the state of affairs on Ubrikkia, she and her companion might only have one chance at escape if things got hairy. The Xi Class might be unwieldy, but she had no doubt it would lift off when she told it to.

Her companion was a mercenary going by the name Covax. Gruff-looking and matter-of-fact in the few pieces of conversation they had exchanged so far. Since the job on Nimban, Dhari had been going by the alias 'Tennil', and she wore a helmet that covered her face. Best to lay low, even while on the job. Especially with how Syndicate allegiances seemed to change with the wind these days. Low blades of grass don't get cut.

The highrise that was their object came into view in the viewport. Headquarters of Ubrikkian Industries. Sure to contain merchandise that would pay handsomely - so they had been told by their employers. And perhaps some extra stuff that they could share, her and Covax, and sell on the black market. Their employers had specified exactly what they wanted. Anything outside of that would be up for grabs, right?

Dhari banked down towards the landing platform on the highrise's rooftop. There were a few tiny black spots covering the rooftop. Dhari's brows furrowed. She engaged the ship's intercom. "We're coming up on the HQ. Disembarkation might be hot, looks like at least a handful of bodies on the roof."

Moments later, Dhari put the Xi Class down on the landing platform. She grabbed the holster with her blaster from its perch on the instrument panel and clipped it to her utility belt. Then, she made her way to the tiny cargo hold. Coming into view of Covax, her voice would sound through the helmet's voice scrambler: "Ready?"

@Taz

 

[Covax]

The towering human stood at the modest ramp and the felt the spacecraft turn and slowly decent toward the pad. He understood the feeling and what it meant a long before the voice of his partner over the speaker confirmed it. The hairs on his neck stood. His body trembling with a little fear and anxiousness. He focused. Took a breath a slowly let it out.

"Ready?" He heard. But thought it a statement and not a question. Punching the emergency open button the hatch of the cargo area dropped like a hammer to the pad, rather then the slow hydraulics assisting. The metal smashing the duracreet pad.

As expected, two figured lunged from the shadows beyond the light of the cargo hold. Human perhaps at once time, it was difficult to tell what they were now. The merc stepped forward, firing. A bolt to the chest and head each. The two creatures dropped just short of the man's feet. Covax shot the head of one again and smashed the scull of the other with his boot.

A groaning low growl came from the shadows of his left. Covax quickly tapped a button on his helmet to activate the low-light vision mode. Finding the next creature only feet from him. Shifting the weapon from the hip. the merc stitched the figure with tree bolts. Pelvic area to head. Dropping it in a heap next to it's friends.

"Move." He said bluntly, "We need to clear the roof before we head in." Giving simple instruction to his partner now. His was a more tactical mind he assumed. Plus he had the misfortune of living this horror once before.

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

You'd have to live under a rock if you hadn't heard of the AMS virus that was wreaking havoc on the Galaxy by now. So, naturally, Dhari knew what to expect. At least on holopaper. But so far, she had managed to avoid the planets where the virus had claimed the majority of the population. She hadn't seen what a planet truly infested with AMS looked like. But now she got her chance.

She followed the mercenary down the landing ramp, and saw the... things he had put down with his blaster. The sight made the blood freeze in her veins. She imagined the horror these beings would have felt. All the torn, broken lives. And she counted herself lucky to be alive still.

Recognizing that Covax would be much more accustomed to extractions ops like this one, she decided to just let him lead the way. "Affirmated," she commed him. "I'm right behind you." As they made their way across the roof towards the stairs that would lead them down into the building, Dhari would try to help the man by pointing out any moving bodies she saw. "Kinda puts your own life into perspective, seeing these things, huh?" she said. Then, without waiting for his reply, she changed back into a more professional tone. "According to the intel, the server room is somewhere in the basement. I don't know about you, but I'd rather spent a year in the belly of a Sarlacc than go down there. There should be a control room three levels down from here. If you're any good at slicing, we might be able to slice into the system from there, saving us a trip to bottom of this building and whatever has holed up down there."

Spoiler: OOC

If you're up for it, I imagined that the stairwell will be blocked off, maybe two floors down, forcing us to find a route through one of the floors to get to the third floor down from us. Put a little obstacle in our way. Let me know what you think.

@Taz

 

[Covax]

As they moved across the roof the merc was quick to shoot anything that Dhari pointed out. It would have been easier to shoot the damn things herself but at least she was doing something. He did however raise an eyebrow to her comment about perspective. She had no idea. This virus took everything from him. Everything but his own life.

"I don't know about a Sarlacc but I can think of better ways to die then a pit full of infected zombies. As for getting the goods, I know fuck all about slicing. That's why I have a droid." He said before giving a whistle. A moment later a banged up faded blue and white R6 unit rolled out the ramp. "This is Washbolt, or Washer if you like." The droid would make a tweet noise as if to confirm his name.

With the introductions done, Covax made for the door of the stairs. To his surprise the door opened with ease. The merc then stepped inside and make his way down, with the others following he assumed. The stairwell was dark, forcing the merc to use the vision mode on his helmet. As the HUD of his helmet lit up, he could make out bodies. Or rather what was left of them.

Carefully stepping around the remains of the dead and eaten, Covax would lead the trio down two floors. "FUCK!" He yelled. Suddenly before him, a massive of infected rising like a tide from the floor below. Bodies swarming over bodies. "Back up, back up. The door, now." His word vomited, then opened fire.

Shooting from the hip he squeezed the trigger. Showering blue bolts down the stairwell. There was no point to aiming. Just spray and pray. "Washer, follow the girl."

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

'Tennil' followed Covax and the droid down the stairs. She had her blaster pistol unholstered and ready. So far, she had led the mercenary do the shooting, picking off the walking corpses on the roof. However, from now on it would be close quarters, and it was likely to be rough goings inside the building. They would need all the firepower they could get.

She heard Covax's yell and immediately leveled her blaster pistol to where the walking dead were coming from. Doing as he said and backing up towards the landing above them, she also fired her pistol over Covax's shoulder, picking off a few of the corpses. She reached the landing well before the mercenary and tried the door.

It was locked.

Kriff.

"Washer," she yelled. "Hack into the door control and get us access to the floor." Then she ran down the stairs again to where Covax was and started shooting corpses. "Your droid's dealing with the door," she yelled through gritted teeth, firing away. "I hope he's worth his salt."

@Taz

 

[Covax]

His little green partner managed a few shots over his shoulder before doing as she was asked. Covax continued to poor shots of plasma down the stairwell. Slapping in a few charge as the last one went dry. The flood of undead continuing to come for them. Using the Repulsor on his gauntlet, he fired. Shoving back the several of the zombies.

Meanwhile Washer rolled to the door behind Dhari. "Wepweep" giving a sound of approval at the smuggler's command. The astromech then opened his on board tool set. Reaching out with the computer probe to plug into the wall pad. The simple lock would be hacked in a ten count.

Covax was about to run for the landing and hopefully the open door but was surprised to see the smuggler back over his shoulder. "Wha...It's a damn door, not a casino vault. Move your cute little green ass." He growled. Then pulled two thermal grenades from the harness on his armor. Primed them and tossed them down. He turned, grabbing the girl over his shoulder as he did so and ran.

A second later the door slide open. The merc kicked his droid inside the room and jumped in, the door closing just in time as the stairwell exploded. Taking a chunk of stairs out with the blast. The horde evaporating, party. Before feasting on there own, what was left.

Inside the room the three lay on the cold floor of the blacked out office building. A long hallway with several other halls and doors before them. Covax sat up and checked himself for wounds or shrapnel. "Washbolt, you good buddy ?" he asked the droid. "Wepwep!" the mech would confirm.

@Casmer

 

[Dhari Rast]

Dhari lay panting on the floor with a slight ringing in her ears from the explosion that went off behind the door to the stairwell. It took her a moment to catch her breath. It had been close, but she had been in hairier situations than this one. Still, she counted her blessings. Hopefully, the way ahead wouldn't be filled with walking corpses. But Dhari had no illusions.

Getting on her feet, she had a firm grip on her blaster pistol as she started scanning the corners and blind spots of the hallway. "We must be at least a couple of stories above the control room," she said silently over the comms. "We're going to have to find another way to get there." She looked at Covax and noted the way he spoke to the droid. She could sense that it meant a lot to him. Good to know, in case he tried to doublecross her down the track.

"The turbolifts should be a good bet. If we can pry the doors open, maybe we can descend the shafts and reach the right floor without having to deal with stairs. The dead may be able to walk up stairs, but I doubt they can climb."

@Taz

 

[Covax]

The merc got to his feet before grabbing his rifle up from the floor. Giving the droid a friendly thump on the top. Standing, he looked around. No noise or moaning of hungry zombies. A good start. As the smugger moved down the hall, Covax checked the rooms as he followed. He did not want any more surprises.

"Sounds about right. I'm open to suggestions." Giving his two cents to her comment. In truth he could simply go out the window and use his jet boots. But thought would leave Dhari behind, and so far he didn't see a reason to turn her into a meal for the infected.

With the rooms clear he continued to follow the smuggler down the hall. He thought about her suggestion. It wasn't the best of ideas. Turbolift tubes were fatal funnels, no where to go if the horde rushed them. As it was they barely escaped the stairwell. "They don't need to climb if we're stuck at the bottom. No power to close the doors or moved the lift once we're there. What do you have for gear ?"

@Casmer