Event Galaxy in Crisis!

[Helen Holcomb]

DATHOMIR

By this point in her adventures, Helen was more or less used to the sight and concept of droids, although she still couldn't help but think of the semi-intelligent machines as novel. She watched Hannibal's little seeker rise and fly away.

At the larger being's suggestion, the Lepi gripped her blaster uncertainly, but finally nodded, jogging after Hannibal and scanning the forbidding landscape as she went.

"Why d'you say that?" She asked at his comment that her being able to hear the call was "interesting". "Wasn't exactly easy to ignore... though I don't know what to make of it."

As they walked, Helen looked around at the rock formations the towered over the gloomy landscape. She frowned as she began to notice that they were not all as natural as she had first assumed; carvings decorated many of the huge monoliths, and in places she could even see evidence of structures that had been chiseled out by intelligent hands. The feeling of being watched from the shadows intensified.

"So... are you a Jedi?" She inquired cautiously. "I've heard of you... I won't say I believe in magic, mind you, but the stories I've heard paint a pretty impressive picture all the same."

Abruptly, she heard the beeping of Hannibal's comlink as the droid reported in.

"What's that?"

 

[Salek Fallanai]

Nar Shadda​

"Let me get this straight, Master Lentus," Salek said with a growing sense of horror. "You got word that there is an outbreak of some sort of infectious monster disease happening right now, and your first response is to head straight for it?"

"Of course," the shorter man said. He leaned back in the seat of his ship lazily, a sharp contrast to Salek's nervous seat-edge fidgeting.

"Umm...forgive me for questioning your orders, Master, but isn't this the sort of thing the army should take care of?"

"Normally, yes," Lentus responded. "But the reports sound like something I've encountered in the past, and if it is AMS, then we should be down there."

"Okay..." Salek gathered himself with a deep breath. "What's the plan?" He could sense the faintest hint of approval from the Jedi Master.

"Everything infected will be living," Lentus said. "You take point. Keep your eyes peeled so we don't get ambushed. First priority, save whomever we can. Second, search for clues as to the nature or source of the outbreak. Third, gather samples. A living infected would be ideal, but don't risk too much. Maybe we can find an infected monkey-lizard or something so it's not strong enough to chew through the cage."

"Do you think I'm ready to take point?" Salek asked.

"No, but I think you're even worse with a gun than you are with a sword, so you get lightsaber practice. I'll provide cover fire. Now get your armor on."

Five minutes later, the ship had cleared out a town square with its ventral cannons, and the two Jedi departed - one with a lightsaber in shaky hands, the other loaded down with enough weapons and grenades to make a Mandalorian propose marriage.

 

[Darro Tane]

Nar Shadda
Theme​

As he neared the street the sounds of the city came into clearer focus. Alarms, screams, blaster shots, and explosions of various severity could be heard all around. He peeked slowly around the corner and so far the street beyond the alley seemed clear. He scoffed to himself as the Bothan sarcastically brought getting left behind. Darro was a man that had traveled all over the galaxy from a young age, he'd done some nasty things to survive on the rim. He glanced back to the Bothan....Birsk if he remembered correctly, then to the little girl. She was obviously traumatized by what she'd seen. Darro wanted to believe that he wouldn't leave the pair to die, but he was survivor first and foremost, right now they weren't a threat to that survival, if it came to his own life or theirs...he honestly didn't know what choice he'd make.

"Look for now just stay close, and keep the girl quite. Far as I reckon these things are attracted to sound. Lucky us Nar Shadda has plenty of sounds to confuse'em." He took one more look down the street and sealed his helmet. He spoke again his voice now slightly digitized due to his helmet, "Let's move, ma ship's about 10 blocks west, we keep to the alleys the best we can."

He slipped from the alley and began to make his way down the street, having spotted the next alley. He didn't look back, and hoped that @Birsk FanQeete could keep up with his pace. He didn't move too fast, but with a definite purpose. More explosions could be heard in the distance with the screams only growing louder. Normally he'd just use his jet boots to fly the distance to his ship, but they were loud and he wanted to maintain a low profile until the last possible moment.

The group had to maneuver passed numerous bodies that had been torn apart, a burning speeder, and duck under a fallen lamp post but they made it to the next alley without trouble. The Kiffar kept his guns trained down the new alley as he walked. He'd heard of outbreaks like this, stories that spacers and other hunters told around camps at night and such. This didn't feel like those. The nightmarish conditions were spot on, but the hordes of infected...they seemed too coordinated (@Flood). He didn't like it and as he heard the girl whimper softly he grimaced under his helmet. He almost told Birsk to keep her quite but he caught himself as that would only make more noise. Instead he just kept moving toward the exit to the alley. Movement caught his eye and he quickly ducked behind a waste barrel and motioned for Birsk to get down. He chanced a glance around his cover and saw 3, no 4 of the infected walk by the exit of the alley. The hunter remained quite and the group shambled slowly by, but one stopped. A trandoshan infected that brought up the rear raised its head and began to sniff...then slowly turn it's head toward Darro and Birsk. I stood motionless staring down the alley and sniffed again. It turned it's whole body now and Darro cursed as the infected let out a deafening screech and charged down the alley.

 

[Flood]

Spoiler: Nar Shaddaa

Nar Shaddaa
​

The young Padawan didn't like Nar Shaddaa. It was to be nothing but a pit stop on the way back to Ajan Kloss, and he was happy for that. Maybe it was his Kiffar nature to like the wild or the fact that he had been raised on a largely isolated planet like Jedha and then moved to the forest planet of Ajan Kloss. The fact is, Isen was not particularly well-traveled, and he had never been to major city at all, only outposts in largely forested or desolate planets. He certainly never had the displeasure of visiting an ecumenopolis, and he was ready to make his way back to home.

It became clear that despite the intention to scuttle along back to Ajan Kloss, the message from a Jedi Knight named Nara Allam had derailed the train, and it was going to be stuck right here on Nar Shaddaa. "I'd hoped we'd be a little further along in your training before taking you on a real mission, but duty calls. And they say experience is the best teacher anyway. Get your things and prepare to move." Master Thral had told Isen. Well, Isen had to admit that if he was going to stay here, being on his first Jedi mission would be solid consolation. He hated to hear about the bad news, but the thought of giving his skills and talents a go in a live situation was exciting.

"Oh and I suggest wearing long sleeves, something thick. You don't want to be bitten by these things..." Master Thral said to him as an aside. She could probably feel that Isen was getting too high on the chance for action and knew exactly what to say to bring him down to balance...Isen hated wearing sleeves.

"Yes, Master..." Despite the big city, the potential for real harm to innocents, and of course the sleeves, Isen was still pretty excited.

@Reyn

Nar Shaddaa
Theme​

The Wookie's bloodcurdling roar could be heard for blocks as it charged down on the Bothan ( @Birsk FanQeete) and the child. As it neared the pair it's horrible visage would be lit by the flashing emergency lights, a terrifying image revealed with each pass of the light. Just as it lifted it's gigantic paw to swipe down on the pair a high powered blaster shot would ring out through the alley. The Wookie would stagger back a smoldering hole in it's left breast. If the Bothan would look where the shoot came from he'd see Darro in his full armor and kit, cycling the heat in his rifle for another shot.

The Wookie would roar again and come for Darro seeing him as the now greater threat, but it was just too far away. The Kiffar aimed carefully and shot again, this time nailing the creature in the skull, though not much was left of it after the bolt connected. The lifeless body would be carried forward a few more feet by momentum before falling with a thud to the ground. He waited a moment longer just to make sure the beast was down before he stepped past it and slung his rifle over his back.

"Of course I run into you again out here," he said as he knelt down next to the Bothan, whom he recognized from a previous encounter on the smuggler's moon. The girl he'd never seen before, but it didn't take a genius to put together what happened from the mangled body of the woman. He drew his twin pistols and looked back to the Bothan after a quick scan of the alley, no doubt the sound of his rifle had drawn the attention of more of the creatures. "Don't know what the hell's going here friendo, but I say you draw whatever peashooter you got and we see if we can make it back to my ship." He stood and kept his eyes scanning and started to move. "I don't plan to slow down for you...either of you, you match my pace or die here."

The bounty hunter had traveled to many places in his life, seen a lot of kriffed up shit. This however was slowly becoming the worst thing he'd ever seen. He made his way to the alley intrance, so far it seemed clear. He made sure his pistols were fully loaded and prepared himself. No matter how bad this got, he refused to let this hell hole of world be his grave today.

Iko frowned as he examined the pathogen under the microscope, taking notes while mumbling to himself. The virus's structure was clearly manmade, and he recalled about some of the symptoms of AMS from reports coming from other planets. But this strain in particular was somehow... potent in the Force. Dark Force, to be exact. He examined it, and compared it with notes he had about Sith Alchemy, an art that he hadn't practiced or studied thoroughly, but that honestly intrigued him, given the possibilities. And indeed, he spotted signs that the pathogen had been created through Alchemy. Hm, once I'll get out of this planet, I'll try to contact some Eternal members that practice Alchemy to see if they're the author of this wonderful creation, he thought as he kept working.

Nar Shaddaa​

The first sign something was wrong? When 3-B squeaked and flapped. The map disappeared and Nara looked aside, wondering what'd got him so worked up?

"Calm down for g...." she started to say, before hearing the shriek. She saw three of them, Gungans, started to rush towards her. Her jaw dropped. How had she been so stupid? Too absorbed in the grate wiring to check her corners. If I live, Master Hannibal is going to kill me.

She pulled her blaster pistol from her belt and fired, three blasts one after the other. One was aimed right at the bloodied chest of a Gungan, smacking the creature back. The other two went wide, narrowly skimming the sides of the other Gungans. They came closer and closer, charging right at her. 3-B scattered, running towards her as fast as his little legs could manage. Nara prepared herself, slipping into a stance as she plucked her saber from her belt. She ignited it, bathing the alley in sapphire-blue.

Wait... wait... careful... NOW!

Nara swung her saber in an arc, slicing through half-dead flesh. The cries died out as the former Gungans collapsed, flesh peeling around the deep, cauterised wounds in their flesh. They twitched on the ground vaguely, pathetic groans coming from their slack mouths. Nara stared for a second before shivering.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself as she turned away, holstering her pistol. She looked at the grate and shook her head. "Screw this." She plunged her saber into the metal surroundings, watching it melt around the blade. She carved around it roughly, the scent of molten-hot metal filling the air, overpowering the dead flesh. I'm not waiting around for more of them to come swarm me.

Once the deed was done, she scooped up her droid back onto her shoulder and slipped down into the tunnels below the street. Her droid activated it's flashlight, bathing the place with light. Nara winced a little as she held her free hand to her mouth.

Ugh... the smell never got any better.

With that, she started to move deeper into the tunnels. Hoping that with the outbreak, the mass of the creatures would have moved onto the surface. There must be something down here to show where it started. Something.

NAR SHADDAA
​

It took only a few seconds for the wookiee that had charged him to be shot down, but to Birsk it felt an eternity. The girl trembled in his arms, though the sight of their Kiffar savior calmed her down slightly. The Bothan blinked, then looked up at the man who had saved their lives. Familiar... "You... you were in that sleemo bar the other night." He frowned. "Don't really remember that night, honestly..."

Birsk was still dazed; he had almost died. It wasn't the first time, for sure, but the fact that it had come so close this time... and the girl...

He looked down at her, covered in her mother's blood, dirt, tears. Though she was human, she reminded him of someone else.

And the simple fact that he could've done nothing to save her if the Kiffar hadn't been there broke him a little bit. Just like last time.

Birsk shook himself back to the present, asked if the girl was alright with no answer. She was utterly terrified. Fan'qeete looked up at the Kiffar once more, then to the pouch at his side. He produced a small blaster, the barrel no longer than his index finger, and almost too small for his hand to grasp effectively. He managed, though, and stood up with the girl in one arm. Birsk winced as pain shot up his leg; he hadn't noticed he'd hurt it.

"I suppose we'll see just how serious you are about leaving us behind soon. Lead the way." His eyes never left the Kiffar's, even with the entire moon of Nar Shaddaa screaming and roaring around them.

@Topher Ridge

Nar Shaddaa​

As Izel and her apprentice followed the map left by Nara deeper into the hot zone they found themselves moving against the grain of the crowd. Sentients of all species were screaming and running for their lives to get away. Even what counted for law enforcement on the Smuggler's Moon seemed to be giving little thought to their duty and trying to escape as well. More and more corpses lined the streets, torn open with blood and viscera splattered all about. The Vratix felt her stomach turn, but maintained her calm.

She could sense Isen's excitement about going on his first real mission as a Jedi. It was good he wasn't afraid, but Izel didn't want her Padawan to underestimate the threat they faced either. "Listen carefully," She said as she continued following the map. Her tone carried a certain stony severity that she rarely adopted. "These creatures may appear to be regular sentients. They are not. Don't allow yourself to feel any emotional attachment. The smallest hesitation could mean your death. The virus that has infected them has destroyed any personality they once had, leaving only ravenous monsters behind. When fighting them, focus on destroying the head." She made a gesture of dragging a finger across her throat. "That is the quickest and most reliable way to stop them. Individually they should not be a match for you. They behave like dumb animals. But be mindful of your surroundings, or they will surround and overwhelm you. And by the Force do not let them bite you. Or you'll end up just like them. If we are separated fall back on what you learned during our training in the jungle back on Ajan Kloss. Try to find my mark in the Force and trace your way back to me. I will do the same." She took a moment to look at her Padawan. Being an insectoid it wasn't really possible for her to offer a reassuring smile. Humanoids couldn't read her facial expressions. But she did the best to send an impression of confidence through the Force. "So long as we work together and trust in the Force we will be fine. We are Jedi. And you will show the people of Nar Shaddaa that you are worthy of that title." Despite her personal anxieties, Izel's words carried the certainty of a forgone conclusion. She wasn't about to unnerve her apprentice by looking scared herself.

Reaching Nara's transmitted coordinates Izel spotted the open grate, and the dispatched gungans. "Nara?" She called, looking the now abandoned street. She called her name again, but the Jedi Knight was nowhere to be seen. The Vratix cautiously approached the open grate, lightsaber pike in hand, and looked into the tunnel. Reaching out with her Force sense she quickly identified the human's familiar presence, already some distance away. It would take them some time to catch up. Again Izel sent an impression through the Force, trying to alert Nara to her presence. She then turned to Isen as she ignited the emerald blade of her saber. "Time to get to work." She said, and entered the tunnel.

@Isen @Charndley

Nar Shaddaa ​

“What a night.” An armored figure muttered. Immediately she grimaced underneath her helmet. It was a lame understatement given the horrific situation. She stood on top of a warehouse roof, watching the madness enfold below. Fires raged, laser shots flew as terrifying screams filled the air. Minerva Fhirdiad shook her head.

Not exactly a fan of this moon but even I don’t wish for this nightmare.

Of course the question escapes back to her ship if it is still there or fights a seemingly unstoppable horde. Even for a Mandalorian those are some bad odds. Just as she continued to consider her options Minerva received a public message. Raising an eyebrow as the caller identifies herself as a Jedi, requesting supporting.

Should’ve known they would involve themselves somehow. Sarcastic thought and personal feelings aside, the mercenary continued to listen and examined the coordinates it was actually close by. If what the Jedi said was true, then there was a common cause achieve. Not to mention a worthy challenge. Without further hesitation Minerva jumped from the ledge and activated her jetback, flying in the air above the streets.

Minutes later….​

The Mandalorian wielding her rifle finally apporched the gate and the gungan corpses. She spotted two other figures already inside the tunnel. Cautiously she aimed before one ignited a familiar blade. More self-proclaimed peacekeepers. Well for the moment they’re better than flesh eating monsters.

With that conclusion Minerva called out to the bug lady and her apprentice from behind.

“Hey saber freaks need a hand?”

@Charndley @Reyn @Isen

The young padawan listened carefully to Master Thral. He rarely looked at her as they walked, but nodded intentively and offered the occasional, "Yes, Master" to assure her that he was paying attention. Even as they passed the carnage, Isen didn't fear for his life. For some reason, Isen didn't fear the physical. Maybe the Kiffar warrior nature was genetically embedded in him. He feared failure, but not death. He had social anxiety but did not get nervous at the prospects of death. Mostly, he was terrified that his relationship with the Force would not develop and would hinder his ability to become a Jedi Knight.

If anything, his master's words put him at ease. He could fight these things, whatever they are, indiscriminately. For a padawan whose fault is often acting without considering the consequences, this was an appreciative green light to have. He would hate to admit it, but to have the opportunity to engage with a lightsaber in live combat for the first time, well, it wasn't the Jedi way, but deep down, he had to admit that he was looking forward to it. He was good at it. In fact, it was the most obvious bright spot in the young Jedi's training.

The Jedi Knight Nara Allam did not answer Izel Thral's calls, but her entrance into the tunnels below the surface was found. The grate was clearly cut away by a lightsaber. There was no doubt that this was her entry point. Izel Thral ignited her blade. Isen followed suit and ignited one of his as well. Together, their faces were lit with emerald and cobalt lights. The pair were prepared to drop down, but before they could enter the dark, stenchy tunnels, they heard, "Hey saber freaks need a hand?”

Isen turned around to face the voice fully. An armor-clad warrior, complete with jet pack and blasters, one of which was a long rifle pointed in their direction floated above them. Isen kept his eyes on the Mandalorian, but spoke to his master quietly so that just they could hear. "Did she call us saber freaks, Master? That's not kind."

Isen knew his place. He was the apprentice. He would let Master Thral handle the diplomacy.

@Reyn @Minuteman75 @Charndley

Nar Shaddaa
​

Izel quickly turned around as she heard a voice call out to her and Isen. Another Mandalorian? What a small galaxy. This one didn't seem as friendly as the last Izel had encountered, but at least she wasn't shooting at them... Yet. "A horrifically rude introduction." She quietly agreed with her apprentice with a nod. "But she's offering us her talents, so we can forgive her poor manners. Ranged weapons are better suited against our enemies anyway." Clearing her throat Izel stepped out of the tunnel into the light and raised a hand in a small wave.

"Greetings!" She summoned a friendly tone, though she still harbored some suspicion. Nar Shaddaa wasn't called the 'Smuggler's Moon' for nothing after all. The Mandalorian could easily be a Syndicate thug out for the bounty on lightsabers. "We were just looking for a friend, and performing some pest control along the way. You're welcome to join us!" In all honesty they could use all the help they could get. These monsters were dangerous enough on their own, throw in the dark tunnels and possibility this had all been orchestrated by some malevolent force and Izel was more than eager to accept any support offered to her.

@Isen @Charndley @Minuteman75

Closer examination of the two jedi gave Minvera some pause. A boy and a giant bug. What kind of joke is this? Her helmet hid her disbelieving glare. There was no one else as far as she could note. To show that she didn’t mean to fight them unless they started it Minvera lowered the blaster.

Bug lady(Izel) was diplomatic, Minvera noted. Hopefully they can actually fight otherwise we’re screwed. A moment later she answered sarcastically.

“Oh I should’ve brought beer and snacks then. Your friend better be right about her information Jedi.”

The Mandalorian briskly advanced in front of the pair with the rifle at the ready. “Let’s not stop wasting time and go find her already.”

@Charndley @Isen @Reyn

The sewers of Nar Shaddaa were unsurprisingly more disgusting and vile than even dared to imagine. On a planet ruled by criminals, jerks and giant space slugs there were none too concerned with employing proper crews to maintain the infrastructure and keep it clear of the ankle deep, pitch black sludge @Nara Allam now found herself slogging through.

At one time the liquids and waste in these sewers flowed freely but now it would feel like walking through thick pudding, clinging to boots tightly as if it was purposefully trying to suck them off ones feet. The tunnels themselves were essentially just huge hexagonal tubes, spacious enough for even a rancor to stand fully upright in.

Being several minutes ahead of the others who entered the sewers, @Nara Allam would be the first to approach the first hard bend in the pathway. Around the corner was a roving pack of infected Gammoreans, although if the Jedi were given time to investigate she would have noticed that these infected weren't acting as deranged and ravenous as the ones on the surface.

The seven of them were walking in a patrol formation - two abreast in front, three in the middle, two bringing up the rear with about five meters or so between each row. They even had weapons gripped in their decaying hands, although they were simple crude clubs.

A thick durasteel gate would suddenly fall from the ceiling and bar any exit she may have been able to make. Hopefully her friends were able to arrive in time.

--

On the surface, the situation was quickly descending into downright pandemonium. The infected monsters terrorizing the streets were widening their hunting grounds with each passing moment - soon, leaving the Smuggler's Moon would become very difficult.

Moving through the panicked throngs of people who were still attempting to flee, Flood strode with a clearly out of place level of collected confidence. Every so often he would grab a fleeing stranger, pull them close and look into their eyes. The fear he saw there excited him, it gave him sustenance. He would release them almost as quickly as he embraced them, and allowed the innocent people to keep running a little further before reaching out with the force to snap their necks for no real reason other than he felt like it.

@Darro Tane and @Birsk FanQeete would witness one of these acts plain as day as the two left the dead Wookiee behind and had starting making their way towards safer spaces. The infected that had begun to charge them would suddenly stop in its tracks and retreat, almost as if it had received some sort of command.

Flood would notice them too and a coy smile would crease his lips as he turned to face them.

I do not smell the same fear from you as the others. Why?

Despite being around thirty meters away from the two, Flood didn't raise his voice as he spoke. Despite this, Darro and Birsk would hear the words in their ears as if Flood had been behind their shoulder, speaking in their ears. With a wave of his hand, Flood would beckon several infected who'd been occupying the shadows.

Lets see if we can rectify that.

With little warning, four infected denizens of Nar Shaddaa would charge towards Darro and Birsk, their blood curdling cries a precursor to the sounds the two friends would make should the infected get their decaying hands on them.

 

[Trini Halrixien]

CORUSCANT

Trini scrambled off the prone Sector Ranger, ducking behind a chunk of fallen masonry as the probe droid opened up down the corridor. Hands over her head and ears pulled down flat in terror, she heard Corran return fire, which she supposed was a good sign. After a moment she was able to get hold of herself, and opened her eyes, only to see something that made her head swim anew.

Protruding from beneath a mound of rubble was the arm of a humanoid, blooding leaking from around it. The sight triggered a number of unpleasant flashbacks in the young Amaran, but she managed to fight them back down, noticing something else about the arm. Clutched in the hand was what looked like a DE-10 blaster pistol.

Trini, summoning up her courage, reached out and snagged the weapon, pulling it away from the unresistant corpse as quickly as she could. Trembling, she checked over the blaster; it looked to be fully charged, and there was no visible damage that she could see.

She gritted her teeth, popped up, and sent three bolts downrange before diving back behind her feeble cover. She squinted her eyes shut, expecting the Viper droid's return fire to start sleeting around her...

@TerranSteel

 

[Indy Sati]

Dathomir​

Hearing Maxims' hail, she turned around and waved back with a smile. The smile itself was dimmed, however, as though landing on this ruddied planet dimmed whatever enthusiasm the younger Jedi would have mustered. Instead, a determined glint in her eyes proved the woman was far from quitting anytime soon, and even the rain wouldn't quell her spirit. However, there was a malevolence to the air. A sense of something stirring...

She nodded along, drawing up her hat and adjusting it. Rain never bothered her... but those clouds did. Scudding unnaturally low with ominous, misty darkness, they would have to rely on senses other than sight to continue on. Her voice was soft.

"Of course Sith would be here. This practically breathes their aesthetic; gloomy, dark, and not quite dead." Lips quirked wryly at her own dull attempt at a joke, but she didn't ease her thousand-yard stare. They definitely weren't alone. There was always more to come... but if Hannibal was around, perhaps there was a reason for this feeling of calling.

However, there was one more person she hoped could possibly be around. A long shot... but worth a try.

She typed out something quick to her comm, to the Ranger Rook one handedly.

So. You up for hunting down more spooky things, Ranger? I think Dathomir's the place to be.

Pressing send, she stared up at the ruins, the sky. A low sigh parted past her lips as there was only one place to go; onwards.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

@Nefieslab @christhebarker @GABA @Mr. Teatime @AutoFox @Six

 

[The Eclipse]

Coruscant​

The Jedi (@Weiss Zano ) seemed to effectively negate the grenade, even if the close quarters explosion would probably leave him temporarily deaf. He had also made something of a tactical error; The Jedi had assumed his opponent didn't know he was there. The armoured soldier twisted toward the hole in the floor as the Jedi leapt upwards, dropping his rifle as he did. He ducked down beneath the swing, leaping forward as he did so, which loudly triggered the pair of jetboots he was wearing. The result of this would be the armoured man literally rocketing toward the Jedi beneath his swing while he was still in the air, an aggressive twist on an otherwise ordinary wrestling slip. At the same time, a concealed gauntlet blade extended and, with a sharp upward jab, aimed to bury itself in the Jedi's right ribs and puncture a lung. Should the maneuver go through, the two would doubtless impact the wall very solidly.

And then there was the good doctor (@Dr Ilana Morata . To the saber-wielding Sith's surprise he felt the Dark Side surge within her, seeking to return his knife with an electrically charged surprise. He was equally as put off by her unusual tactic, although certainly not unprepared. The Sith's left hand raised up to stop the coming weapon halfway between them, counteracting her use of telekinesis with his own, which would cause it to detonate harmlessly near no one. The Sith kept his eyes on the doctor as she went for cover, lightsaber raising vertically to deflect the two stun shots. "Aw, you didn't like my gift? Now I'm sad," the Sith mocked, just befor- Wait, is that a taxi?


Then there was the taxi. The building wasn't exactly quite beforehand, but a building fire and weapons discharge was nothing compared to an airspeeder being launched through the second floor. The impact shook the already unstable floor, the vehicle skidding across and through debris, a load bearing pillar, and finally impacting the far wall, whereupon it promptly detonated. The sound was literally deafening, the explosion both visible and audible from outside the Ranger station as it blew out yet another wall of the abused building. Pieces of the second floor, and the floor above it, began to crack and collapse under the additional strain.

Bending his knees to maintain and growling with frustration, the Sith turned his ire to the two new arrivals (@Lorcan @Elikar Bridhec ). With a flick of the Sith's left hand, the small pile of shrapnel, glass, and other debris launched itself toward Elikar with deadly speed while the Sith backed away, keeping his saber up to guard easily. Despite his initial advantage, it seemed he was outnumbered. He'd have to utilize every advantage available to him if he intended to get out of this alive.

As the former Ranger (@Lorcan ) took cover behind a doorway, one of those advantages made itself known. From out of a half-collapsed doorway further down the building stepped an IG-89 droid wielding a pair of blaster rifles with alarming ease. It promptly began to unload fire with one toward the ex-Sector Ranger while firing at what seemed to be a speeder-crashing maniac (@Elikar Bridhec ) with the other. Two shots each in the span of a second directed toward center mass, or at least where it should be in the case of the man hiding behind a doorway.

The basement was also not devoid of its own forms of chaos. The Ranger (@Corran Velt ) and his companion (@Trini Halrixien ) hit the ground, the initial volley of blaster fire impacting the security door behind where they had been standing. Two of Corran's shots impacted the droid while its primary weapons tracked to follow them behind cover, the damage slowing its movement and knocking it off course. The delay caused its next volley to only begin by the time its two targets were well behind cover, several heavy blaster shots impacting the open door and wall and flying into the open space before another of Corran's blind shots struck it along with Trini's panicked fire. It suddenly stopped midair, its repulsors shut down as its power core failed, and it dropped to the floor with a resounding thud. For a few moments it was silent before the sound of the explosion on the upper floors rumbled into the basement.

Corran and Trini had a few moments to breath before the sound of booted footfalls echoed down the hallway. A voice tauntingly called out from around the corner in a sing-song voice, ""Oh Rangers~ Come out to play-ii-aaayyy!" punctuated by the distinctive sinister snap-hiss of a lightsaber. The crimson light shone from around the corner of the hall, preceding the appearance of a young lightsaber wielding woman sporting a vicious sneer. "Have you come to be taken prisoner? How thoughtful of you." The woman laughed at the two hiding inside a cleaning closet, knowing full well they were more or less trapped unless they could find a way past her.

In another part of the building, down a different set of stairs into the basement level, a Jedi (@Nykoria Tallis ) and a Ranger (@Ecclessey ) made their way further from the chaos of the upper floors. Perhaps as expected, their arrival did not go unnoticed. Another Viper probe droid rapidly made its way around a corner and began to open fire with it's blaster cannons and stun blaster in their general direction, while an ominous metal-on-duracrete rolling and rapid bootfalls on echoed from the hallway to its left, proving it only to be a herald of further resistance.

After the young man and his soldiers left the prisoners behind, the rodian (@Preef Callo ) and the prisoner (@Marissa Hesse ) were left to their own devices. The evidence room that had become the target of their attentions did have two individuals inside, though they were not looting so much as looking for a few specific objects while they had the time. An armoured man stood outside the evidence lockup, while the other was searching through things. In the meantime, other freed prisoners alternatively fled, grabbed weapons and fled, or in one case, stayed put in her cell.

The man in charge retracted his lightsaber from the door to the records room and kicked it down, a loud thud reverberating through the halls along with scattered weapons fire. He stepped inside and got to work with a slew of slicing equipment and ID cards to begin the process of data transfer. Now the others only had to hold the many good samaritans off until he could complete this part of the plan. If the Jedi and Rangers didn't figure it out and make it to him in time, many lives would be in danger. There was no small amount of compromising information in these files. No one would be safe.

@Six @Catbert @Nefieslab @Nightfall @AutoFox @Ecclessey @Killa Ree @TerranSteel @MasterTyvokka

 

[The Forgotten]

Dathomir​

As the brave adventurers pushed forward toward the forests, the winds picked up with greater intensity. The storm grew closer and it was obvious that they would need to move swiftly if they were to make it to cover in time.

@Maxims Tionson, @Indy Sati, @Felix, @Roland, @Maeve Byrne, and @Malleus would find that the creatures of the forest were scuttling about. They would find that small, crablike creatures would nip at them and hurl balls of acidic goo toward them if they drew too close to their burrows. Others would directly chase the travelers until they were killed or fled from.

The adventurers would also gain the impression that more creatures would have been hunting them if the storm weren't drawing closer. Large creatures nearly a dozen feet tall could be seen in the distance if one looked closely enough, though they had not, as of yet, caused any trouble for the newcomers.

@Helen Holcomb and @Hannibal Grayza would find as they walked on that there was a ship not far from where they had landed or crashed. The downed ship was half-buried in the dirt and should have shown up on their sensors before arrival but hadn't.

@Altina Tiramara would find that when she stepped outside the downed bus, there were footsteps outside that came from the bus and traveled into the forest. Though there were no signs of the people who had made them, all signs pointed in a single direction: the forest and mountain.

 

[Vera Coulter]

Coruscant​

From within the vault, there was the distinct click of a blaster. That was the only warning the Sith would get.

Vera had been downstairs in the records room, ironically looking up old records with some buddies of hers; when the ground shook and the door slammed shut for safety, she couldn't get her way out of there. It wasn't until there were faint sounds of blaster fire outside the door that she had prepped for the inevitable enemy appearance.

She didn't even wait to see him turn or react, she simply crouched from her defensive position, and fired three stun shots. Two at center mass, one for his head, before ducking and rolling out of the way, maneuvering behind a records bookshelf, seeking other cover.

She wouldn't give him the chance for striking back right away, if he could somehow move fast enough to dodge the three shots. One hand still held her blaster, the other prepping one of her frag grenades if the shots weren't enough.

He'd either be taken down, or she'd die trying. There would be no other alternative.

From outside, local law enforcement would start arriving at the perimeter, having been called in by a sheer game of chance. Only 50 odd, but for those who might attempt an escape, it would have been somewhat more difficult now. It was amazing what a badge could call in for friends these days. Prepped with stun weapons and medium armor, it was clear that whoever wanted to escape would have a hell of a time to flee now.

@The Eclipse

 

[Weiss Zano]

Coruscant
​

Before Weiss attempted maneuver was successful the soldier, seemingly ready for him had managed to not only dodge the saber strike but had also launched a counter attack on the that was still in mid air. Propelling himself with his jetboots and crashing into the shocked Jedi. Weiss's hubris and the young man's 'I got it' attitude had once again got him into more trouble, in this situation particulary it could be even lethal danger considering the war zone that the now former Sector Ranger HQ had become. The soldier rammed into his body and now the two were heading across the room at great speed as the soldier attempted to strike upwards with left hand that now brandished a blade of a hidden wrist mounted weapon aimed at the Jedi's right side. Deafened by the previous explosion Weiss would not be able to hear the weapon as it extended but out of sheer reflex and instinct he went for the soldier's hand that was being directed at him grabbing the man's wrist with his left hand extended over the soldier's head and back and put a stop to his strike, the tall Jedi's long arms without a doubt playing a significant role in his reach.

But before the surprised Jedi could react any further he felt a dull immediate pain sensation as he slammed backfirst into a wall. Weiss's was somewhat bend over forward as he held onto to the wrist of the man that rammed into his mid section and so the brunt of the collision with the wall was received by his back and not his head and neck. Slamming into the said wall the soldier's hidden blade bent and broke upon impact though his arm would not be injured in any significant way unless it collided with the wall at a strange angle which would most likely cause a fracture or a sprain. His head however was underneath the Jedi's left arm and would indeed collide with the wall first as Weiss's left elbow was lodged against the back of the man's helmet as that hand reached over and was grabbing on his wrist. Still, the fact that the man was wearing a helmet was without a doubt a huge deal as the impact to his head would be greatly diminished.

As the two collided with the wall Weiss fell forward, both the impact and himself instinctively pushing the soldier away a meter or so as the Jedi fell to the floor on his right side, the brunt of his impact being not with his ribs but with his tucked in right arm. Learning how to fall was one of the basics of many martial art disciplines and it was drilled enough into the Jedi that he had been doing it on a reflex. Still both the collision with the wall and the subsequent fall were no small things and Weiss's fingers released their grip on his lightsaber as he fell on his arm, the weapon falling a couple of centimeters away from the young man's hand.

The pain in his back was dull and prominent twisting his body on in a slight arc the ground as in sinked in even more. As the two were colliding with the wall a taxi out of all things came flying across the room from the outside and exploded, the sound of the vehicle's detonation falling deaf (literally) on Weiss's ringing ears. Further more there seemed to be more hostiles as there were repeated blaster shots coming from the other side of the room towards Ilana, Lorcan and Elikar.

Though the pain was indeed significant and almost impossible to ignore for the Jedi like Weiss who most of his life has met every task he took on with a great deal of ease and success, including most of his missions, he was still trained well enough and possessed good survival instincts to focus on the immediate dangers in front of him. Perhaps out of frustration or shock the Jedi extended his left hand towards the soldier that previously rammed him into the wall, doing this almost immediately after he fell on the ground, his fingers contorted into almost a full fist as he grabbed the man through the Force with such force of might that almost would crush his wind pipe, aiming specifically for the individual's neck. Weiss was surely always about the magnitude of his ability and applications of it rather than precision or subtlety, the boy's naturally strong connection to the Force enabling this approach further. Being so used to use his abilities in such an overwhelming manner made his grips, pushes, throws and overall telekinetic application seem much more 'forceful' for the lack of a better term for most of the time. His current situation, with his life at stake, and possible frustration furthering this maneuver's strength and due to the target of his attack being such a delicate spot as the neck furthering it's lethality too.

It was most likely due to a degree of restraint drilled into him within the Jedi Order and his training as well as him not using the Force in this specific way that stopped Weiss from going all in and snapping the man's neck. Still the suddenness and the pressure of the strike would most likely be enough to at least do considerable damage at his windpipe if not even crush it. Dragging his left hand in a broad stroke as if he was throwing a haymaker Weiss pulled with the Force attempting to drag the soldier across the room while capitalizing on the man's most likely inability to defend not just from such a telekinetic attack but also from the damage to his windpipe.
Still Weiss would not make any more careless mistakes. No matter how slim the chances of the soldier fighting back or reacting in any way he wouldn't take such risks. Noting the man's jetboots from before Weiss made sure that his telekinetic maneuver wouldn't include him tossing the soldier away but instead made sure to drag if not outright yank him to a side so as to negate any possible interactions from his footwear if he was even still conscious. He attempted to ''throw'' the soldier away at the source of the newly incoming blaster shots, though he did not see the droid that was shooting from the position he was in he could still determine where the shots were coming from, hoping to either knock back the gunman or simply provide some sort of cover for Lorcan, Ilana and Elikar

@MasterTyvokka @Killa Ree @The Eclipse @Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Coruscant​

Huh well he supposed the Jedi wasn't going to be answering any of his questions since he seemed to have a dance partner. Still, there was a Sith to contend with and he intend to do just that but... was that a Taxi?

Lorcan watched from cover as the Taxi crashed into the building and he couldn't help but mentally tally up how many traffic violations the driver had just racked up with the one move. It was annoying they hadn't added one more and actually killed the Sith in the corridor but, he supposed, he shouldn't really be wishing death on the Sith.

Why wish death when he could stun after all?

While the Sith was letting off his Force abilities at the Taxi he took a potshot, shooting a heavy stun blast from his pistol at centre mass. Immediately after the shot though he heard heavy, methodical, steps further down the hall. Spinning around, he caught sight of the IG-89 droid and immediately decided he was going to have his own problems.

Throwing himself bodily toward the stairs, the blasts would go over where he had been before as he was now in a controlled tumble down the stairs. Rolling to a stop, he quickly brought himself up to his knees, bringing up his blaster rifle rather than his pistol, which he holstered in the same movement.

Holding his rifle at the ready, he would fire off a quick three round burst of fire from his rifle at the first sign of the IG unit stepping into the doorway he had vacated, the stun setting of his weapon firmly in place. With three medium stun rounds to centre mass even an IG unit would be downed... he hoped.

If not?

Well he had more stairs to fall-back(/down) on he supposed.

@The Eclipse @Six @MasterTyvokka @Killa Ree

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Dathomir​

He was at least with one friend. Indy was a welcome addition to this little adventure and they were only missing Hannibal to make it something of a team mission. Still, he focused on the tasks ahead and decided that staying out in the open was not a good idea.

The weather was clearly being directed by an ominous force and it was driving creatures and beings toward them that they needed to focus on. Behind them, hidden by the mists and fog, were large figures he didn't want to gamble his life against.

In the forest he could see movement around shin-height and he knew, because of what planet they were on, they were likely to be incredibly nasty.

"Indy let's move in." he urged the Knight, "We are being directed so clearly it's like we're being invited in - best we not keep them waiting."

Marching into the forest, he held his saberstaff in his right hand and ignited both blades. Not only as a defensive measure but as a source of light that wasn't at the mercy of the weather. A crab-like creature screeched at him and spat a glob of acid toward him that he narrowly avoided.

Seeing it eating through the wood of the tree it had hit, he decided he didn't fancy being hit by it. When the same creature showed the visual cues of readying another load of it's spit he reached out with the Force and held it's mouth shut firmly until it either drowned in it's own produce or it was dissolved from the inside. If neither happened he would hold it tight with the Force before stabbing it strongly in the base of the skull with his saber.

"Let's move quickly now."

He pushed himself into a sprint, weaving through the trees and letting the Force guide him away from the burrows of the creatures. They were hard to sense but the feelings of hatred and hunger were strongly felt.

@The Forgotten @Killa Ree @Darasuum @christhebarker @GABA @Six @AutoFox

 

[Juniper]

Nar Shaddaa​

Nara continued to advance through the sewer, lifting her boots gingerly out from the awful-smelling sludge. One arm curled around the bottom half of her face, trying (and failing) to keep the stench from her nose. She kept moving forwards, until she met that hard bend in the tunnels. Being wary, she approached the side of the tunnel and peeked around, just in case there was anything. Oh. There was something. Firstly, she felt something drift through the Force. An impression. Izel! She could sense her, further back where she'd come from. Izel and some other presences she wasn't sure about.

Secondly? A patrol of Gamorreans. Instantly, Nara reached back to cover her droid's flashlight. "Off!" she hissed to him, hoping she hadn't been heard. She'd known Gamorreans from her time on Nar Shaddaa, where they were usually the scumbag criminal's bodyguard of choice. They were big, they didn't not to be very bright and they had absolutely awful eyesight. Also, these ones in particular looked... strange. Obviously infected, judging by the state of them, the decay, the wounds on their skin... but they seemed less feral than the others. They were moving in some kind of formation. This was weird.

So, is there a weirder variant to this thing where you keep some kind of brain? Or are they being controlled? Maybe one day I can find out if they don't beat me to a pulp. Her hand lingered on her saber just in case. The 'floor' was too thick with crap for her to be quick. One of her few advantages already gone.

She was busy thinking when the durasteel gate came down. All Nara could do was look over her shoulder in horror as her escape route was cut off. She could cut through it, but that'd take time. A lot of time, judging by that thickness... and she wasn't sure she had any. Thinking quickly, drawing on what she knew about Gamorreans, she reached into her pack. She pulled out her datapad, looking down at it. Tapping a few keys. I better get a brand new one given to me if... when I get back to Ajan Kloss. She set a short, twenty second delay to an alarm. Leaning around the corner as carefully as she could, she tried to throw it as far as possible down the tunnel, hoping it'd get some spin and lodge into the sludge just by, or behind, the first pair. Or just distract them. Dark tunnel, poor eyesight, loud noise and light... that'll pull their attention, right? Unless their eyesight is different now they're infected, or if this weird thing they have going on doesn't stop that... oh damn.

Waiting for those seconds to count down, Nara stood nervously round the corner, holding her saber with both hands. Not activated, but ready to flick it on at a second's notice. Her nerves and fear almost oozed through the Force around her as she tried to control her breathing. If it worked, the second that one of them turned or looked aside, she'd go for it. One. Maybe two, if they're slow. Maybe. Hoping beyond hope that Izel wasn't too far away.

@Reyn @Isen @Minuteman75 @Flood

 

[Salek Fallanai]

Nar Shadda​

Salek’s arms shook with a mixture of fear and weakness, and the lightsaber would have slipped from his hands if he wasn’t wearing sure-grip dueling gloves. Through his Force vision, he could see life fading all around him. It was a horrifying, sick feeling, like the stars winking out. Some of them had near holes blasted through their heads, while others were lying in scattered pieces – the handiwork of his half-panicked flailing.

The mob that had been drawn to the sound of their landing shuttle had been large. Lentus had held his fire until he was sure that they were infected, not refugees – and then he met the horde with a thermal detonator and a volley of automatic blaster fire. Salek had stepped forward to block the main alley, and his armor was covered in gore and scratches. He wanted to go sit down for a while, to be numb. But he knew that Lentus would not allow it. Not now, while there was still a mission to complete.

Pay attention. Focus. You’re drifting.

He cast his Force vision out further, skipping lightly over the miasma of death around him. Ignore the death. Death wasn’t his concern; life was. He felt out through the buildings around him, his face drifting slowly from side to side. Finally he pointed to a stairwell that led down to a basement-level entrance to a nearby apartment building.

“Assessment?” Lentus asked.

“Two life forms,” Salek replied. “Small. Fear.”

Master Lentus nodded and gestured Salek forward. Right. No escape, complete the mission. Salek took a swallow of water, stalked warily to the stairwell, and started down it. The door at the bottom was locked. As Lentus covered the stairwell from his position on the shuttle’s wing, Salek plunged his lightsaber into the door and began cutting a steady circle, ignoring the spike of terror that stabbed at his brain from the room inside. The door was thin, and he cut quickly. As the door fell inside, he disengaged his saber and held his hand inside.

“Hello,” he called in a gentle, friendly voice. “I’m not going to hurt you. We’re here to get you somewhere safe.”

After a tense minute of waiting, Salek felt a tiny glimmer of hope rise up through the fear, and the two children stepped forward. A young toddler, barely old enough to walk, clung to the side of an older Twi’lek girl. They stared up at Salek in awe and fear, and he knelt down with a smile.

“I’m Salek,” he said. “My friend Lentus is upstairs. He has a ship to take you out of here. Will you come with me?”

He held out his hand, and the girl’s tiny, trembling fingers clasped his with a desperate grip. Salek nodded with another smile and began leading the children back up the stairwell, hopefully to safety.

 

[Felix]

Dathomir

Felix got up after feeling from his tumble after feeling a pinch at his ankle, seeing the little crab-like creature he reached out to pick up. "Hey their little guy" he greeted it and creature responded in kind with throwing some acidic goo at him. "Hey, ow, hey oww" he exclaimed as ran away as more of its kind joined in, forcing him into the forest and towards the hill.

now away from the creatures, he realised that he was now lost in the forest and all alone, he felt his heartbeat quicken as his breathing grew more shallow, the onset of fear and panic starting. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing and went be back to what he was taught, fear is a natural thing, but don't let it control you, you control it if you just breathe and think. The words of one of his many teachers as a youngling that always went back too.

Now a tad bit calmer he opened his eyes started walking towards the hill which he felt a strange pull to, his sense on full alert and ready to run towards the hill if any danger reared its head, since that where he believed where knight Sati was most likely.

@The Forgotten @Killa Ree @Darasuum @Nefieslab @GABA @Six @AutoFox

 

[Preef Callo]

Spoiler: DM post

After the young man and his soldiers left the prisoners behind, the rodian (@Preef Callo ) and the prisoner (@Marissa Hesse ) were left to their own devices. The evidence room that had become the target of their attentions did have two individuals inside, though they were not looting so much as looking for a few specific objects while they had the time. An armoured man stood outside the evidence lockup, while the other was searching through things. In the meantime, other freed prisoners alternatively fled, grabbed weapons and fled, or in one case, stayed put in her cell.

Coruscant


With Marissa and their motley crew of local scoundrels in tow, Preef made it to the evidence room without any resistance. The armored man for a seconds appeared to try and stop them, but then he recognized them as not being Sector Rangers and that solved that. "Guess you're with the Sith?" the rodian asked rhetorically as he continued to approach and then opened the door, "We're taking everything you guys don't want." A few snaps with his left hand and the small crew rushed in, searching for large bags first. Preef then motioned for Marissa to join the looting and enjoy the safety of being inside the room while the rodian himself seemed determined to stay in the hallway with the armored man. "Say, what are you looking for? Maybe we can help?" He made sure that his Crimson Dawn tattoo on his right forearm was visible underneath his rolled-up sleeve before he casually nodded towards his human partner, "That's Marissa Hesse. She's an Enforcer with the Black Sun." If the Black Sun really had something to do with all of this, considering their humiliation on Kessel last year might have been enough motivation to ask the Sith for help, name-dropping a well-known enforcer of that same syndicate should loosen some lips. Preef hoped that Marissa had overheard and would try the same tactic on the one inside the evidence room.

Meanwhile large credits chips, spice shipments, rare weapons and slicer desks were stuffed into bags and boxes. Some of it would be hard to sell in the Core, but Kel's ship was big enough to transport it all and for the moment that was really all that mattered. Still, Preef wasn't exactly comfortable with how easy all of this was going and he made sure to be the most alert alien-frog the galaxy had ever seen. Well, he couldn't shake all of his gunslinger bravado and arrogance. Kriff, he didn't become one of the fastest blasters in the Outer Rim to not flaunt it wherever he went, right?

@Nightfall @Catbert

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel found the Mandalorian's behavior more than a little strange. She seemed to have little love for the Jedi, so why was she so interested in helping them? What interest did she have in the virus? But these were questions for later. Their new companion was right on one count at least, they were wasting time. The longer they took catching up with Nara the greater danger she was in. So Izel wasted no time with questions as she followed the humanoids into the sewers.

The smell hit her like a brick wall, causing the Vratix to immediately cringe in disgust, her antennae twitching in displeasure. The insectoid quickly pulled her hood up over the sensory appendages, pulling it down just above her eyes in a vain attempt to shield herself from the stench. Wading through stagnant sewage didn't seem particularly appealing either, so Izel would crawl up onto the tunnel wall and keep pace with the others while clinging to it. "Uh, my name is Izel Thral by the way, Jedi Knight." She introduced herself to the Mandalorian to try and distract herself from the nearly unbearable stench. "And this is my apprentice Isen Ramm. Who are you? And what is it that brings you down here?" She doubted the Mandalorian would be forthcoming, she seemed quite taciturn. But it couldn't hurt to ask.

However the Mandalorian answered Izel wouldn't have time to reply before her Force sense flared up. Nara had just picked up on her, and the Vratix could now pinpoint the human's position as well. Not only that, she could sense another larger presence near her, and a welling up of fear and anxiety. She was in danger. "Excuse me." The Vratix said absently as she hastened her pace, pushing on ahead of Minerva and Isen. "She's this way!" She called back over her shoulder as she scurried along the wall. Nara was still a few minutes ahead of them, but knowing where she was would make catching up easier. Hopefully her humanoid companions would be able to keep up with her despite the gunk filling the sewer.

@Charndley @Isen @Minuteman75 @Flood

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Coruscant​

At hearing the Sith's comment of a gift, she snorted.

"Yeah, well, then gift better next time," she replied back crisply, preparing still. The Darkness seethed and pulsed within; there was a siren call, a lure to use it, to take her power and take them down. Having the taxi arrival was just the distraction she needed.

As the Sith crouched, she braced her back against the pillar and, as flames roared and the building trembled, she unleashed it, the explosion of the airspeeder muffling her own lashed attack.

The Dark Side screamed with all of her rage, all of her anger, pain, grief, remorse. A pure, measured taste of all those stored years of hatred, of power lust denied and loss were literal fans to fuel her fire. From her unarmed hand, a jet of flame streaked forth towards the Sith, leaning around her protection. She growled low in her throat as the assault of fire continued, compounded to follow by four stun shots with her other hand aimed mostly towards his upper legs and lower torso as the fiery assault was made to his upper half.

He was standing in her way. Stopping her. Taunting her. Attacking her coworkers. He will pay. He will pay. I will end him.

And if anyone hurt Corran, she would not hesitate to put them down like the diseased dogs they were.

From within her helmet, amber eyes burned a harsh, cold yellow gold. Until he was burnt beyond recognition, until he would crumble she would continue her assault. He was standing in the way of her patients, of her care and treatment, and for that he would pay.

"Give me diamonds," she muttered, jaw clenched in a furious rage.

@The Eclipse @TerranSteel @Nefieslab @AutoFox @Six @MasterTyvokka @Catbert

 

[Marissa Hesse]

Coruscant

Making it up through the crumbling, chaotic Ranger headquarters was easier going on their end then she might have expected. The Sith and their Black Sun allies had their own agenda, and if there was resistance to it it was heading elsewhere. Herself and Preef, and the little team her Rodian ally had put together, may as well have been a third party dodging the major powers, letting them do all the hard stuff while they came and mopped up what was left.

And indeed, they were cleaning house. The evidence room was already looked after by a frankly brutish looking figure in armour that she kept her head down from as Preef engaged initially, and instead started scouring the room for whatever valuables she could lay her hands on, keeping an eye out for what Preef recommended. That, and her own equipment she'd been brought in with. Her little holdout pistol didn't have stopping power, but it had certainly seen her through a few scrapes and at this point it was the only friend she had older than the green one alongside her.

What puzzled her most was then, why her Black Sun 'friends' were here as well with the Sith. There was the obvious reasons of course, but that she hadn't been informed kept her on edge, her head on a swivel even as she helped Preef and the others shovel credits and other loot into what packs they had. If they were going to be stuck in this mess they were damn well going to make a profit out of it.

Looking to the person searching, she stepped across, flashing her Black Sun identification,

"Hesse, I'm an Enforcer. Black Sun, same as you, right? All of this seems quite the operation, surprised I hadn't heard. What's the plan?" she looked at them for any response before continuing,

"Well, we certainly won't be getting in your way, anyway. Indeed if there's anything you need myself to do on the way out, don't hesitate to let me know" she said looking back over nervously to the team she was with. Once they'd taken their share she'd give them a nod and start to usher them out. She was still technically a Black Sun, but she kriffing hoped after the day she'd had they wouldn't be suddenly enforcing any sort of conscription then and there, and she could get on her merry way.

And if they did run into trouble, well, she was thankful Preef and this Kel were here. And armed.

@Ecclessey @Catbert

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Spoiler: DM Post

Coruscant​

In another part of the building, down a different set of stairs into the basement level, a Jedi (@Nykoria Tallis ) and a Ranger (@Ecclessey ) made their way further from the chaos of the upper floors. Perhaps as expected, their arrival did not go unnoticed. Another Viper probe droid rapidly made its way around a corner and began to open fire with it's blaster cannons and stun blaster in their general direction, while an ominous metal-on-duracrete rolling and rapid bootfalls on echoed from the hallway to its left, proving it only to be a herald of further resistance.

...

The man in charge retracted his lightsaber from the door to the records room and kicked it down, a loud thud reverberating through the halls along with scattered weapons fire. He stepped inside and got to work with a slew of slicing equipment and ID cards to begin the process of data transfer. Now the others only had to hold the many good samaritans off until he could complete this part of the plan. If the Jedi and Rangers didn't figure it out and make it to him in time, many lives would be in danger. There was no small amount of compromising information in these files. No one would be safe.

CORUSCANT​

Kori was onto something. The presence of the Dark Side became more evident the farther they got into the basement. The Jedi Knight didn't know where it could lead them, nor could she tell the ranger where exactly her target was. Kori just knew the general direction, and that she was on the right track. But then she heard something... A hum changing pitch from high to low and vice versa, growing louder by the minute. "Watch out!" she pulled the ranger behind the nearest corner, to evade the blaster bolts and stun rounds. Seeing big chunks ripped out by the droid's blaster would convince the Zeltron that dodging was the right move.

That's when the "thud" somewhere nearby reached Nykoria. It was apparently coming form the same direction where her senses had guided her. You're getting close, girl. Don't let some hunk of junk get in your way.

If asked to name three aspects of the Force that she was most comfortable with, Nykoria would name physical augmentation, awareness of her surroundings, and telekinesis. As a Jedi, she had spent a lot of time training with smaller remotes. Sure, the Viper packed more punch. But in close space, it had limited angles to approach from. And Kori definitely wasn't wearing a blindfold or racing a course this time. After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to draw upon the Force, she'd mumble resolutely, mostly to herself: "I've got it." The droid had shot enough time to give the Zeltron the idea about it's position, and when she could make her move.

Lightsaber at the ready, she'd dash out of cover and into the open to carry out her plan. She would try to deflect the next shot or two into the stupid machine. Then, if the Viper got hit and briefly lost its balance, Kori would use the Force to grab both halves of the machine and yank it towards her with her free hand. She'd make sure to flick her wrist and turn the droid mid-air, so that its blasters would be aimed elsewhere, not at her.

A downward diagonal slash with the lightsaber across the main hull, and hopefully the Zeltron would have two heaps of metal in her telekinetic grip. She'd dispose of them in the only logical way: by hurling them towards the source of noise from the corridor. In the best case, she'd hit whatever or whomever coming from around the corner. In the worst case, the chopped metallic debris hitting a wall in front of them would make them think twice.​

Of course, the Zeltron realized that her plan could go wrong at any moment. That's why she was always prepared to give it up and focus on defenses. That way, her azure blade would draw the attention, while the Ranger could hopefully provide covering fire. The heavy EMP pistol was perfect for that.

@Ecclessey, @The Eclipse, @Killa Ree