Ask Plot Let Others Do Your Politics

[Izel Thral]

Izel had been somewhat worried about the speed at which the Guardians were going about their mission, but things finally seemed to be getting off the ground. The galaxy was finally waking up to the Sith threat, and talks were being had, talks of taking action. Still, the dark hand of their enemy was always at work, and now their allies were coming under attack. Anno Fah, a senator from Chandrila who supported their cause, had received some concerning threats to himself and his family. And there was reason to take them seriously. Naturally the Jedi had offered protection for his transport to Coruscant.

The security detail wasn't that large. Aside from herself and a few armed Chandrilan Militiamen there was another ex-Jedi and a Mandalorian. Izel had seen the Mandalorian's face on Bracca so assumed she was loyal to the Guardian cause. And for all her roughness Eisa had turned out to be a reliable ally as well, so there was no reason to suspect this Carrick character wouldn't pull his weight too. Izel could only hope, she had a bad feeling about all this.

Still, she was curious to learn more about this former Jedi, and talk would help to ease her nerves. So standing by a viewport giving them a picture of the deep blue of hyperspace the Vratix addressed her fellow security guard. "Carrick right?" She asked politely, and extended a hand. "Izel Thral. I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to help us. Even if you don't consider yourself one of us any longer, you must recognize the threat the Sith pose to the galaxy." She was getting more used to trying to pitch the Guardians whenever and with whomever she could. They always were in need of more allies, and they didn't exactly have the luxury of being picky.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Carrick]

Anno Fah was worse than the Sith in Carrick's estimation because of one simple fact; the man was a frightful bore. He could kind of accept a man for his flaws if those flaws were still something to actually think about. But, no, Anno's flaw was that he was so dull he was barely worth mentioning. Ugh, Carrick had spent enough time with the man during the transport to last a lifetime or two and needed to move away before his political mask slipped and he snapped at the man or something.

Anything to make him actually react.

So he came to the view-port to take a bit of a break and part of that was the chance to indulge a little bit. He wasn't going to indulge in alcohol during his stay here as both security and as another politician so a cigara would have to do. Lighting it up with a spark conjured by the Force, he took a drag as the Jedi Knight wandered on up alongside him.

Hmm.

Carrick had been a Knight as well... he didn't miss it. Still, he was a man of manners if nothing else. He took his cigara from his mouth with his left hand and exhaled away from the Jedi Knight. As he was doing this, he took her offered hand in his right hand and kissed the back of it. The chitin was a different thing to kiss to a regular human hand but he didn't miss a beat.

"Charmed, Knight Thral." he greeted her politely, "I am, indeed, Carrick. No thanks are neccessary though, for you see, I am getting something out of this myself."

He smiled slightly.

"Entirely separate from your cause, I'm afraid."

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

While she had been happy carving her way through the Galaxy as a bounty hunter (still not enough to garner attention aside from her armor and identity as a Mandalorian, though – she still, after all, had a long way to go), getting dropped the metaphorical bomb of news of outright Sith attacks and activities from the holos had shaken Reiel to the core. The young Mandalorian, like her father and their clanmates, held no love for the abhorrent individuals – none of the history lessons she had taken when she was accepted into the Covert had painted them in a benevolent light, after all.

Not too long after the attacks, she and her buir have taken to gathering whatever news development they could get. Hopping from one planet to the next, they heard tell of people discussing about taking action – whether if it was to prevent the attacks from happening again or stopping the Sith altogether themselves. Either of the two worked fine, but the threats to the Galaxy would only ever end with the eradication of the Sith.

Reiel clenched and unclenched her fists, her gaze firmly fixed at the viewport before her. The blue glow of hyperspace reflected in her buy'ce lulled her with its usual calming effect on her. She loved space travel and while it offered her the peace and quiet she could only ever truly experience in Clan Crowholde's covert, it also gave her the opportunity to ruminate on certain matters at hand.

Undertaking a job that was supposed to be her father's, with a small detail of Chandrila Militiamen and two– no, one Jedi and ex-Jedi. Buir, assigning the job to her with the utter assurance and confidence of her own abilities. Your life will not revolve in bounty hunting. Jobs outside this one are great learning experiences.

No, Dad, I get the feeling that you don't want to get involved with the Jetiise any further.

Her old man was shocked to hear that his daughter had been in the presence of the Jetiise when he left her in Bracca, after all.

And the job itself...

The young Mandalorian wasn't new to being a part of a security detail. The client, a Chandrilan Senator named Anno Fah, had received threats to his and his family's safety. And so it was their duty to protect the Senator as they made their way to Coruscant.

For someone who had an assassination attempt hanging over him like an ominous dark cloud, Anno Fah was surprisingly intent on continuing with his travels to Coruscant. A display of bravery or stubbornness in the face of adversity?

Reiel shook her head. Her only concern was protecting Anno Fah, and nothing more. She turned away from the viewport, gaze finding two of her companions in this mission. The young Mandalorian had seen the Vratix Jedi back in Bracca. She seemed nice enough despite her intimidating height and appearance, and Reiel duly added her to the growing list of individuals she could somehow trust (it wasn't a long list – the Cathar Ranger called Arah Tizun at Corellia might attest to that, if he was willing). But the other one, a human male and an ex-Jedi to boot, she didn't know. The young Mandalorian would have to remedy that sooner than later.

But the two Force-users were engaged in a conversation, and Reiel wouldn't want to intrude. Apprehension creeping up her mind, the young Mandalorian settled for standing by her post a few paces away from the two, not really intent on being menacing but managing to somehow scare some passing militiamen.

Maybe, Reiel absently thought to herself, after this job was over she could finally earn her very own jetpack.

@Reyn @Nefieslab

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel couldn't help but be a bit taken aback by Carrick's introduction, neck craning back a bit and antennae twitching curiously. Even when trying to be polite humanoids usually tried to keep at least somewhat of a distance from her kind. She had grown accustomed to it. This man was either extremely well-mannered or very skilled at pretending to be.

"Oh?" She responded curiously to the admission that he had his own agenda to be forwarded on this mission. "And what might that be? If it's not too bold of me to ask?" Whether or not Carrick chose to reveal anything more to her he would be interrupted by the ship suddenly dropping out of hyperspace. That wasn't right, they shouldn't have been nearing Coruscant for several more hours. Izel turned to look suspiciously out the viewport. She could see the small dots of starships out in the distance, much too far away to identify at the moment. Slowly she raised her comlink to her mouth.

"Pilot, why have we stopped?" She asked. The pilot's response was loud enough for both her and Carrick to hear.

"There seems to be a failure in the hyperdrive. I'm sending a crew to inspect it." The woman replied. She didn't sound too worried, still better to be safe than sorry.

"I'll meet them there." Izel told the pilot before turning to Carrick and Reiel. "You should probably check up on Senator Fah, make sure he's secure." She looked out the viewport once more. Those little dots had gotten just a bit bigger. Without saying another word she turned and promptly exited the room to make her way towards the engines. So much for small talk.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Reiel's mind was wandering.

She was not, by nature, an anxious person. Always trying to look at the positive side of things but ever aware that they might not always go according to plan. Improvisation had been a part of her life ever since she swore the Creed and became one of the clan's beroya. Whenever hunts or any other job outside bounty hunting did not go as planned, the young Mandalorian would only allow herself a brief moment of panic (alright, maybe not so brief) before tackling the new situation head on as if it was a backup scenario for how she initially visualized things would go.

Turning away from the viewport, Reiel simply took the commlink being offered to her by a passing member of the Chandrila Militiamen and murmuring a quiet "thanks" when supplied with the explanation that she had to use something as a means of contact and exchanging information. The young Mandalorian had a bad habit of losing any commlink she personally procured. The man left as soon as he approached her, the look of surprise on his face at her spoken gratitude giving Reiel the sense that he might have possibly never met a Mandalorian before – more so someone who was polite enough to say thank you for something trivial.

As much as the thought amused her, Reiel had no desire to be the topic of gossip among the security detail – a Mandalorian, diminutive in height and well-mannered enough to show appreciation?

She shook her head. Maybe she should stop overthinking things.

From the corner of her vision, she could see the two Force-users still engaged in conversation. That was, until the glow of the hyperspace reflected in her beskar'gam disappeared.

This... couldn't be right. Coruscant was still several hours away from what she last gathered. Why drop out of hyperspace now?

The young Mandalorian was already approaching the Vratix Jedi before the latter could converse with the ship's pilot. Questions revolving mostly on "what's wrong?" was already dancing on the tip of Reiel's tongue, but she opted to listen to the Jedi and the pilot's exchange.

She frowned at the pilot's response. A ship like this – carrying an important figure who had received threats to his safety – suddenly encountering technical problems? Wasn't it standard procedure to do a full maintenance on the ship before giving it the clearance to be used for space travel?

Perhaps it's just a coincidence. It's not unusual to encounter problems like this and you know it.

For some odd reason, Reiel didn't seem convinced by her own explanation.

"Got it," the young Mandalorian replied to the Jedi's suggestion. She was about to turn and leave but let curiosity get the better of her when the Vratix looked out of the viewport instead of immediately attending to her own self-appointed task.

Dots she could only identify as starships greeted Reiel, and the dots were getting bigger by the second.

Call it a bounty hunter's instinct, but the Mandalorian couldn't help but feel alarmed. Maybe the starships were merely passing by. Kriff, maybe she was just being paranoid. But Reiel heeded the Jedi's words nonetheless and glanced at the other Force-user in the room.

"Come on," Reiel would tell him before following the Vratix in exiting the room. The ex-Jedi could easily catch up to the Mandalorian as she made her way to Anno Fah's chambers – her strides, after all, were much shorter compared to theirs.

@Reyn @Nefieslab

 

[Carrick]

Ah the Mando was here now!

Carrick appreciated their dedication to their duty - it was one of the many reasons they made for superb bodyguards and the like. Of course it didn't distract him from the conversation with Izel because that would be rude of him. He was many things but needlessly rude had never been one of them and never would be if he had his way. Carrick smiled wide at her.

"It is not too bold." he assured her, "But it is, never the less, something I shall be keeping to myself. I am, after all, a politician these days Knight Thral - we have a reputation for being scheming and underhanded to maintain."

He winked to assure her that it was a joke but paused as the ship came out of hyperspace. Almost immediately his eyes narrowed as he reached out with the Force, feeling it churning around him. It wasn't... it didn't feel as though this was merely a case of a failed hyperdrive.

Carrick frowned slightly.

"Of course." he agreed with Izel readily, "Senator Fah will appreciate it, I am sure."

Sweeping away from the viewport, he quickly caught up with the Mando of their group and moved close enough that when he spoke she was the only one who could hear him.

"Ignore the ships coming for us." he urged her with a carefully neutral expression, as though he were discussing the weather, "They're an obvious problem - the knife in our backs from the crew is worse. We've likely got impostors aboard."

What was more likely - that the enemy heading their way had a method of sabotaging their hyperdrive? Or that they had enough resources to bribe or blackmail key members of the crew? The weakest link in a plan, as it so often was, was the weak-minded people it relied upon.

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Her first instinct was to put more distance between her and the Force-user – what was his name again? He had been introduced with the Jedi before they stepped in the ship – when he moved close to her once he caught up. Granted, there was still some respectful distance between them, but Reiel was wary that he was much too close to her personal space. He had been a Jedi, after all, one who used sorcery – but she would be a hypocrite to deny that she would rather know more about Force-users than adhere to her father's warning about them.

Not that she would actively seek out the Jedi's counterpart – Reiel shared the Clan's hatred for the Sith.

The Force-user next to her seemed amiable enough from what she'd seen earlier, so Reiel squashed down her apprehension and inclined her head in acknowledgement of his words.

"Oh, for sure," the Mandalorian replied, keeping her own voice even through her helmet's modulator. "They could practically be anyone among us. It's probably best we keep an air suggesting that we're more concerned about the obvious possible threat than having potential enemies on board. Considering that there are two of you sorcerers aboard, they're more likely anticipating that you're already suspecting enemy presence in the ship."

Soon after, Reiel finally caught sight of two guards posted by the entrance to the Senator's private chambers. She tilted her helmeted head up to regard the ex-Jedi beside her and thought it best to strike up a casual conversation (she could already see the disappointment on her buir's face) to cover up whatever suspicious assumptions they have just discussed.

"I bet you a hundred credits that I can outdrink a rather dashing fellow like you."

Flirting? Was... was uttering a challenge considered as such? She didn't even know how, and yet–

Feck. That was kriffing cringe-worthy.

@Nefieslab @Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel hurried her way to the rear of the ship while her companions made their way towards the Senator's quarters at it's center. Her thoughts were much in line with Carrick's. The ship comes out of hyperspace at the perfect time to be met by two unidentified vessels? Extremely unlikely. There was a coordinated plot in motion here, of that much she was sure. But who was in on it?

She entered the ship's hyperdrive to find three technicians already inspecting the machinery. Izel herself was no expert with tech, aside from some farming equipment she had been familiarized with in her youth. But everything appeared to be in fairly good condition. "What's our status?" She asked the chief technician. He turned to her with a concerned look.

"Engine panel's been pried open and we've got a missing drive coupling. It's sabotage." He explained.

"Please tell me you have a spare?" Izel asked hopefully. The technician shook his head.

"Whoever did this prepped well. My guys just opened their bags and found them half empty, filled with junk to keep the weight the same. It must have been done at some point while loading the cargo." Izel facepalmed as an exasperated groan escaped her.

"Can you jerry-rig something? Just enough to limp us to Coruscant?" She asked. The technician clenched his teeth, a nervous look coming over him as he thought it over.

"Jerry-rigging is dangerous when we're talking about lightspeed travel ma'am. Something shakes loose during transit and our debris ends up in six different systems. I need that coupling." Izel sighed, crossing her arms.

"Then it looks like I've got a snake to find..." She muttered. A moment later she sensed something, someone was coming. How had they gotten this close without her noticing? The Vratix spun around, pulling out her pike. But the door leaving the hyperdrive was already closed, she just caught a glimpse of someone's hand on the console. She rushed to the door, it was locked from the other side. Cursing under her breath she brought her comlink to her mouth. "Pilot we've got a traitor onboard, I'm locked in the hyperdrive. I need you to override it." There was a concerningly long pause. "Pilot?"

"I'm locked out too..." The pilot responded, sounding a bit more worried now. "I'm losing systems fast, we're dead in the water..."

"And the repair team is stuck back here with me." Izel finished before turning back to the technician. "Looks like they really did prep well." She switched over to try and warn the others. "Carrick, Reiel, we've got a saboteur onboard. They might be Force-sensitive. They were able to mask their presence in the Force. Keep the Senator safe, I'll catch up to you when I can." She turned back to the technicians. "You might want to take a few steps back." Igniting her lightsaber she jammed the green blade into the door, and began the tedious task of cutting her way out.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Carrick]

She was both ready and slightly off from what he could sense through the Force - but that was to be expected. Mandos knew better than to project their emotions when they knew Force Users were around so he didn't focus on what he was sensing from her but rather what he could see from how she was holding herself. She was kind of tense in the walk but it wasn't really noticable to anyone but someone well trained in reading the body language of others. Like a Jedi turned politician, a mix of professions damned near designed for reading people in his opinion.

And he agreed with her.

A tactical mind under the helmet was one that he could very much respect. He grinned a little bit, reaching up to smooth his beard ever so slightly with his off hand. It was a little bit of a tick he had picked up over the years of having a beard.

"Right you are - let them focus on the Knight and myself and we'll have the Mando take them by surprise." he reasoned with a nod to her, "We're the obvious threat to their hidden agendas but if you already know you're the real threat to their safety."

As they approached the guards she struck up conversation and it tickled him pink that she had chosen such a topic to use to distract the guards from how they were really feeling. Still, Carrick was nothing if not a performer. He smiled at the Mando slyly.

"A hundred credits says I can do it blindfolded as well." he challenged her with a wink, "After all... wouldn't want you to have to drink through a straw."

Mandos didn't take off their helmets when others could see their faces to his knowledge. But hey, he was happy enough to be blindfolded if it meant having a little bit of fun while respecting societal boundaries. The guards waved them through and they entered the rooms of the senator, finding him working away at a terminal.

"Why have we stopped?"

Carrick got a warning through the Force a second before things sped into motion. Pushing the Mando forward into the room with him, they narrowly avoided the door to the rooms locking down with the blast doors. The senator started to panic as Carrick cursed under his breath.

"... they want him trapped so they know exactly where he is. Clever..." he reasoned with a small smirk, "It's what I would do as well."

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Well, that was pretty reasonable. Reiel appreciated the logic behind the ex-Jedi's – Carrick, yes, she finally remembered – words. If truth be told, she had placed him and Izel as the obvious and top threats against any opposition that have found themselves in the ship. Having the kind of power they possessed, their sorcery ready to be employed with a simple beck and call... while she knew that Force-users were not as all-powerful and invulnerable as some people pegged them to be, it was still pretty convenient to have such allies during missions such as this one – most especially those who were capable fighters. A Mandalorian trained in the arts of killing came second to that, in Reiel's unpopular opinion.

The clan would have her hide if she spoke that out loud, though.

She responded to Carrick's words with a nod, and could only feel supremely grateful that her helmet prevented him from witnessing how her face exploded in a brilliant shade of red when the ex-Jedi topped her challenge – and maintaining full respect of her culture. Reiel chuckled in delight, however, finding amusement in him accepting said challenge.

Blindfolded, huh? That could certainly work. He would most probably need not her assistance in finding where the shot glasses (or flagons, who knew) were at. Sorcerer, remember?

...and here she thought the Jedi, even those who were ex-members of their Order, have a huge stick stuck up their collective–

A hand pushing her into the Senator's room cut the thought off, the sound of both the door and the blast doors sliding shut sending Reiel standing at attention. Her commlink beeped to life soon after, and Izel's warning came loud and clear even for Carrick to hear.

"Copy that. Waiting for your arrival."

The thought of a possible Force-sensitive saboteur unsettled Reiel – more so at the implication that they were prepared. While she had anticipated such possiblity, it still held it's shock value all the same. Might as well get doubly prepared for what was to come.

The young Mandalorian's hands hovered over the vibroknives strapped to her utility belt. She had always been a quick draw, even at knife throwing, and they were the closest weapons within her reach. Paired with a good eye and quick reflexes have saved her hide more times than she could count on her fingers.

She turned to look at the panicking Senator behind them. "Calm down, Senator Fah. I assure you, whoever's behind this wouldn't get past me nor my handsome companion over here should they break through the door. You have my word."

That was what she was hired for, what she was here for. She raised an eyebrow at Carrick's assessment and nodded. "Pretty smart, to be honest. Confining the target in a single space with no escape." Reiel regarded him with faux suspicion. "Something you'd do as well, huh? Should I start stabbing you right now?"

The young Mandalorian needed to get that joke out, if only to mask the worry Izel's assumption about the saboteur brought her.

@Nefieslab @Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel watched anxiously as the door in front of her lit up bright orange, turning to molten metal as she slowly worked the blade of her saber through it. The technicians stood pressed against the wall behind her, clearly growing more fearful as the situation deteriorated. The Vratix couldn't help but curse herself for letting this happen. Nykoria had trusted her with Senator Fah's safety, she should have been more prepared. She should have done more thorough background checks on the ship's crew and security detail. She should have sensed the presence of that damn saboteur, they had made her look like a complete amateur.

She couldn't help but privately applaud their cleverness though. Create a diversion to draw the repair crew into one area while simultaneously putting the ship in a position to be attacked, then isolating the crew there to stop them from reversing any further sabotage. Now their infiltrator seemingly had free reign to do whatever they wanted with the ship's systems. Well, not if she had anything to say about it.

Her thoughts were interrupted however when the ship suddenly shook. Not violently, but enough to indicate they had made contact with something. Most likely it was those ships she had seen earlier, they were docking, preparing to board. Who knew how many assassins would be swarming them then? Izel hurried about her work, but even as she neared completion she could hear the faint sound of an explosion outside, followed by blaster fire. They were in.

"Come on!" Izel shouted in frustration. The moment she had completed a circular form in the door she raised one of her front legs and kicked it hard, sending the hunk of metal flying out into the hall. She looked back to the technicians behind her. "Stay behind me. We need to get to the Senator's quarters, we'll be safest there."

"We need to get to the bloody escape pods!" One of the technicians blurted out in a panic. Izel shook her head.

"They'll blast you to dust, they won't risk anyone getting out of here alive. Our only choice is to overpower them and force them to retreat. I swear I will protect you with my life. Please, I'll need your help to get the ship operational again." Even as she spoke the sounds of blaster fire and death cries echoed throughout the pristine white halls. The technicians looked terrified, but their chief seemed to step up.

"The Jedi's right, it's out only chance." He looked to the Vratix and nodded. "We're with you ma'am." Izel nodded in return.

"Then follow me." She said, and crawled through the hole in the door. She moved as quickly as she could while still allowing the technicians to keep up with her. The senator's quarters weren't that far, but she could already sense there was a large number of hostile presences between her and her destination. Rounding a corner she spotted three of them in the hall. They had just finished slaughtering the Chandrilan Militiamen. They were dressed head to toe in black armor, armed with military-grade blasters. Upon taking notice of her they raised their weapons and prepared to fire. Izel was faster, raising a hand and using Force pull to rip the weapons straight from their hands. They didn't seem as shocked as opponents normally were when that happened. They didn't miss a beat as they each pulled out buzzing vibroblades and charged her. Izel instinctually fell back into her Soresu stance as they closed the distance. These people had experience fighting Force-sensitives, she could already tell. Like the saboteur they seemed able to mask their feelings and presence in the Force. This was bad...

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Carrick]

Carrick could tell that things were coming to a bit of a head already. Through the Force he could feel panic and pain and death beyond the doors to the senator's rooms. Blaster fire was faintly heard through the very thick blast doors but it wasn't really possible to tell where the fire was coming from. It could be the opposite side of the door or it could be further down the halls of the ship - they had no way of knowing because they were all trapped in the rooms.

Still a good tactic but one he could honestly wish didn't ever get used on him again.

"Indeed, Senator Fah. If you cannot trust in the strength of arms of your militiamen, trust in the strength of our ravashing Mandalorian companion." he shot her a quick wink as he was busying himself pulling up some carpet, "I think you'll find that her arms are stronger than ours."

Searching along the floor, he ignored how Fah was spluttering indignantly in fear about the whole situation. Finding what he wanted, he unlocked the access panel on the floor but carefully did not open it, instead drawing his pistol from it's holster. He grinned a little bit at Reiel's question.

"As much as I would love to show you my blade work, I'm afraid the truth is far less exciting. Counter-hijacking and kidnapping training is all." he assured her as he pointed the pistol down at the access hatch, "... and they might have had the same training."

The hatch opened from the inside and Carrick fired, immediately catching a black-helmeted head with the blaster bolt. Dragging the now deceased assassin from the crawlspace, he stuck his head down there for a moment before waving them forward.

"We can use this to make it to the hanger." he tapped his com link, "Knight Thral. We have taken out a non-FS assassin using the maintenance crawl spaces and we're going to use them to get the target to the hanger bay. Sitting here is what they want us to do."

He gestured to the crawl space.

"I'm going to have to ask you to go first." he asked the Mando with a small smirk, "You're more heavily armoured than either myself or Senator Fah. I promise to refrain from commenting on crawling behind you."

Flirting while in the middle of a dangerous situation was rather fun.

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

The ship shuddered. Reiel had expected that their transport would come under heavy fire from the approaching starships but the way it shook suggested otherwise. That left her with the thought that the enemy were docking and getting onboard.

Har'chaak.

Hand flying to the controls for her helmet's audio receptors, the Mandalorian picked up the faint sounds of blaster fire outside the Senator's room – or further down the hall, she couldn't exactly say. The blast doors were impeding even the audio enhancements her buy'ce offered her.

She had a bad feeling about the state of the Chandrila Militiamen outside. They have to at least be putting up a fight out there. Reiel could only hope that Izel hadn't come across any further troubles and was leading the militiamen against the hostiles that managed to board the ship.

As much as she wanted to be out there and eliminating the enemies alongside the Jedi Knight, the Mandalorian knew that she had more pressing matters to attend to. Despite her and Carrick's reassurances (she rolled her eyes good-naturedly, face turning warm, at the wink and his answering compliment to the ones she'd thrown), the Senator remained understandably afraid as the situation deteriorated further. Reiel unslung her DC-15A Blaster Rifle, finger finding the trigger and prepared to shoot hostiles at any given moment.

Inching close to the Senator and eyes trained on the blast doors, Reiel shrugged at the ex-Jedi's response to her joke and glanced at him. She looked down at the access hatch, blaster rifle immediately leveling at the sudden appearance of a black-helmeted head but Carrick beat her to it. Swift and ever-alert for enemy presence. Splendid.

If only she could persuade him into becoming Mando'ade, he'd make for a good–

The Mandalorian shook her head at the thought and gestured for the Senator to follow. She stood beside Carrick, regarding the crawl space and his plan on how to get to the hangar bay. It was risky and there might be more creeping crawlies lurking around, but it was the only way they could prevent the Senator from being a sitting duck in his own chambers. And who knew if there were already hostiles by the door and attempting to open it to get to them.

Reiel tilted her helmeted head to look up at Carrick, considering his words. Putting her on the lead was a smart move – not only would she be able to protect them with her armor, she would also find it easier to maneuver (enough to shoot, anyway) through the confined space due to her small height and build. And while she regretted not making a full sweep herself of the ship and its crew for any possible threats, she was at least pleased with herself that she took the time to study its layout.

Even the vents didn't escape her notice.

She returned Carrick's smirk with a cheeky grin despite the cover of her helmet. Crouching down, Reiel threw him another look over her shoulder before making her way inside the crawl space.

"Oh, comment away as much as it pleases you, mesh'la," Reiel shot back as she adjusted her hold on her blaster rifle and started crawling. "I'll make sure to bring up whatever you're going to say to that drinking game of ours. Bet's still at a hundred credits, mind you."

From their position in the Senator's chambers, it was going to be a long crawl to the hangar bay. They would need to be quick lest they get ambushed on the way. And Carrick – well, she trusted him to warn her if the next assassin who would decide to join them in the crawl space was Force-sensitive or not.

Wouldn't want them using their sorcery to yank her blaster rifle out of her hands. Or worse, her helmet.

@Nefieslab @Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Considering she was outnumbered Izel realized she needed to take the initiative if she wanted to win this fight. These assassins were not to be underestimated. Rushing forward to meet them she thrust her pike at the leftmost assailant. However he swung his vibroblade around to deflect her attack, his weapon unharmed by her saber. A cortosis-weave then, the Vratix thought to herself. Smart. She ducked back as the second assassin took a swing at her, then leapt up as the third attempted to sweep her legs. They were well coordinated in their attacks and trained to fight Force-sensitives, but Izel doubted they were trained to fight insectoids.

While in the air Izel flipped so her feet landed on the hallway's ceiling, the insectoid alien clinging to it as easily as they would the floor. The assassins had regrouped to prepare for another exchange, but as expected they were caught off-guard by her maneuver. That brief pause in their defense was enough for Izel to make a counterattack. She thrust her pike down at them, impaling one of the assassin's through the shoulder. As he cried out in pain and dropped his weapon Izel grunted with effort. Using the Force to augment her strength she lifted the impaled assassin off of the ground and swung him around, knocking him into the other. As both of them collapsed the third managed to evade her attack. The Vratix and last remaining assassin squared off, ready to continue their fight. Fortunately in the exchange they had changed their positions, with the black armored assailant now showing his back to the technicians. With his focus on Izel the chief came forward and knocked him over the head with a hydrospanner, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Nice work." Izel complimented the man as she paused to catch her breath, still standing on the ceiling. It was then Carrick buzzed in on the comlink to update her. They knew about the vents? Of course they did, these people had done their homework. "Is that wise?" The Vratix asked uncertainly as she brought her comlink to her mouth. "We know there are hostile ships out there. If we try to escape they might just shoot us down."

"We could commandeer one of those ships ma'am," The chief technician suggested. "Cover the Senator's escape." Izel paused as she looked down at the repairman.

"That's not a bad idea..." She muttered, puzzling it out. Then she raised her comlink again. "Understood, I'll try and keep our guests occupied. May the Force be with you." With that she dropped back down to the floor before turning and changing their course. "Come on," She addressed the technicians. "If they're focusing on the Senator's quarters they won't be defending the umbilical, that's our way in."

"This is insane..." One of the technicians muttered under his breath as he followed.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Carrick]

Was it wise? Eh, debatable really. Staying in the cage your enemy had so neatly made for you was, in his opinion, so unwise that pretty much any other viable option was made wise in comparison. But he could see where the Jedi was coming from since this alternative plan saw him, his attractively proportioned ally and their charge crawling into service ducts and making their way into the unknown.

Wait no - it wasn't the unknown, it was a battlefield actually.

... still better than waiting in the prepared kill room like a cattle too stunted to realize all the signs that meant it was about to die soon.

"Wiser than staying put." he replied with a small smile, "From the hanger we are free to move around - in our current location all we can do is await the inevitable breach."

He chuckled a little bit as he started crawling after her. Carrick had no idea what she'd called him but he wasn't going to admit that his language skills were a bit rustier than he would have licked.

"Follow me, senator." he urged the other man as he got down on his hands and knees after the young Mando woman, "I'm a man of my word my dear Mando. And if anything I say is held against me... well I'm sure something will come up."

Despite his joking tones and the flirting going on, Carrick was actually paying attention to the senator following him to make sure he was alright. Of course he was also taking note of something else and that was that the Mando might be slight but she, ah, wasn't 'slight' everywhere.

Made for interesting crawling.

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

They really were doing this. Mandalorian on the lead, ex-Jedi in the middle, and a Senator bringing up the rear. Reiel had been on jobs where she found herself crawling through the vents, but this admittedly was the first time she had to do it in a bloody ship.

Looked like the old adage "there's a first for everything" held its own truth.

And lucky she's on the small side, though her fortune ended at that. Heavily armored as she was, the sounds of metal against metal (and duraplast protecting her knees) with every calculated move still rang every now and again, no matter how much Reiel tried to minimize her movements. It irked her to high hell, her vambraces and kneeguards clank-clank-clanking as she crawled further towards their destination.

She didn't even have enough time to feel embarrassed whenever she felt Carrick's gaze on, well, her.

(At least he wasn't commenting. Yet.)

Visualizing the ship's map in her head instead, and taking note of the pathways were the vents led to the hangar bay, Reiel turned right as soon as the three reached their very first fork. The Mandalorian would stop for a few moments, on high alert for any other assassins who would decide to take another trip into the vents. Upon determining that their path lay unimpeded, she would push on, gritting her teeth every time her armor clanked against the vents and taking necessary turns that would lead her and her companions to their destination.

Minutes that almost felt like an eternity passed. Judging from her mental calculations and the map she had made, they were almost near the hallway that led to the hangar itself. The vent would end just shy of the hallway's entrance, the hatch located on the wall adjacent to the door–

"Here," Reiel muttered to herself upon reaching their destination. She signalled for Carrick to stop before lying on her side to begin the process of prying the hatch open. Before she could do so, however, the faint sound of footsteps warned her of approaching people.

Heart in her throat, Reiel stilled, wide eyes fixed on the hatch. For all she knew it could be anyone – hells, it could even be Izel and her group.

The young Mandalorian could feel her luck bailing on her when the footsteps halted, garbled voices communicating, and the hatch being pried open from the outside. A black-helmeted head similar to the assassin Carrick had killed earlier greeted her the moment the hatch came lose, and Reiel was quick to fire a blaster bolt to the hostile's face before the latter could react. Another assassin reacted swiftly, grabbing the Mandalorian's rifle – which she refused to let go – and roughly hauling her out of the vent.

Three assassins, one of them already dead thanks to the shot Reiel fired off. Still on the ground, the Mandalorian immediately caught sight of one of the assailants preparing to shoot the vents – maybe thinking that she wasn't alone in there, which she was not. She acted quickly, lifting her free hand to launch her whipcord at the weapon and yanking it away from the vent's direction. The assassin's shot missed, hitting the wall instead, but she knew that would buy Carrick time to make sure that the Senator was safe and to extricate himself out of the vents – more so now that both hostiles have their full focus on Reiel herself.

During her training, the first lesson her buir taught her was how to quickly get up and regain her footing should she find herself getting knocked down by an opponent. Reiel would soon find that the assassins before her were trained as well. The Mandalorian had to roll away from the shots fired at her before she could get up, accidentally letting her own weapon go in the process, and the enemies took advantage of her situation, firing until she was backed against the door to the hallway leading to the hangar bay.

Reiel, however, would not go down without a fight. Lifting a hand again, she activated one flamethrower, throwing the assailants off-guard. Out of surprise and reflex, however, one of them fired another blaster bolt, hitting the Mandalorian square on the chest.

If it weren't for the beskar, that shot could've killed her. Forcing herself to get up, Reiel deactivated the flamethrower and – hand flying to retrieve one of her vibroknives – rushed the nearest assassin, using her full weight to bowl him over. The young Mandalorian quickly plunged her vibroknife in the hostile's unprotected side repeatedly, but her position on top of one of the enemies left her wide open for the other to shoot.

Kriff. What a way to die, you idiot.

@Nefieslab @Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel understood where Carrick was coming from, although she still didn't like the idea of flying blind out in space. With their combined talents they had much better chances of surviving by fighting their attackers head on. But that would also put Senator Fah at risk, so really there was no clear correct answer. They really didn't have much choice but to play this scenario out by ear.

Nearing another junction in the hallways Izel crept forwards slowly, looking down the hall in the direction of the Senator's quarters. No less than six assassins were there, currently cutting their way through the blast doors. It seemed Carrick was right after all. Looking down the other hall she noticed the umbilical to their ship was open, and as she suspected, unguarded. Their assailants were so confident they had control of the situation that they didn't bother to lay out any defenses.

Looking back to the technicians Izel raised a finger to her mandibles to make the humanoid sign for 'quiet' before creeping around the corner. Stealthily the four of them made their way to the umbilical, crawling across to the other side. They found themselves in a Kappa-class shuttle, emptied of it's passengers. While the technicians sealed the way back onto the Senator's ship Izel made her way to the cockpit. Those inside were quite surprised to see her walk in. As the two unarmed humans turned to look at her dumbly Izel simply waved a hand. "Hello." She greeted them casually. One of the pilots scrambled to grab a blaster, but the Vratix raised her hand. The two men lifted up off the ground, slamming into the ceiling before falling back to the floor again. With that dealt with she turned back to the technicians.

"Two of you start tying them up, I've got questions that need answering. Chief, get this ship ready to move. If we catch the other ship unaware we should be able to destroy it before it gets it's shields up." While the technicians promptly got to work Izel raised her comlink to her mouth once more. "We've taken the boarding shuttle." She informed Carrick. "If you can get the Senator safely to his escape craft we'll be ready to provide supporting fire. Let these fools have our ship if they want it so badly." There was still the matter of their own pilot back on the Senator's ship, and any other possible surviving crew. But the Senator's safety came first. Izel had already made enough mistakes today and she wasn't about to let him die now. Once he was safely away something could be done about retaking his ship. Perhaps the assassins would be willing to barter for the lives of their comrades, although something made her doubt it.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Carrick]

Well having the Mando pulled out of the vent was a way for him to be less distracted but it was also a sign that things had gone about as badly as they ever were likely to go. Grunting as he rolled to the side in preparation for the blaster bolt, he hummed slightly as it was redirected by the same Mando to the wall instead - she was kicking all kinds of arse up there if his senses in the Force were any indication.

"Senator, stay here and please have the grace and poise to not soil yourself."

Then he lashed out with the Force.

The floor above him bent and buckled upward first before a second blast of the power managed to smash it open entirely and Carrick stood up from his previously prone position. Ducking out of the way of a blast from the other man's pistol, he cursed when the man managed to kick Carrick's own pistol out of his hand before diving at him to engage in a grapple, with a vibroknife in hand no less.

It wasn't even fair!

Carrick didn't need to touch his opponent to stop him, catching the man in a full-body stasis field in mid-air. Gritting his teeth as he maintained the technique, he drew his own vibroblade and stabbed it directly into the restrained man's throat from the side, killing him almost instantly and without too much mess.

The corpse fell to the ground and Carrick pulled the shaking senator out of the remains of the vent with a small grunt of effort. Using the Force like that was tiring to say the least but he called his knife back to his hand using the Force as well and cleaned it quickly.

"Senator Fah, please thank the young lady for saving your bacon and my own." he encouraged the politician even as he checked the nearby map of the area, "And hope she's got enough in the tank to keep doing it because we are not out of the woods yet my friends - we're in the life support room."

@Reyn @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Carrick's timely arrival was what saved Reiel from getting a blaster bolt to the face.

The young Mandalorian – still catching her breath – wasted no time to pull herself away from the assassin's corpse, absently wiping the blood off of her blade while the ex-Jedi disposed of the hostile who very nearly managed to killed her. Now up on her feet, Reiel quickly moved to retrieve her fallen blaster rifle and off towards the Senator who was shakily pulling himself out of the vent.

Anno Fah (who was understandably shaky from the encounter) could only nod his head wordlessly at her when she asked him if he was alright. The Mandalorian simply brushed his gratitude off rather gingerly – he'd have to save that for when they got out of this situation alive.

Reiel turned to look at Carrick, hoping that her gratitude could still be heard despite her helmet's vocorder. "Thanks," she told him quietly and gave him a once over. "You okay? Not hurt anywhere?"

She turned to check the map as well, making sure that the path behind the door was indeed headed towards the hangar bay.

Huh. Turned out they were in the life support room.

Despite the near-death experience, Reiel found that she still had it in her to resume flirting with the ex-Jedi. She stepped towards the door, hand flying to the control panel and almost letting out a relieved sigh upon seeing that the coast was clear when the door hissed open.

"I've still got a lot of fight left in me, handsome. Maybe you'll get to witness how... alluring a female Mandalorian in full armor can get – most especially when one is intent on making heads roll."

Safe. For now – and who knew for how long. They really needed to get to the hangar, and fast.

@Nefieslab @Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

While the technicians made ready to break from the Senator's ship Izel made her way back into the passenger hold. Both of the crew members were there, starting to come to. The Vratix crossed her arms as she looked down at the two pilots with a critical eye. "No time for games..." She said to herself, then knelt down and looked one of the pilots in the eye, waving a hand before his face. "You're in a bad situation but I can help you. Tell me everything you know." The pilot looked back at her dumbly for a few seconds then grinned.

"Nice try Jedi." He said smugly. Izel's antennae twitched, astonished. They were immune to mind tricks as well? Who were these people? Getting frustrated she grabbed the pilot by the shirt and stood up to her full height, slamming him into the wall.

"Who hired you to kill Senator Fah?" She demanded. "How did you know we'd be here? Where did you receive your training?" The pilot chuckled painfully, foam starting to form on the corners of his mouth.

"Your time is ending Jedi. Lash out all you want, our victory is inevitable..." Izel watched in shock as he went limp in her arms, dead. Looking down at the other pilot he seemed to have suffered the same fate, foaming from his mouth and body hunched over. They poisoned themselves. With a defeated sigh Izel lowered the body to the ground, then returned to the cockpit. The Chief and one of the other technicians were manning the controls while another was on the guns.

"We're ready to go when you are ma'am." The Chief informed her. "Other ship is circling but seems to have it's defenses down. We should be able to catch them unawares if we move quickly. There's a place for you on the dorsal turret." Izel nodded back in acknowledgement.

"On my way." She said. "Wait until they've passed and then detach us. Get me a clear shot and I'll take them down." The Vratix turned and left the cockpit once more to climb into the transport's dorsal laser turret. These Kappa-class shuttles were made for transporting troops, not heavy combat. If they could just get the drop on the other ship taking it out shouldn't be too difficult.

She watched from her seat as the other shuttle passed overhead, slow and inattentive. Most likely they were just there as backup for the main group and to blast any escape pods coming from the Senator's ship. Once they had passed Izel's ship smoothly detached from the diplomatic vessel and started drifting in space. The shuttle's engines roared to life, and it turned to face the other one. The moment her targeting computer locked on Izel opened fire with a volley, managing to score a hit on the other shuttle before it blasted its engines and got out of her range. She cursed silently, but the technicians were on it, pursuing the enemy shuttle and bringing it back in her sights as it tried to turn to face them. Another volley of laser fire destroyed the vessel before it could get it's deflector shields up. As a great ball of fire erupted in the vacuum of space hunks of burning metal went in every direction, some of them buffeting the Senator's ship. It rocked a bit, but the damage looked superficial thankfully.

"Yes!" Izel hissed quietly to herself as she pumped a fist in the air. They were gaining control of the situation once more. The Senator's ship had very little in the way of external defenses, so as soon as the man himself was safely away from the danger they would hold all the cards. It was up to Carrick and Reiel now.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde