Ask Coruscant [Level 1313] Sentinel Strip

[Kotii Solus]

Spoiler: music

The upper levels of Coruscant rose into the sky as the turbolift took Black Hand down to the middle levels of the ecumonoplis. Below him waited an abandoned hotel belonging to a forgotten assassination organization. The centuries or perhaps millennia since the establishment's height had seen numerous buildings and structures criss crossing overhead. It wasn't long before the Mandalorian had a limited view of actual sky, the likes of which only showed polluted clouds if he had to judge.

The echani offshoot was garbed in his bounty hunting attire. The beskar'gam was coated in a fresh coat of primarily red paint with black detailing denoting his relation to clan Solus. This armor lacked the Jaig Eyes of his scatterweave set. But it would be better suited when trying to deal with any small time threats. Across his back he carried his Zok-10 sniper blaster. While his usual Blackhand blaster pistol was on his left hip, the Mandalorian had seen fit to double the normal ammunition he carried. Aside from that, the Hunter in the Bounty Hunter's Guild was dressed with the rest of his usual gear.

Kotii had chosen to leave his lancer class pursuit craft in a private hangar a few levels above them. The ship was locked down and licensed for all intents and purposes. For now the man needed to venture lower into a part of Coruscant that had not seen the light of day for eons. Black Hand was joined by other Mandalorians as they delved deeper into the bowls of the city planet. Sparkling lights from the artificial structures and buildings lining the cavernous walls certainly gave an impression and reminded Kotii a little of the dome worlds he had seen on Mandalore.

Somewhere beneath the Strip on Level 1313 was this Sentinel Hotel. At least that was what his source told him. Whether or not it was still there or in any safe state was yet to be seen. It was good to have a comrade at his back. As a bounty hunter, he often found himself tracking his targets alone or sometimes with a partner but often split accomplishing independent objectives. The ones joining him hopefully had not brought anything outright illegal to Coruscant, even if they were venturing into the more nefarious dregs of the planet.

@Die Shize @Timmen

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

One. Two. Three. Four. Casany Praxor counted the doors, checked them like corners, this way and that way. Down below was a world within a world, or away from it, and not one but four Mandalorians had just entered this one.

Recognizing that anyone or anything might leap out from anywhere, that sentiment was more universal now than isolated to Level 1313.

Armored, red gold beskar, Cas was not alone; it would be foolhardy to jump four bucketheads. But we are alone. Outnumbered. Outgunned. True Mandalorians in a world that calls us false.

Marching along, she opened those doors behind her helmet, opened hangars, found ships and soldiers and began amassing an army to fight back. They were in the resistance now, a kind of rebellion, those four Mandalorians who marched. We are not alone.

One. Two. Three. Four. One thousand three hundred thirteen levels from the core. This world was the underworld, dark and dreary, as mirrored by the odd face that gazed out with disinterest.

Down here, the galaxy had forgotten that these souls existed, and that worked out well for four souls looking for a covert base. Forget forgetting, they won’t know we ever existed down here in the first place. If they remembered, well, the weapons on Casany’s armored person would remind them to forget.


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[Zaia Krodas]

The fabric of her cloak trailed behind her as Zaia walked alongside her companions on level 1313. It was gray, according to Mandalorian tradition, the color representing grief over a lost love. Only in this case, the love lost was the freedom of her people.

It was true that the Mandalorians had spent centuries in hiding since the Great Purge, that the once-great clans with traditions descending from the Crusaders of old were reduced to bounty hunters and mercenaries. It was true that before the new Mand’alor was chosen, there had been little direction for their people. She was all for pursuing the ambitions of their ancestors, but the thing she couldn’t stand to see was how their new leader and some of her people had willingly enslaved themselves to the Sith in order to do it.

The reason Zaia was here was to help to scout out a possible base for what she could only describe as their rebellion. However, she found herself spending less time thinking about that and more on who or what could come out of the shadows at any moment. Even though Coruscant was a planet that she frequented, she’d never been this far down before. The lowest she’d gone was level… 53, was it? Even there she’d had to deal with gangsters, and it only made her more apprehensive of what was potentially down here.

To ease her mind, she could only treat it as any other job. Whatever they found, they would be ready for.

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[Etr Wyara]

"You Mandos are like Cockroaches. Nuke your planet, you live. Kill You? Throw you into death camps? Hunt you down? Turn over a rock and there more of you are. You people like to think your most enduring legacy is your martial prowess.. in reality it's your Uncanny ability to resist every attempt to stamp you out."

The words of Jon Kabian Came back. I couldn't remember how old I was then. 10? Maybe 11 when he had said that to me. There was a bit of pride in my heart from that idea. In a way Kabian was right, You couldn't stamp Out Mandalorians. Now, even though many were misguided, fighting for foreign devil aruetii, we were hopeful in gaining our freedom. But first we would need to fight. And to do that we would need to establish a Base on a neutral system like.. that's what brought us to the Center of the universe for most civilized people. Though from the top the planet was a Beautiful, vibrant city. Beneath seemed to get worse and worse as you went down till we reached level 1313. On this level it seemed like People made their own law. Which is how we got to be clearing hallways in an old hotel for echani... it would serve as our base of operations and Fesseja and Adenn waited in the wings for the signal to start moving in. It would be our slice of Coruscant.. another Mandalorian covert in a Dark time for the Mando'ade. But first we'd need to clear it.
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[Kotii Solus]

Spoiler: persistent theme

The red and gold armored warrior of clan Praxor joined the Alor of clan Solus and not for the first time. She had shown herself to be a trustworthy ally and one he felt he could rely on despite her association with the Orar Da'Yadr. The blue armored warrior from the Krodas clan was present as well as an armorless foundling whom Kotii had met briefly. They were all here for the same purpose.

Armed and understanding of their setting, they knew this was also a core world. Here on the 1313th floor of the city planet, the surface may as well be a world away. Others who populated the streets of the Strip on this level watched the Mandalorians make their way through the street. They weren't the strangest sight, holograms and dancers from clubs waved trying to entice the warriors. But Kotii was here on business, not pleasure.

The badger would pass the attractions before coming up to a spectacularly painted blast door. The surface had extensive graffiti and with the flashing lights and black light, it seemed to glow. Above it and out of reach of most humanoids was a holo-sign that read Nimbus Services Flickering slightly as it shifted in periodic animation.

This was the limousine hangar but Kotii wasn't sure if it was still up and running as a standalone business. The place was the closest connection to the rest of what was Sentinel Hotel. It would be best for them to look for access hatches or other maintenance ways that might lead to the abandoned space. Flicking his helmet through its modes, to low light to infrared.

Walking up to the blast doors and away from the main street that was used for foot traffic, Kotii got closer to the concrete and metal structure that seemed lack any activity in the bustling area.

"Hey." A hoarse voice called out from behind the group. The man who spoke appeared to have just exited a nearby building's side door before seeing the Mandalorians. He did not seem to be too perturbed by the fact that there were four armed individuals, at least one of them closely examining the door. "The door's busted. You looking for a ride?" In one hand he was wheeling what looked like a trash bin out to be dumped on the side of the building with other refuse. This place was a karking hole.

Kotii turned away from the door and took a step towards the man as he spoke up. "Not a ride...just access to what's beyond that door." His head nodded in the direction of Nimbus Services. This caused a murmur to come from the man before he finished taking out the trash. "It's where I keep my limousine but not much else. Why do you want to get in to my garage?" He was the owner and driver of an airspeeder if Kotii had to guess. Just a man trying to live.

"I'll pay a thousand credits to let us have a look." He planned on giving him another nine if they needed to do any demolition work to get access to a walled off portion of the substructure. "I promise to not break anything of yours." Kotii's right hand reached down to a pouch on his belt and hefted it momentarily. The credits inside clinked. The man's eyes were drawn to the bag, then back at the emotionless visor of the Mandalorian before giving a nod. "Sounds alright ta me. Follow me." He wiped his hands and accepted the bag of credits. "...and don't steal nothing. Don't think you Mandos are the type but...you know." A bit of awkwardness followed as the man took them inside the building he had come from and towards the back.

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[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Persistent Recurring Music Theme

Cas liked the look of the man with the trash can about as much as the trash inside it, though that was to be expected in a dump like this. No one was to be trusted, except to lie, which meant that four Mandalorians had to trust at least one soul to tell the truth. Let’s see what you become: the first or the last.

Nimbus Services sounded nifty enough, and if the seats were sanitized then Cas would still never get inside one of their limousines but whatever. Kotii spoke truth: they were here for a whole different kind of ride. Their tour guide would carry them there.

“What’s that music?” Cas asked as the group of five walked along, tilting her head to the overhead speakers. The tune was quite catchy.

“Oh, kind of house/dance/electronica,” the Limo Man answered. “Great beats to drive to, heh.”

And to die to, Cas thought while thinking of those who deserved no less. Business, not pleasure, is indeed why she and hers had come down to this pit, and they intended to expand that business as far as the expanse far above this whole planet.

“So, uh, credits are good but, I gotta ask, why the interest in this little hole?” The man’s brows crossed before each visor.

“What can you tell us about the Sentinel Hotel?” Cas asked from behind hers, plainly as ever. “And the best way in?”

No need to play dumb; this man was looking at four armored Mandalorians in Level 1313. He surely already guessed they were here for reasons even less colorful than the holo-sign outside.


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[Zaia Krodas]

There was nothing remarkable about the man leading the group into the building that Zaia could notice. He looked to be interested in Kotii’s credits the way anyone trying to get by would be, and she saw no reason for him to lie when any one of them could put a blaster bolt through his brain at any given moment. His taste in music was average too, in her opinion.

At Cas’s mention of the Sentinel Hotel, the man fixed his gaze on the woman.

“That was what you were looking for? Shoulda mentioned it sooner,” he said, waving the group over to a rusted metal door that looked like it hadn’t been opened in centuries. Well, that had been easier than expected.

“Right behind here.” He clapped a hand on the metal, and Zaia paused to look at it.

“How is the condition of the hotel?”

“That’s the thing. It ain’t pretty,” he answered, shaking his head. “I took a couple steps past this door, the entire thing shook and it felt like it was about to collapse. All thanks to that demolition crew a while back. But the other side, the part they didn’t get to after the funding stopped, that’s stable. That is, if you can get to it. And if there isn’t already someone occupying it.”

Zaia glanced over at her companions. Sentinel Hotel might have been difficult to get to, but in their situation, they didn’t have much of an option. Simply checking it out couldn’t hurt, since they’d already come this far.

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[Etr Wyara]

"I don't think it's anything we can't improve on. Any power still running into it?'"
"Power cables and Batteries were stripped out when the demo crew came in but like I said, half of it they left alone."
The man Responded. I stepped forward towards the door.
"Right then, Let's take a look..."
The man shook his head before pressing on the access control panel. The doors screeched open, a mist of Rust and sparks came from it as it did. I stepped into the hatch, Hoping the walkway wouldn't collapse entirely. It shook as I placed a foot onto it and applied all of my wait. I cringed slightly as it did and waited for the drop. When Nothjng came I gave a sigh of relief. And gave a small hop.
"I think it might be ok."
I called out and then, turning on the light on my helmet, started walking forward.

 

[Kotii Solus]

The news about the state of the hotel was not surprising. The distant drip of liquid hitting stone echoed off the cool halls. The depths of what used to be the Sentinel Hotel sat before the squad of Mandalorians. It was as grand as any tomb or series of catacombs without a doubt. The structure was mighty and could have probably survived an orbital barrage in its prime. But as of now it was unknown territory.

Kotii did not have any map of the interior but wished he had perhaps bought an ID-21 seeker droid or two if for nothing else than to map the interior of the building. Etr was eager and walked at the head of the group and brought Kotii's mind forward. The echani offshoot said nothing to the youth but walk up to and around him. <"I take point, vod."> It wasn't a request.

The sound of his blaster sliding smoothly out of its holster followed the action and was held before the group as Kotii took the lead. If they were going to be finding anything living down here, he wanted to be ready for it and the kid without armor wasn't going to be the first to get hit. The Hunter wouldn't give anything the chance to attack if that were the case.

The Solus Alor took the lead and brought his right hand over to his right forearm. His dexterous fingers tapped a few controls and the visor of the badger switched to infrared mode. Kotii did not like to use a flashlight in most cases as it drew attention to the user. But if the others wanted to use theirs this way he wouldn't be blinded all of a sudden. Not to mention if there were warm bodies of organic, this would be a way to spot them unless they had scatterweave on them or some other trick. It didn't exactly work great against droids either, after all.

The deeper they went, the less they would hear the music from before and the more they would begin to see the clear signs of the cave in the limo driver had mentioned. Leakage of sewage or rain water, maybe both or something else was mixed in and it smelled a bit rank. Small violet mushrooms with tendril like stems sit on either side of the hallways. The Mandalorian doesn't pay them any particular attention from behind his helmet but continues to walk through the grouping of mushrooms, avoiding stepping directly on any of them ang going through the center of the hallway.

The cleared out center of an upper level lobby lay beyond. Even with infrared vision Kotii could tell that the place was ornately decorated. Luxury seating with layers of dust, artwork and ironic contrasts to the opulence of the setting. Now it was dilapidated and a shell of its former self. There were doors leading to different directions in the building and further into shadow. There were plenty of places to being, the only question was where first. So far there did not seem to be any sign of living people.

@Die Shize @Timmen @Sicadorito

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Cas felt like things were going smoothly so far, excluding the dodgy door and the way it opened and what lay beyond it, perhaps. Truth be told, she was the last to enter, not out of fear, but because the music from the overhead speakers was just that good.

“You bucketh—ahem—you Mandos planning on moving in or what?” The limo owner asked, genuinely curious but not belligerently so.

“Oh, just moving through, buddy. Mandos on the move.” She tossed him another pouch of credits, even though no demolition work was needed. “For your troubles.”

Cas followed behind the others. The Mandalorian had seen her fair share of flora and fauna in this crazy galaxy but those purple mushrooms were something else, perhaps on account of growing in the dismal dark, of which her own infrared helped light up.

The lobby was alluring in its own right. Once upon a time, perhaps. Dusted and dirtied, it reeked of the elite from years past. A shell of itself now…like spent casings from slugthrowers of old. She didn’t need to see the faces of her vods to know they felt the same way.

Amid the doors that presented themselves, each one closed and leading to who knew where, Cas broke the silence. “Can probably cover more ground if we split up. Into pairs, that is. Etr?”

She called his name but remembered how fond the boy was of the only other female Mandalorian in the room. “How about you and Zaia.” If anyone could keep him safe it was her; a proven sister through and through. “Kotii, you and me?”


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[Zaia Krodas]

Zaia followed Kotii and Etr in silence, grateful for the presence of Cas behind her. As the music faded away and their surroundings grew darker despite the infrared, she couldn’t help pulling out her own blaster. The mushrooms growing on the side of the walls were like nothing she’d ever seen before. Were they poisonous? She wasn’t willing to find out, and followed Kotii’s example at avoiding them as best as she could.

Soon they’d arrived at the lobby, a shadow of what it used to be. Much like Mandalore now, but that would soon change. What remained inside the room was dirtied beyond most recognition, but with a good cleaning she reasoned that this place could be made into a meeting point of some kind. They would just have to see what the rest of the building held to see if this place would hold up as a base.

At Cas’s suggestion that they split up to explore, Zaia nodded. “We do have our comms to, you know, communicate if we find something out of the ordinary. It would be faster,” she agreed. Giving Etr a small pat on the shoulder, she smiled from underneath her helmet.

“I’m down if you are, vod.”

@Timmen @Darasuum @Die Shize

 

[Kotii Solus]

Spoiler: Music OOC

The surrounding building used to be neutral ground for the criminal underworld. A place where hitmen and agents of espionage could rest easy. The Sentinel Hotel had a history and one that expanded beyond just Coruscant in its hayday. But now it was long since forgotten by many. That was to be expected when your business remained covert from the common public.

With the strange fungus behind them, the group delved further into the abandoned structure. Casany brought up a good point and if she had not suggested moving into pairs then Kotii would have. If there was full warriors present with perhaps some fresh information on the area, the Alor would have even suggested spreading out as individuals. Warriors were independent enough and they did not need to clear each room as a team. Then again, this would be a good exercise in small team tactics just in case. They were from different clans and had a variety of experience amongst the four of them so it would be good to put some to practice. He thought about all of this instead of immediately replying.

<"Let's not get further than a floor away from one another."> He said to Zaia with a nod. If they needed one another the two teams could come back together to reinforce the other. They would presumably cover twice the ground that way. Also it prevented the levels from making it difficult to communicate. Short range commlinks would be the only thing working at this level on Coruscant anyways unless they had a decent relay.

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[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

After some short and sweet deliberation, the way that Mandalorians discussed (outside of moots, at least), all four of these ones found themselves on the same page. Keep close, keep centered, keep communicating. This is the way. “That way.” Cas nodded beside Kotii toward a door.

To be fair, it could lead to anywhere, but on a hunch would be the path paved before the pair. Whether they remained at that number was yet to be determined.

One good thing about starting out as two teams was that the pairs could split up even further within even more confined spaces; like taking the same hallway but each person going into separate rooms.

For now, Zaia and Etr took one door and Kotii and Casany took the other. The latter opened sesame and stepped forth. The light was no more, no less, so she kept the infrared of her helmet on full and led the way with her blaster.

What threats might be lurking in the dark? She hoped to not find out. Fighting was fun but not right now. The Mandalorians’ priority was securing this facility as one for themselves. A true base for True Mandalorians. It would be one in a number.

“Yep, it’s a hallway,” Cas stated the obvious. Doors flanked either side of the corridor which stretched toward a wall. Though, the hallway itself appeared to T-junction into corridors more. “I’ll take left. Kot and bes, Kotii.”

She didn’t wait, taking the immediate door and opening it. Blaster shifted leftward, rightward, she stepped forward. Something moved, something clanged!, then something fell to the floor after a blaster bolt killed it dead.

“Sorry,” Cas offered over comm. “Damn di’kut rodent. Moving on.”


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[Zaia Krodas]

“Understood. We won’t go far,” Zaia promised to Kotii. Then her gaze landed on a door right by where she was standing. Opening it, it revealed a long, dark corridor much like the one they’d come from, though with a few more doors lining its sides. She looked back to see that Cas and Kotii had already found their own path. Now it was time for her and Etr to explore theirs.

“Let’s check this place out.”

The hallway was relatively unremarkable at first glance. But once she stepped inside and actually got a good look around, she noticed a couple patches of the same violet mushrooms growing in some corners. There was nowhere near as much as in the other hallway, but she wondered how long they could have been growing here for.

Shrugging it off, Zaia moved on, opening another door that revealed what used to be a storage room. Empty crates were stacked here and there, coated with dust as was everything else here. Just then, she heard a muffled blaster shot echo in the hall, and she immediately switched on her comm.

“What happened?” At Cas’s response, Zaia smiled. So it wasn’t just her who was a little spooked down here. Well, being vigilant wasn’t going to hurt them.

“Got you. Etr and I will let you know if we find anything.”

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[Kotii Solus]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Kotii and Casany would take one floor while Zaia and Etr took the next. The group would continue to pass through the hotels numerous levels and find it devoid of activity. Abandonded and untouched, many items seemed a little out of date, antiques by today's standards.

Power was still routing through portions of the structure and with some modification, Kotii was sure he could set up a leach system from nearby circuits in the city's planet's power grid. It would take some work to keep their presence hidden, but with some effort the Sentinel Hotel could work as a covert for the Tor'la Akaan'ade.

There did not appear to be any occupants presently. But the Mandalorian found traces of squatters at one point. This was only found by the squad of armored warriors as they delved deeper into the underground hotel. The ominous dark halls contained footprints, scraps of gnawed on food and even, a few corpses.

Reconviening in the bowls of what used to be the Sentinel Hotel, the four Mandalorians would get a chance to catch their breath and rest after checking numerous floors. Even though they had not found anything, the tension and suspense could wear on a person. It was important to take stock and work this bit by bit.

<"I think there may have been Cthons here at one point."> His helmet looked around the area again for any additional clues. He wondered how they got in and how they got out. It would be of great importance to make sure they kept a watch down here and in parts of the Hotel until they could be certain there were not any hidden tunnels or access ways. The Alor in exile was confident they could manage the security of the mysterious trogoldyte species of the undercity. As long as the Mandalorians did not move too deep until things could be patched up then they would be fine. <"The rest of you find anything interesting?">

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[Zaia Krodas]

Looking around the storage room, Zaia didn’t seem to find anything particularly interesting. There were a couple of deactivated cleaning droids in the back, and when she opened up one crate that still had its lid on, it revealed a stack of what used to be new bed sheets. Typical for a hotel.

She and Etr left the room after that, finding nothing else of interest besides some dilapidated hotel rooms and more mushrooms. There didn’t seem to be anyone here, and once it was cleaned, she could see it becoming a decent base for them. It was relatively isolated with plenty of room, and when the pair went back to the rendezvous point to meet up with the others, she was feeling better about it than she was before. Cthons aside, the place didn’t seem occupied and that was something she was happy about.

“Nothing but a storage room,” Zaia confirmed with Kotii at his question. “There are boxes there we could use, if we have the supplies. Otherwise, nothing particularly interesting.”

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[Kotii Solus]

Taking in the unimpressive dark interior of the delapidated Sentinel Hotel, Kotii could not help but smile. It had a sense of potential that brought a sense of excitement to tingle throughout his body. With some work this place would turn into something greater than it was even before.

"They'll be useful." He confirmed with a nod. Behind his helmet he quirked a smile even though there was not much of a find. There was easily more that they could bring down here. Smuggling supplies would not be a problem. But there were other factors to think about. "How do you feel about sprucing up the place? Could even become pretty comfortable." A hint of optimism clearly entering his voice.

After a few moments of looking around and pacing about the room he spoke again. "In the center of the galaxy, under the Jedi and the bureaucracy of the core we'll have a Chur'carar, heh." Black Hand gave a singular breathy laugh. The once-skyscraper now ironically a bunker beneath hundreds of levels. "From here we will be able to reach further than we could before, and do so safely."

A fire was lit in his heart. The Solus had enthusiasm for this endeavor. He did not want his people to live in squalor just because they were fighting this civil war. The Sith allied Mandalorians would still potentially come to Coruscant as well as any number of other enemies. But he made it his responsibility to try and provide, to bring prosperity to his Clan and people even if many of them would call him an exile. The badger did not dwell or despair. Instead he focused on the fight ahead and what mattered in the moment. They could take Kotii out of the beskar, but they wouldn't take the beskar out of Kotii.

Spoiler: OOC

@Die Shize @Timmen @Sicadorito end/exit thread? Feel free to post again but I think we can start a new one