Ask Takodana Rock Death Metal

[Undume]

Takodana​

It was a dark night on Takodana. There was no moon to reflect light unto the world. Undume wasn't sure about this job though. Apparently there is a force-using witch along with her cult that is blocking the Mining Guild from mining on what they call 'hallowed ground'. Apparently this witch can see the future? Undume has doubts about that.

Anyways, the job is being done under the cover of darkness to hopefully get the jump on the cultists. They would be encamped at the gravesite or near it so that they can defend it.

Undume has his usual standard equipment on him as he is floating at a steady pace. There is one thing though, around his dense rocky-self, he has a PIPE launcher strapped around him with, loaded with a proton explosive. His partner is Naxa, although not a rock, is a droid so they are both non-organic.

The Polvonite was being careful not to make a whole bunch of noise as he proceeded. He would the contact Naxa "We are coming up on our destination soon. Are you rocked and loaded?"

The Polvonite would pull of the dossier on the target.

Target: Iarzeun Isolder (NPC)
Wanted: Dead
Bounty: 100,000 Credits
Contractor: Anonymous

• Target is a female human and an Augur of the Keshir Deathsworn
• Target capable of using the Force and is reported to be able to see the into the near future. Caution advised.
• Target was last seen leading a of band of cultists that fought off a Mining Guild excavation team that was prospecting for resources near a gravesite on Takodana.

Thankfully, the bounty doesn't say anything about the cultists being force users as well. Or that this Iarzeun has a lightsaber. So they aren't facing a Jedi or anything. Just a witch.

 

[Naxa]

N4-X4 calculated there was a slim chance that this Force witch was capable of portending the future. The BX commando droid had analyzed many targets and studied detailed files on numerous subjects including the mystical arts. The machine was still limited in its understanding compared to a force sensitive but knew it was valuable to collect information on such a thing.

Just as interesting as the droid's target was Naxa's companion. The palvonite was not exactly an organic, at least not in the traditional sense. The droid would take this opportunity to observe the fellow Apex Contractor in the event they worked with them in the future or needed to hunt a sentient rock formation.

The droid had recently decided it would be conducive to team work to participate in a bit of banter. Undume made it easy though N4-X4 was still ignorant of the finer nuances of comedy. All the same the infiltration machine would answer with its monotone vocabulator. "I am ready. Ha Ha Ha. Good one, partner. Allow me to reply with a joke. Two contractors walk into a bar ... the third one ducks." Their dim white photoreceptors stared unblinkingly at the polvonite to witness their reaction. N4-X4's small ID-21 seeker droid crawled across the commando droid's shoulders and looked between the two contractors with its red hued photoreceptors.

Regardless of Undume's response the droid reviewing the data on their target and their strength. The droid spoke again in the same monotone voice as before though it was done making jokes. Officially this was anonymous, and not that it mattered, but N4-X4 calculated this was a job hired by the Mining Guild. "If the Cult drove off Mining Guild employees then they will likely have significant means of defense in addition to the strength of the Target." It was just something to keep in mind. The Mining Guild usually had starships and armed guards protecting significant business ventures. The Mining Guild was capable of fielding a small army if they wanted to but such a military force would be inefficient for a number of reasons. It was a far smarter decision for the Guild to hire a pair of Apex contractors to slip in and take care of the wet work.

@The Good Doctor

 

[Undume]

A few moments before​

Iarzeun Isolde, wearing dark robes, her eyes obscured by metal, was kneeling in prayer in the chamber of her ship. She would whisper. "I have no fear. Without fear, I die but once. Without fear.. - " She interrupted her prayer, and stood up for a few seconds, and grabbed her vibro ax that was close-by. "So, someone approaches?" her foresight wasn't giving the best of clarity for some reason. Regardless, she would leave her chambers to make ready against those that would defile this hallowed ground...

---

This droid understands true comedy. Organic beings usually don't, but a droid does? Maybe its because they aren't organics. "I don't get it" The rock being said in response to the droids own joke. He must be missing something...

Now they are getting closer on this gravesite. If the cultists are going to be defending their 'hallowed ground' they would be there or close. The droid did have raise a good point, their defenses are considerable. "Aye. That's why I brough this Rock-it Launcher" No, Undume did not bring a proton rocket launcher just for the sake of one joke. Not at all.

"So, do you think this witch really can predict future?" he asked quietly. Apparently these Force Users are super human but, that just stretches belief. "Doesn't that mean we are doomed from the start?" he asked a deep philosophical question.

Now at the edge of the treeline, they would see the gravesite. It would be a cemetery. There would be three dark robed cultists patrolling the airea some ground vehicles parked, and then a parked Wayfarer Medium Transport. The Palvonite would hiding behind a tree, and dimming the glow on his gem.

"We are here." He whispered. It looked like there were only a few of them for the night shift, and they had slug throwers. "Any sign of the target?" he would ask his partner, who as a droid would probably have better vision.

@Darasuum

 

[Naxa]

"Allow me to explain." They continued to share with them why the joke could be found humorous. "A bar is two things at once. It is both in this situation a drinking establishment such as a cantina and also horizontal pole. with which to run into. I think it is a type of joke that is self congratulatory, a display of cleverness though I will continue to analyze humor going forward and work on my material." The droid never once changed their monotone vocabulation. It was low in volume to not attract attention but it was devoid of any emotion.

"Ha Ha Ha. Good one." The rest of the joureny N4-X4 would travel in silence. The BX commando droid activated their personal cloaking device which, when working in tandem with their scatterweave coated body, would make the contractor imperceptible to anyone at a distance. Even Undume would find it easy to lose track of the droid unless they stayed within a few meters of them and even then the commando droid was surprisingly quiet. Aside from visuals there was also the tell tale sign of activity in the form of sound. The stealthy machine took care to make as little noise as possible, deftly moving ahead of their heavily armed counterpart.

N4-X4 stopped before they arrived at the edge of the treeline and moved along it to be at a slightly different angle of observation. The BX commando droid did indeed have infrared and low light vision capabilities with their photoreceptors. In addition, their ID-21 seeker droid would act as a second set of eyes while going unnoticed due to their small profile.

The commando droid gave their Polvonite partner a typical blank look as it thought of their question. "Potentially. However it may also be a bluffs and or their luck that has allowed them to succeed so far. Regardless, seeing the future does not intrinsikly allow one to be able to alter it nor does it change the job we have been hired to do." They then gave orders for the ID-21 seeker droid to scout ahead with an emphasized pointing of their hand to gesticulate along with what was essentially cybertelepathy.

"The guards are focused around the ship and are not patrolling the grounds. It would appear they are prioritizing protecting what is inside or the vessel itself." Naxa shared their observation with Undume as the ID-21 moved into position.

The smaller machine lifted off of N4-X4's shoulder and dropped low to the ground before entering the open. It knew to prioritize stealth over speed and took its time crossing the open space by remaining at grass height. The plants kept the floating crab-like drone from being seen and it quickly attached itself to the outer hull before it was seen. The ID-21 scuttled covertly until it found the edge of the cockpit. Peering inside there was no immediate sign of their target and relayed as much to its master via silent internal comlink nor anyone at the controls. With that in mind it was told to head towards the airlock. It possessed the means to slice open the doors and infiltrate the ship without the two contractors ever leaving their spot.

@The Good Doctor

 

[Undume]

Iarzeun didn't delay on preparing for the inevitable when her clairvoyance alerted her. On her comlink, she informed the cultists outside via comlink, to head in the direction of where the outsiders are. She only sensed one, so they (a total of 3 cultists) would be heading in the particular direction of Undume. They would be toting their slugthrower rifles and ready to shoot at threats

As for herself, she would gather the cultists inside the ship, and send two more outside, they would be heading out the airlock that the seeker droid is attempting to slice into. They would be on a collusion course if the team of non-organics doesn't do anything with it.

Now Larzeun would be surrended by two more cultists, her most faithful. "Should we leave?" one asked her. "No" she answered. "Our duty is to protect this in which is hallowed ground. If we leave, the Mining Guild will defile it. We are sitting ducks in this ship though, we need to make leave and confront the enemy. I will guide us "

After the Augur's followers are assured, all three will begin to depart the ship as they move through it.

---

Undume would then be hiding in the grass still, and then he would see three cultists already heading towards him, making effectively a beeline towards him. "Have they spotted us already?" The cultists then saw the floating rock creature, all according to what the Augur foretold to them. Undume would then start having heavy slugthrower fire at his position. Although slugthrower shots are not the most powerful, there are a lot of them and he would like to avoid as much unnecessary damage to his person as he can.

"A little back-up Nax?" he asked.

@Darasuum

 

[Naxa]

Three targets approached Undume's position. He was going to be seen in a matter of moments judging by their search pattern and vector. Rather than trying to stop them N4-X4 moved to flank the cultists. The droid kept at a distance of twenty meters from the cultists and lined up a shot.

A moment after the cutltists began to fire, Naxa shot each of them in the back with their nightstinger blaster pistol. The blaster was quieter than most energy based weapons and its bolt was a darker color than others. The droid fired once at each target and expertly placed the bolts with precision. A light blaster bolt found its way to each of the cultist's head. The slug throwers fell silent as three bodies lay in the grass, silenced by the apex contractor and hidden by the flora. After firing N4-X4 was already moving again, closer to the slain cultists and unceremoniously firing another bolt into each of them point blank and verifying they were not going to get up again. The remaining cultists would see nothing up empty surroundings and gravesite once they exited the ship.

Near the wayfarer, the Seeker droid would shrink away from the access panel at the hissing of the airlock opening. The two guards exited the ship but before the door closed behind them the tiny machine flew into the ship silently like a ghost out of their periphery. It reported the movements of the two cultists to N4-X4 via its internal commlink but did nothing to stop them. It had shock prods for self defense but against two enemies the petite droid would have trouble.

The cultists did not expect a droid to be so close or so small and thus would move beyond their vision. It moved towards the aft of the ship's interior. The wayfarer class freighter had its shield generator and sublight engines accessibly via a terminal. Both of these were inactive while the ship was parked but in a few moments the ID-21 would sabotage them so they would be inoperable. N4-X4 did not even want the cultists to have the option to flee or out maneuver them if they could help it and thus its droid companion went to work.

@The Good Doctor

 

[Undume]

"Nice one." the rock person said after the cultists that were just firing at him just a second ago were all killed with such precision and swiftness. They didn't know what hit them. This really is a professional killer droid. "I lava you" Undume said in amazement.

When the next two cultists came out and spotted the bodies, Undume drew his two pistols and then started blasting away at them. There was an exchange of fire on their side, but with cover and the cultists' lack of thereof, the cultists would be gunned down.

"Alright, now where is the witch?" Nothing else matters other than her.

The blind witch would then come into view. She was nonchalant as her cultists lay on the ground lifeless. "Thank you" she siliently spoke. "You are all one with Death now" The Augur would then raise her weapon and prepare to battle, the Void gives her eyes sight beyond sight, and also the near future. The Void is at her command. She knows she maybe out numbered, but if this is the time of her fated death, she will take as many others as she can with her.

@Darasuum

 

[Naxa]

Undume ruthlessly dealt with the second pair of cultists using quality blaster pistols. "Keep it rolling, Rocky" They replied quietly so as not to give away their position. Soon enough the two Apex contractors would both see the answer to one of their questions.

It was precisely timed, Iarzeun's almost like a cued stage entrance or film edit. The BX commando droid was of an analytical and calculating mind. A certain variety of interest and respect would have shown on the machine if they had a face to share such expressions. But rather than do nothing they continued to skirt below the ship and into its shadow, carefully reholstering their blaster pistol as quietly as possible while keeping the witch at a distance of no less than a dozen meters.

By the time Iarzeun Isolder had finished uttering her last rites to her flock N4-X4 would bring both of its mechanical hands to grasp the sonic blaster. At a ninety degree angle from the Augur they would pull the trigger four times. Each time a lethal sonic blast would fly through the darkness. While it did not do the droid any good in this case, the sonic rifle did not give off light either unlike an ordinary blaster. Wisely, Iarzeun did not rely to heavily on their optical capabilities.

Immediately after firing their first shot the droid dashed into motion, continuing to try and get completely behind the witch and on the opposite side of her from Undume. With divine forsight or not, it would be harder for her to defend herself on two separate fronts simultaneously.

Meanwhile inside the ship ID-21 continued to slice into the ship's systems. It sent a positive binary beeping chirp to N4-X4 letting them know they had completed their task. +Return and attack the Target+ The black flying crab-like machine wirred and began floating towards the exit of the ship to obey its new directives.


@The Good Doctor

 

[Undume]

Undume saw the witch, and so he would point his blasters as at her and spray suppressing fire with his pistols about around the same time that the droid started shooting as well. Such a barrage would be devestating, the Polvonite thought.

The witch seemed undeterred and kept her compusure. She would then react to the shots at her. She would then use the force to leap into the air and then get on top of the ship, and dodge the shots lobbed at her in the process. Now there would be one behind her.

She could now see the droid. "Souless automaton" she muttered. Using the Force, she would on the ground and etch a large boulder out of the ground using terrakinesis. She would then use force to launch it at the droid at high speeds.

@Darasuum

 

[Naxa]

N4-X4 was not the only mobile individual. Their low-glow visual sensors tracked and fired its series of shots as best it could but it was not enough to land a hit. She had lept on the ship above them and was out of sight for now so the BX commando continued moving away from Undume and remain behind the witch and her ship.

Standing on the roof of her vessel the Augur looked down at the clone wars era battle droid with perceived disdain. The N4-X4’s scatterweave coated body and personal stealth cloaking field was far less effective this close to their opponent but the force wielder had foresight at their disposal to witness even what was imperceptible before it even occurred. Despite this, the droid kept their cloaking field active should they break away and gain distance.

Naxa was forced on the defensive as his target counter attacked. The witch’s body leapt off of her the roof and traveled down to the ground, impacting it and causing a crack to split before her. The moment she slammed into the ground a boulder was lifted out of the ground like a counter weight but it was the size of a decent sized swoop bike. The landing was followed up with a martial arts two handed jab which sent the boulder hurtling towards the droid. The commando droid leapt out of the way using all efforts to evade the dangerous missile. They tucked and rolled from the evasive lunge and recovered inhumanly smooth though did not attack, preparing to react to the witch’s next move.

The ID-21 seeker would meanwhile slowly and quietly exit the ship. They increased altitude in time to see the witch leave the top of the ship. The tiny machine floated after her. Once it got close it would strike with its insectoid shock prods, aiming to take her out with two zaps, both simultaneously to the back of her neck while distracted.

@The Good Doctor

 

[Undume]

The witch unfortunately didn't see the zaps coming from behind, which shocked her to her very core. Still, she managed to preserve and unleashed a force wave that would send the droid forcefully flying away, eventually hitting the ground unless it manages to save itself.

For Undume's part however, he saw his opportunity. He would the lay himself on the ground and get his Rock-It Launcher to his shoulder, aiming at the ship. Once the target, was in sights. "Here it comes. Rocket n' Rolling" he said. He would fire while the witch is now vulnerable.

Undume was not aiming at the witch herself, but rather the ship she was still close to. The rocket would explode, then the unprotected ship would explode, and it would catch the target in the explosion.

Hopefully Naza wasn't wanting anything that could have been in the ship.

The witch was sent flying forward in the shockwave of the explosion. She was battered and bloodied. She was just clawing aimlessly. "Don't think you've won. Soon, I will reap my reward for my loyalty for Death. Soon, I will be with Death. You are already dying, the heat death of the universe will happen-"

Undume would nod towards Naza, so that he can execute the target to shut her up now. She is wanted dead after all.

 

[Naxa]

N4-X4 was familiar with rough handling and it’s internal processes worked overtime to adapt to the sudden change in momentum. The droid’s body rotated, beginning to prepare to fall, roll and recover in a fluid movement. The machine’s armored outer chasis still took the rough handling relatively well and its internal components did not take too great of damage. Once they completed the involuntary translocation their twin photoreceptors returned to focusing on their target.

The BX commando droid would be able to witness the explosion and quip from Undume. The ID-21 Seeker droid that was close to their target would be caught in the blast as well and sent flying like a burning frisbee or huncap. It let out a squeelimg YEEEEOOOOWWW! It was an unfortunate sacrifice but once Naxa had secured their objective they would search for any salvage from the smaller droid. But betore that they needed to finish off the target.

The battered killing machine approached where the injured force witch lay. The witch was one of a kind, but to the droid that hardly mattered. Their programming prioritized the job before anything else. Perhaps there was merit in listening to the words of a divining sorceress. But none of them would not hear those words as the droid fired half a dozen times into her torso and head guaranteeing she would indeed be ‘rewarded’. “Target terminated.”

end thread

@The Good Doctor