Stick it to the Union

[Nicolás]

The transport remained in striking silence. Steel ached. Engines droned. Narrow streaks of artificial light furnished the compartment. Outside, through thick and minuscule windows, the sky granted itself in routine tedium. Bereft of color and made nigh dark by billowing clouds of ash and smoke from a sea of mines and factories, the horizon was nothing more than gray. Gray to the ore that men lugged from rooted pits. Gray to the exhaust that hissed from subpar speeders and motley machines. This was the state in which thousands upon thousands of men and women alike toiled through. This was the monster of Bandomeer.

Embellished in only the drab style of a miner and a breathing mask due to the horrific work conditions, Nicolás sat quietly on the edge of his seat. Unnoticeable, unrecognizable, invisible. He was another speck of dust among the crowds of men likewise off to labor in the mines and quarries. Except, rather than having come all this way to plod and sweat in stone for the sake of several hundred credits, he had come upon a journey and pursuit on the measure of obligation: to rally against the plight of these workers. Having personally known the taste of slavery and corporate exploitation, Nicolás understood these men.

And today, he would stand along them and protest against the Offworld Mining Corporation. That, and spark a fire in their hearts to do battle against them. He wasn't going to be alone in this, however. For with him accompanied a young woman who was likewise assigned to arouse the workers in their endeavor for greater working conditions, and for a livelihood truly worth living.

Looking over to where she sat herself, his voice echoed through his slated rebreather. "You excited, sweetheart?"

@Seera Lone

 

[Seera Lone]

Seera was sitting right next to the man, it was an idea she had as to appear as a working couple. Her hands were resting against her knee's fidgeting her thumb against her index in a manner that displayed her level of stress, this was a first for her, and if the man had been briefed on the mission he knew she wasn't a commando, but rather a combat engineer. She peered outside the small windows for a moment, and she tried to calm herself.

She looked at him and offered a offered a sincere smile as she found him to be a dashing individual. "To say the least....my heart is palpitating" She'd say trying to make sure he'd be able to read between the lines of her words. Slowly the transport came to a halt to the lucky mining colony that would host the two individuals for the following work day. She lifted her breathing mask and lifted off her seat copying the other individuals on the trains. Raising her hand against the wall to prevent her from losing balance.

As the doors of the transport opened, smog rolled in, showing the toxicity of the planet, everyone seemed to be wearing their re-breather by now. "Talk about work conditions" She'd say looking over to the man that hopefully had followed her outside, towards the mining camp. And with this the pair started to make their way to their work zone for the day, led forward by a panoply of Meerian's who seemed to be some type of recipient to more money than they were working for, already people looked onward and not even a cry of joy could be heard in the masses. "Well, onto day one dear, I hope you're as optimistic about this as I am" Once again she'd offer the man a smile as she walked onwards leading them to their workzone.

 

[Nicolás]

"Me? Optimistic?" He rasped through his rebreather, biting back a chuckle. "You're a funny one— I like you already."

His eyes luster in spite of the thick smog surrounding his figure. A few moments later, they begin to sting and itch against the pollution, forcing him to slip on the pair of goggles taut around his forehead. Grimace poised as usual over his mouth, and jaw stiffened by the smell of cinder and slag, Nicolás drifted through packed crowds pace by pace with his companion. The whole lot of them was bound for one of the largest quarry pits on the entire derelict world, and it was there that the two might stir up the workers in righteous dissent. And an impending riot, of course.

Cheeks now ashen and hands enveloped in a thick set of gloves, a lone drill tool sits poised in grip. Heavy and cold, it feels like a blaster in his hand, only worse. This time, he wasn't going to go off to murder some political nut-job bent on worldwide domination. Well, not face-to-face, at least.

Boots gnaw into the gravel. The sound of roaring metal against anchored stone grow in strength. After several minutes of marching through a dim tunnel, where they descend farther into the pit, his veiled gaze quivered before a crowd of men, surrounding what looked to be a diminutive body. Although he already knew what it was the moment it caught his eye, his curiosity beckoned him closer. And by then, his survey landed onto the mangled corpse of a young man.

"His drill malfunctioned," one man murmured to another, "Exploded right in his hand. The shrapnel tore him apart, and they can't even ID the poor kid."

Nicolás glanced away from the body. "This is just one out of many that have died so far. Disgusting."

@Seera Lone

 

[Seera Lone]

She smiled back at his remark finding it funny, a spark of happiness in a world torn by ravaged by sadness and void filled hearts. She was used to working in a workshop, with heated metals and fumes of durasteel and beskar boiling paint and the like, but even this world made her cringe and use the glasses she was provided, she dropped them onto her eyes and looked from inside, the quality of the glasses mediocre, not something she would even give at someone she disliked.

They walked through a tunnel, and on the other side a troop of workers were gathered around a men, commenting about how his drill, the very same type of drill she was going to use, malfunctioned. She sighed and decided to get the mission going, she spoke a little louder, to be sure that the worker shouldering her could hear her say her following words. "They're killing us...for a handful of credits..." She trailed on, a far better actress now than what she had displayed on the train, the worker, a man who she had never met put a hand on her shoulder, as if trying to cheer her up. She had hoped to be planting the seeds of discord within the worker ranks.

She melded herself back in the croud, rejoining her partner through this ordeal and he spoke his words. She answered with a sigh of disgust. ''I sincerely hope we're better" she trailed on going to the huge mining pit, their post was in the deep depths of the mine. As the new crowd approached the pit, a massive horn bellowed through the area, signalling that it was time to change shifts, without a single cheer, the workers who had been present started gathering their things, leaving their place to allow the new shift to take their place.

 

[Rogue Two]

Meanwhile, outside the dreary factory, a man was on the building's roof. This was no ordinary man however, but a mirialan on a mission to bring justice to the innocent across the galaxy. This man was Voron Ray, or more commonly known as the vigilante "Dark Matter." He had received a tip from a friend of his back on the city world courascant about this particular mining corporation, and this one was different than most. They did not have actual workers, but slaves.

Voron sneaked around, looking for any possible entrance to the building by rooftop, sadly all he managed to find was a small hole giving him a glimpse of what was going on. There he saw a crowd of people near a fresh body, apparently it was blown to bits by a drill in his hands. Voron used this as evidence that the battle would start soon, but then a horn was sounded. The battle had not begun after all... Voron would watch and listen through the crevice, until the time to strike had come.

 

[Nicolás]

Other workers trickled forth from a measureless tunnels. Faces somber and dismal through the shroud of each mask. Soot capped their livery, the remnants of stone weighing on shoulders as much as the dullness of the atmosphere. Some hardly spoke, and those that did were too impassive and muffled through clogged rebreathers to even understand. His own eyes didn't bother to linger on their melancholy. They didn't have to. He could feel it in the air, feel it gnaw at his mind. Nicolás had yet to even plod against the bedrock, and already was he tired of this world. Tired of this pensive setting and this cheerless scene. He thought he had come to enkindle a few spirits, kick some arse, and down some drinks in celebration to another successful mission. But he wasn't expecting this. Not this gloom.

The flashlight installed athwart his helmet wavered in the darkness, carving into shadow as he made his way into a string of tunnels, Nicolás turned to face Seera with subtle regard. "We should split up. Embolden some workers, gather them together back to the key factory, and incite ourselves a headlong mutiny. Maybe then these... slaves ...will finally have something worth working for: privilege, equality, relief. Y'know." Regardless of her response, the ever restless bounty hunter forked into a separate tunnel, trailing behind another group of workers as they made their way to the nearest ore deposit.

"This is going to be interesting."

@Seera Lone

 

[Kyra Touas]

Kyra sat on the chair in the transport car. She watched similar ones slip by, the smog beginning to thicken. She pondered over this being the right idea, but she knew better than to go against her fathers word. And they needed the resources. Her brothers were off working missions of their own. With the upcoming battles they hadn't had much time to see each other. She wondered if they cared as much about her as she did them. She pushed the thoughts aside and started to think about what she would say to them in order to make their offer seem appealing. "Hi we need resources and you're weak and need protection." no she couldn't say that. She thinks better when she's forced into the situation. She likes thinking on her feet, her brothers encouraged her to stick with a plan, to actually plan but she just couldn't unless the plan was handed to her, specific directions and all. She decided to just scrap the whole idea and look out the window for the rest of the time being.

 

[Seera Lone]

Seera seperated herself from the man after looking at him and speaking through her rebreather. "Be careful" she'd say before wandering deeper into the mining pit, approaching specifically grumpy individuals and informing them that other people planned to start a protest down towards the mining facility in the following hours. A faint glimmer of hope crossed their eyes as she laid a hand on their shoulder to encourage them. "Be there, you won't regret it" She'd tell them to encourage them of showing up. Sooner than later, people actually started moving towards the rendez-vous point she had told them to go and wait there.

To some other, more aggressive people who openly voiced their discontent through swearing and yelling, she told them what was going to transpire and asked them to support the cause, that she was there to help them. Sooner than later, the word crossed from mouth to ear and there was a calm before the storm, the tension rising. This whole operation was a powder keg, and she was the fire to light the fuse, the people would handle the rest themselves.

Soon the time came where many of the miners were regrouped and Seera found her way to them, working her way through the mass of people looking for her partner in this endeavor.
(@Nicolás)

 

[Rogue Two]

Voron watched as the people of the mining corporation massed an army. The fight against this oppressive union was about to begin, and he certainly was not about to miss it. he used his grappling hook to scale down the wall's of the union factory, and found an opening. This allowed him to descend into the mines, where he hid behind a large stalagmite. Voron knew that his presence would soon be discovered, but the fight was about to start anyway. So, there he stood loading his wrist rocket launcher, and Jumpers.

"Lets see the union fight an army slaves, and me." Voron smugly said to himself.

 

[Nicolás]

Words streamed through the men like wildfire. It fanned out, spreading and engulfing each worker in a blaze of righteous furor. From deep in the tunnels, the voice of resistance echoed across stone; mirrored from the hearts of disgruntled slaves and miners. No longer did the austere clamor of drills plague the quarries. No longer did men stand idly by and accept the hunger of the rapacious and rich. For the first time in what seemed like ages to these miners, they were finally going to come together to challenge against the iniquities of their employers; of the Offworld Mining company. It was a sight Nicolás reveled in: to watch as only a few words of hope stoke a flame capable of tearing an entire world apart. It was too bad he wouldn't exactly stay to see its end.

After completing his own portion of their stint, he wandered on back to where the crowd now gathered, in search for his partner-in-crime, Seera. It didn't take him long to catch her among the congregation. Tendrils of her golden hair, bisque as the dunes of Tatooine, were quick to recognize as they dripped through her own helm and beside her rebreather. Her figure short yet slender, and skin still clean even alongside patches of soot. Nicolás had often wondered why a young lady such as herself decided to consort with Mandalore, and rather not retire on some sterile, charming world in the Core. Then again, looks can be deceiving.

As he reached her in an instant, right as the crowd began to chant wildly as their employers watched in alarm, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Looks like the party is just getting started," he said, smirking, "So that begs the question: would you care for a dance?"

@Seera Lone

 

[Seera Lone]

Seera looked at the man, pride in her eyes. The emotion of the moment lifted her spirits and made her feel like her cause was just, she was looking around, hearing the cries of injustice. She was suddenly pulled out of her flabbergasting moment as she turned to the dashing man, drill still in hand. Her tense body easing when she noticed who it was that reached for her and she allowed a smile from under her masked mouth.

She rose her head to stare at him in his eyes as best as she could, this was the life she had chosen, this was the reason she had come this far. Her conviction showing in her demeanor. "Yes, by all means, lets" She'd say formally while breaking away from him taking her drill and raising her voice in faked anger. "ENOUGH! WE'VE HAD ENOUGH" She'd say, throwing her drill towards the management team up top with the best of her ability. With that she started running towards the building where she wanted the other miners to go, and just like domino, they started going ahead, after a few meters she stopped running and let the mass pass her, taking a deep breath, having an overwhelming feeling swelling through her mind, a part of her wanted to help them, but simply shot a glance towards Nicolas.

The crowd was already roused, they had everything they needed to feel powerful, really the facility was being assaulted by so many miners, that any security detail they could've mustered was being slaughtered, either by strength of arms, or under the stampede of steps left by the masses.

 

[Nicolás]

"Down with the system! Frack the police!"
"Eat my stone balls, you corporate scum!"
"Time to drill you greedy bastards a new as—"

"Let's do this!" Nicolás roared over the flurry of strange insults, beckoning every other man and woman to burst into a frenzy, especially as his own compatriot tossed her drill to the lingering administration, likewise rousing them to life. And at that vital moment, the miners had finally unleashed a fury built up by years of hard labor and servile prejudice; an outcry that would echo deep and far in every winding tunnel of Bandomeer. And sue, perhaps a peaceful movement might have proven to be a far more amicable route for these miners, but a riot is sure as hell more effective. And fun. According to Nicolás, at least.

Repulsorboots soundlessly activated, he flickered ahead and beyond the side of his companion, allowing his fist to be the first to slam into one of the sentry guards. A single blow, and the man crumpled into the ground, leaving their baton and blaster ripe for the taking. Now fashioned with the firearm for himself, Nicolás began to intricately dispatch other guards and distant snipers so as to allow the advancing crowd to proceed untouched. Guards he missed, however, were instead welcomed to the frenzied mob as they swept each one away. No longer did the management watch in smug anticipation of an easy win, but rather sought to retreat from the mess unfolding around them. Several were notably unfortunate enough to fall ill to the crowd, and ill to an ironic end.

Taking down another sentry, Nicolás watched as the riot swelled to lucrative heights. "Oh, happy day."

@Seera Lone

 

[Rogue Two]

As the riot was underway, Voron jumped out from the shadows and joined the crowed with his electro-staff drawn. The people seemed furious, but then he heard something odd. Did some one just say corporate? Voron could tell something strange was going on, perhaps this riot was not so righteous after all. He grabbed one of the workers shoulders and asked them "Arn't you all slaves?" The man nodded "Slaves to the damn corporation that is!" This confirmed his suspicions.

Voron jumped out of the crowed and started shouting at them "Everyone calm down! I need answers! If you people just want a raise I'm sure we can work something out! Blood dosnt have to be spilled!" It seemed his voice was lost among the furious mob, unacknowledged...

 

[Kyra Touas]

Kyra's transport pod went by about half a mile away from the mob. Everyone in the pod, (including her) went to the windows to watch what seemed to be a riot.
"A riot against the corporation perhaps? These work conditions don't seem to be the best." One of the officers standing near her nodded. "It seems to be that's what's happening, shall we continue with the deal? Or turn back?" Kyra rubbed her fingers together anxiously. If she turned back her father would be furious with her. But if she continued the corporation might, well..be gone. "Lets uh...lets just continue." She stated standing up. "If any of you cowards wish to turn around because of a small riot that will easily be put down go ahead. Otherwise we're going to make this deal." No one moved, and everyone sat back down. Good. She liked it when no one went against her. But she had wondered what mess they were about to get in to.

 

[Nicolás]

The howls of an embittered mob urged on through rage. The cries of greedy men engulfed by its frenzied advance. From every jagged stone corner, the vast underground facility roared with fervor unsurpassed. And although the deafening clamor racked his ears and plagued his mind, the noise was much more than bedlam to his focus. It was the sound of another successful mission, and likewise an indication to take his leave. So Nicolás, after taking the final pleasure in beating the kriff out of some random corporate prick, sought for Seera among the condensed aggregation. And again, it didn't take him long to find her, brawling with one of the sentries. And neither did it take her long to dispatch the guard back into the dirt.

A smirk built onto his lips, impressed by the spectacle of her finesse. "Finished playing around, sweetheart?"

With a chuckle, and without waiting for some snide retort on her end, he took her hand and led her out to the exit of the mine. Given that they were under the guise of a nevertheless delirious mob, and free from the awry, onlooking guards, it didn't take the two long to slip out from the somber mine. From its dark confines, and into the dull, polluted light of Bandomeer, where the lithe shape of a transport awaited their debut— and departure.

Climbing into the vessel in a single motion, Nicolás adjusted himself into the nearest seat. Although he was not proud to abandon those miners to a cause he knew was bound to fall short, he couldn't idle on the thought. There was a cause worth greater than that of petty labor. A cause for Mandalore.

E X E U N T​