Take Me or Leave Me

[Aurora Blackwood]

Imperial cultural suppression was not saved for the Mandalorians alone. Across the Republica, and even within the Old Empire, the Sith demanded conformity. Become one with the Empire or be snuffed out. It was perhaps the Empire’s greatest tactical error. They tried to steal the very core of societies and they had failed. Oh, the suppression had largely worked. The Empire had forced entire worlds to hide who they were, but those worlds never forgot. The Mon Calamari felt the sting of Imperial rule more harshly than nearly any other world. The Mon Calamari had once been the galaxies greatest ship builders. Their fleets had been legendary, their vessels unshakable. The Empire had snatched it all away. The Mon Cala shipyards built what the Empire needed, and the Empire did not need Mon Cala ships. The cookie cutter warships of the Empire were pumped from the shipyards. A true Mon Calamari design not being seen in ages. That was all changing.

The typically peaceful people of Mon Cala had reached their tipping point. They were no longer content to watch the war machine of the Empire possess their heritage. They were ready to rise up, they were ready to join the Alliance. The Rebellion would push them along. That was why Aurora and Vu’thari were on the water world. There were only a few locations open to the surface, and their shuttle had settled on one. Aurora and Tycho had set up staging operations a short jump away. The Alliance was nearly finished here. There was just one last problem that needed to be dealt with.

The Empire listening post on the surface would almost certainly contact the Sith immediately upon learning Mon Cala was defecting. That could not be permitted. The listening post was on one of those rare surface pads, the very surface pad Aurora and Vu’thari had landed on. Aurora wore her typical traveling equipment. Their task was simple, disable the listening post and ensure Mon Cala had a few moments to prepare for the inevitable retribution. @Mithias

 

[Vuthari]

Landing Pad 534 – Adjacent to Old Empire Listening Post
Surface Platform D3
Mon Cal

Everything happened fast. The Mon Calamari were ready to defect, but as soon as that was known, the Empire would make their presence felt. Commander Ion needed to give them time. Speed was the name of the game in this operation…sprinkled with a bit of discretion. Aurora and Vu’thari were assigned to the critical task of disabling the communications post that could spill the beans early and bring the Imperials in before the Mon Calamari were ready, so this was a priority. And it had to be done fast…

Wearing his eclectic mix of blacks, grays and dark greens, the twi’lek had a blaster pistol strapped to his right thigh and his lightsaber in a hidden pocket along the thigh of his long tunic. A small backpack was cinched tightly to his back with a trinket or three designed for mayhem.

As the pair quickly peeled off the shuttle ramp and continued towards the tower, the twi’lek mused, “Well, I suppose they could peg us for maintenance, unless shuttles are routine on this landing pad…which I doubt. Regardless, we will probably be seeing an Imperial Door Party as we get to the base of the tower. If we are not quiet, we will be on the clock…”

Moving smartly, yet quickly, the pair made progress towards the tower from their landing pad. Aurora and Vu’thari had rarely interacted much since the “Jedi Master” meeting with Hugo weeks ago, so he was still taking the opportunity to get to know the other “Masters”. He already knew just how different the five of them were, but perhaps that was the charm to the five. Vu’thari shifted his thoughts from the random musing, took a deep breath and locked in on what they were doing…

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora’s mental walls were high, and her Force signature suppressed. That did not stop the Jedi Master from casting her mind wide. Her senses were extended far about them. Aurora deeply disliked being snuck up on, this usually prevented that foolishness. She could feel the buzzing life of the listening post. It wasn’t overly packed with Imperial goons. At least, she didn’t sense anything terribly nefarious. Aurora and Vu’thari were strong in the Force. She doubted they would encounter anything beyond their skills. As they walked towards the tower she smiled softly. “Oh, we don’t know each very well Vu’thari, but we will.” Aurora couldn’t help the laugh. “I don’t do much quietly…and I love a good Door Party.” They were getting closer to the tower.

Aurora looked up, they had reached the listening posting without incident. That was pretty much the end of the good news. She could sense the tension in the tower. They were on high alert for rebellious activity. Thankfully, the Jedi hadn’t been spotted but this would not be the cake walk she anticipated. The Force boiled with tension. Each and every guard in that tower knew the situation on Mon Cala. They knew what might be coming. This meant they would have to be extraordinarily careful. Aurora sighed.

“Well, looks like our new friends are waiting for a little fun of their own.” Her eyes swung around the base of the tower. It would do them no good to go in guns blazing. Aurora didn’t mind a fight but pointless violence was not her way. It was simply not who she was. The Jedi Master did not willingly take lives or harm others. She only took those steps when necessary. If they busted into the tower and alerted the guards it would be death, so much death. Aurora hoped they could avoid that. @Mithias

 

[Vuthari]

Landing Pad 534 – Adjacent to Imperial Listening Post
Surface Platform D3
Mon Cal

Aurora noted that the pair didn’t know each other very well, but would. She also said she loved a good door party. Vu’thari smirked and quipped, “I didn’t need to read your mind to know that about you, Aurora…loud door parties are your thing—got it.”

With an analytical eye, the twi’lek looked up and around the tower. Examining the contours of the structure, it was apparent to the Jedi that the base floor was the main access for all occupants of this outpost.

“Well, looks like our new friends are waiting for a little fun of their own.”

Vu’thari nodded and grinned as he began walking around to the backside. While the featureless building seemed inaccessible from anywhere but the main entrance, there was an overhang three or four stories up that seemed to lead to some sort of maintenance access. Steam could be seen drifting into the air from the other side of the overhang. The twi’lek stopped in his tracks, grinned at Aurora, “No door party today. By the way, if this goes sour, don’t tell my padawans…”

Aurora could feel the Force building within the Jedi “Master”. Swinging his arms back and bending his knees, the twi’lek planted his feet and shot upwards towards the overhang. Far up in the air, the Jedi soared up and his gloved hands latched onto the lip of the small platform. Pulling up to the side, Vu’thari lifted his left leg up and pushed off to put him in a standing position on the ledge. Looking to the wall, it was indeed a maintenance hatch and an area for discharge from the tower. Steam flowed steadily from one pipe to his left and below that was a water overflow pipe that dripped steadily. A rounded hatch was planted against the wall that seemed to be another way in. Looking over the edge, he closed his eyes and stirred the Force within.

A gentle voice filled the head of Aurora…

***Your turn...***

@Valen Pelora
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora walked around the edges of the tower with Vu’thari. Her head titled upward as her fellow Jedi Master ruined the fun. She hadn’t wanted to fight the guards but really didn’t want to be bored. What a waste. The Morellian Master watched carefully as Vu’thari gathered the Force within his body. Well, they both knew where this was going. He vaulted into the air to land father up the tower. Aurora smiled when Vu’thari’s mind touch hers. She quickly replied. “Not bad.” She quickly dove into the Force. The rush of the Lightside filled her body. A few deep breaths pooled the Force in her legs. She felt her lower body vibrating with the power of the Lightside.

Aurora jumped. The Jedi soared through the air, the Force guiding her vision. Her landed lithely next to Vu’thari. Her jump having been just slightly higher, allowing her to clear the lip. Aurora laughed. “But I’m better.” She winked. Her eyes quickly moved across the small platform. Two steam pipes and a hatch. She’d take the hatch everyday. “Well, lets find out where that goes.” Life would have been so much easier if she could use her Lightsaber. Sadly, she was still trying to be cautious. That meant she couldn’t just slice right in. Aurora walked to place her hand on the cover. A sharp intake of breath was followed by the Force flooding through her chest, up her arm, and out her palm.

The hatch went bursting inward, crumbling in the middle. Maybe not as stealthy as the saber, but also not so easily identifiable. Aurora motioned for Vu’thari to follow. She stepped into the cylindrical corridor that would hopefully lead them deeper into the tower. She was realizing now she wasn’t exactly sure where they had to go. Kriff, hopefully her buddy had some idea or this would be over faster than it started. @Mithias

 

[Vuthari]

Landing Pad 534 – Adjacent to Imperial Listening Post
Surface Platform D3
Mon Cal

“But I’m better.”

Aurora winked as she came atop the ledge with relative ease. Vu’thari rolled his eyes at the female and quipped, dripping with sarcasm, “Congratulations, Master Blackwood…”

He watched as his fellow Jedi Master exploded the hatch inward. He involuntarily cringed as the metal banged against the far wall causing an awful ruckus. Quietly, the twi’lek mused, “You are determined to get your door party, aren’t you…”

Shaking his head with a grin, he followed the woman in. They made their way down the service corridor and triggered the blast door, ready for the worst. It was quiet leading into a well-lit hallway. Seeing that Aurora was now at an impasse on where to go, Vu’thari reached in his backpack and slipped out a port scanner. Stalking over to a nearby security interface, the twi’lek quickly detached the panel and began attaching the port scanner. Looking over his shoulder, Vu’thari mused, “What could possibly go wrong?”

The Jedi’s brow furrowed in concentration as he began accessing the system. Raising an eyebrow, Vu’thari observed, “Oh…this system is pretty sophisticated. It seems to have a double failsafe on its—oh kriff…”

Rapidly, the twi’lek’s fingers danced over the hologram of bluish tint in front of him and it finally winked out of existence. Looking up at Aurora, “Umm…the good news is that I did not trigger the alarm. The bad news is that I didn’t get a map and they will probably send a team to investigate the ‘hiccup’ they just experienced at this terminal…”

@Valen Pelora
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora walked on the balls of her feet as they made their way towards the security door. Well, that was annoying. She hadn’t exactly expected another barrier to entry. Aurora figured she could blast the door down again, but that wouldn’t exactly serve their purposes. She could only Force cannonball so many doors before the housewarming party was altered. Vu’thari had a much better idea. Aurora was a terrible slicer, she hoped her fellow Master was more skilled. She had tremendous power in the Force. Watching Vu’thari screw around with the panel was like trying to understand a completely foreign language.

The curse vibrated in the tunnel. Maybe he didn’t know what he was doing after all. She nodded as the door opened. That was one step in the right direction. “This wouldn’t be any fun if it was easy. She resisted the to urge to laugh. This was all a bit too much. “Well, I think we both knew there was no way we were getting out of this without a little trouble.” She stepped from the little tunnel. “Lets go find it.” The hilt of her lightsaber sprung into her hand. There was no point in being unprepared. If this was happening she wasn’t holding back.

Aurora reached out in the Force, searching for some little hint of where to go. The Force started to pull her down the hall to the left. “This way?” She started to walk quietly down the hall. They didn’t have much choice but to try and fumble their way through the corridor. She prayed the Force would not lead her astray. Of course, she could still sense the bundles of life starting to move throughout the tower. Vu’thari had been right. A few of the men had been sent inside to search the tower. Thankfully, they hadn’t found the Jedi yet. Aurora could only hope that would last. @Mithias

 

[Vuthari]

Imperial Listening Post
Mon Cal

Aurora mentioned that it was going to be hard to get out of this without finding trouble—it was a hard statement to argue with. He simply nodded and followed her as she progressed down the corridor. She paused and looked to the left, inquiring, “This way?”

Vu’thari was sensing the same thing and simply nodded at her question. The pair made their way down the passageway with a fair amount of subtlety. Sensing their presence first and then hearing their footsteps, the group that was making their way down to investigate the “problem” in their system was coming their direction. With a mental nudge, he got Aurora’s attention and pointed to the recessed blast door in an adjacent hallway. The pair slipped next to it, pressing themselves against the blast door, obscuring their presence as much as they could muster. A group of four armed sentries walked past the pair in the perpendicular hallway, unaware of their presence. Once they turned the corner to the other hallway, the pair of Jedi Masters continued on their way through the maze of corridors until finally reaching a turbolift. Vu’thari suspected this is where the patrol came from.

Recalling the glimpses of the layout he could see when he accessed the system, he was quite sure the turbolift led to the control room at the zenith of the building. Looking at the “call” button for the lift, he grinned at Aurora and inquired, “Fast track to door party?”

@Valen Pelora
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

They were moving more slowly than Aurora liked. She knew it was for the best, they didn’t want to alert the entire tower to their little excursion. That didn’t mean she was enjoying the slow going. Aurora had been very good at waiting for her entire life, she was tired of being the patient Jedi. She much preferred to be a little more exciting. As they walked, a little excitement finally pumped into their trip. The mental nudge set her moving. She pressed against the the door alongside Vu’thari. Her heartbeat slowed as she took deep breaths, the Force quickly flowing through her body. Aurora breathed easily as the patrol walked by. Kriff, were these guys blind?

The Jedi Masters continued their jaunt. She finally saw the familiar doors of a turbolift. Vu’thari seemed to read her mind. Aurora flashed a quick wicked smile. “I thought you’d never ask.” She reached over and pressed the call button. There would be very few chances to escape after this. The lift arrived within moments, the doors quickly sliding open. Aurora stepped in. She pressed the button to take them to control room once Vu’thari entered. “I hope you are right about this.” The lift raced upward. The doors slid open again and revealed the top of the tower which doubled as the control room.

Large windows displayed the vast oceans of Mon Calamari. She was stunned for a moment. Well, apparently even the Empire could appreciate beauty. She stepped into the control room, her eyes sweeping across the blinking lights. The room was empty thankfully. “Only one way to do this.” Her thumb flicked on her Lightsaber. The familiar snap-hiss filled the room. She started to slice into the equipment and alarms started to go off. Aurora shrugged. “Whoops, we better hurry.” She laughed. This was about to get fun. @Mithias

 

[Vuthari]

Imperial Listening Post
Mon Cal

The doors opened and the two masters tensed for combat—and there was nothing. It was a pleasant surprise for things to actually fall into place—no one in the control room. The scenery was impressive from this distance off the water. Aurora mentioned there was only one way to do this, ignited her lightsaber and started wrecking the place. Alarms started blaring and the gig was up. Vu’thari went to the last terminal on the left and quickly got status report on the tower’s communication systems. From a quick analysis, it was going to take days many days to fix the system—and that was if they had all the parts for the control system on hand at the base. Satisfied, they had done enough damage for one day, he turned to Aurora, and said “You win. Door party—they will be waiting for us on the bottom floor. I am thinking the way we came in is our way out.”

Keying the turbo lift, the Jedi Masters got back in the turbolift. It looked like Aurora was about to press the first floor. But with a mental tap, the twi’lek punched the 4th floor first—the floor they came in on. When she looked over at him, he simply shrugged with a grin and replied, “I much prefer a jump down a few stories than to host a door party…what can I say, I don’t do well in big groups.”

With that, the pair leaped down and made their way to their ships...

THE END​

@Valen Pelora
OOC/Dice Thread