Twin Suns Rising: Wayward Son

[Valerie Tagge]

TATOOINE


GREAT CHOTT SALT FLAT

-Rendezvous Point-

THEME​

The sands of Tatooine's deserts, still simmering from a long day of unbearable heat, began to cool as the twin suns of the planet neared the horizon. In the space of the next hour the temperature was expected to drop below freezing as night descended on the surface. At this time of the day, an almost serene silence was present across the desert, interrupted every so often by a strong wind that would spur the sands into the air resulting in painful abrasions for those without protective clothing.

The rebel task force sent to rescue a teenage hostage from the captivity of this cult had planned to meet at a rendezvous point several hundred meters from the complex itself high up on a nearby dune, far enough away to avoid detection and too close to continue on vehicles. Moisture farms were scattered across the immediate area with a main complex of buildings standing isolated from any nearby settlement. This building was without a doubt once a large farmstead now turned headquarters for the cult Eternity's Gate.

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Valerie arrived at the rendezvous point a fair bit earlier than required in an attempt to gather as much information as possible before the op began. She donned a beige overall that melded in well with the sandy terrain as well as had her signature goggles pulled down over her eyes to protect them from the incessant winds. She lifted them momentarily to peer through her macrobinoculars and survey the mission scene once again. There did not seem to be too much activity around the area however that observation wasn't much to go on. Who knows how many cultists are in there, she thought to herself. She shuddered, there was something about cults that Valerie found creepy. In her head she imagined them as blood worshiping zealots that sacrificed victims to some inane power. That was unlikely to be the case however.

Valerie lowered the macrobinoculars and stashed it in one of her pockets before sitting back against the dunes and doing one final check of her gear before waiting patiently for the other two members of the group. Her hand passed lightly over the two blasters holstered on her waist and once over her trusty wrench. Many would argue that bringing a wrench on such a mission would be folly but they failed to understand how many times said wrench got Valerie out of a tricky situation.

@Insalius
@Swamp Witch​

 

[Syrax IV]

After departing the transport, the first thing Syrax noticed was how much the landscape was covered in sand, wondering if the sand multiplied since his last stop here. Shaking his head back and forth slightly, he remembered how much he despised the planet with it's overbearing heat and sandy dunes. Luckily, the fur on his exposed features gave his body some reprieve from the blaring sun; but the drawback was he got hot faster. To offset the tragedy of dying from dehydration, he brought along a few extra canteens of liquid savior, packed neatly into his backpack. Outside the sand-colored backpack, the rest of his ensemble included knee-high shorts , a short-sleeved shirt, a belt, shaded wraparound goggles, and a boonie hat; all sporting the fashionable color of sand. Plus, to complete this year's summer outing he brought along his trusty sidearm blaster, a few boom devices tucked securely in the backpack, and his sniper rifle that double as a semi-automatic rifle.

The spaceport, bustling over with activity and shady individuals, was not the meeting spot; but it was his LZ and from here he would need to trek carefully through the dunes to the rendezvous point; the great and infamous Chott Salt Flat. On his last visit to Tantooine, he heard some disturbing rumors and stories surrounding the flats; but that was before he aligned himself with the Galactic Alliance, and possibly pre-dating the rise of the cult that now set-up shop there. Even now as he walked through the marketplace toward the gates that granted explorers and adventures an experience like no other out in the dunes, he wondered if the stories were merited.

Nearly two hours later since he left and put distance between himself and the spaceport, he arrived on the outer fringes of the flats. The smart play would have been to rent a landspeeder, but such a vehicle could easily give away his position and that of his compatriots if they arrived before him. The cultists were dangerous, maybe even well organized, so caution in the wind was not advisable. The walk was a necessary evil. Dropping to a knee, he brought up his rifle, the butt sturdy against his right shoulder whilst peering with one eye through the scope. Side to side he rotated the rifle observing the surrounding area. Clearly the area was secure, even if any traces of previous footprints had long been covered in by the sand, and that put a smile upon his furry face. Retracting the rifle and harnessing it to his shoulder, he moved through the last leg of his natural wildlife adventure.

"Couldn't find a shaded arrangement or an oasis, huh," Syrax said offering the cantina to the women sitting on the dunes, "Here....it's cold and free of fur."


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@Bran
@Insalius

 

[Omnis Waszylla]

Omnis' own trek to the meeting point was uneventful, as he had gone out of the way to make it that way. Common travel, common clothing, he looked just like any other tourist to the planet. He'd even made a show of behaving as one, as his wallet now felt with the overpriced souvenir now in his hotel room. When it was time he slipped in to his sand-colored camouflage fatigues and jacket. This time his yellow hair would blend in, but he brought a hat anyway. Lastly he made sure he had all his usual weapons, though he did his best to hide everything under his outfit so that he would seem as peaceful as possible. Walk softly but carry a big stun rod, as his father would sometimes jokingly say. He took extra time to make sure he wasn't seen or followed as he made his way to where the others were.

"Hey there, sorry if I'm late. At least there shouldn't be any surprises from the outside." Omnis smiled and extended his hand to each of them in welcome. "I'm Omnis and I'll be your backup. Let's save ourselves a civilian." Already hunkered down to observe the compound, he got as good a look as he could without sticking out. "Any idea how many there are? Maybe a layout of the building? Also, what does our target look like? The mission details I got were a bit vague. Don't want to hurt the wrong guy." He gave the two of them a warm smile as he turned back to them, waiting for the answers if they were there. Regardless, even if they knew nothing, he was ready to go to hell and back with the both of them.

@Bran @Swamp Witch

 

[Valerie Tagge]

Spoiler: reconnaissance roll

73: Success

Valerie did not have to wait long before the first of her newly appointed companions arrived. When briefed on the mission, she was provided with very limited information as to who they would be, only given brief descriptions of their appearances so as to recognise them when the time came. When first briefed that one of these operatives was to sport canine features she just assumed them to have slightly sharper teeth or a tail. She was pleasantly surprised by the fact that he was in fact a canine. She had never seen a member of his species before and immediately she found him adorable. "I'll keep comfort in mind for the next operation." She said sarcastically to the werewolf. Valerie accepted the canteen with thanks, her water had run out an hour ago and she could already feel her throat cracking. She struggled to repress the urge to pet his head afterward.

Valerie remained seated within the minute amount of shade that the dune provided until the third member of the group arrived. Fairly short, male, blonde hair. Yep, he checks all the boxes, she thought to herself. Valerie quickly sprang to her feet to properly introduce herself to the other two, "Valerie Tagge, you guys can just call me V if you want." She exclaimed with a flourish of her hand. It seemed that pleasantries would have to wait as Omnis would get straight down to business which she understood, there was little time to spare in a case such as this. "Yes well, I did a fair bit of reconnaissance work before you two arrived and from what I can see there can't be more than three guards patrolling the building. Information from local farmers suggest that these types of buildings have spacious underground cellars and if I could guess, that's where I think they would keep the hostage." She paused, "The boy was described as having darkly tanned skin with scrawny features and dark hair." It wasn't much to go on but Valerie was sure they would know him when they saw him.

Valerie was unsure of an approach to the situation as she normally wasn't known for her subtlety. She did recognise the importance of stealth on this mission however. "I'm open to suggestions on how we tackle this one." She said, probing the other two.

@Swamp Witch
@Insalius

 

[Syrax IV]

It was odd to be working with others, especially before joining the Alliance he was a loner, a free spirited soul who only needed to watch out for one backside; his own. Naturally that all changed upon tossing his furry butt with this lot, and he found himself feeling somewhat completed, as if there was a chance for him to make a difference; to erase and rewrite his past.

He took the blonde man's hand, sniffing it before addressing this man's species custom. There was a lot one could tell by a sniff here or a sniff there; he never understood why humans never trekked upon that approach. After all, a sweaty palm practically screamed nervousness and unless a person was a well oiled design, it wasn't hard to smell the pheromones overcompensating for one deemed traitor. With all the customary formalities out of the way, he listened as the girl spoke upon what she unlocked. The mission needed to be successful, which teetered heavily on stealth; which fell into his lap.

"Leave the patrolling guards to me," Syrax said as he began down a sand dune, "Just be ready to move after the first shot!"

Repositioning himself behind a medium-sized rock cluster, he brought out his sniper rifle, dropping it from three burst to one. Closing his eyes and allowing his enhanced sense of hearing to take point, he listened intently as the guard's footfalls crunched the sand underfoot. Though he possessed the Force, yet unaware of it, he felt those familiar trembles and visions guide his trigger finger. Taking in a deep breath, holding it momentarily, he slowly released it as he pulled the trigger. One. Two. Three. With each pull, he halted each guard's final step in the galaxy. His attack was quick and efficient, but most of all it was quiet. The front of the complex was now secure, only question now was this: what was the rest of the female's plan.

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@Bran / @Insalius