When It Rains...

[Koil Solus]

♠ THEME ♠​

This planet was hardly pretty. Mechis III was a heavily industrial planet and had several major manufacturers. Arakyd, SoroSuub, and more all had offices and facilities on the planet. Today one of them would get raided by Koil Solus and his comrade Narir Solus.

Koil wondered how the planet must have looked before the industry. So many ideas were imported to the planet. After they were made tangible they were exported. This place was just a middle point for the products the various companies sold. Today the Alor of Clan Solus knew that one of the companies was going to take a hit though. But this was Bad-luck Badger's idea and so he differed to his Al'verde. Koil did not mind giving up the position of leadership when it came to these sort of things.

He sat in the bident speeder as rain beaded down the slightly tinted windows. His gaze was directed over the dashboard towards the Arakyd Labs. According to Czerka there were some hold out blaster designs that were being developed. Arakyd had yyet to perfect the designs. Really it was barely in the prototype phase but Czerka had hired the two mandalorians to set the development back weeks if not months.

The Silent Badger tapped his fingers on the dashboard while he waited. So far they had surveilled the building for the past day. Most of the intelligence was from Czerka but Koil wanted to do his own reconnaissance. If he was going to do a stake out with anyone, Narir was definitely his top choice. Koil was glad to accompany him on this job. Considering the large number of lost comrades it was nice to know some were still around.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Yeah, so Mechis III wasn't the nicest world to be on. You could take your pick as to whether that was because of the almost complete lack of civilization other than production facilities, the volcanic ash, or the inhospitable volcanic stone of the planet. Whichever one you disliked, one thing was sure: most people weren't booking it as their primary getaway.

But Narir and Koil weren't here for a romantic getaway, they were here on business. It wasn't the first time that Narir had taken a bounty hunting or mercenary contract, but this one was about more than simple money. Czerka - as unsavory as they often were - were a potential ally, and therefore a potentially necessary evil. There were reports that the Sith had been trying to work out a deal with Czerka, and if Narir could undercut that... oh, you better believe he would be all over that.

Unfortunately for the manufacturing company that the two Mandalorians were looking at... they were in for a bad day.

I'm guessing you'd prefer the silent approach, he said as he watched the facility through the rain. Most of the ash had been beaten out of the air by the water, but the liquid obscured visibility all the same. He normally would have asked if someone else wanted to go loud or quiet, but Koil hadn't been termed "Silent Badger" for nothing.

Shall we? he asked, glancing to his partner. He hit the control on the door and swung it open. The light of the speeder had been turned off so it didn't turn on when the door was opened. Two Mandalorians in scatterweave wouldn't be spotted easily. He closed the speeder door and pushed his carbine toward his back on its sling, freeing his hands to use other tools and weapons as needed.

Their recon had revealed a half-dozen guards along the outer perimeter, most with heavier weapons and armor. The inner layer of guards appeared more lightly armed, and Narir was sure that at least some of the heavy gear was simply a visual deterrent. Only time would tell if the men actually had the skill to back up their equipment. @Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

Koil's helmeted head nodded deliberately knowing Narir would see him. His hand that had been tapping on the dashboard turned into a casual thumbs up like the man had won a prize for the accurate guess. Still, it had been rhetorical anyways. Narir knew him well enough for that.

A half second after the Field Marshal began to open his door the War Councilor mirrored the action. After the door finished moving and Koil had stepped out he pulled his westar c-1 carbine from the weapon holding socket in the door. That was the perk of the Bident. It was a fast maneuverable two seater with the signature feature of having weapon mounts in the doors or in the console. Plus they just looked wicked The Echani thought to himself as the vehicle was sealed up again.

His carbine was promptly slung over his back. Normally he just went without simply because he normally engaged much closer and his pistols worked just fine as well as the rest of his kit. Those saberjockies like to get in close too. I'd make them regret getting in close with me

One thing people don't realize when they first use scatterweave on their armor is that they cannot see their own arms very well even in the dark. To use it you have to know the length of your hand in complete darkness. Spacial awareness when surrounded by shadows is tricky when you yourself are a shadow. But the two mandalorians that moved through the rain had long become masters of their second skin.

The two got to a safe approach on their target building. In one hand Koil held one of his matte black quickdraw blasters. But his left hand was free which promptly signaled two words in the form of a question. <Wound, Kill?> Most of the Silent Badgers equipment was for when lethality was intentional. He was confident he could probably get through this without killing any of the guards. It just might be a little more stressful and slow This was Narir's operation and he was the man with the contract. It was up to him.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir could barely see Koil's hand movements in the dark with their scatterweave, but the question wasn't a shock and Narir picked it up well enough.

Wound first, he signed back in exaggerated fashion so it might be more visible in the dark. Only time would tell if they managed to actually make it through here without killing anyone. The "first" would indicate that - of course - the life of a clan member came before the dar'manda, and if killing was necessary, Narir wouldn't hesitate.

If they could break in without killing lots of people, however, that would be even better. He pulled out his Lullaby and switched it over to its stun setting, knowing that would suddenly become more relevant. Turned out it was a good idea to bring the weapon along after all. He hadn't gone bounty hunting in so long he almost forgot how useful stun weapons could be. Everything these days was just shooting Sith.

Keeping to the shadows as the rain streaked across the visor of his helmet, he made it to the chain fence surrounding the facility and looked to the pattern of the guards. They didn't seem particularly interested in patrolling their regular pattern in the rain, which could be a good thing if they didn't come out to play or could be a bad thing if they changed up their patrolling pattern altogether. Only time would tell, but Narir didn't wait. He pulled out the vibroknife and began sawing through the fence quickly enough for the two to climb through and into the facilities perimeter. @Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

He understood the hand movement and nodded. The mandalorian holstered his quickdraw. It did not have a stun setting unfortunately. He had been planning on getting a stun modification for both his sidearms but that had been put on his to do list. Perhaps he would be able to use the funds from this job to upgrade his kit.

Over his back he had his echani vibro sword. Actually it was the sword he had taken from the body of an Imperial the two of them had killed on Nubia. The man had been on a speeder bike or something and had been lit up outside the factory they had been sabotaging. Koil pulled the scabbard off his person as well. The only for certain thing he had that was quiet as well as non-lethal was what he held now. The sword and scabbard would work better than his carbine as an improvised melee weapon. On his fists he had shock boxing gloves but those were for really close fighting if needed. Everything else would cause noise if he used. Even his throwing knives would likely cause one of the guards to cry out once they get hit unless he outright killed them. A blade to the throat would do it. Quiet...but I've seen better, faster ways to die.

Another concern of Koil is about any of this completely backfiring. The man's mind went to paranoid contemplation often. He worried about the worst possible thing happening and how to fight it. If any of this went south the Silent Badger wanted contingencies and to make it easier on them. If the events here ever reached the light of day it would not matter what had transpired if the two Mandalorians killed citizens the populace probably considered innocents. It was not hard to demonize Mandalorians these days. So for that reason Koil was going to put forth every effort he could to make sure killing was his last resort.

The War Councilor assisted Narir with getting through the fence. It was short and naturally, quiet work. The outside guards now had a figurative and a literal hole in their perimeter. He tried to make it not look like an obvious hole though in case the guards started up on doing their actual job again. Revealing their presence when they get even deeper in this place was asking for trouble.

He raced across the little bit of open ground. His crouching hurried posture checking sight lines. While the scatterweave absorbed light, it was terrible in a light background. Going to winter environments like Hoth would be a terrible idea with the black clad armor. The same could be said if one is seen running along side a white wall or a background that might give them away. Those kinds of back drops were the kind of thing to avoid. Thankfully the perimeter did not seem to care much about keeping things super well lit. The rain helped a little with that as well. Now the two Badgers could get out of said rain and one step closer to their objective.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir had complete confidence in his partner on this operation, and that was not only a rarity, but also a welcome relief. It had been quite some time since he and Koil had made their way into the field together, but he still knew he could trust his old friend. Koil had become a household name and a shadow to be feared by the Sith.

He gripped his pistol tightly, transferring it to his right hand and slipping the vibroknife away now that they were through the fence. All went well so far, but something told him that this wouldn't last. He hadn't gotten his nickname of Bad-Luck Badger for nothing. They were as likely to stumble across an unknown enemy as they were to find some more volcanic ash on this planet.

The two Mandalorians stuck to the shadows as they made for the building's entrance. He pointed to the lock as he turned to the lookout position, letting Koil break their way through the door as he watched for the guard that would inevitably come around the corner. No, the guard wouldn't come until they were nice and deep into the facility and they had to fight their way out. @Darasaurus

 

[Koil Solus]

K.O. Squares too... he added to his list of things to add to his tool set. The doors were locked, only specific parts where the guards passed through were unlocked. Everything else was more or less a one way fire exit to be on code. Some guards had key codes to get through the doors.

They could have taken the key codes off of a guard but that meant they would have to take one of them down. So far they had not done that so instead koil popped out his slicing equipment. The Silent Badger plugged in the port scanner and connected them to the door terminal. A few tense seconds later and the door lock clicked barely over the sound of the drizzling rain.

The Mandalorian pushed into the door and around a corner in time to see one guard with a surprised and equally confused expresssion on his face. Koil dove toward the man wearing a uniformed HPK but it would do little as the Silent badger put him into a choke hold. He struggled for a moment trying to get his sidearm with laser sight though it was too little too late.

When the lightly armed guard finally went limp the Echani brought the dead weight down to the ground. Koil reached for the sidearm and took for himself. They had to stash the body at least until they had left. Then it would not matter if he woke up and told anybody. In addition, he found one of the cards holding the key codes in and out of the door. If there were any more doors inside with restricted access then it would be easier to get into than for him to pull out his port scanner each time. Before he forgot, Koil also made sure that if there was a recording function on the helmet he wiped it and set it to factory default settings. so much for your shortcut settings. Though that was probably going to be the least of this guard's worries when they finally wake up.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir kept his head on a swivel and his gun at the ready as he watched Koil take down the guard and find the access codes for the building. They were inside only moments later, and Narir took to the hallway, slowly but cautiously. Unfortunately, Narir had obtained his nickname for a reason.

As he walked down the hallway, out of nowhere and completely inexplicably, a pipe running over the Mandalorians' heads... burst. There didn't seem to be any real cause or reason to it, but the sound and the resultant spraying of coolant everywhere was bound to attract attention.

It did. Before either of the Mandalorians had time to actually clear out of the hallway, a pour maintenance worker had rounded the corner from where he'd been mopping the floor. No one expected any activity late at night, and the Mandalorians only had moments to react before the alarm was rung. Already, the man - slack jawed and white faced - had begun to turn toward the other end of the hallway.

 

[Koil Solus]

The popping of a metal pipe along with the following hiss made Koil both surprised and suddenly sigh. An operation would not be the same if it did not go awry when dealing with Bad-luck Badger. Sometimes Koil wondered if the main reason Narir was still alive was because he and his team mates were just barely good enough to get out of situations before they got even worse. He was Bad-luck Badger, not Cursed Badger. Considering how many times they had gotten into messes but also been able to get out of them the Silent Badger was not too worried though it certainly was about to complicate things.

At least I don't have to try so hard at being quiet. He thought to himself and ignited his jetpack to go hurtling down the hallway at bum-rush speed. His arm reached out and grabbed the back of the man's collar. Sounds of panic escaped the man "Help there's-" and then came the grunt of pain as Koil yanked him back forcing him to land flat on his back and knocking the wind out of him.

He was not a soldier or guard. He just needed to be silenced. A swift jab towards the man's chest sent a stunning impact into the man from Koil's shock boxing gloves. The limiters were removed making it feel like he had just been walloped with a stun baton. At least the man would probably get to keep his job, have a story to tell, and keep his life.

Other guards probably heard the bursting of the pipe along with the sound of his jetpack coupled with interrupted cry for help. It would be a miracle if nobody was coming to investigate and so the mandalorian moved into a side room before any rushing guards could lay eyes on him. The body of the maintenance worker was left in the hallway. If the guards came quickly enough he planned on using their investigation of his unconscious body as a distraction. Sticking the scabbard of his vibrosword under his armpit he fished out a concussion grenade.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say Hod Ha'ran likes playing pranks on you." He said to Narir over the helmet commlink. They had roughly one more hallway to traverse before they were at their objective. but even then if all the guards were alerted then they would have to hold them off. Maybe I should start setting traps for anyone coming in from outside while we grab the data The Echani needed to come up with something or else they were risking being surrounded and outgunned as a worst case scenario.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Koil tore off down the hallway, quickly dispatching the man trying to raise the alarm. Narir moved up against the wall, raising his pistol and preparing for the inevitable counter-attack. Every guard in the place had to have heard the stifled yell and the jetpack, and he wasn't wrong. One of the security personnel rounded the corner, hand on his pistol, but he was a slower draw than Narir. The Mandalorian's pistol was already in hand and swung up as he pulled the trigger. The stun bolt lanced out and pummeled the man's chest, dropping him in an awkward heap.

I'm still not convinced he isn't pranking me. It's part of my natural charm, he said deadpan. Narir wasn't particularly religious, but it certainly seemed like something or someone out there had it out for him. Maybe it was that cursed "Force" the Jedi and Sith had. A pox upon it. Even when the Jedi had been allies he hadn't loved Jedi or trusted them.

Moving forward to the next hall, he warned, as he pushed up the hallway, pistol out in front of him. There was no sign of their enemy as he pushed forward, checking the doors to either side. The hiss of the door at the end of the hall was the first sign that something was wrong. It snapped open and the Mandalorian was perhaps 15 meters from four guards. He thanked his "lucky" stars that they weren't wearing armor, but they each had a sidearm.

He snapped off a shot and struck one in the chest as he slammed his other fist on the door controls to a side room, slipping inside as blaster fire shave the door frame.

 

[Koil Solus]

Koil had long long been a practical man. Being adopted into the lifestyle certainly made him lacking in the same zeal as other more devote members of the community. He could never share the same fervor as Leandros or other Mandalorians that wanted to crusade in the name of their gods. Koil was much more under the opinion that they did not need to fight wars in the name of their gods. Every war was contributing to the three gods but the one the Silent Badger felt most connection with was the trickster god, Hod Ha'ran, not Kad Ka'rangir.

Narir took out one of the guards that had been the first to respond. "I bet he's not feeling lucky either." He commented and placed the sheath of his sword back in his webbing since he no longer planned on using it with their more overt situation. Chances were he would need it soon enough though.

As he came down the hall he came sheathed his sword and began to reach for his port scanner to unlock the door. If he had chosen his light beskar'gam he would have been able to slice in faster than with his port scanner. But it would not matter since four guards opened the door. Good thing he still had the grenade in his hand. "grenade out" Tossing it down the hall as the guards began pulling on him it would impact and send them all into disarray.

The War Councilors left arm came up, activating its bulwark shield to block any stray shots. All they had to do was shoot forward and there was still a chance they would hit Koil, even blinded and deafened. Sure enough one of the blaster bolts slammed into his shield, making Koil's jaw clench and his frame trying to mostly stay behind the protective shield.

While Narir went to a door on the left Koil moved to a door on the right mirroring his cohort. Most of the shots missed but another one almost came close to hitting the shield again had he not gone into the room. While he was sure the shield would have taken the damage the Echani preferred to not use tools unnecessarily. In the next couple of minutes they might be wishing they had every means of defense at their disposal. In cover he pulled out one of his quickdraw blasters. "You good vod?" They had several meters of open hallway separating them. If they wanted to they would need to push the guards while they were under the effects of the concussion grenade. There was probably even more on their way now that this was turning into a fire fight.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir glanced down at his armor, running his free hand quickly over the plates to check for holes and burn marks before raising the hand in a thumb up. Good, he said quickly, mind already trying to evaluate the best way to close on the remaining guards. The concussion grenade had done an exceptional job of throwing them off balance and disrupting or preventing a counter-attack. The Mandalorians were outnumbered 3 to 2... those were good odds for the pair of seasoned warriors.

I'll draw their attention. Be ready to move on the "boom," he said, jamming the door open and heading into the room he'd taken cover in. He'd get Koil the opportunity to move forward on their opponent with relatively little danger.

The black-armored Mandalorian was a walking arsenal just like his partner, and he had a tool for many occasions. Narir's left hand drew the violator disruptor pistol from his thigh and raised it up. Despite carrying it for years, Narir seldom ever actually used the weapon. It was simply overkill for most situations, but he saw an opportunity here.

He squeezed the trigger and a low hummmm signaled it was charging before a bright flash discharged from the gun, tearing into the wall and ripping a hole in the metal. In one smooth motion, the Mandalorian holstered the weapon and grabbed the concussion grenade from his belt. The hole wasn't large enough to move through, but he could put a grenade through the opening and draw attention away from the main door.

The grenade detonated on the other side of the wall a few seconds later, further disorienting the guards and hopefully giving Koil his own opportunity as Narir looped back into the hallway and toward the door only a few seconds later.

 

[Koil Solus]

Koil was relieved to hear that Narir was fine despite believing he was unharmed anyways. It was good to hear confirmation. Even a wounded badger was still dangerous. That lesson had both been learned and taught in an assortment of ways, mostly in a brutal fashion by his own father. He would not have admitted it as a young man, but now Koil knew that his father had made him strong.

"Roger" He said singularly. Doors had a setting to keep them open even for average civilians. But this was a lab with security and protocols. The people that normally worked here must have a compartmentalized work setup but that made sense given that they were designing such high valued technology. No corporation wanted their trade secrets to be easily accessible. Koil did likewise to Narir and jammed his door open as blaster bolts continued to stream down the hall.

The guards were yelling, trying to hear one another or get their bearings. "What?!" "I said, where did they-" "What?!" But even over their voices Koil could hear the iconic whine of a disruptor weapon. Oh, so he's going for THAT kind of boom Koil had seldom seen the weapons and had never used them before. It certainly had its utility in this case.

Drawing his other quickdraw the Mandalorian stepped out into the hall. His left arm raised again to block any incoming damage while using it like a riot shield. One of the guards had left the hall to move into the sideroom after Narir's grenade followed by a second that was half in and half out. "Oh for cryin out-" Boom, the Bad Luck Badger had hit them with another concussion grenade. I hope these guys have medical coverage for tinnitus He thought as he fired, dragging the blaster across the legs of the first guard.

Pushing off his jetpack activated again sending him hurtling down the length of the hallway. One of the guard stumbled back out of the room. Koil dashed forward again. The man managed to get another shot off, hitting his shield and making it fizzle out. It had no more protective capabilities anymore but that was what the War Councilor had needed. Jumping up he he fired again, sailing through the air with a blaster bolt hitting the armor chest of the man and the second going into his right shoulder just outside of the protective plating weakening his grip on his weapon. But what came next was koil's flying foot square into his chest that would make the man go flying back into a wall and then immediately falling the floor with the wind knocked out of him.

Laying on the ground, flat on his back as a result of his attack Koil used his left handed blaster for the first time and fired twice in a panic. Only one shot of each hit the still stumbling man in the side room. Not the most elegant, but it worked. I hope Narir so that. The man got up and looked around gathering his bearings. Maybe they should make sure these guys stayed down a little longer. Koil holstered one of his quickdraws and picked up one the DH-7, turning it to stun and fired two shots into each of them. While he scavenged a couple extra power packs he asked his comrade a question. "Just down the next hall right?" It was probably filled with the rest of the guards by now.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir rounded the corner and cleared into the next room just after Koil, catching the end of his maneuver as he laid out the remaining guards, the room was clear. The two of them seemed to be quite the impressive team. They mowed through guards without difficulty, but he also knew the clock was against them.

Good work he said, looking around at the bodies strewn across the floor. He gave a nod to the question and checked his pistol once more as he prepared for another fight. A fresh powerpack was slapped into place, and he was ready to fight once more.

Hopefully that was all the guards in the area. If we hit them fast enough we might be able to get what we need before they respond, he pointed out. Though there was no guarantee of that, it was their best odds. Even the two of them were unlikely to win a prolonged gunfight or a siege inside the facility. They needed to be in and out before that happened. Shock and awe were their best assets as usual.

You good? he asked, advancing toward the final hall that held their objective. It was just like old times, and it actually made Narir smile for a moment behind his helmet. It was good to be around people he'd known for years. So much had changed, but some things still remained.

He hit the control for the door and it sprang open. He moved down the hall, pistol raised and expecting trouble. It had been quiet at first last time too, but that hadn't lasted. This time, though, his luck actually seemed to hold. He made it to the research area, and there were only a few technicians hiding in a corner, looking like they didn't want to be shot.

You want them or research? he asked. One of them would have to cover the temporary hostages while the other searched the lab for materials.

 

[Koil Solus]

Koil was usually not the type of warrior to make the kind of move he just had. Not because he had any kind of pride in his elegance or method of combat. As an Echani it still tugged at him to be so sloppy. Then again, maybe he was having fun with the brawling aspect of it. The Silent Badger tended to be a combat pragmatist and just neutralize threats when necessary. But in this case it made more sense to not kill their enemies just because it was easier.

He would wait to accept praise when the two of them were in a bar sharing drinks. For now he still had a count down timer running in the back of his head. The two War Councilors had to move quickly. The main time suck would be uploading the bug they had brought. It was nothing that the company would not be able to recover from but it would put the project they were working on behind their competitor.

When Narir moved so did Koil. Either the Silent Badger was getting old or he had been fighting too much recently. It was not just being physically tired, but mentally as well. So much had happened in such a short time that he had not had time to adjust. The Battle of Mandalore, Vatol, the Werda Verda, it was a lot and it felt like it had begun to add up. Then again, Koil had not really allowed himself to truly rest. That was not about to change any time soon. "Naas"

The two of them would move into the target room. Koil spotted the technicians that must have been working late. It was not necessarily bad luck that they were there but the Echani would have preferred that the place had been empty. It was possible they could use it to their advantage. "I'll cover them." He continued to speak in mando'a in front of the aruetiise.

With his weapons pointed in their general direction he knew that they would remain compliant. Their interest was in their self preservation for the time being. He took a few steps towards them but stopped a few meters away. Just like when he had stolen that frigate from the Galactic Alliance, Koil adjusted his voice to make it sound more gruff and different without sounding too faked. This time he spoke in basic so the employees would understand. "Badges, drop them." He did not want to someday be on the holo-net and have one of them recognizing his voice. The Mandalorian followed his command with a gesture towards the access badges that each of them wore around their necks on lanyards or on retractable cords on their hips. Even at a glance he could see they had their unique portraits and some markings that indicated differing levels of access. If Narir wanted to see if they helped them get into any of the compartments or spaces it was possible those would help.

@Phoenix

 

[Narir Solus]

Narir moved over to the workers who were busy on the ground trying not to be shot. The Mandalorian, pistol still in hand, pointed it at the cowering workers and began looking through the various badges to find one with the proper security. No, no, no, no, here, he thought to himself as he came to one that had "Chief Engineer" printed proudly on the front. He must have been so proud of his job title, and now it provided Narir with exactly the access he needed.

He moved over toward the development room and swiped in. The plans of the new weapons was supposed to be in here somewhere, and as Narir looked around the room, he felt like he had died and gone to heaven. He had always loved shooting and blowing things up. Maybe it was just because it was part of his religion, but as he stood in the developmental arsenal he could have just stood in there browsing all day.

Shame I have work to do, he mumbled to himself as he swiped the badge once again to open the work station. He started downloading the schematics to his datapad, and waited for that coveted "download complete" before unplugging and stepping back.

Got it, let's go, he said, making his way out to the front where Koil and the workers were waiting. Unless you wanted to have some drinks with them, he joked.

 

[Koil Solus]

The employees made no moves save for mannerisms out of fear. They did not want to provoke the capable mandalorians to violence, or rather more violence. But Narir was able to work quickly and get the information they needed. The original information would be corrupted and plenty of it would be lost. It would take extra work for this project to be back to the proper state but by then the company's competitors would have already moved forward with their own work.

"I don't drink on the job." He said simply in response to Narir's jesting. Koil holstered one of his blasters and pulled out an adhesive grenade. "You guys should stick around for awhile." After saying the pun he tossed the device towards them. One of them even yelped. Their huddled bodies would make it so the grenade's affect caught all of them.

With that said and done the two mandalorians would make for a fast exit. A few minutes later when the two War Councilors were at a safe distance he began to hear the sounds of local law enforcement. But it was too late. The two of them were long gone.

♠ END THREAD ♠​

@Phoenix