Ask Nar Shaddaa Whispers in the Dark: The Final Eclipse

[Bast Emblai]

The more she spoke, the tighter the man’s grip became. He seemed to want to suffocate her, squeeze out every last choking breath. Darmus’s voice came over the comm, harsh and low. It made no difference. Corran was deaf to everything but the footsteps. The footsteps that did not exist. Her eyes stung. The flow of memories had begun and she was ignoring them, pushing them back as much as she could, resisting the urge to fight, to struggle through them. If she pushed back in anger or fear, she would be crushed. Although the Corellian woman had taken up boxing as an outlet for... everything, the man bearing down on her had the advantage. He was simply bigger, stronger. She felt his weight shift. He was preparing for a blow. She tensed.

The blow didn’t come. As soon as the press of the rifle relaxed the smallest bit, she went limp, a tactic she had learned to avoid capture. “If you get grabbed, slip through the attackers grasp, they will expect you to be tense, not drop like a stone” The drill instructor’s voice echoed vaguely.

Reptilian eyes glinted in the dim light. Rising from a a squat, Bast instinctively moved back, drawing her pistol. Darmus had already begun firing. If it advanced more than a step closer, she would fire off two rounds.

Still recovering her breath, the woman tried to slow her panicked nervous system. “What the hell, Corran?”

@Mr. Teatime
@TerranSteel
@Eccles

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Amidst the flurry of sounds and sensations, both real and altered, Corran managed to break through his solitary illusion in a surge of sudden clarity. Darmus was clearly still there, still speaking, and when the beast appeared the rush of very real danger completely his transition to reality.

Sounds and sensations flashed back like waking from a dark dream and the Rangers sprung into action, uncoordinated at the sight of the thing that stalked, manifested, and lunged toward its prey. Its nostrils flared wide and stun shots from Darmus struck it's hide, flaring out across scales that sparked with the energy. It staggered and slowed, hissing with frustration with each shot, advance slowing as its prey retreated back and long, black claws merely scraped deep rents across Corran's front plate as he pushed away from the wall, the reptile's snapping maw missing him entirely.

It struck then against the next nearest target- Darmus himself, the spike of fear attracting its attention. It drew back its head, spines flaring, and then spat a vile, gelatinous glob of green-black slime toward Ranger Onn, composed of both it's viscous saliva and some other substance from it's throat, stray droplets hissing and spitting across on the duracrete floor and throwing up foul smoke. It was a slow-moving projectile but at the very least, the substance was acidic and dangerous. If it struck armour it would need to quickly be removed before the substance ate through to the tender flesh beneath.

Corran's two shots struck it's wide-open maw, the first across the jaw and the second directly in its mouth. With Darmus' repeated earlier shots and that one to an unarmoured portion, it very suddenly dropped where it stood, collapsing with a thump into a scaled heap on the ground. Thick drool leaked from between its teeth onto the ground.

With it downed the Rangers were left alone in the hallway, both the sounds of the beast and stun shots gone. Only their breathing and the flickering of overhead lights remained. Regardless of any injury they may have incurred, the hallway deeper into the base remained clear from what they could see.

@TerranSteel @Eccles @Kestrel

 

[Darmus Onn]

The beast charged as expected and despite it being shot right in the mouth, it managed to spit towards Darmus, who as an unflattering reflex immediately dove backwards. Now, the old ranger wasn't wearing any armor and that helped him speed up his movement sufficiently to avoid the green-black blob, but as it hit the wall instead, dispersing on impact in an acidic sizzling, one of the stray droplets managed to land on his shoe.

Kriff, Darmus' eyes bulged as he watched the slime bite itself through his shoe and in what seemed a frantic pantic he dropped his blaster to be able to, seated on the ground already due to his dive, to quickly take off his shoe and spare his foot. He had barely removed what was one half of his favorite pair of boots when the slime dropped on the duracrete floor and a distinct hole was clearly visible in the brown leather. "I'm not gonna even ask what just happened," he muttered, looking now at the lieutenants. Darmus hadn't noticed any of the mental duress the others had been under. One second he had been walking in a hallway, then Corran went crazy and then a monster appeared that looked more twisted than anything he had ever seen. Now they seemed like they were present in the moment, though, and Corran did just land the killing shot.

With a sigh he dropped his shoe, picked up his blaster and stood up, making sure to avoid any of the slime or obviously poisonous gas. "You two good?" he asked, but then he also didn't wait for an answer as he turned back to head in the direction of the server. "We need to hurry."

Adrenaline surging, the old ranger was in battle mode as he continued his way to the server. With every corner he listened for a presence and then looked with his blaster before rounding them. It wasn't as fast as running through a base, but with him roughly knowing the layout it was definitely faster than how they snuck down those stairs earlier.

There was a distinct sense of urgency.

@Mr. Teatime @TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

Nightmarish fangs snapped at Corran but missed his leg by inches as he shoved off the wall. Some lessons learned from fighting in the basement of Sector Ranger HQ had paid off. Blue stun bolts fired from behind the blond ranger hit the dark beast in its main body, slowing down its savage lunges. That didn't stop its long talons from slashing out. Sparks flew off the chest plate as three claws glanced along his armor, leaving three distinct rents into the shape.

Without visible reason, the monstrous reptile shifted its angle of attack towards Darmus. Instead of using its biological melee, it spewed a noxious, vile saliva towards his mentor. Corran's rifle was up before he mentally even registered he needed to take a shot. A bolt to the snout and one inside its gullet simultaneously struck with a shot to its unarmored side. What once had been an unseen, gnashing beast was now slumped on the floor.

Danger began to subside and the blond ranger was able to collect his senses. No more armored boots reverberated through the hallways. That sense of being hunted, watched, and ambushed had faded to a appropriate level. He looked over to where the enemy soldier had taunted him in garbled static. Bast Emblai stood in its place. Had it been all an illusion? A cruel mirage? Ranger Onn's voice over the commlink checked in on them and ordered them to hustle. "Yeah, yeah I'm good," Lieutenant Velt replied, his helmet facing towards Bast for a lingering moment before turning to advance down the hallway, "Bast appeared as a Sith trooper. I couldn't see anything. It must've been all fake. I didn't hurt anyone, did I?"

"Why is it always toxins with these people?" Corran muttered under his breath, looking at the bile sizzling on the floor as he carefully slid along the wall to avoid it. Just use a blaster like a civilized person. Once clear of the mess, the blond ranger would keep pace with Darmus at the accelerated pace. Now that shots had been fired, their stealth might have been compromised. It was better to move quickly to the server room and take control of the situation before they got caught in the open. All along the route, Corran would dutifully cover Darmus he took point and watch for cameras and obvious traps.

@Eccles @Kestrel @Mr. Teatime

 

[The Gatekeeper]

The wicked beast downed, its prone form still and quite stunned. Darmus had managed to frantically dive away from the corrosive glob and then discord his shoe. Everywhere the slime touched smoked and sizzled until eventually it had eaten out pockmarked craters in duracrete where it lay. Ranger Onn, his foot, and one remaining boot were safe. Corran meanwhile had regained his lucidity in the rush of combat and now seemed only to be left with the memories of what he'd experienced.

Forward they moved down the hall, quick and urgent. The doorway at the end of the present hallway was easily opened with the console and the Rangers would hear no presence. Darmus looked around the corner that headed left guarded by his sidearm and would immediately note the increased state of maintenance of the area, just before a rightward turn. This as well was cleared by the Rangers and lead to a four-way cross.

From what Darmus would remember it was straight across and then left toward where they needed to go. A corner of the cross had a single-direction camera that currently faced where that direction, and would slowly pan back in their direction and then back again on a cycle. As they approached it their his diligence would pay off as he heard a distinctive humming of repulsors from the left hallway of the cross, currently at the far end but steadily approaching their position.

Should someone visually check the corner they'd find a single Viper droid patrolling the area and heading toward the crossway.

@Eccles @TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

Tangible and psychological threats waned as the trio of Rangers made their way deeper into the facility. Through a doorway and down yet another hall, the scenery began to slowly improve again. Walls were free of pockets of grime, rust was nowhere to be seen, and the floors were quite hygienic. If you went all the way to the core, there was probably a gold-plated chandelier with diamonds instead of glass and a Chandrilan wood dining table. Not to mention marble pillars. Corran was just thankful the constant cadence of armored boots in his ears had ended. He felt much more alert and, seemingly, their stealth maintained.

At the four-way-cross hallway, the blond ranger would silently motion for his comrades to halt and pressed himself against the wall for cover. Not only for the camera they all surely saw, but the sound that he knew all too well. The hovering thrum of a Viper droid. The kind that had tried to kill him in the basement of Sector Ranger headquarters as it burned to the ground. It had been tough but he was underequipped then. This time would be different.

"Viper droid, heading this way. Camera above. Clear to engage droid?" Lieutenant Velt's voice was succinct. Time counted down as the floating machine approached. With all its bulbous cameras on the dome-like head, evading visual detection was unlikely. Even if they got the jump on it, the camera might detect the engagement. The camera didn't have a blaster on its hull though. If anyone else presented a better idea to keep their stealthy advance, Corran would defer to that. Without one, he'd ready his blaster rifle, switching it to lethal fire, and wait for the camera to pan the opposite-facing way before canting around the corner, using the wall for majority cover, and firing upon the less armored head-section of the droid.

@Eccles @Kestrel @Mr. Teatime

 

[Darmus Onn]

They made considerable progress and Darmus knew they were close. One last corner and he'd be in the server room.. once there his dataplague would infect the entire base and upload vital data about the Sith Order to the Lighthouse Command Ship. All that would be left to do was form strike teams and obliterate the Order's support structures. Neither Stolas nor Raze, not even the Eternal, would be able to stop Darmus. Not on the HoloNet, not in his domain where Force tricks and lightsaber swinging couldn't reach him...

All he had to do was cross this four-way.. wait, what was that? He first spotted the camera, which seemed to be wired from within the walls as he didn't see any obvious ways to disable it. Definitely a problem if whatever room is on the other side of that thing is occupied with someone (or something) actually checking the feeds. Next Darmus heard the hum of the Viper droid and his heart sank a little until Corran came through with a clear query. Corran's confidence emboldened Darmus, who raised his own blaster to aim towards the camera. "Servers are close. You two take down that droid, then follow. I'm going ahead." he whispered a reply over the comms and gave them a second for it to settle in, before he steadied his aim on the camera right before it would complete its cycle towards them, "Go." He pulled the trigger and the camera was hit with a bolt of plasma that burned straight through, disabling it forever.

Banking on the distraction of Corran engaging the Viper Droid, Darmus dashed across and continued on his way to the server room. He was counting on alarms going off any second, so if he found someone in the target room he wouldn't waste a second to fire a stun bolt in their face. If empty, or nobody conscious around, he'd plug in his datapad and work quick to slice in and upload his dataplague.


@TerranSteel @Kestrel @Mr. Teatime

 

[Bast Emblai]

The buzzing had ceased. It seemed the cold brush of death had snapped her out of the trance, the fear of her best friend eclipsed by a fear for her life. A common threat erased the sudden animosity. The reptile hit the floor hard, but not before it had spit some sort of acid, barely missing Darmus. For a man of almost half a century, he still had the reflexes of a twenty year old, but the woman had no time to marvel. They were on the move again.

Corran explained that she had appeared as a Sith trooper. It did not take the detective she was to figure out that the rangers were being used as playthings, manipulated and tricked into hallucinations. How? Did the Sith have such power? Surely no place could be so spiritually charged.

“I’m fine, though that blaster will leave a bruise. Have you been arm wrestling a wookie?” It was a light quip, meant to relieve the tension in the situation. She really was fine. Terrified, but not hurt. Little of the surprise bled into her voice, however. They had to move on. The trio would talk about it later, during a debrief with the team.

The closer she and the others drew to their goal, the more chaotic things became. A viper droid appeared, and immediate attempts were made to dispatch both the machine and the camera. She fired the typical two shots, one at the camera and the other at the antenna to prevent communication should the worst happen. The slow trudge had suddenly become a quickly paced dance, and if they did not calculate their moves correctly, they were likely to trip. “Clear, Darmus?”

@Mr. Teatime
@TerranSteel
@Eccles

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Darmus fired, his shot both taking down the camera and alerting the probe droid to a hostile presence. The floating machine whirred aggressively and flew rapidly forward, sensors scanning for motion. Corran came around the corner to fire at the droid as Darmus ran past, and if Bast hadn't double-tapped the camera things might have gone better for the the courageous Rangers.

On the droid's advance, amidst the sudden blaring of it swerved and returned fire at what it could see of Corran, his shot striking somewhat off from the quick acceleration, staggering the machine and leaving a smoking hole just above a photorceptor. The droid flew along the opposite wall of the one Corran used for cover and fired at the still and coverless Bast's center mass, her own shot toward the wiggling antennae missing entirely and terminating behind it.

It advanced relentlesly and fired again at the easiest target, Ranger Emblai, as alarms began to blare.

Darmus had passed through the crossway and away from the fight, rushing toward his objective. Metal clacking sounded from around the bend and as he turned he'd see a pair of D3-NB droids wielding readied rifles marching toward the corner, both of whom fired a pair of lethal shots at him a moment after he rounded the corner. The server access door behind them was both shut and sealed.

@Eccles @TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

Return fire replied in kind almost as soon as Corran pulled the trigger. Due to his canted angle, exposing limited parts of his shoulders and upper torso, he would attempt to quickly peel back behind the corner and the droid's reaction shot would impact the wall, leaving only scorched carbon instead of burnt flesh. Hovering rumbles out of sight indicated the thing was still operating. Their armor was annoying back at Sector Ranger headquarters too.

Lieutenant Velt would cant again around the corner to get a bead on the target. Out of the corner of his helmet's viewports, he recognized someone standing out in the open. Bast. "Move!" Corran commanded through the shared commlink, urging Bast to cover with his tone. Blaster fire had already been sent downrange from the droid, but that didn't stop the blond ranger from trying to alert his partner.

With the probe droid focused on Ranger Emblai, Corran would have clear and undisturbed aim against the enemy. Using the wall as brace for his A280C rifle, he'd aim at the bulbous head to try and nail a round through one of its many artificial eyes. That was among the least armored portions and got right into the vital guts of the machine. Just as two shots had bent sent at the Rangers, Corran would fire two red bolts at the Viper droid from his covered position. Hopefully one rung true.

@Eccles @Kestrel @Mr. Teatime

 

[Darmus Onn]

The fact that the pair of droids were close to the corner actually worked to Darmus' advantage as he used his momentum to go into a slide. Both shots coming for him missed by a hair while the veteran ranger aimed and shot once at one droid's right shoulder. If it connected said droid would find it impossible to properly aim its rifle, but whether it would realize this in time was up to the droid's programming intelligence.

Althought he would only realize this later on, Darmus had immediately recognized them as D3-NB droids and knew that the purchase of these models required special permits and licensing. If he survived this encounter it would be an interesting avenue for investigation to find out how they got into the hands of a known terrorist organization. Especially considering its little-advertised feature that made it nearly impossible to steal and reprogram them.

Regardless, Darmus found himself in a hallway facing two droids that were specifically programmed for close-combat encounters. There was no logical way for the old ranger to win this fight, but once he reached the opposite wall he pushed himself backwards to make sure that the droids, after they adjusted the aim on their rifles would find themselves without the ranger in their crosshairs again. With his weight above his legs again, Darmus pushed himself back up onto his feet as he retreated back around the corner. Just before reaching it he fired once again, this time at center mass of the other droid.


@Mr. Teatime @Kestrel @TerranSteel

 

[Bast Emblai]

Both shots Bast had fired missed. It seemed the boys were not having much better luck. Only one of Corran’s shots had landed, and barely, doing minimal damage. The thing was fast. Much like it’s namesake, the viper droid struck back. Openly shooting at it would clearly not be the most effective strategy, but this was no simulation. She wasn’t worried about kill time or the cleanness of her shot. She was worried about getting off the moon with all limbs and faculties intact, but more than that, bringing down the Sith.

In her CorSec days, Bast had heard the local legend about Yzim Arco. It was a favorite in the barracks for all of its graphic detail, but that was not the point. Yzim had found a hideout used by domestic terrorists CorSec had been hunting for months. Whether he obtained the information from a tipsy waitress or local spice dealer was contested, but what followed was not. Having been given a mission to destroy any restricted technology and arrest the suspects, he snuck into the abandoned warehouse, only to find it was an ambush. Likely someone inside the command chain was involved and wanted the place to remain intact. So, rather than be captured or let the potential danger of the gang escape the confines of its base, he made the only decision he could- the destroy the whole place. He had two thermal detonators, but the timer was fixed. He would have to guard the detonators and the fuel cans he attached them to lest they be disarmed and the whole operation fail. And so it was that Yzim Arco made his final stand, not out of self preservation, but simply to stall. He fearlessly faced half a dozen men knowing that he did not need to survive the fight, but just for the next minute.

Perhaps in reality the story had little to do with the current situation, but Bast understood the boldness. She had seen Darmus rush past into the next room. They might make it. They might achieve their goal. The only thing she could do was fight to give him time, and if she was lucky, to escape.

A warning call came over the comm. Bast dove behind a pipe bolted to the wall, only slightly thicker than her. She had to stand sideways in order to be covered. The sound of shots echoed from behind too. So Darmus had encountered another enemy. Peeping out for a third shot, the woman fired below the ‘eye’ of the droid, hoping to hit the repulsorlift complex. It was likely armored, but a shot would weaken it and perhaps throw the droid off balance, forcing it to recalibrate before firing again.

“Darmus- things sound hot back there. Need a hand?”

@Mr. Teatime
@Eccles
@TerranSteel

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Corran's follow-up shot found more success than the first, striking mostly center of one of the droid's large photoreceptors. It whirred a complaint and charge directly at them, sparks flying from the new damage, before falling to the ground as a result of Bast's shot taking out its repulsors. The droid promptly detonated just beyond two meters from the crossway and sent shrapnel everywhere, the sound deafening in the close duracrete space.

Luckily Corran and Bast were behind cover or else they'd have been showered in metal.

Darmus' predicament was more complicated. The Deneb droids' initial shots impacted the wall behind him as he slid. His shot struck shoulder and the machine recoiled from the impact, photoreceptors of both machines blinking and flashing ominously in sequence and emitting the exact same series of whirrs and beeps. This model had clever programming, and they were also notoriously stubborn in combat, but something about how these two moved was unusual compared to the standard.

As Ranger Onn pushed himself back toward the corner the damaged droid launched itself full force forward with its jump boots to intercept him, trying to shoulder slam the Ranger into the wall with its weight and momentum before he reached it. The other swiftly ducked and moved left to use its charging fellow as cover, rifle up to find a shot and sighting around hall's corner.

In the background the alarms continued to ring long and loud. If there was more than droids and illusions here, they knew there were intruders.

@TerranSteel @Eccles @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

Red blasts struck home. Even as the Viper droid charged in retaliation, a shot ran through the eye and another clobbered its propulsion system. It slammed into the well-maintained floor. Without another second, the hulk exploded into a hail of metal and fire. As soon as Corran's face felt heat, he turned his back to the hallway and pressed himself to the wall. Debris harmlessly flew by and left blackened materials all across the path.

Alarms blared overhead. Stealth was no longer an option. Speed was all they could rely on now. Corran darted across the shrapnel-covered cross-section and headed down the path Darmus had taken, switching his rifle setting back to stun. He ran with his shoulder near the wall on the left, prepared to use it to push off incoming fire or a sudden ambush.

Lieutenant Velt would advance until he saw Ranger Onn being engaged by a combat droid, but would not clear the corner and expose his flank. He would raise his rifle and try to get a clear stun shot on an enemy droid, especially the one attempting close-quarters fight his mentor. If the two became too entangled, he wouldn't risk hitting a friendly unless absolutely necessary.

@Eccles @Kestrel @Mr. Teatime

 

[Darmus Onn]

Things happened quickly and as the droid Darmus had targeted sought cover behind the droid that was rapidly approaching the old ranger, his shot landed just above the shoulder of the charging droid instead, hitting him in the neck. Even though it was a droid, getting hit with a bolt for the second time would surely further slow down and restrict its movements at least. Not many things were made to tank bolts, after all.

Already committed to his movement and not having the time to adjust in an action that already only took a few seconds at most, Darmus was forced to brace for impact. A droid's calculations were usually perfect, but maybe it was due to balance issues after being hit twice, active jetboots being sensitive to weight shifts, that the droid hit the old ranger on his right and propelled Darmus partly back into the hallway he had come from. There he did smack against the wall and his knees buckled as he dropped to them. The impact with the wall had expelled all the air from his lungs and he was desperately gasping for air to refill them.

Maybe the droid managed to kill its jetboots in time for it not to hit against the wall itself, but even if it didn't crush itself against it, Darmus was far enough away from it to give Corran and Bast a clear line of fire.



@Mr. Teatime @TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Bast Emblai]

Shrapnel sprayed hot and bright as the small droid exploded, and once again, Bast was grateful for her cover. A few pieces had punctured the pipe, but no noxious gas seemed to be leaking, nor was there an explosion from the release of pressure. For once, luck had not failed her.

The alarms, which the woman had previously tuned out, pounded in her head again harshly. Darmus’s lack of a response was a fairly clear cry for help, so the Lieutenant ran down the hallway after Corran, skidding to a halt once the older man was in sight. Two droids bore down on him.

The droids moved oddly synchronously. Perhaps it was a level of programming not typically used for combatant models, or some other sort of Sith magic, like the kind used to shroud her as a trooper. For all of their sakes, she hoped it was the former and not the latter. Programs could be flawed. Control by a sentient being, if that was even possible, meant they were up against something that could think and adapt, something impossible to access through wiring and repair hatches. It also meant they were being watched.
Darmus was knocked against the hard wall by the brute strength of one of the droids, buckling under the shock. Really, she thought cynically, it was a miracle he had survived so long. With one slip up, most faced death. She was an exception for no other reason than luck. She should have died on Outpost Blue. Ranger Orn was more experience, a better fighter. She had been a rookie, all things considered. War did not play a logical game. Orn’s fall, however, had left a clear opening for a relatively clear shot. Darting to the other corner, so as not to block Corran, Bast fired, aiming next to the charred hole in the droid’s neck. Assuming it’s processing unit was located crainially, she might hit some essential wires, or at least draw the things attention away from her prone partner.

@Mr. Teatime
@TerranSteel
@Eccles

 

[The Gatekeeper]

Ranger Onn's shot struck the self-launching droid as it flew bodily toward, blowing a hole through its neck, but its trajectory was shifted less than he would hope for. While jetboots were sensitive to movement the droid's jump boots merely fired off with enough power to send the droid ten meters further than it could normally leap. Its aim was altered by damage but Darmus was still struck by the significant weight and force of forward propelled durasteel. Impact with the droid and wall both could cause significant injury.

Corran and Bast both fired at the flying droid and both shots struck just before it impacted the wall, already weakened neck breaking free as it crumpled against the duracrete and left cracks in the surface with thunderous crash. It fell inert to the floor, cranium and neck sparking and smoking.

The other droid switched to a left-shoulder rifle grip and edged around the corner after its flying companion, the wall corner serving as cover for the only partly-visible machine. It fired a single lethal shot toward the prone Darmus' center mass, the first visible and most vulnerable target, then toward Bast as she next came into view. Corran was in the safest corner relative to the droid, which also meant he would have the most difficulty hitting it.

Even so his fired stun shot as it came into view to target Bast struck. Nothing appeared to happen other than it retreating back further around the corner.

@TerranSteel @Eccles @Kestrel

 

[Corran Velt]

An additional hostile droid down was no cause for celebration. Medical attention for Darmus, if it was necessary, would have to wait too. Shots from another combat droid down the way burnt through the air towards the trio. Corran, both having the last shot directed at him and being in the safest corner, would get off a snap shot towards the droid as it fired at Bast. Instinct followed instinct. With a third shot directed at him, the blond ranger would fall to the floor and attempt to get behind the cover of the wall he came around.

Luckily, no hail of blaster fire returned as the enemy retreated back around the corner. "Cover me!" Corran said through their joined comms, hoping his fellow rangers were uninjured enough to keep their gun barrels pointed down the hallway. The blond ranger would push himself off the floor and bolt from cover towards the corner where the droid once was, staying nearly shoulder to the wall. Along the way he unhooked a concussion grenade from his belt. It was nonlethal but the effects might still stun a droid on the backfoot.

Once within reasonable throwing range, with a mighty heave he'd attempt to chuck the grenade towards the corridor where the dangerous robot once peeped out from. "Grenade out! Cover your eyes!" With any luck and skill, the grenade would flash the hallway and temporarily blind the machine's visual sensors. If all went well with the throw, Lieutenant Velt would close his eyes but still keep moving forward along the wall until the bang. The idea was to plant himself along the corner where the droid once been and use it as his cover to peer down the hallway. If the target was present, and time allowed, he'd fire a shot at it.

@Eccles @Kestrel @Mr. Teatime

 

[Darmus Onn]

Darmus had only spend two or three seconds in that hallway and the droid had managed to take a shot, tank a bolt, activate its jumpboots and cover the entire distance between them, tanking another bolt which would usually sever its ability to coordinate movements and thus balance, to finally tackle the old ranger. It was a succession of moves Darmus didn't hold possible, not even for this type of Blackwell droid, and yet their creator must've been a savant to make them this capable. Using jumpboots in an interior hallway, since all they did was further empower a jumping movement, usually meant a meatbag snapped its own neck against the ceiling. The creator of this type of droids had apparently found a way to calculate it in.

Having no way to avoid severe damage, Darmus was thus propelled against the wall. The collission with the droid had broken several ribs and the whiplash from the wall had smacked his head into hard concrete, leaving not just some blood on the wall but also left him dazed, with blurred vision and due the pain he for the moment had no idea where he was or what he was doing...

.. then the other droid fired the lethal shot in his direction. Both Corran and Bast were too far away to help or prevent it. Darmus in no position to avoid it. The shot hit him right in the middle of his chest and killed Darmus instantly.

Hopefully the remaining two rangers would be able to plug in Darmus' dataplague and let it upload all Eclipse data to the Lighthouse. If not.. well, then Darmus' operation had failed and his death would end up being rather pointless. Although he himself would probably prefer them to stay alive over completing the mission.


@Mr. Teatime @TerranSteel @Kestrel

 

[Bast Emblai]

The subtle but audible crack of bones against duracrete made Bast feel sick. Darmus would need immediate medical attention or he would go into shock from the injury. Something red flashed. She blinked. The droid bore down. The Lieutenant dove to the ground, scrambling behind the punctured, hissing pipe, breathing hard. Blood pounded hard in her temples. It felt as if her body was moving on its own, without any thought or effort, oscillating wildly between pain and the surreal.

“Cover me!” She didn’t even have time to think. A flurry or shots rang down the hall towards the droid from the blaster she was holding. No fire came from Darmus. She pushed the thought away. He was hurt. “Grenade out!” It was only training, drilled intensely for years that compelled the woman to shield her eyes and head. It was too loud the think, too loud to move. As soon as she felt, then heard the explosion, Bast leapt towards the man lying on the floor. Corran could look after the droid. It had likely been damaged in the blast.

He lay still. She crawled towards him, coughing in the dust. “Darmus. Hey.“ He didn’t respond. The voice became more strained. “Darmus. I’m your Lieutenant. You had better karking say something.” He didn’t. As she got closer she saw the dark, slowly growing pool of blood. So he was unconscious. As gently as possible, Bast elevated his head onto her lap to stem the blood flow. The smoke and haze from the grenade made it difficult to see. He was still warm, at least. She felt for a pulse, probing panickedly. Then her hand brushed the wet, sticky, singed hole in her chest. The red flash. He had been shot. He had been dead for likely a full minute. They hadn’t even noticed. An unintelligible, small sound escaped from her throat. Gone. The pool had been small enough for her to think he could recover because the heart was no longer pumping the blood. If she had had anything in her stomach, she would have wretched. Instead, she simply went cold, then very hot, then dizzy. The wide blue eyes were still open. If it was not for the large chunk of missing flesh, he could have been alive. He still looked so alive.

“C-Corran. Come here. Now!” There was no reason to hurry for the dead, but in that moment, it felt as if the very core of the moon was crumbling and so, it was with urgency, that Bast tore off his badge and placed it in her own breast pocket before laying him flat again with just as much care.

@Mr. Teatime
@TerranSteel
@Eccles