Log:Black Squadron: Bad Neighbors

A continuation of the rescue mission that started in Storm the Castle.

Black Squadron: Bad Neighbors

OOC Date: September 16, 2021
Location: Kuat
Participants: Ulani Kalgaav (GM), Poe Dameron, Bors Thul, Ektor, Shemar, Jessika Pava, Suralinda Javos, Black Squadron

When we last left our heroes, the Black Squadron had snuck in (mostly) and battled their way through the Kalgaav Estate on a rescue mission. Having made it to the top floor of the facility, they found themselves surrounded and facing down Doctor Havelock Kalgaav himself: the head of the facility and the mastermind whom had orchestrated the confrontation. Never ones to squander an opportunity to spit in the eye of probability, Black Squadron fought on. A flurry of blaster fire and one particularly enraged swordsman later, Havelock was slain and a means of escape had opened up.

Now the members of Black Squadron are making for a hasty, tactical retreat.

The team are navigating the escape tunnels of the estate. Clutching the fresh wound on her side, Ulani leads the way through the labyrinth of twists and turns with a slight hobble in her step. "This way!" She calls to those around her, the unfamiliar sting of pain lacing her voice. "We're almost outside."

Indeed they are nearing the open air and as the team draws closer to the exit, they can hear the blaring sirens of the compound getting louder and louder.

Poe's run emphasizes the limp causing his leg pain from an old wound he'd gotten from the war. Agent Terex was a bastard for using that illegally modded exotic blaster because it cut straight to the bone and left Poe with a reminder of that day.

For the most part, they all seem quiet, focused on their tactical advance in the other direction. Poe's heavy breathing is all that answers Ulani, who calls out the correct path, and Poe all but throws himself down it.

Leaning into the turn when Ulani notes the path, Bors's age seems to be trying to catch up with him and he's moving like a man half his age. Truly - The Oldest A-Wing Pilot (probably) is moving at quite the clip - keeping at the redhead's side, ready to slide to a halt and pull steel if he needs to.

"Don't suppose..." ok his lungs are still almost forty, "You know where..." closer to forty in a few days too, "We might abscond with transport, Ula?" huff huff huff huff.

Get this Lord a can of Confirm!

Ektor is hasty-hobbling along with the rest of the squad; it's awkward to watch, but he somehow keeps up. Old civil war era pistol (heavily modified, but not aimed at Poe which made it much better than other illegal guns) in one hand, the other steadying the improvised explosive device slung across his torso. "No lie: *huff* if we was meant- *huff huff* to run so much, we wouldn't *gasp* have evolved with ships, yeah?"

Black Squadron's newest guy, Ensign Shemar Eisley limps along with the others, the wound in his leg giving him some trouble but he's on his feet and running right along with the rest of them - adrenaline being a wonderful thing under the circumstances.

Big arse A280 rifle on it's sling is in his hands, bumping against his Trooper armor as they hustle, boots thudding along the tunnel. Like the others, his breath rasps in his throat as they exfiltrate as fast as they can to get out - yet with cool heads and no panic.

"Transport..." breath, "would be ..." breath, "nice about now!"

Javos' message had been short, concise, and clear: "Pretty Boy. We got a chariot secured at the hangar. Better hurry, though. I don't think we're very welcome." Coordinates followed, downloaded into BB-8 to show the location of the hangar in question. The bad news it that it's in another part of the large compound. The good news is that there was a plan. Sort of. What counts as a plan for the Black Squadron.

"The hangar," Ulani tries to answer to Bors while running and in pain. "It's on... on..." She can't keep up anymore. Stumbling, Ulani's shoulder hits the wall still several yards away from where the dark escape tunnel ends with the light of outside. Hand grasping her wound tighter, Ulani hangs her head and tries to catch her breath.

Behind the team, several pairs of boots are approaching quickly: stormtroopers shouting orders to each other and the clanking of their armour edging closer and closer. There's no visual on the encroaching assailants yet, but it won't be long.

<<"Copy, start that puppy up.. we're runnin' and gunnin it..">> Poe calls back, practically screaming it because there's no volume control on his voice when he's in this much pain and running this rekking hard. "Xer.. collapse the tunnel behind us with that explosive.. Bors, get Techie, and Nugget with me.. we've got ground to cover quick." And out the exit Poe goes, huffing it to the parking assembly. No bad guys in sight, yet.

"Now now. Run now, rest later." A bitten out grunt follows in the moments after Bors's coming to Ulani's side, grabbing her to throw in, proper, rakish fashion over one shoulder before he turns about in a soggy half-circle to start aftet the others.

<<"Copy, Prettyboy, already on it.">> stumble stepping left, then right, then working on getting his movement going as he jogs with the additional weight over his shoulders.

"This would be a much more lovely world if not for all the shooting..." trying to keep things light, despite the grimace.

Ektor cackles back to Poe, "Thought you'd never ask, yeah?" It takes two attempts to successfully holster his pistol on the run, picking a part of the corridor where he thinks things look load bearing. Of note: Ektor is not an architect. He just really enjoys blowing things up.

Sliding to one knee he unslings the disassembled concussion missile warhead from around his armored torso, plants it with a magnetized clamp at the joint of beam and floor as Bors and his shoulder-Techie hustle past him. "Yanno- what would make it nicer? FIREWORKS," he hollers after the A-wing jockey. The amber ready light shifts to a blinking red as the device is armed. "NOBODY TRIP," he advises, as the brief countdown begins. The reformed pirate scrambles back to his feet a d rubs as fast as his uneven gait allows.

The sound of boots behind them in the tunnel causes Shemar, who's bringing up their six to glance back. They are moving too fast for him to turn around and move backwards without being left behind so he keeps moving forward. He keeps checking behind them though as he moves, his own leg hurting something fierce with the pounding it's taking.

Then Ektor does his thing and there's a big BOOM behind them. Eisley grins, hoping that'll slow down their pursuit. "I'm right... behind ye... Pretty Boy!"

Another quick glance behind after Ektor's effort, "Looks ... clear ... behind us!" Plenty of dust rolling out behind them as they exit the tunnels. One of his gloved hands drops to his leg, his own gait starting to lag. Ugh.

Still trying to catch her breath, Ulani thrown over Bors' shoulder proper and looks up to see Ektor throwing a Blak Skwad parting gift down the way they had all just came. SHHHHHH....... BOOM! Ektor may be no architect but he is a master of timing. Against the pressure of the explosive, the tunnel expands outwards violently and then crumbles in upon itself, crushing five of the six Stormtroopers who had been giving chase. The sixth is trapped on the other side pondering if this is luck or not.

Outside, the parking assembly several vehicles sit in a few rows. Many of them are larger equipment for lawn maintenance and forklifts. The ones of most interest are a trio of swoopbikes. "I'm okay now, thank you," she says to Bors as they make the team makes their way over and waits for him to set her down.

Wasting no time, she rushes up to each of them in turn. One by one, Ulani inputs the codes to unlock the systems and get them powering up. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't have to. Every alarm on the compound is blaring loudly and the explosion certainly didn't help ease any tension the First Order may be having.

Poe and Jessika arrive first, mantling over the center of their bike. Poe flips several switches on the console before initiating the ignition of the engine, revving it loudly. Jess reluctantly (probably) wraps her arms around him as he settles, waiting for the others to get into the bay to grab a ride. When they're up, Poe is off, ripping out of the station and down a path toward their intended exit. He uses his foot to trigger the gear change, and revvs appropriately. This is not his first speeder escape.

"Nugget, get thee hence to yon controls and I shall avail thee with righteous fury!" carbine drawn off his back and adjusting how his monocle rests, pinched before his right eye with its data scrolling up. "Pray thee that Ser Tion not be too deep in his cups when he'd set the detonator." checking his charge and settling onto the back of the bike the only way he knows.

Stupidly.

Space damned A-Wing pilots.

He's got his back to Shemar when he sets in, awkwarding the hell out of his legs before he raises up the coward-bar on the back, "Nary shalt I deem thee the method of the weak again." getting himself as (un)comfortable as he can manage while preparing to cover the rear.

"HA," Ektor crows, triumphant at the devastation in their wake. "BOOM, baby!" As the squadmates reach the hangar, he hastend for one of the swoops, climbing on and promptly starting the machine up. "Yanno, I oughta get a recording of blaring alarms, yeah? For them night I have trouble falling asleep. Heh.. I'm kidding, I never have trouble falling asleep. LET'S DO THIS, YEAH?" The swoop's engine howls to life and as soon as he has a passenger, the vehicle bolts forward erratically at a much higher speed than would seem safe for pulling out of an enclosed area.

Coming up to the swoop bikes, Shemar grins like an idiot, "Just like back home!" He doesn't care a womprat's arse if he's driving one or going to be gunman so as lowest ranked, he hesitates to let the others pile on and sort things out. Until it's just him and Bors and it looks like Shem's piloting. "Aye!" He throws a leg over and starts up the bike.

"Been a while since I rode one of these." His leg is grateful for the relief from running. Rifle slung over his back, Eisley throttles up and is careful starting out, his left foot shifting up through the gears, so they don't clip any of the other vehicles on the way out. He begins to pick up speed as soon as they are clear, shooting out of the bay.

Even so, Shemar glances back once to see if there is any pursuit before focusing on Poe racing off ahead, leaving them to eat dust to try and catch up! Whee!

Ulani pauses a moment and turns to look back to the First Order facility that was once her childhood home. Then she is quick to hop up on Ektor's swoopbike, opting to sit her much smaller frame in front between him and the handlebars. The sudden lurch forward as he bolts full-speed has her pressing into Ektor, getting a tad more personal than intended.

Like three hornets leaving a nest, the trio of bikes race out of the facilities gates and speed deeper into the compound. Buildings whizzing past in a blur, they duck and weave following the location marked within BB-8's databanks. Even at this pace, the hangar is minutes away and those are going to feel every longer as from the side streets, several Stormies on their own bikes converge on their tail. A total of five (5) SwoopTroopers are now on their six but lagging behind. They are also arming themselves.

Poe moves slowly to the left when Jess screams about having a tail. "How did I miss that?!" He screams back to her over the sound of the engine. She smacks him upside the head, then points behind them. "A TAIL, IDIOT!"

Poe increases their speed, then turns back after drawing out an E-11, firing.. hastily reloading all the while cursing, then firing again.

"They have speeders!" Poe calls back to Jess, who shakes her head. "They had speeders all along!" Yeah, she's right.

An excellent display Ser Nugget!" doing his best to keep his legs from flopping in the wind behind the bike. Carbine stock tucked against his shoulder - waiting and watching as the pursuit vehicles roll in behind them. "Canny knaves, utilizing our tactics but adjusting them for pursuit!"

Still furious, still getting away, Bors fires once - blinking when the pilot is blown off the back of his vehicle and then once more when the second shot direly wounds the next. Mouth drawn back in a hard frown, not expecting such ferocity from himself.

"Hey, careful what you're sitting on, Techie," Ektor snickers through the g-forces of rapid acceleration. "Heh- Hang on, yeah?" he advises Ulani as he steals a backward glance, chooses to steer around Ulani with one arm, while drawing his pistol again. The swoop wobbles at high speed as he looks back again, which likely does little for Ulani's comfort. A trio of erratic blaster bolts- each punctuated by another shift of the swoop bike- blast two troopers off their bikes and nearly wreck a third. <<"Huh.. no lie: I think my aim gets better the faster I'm moving, yeah?">>

As they start racing through an dodging obsticals on the swoopbikes, Shemar displays his skill as his memory of how to ride such a bike comes back to him. He hunkers down low and leans this way and that, throttled up and thoroughly enjoying himself! The Tattooine native glances back to see if he needs to help Bors and the others with shooting their pursuers but all he sees is a trooper missing an arm who's loosing ground and dropping behind further.

"Good shooting!" Probably better if Shemar focuses on piloting the swoop safely through since he's catching up to Hot-Rd Poe up there!

In rapid succession the drives are picked off their mounts, the last one barely conscious as his bike takes a hard right and crashes into a military-grade armoured vehicle parked alongside the road. It's magnificent.

"S-Sorry!" If she could adjust herself she would, but the g-force keeps her pretty must plastered against Ektor. Unarmed and unarmoured, Ulani is keeping her head down and out of Ektor's way -- a good thing as he whips his pistol around to take several out in their wake. Nestled between the reformed (?) pirate's extended arms, Ulani is clutching the bike with one hand and madly connecting her datapad to the display screen with the other. "Tell Pretty Boy I'm trying to track their locations!" She yells over her shoulder to the man that can hopefully hear her over the howling winds and sounds of many swoop bikes crashing.

It is difficult to do while clutching for dear, sweet life but Ulani manages to get a few red dots to show up on the screen. Slender, nimble fingers fly over her datapad to send the information to the other two bikes. Four more swoops are converging fast as well as a speeder with two sturdier Stormies inside.

"LOOK OUT!" Jess yells as Poe is slower to turn around. "WOOOAH!" Poe yells, swerving to avoid what looked like an inconveniently placed vehicle. "What the rekk?! We just park in the middle of the road now?" Poe's bike zips by, engine at a high output and dust kicking up behind him. Jess hits his shoulder. "We got more!"

Poe grunts, firing a hasty hammered pair of shots. He tags one of the swoop troopers in the chest prompting them to wreck and explode. He misses the second shot thus creating sparks off the road. "Gah, my ribs.. this hurts like rekk!" Poe laments as he returns to guiding their bike.

"Absolute rotters..."

Language Bors.

As more come in from behind, the Alderaanian grunts as a kick of speed presses him up against the brace-bar he raised earlier - an exasperated and MOST dignified "HOOF" sound escaping to give an exclamation point to the missed shot that slams into dirt to one side of one of those chasing vehicles.

The second resulting in a grunt they can't hear, but cheerfully glowing armor plates with carbon scoring around it in the wake of the blast. "Dare say... have we made fast to yonder destination? Or are we further still?"

On the heels of Jess hitting Poe's shoulder and informing him there are more, Ektor's voice comes over the comms, <<So uh, Techie says we got more, yeah? Hang on I'ma shoot a Hutt-sucker-">> To Ulani, the pirate drawls, "Are- Are you seriously reading right now? No lie, Techie: you got a problem," the Tionese pirate cackles as he blasts wildly, gunning down another pair of swoop troopers.

When Ulani sends data to their screens of more incoming, Shemar glances down and when he glances up, almost hits the same damn thing Poe had to swerve! Thankfully for him and Bors both, Eisley manages to miss it but it's a close call! He throttles back up and sees one of the speeders coming that might try to cut them off.

One handed, Shemar pulls his rifle off his back and around to front once more. With most of his attention on piloting the bike, he does manage to get off one shot and even hits one of the troopers in the speeder! "Whoop!"

It's all he has time for, the rifle left to hang by the sling and he slaps his hand back on the clutch, feathering it to regain speed so he doesn't have to downshift for the brief drop in speed. Bolts zip and zap this way and that as they are fired upon in turn. "Heating up a bit! I think they want to come along with us!"

This time when Shemar spares a glance back it's to check on Bors and make sure his fellow pilot is all right. The bike leans this way and that again to get around obsticals, then races ahead.

Three more swoops lose their riders and veer chaotically: directionless. Two collide into each other in a fireball and the third bucks over the boulevard and crashes into what might be a residence. Or it might be a grocery store. Maybe it's a one-story tech building. Very difficult to tell as the world smears past and is erased into the trails of dust and wake of destruction.

Ulani is trying to make herself even smaller with everything going on around her. "I'm not /reading,/ Ektor. I'm... wait." Red hair whipping around her face, she quickly tries to clear it from her face to make sure she's reading the screen right. "Um...." That's definitely not good. The woman raises her voice as loud as she can in the hopes that Ektor's comms will pick it up. <"Pretty Boy! There's a blockade forming straight ahead!"> And wouldn't you know it? The hangar is just a hop, skip, and jump beyond it.

And what a blockade it is! Three more SpeedTroopers along with the SwoopTrooper and other SpeedTrooper still on their tail!

<<"Got it,">> Poe replies to Ektor before all the firing ensued. As they made it through that bit of hell, Techie points out a blockade. Poe curses, changes gears, and storms ahead. <<"LAST CHARGE, MAYBE FOREVER!">> And his swoop angles ahead, brandishing a series of blaster shots intended for the mounting crowd. One trooper is shot down as a result.

The blaster in hand continues to bark, crimson plasma darts stitch across the breadth of the terrain behind him. Taking one across the chest and shoulders; sending the trooper spinning off of the bike to bounce and tumble in a clattering heap in the wake of the bike going whirling out of control.

"Fie on that, Nugget." shouted over his shoulder, "The bounders shall remain devoid of our names on dance cards this day! Fie onto them and theirs!"

That's right, Bors. You curse those stormtroopers with FLARE.

As Ulani yells to Poe through Ektor's face, the pirate mutters, "Can you not wiggle like that right now, I gotta- drek-" Blam. Blam Blam. "You're lucky I'm so hard to distract," he claims, ridiculously.

Wait, what?! A blockade up ahead? Shemar sees the data passed onto his screen as he drives, "Drek." But Poe's up ahead of him and the General will think of something cunning, right? Some of them start shooting forward but he himself twists in the swoop's seat and fires off a shot behind, taking down the last swooptrooper on their six, "Splash another one!" A quick glance at Bors, "Fie?"

Then he's looking forward again, dropping the rifle back on it's sling so he can use both hands and foot to manuever the bike and blast through or around the blockade and on towards their destination!

"Are we there yet?!" Shemar keeps going until he's sure they are in the right place and then he's ready to slew his bike around and park this baby and GTFO if this is the right place.

Cutting through the blockade -- quite literally -- the Black Squadron race into the hangar where Javos and her team are said to be waiting. And waiting they are... in a sense. A heavily armoured shuttled has been procured (stolen) and is waiting the rest of the Squad to board and leave this planet in a hurry. The ramp is down. The systems are warming up.

One small problem. The First Order really does not want them to leave. Odd, that. Javos and her team are being pinned down by a squad of ten Stormtroopers who, upon the Poe and his team making their grand entrance, turn towards the intruders. <"There! Stop them!"> <"Kill them!"> <"Scramble the TIE fighters! They are not to leave this planet!"> And other such glorious, cliche things.

"BAIL!" Poe screams to Jessika just as he appends their bike by pivoting the repulsors so that it turned sideways. Both driver and rider jump off leaving the bike to follow on its path of destruction toward the squad of troopers pinning their allies down. Poe witnesses three troopers hit by the errant craft, and he rises up offering his arm to Jess. When they're both up, Poe's jogging toward the ship, blasting and running, hitting nothing but air, but it's the thought that counts. Here comes the rest of the squad.

Waiting for that prime moment when the speeder has to slow on approach the escape vessel, Bors leaps clear to land in a hard roll before coming up on one knee with a pair of shots for one trooper; head and chest. Rising with the remaining momentum to begin walking, blaster leveled again and his cheek hovering just above while he sights down the scope to put a single shot through the faceplate of the second on his approach.

<<"Pretty Boy... if we count this and the complex while using naught but blade I think I've ground aced once more.">> a shake in the timber of his voice as he keeps walking, lips moving still but silent as he makes his prayers and hopes for proper sleep once they're away again.

Ektor guides the swoop into the hangar, and sees the unit of stormtroopers trying to take back what Javos has already rightfully stolen. With a sharp laugh he accelerates again, barrelling toward the open hatch of the assault shuttle and sending stormtroopers leaping out of the way (save one who is passed over), and jolting in a tremendously unsafe manner up into the shuttle. On the seat in front of him, Techie is informed, "Rekk yeah, free swoop bike!" With a crooked smile bending his scarred lip, the bomber pilot calls to Javos, "Hey, Bombshell! You ready to blow outta this place, yeah?"

Seeing what Poe and Jess are doing up ahead, it's both inspiring and a little horrifying! Shemar isn't a cold blooded killer, but on the other hand, he wants to live and get the drek out of this! He licks his lips and swallows and yells to Bors, "Hold on or bail! I'm about to slew right into them!" As for himself? Shemar's going to ride it out - mass x excelleration baby. He guns the throttle again and then throws his body weight into the turn to skew the bike over and slew that side and back end right around INTO the troopers who are no doubt shocked at the way the attack comes at them! BAM!

As soon as his swoop has ridden right over them, Shemar's vaulting off and trying to run for the shuttle, limping and firing his rifle! He double checks that Bors got clear.

Pure, unadulterated enemy neutralization. The current threat lay in tatters on the tarmac but on Kuat, there is a limitless amount of fodder to throw at them. And there's only so much ammunition amongst the New Republic Special Ops team. "More are coming! Let's! Go!" Javos yells over to Poe sharply, already heading up the ramp, passing a glance to Ektor on his new (?) bike as she rushes for the cockpit. "You're late!" How's that for celebration?

Ulani is still grasping onto the bike, red hair blown in all directions, and blue eyes wide. It's going to take a while for her to process all of what just happened. Shakily, she slides off of the bike from the crook of Ektor's lumbering form she has been plastered to. A slow blink then a little smile. "Thank you, Tion."

The rest of the team clamour up the ramp as the engines begin to fire up. More Stormtroopers follow suit, hounding them with blaster bolts that ricochet off of the hull as the ramp closes tight and the repulsors life the craft up from the ground. Thrusters engage and the shuttle taxis out of the hangar, not even bothering to clear it all the way before the engines flare up and it takes off towards the stratosphere.

In the void of space, Javos is quick to plot their jump. "Everyone grab onto something and wave good-bye!" From the surface of Kuat, several TIE fighters scramble to intercept; screaming in their approach. Turret fire of desperation pings the ship then the hyperdrive flares to life and the shuttle and all their occupants escape into hyperspace.

Mission Complete.