Log:Clan Kora: A Broken Man on a Broken Planet
The encryption found within the old-tech holoprojector was no joke. Even with a skilled slicer and the aid of an advanced droid, only partial information was retrieved and even then at great cost. Weaving through fail-safes and encoded traps, the Koras have deciphered a location left by a desperate Jedi nearly a decade prior. Now hounding this ghost's trail, they pack up for the golden sulfur shores of Lola Sayu to an old prison called the Citadel. Thought to be abandoned but something still lurks there.
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A Broken Man on a Broken Planet
OOC Date: November 10, 2022
Location: The Citadel, Lola Sayu
Participants: Valeska Kora (GM), Sumi Kora, Hadrix Kora, Khalim, Kirana Ryder, Hahtavi Kora, Clan Kora
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In the reaches of space floats a celestial body unknown to many but unforgettable to those whom have seen it. This planet is an impossible violet-hued marble with fissures of gold and deep, vast lakes of the same color. These rivers of molten sulfur run from the northern hemisphere to the south where the planet suddenly drops away into the inner mantle and core known as the Sulfur Sea. A planet half shattered yet somehow still remaining otherwise cohesive. With little in the ways of naturally occuring water and only a thin, breathable atmosphere, only the strongest or most unfortunate end up here. This is the Broken Jewel of the Outer Rim -- Lola Sayu.
It is here that the Jedi Order of long ago built the Citadel, a prison designed to incarcerate those of their own kind who had fallen away from the path and turned towards the Dark Side of the Force. Since its construction, the formidable structure has changed ownership and occupation; dominating a thin bridge of violet between two large, glowing lakes of pure liquid sulfur. Over the centuries, that bridge has eroded, more and more of it falling into the golden lava depths below. Yet still the Citadel remains seemingly impenetrable. Running on geothermal power, all the build-in, automatic defenses are still quite active and following their last prime directives: No one gets in.
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--Valeska--
<<"The inside of the Citadel is a mess of labyrinthian paths and deadends meant to disorient and trap would-be infiltrators. Recon scans confirm that the compound is still being patrolled by the droid security. Which is good news, yeah? Means everything else will still be powered and running. Including their old archives.">>
Valeska is hunched down against an outcropping of deep purple rock that protects the gathered group from the harsh, blowing wind of Lola Sayu. The schematics she shares on via a small holoprojector is barebones but better than nothing. <<"Our goal is to reach the top of the prison.">> The wireframe map zooms in to the tip of the tower; highlighting the entire area in read. <<"The Control Room. If Tai was here -- record of him will be there. As well as a better map to let us navigate the corridors and minimize running into patrols or triggering traps.">
The staticy blue image shrinks back into the small orb in her hand, allowing Valeska to look around the edge of the rock towards the menacing tower. Even from here, they can see the small aerial drones hovering around the Citadel, the searchlights waving back and forth, turrets mounted on the landing field's crumbling walls, and the movement of... something... along the ground. <<"We have two ways we can go about this. Either up the tower or from the ground. Both present their own challenges.">>
--Sumi--
"Not all of us have rocketpacks, best move to the ground. Perhaps an overwatch at least, though.." Sumi says, polishing off her final smoke before the action kicks up. The long toke is coupled with a casual flick that sends the embered smoked end over end into the distance, away from the AO (area of operations). After releasing a long plume of smoke, Sumi added. "Tower crew should go first, smoke other look outs and give us an avenue in. I'm not one for avoiding getting shot at, but being lost in a maze and getting shot at isn't my idea of a good night."
--Hadrix--
<<"And I left my pike at home...">> Hadrix rumbles, looking up and out and then back to the data provided. <<"So I suppose cutting in is out.">> hunkered and checking his equipment habitually, helmet lifting to allow a cloud of smoke to escape before the stump of a cigarra that'd been barely small enough to fit inside is spat out. Speaking without his helmet vox to change his normal rasping growl metallic, "Of course, if you want me to go tend to their lookouts, they won't see me coming."
Helmet back down and out his visor turning from one face to the next while he checks a gauge on the side of his flame rifle.
--Khalim--
Hidden behind that same deep purple rock, back to the tower that rises ahead, Khalim's armored knee is planted upon the ground as he final-checks the meaty pistol held in hand. It's tibana cell, just replaced, begins feeding that hyperactive gas into the weapon's charging coils alongside a shrill, yet brief, whine of activation. He looks across to Sumi, and a simple nod escapes in agreement. <"Quicker we close the distance, less it'll matter how alert they are b'sides."> The weapon is not reholstered, rather it's held low as he shifts enough to rise his helmet-visor up and over exposed rock for a quick view of their looming target.
--Kirana--
While not as well-equipped as most of the others, Kirana Ryder doesn't give off the body language that she's particularly anxious about it. Nor has she developed the smoking habit that the others seems to enjoy - at least, not yet. But she follows their gaze as they survey the Citadel with their eyes, making mental notes of comparison where the visual lines up with the schematics. <<"Overwatch sounds smart. Don't have a rifle myself, but someone should do it.">> For her part, she carries a pistol at her side and a crude stick with a pointed end fastened to her back for more close-up encounters. <<"Still, if all we need is eyes.">> A nonchalant shrug. <<"Could try going up.">>
--Hahtavi--
<"I'm fine doing recon, or just going in. I agree, getting lost in a maze wouldn't be ideal. We could piggy back anyone who needs assistance with flight."> Hahtavi's baritone rumbles low, not nearly as raspy or metallic as Hadrix's. A faint shrug, still hunkered down in the rocks as they look at the tower. <"Fine with going in.">
Happy to let Sumi and Hadrix sort out their order of battle. Hahtavi's happy to follow whatever orders they settle upon. As for himself, he's brought various weapons and stays low while studying their objective.
--Valeska--
A plan decided, Valeska nods once and transfers the schematics to everyone's internal systems; this time it is focused more on the ground-level approach. <<"There are lifts that will take us up to the Control Room. The tricky part is getting inside. Our only course of action from the ground is through the old landing field. The way the old jettise designs this place, they made it annoyingly difficult to get into.">> Because... it's a prison. But that doesn't stop Valeska from being agitated. <<"It's switched hands a lot since those days, but I guess everyone figured if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So nothing was ever added to it.">>
She takes a moment to highlight the aerial drones making their endless rounds in the sky. <<"The security system has eyes. Either avoid or take 'em out. The searchlights are too high up for us to take out, so we need to avoid. Once we make it to the landing field, we will have to deal with auto turret fire as we make our way to the hangar doors.">>
Pulling out her carbine, she flicks on the power as if punctuating a thought. <<"Okay. Here we go, then.">>
--Sumi--
Sumi rounds the edge of the purple rock to get a look for the first time. She's not surprised to be wrong about the lay out, but she makes a crack about it at her own expense. "I suppose it would help if I took in the lay of the land before making plans; that's why the big guy typically does the tactics.." She hikes a thumb toward Hadrix, smirking.
Apportioning a moment to don her helmet, Sumi's comical expression is replaced by the more serious T-visor of her helm. HUD comes online, tracking things around her, and voices are filtered into her headset, making it easier for her to hear over her tinnitus.
<"No need for overwatch, Mando'ade. Let's hump it down there.. spread out though."> Sumi brings her E-11 carbine from around her back, loosening the strap that kept it snug on her, then orienting it up and into one hand. A chop is made against the receiver, releasing the charging handle to prime the weapon hot; this makes a SNAP noise followed by a high-pitched whine.
Without waiting for much else, save Valeska's 'let's go', Sumi began to descend, jiggy-jogging down toward this landing area. Sharpened eyesight afforded her an opportunity the others may not have seen, initially. She draws to a slow stop, taking an off-hand shooting position. Wrenching the sling of her weapon around her arm, she creates a natural tension to steady her aim against the strong winds.
Her shoulders rise, release, and hold a moment until a single shot from the carbine is released and travels the vast distance to hit a power relay WAY off the beaten path. Its destruction renders a number of turrets offline and incapable of booting up. <<"Mindful of turrets, and put cover between yourself and them.. if you can.">> Sumi says, picking back up on the run, winded. She hated running.
--Hadrix--
The brief disappearance and reappearance of the glowing red pin light behind his visor is the only evidence of him tipping a wink when Sumi mentions him taking care of the tactics. The big man makes one final pat of his gear. When the call to go is out he lifts and seems to lengthen out while keeping pace with Sumi. The Boar-Wolf of Ealor's loping stride in tune with the smaller woman's jiggy jogging steps, keeping abreast until the moment she stops to take aim.
It's at that moment that he bursts into explosive speed. Far faster than a man of bulk would be expected to be.
A cylinder is lifted from his belt, something like a small combat baton and a quiver adjusted to rest on his hip, footfalls coming like repeater fire and a single, <"Copy"> given to Sumi's alert for cover and spacing. He takes no cover, only running at full tilt and when one of the Anooba's comes at him, Hadrix's response is simple. Maybe even elegant.
The outsized lower tooth is grabbed without breaking stride, pulling the canid and its shocked cry with him, hefting it and lifting it's skull to impact painfully with his helmet then a sharp twist mixed snaps the jaw at the hinge and the creature is cast away like an annoyance.
--Khalim--
Falling in alongside and slightly behind the first Mandalorian forms to begin storming forward, Khalim is a sight out of time. The unmistakeable lines of a late generation Clone Trooper are what follows, though with a bespoke color scheme likely reflecting the man hidden within rather than any particular long-dissolved Army of the Republic regiment. He click-activates comms to those on this strike team. <"Anoobas up ahead. Bunch of 'em, and they look hungry. Also pretty ugly.">
Khalim runs.
Medium-class combat armor was not designed with the runner in mind. Not truly, not in any manner that would be appreciated by a holovideo director. Functionality did not equal full movement potential. EXCEPT THIS GUY. Is he wearing sneakers?! No, no he's not but each stride seems to be punctuated by the low percussion of a very expensive drum kit, accompanied by a full suite of jizz wailers (and their instruments). Oh, no... wait... that's Khalim's helmet feed, still tapped in to his datapad's active playlist.
- Speeders of Fire Squelches*
The big armored boy that had dashed ahead, one Hadrix of Kora, had managed to rile up a whole bunch of those nasty looking space dogs. Anoobas were among the galaxy's least aesthetically pleasing canoids, and that means one thing, and one thing only, as the mirialan closes distance.
A riot baton is slipped out of its little hook-ring, activated, and SWING SWING SWING SWING SWING SWING SWING.
NOTHING.
Nothing but air. Those dogs are kept at bay for a moment, though! Take that, anoobas! Khalim opens his mic and pants out, <"Hadrix... *unsteady breath taken*... How did you HIT that thing?">
--Kirana--
While the others discuss their plan, Kirana looks to her side, head tilting back as she follows the cliffline with her vision from down below. Finding a decline that looks to be of suitable height, she takes a few steps away from the group and raises her left arm, hesitating briefly to line up for the perfect anchor spot. <<"I'm going to take a look,">> she decides, flicking her wrist slightly to fire off the whipcord. It hurtles through the air until burying itself in to a sturdy layer of granite, and the short Mandalorian slaps her forearm, triggering for the retraction which pulls her upward.
As she nears the apex of her ascent, Kirana's legs kick out and start to run along the rock wall for the last dozen feet or so, allowing her to run up and over the cliff edge while disengaging the whipcord so she doesn't have to physically climb up the side. Halting her momentum by digging in to the dirt, she spins around and kneels down, taking her first overview of the area. Brown eyes squint briefly in concentration. <<"Looks like your distraction confused the aerial droids. They're coming my way. I'll deal with them.">>
--Hahtavi--
<<"Bes'uliik, wilco.">> And there she and Hadrix go! And they are off running and staying low. Hahtavi waits to hear Sumi's coughing but she seems to run just fine.
This Kora more or less follows Haddles as his Al'verde makes for the direct path towards the entry. Staying low and in the narrow corridor that Sumi has indicated, Hahtavi moves pretty quickly. His Galaar rifle clipped to his tactical rig and in his gloved hands, he takes down one of the canids that rushes forth to engage them.
Two quick bolts are fired from his rifle. The dogs are fast - the first shot misses but the second doesn't! The dog piles into the stony earth just before it reaches him. Haht moves to cover as soon as he's able to reach some.
--Valeska--
Valeska could be all brainy and stuff. Help take down one of those turrets by running up, plugging in, and doing all that fancy stuff until an entire quadrant loses power. She's seen Avery do it. She's seen Hahtavi do it. Pretty sure Colo could do it, too. That's the /smart/ play.
She isn't stupid. Far from it. But she's also not smart in that way. So instead she grabs an ion grenade and lobs it against the wind to aim for the next small tower. The area affect is lesser than Sumi's direct hit and Val is certain her hit did... something?
Hadrix leads the charge across the landing field and immediately draws the mad, barking ire of the pack of Anoobas. Prominent lower jaws sink into armor as they leap at the first tasty meals they've seen in a while, gnawing desparetly to get through metal and plate to the squishy stuff beneath.
Meanwhile, Kirana has found herself an elevated place... and also the target of a few aerial droids heading straight her way. All the while the searchlights break their patterns and start a more thorough scan.
--Sumi--
Sumi had a weathered eye on Kirana as the made their approach. Slowing her jog, she changes directions, passing Hahtavi by (where he planted himself in cover), she takes to the air, demonstrating her mastery of the rocketpack. On her approach to Kirana, Sumi blasts one of the aerial drones right out of the sky.
Her second shot is off, but she lands on the platform heavily, swinging her lead leg forward to take a shooting stance and put herself between the drones and Ryder. In raising the carbine back up, the sling tightened, making a noise that was akin to the weapon moving in place.
<"You got company, get ready!"> Sumi's voice was raspy, used to screaming orders over the sound of the chaos.
--Hadrix--
<"Simple" *breath* "Grab. Destroy."> words punctuated with heavy breaths, continuing at full speed until one of the anoobas has latched onto his leg. Cutting his speed. Pace slowing.
Teeth bare behind the visor of his helmet and a snarl rising in his throat and his run is interrupted to dive forward and pull the animal with, hand clamping to the side of its head and bringing it around in a flipping throw to spike the beast into the ground with the sound of cracking bone and pained wheezing.
<"Kriffing... things."> right arm snapping out and a proper dagger length of hypersonic vibrating blade extends - sweeping into the chest of the next to get too close, spattering blood and falling back enough to evade the return stroke from the sprinting weapons locker. Picking up speed again, Hadrix's boots churn up ground in his wake, krayt scale cape blowing out behind him like a battle pennant.
--Khalim--
The first thing to go truly wrong, for Khalim at least, is hinted at when he feels a heavy pressure clamp around his left arm and yank it back. Alright, more than hinted at as his helmet swivels, he takes a reflexive step back, and with a non-broadcastr "Agh!" he begins beating the teeth out of the thing's mouth. Blue-tinged electrical discharge plays over the anoobas's head with each smack of baton and it's but a moment or two before the canoid loses touch with reality and collapses to dirt.
Barely enough time for Khalim to recheck his surroundings is allowed to pass before one of the beast's packmates leaps. Khalim double-fists his baton - is that the correct lingo? - and swings it galactic hi-lo ball style. With a massive KA-RACK! he smacks the thing in the toothy face, right upside the head, delivering a massive electrical shock directly to its tiny pea-sized dog brain and sending it collapsing into an unconscious heap at his side.
It sounds much cooler than it looks. Really it looks messy and uncoordinated, like most split-second reactions to dangerous things leaping at you from the side.
What comes next? Running. A whole lot of running. Where? Wherever the Mandos are running!
--Kirana--
The drones were a few hundred feet off, which gave Kirana enough time to go for her pistol calmly. No need to rush things urgently when standing on a cliff face. If she dropped her weapon like this she'd never hear the end of it. By the time the drones are in firing range, the fire trail of a rocket takes her attention briefly and when the rocketeer fires off a few rounds on their way to the cliffside, Kirana positions herself so that she'll be standing side-by-side where the figure looks like they're going to land. Firing off a few rounds at the nearest drone herself, she shoots wide but is still able to twist to the side in a mild flourish, standing side-by-side with Sumi Kora as she makes landfall. <<"Happy you made it. Nice trick,">> is all she has time for, adjusting her posture and lining up to take the next shot. Her other hand hovers at her side, ready to switch to the half-pike on her back if the final drone comes too close.
--Hahtavi--
Haht is only seeking cover for a moment - then he's got a canid on top of him, massive jaws trying to bite at his chest. Probably going for this throat but got teeth full of beskar. Hahtavi steps back and fires at it but misses and the dog shies off. Just enough that Haht starts running forward again.
Sumi changes direction and heads back. Haht glances over his shoulder but keeps moving forward. <<"Seems we riled them up!">> Behind his helmet he's scowling at having missed two shots in a row. Gotta stay focused on the next beast that tries to take him down.
Boots thump across the volcanic surface. It's rough and crunches underfoot. When the same canid catches up to him again, Hahtavi manages to evade it and keep moving, muttering to himself.
<"Why am I bothering to run when I could be jetpacking?"> One of those days! How's that Khalim doing anyway?!
--Valeska--
Sumi reaches Kirana, blowing wind be damned. Shooting one drone out of the sky, the other fires off a shot in their vague direction. A tiny little jolt of a bolt that well misses the mark. But its aim doesn't appear to be to hurt. Instead, it alerts the system running the searchlight that beam outwards from multiple parts on the tower. This may seem like a failure, but what it's actually doing is successfully distracting the security system from what is going on at the landing field.
And what /is/ going on at the landing field? The rest of the infiltration group are beating back a ravenous Anoobas pack and earning dents in their armor. All while running across the expanse of cracking, decaying landing field. As the quartet run and gun, the weight of the fight and the heavy hits begin to take its toll. What was thought to be sturdy ground starts to break and fall away, collapsing into a lake of molten gold sulfur below.
Just as Valeska reaches the base of the tower, one of the dogs leaps onto her back and bites down HARD onto her backplate. With a grunt, she flings it off, sending it howling over the ledge of the cliff and into the lava below. The other nine given chase are not agile enough to avoid the sudden chasms forming in front of them. One by one, they all fall into the awful drink and meet the same fate.
--Sumi--
The shot intended for she and her daughter misses, sparking off the surroundings above them and showering that result with a bright flash. Sumi doesn't flench from the fire, and it's allowed her to zero in on the remaining drone. She fires off two shots, the second scoring a direct hit, obliterating the droid.
Glancing up, search lights are well upon them, but Sumi side steps, shoving Kirana away without responding to her quip about her arrival.
They didn't have time to laugh, Sumi had shoved her off the ledge, and she fell after her, igniting her jetpack to close the distance. As they fell, Sumi's pack did not ignite until she finally had hold of Kirana, and that's when it sputtered before going full-blast, bringing them to a graceful hover when they could've gone SPLAT. <"First stop,"> Sumi quips, releasing Kirana before falling from the hover to land heavily, herself.
--Hadrix--
Ground tumbling away below him, Hadrix's head snaps down at the sudden reminder that gravity works, he is a large man and it is not a fan of him and all of his leaping, flipping, and galivanting tomfoolery. <"Kriff."> baton locked to his hip and vibrodagger retracting into his bracer. A throaty rumble and flame begins to spit from the thrust nozzles of his pack.
<"Kriff"> looking to the compressed three-sixty degree view from helmet sensors above his eyes and turns mid-air to espy Khalim found in circumstances identical. Almost, at least, the Mirialan lacking the method to deny that wanton bitch gravity her demands now that the stone is gone and the yawning gold abyss of off-egg smelling doom begins to rush up.
<"Rekking kriff..."> jets engaging, a hard sideward lean carrying him to the one wearing what equates to second generation removed Bekar'gam. <"CLENCH">
What?
A monolithic wampa paw hooks fingers in the crook of Khalim's left knee and a grunt follows the big man's hefting the other... then his jets sputter and then they drop. A stomach dropping plummet and Hadrix's free hand is working the controls of his left vambrace, <"We're fine.">. Molten sulfur continues to close in. <"Perfectly fine."> Platoid creaks under the nexu-like clamping of his fingers. <"Not to worry.">, the glowing golden stream closing in. <"Absolutely fine.">
His boots and quite possibly Khalim's helmet getting uncomfortably warm and their plunge interrupted by the screaming roar of his jetpack burning additional fuel at the culmination of the big man's quick work. Literally hurling them up and back towards solid ground with a jet-trail long enough to make the heels of his beskar plated sabatons begin to glow.
When they hit ground, Hadrix lets himself lay awkwardly on his back, letting Khalim go once they're 'safe'. <"See? Fine.">
--Khalim--
WHOOSH! Khalim flies through the air, held aloft by Hadrix's manly-mando durasteel arms. He's not swooning, though. He's looking down at that crumbling bridge of sorts, seeing that hellish golden sea revealed beneath. "Kriffing," he manages to expel, as they briefly near that molten sea, though it is not broadcast. <"If you need to drop me, aim for the not gold part."> That is. Humor? There's stress behind the words, but the man knows Khalim well enough to read between the lines.
There is no dropping, of course. Rather, it's a mostly reclined delivery into a space not far from a ray shielded continuation of their path. <"Much appreciated, boss."> That to Hadrix as he rights himself, stands, and lends a hand to help pull the larger man up after him.
Khalim looks to his right as another armored form looms up in the familiar colors of one Hahtavi of Kora. A gauntled raises briefly to visor in greeting, before pointing at a terminal set nearby, then the shimmering obstacle that is the ray shielding itself. <"Care to try for high score with me?">
A hurry towards that terminal and the mirialan begins testing access. There are multiple screens, lending places for both to try and bypass the security-laden interface. Though not exactly a slicer, Khalim's had enough exposure to this particular tradecraft to at least make an attempt. An attempt is made, and there is mild progress, but... (Go Go Hahtavi!)
--Kirana--
Taking aim at the general direction of the drones, ready to fire, Kirana takes a moment to survey the horizon. No more drones, it was time to---
Suddenly!
She's in free fall over the cliff edge. Something slammed her hard. What was it? There's no pain, so it wasn't hostile. Secure the weapon. Find the source.
Kirana Ryder hastily slides the pistol in to its holster, fastening the weapon in place by pure muscle memory. Her head twists around, the internal interface scanning for lifeforms, quickly feeding her the descending image of Sumi Kora. She hadn't paniced, and it's why Sumi is able to grasp her without struggle. It was her first time being thrown off a cliff like that, but having been trained in a similar manner to Sumi, her instincts told her that what was happening was intended.
After the 'first stop' quip, Kirana comes back with, <<"The ticket price took me by surprise but the service was decent.">> The pistol is back in her hand and she broadcasts to the group: <<"Overwatch reports the drones are down.">>
--Hahtavi--
The ground becomes unsteady, falling away almost beneath their boots! <"Osik!"> Hahtavi isn't worried about falling - it's what he has a jetpack for, but he does angle closer to Khalim in case the other man has trouble! Hadrix beats him to it! <"Oya!">
Once at the door, Hahtavi, side by side with Khalim, starts working on the door's controls. Haht pulls out his comp interface and plugs it in - just in case he needs it. His rifle is left to hang on his tactical rig down the front of his armor, one hand still on it. <"Su cuy'gar, Khalim. Good to see you are still alive. Haven't seen you in a while.">
Haht's left hand stays busy with the door's electronics as he and Khalim work side by side to get it open. As if they had double teamed on such work together before. <"You are totally on, burc'ya.">
Thankfully it only takes the two of them a few moments and then the door swooshes open. Haht looks back over his shoulder to check on Sumi and Kirana's progress, even though his helmet can give him 360 degree optical views. <<"Door's open but doubt we can keep it open long. Might want to hustle.">>
--Valeska--
The ground is giving way and Valeska is at least dexterous to avoid the worst of it. She turns around in time to see Hadrix and Khalim fall below ground level and out of her sight. She is about to fire up her own jetpack and fight the winds when they both rise back up and end up collapsed on the more firm ground of the Citadel's base. <<"Welcome back, ori'vod. Khalim. Maybe we can take the tour later?">> A bit of humor to try to mask the slight shake in her voice.
Valeska, we have established, knows nothing of computers and tech. So the shield that is blocking their entrance into the hangar has her completely perplexed. Thankfully, sharper minds are on the job and she grins. That is, until, it is revealed the clock is ticking.
Kirana's update comes through clear and Valeska raises a hand towards the pair's approach. <<"Copy that, Overwatch. We're moving in. Door's closin' fast.">>
The group collectively makes it inside just as the ray shield sparks back to life. If anything had survived to chase them, they'd have hit a wall of frying death. Now they are within the depths of the Citadal: the bottom rung. They get to the lift without issue and start their way upwards.
And upwards.
And upwards.
<<"That was too easy,">> Valeska says warily, tensing as they reach the top floor. With a crackling ding, the doors open to.... the main Control Room. Empty. Or so it seems.
--Sumi--
Sumi follows after her daughter, making it inside the window of time that the ray shields were closing. Her E-11 lowered then, the sling tightening as she oriented the carbine to hang limply at her side. In trade, she draws out a baton, extending it with a loud SNAP, and twisting it to generate the blue crackling arc of energy pulsing at its end. It sets the bulkhead within the lift in a light-blue hue.
If something was off, Sumi didn't voice it. She prepared for close quarters quietly, out of muscle memory, and lightly bobbed her head to the sound of lift music; it was an instrumental version of Jabba Flow.
--Hadrix--
Striding into the control room, carbine looking weapon in hand with its pilot light lit and plasma bottle properly tightened. His own version of close quarters equipment, Hadrix held the flame rifle upward, ready to tilt and arch as needed now that they were precisely where they needed to be,
<"Sumi, this is reminding me of The Cask of Shan'Fo Rahuur, third act, second scene, right before all the pyrotechnics and Count Yafa starts his solo about his hatred for the Wanderer..."> is he referencing opera? He might be referencing an opera, <"I still haven't taken you to that, have I? You'd like it. There's gunplay and naked people.">
--Khalim--
Indeed it had been a long while. A good long while. Khalim glances aside to Hahtavi, though the face behind plasteel remains fully hidden. <"Been enjoying the beach, you should stop in for some kebobs and a stiff drink sometime. Val's neighbor, not hard to find."> It had been a place of refuge and rehabilitation for quite a long time now, but as exemplified by their present surroundings, reality beyond quietly lapping surf and an accessible boardwalk inevitably reached in and took hold again. A look to Valeska follows, as does a nod in agreement. <"I think we've all more than paid the going fare. Keep an eye out for a gift shop. A shirt's from this place? Mandatory.">
Sumi's arrival, along with an unfamiliar fourth Mandalorian, draws a briefly raised hand in greeting - aimed at both - before the mirialan is himself hustling beyond the boundary of that ray shield and then rising to that final (maybe?) level.
Once inside the control room that baton is collapsed and slipped back into place at his hip. In its place, the chonky Mando-produced heavy pistol sitting upon the opposite side is freed, charged, and held low. He steps further within, advancing with deliberate footsteps, and an eye for trouble. <"Command center stuff, obviously. Two doors, opposites. No opposition."> Yet. Which is what he thinks as well.
--Kirana--
Following the group inside, Kirana starts to grow introspective as the others change their weapons and look around the large, empty chamber. She's quiet while the others search, slowly lowering the pistol back into its holster. Her right arm comes up in front of herself, hand in a loose fist - the type of post one would take if they were holding a shield, but there's no shield. Her left hand hangs at her side, ready to make some kind of movement.
She holds this pose while she quietly paces around, the eeriness of the situation seeming to tense her up for some kind of action. Whatever the action is, it doesn't come as she relaxes her arm, reaching for the telescopic staff held at her back. Staff in her left hand, she flicks it outward, thumbing the lever to lock it in its extended position, keeping her right arm free for the time being, and continuing to listen to the others.
--Hahtavi--
<"I really don't like water much."> He's from Mandalore after all. And then they are inside and moving up. The lack of resistance, traps or anything starts making Hahtavi extra wary. By the time they reach the top uneventually, he's extra frosty. Doors and terminals.
<<"Let's see what I can do here.">> Rifle back to hanging from his tactical rig, Haht gets his comp interface back out and sets to work. There's a lot of gibberish that will take him a while to work through so at first he goes for the easier stuff and starts pulling up maps, <<"Got maps of the cells, warden's office location, manifests... gonna take me a minute to grab it.">> Gloved fingers are working rapidly over the keys.
Oh great. Then one of the doors starts to slide open. Haht glances up but he keeps working, trusting that the others can cover him if need be...
--Valeska--
Valeska is on her guard; tense and furrowed. She glances to Khalim -- a friend she's not even had a chance to greet after a long period away. <<"If this Tai guy is still alive when we catch up to him, I might make him wish he wasn't, yeah? I don't like this place. It's got bad... juju.">> Makes sense for a place Jedi built and with a marred history.
Hahtavi manages to find something and she nods. <<"Awesome. See if you two can extract what you can so that we---">> One of the doors off to the side slides open to reveal a heavily armored battle droid. It powers up quickly with a groaning whine that ends with two red oculars beaming to life and zeroing in on the group. Valeska's shoulders sag. <<"Of course.... why not? Haht, Khalim. We'll cover you!">>
--Sumi--
Sumi nods her head to Hadrix, responding in a low tone, <"Two of my most favorite things in one sitting: Gunplay and things that are naked."> Who said Opera couldn't be interesting? <"Contact,"> Is all the warning that alerts the others of danger; well, warning from Sumi, that is.
She charges toward the droid at a brisk pace, the crackling baton at her side brought up to swing. Her first hit KLONKS it with no effect.
Sumi dances back, then targets weaker sections, finding more purchase and give upon impact. <"Yeah! Take that, toaster!"> She steps with ease, pivoting with a whistling slide of boot soles on the deck and a gentle swish of her cape as Hadrix closed for his attack and she circled to see the effect on target.
--Hadrix--
Giving Sumi enough time to get clear, Hadrix's compliment to her swings is to use a thumb toggle to choke the nozzle of his flame weapon down so that it is not so much a cloud of iridescent flames as a coiling serpent of liquid fire that jets forth. Walking forward steadily and holding the weapon that would look like an E-11 if not for the fuel tank mounted on the side and pilot flame emitter.
<"I think there's a production coming soon to the Wheel, might be worth a watch, better than the Chance Castle."> the flamer tones an alert and he released the firing stud to give it time to re-pressurize for his next bout.
--Khalim--
Khalim's slow progress through the terminal-ringed command center is halted by the sound of a door sliding open. He'd come to rest a few steps beyond Hahtavi, intending to lend his limited technical expertise to the task at hand when BRRR-WHRRRRRR-CLANK-CLANK-CLANK.
Of course it had to be a giant-ass battledroid.
The company he keeps, kind of guaranteed it really.
The beast of a mechanoid advances into view and Khalim's split between two impulses. Pistolero versus keyboard commando. Or both, as the decision ends up being. Perhaps unwisely as he quick-sights that Westar and pulls its trigger, sending a bolt of tibana-assisted gold screaming out into a splash against a far bulkhead. Not too far off trajectory, but certainly not the sort of bullseye such a large droid might have suggested would be, you know, automatic. Alas!
Knowing this was a situation requiring rapid mission accomplishment, he passes up a second bolt in favor of a refocusing upon the nearest terminal. A big red X flashes, as he fails to get past even the first splash screen.
--Kirana--
Spinning around to face the droid, Kirana Ryder lowers her free arm to the staff, eyes narrowing behind her visor as she takes the second needed to study its form, posture and defenses. While the others begin to assault it, Kirana finds an opening around the flames, bringing her staff up from a bottom angle to catch the droid behind its knee. The droid is able to absorb that hit, as she hit it directly on an armor plate instead, so she uses the contact to press off the droid, coming around in a spin to posture for her next attack.
The next strike is more substantial, twirling the staff around to fake it out, instead poking at it directly like a pike and catching it on its hip-joint. This is done to keep the chance of deflection minimal, and to throw the droid's programmed expectations off for her follow-up attacks. It's clear from her fighting that she's much more capable in martial arts than she is in blasting, and a calm quiet takes hold of her while she fights - centered and focused.
--Hahtavi--
The battle droid is distracting but Hahtavi needs to focus. Trust his team - they got it. Unseen, the tip of his tongue wets his lips and then sticks out slightly between his teeth behind his helmet's T-visor as he works. His armored gauntlets do not slow down his typing, comp interface plugged in to assist with working with the system.
It's not fast work. People start firing, there's the sound of the heavy droid moving but Haht doesn't look. He'll either get shot at or he won't. Enough of an adreline junkie, Haht's heart rate doesn't even jump up under the pressure. Calm, working smoothly as he teases out the data, makes his way past the firewalls and security one layer at a time. Decrypting. Section by section, data begins to download into his interface but it's slower going than he'd like.
The harder it is the less aware he is of what's going on around him. Haht focuses down hard and the data is flowing. <<"Downloading...">>
Heck! They finish off the droid without him noticing yet!
--Valeska--
The droid is dispatched rather quickly. One versus six is hardly a fair fight to begin with. Let alone when all of them are seasoned fighters and some of them can also slice into computer systems like they were cutting a fresh baguette. Shots, slices, and flame. With their powers combined, they summon a heap of metal that had once been a formidable foe.
With the shudders of a marionette with its strings cut, the droid crumbles to the floor; sparks popping from ripped seams in its metal casing and its blaster still cold from disuse. Not even a single shot fired before the pack of infiltrators pounced.
Hahtavi successfully downloads the information they need... and thenseome. Who knows what other juice bits of information are on there. Valeska leans against thee nearest terminal, popping out a power cell and smacking the next one in. <<"Great job. We're halfway there. Now we just have to find the warden's office, yeah? Bet what we need is---">>
The second door starts to open. Then something below groans and grinds. Lights on the consoles activate. Flicker and blink. The Citadel has woken up.
