Log:Emergency Mission: Hide and Seek (Part One)
Emergency Mission: Hide and Seek (Part One)
OOC Date: July 9, 2018
Location: Bothawui
Participants: Devii Keva, Ambrosia Greystorm, Finn, Jessika Pava (as Vakla Naqurka), Nova Korell, Faidra, The Resistance
The mineral composition of the caverns, combined with the thick clouds of mist that the tall waterfalls throw up in the endless crashing make scans in or out difficult. Surveillance would be much simpler if the Resistance were able to use the Renegade's sensors. Of course, that would leave the frigate open to being scanned in turn, and so lookouts keeping watch on the world beyond their hidden caverns must rely on the old fashioned method: eyes. A heavy walker can just barely be seen searching along the far distant shoreline on the mainland dozens of kilometers away, as can occasional patrols of TIE fighters and bombers in the high atmosphere, directing the search and awaiting any positive contact.
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Devii is standing on some high ground with a range finder wathing the walker, TIES, and other ships flying and moving around in the distance Searching. "Not long now..." The Mirialan says to those others on the ridge line in he squad and whoever is joining them on this round of wath and patrols. He hair, even though tied blows in the wind along with her rag poncho she's worn over her armor. She looks like reas desperato. She's forgon her rifle, hardle uses it anymore. Instead she just has her pistol. "I want that oncussion Missle Launcher ready to go. Understood Yelsik?" Yelsik was the Grenader and Anti-tank specialist.
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Private Vakla Naqurka is on the ridge line with Sergeant Devii, but she's closer to the ground, keeping her body from becoming a silhouette against any kind of backdrop. This isn't her first outing with the Srrrrrrrrrrnt and won't be her last. Like the NCO, she's got on a poncho that covers her armor and gear webbing, and her EL-16HFE is in a low ready state, just because there are hostiles about and she's on guard. Its point sling is connected to the stock, allowing her to let go of it if necessary, but right now she's braced against the ground and waiting for any further orders. Little beads of sweat, or perhaps water from the falls, run in gentle rivulets down from her temples, and her bun-bound hair is damp. It's hot in all this gear. But at least its not cold.
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"I told all those kids to keep drinking /water/, g'dammit," grumble the words of Ambrosia Greystorm as she trudges along up the path, shadowing the medical officer's little entourage. Why is the brigadier general out here? Surely she trusts her scouts to do their job, so maybe she's just stretching her legs, finding some fresh air...there's bound to be a good reason she's emerged as part of the crew, armored up. "I'm gonna have'em piss in a cup once they've rehydrated enough to do so and if I see one little smidge of alcohol turn up on that scan..." *Huff* Puff* This is a higher climb than she remembered making when they first landed. Sweat glistens across her wrinkled brow, squinting eyes turned toward the hazy view of mainland. "You hear that, doc? A /cup/."
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Not too far away from Devii, Vakla, and Yelsik, Private (No Longer Provisional) Nova Korell is settled on top of a rock outcropping, behind a larger rock, watching the activity below. That walker is of particular concern, but she's more worried about any infantry it might be hauling along, or being escorted by. Her quadnoculars are out, searching for potential troop speeders. Her rifle rests within easy reach, its macroscopic sight ranged in for long-range shooting.
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"General" pause, beat, "It will do you no good to be that upset ma'am. All we can do is make sure our troopers are healty and well, though I do agree with you. Last thing we need is them passing out in the middle of a firefight" Faidra pipes up in reply to Amber. There's little to no huff and puff from her though, as they both make their way up. "A cup?" she blurts out, blinkg several times, "Ma'am, I really don't think that's a sanatary.." and she stops dead in her tracks, remembering that arguing with the brass is about as usefull as trying to stop a nerf from stinking to high heaven. She exhales and nods, "Aye Ma'am, I hear you."
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Finn sighs heavily as he lays on the ground next to his 16HFE Blaster Rifle with the Powercell securely secured into the receiver. The man is wearing the jacket he received some time ago from Poe Dameran, and he's waiting on the ground for the team to report some kind of movement and he squints his large eyes when someone reports something about a walker. "Thats not good." The man says to no one and yet he wants to roll over to get a visual on the devestating large artillery machine. The man wants to shift his position but he remains searching for movement in his own quadrant.
"Clear on this side." Finn reports in, making sure to do his report like he's supposed to, being that ever good soldier.
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Devii hears some old foggey grumbling about something. "Oh General... what brings you out here?" She notices Faidra with her, "Doctor... good to see you again." She turns and looks back out over the horizon. "Walker, TIE's, and patrols a good few kilometers away. It'll only be time before they close in and we'll have to try for a silent running until they pass or blast out of- wait a minute..." She brings her range finder up again. "Probe droid moving over the inlet real close. Yelsik... get a bead on that thing... Vakla make sure the next reload is ready."
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Vakla glances between the senior officer and a face she doesn't recognize, but she remains where she is. She's also got the good sense not to panic and snap up to salute the woman in command. Glancing among the others, her attention is on Devii when she speaks. "Roger, Ser'nt." Abbreviating the term in clipped tones, Vakla swings her rifle towards her side and lets it hang on its sling. Staying ducked and low, she moves over to where Yelsik is and takes possession of the ammunition bag, which she props up against the inclined slope leading down from the top of the ridge. Fishing one of the warhead shells from inside, she adopts a crouch, one foot planted and one extended along the top, so she's in perfect position to reload the launcher if they need it.
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"I operate on a steady level of 'upset', Lt. Save your breath about blood pressure'n all that talk. Orders are orders and I said ssssssh.." The aging rebel's hissy bitching trails off into beautiful silence as she spies something from her new, just-now lookout point - a few meters behind the others now while she takes a beat to mind that blood pressure. "What is that?" in the wake of Devii's finding and one hand relinquishes grip on her rifle to slap the side of her helmet and cue up the visor's tech. Mmm. Then a pair of macros come up to assist and her head bobs grimly in confirmation. "Yeah, okay. Kriff. Half a klick at best." It would seem the faint trooper is off her radar for now as she suddenly finds a little spring in her step and hop-climbs up there to join the squad, crawling on belly last stretch of the way.
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"Probe droid?!" Nova hisses, overhearing. She quickly looks around for it. "Can you point it out? I can DX it." She slowly lowers the quadnoculars and eases her rifle into her hands, ready to fire, nodding to the Sergeant and the artillery crew.
The presence of the General goes unremarked. For the moment, the potential targets are everything.
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Faidra is about to attempt to argue with the General, against her better judgement befhre she's sushed and then, contact. She looks towards the same direction, the general asking /what is that/ causing her to pay just as much attention. With just her natural icy blues, she spots it to, "Aye, confirmed, five hundred meters" she pauses a moment, "and closing." Then the general is off and she's left there and that's just not gonna do. Faidra grabs her pistol, and holds her medical pack with the other hand and moves to be closer to the general and the rest of the troopers present, taking a crouching position as she stops.
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This is foolish. This is bad form. This is how they get caught. This is how the resistance dies. This can't be. Finn refuses. The man rolls over, gathering his blaster as he rolls and starts to make his way from the perch.
"Hold your fire." Finn barks over the comms. Any shot fired would be more than visible and certainly heard or detected by the First Order. The man knows it and he certainly hopes these rag tag fighters on this cliff and caves are smart enough to steel themselves against such a difficult situation. Or at least their leaders are strong enough. Finn does stay on his side of the ridge, completely unable to see what's going on up front, but still having a long history of training and understanding First Order's general standard operating procedure. Though he does understand that most people outrank him.
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Yelsik answers, "Yes, Ser'nt," and starts to work on his own rangefinder, once the target is pointed out. Grimacing, Yelsik reports, "Its too small, I can't get a positive missile lock at this range. Can attempt a shot without a guided lock, but..." the heavy weapon guy doesn't ooze confidence. "Can try the shot from here, or let it get closer and hope for a lock." Then someone is barking over comms to hold fire, and Yeksik gives a puzzled look to Vakla and Devii in turn.
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"You got a suggestion, Finn? I really don't see any other option here because that thing is going to see us not matter how we hide. You should know that." Devii wasn't an idiot and she was pretty experianced. She then turns to Yelsik, "Well I suppose we could get closer and see if I can get a network connection with my Datapad... If not we gota shoot the thing or set a trap for it."
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Devii and Yelsik receive the same kind of puzzled look that Yelsik shoots at Vakla. Glancing around for the source of the disturbance, the Private nonetheless remains in her position to reload the launcher. "Taking a shot this far without any kind of lock is pretty risky," she adds her two, completely unimportant credits into the mix. "But he's kind of right," Vakla continues, despite not knowing who it was who spoke. "We're going to alert them to our presence no matter what we do, and the probe droid might not get this close. We could wait and see. If it gets closer, it's going to get in lock range, anyway. If it doesn't, nothing to worry about?" Vakla shrugs. This is just her opinion. She's hardly in a position to make any decisions.
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<<Probe Droid, inbound, est 300 meters from lookout mountain>> Amber mutters over comm to the designated receiver back at their watery home base. <<Across the lake more trouble's mounding, probably waiting for what this little bug has to say. Don't suppose we're ready to fly on out of here?>> And then it's back to those here. "He's right. Launch a big boom from this exposure and there's a chance they'll see it. Too late to send a couple runners down the ridgeline to set up shop from another angle, so let's wait. If you can interfere with its signals and fry it quietly, that'd be best. Thing don't have a throat to slit or strings to ham." Whaat?? Either unaware of uncaring of her vocabulary flubbery, Greystorm holds her watchful position, rifle nestled relatively comfortably in a bed of moss and ferns.
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Just in case, Nova continues to range the droid in, adjusting her macroscopic sight for a clearer image, and kneeling to brace her weapon on the rock that makes up her hiding place. <<It's in my sights. If the signal-frying doesn't work, I'm go for a less subtle solution.>>
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"Yeah, destruction is the last option. If you could..." He pauses as he tries to remember his training with the spy droids the squad used many years ago. "If you can some how disrupt the video feed or the communications relay back to the First Order. That, yeah that should buy us time to find a way to get rid of the droid." Finn reports as he remains on the ground, but now much more dusty and dirty than he was moments ago thanks to his panicked roll.
Finn is obviously flustered but he's trying to keep the resistance fighters in the best intel he possibly can give, these are the people doing the right thing. The ones trying to keep their friends and ideals alive. People he thinks are on the right side of this war, despite his recent shaken trust in some unnameable leaders.
Seems his words are mostly reduntant and his position is still needed, so Finn lays back on his belly and just continues to scan the direction he was ordered to watch.
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Devii makes sure to put on her helmet before grabbing a rock. She pulls her Datapad out from her jumpsuit. Orange eyes look over towards Finn, "I'll try my best but we're basically fracked because Dawn isn't here." She taps a few things on the datapad and sighs, going through a few menus. "Keep an eye on that thing Moonbeam. Let me know if it gets too close." There is a few moments of furious tapping, "Damnit... I just can't get in. The ecryption is way too good."
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The little spherical droid with its array of tall antennae sticking out the top hemisphere as it hovers along just above the rippling surface of the water. Range 450. Range 461. Range 420.
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Knowing that they need as much help as they can get, Vakla sets the warhead shell down among the others in the bag and digs a hand underneath her poncho to pull her own datapad free. Locking onto the signal is difficult, but not impossible, and as the Sergeant sighs in frustration, Vakla starts running through the subroutines necessary to crack into the frequency on which it communicates. It's elusive, but she feels like she's close. "I got close," she murmurs under her breath, and redoubles her efforts until such a time when they decide to blast this thing out of the sky. If they decide to. She knows it's getting closer only because the encrypted signal is growing stronger.
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Ah, what the hell. With rifle propped, Amber's dug her own device out of belt and is tinkering away with one hand, squinting between droid and screen. Sheesh, these eyes. She blinks hard. "That...is a short-range model. Little smaller, neater, tidier packages than what used to hunt us down, but...means its masters aren't so far behind. Anyone spy a skiff?" And then her datapad issues a happy little bleep and it puts a smile on the otherwise cantankerous boot's face. "Think I've got a quick window here to toss a wrench in its feed. Somebody get ready to scurry down closer for a neat and tidy shot. Ion blast'd be great. If it comes to that. With a little /luck/ maybe it'll turn around."
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<<That's a standard Firster surveillance droid. Patrols use them for flank security and scouts,> Nova comms, trying to look around. <If it's here, there's a patrol not far away. Probably a team of speeders around those islets to the east. Can somebody get eyes on that area? I've got no view from this position.>>
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Finn grimaces fiercely from his position, apart from the group that sounds like a whole battalion on the other side of the ridge. Finn's busy doing what he was told and is facing upstream, making sure nothing's coming up their rear. "Negative, no eyes!" Though he's itching to move, sitting still was never his forte. "You're damn right there's a patrol. So do this op correct or there wont be a Renegade for much longer!" Finn reminds everyone the stakes of the game their playing.
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Devii looks over to Amber and puts away her Datapad. "General has it." She stands and moves to Yelsik and Valka, "Get to a better positon like the General said. Down the ridge just a bit should be enough." Then to Nova over the Comm, "Comeone let's get around the other side and see if we can get a bead on that Patrol, yeah?" She waits for Nova, Dromund and Krevek taking her place. She looks to Finn and it's not a friendly look. She dosn't say anything and just moves on by to do a job she's been doing for a really long time now.
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Quickly stowing her datapad underneath her poncho and back into her webbing, Vakla hauls up the bag of munitions and slings it over her shoulder. The other hand goes to stabilize her rifle, and with a sharp nod, she's quick to follow Yelsik while keeping low to the ground so she won't be spotted by something as simple as her helmet-covered head sticking up and out of defilade. The thump of her boots pairs with the blood rushing in her ears as she humps the distance in battle rattle, leaving what is surely sweat trickling down the nape of her neck. "General's about to crush some souls," Vakla murmurs to Yelsik without keying the microbead, so the commentary is exchanged only between the two of them in the quietest of tones as they move.
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"Moving, Ser'nt," Yeksik reports to the order, picking up @emit "Moving, Ser'nt," Yeksik reports to the order, picking up the heavy weapon and hurrying to redeploy it alongside Vakla. A tight grin. "We all tried too hard once," he answers before it's back to business. "Range 380. I've got a lock, standing by."
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"Don't need a reminder of the risks, kid, I've been in this borked up war against the Empire's bastards since before I reckon you were born..." Ambrosia growls lowly on comm while struggling to jack the droid's reception. "And you're part o'this Op, so pipe down and keep sharp, less you got some more useful insight from your buckethead days worth sharing." Her lower lip disappears between teeth for a good ole gnaw as she works. Heh. If Anora could see her now....'You'll never get with the techie times, Ma,' her lips silently mock in imitation of her 20 yr old miniature who most certainly inherited her father's brain. If she lives to ever haunt the doorstep of her dwindling family again, she'll have this moment to toss in the brat's face.
"Good work, Yeksik. Keep that lock and stay low. Just a little closer..." Everybody suck it in and hold your breath! She is.
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"If nothing else, like, wait as long as you can, and throw a rock. A big. Big rock. There's a chance they could think it was a landslide. Or. Or something." Finn says with a frown and likely everyone can hear his uncertain shrug at the awful, dangerous, idea. Finn does remain prone in his location however, ignoring the movement of everyone else as he's still watching their rear for movement and completely ignoring the general's orders, or following them in his own sassy way. Again.
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Nova maintains her aim on the droid. It's all she can do. <<Just say the word...>>
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Devii gets into position with Nova and can see a bit more of the lake. She brings the range finder to her eyes and takes a look. "Yup... I can see the vapour trails. THey're a ways off but not far behind bringing up the rear of the souts trail." She listens to both Amber and Fin over the comm. "Alright. Yelsik, keep that lock. Then, Valka... when that thing gets into a hundred meters throw a big drekin' rock at it. Then Yelsik, blast it. Got it? Dromund, get over here with that repeater. We're going to need it probably..."
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"Thing's small enough, some sizeable stones just might dash it down..." Amber doesn't sound like she's super convinced, but it's less messy and attention-nabbing than a rocket launcher, so why not give it a go? "If it doesn't have positive feedback to relay to its handlers, then that patrol hasn't got reason to get any closer, cept waste time pickin up the scrap. Don't wanna shoot first unless that patrol marks our position, so here's hopin."
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A rock? "Did she say a rock?" Valka asks Yelsik in slight disbelief. Still, she's looking for a sizeable chunk that looks good for throwing. Something she can lob without too much difficulty. Something that won't fall far short of her intended target. Of course.. they're talking a good distance. "Ser'nt, I think that's a bit outside my throwing range." But maybe.. "But I'll give it a shot." Setting the munitions bag down, she finds what she's looking for and gives it a heft. Not much different than a grenade, really. Once the droid has hit the threshold Sergeant Devii set, Valka takes her best form and chucks that rock right at the kriffer with so much force that she grunts and the muscles in her arm ache. She might have pulled something, she thinks. But that rock sails.
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Caory Yelsik looks helplessly back at Vakla. "I think she said a rock," he confirms, puzzled. The grenadier maintains the target lock, gloved finger resting lightly on the trigger, even as the rest of his arm and shoulders are tensed and coiled. <Standing by...> Then the electronic countermeasures kick in and the droid visibly reacts. The moment its smooth hovering movements start to become erratic with the loss of its command feed, the grenadier prepares to fire...
But the little hovering droid, its command feed disrupted by Amber, is struck precisely at the base of its antennae, where the repulsorlift stabilizers are placed. With an alarmed blink it drops into the lake with a bulbous *plop* a small trail of bubbles escaping as water works into its inner systems. Caory is speechless. <<Uhh.. .... ...Ser'nt I got nothing to shoot at??>> Blink. "Did that seriously just happen?"
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And on the other end of the optical gunsight, Nova blinks in surprise as /something/ flies out and smacks the droid, knocking it into the lake! <<Whoa... something just hit the droid! It's DXed!>> she comms, having been out of earshot. <<It wasn't a rocket. Was that one of us??>>
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Devii blinks, "Mother Dreker. Are you serious right now?" She can't believe what she's seeing. "Holy Sithspit, I'm putting your ass in for a commendation Valka. That was some next level drek. Hurry, but stay down and get back behind the defelate. Let's see what this patrol does..." SHe keeps her eyes out over the lake, range finder comming tho her orange orbs.
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"..." The sounds of stunned silence fizzle back from gawking Greystorm and she relaxes her finger off the comm for a sec. Her lips curl into a crooked grin and head shakes to the beat of "Well, I'll be," she crackles back over the comm and drops her datapad in favor of resnugging up to the rifle. "Looks like we got a solid arm on the force. Nice toss." And, as Devii suggests, all they can do now is wait and see if they've bought more time or not. So that's what she does, scanning the water and hillsides below with bated breath.
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The sentry squad huddles in out of sight and maintains as discreet a surveillance as they can to see the aftereffects. To the east, a trio of Light Infantry Utility Vehicles come into sight between a pair of nearby islets; one is a variant LIUV model mounting a concussion missile launcher in place of the typical repeating blaster. One of the LIUV peels off from its fellows to shriek over the surface of the lake toward the point where the spy drone had disappeared. Another spy drone, identical to the first trials in the air behind it like a malevolent mechanical balloon. Directing its eye downward in a focused scan, the LIUV turns a circle around its hovering drone while the two Stormtroopers who crew the craft take a passive scan of the surrounding water, before roaring back into formation with its patrol craft.
This time, the Resistance has escaped notice, but the eye of the First Order draws nearer and nearer. Soon enough, there will be no escaping notice. But that is a challenge for another day.
