Log:First Order: No Time for Caution

First Order: No Time for Caution

OOC Date: June 20, 2019
Location: Geonosis
Participants: Knights of Ren: Kylo Ren, Erisi Auslese, Aurine Vang, and Oran Arcantael; First Order: Hadrix Rol, Drath, Avery Ihala Kora, and Karys

By now the abrupt summons to the Shadow or otherwise is likely familiar to the Vanguard and Knights as Kylo has demanded their presence once again, this time on Geonosis. After a quick landing at the rendezvous point out in the desert, they're formed up behind the man in black robes and advancing into the shadow of a tall brown spire that rises up from the earth. "Our spies report that Ruanna's followers may have gathered here," he informs them through the amplified voice that comes out of his helmet as he walks. "These tunnels were once used to house machines to build battle droids. The Republic destroyed most of the machinery but be on your guard."

The rocky entrance to the tunnel is littered with debris, mostly rubble from the ceiling that's fallen over the years, and Kylo doesn't bother to push it aside, simply stepping around the larger pieces as he enters. Inside, the air is oddly sticky despite the arid climate, enough that his advance pauses for a moment, looking wordlessly about for an explanation before proceeding forward. The walls are low and warrenlike, channeled out by a race of insects, allowing a few at a time to walk abreast but no wider. As without, everything is a shade of sandy red.

Following the Supreme Leader, while engaging his thermal systems, Hadrix walks with the massive crunches of being a man-tank now, actually pushing rocks aside with his strength enhancers, <<"Squad Lead AO-904 sounding off. Squad sound off. Asset Vang, I can provide you light - move to my flank">> he flexes his arm, the flamer built into the side of the gauntlets and the underslung carbine firing to life as he looms and scans his surroundings.

Drath keeps in formation as the Vanguard approach said spire, his E-11 held at the ready in his grip and a force pike slung over one shoulder, in case needed. The crimson of his armor at least blends in much better here than it does on most other worlds, though the glare of the sun from the polished material may be easier to notice. <<"Copy that, Sir.">> he responds over the comms, tilting his rifle to the side to check its charge as they continue onward. <<"Ninenty-One, sounding off.">> Drath responds to Hadrix, keeping his weapon raised at an angle to the Supreme Leader's advance as they move through the tunnels.

A poster advertising the Vanguard might say something like 'Join the First Order, See the Galaxy!' as Avery finds himself on yet another unfamiliar planet with the Supreme Leader, the Knights, and his squad. Not that he's complaining mind you, the rookie certainly enjoys these trips, they just tend to end with one, or many, of the Vanguard in various states of pain and dismemberment. Still, the young trooper walks along slightly behind and to the right side of the Squad Lead, his massive T-21 slowly swiveling from one area to the next. AV-1004 pauses to scamper over the boulders and arrive in the chamber behind Kylo. <<"Ten, ready and alert.">> He states, keeping the comm reply simple for now, emerald eyes peering in each of the holes as they pass by.

These fools again. The ones that took her arm the last time they were after them. Karys rolls her shoulder, pressing her lips tightly together moments before her helmet comes down over her head with its dark hair in a coroneted braid about her head. She shifts on her feet and moves to keep pace as Hadrix calls out to Aurine. KS-0218 glances aside at the Knight in question, merely nodding her head as her left hand flexes its bionic fingers in place. A huffed out breath can be heard over her helmet com and then she is speaking up. <<"Eighteen, here.">> Her voice is eerily even and focused as she keeps her hands on her pistols only to slowly draw them free.

The muzzles of her blasters are pointed upwards to keep from engaging in friendly fire as she lengthens her strides to keep pace with the rest.

Full of non-humanoid aliens and dust, Geonosis is not a place that brings Oran a tremendous amount of joy. It's hard to stay clean among these wind-whipped cliffs and deserts, it's hard not to get claustrophobic - and bored - all at the same time - in the endless caverns. But at least in the city, the tunnels are populated by... something. Less so out here in the desert, among the hostile wildlife and ghosts of wars past. Dressed as usual in the usual Knight robes and gear, he pauses a moment before selecting the best path past the entrance boulders (not necessarily the same one that the much taller Kylo chose), and then steps forward into the breach.

A pause there lingers, eyes closed, before Oran opens them again to progress forward. "Nothing feels imminently dangerous here, but it's there, further below us."

The desert is fine enough and Aurine adjust the scarf about her head tighter to prepare herself for the dark depths of whatever they're about to crawl into. "I'd be surprised if there was no danger about at all," she says to Oran, moving to Hadrix's flank. "Yes, please do," she says to the one-eyed soldier, and nods to Karys on her other side. "Looking good," she refers to the mechanical fingers that replaced her real ones.

Saanvi brings up the rear, carrying less gear than a sample collecting trip but more gear than a typical field exercise. That is a single extra messenger back slung across her shoulders carefully situated so it does not get in the way of her weapon draw or her medical fast-draw pack she's rigged for herself for missions. <<Eighty Five, Medic, Sounding off>>

The light in the tunnel is certainly dim, relying almost entirely on the planet's star shining through the entrance, but here and there on the walls a few of the bioluminescent sconces emplaced by the Geonosians who dug out these passages remain, homey orange glows that resemble embers stuck up on the rock more than light fixtures.

Kylo moves ahead with confidence, down the sloping, winding pathway deeper into the planet's crust, his boots and robes kicking up a path of ruddy dust behind him. The journey is uneventful for some time until the floor levels off and the sense of an approaching space is rewarded by a turn that opens up on a large, hollowed-out chamber, the walls falling away and leaving only the footpath that winds on ahead, with empty air on either side and a precipitous drop that fades into blackness. Essentially the tunnel has become a stone catwalk maybe a meter wide. "Don't fall," Kylo states flatly as he steps out onto it. On the far side, a brown surface with a black hole in it suggests that the tunnel will resume after this brief word from the chasm sponsors.

A catwalk, and likely dangerous for one of his bulk - thank goodness for flight systems. Hadrix lifts off on wings of fire as the nozzles in his boots and backpack engage, lifting him self to just above the narrow pass, engaging his suit floodlight to provide Aurrine light to see by, angling it directly down behind him, backlighting himself and providing clearer passage from those behind.

<<"Eighteen, Ten, in front - Ninety-One, marksman duty - carbine or otherwise. Eighty-Five... I know you know what to do.">> the big troopers position shifting as he keeps flank posture on the Supreme Leader while handling the lighting duties.

Drath takes the time to collapse the stock of his E-11 as the squad advances through the tunnels, with the Trooper squinting a bit as the helmet adjusts its vision settings to account for the lowered levels of light. His rifle being more easily maneuverable allows him the ability to turn more easily, and he does so, looking back at the others for a quick head count before his attention is turned back forward. "Wonder whose turn it is this time." Drath mutters softly under his breath, gaze turning as the tunnel turns into a narrow catwalk to gaze out into the chasm surrounding them.

"Kriffing bugs." is all he has to say about that, though it doesn't stop him, and instead he falls into a single file as they continue advancing. <<"Copy that.">> is the response over comms, as he angles so as to keep a good view of the surrounding void space above and below them.

Sound advice comes from Kylo after their long trek through the winding corridors of the structure. AV-1004 pauses at the edge of the drop to peer into the inky blackness that stretches away from them, the filters on his lenses attempting to manipulate the darkness for his vision. With a quiet 'hmmm' he falls back into the adjusted formation and continues across the catwalk, eyes peeled for any sign of movement in the lifeless chamber, movement that is not them, of course. <<"What was this place before? A droid assembly facility?">> Avery asks, a tad unbelieving as all he has seen thus far is rock, chasms, and more rock.

Stepping in behind Aurine when the walk becomes narrowed. <<"It works, yes.">> Karys remarks about her new arm, her pistols gripped more firmly but as Hadrix gives his orders she moves before it gets too small and slips past as she edges forward with care. Up front with ten, she glances aside at Avery and gives up him a nod before her focus stays on their course. <<"Eighteen, copy.">> She intones through her comlink and then settles into a measured stride to go with the rest of the group. Lets not fall is right. No falling.

Erisi keeps her hood pulled far forwards, robes dancing about her feet as she oh-so-casually lifts up her hands to shield her eyes on either side like horse blinders, keeping the view of that long fall into nothingness from her immediate view. She'll just keep moving forwards, not having said much at all all the way here. And she's silent still yet.

Presumably they're drawing closer to the unknown danger that Oran called out (helpfully) as unknown and dangerous, and as a result, the Coruscanti knight seems less at ease the further down they go. The catwalk, like the entrance boulders, is given a watchful, suspicious moment of consideration, then he follows along with others, wary for falling rocks, crumbling stones, or screaming, falling companions.

Many thanks to the fire plumed angel here, Aurine can see just fine in front of her. Easy to do when you're practically following the sun. Expectedly though, the close proximity makes her feel the heat and a bit of a sweat forms on her brow. "Hadrix, you can turn it down a little. I'm fine," she frowns and then asks Karys, "Better or worse than the originals?" While the catwalk is unnerving, Aurine picks up the hems of her robes slightly to prevent herself from tripping as she too carefully strides across the narrow path.

Saanvi has learned not to voice every question that occurs to her which is likely a very good thing for those here as there are indeed many curious thoughts that come to the young doctor's mind though for the moment Hadrix's assumption she knows what he wishes her to do prompts her to make an earmark for future conversation concerning assumed and actual priorities and directors. Dry and needlessly thorough just like the doctor herself. She pauses at the catwalk-sure everyone ELSE got on it without issue but she inspects the anchors before she too confidently marches across still bringing up that rear.

FLOOM, Hadrix's suit flares to life, and boom, there they are, world. The Vanguard and the Knights of Ren, like a shooting gallery set up on this narrow spit of stone in the middle of a seemingly bottomless gorge. Large, buggy eyes swivel immediately towards them, and a distinctive GA-WOOM, GA-WOOM sound echoes off the walls as condensed sonic energy is launched at them from the Geonosian blasters of the patrol that comes flapping off the walls, swarming down like insects. They are insects.

Kylo is almost to the other side, though, and he keeps stomping on towards where the tunnel resumes like the world's best boss.

Body twisted by the hit when his leg is struck, forcing his leg jet off alignment, and causing him to land on the causeway.

<<"Vanguard, focus fire, then move to the next. Follow Ninety-One's targeting, then the next as they fall.">> He growls out over comms as he looks down to half-melted ablative plates, feeling the burn inside on his limb and engaging suit drives to stabelize him as he opens up with liquid fire on a passing soldier, setting it alight and looking for the next target in line.

<<"Eighty-Five, prep for medical aid">>

Drath is advancing, somewhere near the middle of the formation, when the walls come to life! How unfortunate that they seem to have walked right into a hive of scum... And villainy. It's also unfortunate when a bolt of sonic energy careens into Drath's side, causing the Trooper to cry out and jostle over to catch himself on his knee. All the better to prevent himself from falling to his likely death. Some people survive falling to their deaths, he hears.

<<"Kriff, I'm hit!">> the trooper calls out, the adrenaline flooding his system urging his arms to raise. He does so, firing off volleys of red blaster fire at the nearest bug not on fire. The fire will likely finish the job for them there. Some of the bolts find their mark, striking in the upper carapace of the alien.

<<"This is not a good place for a firefight!">> Avery mentions not so casually into the comms before glancing over at Karys, giving her a brief nod, and hurrying his step along behind the Supreme Leader. The Stormtrooper takes care to place one foot after the other on the catwalk as he squeezes the trigger on his weapon and the T-21 flares to life, launching searing bolts of red toward one of the attackers that struck his squad. The bolts send chips of red rock flying as they slam into the wall behind the drone, scattering the debris into the air and onto the bot.

As the lights go up and they are suddenly pray to some flying creatures, she hisses out a breath. <<"Adjusting to the new dexterity.">> This she briefly supplies to Aurine as her pistols wheel first toward Drath's target. She is quick to fire before it gets far. As it pinwheels down she moves for the next, Hadrix' target. That one evades her before she clips its wings. Her pistols move, staying over the heads of her comrades so has to to accidentally pelt them with fire.

She turns about and tries to follow the next but without avail as her shots hit the wall and nothing else.

"Not spiders." Breathed out with obvious relief, Erisi quickly dropping her hands away from her face as she strides forwards to keep up with Kylo, right hand coming up to flash a few fingers towards one of the giant crickets while her left pulls her hood back to reveal her head. And give her some air. It's humid. FWOOOSH. The bugie-do is set alight, Eri not keeping track of HOW much on fire it is. You're not leaving her alone, Worlds Okayest Boss!

ATTACK! Really - they might have seen it coming, arrayed as they are on the narrow catwalk. Primed like bottles stacked up on a board for target practice, ready to be picked off one by one. Sensing danger a half-moment before it arrives, Oran ducks the Geonosian death-wishes headed his way, then ignites his saber with a snap-hiss and a glance at Kylo... a glance at their insectoid assailants. "Typical," he grumbles, though it's hard to say whether he means Kylo Ren or the Geonosians. Or both. Unlike Erisi's fire, the blaster bolts, Aurine's damage... chopping things up is messy, and anyone in near vicinity to him is getting splattered with gooey, foul-smelling Geonosian innards. Splaaatttttt. Sorry not sorry.

"See I told you to turn it down," Aurine calls to Hadrix as the hidden enemies come to life around them. Luckily they seem to be targeting the others around her, but she still ducks a little to avoid any attacks. Addressing them like the pesky nuisances they are, Aurine flicks her finger at a drone, her force powers knocking it out, the impact also causing it to smash. Luckily she avoids its splatter but not the guts of Oran's victim. "Oran!" she frowns at the stain on her robes, "I just /washed/ these!"

Saanvi steps back and draws her weapon, it weaves and searches and then the invitable happens-Drath takes one for the team and the weapon is holstered <<Medic inbound to Ninty one>> comes the calm and not at all exasperated over the fact that they can go no where without Drath leaving liters of blood behind to show '91 was here'. Her quick draw system proves efficient as always as steriile saline, disinfectant, bacta and tape all are whipped out, used and jammed back in place in her kit without her having to look.

With the Geonosians dispatched, the Vanguard is free to issue back into the tunnel where Kylo is waiting. "Surprising any of them are still down here," he remarks when the others join him through the mask's vocoder, not bothering to apologize for neither waiting nor assisting. "Come on. We have further to go."

Before long, the sides of the tunnel widen and rather than falling away entirely begin to house machinery in alcoves, like storage but a hallway rather than a closet. The path up ahead is blocked by a gate that resembles one you'd expect to find in a manufacturing plant or construction zone, thin metal that likely poses no obstacle to the group given the number of lightsabers present.

More of a problem is the newer, larger, floor-to-ceiling blast door behind it. But lo, there is a control panel on the wall where multiple greenish displays flash with murky red characters. "Open it," Kylo instructs, indicating the blast door. "We need to get through."

<<"Ten, you're up, Eighteen with him - slice duties. Ninety-One stack up on the door with me.">> Hadrix moves to take the position across from Avery. The site was impressive, and he'd seen images of the Geonosian factory, he'd seen a lot of factories, really. <<"Asset Vang, stick with me in case the lights go out, I have you covered.">> he moves still rather quickly despite the suit, getting into breech position.

Drath coughs somewhat within his helmet, the armor having at least absorbed a large amount of the wound, which unfortunately struck in a softer location. "Ahhh, kriffing hell." the man grits out at the treatment, swivelling his head to ensure they're no longer under attack as he does so. Placing a hand on the stone beneath, Drath proceeds to push himself up, leaving behind a decent bit of blood that runs down the outside of the right leg of his armor. At least it blends in fairly well with the color.

Though Saanvi can liekyl do more before he gets on his way, Drath advances slowly as the squad does, the injury keeping him near the back of the formation for the time being. There's only so much adrenaline can do, after all, but it's keeping him going for the time being! As is the numbing effect of bacta. As the squad arrives at the door, Drath nods at his orders, shuffling himself to stack on the door as instructed with his carbine held up in a ready stance.

Upon Kylo's command, Avery moves over to jack into the control panel, inserting the three wires from his datapad and going to town. It doesn't take long and the pad beeps, signalling the door open mechanism. Sadly, the doors only open partially and form a diamond in the middle as they slide to a stop. He grimaces and nods, stepping back to cover the hallway that leads to the chamber from behind. He crouches down with his T-21 angled for immediate fire if necessary. <<"You all continue ahead, if this is the only way back to the ship, I'll cover it in case we need a hasty escape.">> AV-1004 nods to the rest and waits, ready for any baddies to show themselves so that he may rain chips of rock upon their heads.

Now that the annoyance is over, Karys tucks her pistol away as she gives the others a quick look and starts to hurry forward as she reaches over to touch Drath's arm. It is a silent way of check on him to see if he needs help. SHe will help him up if he needs and then hears the call for her. She hesitates and then breaks away to pair with Avery, her other pistol put into the holster to offer Ten support. Though he appears to have it in hand and one pistol is drawn back out as she waits to filter into the next location, offering cover for the current slicer of the hour.

A DOOR. As two folk manage to get the door open somewhat, Eri is going to try and do it, too. You know, be helpful, because she's a glorified zippo otherwise. Pressing her hand to the door she'll lean in, focusing on communicating with the panel and electronics.

A look of surprise crosses her features, eyebrows raising as she rears back a little, fingertips remaining in a grazing positionon the door, "Benhamin?!" Said with obvious surprise and maybe just a wee bit of guilt, "How in the, I totally thought I kil--- killed you with ...adoration and ...super ..super .. eh-" Something is transmitted to the woman in binary from the panel and she'll clear her throat, hand drawing away from the panel, "Yeah, uh ... total history with this one, and ..he's still not over it." Nup. Side stepping away hands clasp and disappear within her sleeves as she ahems. Let the others do their thang.

Oran - similarly covered in Geonosian innard-goo - fixes Aurine with an unrepentant brow-raise when she complains that he just got her robes all dirty. "Go stand in a sufficiently shadowy corner, and you won't notice it," he promises. Throwin' shade about the dark again. Striding forward, he lends aid when the first, flimsy gate is no particular impediment, but then the saber disappears with a.... whatever sound it makes (shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhherp?) when the group is presented with the larger, more tenacious door. He starts out waiting patiently, but said patience seems to wear thinner as the door fails to open, and he paces back and forth. "Loathe as I am to wreck the mechanisms of the door... if you need to cut a hole in it, we may cut a hole in it," he points out, before looking over at Erisi and her History With That One, silenced for a moment and brow furrowed.

Aurine Vang continues on quickly, glad to be rid of the narrow path and into one that has walls! Squinting in the dim light, she can just make out the equipment in the alcoves, glancing at the unclear figures curiously and cluelessly. The strange vestiges to a once bustling location, makes an uncomfortable tickle crawl up the back of her neck. Or is it the machinery at all? "No ... don't cut a hole in it just yet. In fact, we should all probably take cover," Aurine's eyes widen at the door as she takes a step behind Hadrix. "Something not good is waiting for us right behind that door."

Saanvi frowns as she disinfects and binds but cannot stop Drath's bleeding, <<Ninty one suffering from a partiall arterial cauterization, he will require surgery to survive.>> She can't do surgery now she tugs out a bag of plasma, a bag of platlets, and a bag of saline. Yup that is right she duct tapes eack to his back and runs he llines into a cather into another artery to buy him time. This done she shucks her gloves <<Medic inbound to to oh four.>>

"I don't care," Kylo summarily dismisses Aurine's warnings about whatever is behind the door. "Get it open. We have to find anything they may have left behind." Pacing back and forth, the mask turns quickly between Karys and Erisi. "...perhaps I overestimated your skills, if a simple /door/ is too complex an obstacle," he berates them, continuing his chain of world's best boss behaviors tonight.

The door emits a low, consistent grinding sound, as the terminal sends conflicting data in streams to the motors controlling it.

Watching at waiting as Avery and Karys set to their work, the door opening bit by tiny bit, Hadrix observes next when Erisi steps forward, speaking as if the door had told her something. Brow furrowed behind his helmet visor. His suit is giving warnings for potential breach in his leg, and there are medical alerts about potential muscle damage, and when Saanvi steps up to tend him, the monolithic form encased in battle armor turns, the outsized helmet nodding with a slow whirr.

<<"Thank you, Eighty-Five">> is noted and when the Supreme leader begins berating. Climbing up, setting his gauntlets and books, Hadrix's grunt coughs over the comms. He stands in the hatchway, trembling and then with a creaking sound he pries it open, a portal large enough for others to get through. He shifts slightly and his suit makes a 'clunk' sound as he engages joint locks.

<<"This is where I stand unless someone can get it to lock where I have it, or get it further...">>

Drath returns a nod to Karys, giving her a tap with his gauntleted hand as the fairly thoroughly wounded man approaches to lean against the wall next to the door. Which totally counts as stacking, by the way. The constant supply of blood should at least give him some time to finish the mission before he needs to be carted off! <<"I should have some detonite in my belt if necessary.">> Drath calls over the comms, <<"Though of course, that'd draw a fair amount of attention.">> As explosions oh so very often do!

But then there's Hadrix to push the door open to at least allow some entry, and Drath shoves himself up from the wall so he can approach said breach. <<"Maybe the suit will stay like that if you get shot.">> he teases across the comms as he leans around the hole to peer into the next room to ensure safety within, just before he starts past.

The words seem to jar Karys just a bit as Kylo says he may have underestimated her. Her pistol is set away and joining Avery at the console she begins to tap away at the computer, attempting to circumvent the slicing to actually open the doors. She pauses, watches a moment as her efforts incrementally close the door onto her squadmate. NOPE! She did not just do that as she ears the door give inwards instead of outwards. Her helmeted head turns upwards toward Erisi. <<"We are having some trouble, sir.">>

A whole slew of binary boop beep and whirls out as Eri reaches her hand back towards the door, and she immediately yanks her hand back, shaking her head, "Yep, you did, and the door agrees, Supreme Leader." Erisi states as her lips thin together in a thin line, a furtive glance given to Had as she clears her throat softly, trying to look casual, "So, he's saying since he can't kill me he's going to try and kill you, Hadrix, unless I agree to marry --it--, and that's never happening. I mean ..I TRIED TO KILL YOU, MAN!" She suddenly explodes at the door, "Get the hint! You're a program! Not even a somewhat /good/ one, so ..." A light flick of her eyebrows upwards as she eyes Had, "You got huge ass muscles, you'll be fine." Shrug/eyebrow-wrinkle/squint. Arm cross, slight turn towards Had because she is morbidly curious if he will be, "The door /is/ trouble." Asserted as an aside to Karys, Erisi mentally goading on the door. Go for it. HADRIX IS ETERNAL.

So this is you know, going well. Oran watches with his arms folded as Hadrix muscles open the door, waiting for Karys and Erisi to perform the mystical rites of electronics. Such things are as unknowable to him as the powers of the force are to most people. Oran does not understand computers, and he has been more or less trained by the nerds in his life not to kriff up what he doesn't grasp.

But it's not going well. It's just... not going well. They're crushing him. They're crushing the only person in the galaxy who will go to the opera with him. "For STARS SAKE!" Oran finally protests, and then reaches for nothingness as though picking up puppet strings. Several large boulders arrive as summoned to wedge themselves into the doorway, but... they're large boulders. It's difficult and inelegant. But there they are, big huge rocks! "Get out of there and let it hold," Oran tells Hadrix, and once he does -- the door will stay wedged open by the rocks. But anyone taller than 5'8 will have to duck.

Whatever Kylo wants, Kylo gets and even Aurine joins the effort to keep the damn thing open. She presses her digits together, hand forming something of a hand puppet before she opens her palm, fingers blooming like a flower and nada. Nothing. Oh, lookit that! Rocks! And once Hadrix moves forward to continue being this little light of hers, she too walks cautiously through the opening to the other side.

Saanvi hustles allong Hadrix trying to treat him even as he strides into place and begins to iron man the door "This is less than ideal, Oh four, you should not be doing this before you have been appropriatey triaged." she mutters "So inefficient. The most elite fighting force the galaxy has ever seen..." she sighs and stands right underneath the door unworried about being squished as she finishes patching Hadrix up.

"I was beginning to think we'd wasted our time, coming all this way," Kylo continues to rag on the Vanguard and Ko petulantly, a hard, mean edge to his tone as he makes for the door himself, ducking his head as he mantles over the portion that's still not completely receded into the floor. Dropping down on the other side, he looks around in the darkness for a moment.

Piercing white floodlights flare into life, revealing the room they've gained access to. A mammoth production line sprawls out before them, and with the lights, the machines whir and grind to life, servos spinning, giant presses beginning to stamp material again.

More worrying are the eight metal balls, painted black, that uncurl from the floor, rising up on tripod legs and baring two twin blaster cannon 'arms' each. Red eyes wink into life against the black.

Drath returns to formation as the squad advances, shuffling along as best he can to keep up with the others. He'd likely be out by now if not for the bags taped to the back of his armor, and though he's sluggish, the trooper attempts to stay on alert. A shuffling of blood follows in his footsteps, which doesn't really help matters at all. Eyes narrows as floodlights blare before them, and the E-11 is raised as the memory of Aurine's earlier warning of danger lurking behind said door springs to life. Perhaps that's why as those metal balls unfurl Drath wastes no time in choosing a target, and promptly opens fire on one of the antique battle droids before they have a chance to do so in return!

When Hadrix lets go, there are finger marks left behind in the door, they're slight, barely two milimeters at most... But they're there. He's breathing hard, and when he ducks through there is a slight grunt from his patched leg.

<<"Only in death does duty end, Eigty-Five...">> Hadrix's tone is rough, and those paying attention to such things in the force can feel a rage pouring off of him, far angrier than some bugs and a door should make him, as if he is rolling something that enrages him over and over in his mind, letting it double itself again and again, like a blast furnace waiting for the shunt to open.

And then there are droids, and he is firing into them, though he does a better job of illuminating the damned things than actually catch one aflame.

Redemption is needed. Karys hurries in through that archway created by Oran and is among the first to see the droids roll up. Karys has her pistols up and is following Drath's lead, aiming down on the first to concentrate fire. Her left arm is odd, it swings a bit wide as some of her shots pepper wrong as she is still adjusting to the use of the bionic arm. She squeezes off her rounds, two slamming into the the droid.

She shifts, moving from foot to foot as she fans out and goes to a knee to offer room for those behind to get a bead on the others across the way. As the first does not yet fall she frowns inside her helmet.

"Well, based on our p---" Words die off, not by her throat being choked by the unseen force of Kylo's rage, but instead by the scene that opens up before them. Her head tilts back, hazel eyes casting gaze around, "Oh ...no ...I really hope he didn't upload into all these." As the eyes wink to life she tries to focus on what Had, Drath and Karys are firing at, a mouse droid caught in the initial cross-fire, literally, her super heated air whipping through the wee droid to find it's mark upon the form of the Droideka 1, "I gotta get new tricks .." To herself, her one shot spots not great when a factory of droids is potentially rising against them. But candle in the wind she'll be!

There are some hazards inherent in a reckless, unstable person training up a team of people more or less in his own view of the galaxy. It's possible that you end up with reckless, unstable proteges! Oran is clearly bristling at Kylo's tone toward the Vanguard in a way he might not if he was the recipient of the commentary. There's some strand of good judgement there, fraying, FRAYING, but it holds on long enough that his attention snaps toward a much more clear and present danger.

Look sir, droids!

"...He probably uploaded into all of these," Oran grimly agrees with Erisi, then ignites the saber again, stepping into the fray to hack, slash, and rain his particular brand of destruction until one of them breaks the glass cannon.

It takes Aurine all of two seconds to adjust to the wash of light that fills the room. She blinks, once, twice, and suddenly stands with a surer posture now that she can SEE. Fortunately Hadrix's assitance is no longer needed which is good timing because, his rage cloud is something she'd rather not deal with right now. Come book a session with her later Haddy.

Her hand raises in the air, long fingers stretching out oncemore to close into a yanking motion. A mechanical limb gets ripped off her targeted droid.

Saanvi is helped by the fact that she had JUST freed her hads from tending Hadrix then of course the Knight Asset's warning that Bad Things lurked beyond the lqlst door. Her hand flies to her pistol and she draws and first but the second shot goes wide as she glances this way and that for cover.

At this point the colorscheme of the droids present is likely familiar: black, red, where else has that been popping up. The destroyer droids open fire on the Vanguard even as their deflector shields are hammered down one at a time, knocking out two units in swift succession under the sheer force of the Vanguard and Knights' combined firepower.

Kylo's saber finally ignites, ripping into life with a familiar tear of scorched ozone and followed by the secondary blades spitting out just after, and the dark warrior lunges forward towards the nearest attacker, a hit sizzling against the dull shimmer of his robes before the weapon crashes through blue bubble encasing his target with a sputter, cleaving the whole upper half from the base while the five remaining continue to blast away.

Continuing with his flame assault, to no effect, Hadrix is snarling into his helmet. Doing nothing and muttering curses at himself as he plants his feet, pivoting at the hip, wasting flamer fuel as his rage continues unabated. Part of his is screaming to just charge in, and several times his body hitches as if he were going to simply give in to the urge, the combat knuckles flexing on his fists.

He has not been struck though, and he is taking advantage of this fact while he tries to get the nozzle of his flamer to point where he wants it too.

Drath finds himself sluggish, and unable to truly attempt to duck into cover, and so he does the next best thing. Plastoid shell clacks to the floor as Drath's knee hits it, followed by a pained thump as the Trooper moves forward and falls into a prone position. Sighting down the nearest droid from his next-best-option cover, Drath unleases a hail of fire onto it, as angry red bolts slam into the shielding of one of the droidekas. Parts of it are peppered with plasma fire, melting pieces of shell and plating as Drath keeps up the sustained fire.

One of the bolts from the droids sears the air and slams into her stomach, causing her breath to hitch and wince. The one knee upon the ground keeps her from tipping back with the impact, merely twisting her waist as now with focus Karys unleashes a volley that spatters the Droid Drath focuses on with concentrated blaster bursts. As the bubble fades and starts to give she struggles a moment and then continue pelts it in the head until it slumps sideways unmoving in a heap. Watching it go down as the Knights continue to engage, she gives a clipped nod to Ninety one and begins to aim at her next target.

Slow and steady wins the race! Fwoosh. Erisi aims at another droid after crouching down to avoid the bolts one of the now deactivated droids slung her way. She'll watch as two of the droids legs begin to melt down, and a small satisfied smile touches her lips, but the carnage the others set upon the droids is noted. Bic Erisi.

Some lightsaber fighting requires incredibly high degrees of finesse against fiendishly cunning opponents -- this is not that kind of lightsaber fighting. Oran is confronted with shields when close to these Droidekas, shields sturdy enough to repel lightsabers... for a time. Only for a time, before the droids' shield generators burn out, and they become abruptly vulnerable to attack. Thus the necessity of the combat is to absolutely hammer the ever loving shit out of the machines until the shields fail, but again... it's inelegant. It's just maximum power hacking and slashing while sparks fly, until the shell is cracked and the black and red foe is dismembered. THOUGHTLESS. HACKING. SPARKS. FLYING! It's the Kylo Ren school of thought for how ya get the job done. Oran is sweaty, dusty, and increasingly surrounded by broken, sparking droideka bits.

Here's tha thang about enemies - they fire back! A reality Aurine learns the hard way when she takes a hit to the ribs. "Gah!" she groans as it knocks her back a few steps. Touching the wound, she winces and then her eyes widen at the blood on her finger tips. Consistent with the tone of the room, the sight makes her rather pissed off as well. She stained her robes. Her boss was being a pissy little shit. And now she's injured. It's been a bad day, ok ka?

A growl emits from the depths of her throat and she mutters, "I am so. kriffing. tired. of droids." An impatient swipe of her arm is made and her target slams against the hard edge of an assembly line belt.

Saanvi darts to the side one foot over the other turning her profile towards the target just as she was shown and it's very possible she is walking herself through it just as if it were an exercise for all the cool calm pupose in her motions sending two rapid shots towards DroidDead #5. This done she hesitates just long enough to make sure it's down and then goes about treating patients.

PEW PEW PEW crash crash smash. The droidekas and the stormtroopers continue to go at it, and there's Kylo, chopping through the shield generator of another one to reduce it to a pile of smoking scrap parts. One manages to land a hit on Erisi, though the other shots go wide, including one that has apparently kicked itself into maximum overdrive, unleashing a withering hail of fire at Oran that just cannot seem to make contact.

Managing to keep his temper under control, Hadrix only takes a single step forward, still leading a trail of flames back and forth, one of those rolly droid bastards falling under the wave of it, shields and some metal catching alight as the liquid fire tries to eat through. <<"I hate these things, I want one of them. Oran - we should get one of these.">> He growls, hosing liquid hot plas-ma all over it.

<<"They are particularly irritating!">> Drath announces in response to Hadrix, as if that wasn't immediately obvious. Keeping himself low to the ground, Drath twists his torso with a short cry of pain to take aim at the next target Hadrix is literally lighting up for them. More blaster bolts soar from his carbine, crashing into and bleeding past its shields to turn some of the metal beneath to molten slag. He's not entirely sure off hand which war these things were involved in, but he's fairly sure whichever it was was hell for the other side. <<"Almost got em!">>

More. Why are there always more?! Karys moves down the line, joining Drath in their focus fire once more on another droid. More bolts fly from her blasters as eighteen tries to follow through with systematic dismantling of the droids. Though the sabers seem to be doing a far better job of doing so. Her gaze narrows and she pulls back when the knights step in. Shooting one in the back would be bad form - right?

It takes a full 30 seconds for Erisi to realize why she's suddenly numb. She's been shot in the center of her chest, full on, taking her down to what someone could estimate to be 30% health. In a daze she lifts up her right hand to touch fingertips between her breasts, fingers pulling away from robes coated in a deep red. A sputtering cough, and a slight stagger, the hazel eyed woman will still try with a lift of her left hand to try and set something on fire. Nada. A small sputtering of flame that hovers like a tiny sad ghost, and Eri goes down. FWOMP.

"You want one?! You WANT one," Oran yells over the sound of the combat at Hadrix in disbelief and predictably horrified incredulity. So much so that he misses one of the swings on the attack, though he's thus far done a reasonably good job avoiding the flurry of fire from their mechanical adversaries. "Hadrix, NO, we are not bringing one home," he replies, like his friend and comrade is enchanted by a puppy at a pet store. An evil, mechanical blaster-shooting puppy programmed by their enemies. Delightful!

Oran's lips press into a grim line as Erisi hits the deck in a sad fwump, and he changes position to stand guard near her prone form - at probable risk to his dodge game, but, teamwork, right. He risks a glance down. "If you spontaneously combust down there, I will kill you myself."

Watching more of the order go down like flies, Aurine recognizes that they're in a bad spot. So she painfully crawls behind a crate for cover, all the while, urging her fellow Knight, "Erisi, can't you just like ... apologize to him? I'm sure if you just admitted where you went wrong and accepted your contribution to the demise of your relationship, this would be much better. All he wants is a little validation. You're only human, he is only a machine Make your peace. Part ways.." She turns, however, to watch the techno-wiz subcumb to her injuries. Perhaps the words never reaches Erisi's ears at all. No one ever takes her advice!

"You're not allowed to take your bitterness out on everyone else! GROW UP!" Asset Vang yells at the droidery. Doing another swipe to slam a droid against the ground.

Ah, an opening.

PEW. The droideka blasts Oran square in the torso while he's busy giving Erisi instructions not to die or burst into flames. Then Kylo is upon it, bashing through the last of the deflector shield and chopping this one into pieces like the others, and given that it is the last, an extra kick for the parts with the toe of his boot. "She left them here for us. She knew we found her, or it was a trap all along," he fumes, switching off the lightsaber and tucking it back on its beltclip. "I am tired of playing Ruanna's games. No more. We'll find her and put an end to this. Whatever it takes."

Given the status of the group after each of this missions, that has an ominous ring to it. "I'll send a cleanup crew to sweep the facility for anything she left behind. We're getting out of here."