Log:Hutts: We Dislike Your Interference
Hutts: We Dislike Your Interference
OOC Date: December 18, 2021
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Participants: Hapvarnna, Valeska Jaivon, Sumi Kora and Reverberate as GM
Another drekk laden alley on Nar Shaddaa, a path in the halls of refuse piled upon shavit that makes up the moon and down here it's darker and more rank still.
"We want them eliminated. No mercy. No need to ask them for anything. In, blooded and with people knowing they don't interfere with Hutt dealings."
The orders from 'On High' a member of the Hutt Council having personally laid down the order for the enforcers and for the Guild as well. Trying to make one hutt look like they need the advantage makes all look week. Messengers and barristers were to stand on their own bearing in these cases, not be eliminated if they appeared worth their credits. So it had become a race between Cartel and Guild - in a manner of speaking.
The squealers and the eyes for hire had pointed out a small apartment on the third floor of this shabby, ramshackle and hodge-podge little building. Windows boarded. Doors reinforced. Word must also have been out of trouble on the rise; because the streets are pointedly empty and windows are closed and any sort of glass or transparisteel opaqued.
Nothing to see. No one who wants to see.
Sumi arrives in the most traditional manner; at the front door. It's not a glamorous job, but someone had to do it. Who better than a sociopathic Mando with a penchant for violence /especially/ if the pay was good.
The pay was good.
Sumi stood in front of the door trying to decide how she wanted to go through it. She could kick it, or throw herself in /and/ through it, or she could knock and do the sensible thing.
Sumi presses the intercom button and speaks. <"Special delivery.. I need someone to sign for this."> She sounded so dull and bored with her job it may have convinced anyone. She rests a hand on the pistol grip of the cannon at her side in preparation.
A blast of static from the speaker grill precedes a rasping, irritated, voice snapping back, "Leave it at t'door and beat feet if you know what's good for you." static burbling up again with other voices laughing in the background before the line clicks silent. The sound, by the wonder of technology, is a mirror of a tone coming from a crack paned window to the right of where Sumi faces.
Beneath the door there is a shift of shadow and a swallow - the sort of panic of someone who is sure they're about to be caught in crossfire and is inching to one side of the entryway, trying to become small and behind any sort of defilade that they can find.
All is utterly silent again as if the street itself was holding its breath.
<"I don't know what's good for me, so I'm going to come in and /make/ you sign this rekking thing. Stand by.">
Sumi steps back from the door and puts herself against the opposite wall, each step taken heavily, indicative of the armor plating she bore in that expensive and legendary bit of armor. Her helmeted head shifts, looking left to right, then locking ahead.
Her jetpack came to life and she kicked off the opposite wall to chug forward in a jetpack aided run to collide with the offensive door obstructing her from carrying out Huttsucking justice. She hits, and the door buckles from impact, caving in and dislodging from its tracks before being appended completely and flattened to the deck.
The one responsible is no larger than most human females, and she clumsily wipes out atop the door. Her rise back up is slow, like someone who is getting too old for this. She dusts her hands off, turns her head slightly to pop her neck, and brushes back her cape.
Sumi pays a glance toward the one who had shadowed the door way to see if they were some sort of harmless slave, or something else entirely..
The figure of a waifishly thin zeltron is huddled back, mouth open in a surprised scream that is completely soundless for the shock in his features; furthered by the ordinance crashed and windows shattered from the concussion or from the orbs sailing through, sending up shrieks in varied timbers with the collateral damage beginning to pile up.
Above, calls go out, drowned out by the beat of the overloud music that almost deafens people to the cries inside some of those lower floor apartments. If there are footfalls they're mixed with the heavy thump but several figures appear, peering from concealment with weapons drawn to spy down the stairs, human and non-human faces in a pair. One looking back to call something unintelligible back upward to unseen figures.
No doors open, just yet, but sounds of heavy furniture being shoved against them makes it through the din.
<"They'll find some means of paying, I imagine."> Sumi grumbles back, disregarding the Zeltron in favor of the troublemaker calling up to the gang, preparing them for the ambush. Per the Hutt Lord's orders, no mercy is given or conveyed. She clears leather with a slugthrower that's fanned for three rounds. Two massive .48 slugs find meat and kill the target in a painful manner; they were not good shots, but that is what you get for firing from the hip.
Sumi is in no rush though, she takes her time to cross the lobby, even checking the chamber of her weapon before locking its hammer back again.
<"Sounds like they're barricading.."> Sumi says in a tone that's as casual as someone talking about taking out the trash. How did she even hear that over the noise and her tinnitus?
The lobby of the apartment is just as elegant as the outside. Which is to say sleeping out in the alley may be more hygenic. Valeska's rifle fires in response to Sumi's; Mando see, Mando do. Valeska's shot is wide, pelting the wall behind the Thug with an impressive blast of plaster and particulate. Impressive but ultimately ineffective.
<"Kriffin'..."> Begins a string of curses under Valeska's breath as she is already powering off her rifle and aiming to sling it over her shoulder. One-shot and done does not seem to be working for her tonight and she's already reaching for one of the blades on her belt.
"Whim! Wham! Do ya hear that blam? Crunch! Pow! How ya like me noooooow! Ay! Ayyyy!" The shaman moves in spinning, twirling, fiery displays. Casting his balls of durasteel bombs with wide arcs, and gusto. The Trooper-visor slides down in front of his face, the armor's brilliant rainbow colors shine in the light. The sensors pick up the other two combatants and - Enemy Tracking highlighting targets and that Togruta lets out a feral hisssssss to see comrades fired at.
A grenade is heaved, "Amu'watatiiiii! Brap! Brap!" The grenade crashes through glass.
One down, smashed against the wall and sliding to the floor before the explosive is tumbling the body down the stairs in a series of wet cracking sounds and the ruffle of loose fit armor under clothes before he strikes the ground, head twisted too far too one side. His compatriot thrown against another wall, bleeding and bruises already forming when his blaster is held out and shots are being fired, the one going just past Valeska for the one hucking exploding spheres.
More calls of panic come from the doors to either side of the lobby entrance that Sumi has made, more footsteps from upstairs, halting just out of sight with the results of the initial volley on the landing between them.
More voices call from above, an angry retort and the sound of something heavy thudding down the stairwell above roofing part of the lobby.
Sumi observes Valeska unsheathing a more personal weapon just as the ground shakes from a fragmentation grenade going off. She stumbles slightly from the kinetic concussion of the blast, then spots another thug up ahead. Looking to try to hit them from her distance is a feat though, and all she manages to do is damage the surroundings near the thug. Not exactly discouraged, Sumi continues to move forward though pauses to listen to all the noise up ahead.
<"There's quite a few up there! This is going to be fun!"> Sumi holsters the heavy handcannon, and unhooks a baton from her belt, extending it a second later with a loud metallic snap. She watches Valeska leave, but moves onward to attack these thugs head on.
There's a lot of booms and a single shot fired that whizzes past her and it's--- <"Oh! Are you the one settin' off the fireworks outside?"> It's a fine day for introductions, but perhaps that can happen later. The vibrodagger pulled from her belt, Valeska takes the opportunity in the low visibility of the explosion and the chaos of... whatever is going on upstairs... to backtrack.
She switches to the internal communications. <<"Alor. I'm going to the roof to cut off any potential escape. If I find it, I'll cut them off. Pincer. If I don't, I'll head back down and meet up.">>> There's no doubt in Valeska's mind that she'll be able to figure out what floor and what room Sumi is in at any given time.
Back out in the 'fresh' Nar Shaddaa air, Valeska ignites her jetpack and flies up towards the shabby roof of the shabby apartment building; gazing into the windows like a voyeuristic bird as she goes.
Hapvarnna heaves another grenade. Another. When the men threatening those inside are bathed in flaming light, cast down by rubble and shrapnel! So is it then, that Hapvarnna responds to Valeska:
The visor of the Troop armor turns to Valeska, but before anything can be said?
The Thunderer speaks. A red blasterbolt crashes into Hapvarnna's lower-left ribcage, causing the armor to rupture violently and with it bring an exposure of crimsin-white flesh that turns black from burn. He is driven down to the ground, mechanical leg the only thing catching him with a THUD. On one knee then, the Togruta's blood pours out from his mouth, and despite this - through the bomb-blasts of the Speakerbox, his reaction is to dumbly reach for that ancient man-sized Czerka slugthrower. The same sort of rifle Tusken use, this Togruta slides off his back and pushes into the ground like a staff.
Those massive shots, that drown out the music in staccato spots, are enough to keep people in concealment, there's even the sound of backpedaling while voices argue and the heavy jostling sounds of shoving can be heard by Sumi's ever-ringing ears.
The one on the stairs continues to fire, eyes heavy lidded, breath gasping and his shots more adrenaline than skill at this point while he takes his shots on the blue armored figure before him. "Stangin' die already!" weakly called out.
The room is as ramshackle as the building, reinforced with salvaged durasteel and duraplast sheets in areas. Makeshift grills. Makeshift glit-biter beds with a corpse three days dead, vomit dried and congealed in their mouth and around their cheeks.
But there's a single rectangular pillar thrust up, the door hinge and bolt as opposed to a sliding hatch, with several hand written notes of 'stairs' on them as well as a few 'keep outs'.
Sumi is knocked back a step when a blast catches her in the chest, the bolt offset by the presence of beskar. She rolls her shoulder forward and twists the baton to charge it to life, exciting the electrical arcs to hum and crackle as she moved up the stairs after the thug telling her to die.
She clips him across the cheek with the weapon and helps him to the ground with a thunderous CRACK. Looking up, Sumi activated her jetpack and landed on the next level, engaging with two more thugs and concluding the combat in two precise movements. <<"If they're fleeing, you should see them now, Val.">> Sumi says, yawning slightly as she pauses to scan the room she's currently in as if hunting for prey.
Landing on the roof with a slight bend in her knees, Valeska looks over around at the fetid living arrangements. In the case of one unfortunate soul, it's not so much a living arrangement but a makeshift putrefaction bed. Thankful the stench is filtered through her helmet before reaching her nose, the woman makes for the door, unlatches the bolt, and swings it open.
Peering inside, the stairwell goes down, down, down in a classic, action movie-esque spiral. How could anyone resist? <<"Alor. Stranger. I'm comin' down, yeah?">>
It's not a question. Just a habitual injection.
Gloved hand on the railing, she all but throws herself over and lets herself faaaaalll. But it's not a tall building and seconds later she's landing on the third floor with a few rapid bursts of her jetpack cushioning the landing.
Blood leaks down his chin, and his lungs are on fire. His nervous system screams. But the Togruta's sight-beyond-sight takes him towards the thunder, towards the world highlighted in blue waves from the Togrulocation. Even as another figure may crash down near him with a jetpack -- the Togruta is intent on moving forward, Czerka in his hands. Part staff, part rifle, when he actually gets indoors is when the rifle is hefted up and the large hammer on the rifle tugged backwards with a -click-.
The music plays, beats, and to the drumbeat bass Hapvarnna's voice echoes into the building as shrill, mad cackling, "E'chuuaaa!" It's a cheer, followed by a gurgled hiss again. "He-e comes, bid by Way and The Peeoople to s-speak!" The striped, rainbow-colored warrior heaves himself forward. To slide violently against a nearby corner, turn and press the rifle so the termination is beyond Sumi - when again there is an explosion, this time from the large slugthrower rifle being fired indoors. Mawp.
Bodies slipping and tumbling down the stairs, more potentially soon to be bodies running right back up, ducking and firing blindly at the closest figure they can find - even if that's the one with blaster scoring on their armor and a massive stun bat in her hand. "San'u'o ah! Chee'as kuh kas Mandalorian!!" his hollered while he fires blindly.
"Fee sa'ah tuh, Mandolorian?!" one of those on the third floor calls down, incredulous. Five figures down below, being joined by the fleeing two can barely be spotted, the two with the heavy weapon pause - one lugged under the weight of the weapon turning and almost dropping the repeater on his feet, the twi'lek at his side, a white skinned member of the species, turning somehow chalky.
A heavy pistol is up and a bolt fired at Valeska, wide eyed and pointed teeth bared.
In the small homes of the building more doors are barricaded and those not wanting to be part of this duck for cover. The spicehead downstairs where Sumi smashed in the door? Still there. Still with a massive O for a mouth and eyes as big as dinner plates.
The explosion of the rifle's loud discharge warrant a look from Sumi, who looks at the wielder (Hap) and result, but she says nothing in the moment. Why? She's shot, again. This time with a heavier bolt that forces her several steps back. Again, the beskar prevents anything more than a contusion and after thought, and Sumi surges forward to engage with the goons.
Her shortbreathed swings though give proof she's winded. She hits everything but her intended target, but she isn't one to give up either. She pursues even as they dodge.
Valeska's entrance onto the stage that is Floor Three is anything but subtle, a precussive thud announcing her arrival as all one hundred and fourty-four pounds of her hits the deck. Right behind a pair of heavies. The twi'lek is fast, forcing Val to roll into the shallow depression of one of the doorways. This close, she can hear the paniced scurrying of those inside pushing everything they possibly can against the door to try to keep all this nonsense out in the hallway.
<"Fair enough."> She muses aloud, then clicks to private comms again. <<"Two more up here trying to get something nasty set up. Going to ruin their party.">>
This is broadcast to the pair below with effort in her voice as Valeska is already rushing up on the twi'lek. A swipe to open her opponent up then two precise stabs; one in the gut and one in the dominant arm.
Sumi looks at Hapvarnna. Hapvarnna looks sidelong at Sumi. He's got blood oozing between his teeth, and the canines long as they are reflect back gold. An orange eye winks to the woman. Then he's rolling around the corner again, a pause, the hammer cocked and once more there is that eruption of sound. The recoil nearly tossing Hapvarnna down, but he catches himself, and holds his wound with one hand. The shot misses, but manages to create an ugly trench in the duracrete nearby, casting dust and debris every which way.
The comms light up, and Hapvarnna crackles back over them. <"Take my Thunder! His grenades, even!">
Its turning into a fully fledged firefight at this point. Ducking and dodging to get clear of those ion humming swings that are blowing plaster out of the walls and creating a divot on the floor with the discharge meant to shake bones and fry nervous systems. Two of the goons they're running for lean out to take shots on the Mandalorian coming up the stairs and one with a heavy rifle creating a hole in the stairwell wall behind and to one side, a match for the small detonation caused by Hapvarnna's rifle blast.
Upstairs the twi'lek slumps back and against the wall, hunched over, gasping and using both hands to lift her pistol to open fire on her attacker point blank, trying to put Valeska down or back her up. Her partner, having dropped the repeater now is cursing in several languages while dragging his own pistol free to fire wildly past the other Mandalorian woman's head, blowing out a light in a shower of molten glass and sparks.
"Cha ha'dah nah fa uh okhshai!" whatever in space that means, cried out by one of those on the stairwell landing.
Sumi finally smashes one of the goons, then twists to dispatch a second. The third in her sights dances away in haste, but she's found her second wind and pursues them at a casual pace, armored chest still smoking from the new carbon scored spots. It's not clear if Sumi is seething, or just having a good go of it all!
<<"Keep up the pressure!">> Sumi calls to her companions, swinging again and missing. Her baton crumbles a table and sends splinters everywhere! AHHH!
A lighting fixture -- and we're using that term extremely loosely -- explodes above and behind Valeska, raining sparks and molten glass in a spray of pyrotechnics. Simultaneously, a bolt hits her square in the sternum. Her armour soaks in the damage but not all of it. Not even close. The breath is knocked out of her and Valeska staggers; the twi'lek that is her target becoming a blur of triplets.
Keep up the pressure... keep up the pressure... keep up....
An audible snarl and Valeska pushes back into the fray, her virbodagger a smear in the air with each swing in the slightly dimmer hallway. She's only hitting air but it's keeping the twi'lek on the defensive. For the moment.
Sumi on the landing is a all the call that's needed. Those five on the stairs are trying to get up to the third floor and are having a hell of a time with a repeater cannon, the one who was handling it, and the twi'lek pistoleer causing a block in traffic that is jamming their forces into the middle of a pinch of Mandalorians that they're growing desperate to escape. Blaster fire lancing out in all directions.
"Sah'uh kah hieh kah kuh! Mandalorian shazekal!" whatever said, it doesn't sound polite, or pleasant. A downright vicious set of words uttered by the twi'lek pressing back to the wall and then sliding to avoid the next and the next - blaster coming up again with her partner firing in unison for Valeska.
A hectic job, it better pay well.
A pair try to look past Sumi when the Togruta is speaking up again, daring not try to draw her attention further than they have to while she's right in the middle, heads ducking when that slug rifle barks and the wall bursts in another shower of plaster. Doesn't have to hit to be terrifying.
Sumi is in the thick of the fight, dipping and dodging. It begins to emphasize the disparity between her experience and the goons she's fighting. When each dodge concludes with a counter that puts one in the dirt, Sumi achieves victory, leaving behind three dead to pursue the last of the trouble making brigade. Her HUD has detailed that Val is not doing as hot, though, and worry begins to manifest in Sumi's mind as she closes the distance toward the last of the foes.
<"Who is signing for this package?"> Asks Sumi, twirling the crackling stun baton briefly before bringing it up in anticipation of another strike! AHHH!
The Twi'lek triplets move as if in sludge. Everything around Valeska is slowing down. Sounds muffle. The doors lining either side of the hall extend. Pull apart and away. There is no building. No stairwell. No noise of attacks downstairs or frightened screams behind locked barrier.
All she can see is the vicious movements. The deadly aims.
And she can't move fast enough.
A white-hot pain rips through her left knee; shattering the patella and buckling her stance. She collapses to the floor, the blade still held tight in her fist now digging into the wood to hold her up. A jagged breath is abruptly stolen from her when another shot makes it under her breastplate. Flesh burns and ribs crack; puncturing a lung and robbing her of cohesive speech.
Her comm broadcasts one more pained, futile grunt then the crimson Mandalorian falls to the side and no longer moves. The blade still buried in the planks next to her.
Crack-thunder. The slugthrower hones in on the thugs, and again it fires off with a loud promise of violence -- crack-thunder. The Togruta standing behind the wall now, calls out over the comms again. <"And She, caked in the blooooooood of Enemy and Self, She would heeeaaar The Voice of Thunderrrr!"> The Czerka is cocked again, <"She would'a hearrrrrr the GROWL of the Little Brotherrrrsssss, the Sssscrrreeeeech of Little Sisterrrrs. Like, music! Knowing She was seen!"> He pauses a moment to stuff one of the many trinkets he carries -- a collection of packets, tea, into his wound to cease the bleeding. It causes a gurgled hiss over the comms, but the shaman continues, peeking around the corner his laughter is manic. <"Such a ssstorrrry to be tolllld!">
It's to the benefit of some that Sumi is a wall now, with blaster bolts all around her to garnish the bodies she's putting on the ground. Valeka on the floor above frees the twi'lek and the human to turn and try to add the weight of their fire as well. Those two down on the landing trying like mad to get away from the blue armored figure in their midst, firing wildly and ducking their way up the stairs.
Valeska is ignored for now, she's not moving much and the body is smoking. But one would have to be absolutely mad to turn their back on the figures on the opposite side of the downed woman. But it's not going to stop them from trying to back away to cover, a futile attempt to keep a distance between them.
Sumi kills the two nearest her with succinct heavy swings, leaving them on the ground at her feet. She turns to regard the last two, plucking a grenade from the molle loop on her bandolier. When the fuse is triggered, she shares a glance with Hap before tossing the grenade up in unison to create a chain reaction of loud blasts. It's enough to incinerate one of the troublemakers, leaving the final one injured.
Sumi deactivates her weapon, clipping the baton back onto her belt. Then she draws out the revolver again and makes for the injured survivor. If his ears still aren't ringing, he'll hear the loud click of the hammer going back as Sumi's shadowed form moves through the smoke toward them, preparing to execute the last one.
Valeska is, indeed, not moving and the blood pooling underneath her is slow but steady. Not a fast enough rate to bleed out in a rush but definitely enough to stain the wood she's crumpled upon. Her breathing is shallow; few and far apart with a distinct, thick rattle as fluid fills the punctured cavity. But too quiet to hear over the din of a battle still on-going.
But to the right sense of smell, the woman's smoking form could make someone hungry. To the rest, it's a distinct stench of burned flesh that can churn the stomach.
Orange eyes of Togruta meet with Sumi, and those colors on his decorated lek flash a bright vibrant cyan! "Ay! Ayyyy!" The toss is made. It's not really important if the grenades impact - the job is done by virtue of tactical use.
It's when Sumi runs off that Hapvarnna moves quickly for the downed Crimson Warrior, and his ringed, decorated hands move over her armor. A hiss. <"She is beyond my help. Her arrrmorrrrr is holding her bonessss together, yeah?"> A button pressed on the bracer, the Trooper's armor ceases recording though the Togruta spits his own blood over yonder. Instead, there's a glance to Valeska's knife, this pulled free and set to the sheathe so he can reach down and try to pick the downed Mandolorian up.
Explosions cast those last pair about at the top of the steps, the concussion enough to put the last, single, uninjured figure onto the ground, groaning, pierced by shrapnel and with bruises deep into muscles and even on some of his organs from the concussive blast ringed into him like so.
Rolling onto his stomach, another groan and a line of saliva trailing down. It's a feeble shift to crawl, to try and escape, to leave the ones still standing behind with his gloved fingers digging against the floor.
His whispering, whimpering, something as he gets traction with an elbow, pulling himself forward another foot, easy prey.
The sudden quiet is met with the sound of an infant shrieking somewhere, likely on the second floor, people calling to one another across halls. Life checks. Fear so palpable that it's a miasma thickening the atmosphere.
Sumi makes it to the top of the stair and follows the short trail of blood and gore to the final member of the crime group they eradicated. She's steps beside them, uses the toe of her boot to roll them over and places her sole on their chest to pin them down. A mirrored visor shows their reflection as she lazily lifts the revolver and fires into the center of their face before they could work up the courage to beg. The exit wound is enough to leave a mural of gore in its wake, and the silence that follows is indicative of the fact all crime related personnel are dead.
Sumi nonchalantly slides the pistol back into its holster without much ceremony to it. <"Don't forget to tip."> She pays one final look around before turning with a subtle shift of her cape. She needed to collect Val, and get her to a doctor. Thankfully, Hap was already seeing to the downed warrior.
She is a ragdoll. A deadweight in armour. Valeska offers no resistance to being picked up. No colourful commentary or reassuring quip. The only sound offered is the gurgle in her laboured breaths shifting in pitch as the liquid in her lungs sloshes to the other side when her body is reorientated.
But she's alive and a living brain can still dream hazy, violent dreams. Mostly flashes of colour and the ever-present feeling of 'that could've gone better.' Nothing cognitive. Just a vague sensation of floating until even that fades away into a numb absence.
Yet in the distance of this abyss, there's the far-away beat of a drum. Barely heard and echoing. Matching the slow but persistant heartbeat still in her chest.
Keep up the pressure... keep up the pressure... keep pushing... keep...
BWOMP-THROMPA-Bum-da-da-bum-da-da.
The music throbs. Beats. As Sumi levels the playing field and completes the contract, Hapvarnna lifts the Crimson Warrior, and his tea-bag woundkit falls out with a little blood but -- the Togruta isn't on Shili.
This is a fact bitten down, steely in The Faith, and the second-soul of the shaman steps out: Leave none. So, while that distant drum of music and Valeska's heart beats, the colorful Togruta slowly steps towards the entrance - his metal foot thudding. His voice though cracked and gurgling is loud, manic. "BEHOLLLLD!" The word is trilled, tongue rolling over sharp teeth. She smells like lunch, man. "The Red Lady. Ez'rha-Shil." The word spoken in both languages, and with a grunt the Togruta tries to pivot the woman's head to his shoulder, helmet and all. He is not strong like others who live this life.
The voice tilts downwards, "You are, She is, even, in fact, quite l-l-l-l-l-" Trilling. "-lucky that The Spirrrrrits like you so much, yes? Yes. Werrrre She, one of The People? He would leave you. But you are not! So, it isssss, is not even, so."
