Log:Kora - What Was Lost: Checking Corners

What Was Lost: Checking Corners

OOC Date: January 14 2021
Location: Mimban - Circarpous System - Expansion Region
Participants: Avery Ihala Kora, Sumi Kora, Karys, Zelo Parrai, Rathe Versiano and Hadrix Kora as gm Clan Kora

Mimban - Circarpous Sector - Expansion Region

Mimban, remote jump point to the old Expansion Region - former Imperial energy mining planet and jungle waste filled with a mixture of primitive and not-so primitive life forms that dwell within the jungles of the world formally called Circarpous V. It was deep in those jungles, that blocked visual scans, interfered with sensors, and provided a range of dangers for youths being groomed into The First Order's Finest.

<<"Why is it every other one of these I end up going to has an atmosphere?">> Hadrix's voice growls over comms. Three days slogging through the jungles, sleeping in hides, eating ration bars and utilizing water reclamation. All leading up to this point.

Creche Zerek, a primary basic training location found by Karys's combing through the recovered computer bank from over Sanctuary Moon. A name found, matching to birth records from a homeworld. Service information. The creche was on rotation schedule and it was a dice-shoot to see if what she was hunting was still here.

The structure was a repurposed Imperial storage depot. Octagonal shape, reinforced walls - data found reported much of the interior facilities changed into dormitories along the inside of the perimeter walls. Potentially three hundred 'recruits' age six to sixteen. At least one instructor per twenty and unknown Order Stormtrooper and, or, army presence as garrison. But there plans of action discovered. A rooftop access point with minimal point defenses near the water collection systems - or a drainage culvert utilized in lieu of standard refresher plumbing. The other side of the Bantha, so to speak.

Avery walks through the jungle, his HUD picking up random life-forms in the manner of lizards and other wonderous animals. He sighs, the humidity of the jungle causing the normally happy-go-lucky member of the clan to become a little irritated. <<"The universe is a varied place, odds are it'll be a desert or a jungle. I'd kill for a tropical paradise to blow up some day.">> The Mandalorian slicer peers at the large structure, trying to discern any information about what they might be encountering. <<"Looks fairly abandoned, though... if I know anything about the First Order, looks are always deceiving">> The obsidian armored man clutches his E-11, watching for any intruders or surprise guests that may crash the party.

New cells are inserted into her weaponry while they still have some distance. Karys looks upon the building from behind her visor with a sort of nervous energy about her. She has no reply for the weather or atmosphere of the planet but instead lowers and moves forward to get a better idea of the best angle of approach, allowing those in charage to take lead for the moment even as her hands flex on the grip of her pistol.

<"Those inside will be willing to fight even if they are only trainees. Best not to awaken the hive."> She finally speaks up but turns her head to look upon those of her squad.

Zelo Parrai isn't all that opposed to the jungle, seeing as the sweat is making it feel like he's swimming in his armor - perfect for a Nautolan, really. He's taken up position under cover of a few bushes, the shadows of which perfectly blend in with the dappled nature of his armor in deep greens and smoke greys. Finding the right sightline was not easy in a forest like this, but if you look long enough... You find what you want. Peering through his visor into the scope of Little Big Gun, Zelo begins to look for all the information that the black pools he calls eyes can summon up. He relays them to the Kora members who brought him on this mission - keen to impress, and to keep them safe.

<<"Signs of surveillance, likely active. Camera blister possible by the main doors-">> He pauses, relaying coordinates. <<"No guards visible at ground level but, unless it's the heat shimmer, I'm counting three marks on the roof - color's consistent with Stormtroopers. I have eyes on if you want them to start dropping.">>

Sumi brought up the rear of the group, walking casually through the jungle foliage without much ceremony or attempt in concealment. Call it stubborn age, but she hated hiking. /Hated/ it. Her helmet is off, and the century old soldier and sparking a smoke to life about the time they come to a stop for surveillance. Sumi has the tactical sense to put herself behind something solid to enjoy that brief moment of heaven, sighing out a planet-worth of frustration from one healthy pull. She has nothing of import to add, she's here as a soldier and to show her support.

Sumi, like any Mando'ade, sports a small arsenal of ready-to-draw weaponry. An E-11 hangs by sling beneath the confines of her cape, she's got a holstered handcannon, her stun baton (naturally), and two (2) swords strapped over her back using an archaic baldric-ring to hold each blade, as to not awkwardly confine it to a scabbard if she were to draw. One sword is nimble, small, and the kind you use to poke holes into things. The other is a large thing, intended to hack, maim, and cut down any huttsucker with the sack to stand in front of you. Sumi's helm? She holds it in her free hand, preferring to feel the air on her sweaty face, her dark hair weat and slicked back. This... She, rather, is not appealing at the moment. "I rekking love it here," Sumi intones in the usual raspy voice that's overshadowed by the orchestra of the fauna's ambiance. Her dark eyes watch the area behind them.

It's time to withdraw weaponry, Rathe has come down on his right knee behind cover. He's drawn the modified E-11, thanking silently whatever stars aligned for Karys to make such a find. He leaves the surveillance to the professionals for the most part. In the meantime, he engages the electric binocs in his helmet and starts looking over the place. Rathe spots what he was concerned about. He speaks subvocally into the helmet, transmitting on the private frequency versus his helmet vox for a change. <<"Kriff. Mines. No man's land at thirty meters out from the building. Not sure about a pattern though. Pity the Bald Demo Expert couldn't make it.">>

Rathe gives no opinion on Zelo dropping Stormtroopers initially. Then pauses. <<"My vote is snipe them as a last resort...">> The visor looks towards Karys and Avery, back to Zelo. Finally to the two Senior Kora, one being more Senior than the other.

Fortunate for the jungle, intervening NML oncoming or not, no alarms raise as the Mandalorians near. Bugs stop chittering at their passage only to start up again in their wake. Birds vacate their positions, but not enough to make it attention grabbing. But after some focus and use of helmet magnoculars there are, in fact, three troopers patrolling the roof.

The drainage culvert can be spotted, the cess-river flowing into the jungle where the forest becomes like a leech field. No troops on the ground and only small black spots in the 30 meter kill-zone between jungles edge and the building walls noted by their number.

<"Alright, so it's a bit more occupied than it appears. Great... what do we do about the mines?"> Avery has no idea how to deal with explosives that are right in front of him, much less explosives buried in the dirt. <"Do we fly over them? Go around them? Dance through them?"> He's at a loss on how to proceed, instead he ducks to the side behind a tree, out of sight while watching the doors in case more Stormtroopers arrive.

<"Those of us with the gear could help the others glide over but the trick is getting the height."> Karys sounds doubtful at best because more than a few of them are without 'wings' as it were. A long exhale follows as she glances towards the drainage culvert. <"Do you think per chance that it would give us some cover, that culvert over there. It does not look at all pleasant but could save us a great deal of pain considering."> She sniffs at the air - thankfully filtered so she does not smell.

<"I will go first, if anything I might be a distraction if all goes unwell."> Fair warning. She turns to the others, giving a nod before she pushes herself up, shoving the S-5 back into its holster in case she needs both hands. Better that way. Her eyes drift to the ground, doing her best to dodge and move swiftly to remain unseen. Agile and quick she crosses the distance.

Zelo is still watching for details when he sees an armor-clad Karys sprinting through no-man's-land. He tightens focus on the Stormtroopers above. <<"Folks, if you can follow that path, it's staying under the radar thus far. No detection from the rooftop. Not taking shots until you guys do, they do, or pending an order.">> He startles for a moment as a GIANT eye appears in his scope and he very nearly pulls the trigger before pulling back to see a small flightless bird staring through the sight from the other end.

<"Shoo."> The hissed tenor voice does not carry far, and it takes a small poke from the barrel to move the animal. <"It's always birds,"> the sniper mutters.

Sumi puts her smoke out against the burned beskar on the right side of her torso and steps closer to the group. From this spot, she could see areas in the killing field where the mines end, especially along the wall itself stretching out from the wall by six whole meters. "Rekking amatuer mine-layers. This must be a training field. We can hug the wall there to avoid stepping on these wonderful grass pies of ordnance." Sumi points. How she was able to see such minute detail with the mines seems a mystery, especially given she /just/ now dons her helmet. The visor washes out with silver, indicative of her HUD coming online, and the soft seal forming allows Sumi to breath filtered fresh air. Her sweaty face feels cool beneath the beskar protection.

She does not act on this new detail, leaving the direction and tempo of this adventure to those ahead of her.

There is a brief moment when Rathe is just irrationally grateful the Jungle doesn't start speaking in Murderous Teddy Bear. He's going to belly crawl that culvert with his weapon in hands, jussssst in case. Of course he realizes too late he could have simply followed another path. He's already committed to following Karys, one never knows when they need some Dreadfinder to hide behind. He does ensure he follows Kary's path via IFF and the visor's vision-enhancement.

<<"I remember mine-laying training. Full eva rig, had to do it under cover... If the instructors saw you they opened fire and you had to remember where you put yours, and where the others were.">> there's a liquid grumbling chuckle through the comms, <<"Lost a dozen trainees in the first two weeks. Speed-filtering.">> Hadrix looms near Zelo's position, adjusting his bowcaster - freshly modified overpressure chambers and a magna-rotational bolt projector... She could compete with Viera.

Karys and Rathe's hustle bring them within the lip of the culvert pipe, ankle deep in waste water and liquid waste - brought up to a repto-avian wire fence within - splattered with dried effluvia - something short work with cutters or small grade demo-charges to pass.

On the roof the troopers continue their circular passage around the rooftop, oblivious yet of the scurrying figures.

<<"Alor, you, me and Avery go topside...">> a pause, <<"Zelo can work on rooftop clearing then follow - draw attention roofward while Karys and Rathe take the sewer? Thoughts, everyone?>> the big mando's T-visor falling on Avery, head tilting at his thoughts.

<"Sure, sounds good to me."> Avery says, shifting from his place behind the tree to move out and away from the group for clearance. He shifts a bit, squaring his shoulders before igniting his jetpack and lifts off toward the top of the structure. His flight is graceful, if some what still belying of his novice ability with everything... however his attack is not. The young Mando had sighted in on one of the Troopers at the top, squeezing the trigger of his E-11 when he neared. Sadly, the only thing that served to do is really key the baddies in on the rapidly approaching Mandalorian Slicer. Avery lands near the cueballs, taking a few steps to cushion his descent and says in the most stern of voices, <"GRRRRRR!">

The smell is likely not going to be something she enjoys later on but Karys turns upon hearing Rathe near her. She glances to the gear on his person and clicking her weapon into position she reaches out and grabs the blade strapped to the rig on his chest. She pulls it free and once down, turns around and works the vibroblade against the wire just as the sound of rockets going off registers. <"We need to move".>

She pulls the wire back and away, freeing the opening as she keeps the blade in hand - just in case they find friends or things.

She pulls herself into the culvert and begins to hurry herself through it towards the otherwise of the wall. Glancing back briefly to make sure that Rathe is able to get through. The shots heard she speaks over the intenral comms <<"On our way through.">>

Zelo nods at the suggested course of action from Hadrix. Mop up and move up, makes sense. He watches a bigger Mandalorian shape cross the expanse, still unseen by the Stormtroopers. But then there is a figure on a rocketpack and... Well, between the rockets and a shot that doesn't quite land, the Stormtroopers are definitely aware now. He lines up a shot on the first one in his sights, conveniently not right next to Avery. His uncovered fingertip begins to squeeze on the trigger when, suddenly, that oversized eye is back. This time, the restraint doesn't come in time and there's an unfortunate 'SQUARK' and a puff of feathers as the blaster does terrible work to an unfortunately-innocent avian bystander. The bolt goes wide of the Stormtrooper at which it had been aimed.

<"This location is compromised... Here's hoping they've got the enemy covered."> Zelo catches one of the feathers from the air and tucks it away as he rises, preparing to move up if no targets remain.

At the order to move to the roof, Sumi voices no concern for the action. Her answer is only the slow rasp of onyx metal being drawn from her back. A massive sword is brandished, held by both hands. A second later, her jetpack comes to life and she springs like a viper for the strike.

Upon making connection, Sumi's blade struck true. She hit the trooper so hard the onyx metal bit past the plastoid, shattering it like an eggshell. It passed through the soldier like a knife and hot butter, and the concussive connection carried enough momentum to spill the poor sod onto their back, hemorrhaging blood in painful surprised spasms with a choking wheeze of death.

Sumi lands, casting her cape back with one hand while orienting the blade /down/ planting its tip into the torso of the trooper and robbing them of their last breath. <"Come, children. We learn of death, this day. Flee if you must, but you will meet death tired. Hahaha.."> She pulled the blade free, hoisting it up to prepare to charge, a laser bolt redirecting off her armor.

If he was honest with himself, never was he more happier to have chosen to wear Dreadfinder armor before. His completely sealed environmentals will spare him for hours until he can jump in a lake, or hose off. Preferably with disenfectant. The cape will be a loss. There is a blinking as she grabs at his chest, and then he nods once. Smart call on her part. His helmet turns the visor up at the sounds of rockets, shooting, and screaming.

Rathe starts to crawl after Karys when he asks her on their private frequency. <<"Did you just hear a Kowakian monkey-lizard growl on the primary comms?">> Rathe sounds perplexed, shrugs his armored shoulders, and keeps the E-11 up by crawling on his elbows as he belly crawls after her to keep low clearance. Again. -Really- happy he has a full sealed armor set right now. He's also scared as he considers how he's going to tell Karys she can't come back on the ship until she's been blasted by high PSI pressure wash.

Surprise is the body language registered as blaster bolts sing past those troopers on the roof. Confusion and raised weapons for two of them, at least, before Sumi's strike ends one and a plasma encased durasteel bolt from the treeline sends another cartwheeling through the air.

<<"Alor, Avery - I'm remaining with Zelo until he moves, keep your tactical feeds open for me. Karys, Rathe - while we pull attention upwards - this sort of facility had a sub-buried power system to use ground moisture to heat leech, you can probably find heat-sink fins. Trash them and things will start to suffer - and you should be able to exit into the facility. Keep alert.">>

On the roof a hatchway opens and more troopers begin pouring out, numbering eight with F-11s drawn and shouts over externals for Sumi and Avery to drop their weapons - trying to remain ignorant of the two already dead on the rooftops.

In the sewer system potential twists and turns that might have led to... the origins of the filth are at least avoided - allowing for a search for the Al'verde's suggestion or a path of their own.

If only he were as intimidating as Sumi. Instead his fearsome intimidation probably only served to elicit a few giggles from the Stormtroopers instead of the desired result. If he hadn't been on Sumi's side, he probably would have thrown his gun down and ran screaming. Instead, he only mildly flinches and shakes his head at the reaction. In the process of his head moving from side to side, the two white armored fellows go down in an eruption of blood and blaster fire. Avery spared half a second to begin to smile at their fortune when a hatch opened and eight more slipped out to join their fallen comrades. He shakes his head again, this time in response to their request to disarm themselves, and squeezes the trigger a couple of times. One of those times sends armor bits and more blood flying, the other chips part of the building away as the red bolt flies harmlessly wide.

<<"Did I? Sorry I am trying now to listen to the squelching of questionable material sliding into the crevices of my armor. Going to need to hose down after this.">> Sloshing through the muck in the culvert, making a face as she hear's Hadrix' voice in her ears. <"Copy and heard."> She keeps her attention forward, the vibro dagger in her hand and the other pulling free of her holster as she leads the way. She takes a moment to assess the facility and then turns, upnodding in the direction as the light flickers and changes. <"Fans ahead,"> she remarks to him and glances back at the larger mando.

<"Lets get these taken out."> Her foot slides a little, causing her to lose balance as her hand extends and she manages to get one shot off at the spinning blades. Not enough for them to stop moving but there is a labored sound.

Zelo sticks the loose feather in a quick-release compartment of his belt. He begins to sling Little Big Gun into place when he spots the door opening to release more Troopers to the roof where Sumi and Avery are facing them down. Taking exactly one step to the right, Zelo drops to the ground in the sort of belly flop that takes the air out of his lungs. Gasping for one quick breath, he forces himself to regulate. Heartbeat drops, slow exhalation, finding the target... Zelo pulls the trigger on the leading Storm Trooper advancing, and in the end there may be a set of white pants still intact. <"Another one down. Also, ouch, my gut."> The Nautolan watches as he mutters, though he glances for more of those birds.

Sumi was already in motion by the time the troopers came out and made demands. Too late. Sumi cuts a trooper down in cold blood, slinging their insides in the direction her massive sword passed, the poor guy gurgled before stumbling aside. Blades this size could only be effective if they stayed in motion, so Sumi followed the momentum of her swing, spinning and dragging the blade high at the conclusion only to bring it down in a punctuating strike that cut a trooper vertically, this one female judging by the muffled sound she made when the blade surprised her before killing her.

Sumi kicked the woman off her sword, the blade lodged in her shoulder bones. The body tumbled over the edge of the roof, and Sumi turned to charge after another pair of troopers, laughing as they shot at her in close quarters, albeit unsuccessfully. <"Hahahaha!">

Continuing on their private channel Rathe counters with <<"Well. If you had fully sealed armor...">> Rathe is not bragging as much as having a little fun at Karys' expense. Before she can kick him, he swarms up her lower back muttering. <<"Nice shot! Okay, Hold still, going to help. Need your shoulder.">> Rathe doesn't wait, he didn't use NCO Voice on Karys, but clearly expected some modicum of her trust. He rests the E-11 on her shoulder, he'd extended the stock the moment he'd brought the weapon out to play. It just made sense. Rathe's finger squeezes the firing stud just once, and finishes what she started, the fan is no longer under power and the spinning slows. He starts trying to swarm back before she thinks to elbow him for being a smartass... and the fact he's heavy in this armor.

SHOOOONK the trooper that had struck Avery is blasted backwards in a heap of melting plastoid, red-hot glowing bone and vaporized innards where the torso had been,

<<"Avery, you alright?">> Hadrix's rumble having a slight uptilt to it, battlefield concern? It happens.

Though only a pair had taken aim at the sword swinging psychopath surging sordidly through their numbers while the other three tried to down the gunslinger it was quickly becoming anyone's guess as to who should have been the primary target as numbers closer to a full squad are cut down by more than half of them. But at least they keep fighting. Credit to their training there.

Below the systems chug and grind, trying to turn trying to move air and cool off the power systems - now jammed and grinding until heat friction causes them to fuse and shower sparks all over the sewer - little sparking puffs of yellow-green methane ignitions springing up all around, enough to heat armor and maybe singe fabric. Traveling all around the pipes in sympathetic detonations as loud as kids firecrackers.

Finesse.

He wishes he possessed the same sort of passion for killing as Sumi. I mean, he likes killing as much as the next murderous Mandalorian but to get as thrilled at slinging swords and blasters, he's just not there yet. Avery's musings are cut short by a searing pain in his chest. He looks down, HUD highlighting the hole in his armor, and winces. <"Ow..."> Comes the retort, very effective in that it did nothing to the white armored fellow who shot him. A better response comes shortly later when the Trooper is nearly vaporized by the blast from the ground. A gloved hand raises to give a thumbs up to those below and he nods, <<"Yeah, I'm gonna need a patch job when we get back but I've had worse...">> He remarks, grunting only after the comms are silenced. Regardless, he still had a job to do and his Carbine is raised to do its part. Two more bolts fly and again only one connects, its target sent flying backward to plummet from the top of the building.

The blaster rifle goes off at her shoulder and Karys remains still as the fans squeak and power down, coming to a slow halt as they fulfill several more rotations before coming to a stop. <"Success. Now we get out."> She tilts her head, glancing back at Rathe before she is hastily making for the hatch and its resulting ladder. She drags herself up the first five feet but feels her her foot give out. The grips on her gloves keep her in place. <"You okay back there?>" Hopefully she did not kick Rathe at all in her attempts but she regains her footing and drags herself up, pushing her way up and through the opening into a main training area, the smell coming with her as it wafts up and into the facility as red lights begin to blink.

<"All the facility is alerted."> She advises as she rolls out and to her knees.

Zelo Parrai sees everything unfolding in his scope. A bug making a family with another bug on the leaf that just barely eclipses the sightline of his scope. Avery taking a shot. Multiple Stormtroopers dropping. Multiple Stormtroopers still standing, though thankfully dwindling for the moment. He lines up another shot as one of the four remaining falls spectacularly to an E-11 bolt. One more exhalation, one more pull of the trigger with his bare finger. One less Stormtrooper as the crackle and hum of the cooling sniper rifle whines next to the Nautolan's head.

Sumi, freed from the corpse of the former stormtrooper, charges into another subsequently forcing her sword through their mid-section and out their back, detaching the backplate of their armor with a loud snap of buckles giving out under the stress and tension. Sumi directs the body in front of her, sustaining the bolts intended for her upon the soldier's back before discarding her mobile cover to spin-swing, and cut another. She catches their leg, earning a loud scream the moment her blade finishes its path through their left leg. Sumi is carried off kilter by the heavy swing and stumbles comically to one side trying to halt the blade and only managing to fall over.

<"Oof, this is as heavy as a Hutt.. rekking thing.. ugh.."> She laments, slowly rising back to her feet and showing her age. It was the hike! She's wore out! Meanwhile, that poor trooper's screaming in agony. <"Someone shut them up. Hell, I /know/ it doesn't feel /that/ bad.">

Faintly Rathe can hear a battle off someplace, or it's his warlike instincts. His visor tilts upwards, as if willing himself to see it all. Then his head shakes and he focuses at the task in hand. <<"I am good.">> He DID have to duck a foot briefly, but it was understandable. The rungs are slick. At least they are getting out of the goo. He puts one hand before the other and starts silently ascending, mindful of his footing and hand holds before moving up rung by run while ensuring his armor doesn't scrape the hell out of the tunnel. He pretends he does not hear the goop dripping off his duelist's cape to the floor belore. Once he is out and off to Karys' side he comments quietly in response to her pointing out the alert once more on their private channel. <<"Karys. I swear. We're not leaving until your mission is a success.">> It was rare Rathe actually got to accompany Karys, their tactics were so far apart. At least if she needs a door busted down, his thick skull is here to save the day.

The sounds of hatchways and movement from below stir the instructors for the creche - which seems to echo significantly. Lights spin causing a slow pulse of red on the walls in the central part of the training creche. Tables pushed to the walls and thin mats resting on the floor. The walls arranged almost like prison cells with the old storage yard managers office on the northern most point set up like an overseer's command station.

<<"Sumi, Avery - the hatch they came up through - drop down shooting or drop a frag then jump down - it should be a light causeway over the main facility - easy way to get in without kriffing about the walkways.">>

The troopers above taking shots at Sumi with her mad cackling distracting them for Avery to gain a moment of respite to aim while blasters open up below to the appearing forms of Karys and Rathe - the men and women in helmeted instructor armor opening fire with carbines, trying for kill shots rather than injuries.

Avery watches Sumi stumble about for a few moments, an eyebrow lifted beneath his helm at her rather ungraceful recovery from the huge swing with the large sword. <"One shut up Trooper, coming right up..."> He had started to chuckle at the entire scene when Sumi takes a blaster bolt to the chest from the one she injured. Eyes wide, he's prepared to be rather upset but is just started when the bolt ricochets off into the distance. <"Beskar is a wonderful thing..."> He remarks, stepping over to the remaining Stormtrooper and leveling his Carbine at their head. Here comes the kill shot.... and the bolt caves a small hole into the floor next to the Trooper's head. <"Well that's embarrassing."> Avery mentions before raising the E-11 to fire again. This time the prone and barely moving target doesn't escape his aim. <"Alrighty, sooooo down through the hatch?"> He asks their Alor, the unseen eyebrow raised once more.

They are caught unaware for a brief moment as the blaster fire focuses on them upon exit of the hatch. When Rathe gets hit she slowly steps forward as her own bolt flies past and over her shoulder, missing the neck shot that the instructor was aiming to take her down with. Its a sort of calm slow procession forward as her pistol lifts and she squeezes off the first shot, taking down one drill, though not dead.

<"Stand down."> Its an advisement as the next instructor, unfortuante for them is hit not once, but twice as the drops the figure without an iota of remorse or hesitation. Her boots make stink with the muck of the facility but she's going to make sure she is not wearing it for nothing. <"No..we won't leave until we know for sure.">

They are caught unaware for a brief moment as the blaster fire focuses on them upon exit of the hatch. When Rathe gets hit she slowly steps forward as her own bolt flies past and over her shoulder, missing the neck shot that the instructor was aiming to take her down with. Its a sort of calm slow procession forward as her pistol lifts and she squeezes off the first shot, taking down one drill, though not dead.

<"Stand down."> Its an advisement as the next instructor, unfortuante for them is hit not once, but twice as the drops the figure without an iota of remorse or hesitation. Her boots make stink with the muck of the facility but she's going to make sure she is not wearing it for nothing. <"No..we won't leave until we know for sure.">

Zelo springs up to his feet, throwing Little Big gun over his shoulder on the sling. <"Alright, moving up, sir! See you on the roof!"> And with that, he's off. Sprinting as fast as he can go - which, honestly, is not very fast for a pilot and sniper very used to not having to move - Zelo cuts through the woods, trying to keep his eyes locked on the places where he was certain Karys and Rathe had passed before. Man, it's a lot farther than he thought. His breath is catching as he tries to push for more speed, and... Then he stumbles.

Zelo tries to catch himself... And he makes it! Then the next step gets tripped on his awkwardly-placed planting foot and he falls forward. There is the faint click - <"Ffff-"> - and a whining sound before all sound disappears into the burning sensation of the sniper's world exploding.

Sumi took the brunt of the shot, despite it being redirected from her chest. She was closelined by the impact and crumbled on her back, laughing. Her rise back up was masked by the loud pair of shots it took Avery to kill the trooper. She hefts the sword back up and fed it back through the loop of her baldric, then extended her close quarters baton, spinning it to prime the arcing electricity. <"Yes. Down the hatch."> Sumi answers and drops into the hole.

Before impacting below, her rocketpack activates and suspends her in place to gingerly set her booted feet down. Too many hero landings left warriors in wheel chairs with bad knees. Not this warrior! Sumi moved quickly from the hole to make room for Avery. <<"Landed. Moving.">>

Free of the culvert means he can finally focus on- OW. He didn't even have a chance to process what happened other than it burns and stings! He's positive his rib just stopped him from a hole in the lung, not his first, nor his last. He focuses on Karys giving orders towards the remaining drill... Instead the E-11 whips up and his first shot misses the Drills face, the next trades torso shot for torso shot. <"Yeah. That hurts a lot, don't it?"> Rathe had to be glib so he didn't black the hell out. <"Drek. Karys, love. I need you to be my hands I think."> He exhales sharply. <"Won't take long, but regardless. Your mission takes priority here. Not leaving until we got the data for you two."> Rathe does take a moment to go to one knee, E-11 still in hands just in case. He can cover Karys if she chooses to work on him after all. His visor stares at the living drill. It's very much a silent malevolent 'try me' look from a faceless helmet. Rathe just radiates hate and miscontent.

His attempt to rescue Zelo from explosions wasn't a success - but his maneuvering to take the fragmentation shells on the armor and the Mandalorian Iron helmet were. Buffeted by the explosive and knocked to the ground near the nautolan, t-visor briefly filled with dirt as the Massive Mandalorian begins spitting invectives loud enough to be heard through the helmet.

Must've lost his cigarra in the crash.

<<"Hold on Zelo, I'm coming to patch you up.">> flipping a catch on a belt pouch to get his med-kit while staggering to his feet.

With the last of the instructors down, barely breathing the quiet grows. Those on the ground can hear the ingress of Avery and Sumi above. There's no shouting, no jeering. The alarms have opened the cell doors to a great and thunderous silence. Until the instructor downed by Rathe, slowly dying, expediates the process. Helmeted head lifted and a wet sound coming through externals.

<"Long... live... The Supreme Leader..."> thumb coming down on a control in hand and setting off the grenades on their belt sending shrapnel and flames out towards the duo.

Then silence again.

After a quick look around up top, especially with the number of explosions happening below that sparks a bit of concern, Avery follows Sumi through the hatch, his own jetpack firing off to slow his descent. Unfortunately, he didn't time it right and he veers off course, flipping about like a wounded duck before he cuts the engine and falls safely the remainder of the way, his gravbelt kicking in to save him at the last few seconds. His feet plant on the ground near Sumi, his sheepish grin thankfully hidden by the obsidian helmet. <"Eeeer... totally planned."> He says before hefting his E-11 and following the head of the clan along deeper into the building.

Long live...Karys turns, her body shielding her by using her side rather than expose her vitals as she reaches out to grasp at Rathe's arm. She holds to him even as they are caught in the explosion. Luckily they are far enough away and the large pieces of sharpnel miss them, flying wide around them and a few embedding into a wall. The helmet turns as the worst of the smoke clears before she slaps her pistol into her holster and removes the medpac. <"You tell me what to do, I will do it.">

Seeing to his wound she uses the quick movements and what is in her pouch to do the best she can. Its not the best field dressing but its going to keep him together and relieve his pain for now.

Zelo coughes weakly, feeling his recently-reknit skin pulling tight as he turns over to retch. He remembers, perhaps with only a moment to spare, that he is wearing his helmet, and he chokes it all down. Rising, cobalt-blue skin now showing through a very large hole in the side of his Skyripper armor, Zelo nods and puts a hand faintly on Hadrix's shoulder for just long enough to say, <"Thank you, sir... I should watch my step...">

Turning those keen sniper eyes to the ground, he can see all of the suspicious clumps of greenery and extra mounds of soil that ought to have blended in better. Moving his dumb sniper legs, Zelo makes for the facility, unslinging his E-11 as he tries to get back to being useful to the Clan to which he has pledged his service.

Sumi spares a look at Avery, unclear if it's amusement or something else given her helmet's presence. His affirming statement is only awarded a thoughtful silence, though she nods before stepping off. The quiet is filled with their bootfalls and the idle hum of her electric weapon. The way is lit from the blue hue of the weapon as well, and Sumi uses that in her search of the corridor. Sumi arrives at the doorway of an office, with a viewport inside. <<"I believe I have found an office with some sort of terminal. If this is our objective, we need a way past this hatch. Also.. it's really quiet in here. I can hear the ringing in my ears..">> That wasn't a good sign, right? Sumi turns to look at Avery, half expecting the Mando to shrug in response. Maybe he knew more?!

<"Long wha-?"> That's about as far as Rathe gets before suddenly Oh My God What The Kriff BBQ BOOOOOOOOOM. Rathe is able to ragdoll just the right way to not make his current wound worse. Rathe groans as he sits up and turns his visor towards Karys. <"Ow."> He follows that up with talking her through what he needs. <"Outstanding job..."> He freezes, only now understanding the goop that was on the outside, may now be on the inside. He intentionally does not sniff to see, because his brain is a bastard and will smell something non-existent just to mess with him right now. He staggers to his feet and takes another look around. He pauses his visor, Boss Lady has arrived, and in the process he discovers... <<"Found the access.">> With that, Rathe pops the access controls to the hidden area following the Alor's lead catching up to them in the hidden area.

Gone. All gone. All of the trainees, the the normal garrison of soldiers. A skeleton crew on hand between rotations. Each cell cleared, cleaned, ready and waiting. The discovery of the small office tucked away and out of normal view even from the overseer's office above the main training and mess-hall area the real find.

Within? Databanks that the likes of Karys and Avery are able to access systems and find numbers matching to Karys's data, tracing back to Pamarthe - confirmations of 'tithes' taken from the stormy world. Information that can lead one to potentially confirm data from one search and giving a 'name' after a fashion to another.

MZ-162 - Pamarthe - 1145, Infant Tithe. Recent transfer to **ENCRYPTED** A brief stop, code to be cut through. But there was a next step and a confirmation of data.

<<"Copy that. Zelo is patched up, we took mine to the buckets. But we're fine.">> Hadrix's response comes to Rathe's report. <<"Calling up the Woor for exfil to our ships. Be prepared to make for the roof when it's time.">> the Al'verde Kora moving to support Zelo as he goes. <"Good job."> the big man's private accolade to Zelo lacks any sort of derision of ingenuine tone. There's even a pat on the shoulder. <"Make a Kora of you yet."> Finesse.

Another name comes up among the records while the tech-masters of the Clan work.

AV-1004 - Chandrila - 1137 - Initial Basic - Creche Mern-Zerek: Circarpous Sector 1137-1141, Transferred to Alzoc System - Monsolar, Volus Outpost. Creche Aurek-Vev - Intake number 1004.

More clues.

More threads to pick up and follow. But a victory, after a fashion.