Log:Resistance: Old Birds - The Things We Do for Love

A Beginner's Guide to Kinetic Dismantling

OOC Date: December 18, 2016
Location: Hutt District, Nar Shaddaa
Participants: Zhu Yan, Sabella Lockheart, Sesti Greystorm, Ranneth Dane, Jax Greystorm, featuring Sar Yavok as GM, Kath Hounds, The Resistance

The short story: Sar says it's a simple smash and grab. For the first time ever, he's actually sort of correct. Sort of.

The long story:

Resistance Intelligence has finally managed to decode the remainder of the information found within the Crimson Blade's servers. The result? The Resistance now knows where the mercenaries are operating out of. A large, fortified compound deep within the heart of the Hutt District. Not having the best track record with the Sluglords, Sar Yavok enlisted outside help. So, here they are, a rag-tag group of soldiers in dropseats on the YT-2000 christened Redline and captained by the smoothest captain south of an oiled-up ten-year-old.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for flying Zhu Air this fine evening," was the dulcet tones of Zhu Yan, Master Man, in his best Space-Chuck Yeager impression. He was sitting in the front seat of the cockpit, weaving the notoriously twitchy freighter through the corridors formed by the skyscrapers of Nar Sahddaa. "We are coming up on approach to the Hutt District, and if my codes are right, they should let us walk right in the front door. Just don't ask them about Harlan's Helljumpers." A story Yan wasn't about to explain over the comms, that one.

Sabella Lockheart is along for the rider again to help out, well something along those lins. One day perhaps the mechanic will figure out going headfirst into a fight zone is a bad thing. She is pulling on her gloves as she peeks over to Zhu with an amused look. "Funny." Is offered with an amused tone.

The leather jerkin is over her armor, but the rapier, baton, and the pack for her back are all held on her lap. The back holster for her blaster is on, though. She's flipped up the visor in her helmet, and she gives a grin to Sabella, before glancing to the man in the seat beside her.

Ranneth Dane is content to remain silent in his seat in the passenger area of the craft, his blaster rifle bestween his knees, butt resting on the floor while he runs final checks on his blast helmet's hud, various screens and readouts flashing up before the hud goes dark again, awaiting user input. His head moves in sync with the movement of the craft as it navigates through the skyline of Nar Shadaa. His hands rest seemingly idly on the barrel of his blatser rifle while he gazes out at what he can see of the skyline as it zips past.

Jax has his waywards armor on and his hood pulled up as usual on one of these operations. If he's thinking anything he's not vocalizing it at the moment. The Corellian reaches over to put an arm around his wife. There's an exhale and the words, "I am one owith the force." can be heard from his mouth.

"Job oughta be pretty simple. Just a smash and grab. Liable to be air support closing in on us, longer we wait, so let's make sure we don't wait long. Just stay calm and listen to me, and we'll make it out with what we came for, copy?" Sar asks, looking around at the group that he's picked out for today's mission.
Zhu Yan's earlier concerns about whether or not they had the wrong codes are abated once they're transmitted and the YT-2000 is given clearance and assigned a berthing area within the transport hangar, just a couple of hallways away from their target; the starfighter bay.
Sar stands and clicks in the button on the wall-mounted speaker, "Alright, Zhu. Just bring us in. Intel says the hangar we're headed to shouldn't be too defended, but discretion is key for the first phase. See if you can clock any defenses while you're bringing it through."

Zhu Yan shifted power casually from engines to repulsors as he slid the Redline towards a berth. In the interim, the ship's scanners did their work, scoping out power sources, lifeform indicators, everything else he used to make sure he wasn't being set up on one of his many, many business deals. The computer spat out a report around about the same time the landing gear touched the deck. "Alright, you got about... ten troops inside, with a couple of E-Web guns," he explained over the comms. He tapped a few more buttons and... "Ramp is unlocked. Depart at your discretion." Then, just to be on the safe side, he booted up the firing computer. Quad laser turrets made a mess of meatbags.

Sabella Lockheart glances back to Sesti and a faint smile is seen. She isn't fully sure about this like every other time she tags along. "Hopefully it'll stay nice and simple... No trains this time right?" Is questioned back to Sar while she is standing up gripping hold some handhold area while theyare getting closer to the spot in quesiton. She tilts her head hearing Zhu over the comms and glances out towards the ramp and the building there be heading towards at that.

As Sar preps the team, Sesti stands from her seat to first throw the medpac over her back and fasten that into place. Then her melee weapons are secured at her hips, and she takes off her helmet for a moment. She leans over to speak quietly Jax, then straightens, and finds a handhold above her to assist her balance on the landing, preparing to disembark. "Copy, sir," she responds firmly, but without the human military ebullience.

Ranneth Dane steadies the barrel of his rifle with one hand while raising the other in a thumbs-up gesture to Sar to show he's understood the orders. He takes a few steadying breaths, then works his head around a bit, stretching his neck muscles, the blast helmet clicking and clacking softly where it makes contact with his shoulder plates. He slides off his seat to take a kneeling position facing the ramp, the seat at his back for a brace should there be any sudden maneouvering. He keeps his rifle's butt grounded firmly on the deck, waiting.

Jax eyes open and he gives Sesti a small smile. There's a smile and something whispered. Then he pulls back the hood for a moment, "It never that simple, but keep yourself safe Sabe. Somebody got to keep Triz out of trouble." He says standing up and moves to take up his blaster pistol. He adjusts his power settings. "Ready when you are Colonel. May the force be with you." He says pulling his hood back up.

"Copy that, Zhu. I'll buy you a drink when I get back. Tell Hex I'm still pissed I wasn't invited to the wedding," Sar says into the comm, before releasing the button and finishing his final preperations, in the form taping up his left and wrist. Flexing his fingers, he slides his gauntlet on and slips his EE-3 out of its holster.
"Should be an inspection team coming anytime," he remarks. "Get ready." He levels the pistol at the ramp.
As Sar guessed, the ramp begins to lower, thumping harshly against the hangar's duracrete flooring. Outside? Three mercenaries, ready to give the inside of the ship a once-over and begin unloading cargo.
Sar's blaster moves quickly and looses four bolts into the bodies of two of them. The leader's body twitches as the head that was once attached has now burned away, and one of the lackies is blown backwards. The remaining soldier is left standing, terrified.

"Hey, I wasn't invited either, if it helps," Yan answered back over the comm. He shuffled out of the pilot's seat after powering down the engines and sat down in the co-pilot's chair. "Targeting computer, targeting computer," he hummed to himself as he tapped away on a display panel, bringing up the lower quad turret controls. "Team, prep for covering fire," he said over the comm, programming the lower turret to scythe across the open gap between landing struts.
BLATBLATBLATBLAT went the quad lasers, causing untold amounts of property damage, shattering an E-Web, but not scoring any kills! Still, covering fire was covering fire.

Sabella Lockheart takes in a light breath and glances over to Jax looking amused at that. "Funny... You think I keep her out of trouble? I get into trouble just as much as she does you know right?" This said with an amused tone while she is pulling her blaster from her hip once the ship is touching down. With the ramp down and looky badguys! Sar is going about taking care of two and with one left she does go about firing off two shoots towards badie number three, though well she misses... She is a mechanic right, give her a ship to work on and it'll be great!

Sesti smirks at her husband's words and is about to respond when, "Hex got married?" Sesti queries, exchanging a look with Jax and whatever she was thinking of saying momentarily thrown off by the news. "The little..." she puts her helmet back and readies her blaster and walks to the side of the ramp to have some cover as it lowers. As soon as blaster and cannon fire start flying, she opts for keeping the ranged position, and takes a shot at the one left standing that's close enough. The first shot goes wide, but the second catches the leg and she watches the person stumble to one knee. She hmphs, and scans beyond as she takes sight.

Ranneth Dane grips his rifle with both hands, one down near the pistol grip, the other on the barrel, ready to bring it to firing position at a moment's notice. As the ramp lowers, he brings the rifle up to a ready position at the shoulder, barrel pointed in the direction of anticipated targets. He holds his fire as Sar opens up on the two guards unlucky enough to find themselves right where the Resistance transport has chosen to land. A faint smile crosses his lips at the deeper sound of the ship's guns opening up, providing covering fire. His barrel tracks onto the second of the two enemy as soon as he sees the first one starting to go down under Sar's fusilade.

Just then, shots ring out from Sabella's pistol, but all the tech succeeds in doing is adding to the localized ozone content as her shots miss. He takes aim at the remaining target just as another series of shots ring out. This time it's Sesti, but she hits her man, though she doesn't put him down. Inhaling the sharp smell of ozone, he squeezes the trigger and fires off a single shot, impacting the man, dropping him instantly.

"Yeah yeah Sabe, I know you're the ring leader. Just like Sesti is with me. Don't let her convince you otherise." So Jax moves down the ramp of the ship with his blaster pistol held into firing position. Then he moves to cover behind a large metal crate on the plateform. His pistol aimed at group of mercs waiting for them, he pulls the trigger sending three blasts at one of the mercs. The second blast connecting before Jax drops down behind the crate. "Seven contacts. Well Six point five and an e-web." Then he responds to Sesti, "Guess so. I'm not going to watch the holovid slide of their vacation. I can only handle so may pics of Hex in a goofy flora pattern shirt waving at the camera behind insert tropical planet here background."

With the ramp clear, Sar shouts, "Go!' and begins moving. He reaches the bottom of the ramp and steadies himself on the sloped surface long enough to let another four shots loose. Two more of the guards get smoldering holes in their bodies, and the one that Jax softened up is finished off.
The guards have been bamboozled, and are now scrambling to to un-boozle as best they can. The gunner who's E-Web Zhu Yan destroyed plucks up his rifle and begins firing upon the cockpit of the Redline, to little effect. The other 3 are closing in quickly on the ship, firing indiscriminantly.

Yan ducked reflexitively as blaster bolts impacted the cockpit of the Redline, and it took him a moment to process that the transparisteel was blocking the shots. When that happened, Yan straightened up and stared blaster bolts at the man shooting in his direction. Then it occurred to him he didn't need to stare. Stomping out of the cockpit with fury in his eyes for the man who DARED to touch his baby, he came up next to Jax and Sar, said, "Yo," quickdrew the Bryar and fired. The first shot went between the man's legs. He'd aimed too low. Frack it. The next one went higher, blowing a hole through the man's torso. It was like making a new stomach plug, but much less neat.

Sabella Lockheart ehars Jax and looks amused. "Really?..." Though that is about all she can get out before all hell breaks lose so to speak. With the badie she was shooting at finally taken down and the word 'go' heard she is following though down the ramp. More badies, yay! She goes about lining up one good shot and takes it the badie falling down hard and is rather dead. The shots are going off all around them from the badies and she is quick to find some cover, another shot fired towards the badies and it misses during her run. Once she has cover she takes it right quick like.

As they move down the ramp, Sesti looks off to the side, and finds her route to cover that will get her around to the enemy agents. As she holsters the blaster to draw her blade, she smells not only ozone, but burning flesh as a bolt blazes a scorch mark through the leather and her calf muscle. It doesn't take long for the purple eyes to find where the shot came from, and she closes the gap quickly before the surprised security woman can bring the weapon around to bear again. A wide sweep throws her opponent off balance in a scramble back, leaving her even more of a target for the rapier thin vibroblade that slices through her.

As soon as he hears Sar's shouted command, Ranneth is up and running down the ramp at full tilt, making for a small crate not far from the end of the ramp that should afford at least partial cover. He slams down behind the crate, grunting at the impact, his armour clattering loudly against the crate. His weapon is up and tracking, though, and he squeezes off a shot at the guard manning the turret. The shot misses. He utters a soft curse for not taking the time to properly steady himself after his dash down the ramp.

Jax looks over at Yan, "Yo. We need to talk about the kid, Morth not Dusty." He then glances to Sar and considers something for a moment. Then he looks over the crate and opens fire at the remaining merc a Twi'lek. Three soild shots in the torso dropping the target. He glances over at Sesti, "You alright?"

With the last mercenaries in the hangar dead, Sar begins moving towards the door that leads further into the compound, "Alright, Hounds, let's keep it movin'."
"Lieutenant Greystorm, get something on that bite before it festers. Lockheart, get us through this door. Place is in lockdown by now, probably. Spark should be here any minute, but they're gonna be tangling with the aerial defenses for too long to help us out. Lieutenant Dane, when we get through this door, you're on point."

"Looks like I'm along for the ride. What's the kid done now? Keeps banging on about that one time I was on Mon Calamari, does he?" Yan asked, displaying no small sign of irritation as he commented on it. Hero worship was one thing, it being incessant was another. As everyone left the ship, he slapped the side of the ramp and it went up and sealed the Redline off from enemy access.

Sabella Lockheart glances out slightly once hearing Sar and is quick to move on over to the door in question. "Yep." Is offered to the bit on her opening the door, her blaster is tucked back at her side and she is pulling out a few tools and poping off a little control pad is is quick to pull a few wires out and is soon clipping one, another and then flicking a wire into another. It takes only a few moments but soon the door pops open and she moves to pull it open. There is a pause as she faintly peeks into the other room. "Alright kiddies..."

"Fine," Sesti grits out to the other Greystorm, reaching into her pack before Sar is even ordering her for a small cylinder. She doesn't even have to look where she's reaching, her hand goes automatically to the right pocket and pulls it out. She does actually look before she jabs her thigh, though, to be sure she has what she thinks she does. Then she takes out her knife, blades in each hand she's ready to go, following to the next door, placing herself to the side of it as Sabella works to open it

Ranneth Dane stands up from behind the crate where he was taking shelter. "Yes, sir," comes his quick, terse reply. He's aleady moving up to the door at a light jog, sliding his rifle around to his back, the sling holding it securely in place. He draws his pistol and adopts a kneeling firiing position just in front of the door, pistol up and ready while he waits in silence for the Sabella to get them through their first obstacle. If he's noticed the casual banter, he hasn't given any indication.
When he hears the sound of the lock disengaging, he starts to rise slightly, reaching out towards the door mechanism, but it's then opened by someone else a moment before he's about to. He gives an expasperated glance and sigh at Sabella as the door swings open before it should have.
Since the door's already open, he rises and starts moving forward down the hall, head tracking, trying to detect any hazards, trying to stay at least 3-4 meters out in front of the rest of the group. As he approaches the midway point down the hall, something catches his eye. He brings up his left hand sharply, making a clenched fist as he rapidly drops down to one knee. "Laser sensor," he says over his shoulder. "Two feet in front of me."

Jax shakes his head, "Nah, well yeah sorta. He helped me out of a jam. He might offed a guy. WIth the hero thing, you might talk to the kid. No need him in becomign worthless as us." He moves to follow the group down the hall. Though as Dane drops to his knees and says lazer sensor, the pilot holds up position and ready to shoot if a target presents itself.

A TRAP!? Sar grumbles a little bit under his breath, hefts his blaster at the device, and pulls the trigger. "Guess we oughta move quicker, now," he says.

Ranneth leads the way down the hall to the other door. What's on the other side? Their objective. A handful of wonderful GCW ships ready for the taking. Sar stacks up at the door and nods to Ranneth, saying, "Alright, everybody, this is going to be tougher than the last one, so go ahead and get ready." A look to Lt. Dane, "On your 'go'."

Zhu Yan was a groundpounder in the 'Shoot the other guy under the table' sense. Not all this sneaking around. He winced when Sar blew up the trap, of course. "Springing the trap is not a clever move!" he protested, but he closely followed the people who knew better what they were doing. Once they were back in the air, he'd take over.

Following the point down the hall, keeping to one wall, Sesti has blade and baton drawn in her hands. She doesn't seem to be favoring the right leg at this point, either it's not a deep cut or adrenaline is keeping her up. She freezes when Ranneth indicates a stop, her eyes looking forward to try and see what he sees. She spots it at about the same time that Sar blasts it, her eye ridges rounding upwards. The she's waiting on Dane's call to continue.

Sabella Lockheart glances back to Ranneth at the glance, a faint shrug is seen. "He said open it..." SO she creeked that thing open! Onwards! The talk of a trap is heard and she ahs a bit at the thought while looking sheepish to Ranneth once more. "Sorry..." Is offered to the big gun holding dude while she steps back slightly, her blaster pulled back out once more.

Ranneth Dane blinks and jumps back as Sar takes out the sensor by the field-expedient method of shooting it. He glances sharply back at his commander, then he's up and jogging for the door at the far end of the hall. Not exactly how he'd have done it, but you gotta roll with things sometimes. Reaching the door leading to the objective, he flattens himself to one side. Glancing down the hall, making sure the rest of the team aren't standing right in the middle of the hallway at lest, he cycles the door's mechanism and pushes it forcefully open. He ducks his head out around the door frame to get a look at what's beyond. Not spotting anything immediately dangerous, he steps through, pistol up, trying to present as small a target as he can as he moves quickly into the room, making sure there's enough space behind him for the others to folow.

"What happened last time?" Jax asks as he moves as ordered. "You can't just reference missions that I wasn't read into." He loosk at Yan. "I keep explaining that to him. He doesn't listen."

No baddies, indeed. Well, not yet, at least. Rann, Sar and Jax make it into the starfighter bay, as expected, is very much unoccupied, as the lion's share of the ships have taken off to engage the newly-arrived Spark Squadron. Through the open hangar doors, quite the fracas can be heard.
Sar begins walking with purpose towards a B-Wing, taking the time to twirl his revolver around before sliding it back into the holster. OH SHIT, AT-ST.
The massive, bi-pedal tank spots the Lt. Colonel walking out in the open and begins its slow charge forward, it's gun priming themselves before they let loose a massive blast of energy! Luckily, Sar reacts quick enough to dive out of the way and behind the relative security of a stack of crates. <<AT-ST in the bay! Get to cover!>>

"He won't listen. Drop off one load of power converters... I think it was power converters... and he thinks you're a hero. Indoctrination, man," explained Yan, tapping the side of his head. "He's not my probleWHOA!" Yan stopped himself from stepping out the door and went back inside straight away! Screw that! "I'm going to go get soime heavy artillery!" he called out, breaking out into a dead run back towards his beloved and heavily bloody armed freighter.

Sabella Lockheart will follow along after the others towards the next spot it seems, her blaster in hand while her gaze rifts over the hall and room. She blinks while looking up at the sight of the AT-ST. "Oh shit..." Is heard before she is booking it to a place that looks like some good cover. << Who has something to take that thing down?! >> She doesn't that's for sure!

As Sar walks into the room, Sesti is looking around the room. She hears the lumbering at about the same time that the commander is giving the warning through the comms. She also sees the E-Web a few feet away. Not the best, but it will do as a distraction until someone can get to one of the fighters to use real guns. Breaking into a sprint, she waits until she's jumping onto the e-Web to drop her blade and baton, and then she's swinging around, trying to take out one of the legs. There's a thunking as she chips at the support... some.

Ranneth Dane just comes out into the main area when the scout walker opens up. He stands there rooted on the spot for a moment, then he, too, is dashing for cover behind the nearest stack of tall crates. The Walker pilot spots him and he's chased by a couple of shots from the thing's main gun. But apparently he can run fasterr scared then they can shoot angry and the walker pilot misses. Cursing, he starts looking around for something he can use, hoping against hope there's some actual demolitions in here or, failing that, something he might be able to improvise. "Take cover if you can!" he calls out as he continues to fratically cast his gaze over the crates and other supplies piled in the area. "Remember, he can't go back down the hall! You can!" He sighs, then starts opening pouches, taking out his standard demo charges. They're fine for anti-personnel, but this? Well, improvization is fun, right? He kneels down and primes the charges, getting them ready for detonation, then, that done, charges in hand, he moves closer to the edge of the container he's hiding behind so he can get a view of the walker.

Jax has no grenades and he just has a blaster pistol. His voice cracks across the com, <<Chief, I'm booking to the closest b-wing. Think you can me there and get us a quick combat prep?>> Jax says as he takes off at a run towards the closest B-wing.

As is pretty much standard for any mission the Resistance has undertaken on Nar Shaddaa, things are going exceptionally well (if not exactly to plan). Sar pulls himself up a seated position next to the crates and exhales sharply as his throws his back out a little bit. He grunts and unslings his disruptor from around his body and stands, turning to set the thing up on the top of one of the crates. He stares down the scope atop it and depresses the trigger. The monstrosity of a weapon begins to shriek as it powers up, and, as he releases the trigger, a beam of orange energy rips toward the AT-ST, smacking it in the 'head'. The metal begins to peel away as it's assaulted on a molecular level. Sadly the charged energy dissipates after a time, leaving only a foot-wide hole in the armor of the thing.

Zhu Yan skidded to a stop outside the lowering ramp of the Redline and tapped his foot impatiently as it slowly, sloooooowly lowered down! "Come oooooon!" he hissed, before just throwing in the towel and clambering on to the ramp. Saved himself a precious second doing that. He sprinted to the cockpit, straight up fell into the pilot's chair, and put his earpiece over his head. <<Heavy artillery en route. Hold out for a bit longer,>> he commed, rushing through pre-flight as fast as he could.

"Ah hell..." Sabella mutters out as she hears the others dealing with the AT-ST. She glances around and catches the call from Jax as she catches sight of the b-wing in question. << Roger that, meet you there. >> This offered as she is up, a glance over to the side and then she is heading towards the b-wing that jax was running towards. Once there, and as long nothing is shooting at her she is looking over that ship to see if anything needs to be done before she is working on getting the thing ready to go.

The orange bolt sizzling a hole in the metal of the AT ST catches Sesti's attention. Seeing how little damage she had done to the leg of the thing, she readjusts, leaning hard to raise the aim upwards towards that hole. The first shot is too high, and her lips flatten as she adjust her aim, firing once again. This time, she is able to take advantage of Sar's opening, and they at least won't be fired upon anymore for now.

Ranneth Dane takes a breath, and then lets it go, puffing out his cheeks. He makes his run just after Sesti fires, demolition charges gripped in both hands, he darts out of cover, sprinting for the walker's foot. Having sucessfully reached the walker, he bends down to quickly attach his charges at the ankle joint where the leg meets the foot, dodging the movements of the massive machine. Charges set, he activates the 10-second timer on one, then the other, but it doesn't start right away. He notices just in time, entering the activation sequence once more, all too aware the other charge is counting down. Managing to get the second charge to activate properly, he dashes out from under the walker, heading for some crates some distance behind the walker. He dashes into cover behind one of the crates and waits for the charges to go off. Sooner than he'd like, he's rewarded with a satisfyingly loud explosion. The bvlast waves thumps hard against his chest even through his armour. The area is filled with noise as bits of what was the walker's foot impact against crates and walls as the dmoliton charges blow the machine's foot off.

WIth Sabe helping him with the Start up of the B-wing, Jax calls out to her, " Get to cover, I'm going for the cockpit. Lets ee if we can eavn this fight up some." As Jax climbs the ladder to the cockpit. He's already throwing switches and adjusting power levels as the cockpit glass lowers into place. As soon as Sabe is to safety. The Rupulsor engines lift the B-Wing up into the air and it hovers in the hanger as the s-foil opens. Jax's finger pulling down on the stick as the heavy laser on the heavy fighter blasts a shot at the AT-ST hitting the cockpit moments after Dane's explosions goes off, and the body of the small walker is gone in afire ball. Jax lets out a sigh of relief. "Made it."

With that all sorted, Sar slings the disruptor over his shoulder and looks around, <<Yan, AT-ST's handled, but if you can lend Spark a hand, I might be able to throw in that comm number you've been looking for.>> He begins marching towards the other B-Wing, saying, "Lockheart, get her ready for me. Captain Delede's en route to grab that X-Wing in the corner, but he's not here, yet, so I take priority." He grins a bit and clambors up the ladder that's hanging from the B-Wing's open cockpit. He plucks the flight helmet up that's sitting in the chair and slides it on as he settles in. <<Yavok to Starburst, Hounds are ready for pickup in the starfighter bay. Spark and I will provide cover for you. Over.>> He switches channels, <<Yavok to Spark, Delede, Jax, and I are launching in OpFor fighters. Sending designations. Prepare to adjust IFF. Over.>> He stands up in the cockpit and looks at the gathered soldiers, "Gunship's inbound for pickup. Take defensive positions and prepare for extraction. Good fuckin' work, Hounds."

"Oh. Well!" The panic dissipating, Yan cancelled the pre-flight checks. Phew!

Ranneth Dane walks out from behind the crate he was taking cover behind to stand and stare at the remains of the scout walker. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head in a sort of 'I can't believe we just did that' gesture. He turns in Jax's direction, giving the man a well-deserved thumbs-up. He double-taps his comm, sending two breaks in acknolwedgement of the order to prepare for evac. He unslings the rifle from his shoulder as he picks his way past the wreckage of the walker to take up a defensive position and wait for pickup.