Log:Saber Squadron: Lost Saber
Saber Squadron, with the help of a few allies, enter hostile territory to rescue one of their own.
OOC Date: April 27, 2022
Location: Thyferra
Participants: Ax, Jax Greystorm, Kael Greystorm, Nerys Greystorm, Rune, Sesti Greystorm, Vhe Tenara, Zelo Parrai
[ Jax Greystorm (Jax)]
Jax had smuggled the squad onto planet carrying several crates of aide for the refugees on the Painted Guardian. A group of New Republic aide workers were playing deckhands and unloading the ship. The Corellian had left the squad for the moment in the hanger and then arrived on pretty utilitarian land speeder. "Alright load up. It'll take 8 hours or so for them to get the Painted Guardian unloaded. I've been informed that motorpool wont be looking for this speeder for maintenance for approximately the same time. I also got told no glow sticks and we're mercs if anyone asks. Seems I'm running out of favors with my old buddies." He though produces a ration bar and takes a bite.
With the team on it's way, "Going with the intel, Nerys probably went down behind Sith lines. Which is not good news. If she's went to ground there's no telling where she is and if she's been captured she's probably been captured and took in from processing. Anyone got any ideas how to track her?"
[ Vhe Tenara (Vhe)]
Vhe among those stuffed into crates, finding it cramped she tells herself its like sharing a ship with her family. When finally they are out she is stretching her long legs and lifting her arms over her head with a grunt to follow. Vhe glances aside at the others and as the mission is laid out she hesitates, "If we have an approximate trajectory we can begin heading tha tway to look for signs. Otherwise if she has some sort of beacon on her ship it might do well to see if its still transmitting."
No glow sticks. She glances down to the saber strapped at her side and then nods. Mercs. Not equipped with any other weapon she looks at Zelo.
[ Ax (A)]
"Find the crash sight and we can trace back from there. Got a few skills for doing such," Ax says as he climbs into the truck. "Want me to drive?" he asks.
Looking about, he looks back to Jax. "Alright, mercs, no glowsticks. How's everyone geared?" he asks, looking to the others in the group. "And, how many of you know how to use a blaster instead of a... glow stick? Pretty sure, that between Kael and I, we have extra blasters."
[ Kael Greystorm (Kent)]
Kael stretches as best he can as he heads towards the speeder the micro servos of his armor whirring as they start to warm up, "Mercs... Not a stretch for me." He looks down at the blackened out armor, "I think I left my glowsticks in my other pants." He does test the holsters to ensure that the pistols are free and clear to draw later and then reaches up to test his sword, "I'm good to go." Then he walks over towards Jax and the others, "So when we get close enough to the crash sight should be able to activate her beacon." Looking at the speeder he sighs, "We all gonna fit in that?"
[ Zelo Parrai (Zelo)]
Zelo's stretching his legs after an extended session playing hide-the-Mandalorian with the crates in the back of the Painted Guardian. Vhe's glance is met as dark pool eyes also glance to the hilt, followed by a nod from the Nautolan. His back is where the slung E-11 hangs, and a gloved hand follows the sling to the barrel, verifying.
<"How about the droid... Uh, Bitty?"> The vocoder relays Zelo's uncertainty at the idea. <"If we get within range, can we comm between droids, or would that be monitored like everything else?"> He takes a step closer to Vhe, hand reaching to the small bag hanging at his hip.
<"Have you shot a bow before?">
[ Rune (R)]
At the mention of no lightsabers, Rune frowns a little. Sure there may be blasters a plenty but the younger Ysannan has never once used such a thing, he's not even sure he's held one before. "Um... I am not geared well at all, I would say." Rune replies, also taking a glance at the only weapon on his person, the black metal cylinder clipped to his belt. "I am supposing that we are not to use any Force abilities either?" the Padawan asks of Jax, an eyebrow cresting higher while he works through alternate scenarios on how to defend himself if the need arises.
Even so, there may be another issue with the way he is dressed. Mercenary or no, the chocolate brown and charcoal black Jedi robes that adorn his form aren't really known for much else in the galaxy. He frowns as he climbs up into the truck behind Ax, "I really do need to get more clothing... and perhaps learn additional skills outside of lightsaber fighting." The Initiate does tend to find himself posing as a mercenary more often than he would have thought.
[ Sesti Greystorm (Sesti)]
As the speeder loads up, another figure comes around the back of the Painted Guardian, completely armored in non-descript Specialist Armor with the helmet up and a long staff in one hand, wrapped around the middle with a cloth. Without saying a word, they swing into the speeder when Jax pulls up, and go over to stand near side, one hand resting lightly on the side. There's also a couple of vibro blades in the boots, and they try to surreptitiously tuck a med pac along the side of the speeder where they stand.
[ Nerys Greystorm (Nerys)]
From high up in a tree, for where did one go to ground in a rainforest but up a tree, crouched low and supporting herself with a hand gripping the bark of said tree, the smollest Greystorm narrowed her eyes. Ahead of her, perhaps a klick away, was a makeshift encampment of Sith collaborators. Mercs who went where the money was. They appeared to be in the process of collecting a rather large, and undoubtedly stolen, shipment of the Alazhi bacteria from which bacta was made. Nerys did not much care about the shipment. What she cared about was the dumpy little transport which they were using to try to smuggle the good offworld. The trick was going to be trying to find a way to get through the perimeter of the camp's security and finding a path of least resistance to the ship. "Bitty, you keep us quiet. I don't want to alert their security too soon. Just do what you can to keep our signal on a narrow band."
Once she had a decent line of sight and a rough estimate of the forces patrolling the perimeter of the encampment, Nerys began to climb her way down the tree, feet light as she impacted the ground cover. The flightsuit, which was little protection on the ground, had, never the less, survived almost entirely intact. Upon reaching the ground, Nerys drew the slim baton from its holster on her thigh, glancing up, and around, calculating, no doubt, whether the ground cover would interfere with the signal the lojack imbedded in her body was sending out at staggered intervals.
Well, there was no point in worrying about it now. Now, she had to get to the next screen. Always, that mantra, no matter what situation she found herself in, dire or not. Get to the next screen.
[ Jax Greystorm (Jax)]
Jax had let plans get tossed around. He produced a datapad with maps and information he had. The team had used it to find their way past enemy lines and to the crash site. The RZ-2 A-Wing was gone but it was defiantly the location. "Alright, I know what the New Republic said. I don't care what resources used. If the Sith or the First Order find out. Well it's their problem." Jax says. He looks around for a moment. "Kael this close enough for your sensor to be working or us try to ping Bitty?"
[ Vhe Tenara (Vhe)]
Vhe's head turns to address Zelo's question. "No. I can pick a picket though. Is that helpful? I can trick the eye." She smirks a bit and then sighs. "Going to need to train in more things than the Force," she expresses to the Mandalorian as the group at large is trying to pinpoint just about WHERE Nerys is but Vhe is continuing to be of little help, a shake of her head given as nothing comes to her as she attempts to glean the position through the Force.
"I have nothing to offer, I can sense nothing through the Force," Vhe remarks. A shake of her head given to Jax before her attention is drifting to Sesti fully decked in her armor.
[ Ax (A)]
Ax looks through his 'go bag'. "I've got other gear if necessary, but if we run into hostiles, I'd rather use what is most efficient in a fight. To hell with the Republic. Not like they've been on our side of late," Ax says with a shake of the head. "And, as long as we leave no survivors..." he adds.
Then, the Echani smuggler jedi closes his eyes and lets his mind take in the surroundings, reaching out with the force. "If I had to guess, I'd say she's that way," he gestures, pointing.
[ Kael Greystorm (Kent)]
Kael nods the little dot popping up on his helmet's HUD and he points off towards a direction over yonder... "Over there. She's pinging on my HUD now." He looks around a bit, "I'm not seeing the Sith running screaming so I guess no urban legends yet."
[ Zelo Parrai (Zelo)]
<"Training isn't always bad."> Unseen beneath the custom helmet, Zelo smiles. <"Within reason, it could actually be fun. But on a mission is not the time to test aptitude, likely."> He looks to a tree and holds up a hand. <"One second."> A few quick motions have the Skyripper armor-clad Mandalorian halfway up the tree, getting some height as his visor scans. It doesn't take long until he's slipping back down.
<"Sith stormtroopers. Dead ones, that direction."> Zelo points, adjusting lower the volume of his vocoder. <"That definitely sounds like a Nerys solution.">
[ Rune (R)]
Rune is apparently so lost in thought that, when asked to assist in locating Nerys' position, the young Jedi looks up bewildered and hurriedly attempts to commune with the Force. Instead of receiving anything useful, he simply feels the pull of the power waft away from his grasp. He shakes his head lightly and drums his fingers on his leg. "Myself as well, Vhe."
Fortunately it seems like nothing was off the books at this time, Jax giving them the okay to use their powers, Jedi gears, and weaponry. A small smile slips over his lips and he nods to the Knight, seems like training to be a more covert mercenary will have to wait until another day. Probably for the best, echoing Zelo's thoughts, it's probably not the best time to try out new things while in the middle of a covert operation.
At the Nautolan's words, he peers off into the distance, trying to catch a glimpse of the red armor that the Sith Stormtroopers are famed for. As if white were a bold enough choice for the First Order troopers, these evil beings took it one step further in not blending in with the move vibrant of colors one could wear in most situations. If they were in a field of red flowers, maybe then they'd be able to be sneaky.
[ Sesti Greystorm (Sesti)]
The helmeted figure doesn't have anything to say, they are probably a woman. The person merely stand in wait as people try to parse where Nerys is, but don't have any information to add on that front. The helmet turns when Kael points, and if you could see inside the helmet, there's a smirk at the mention of a Nerys solution to sith troopers.
[ Nerys Greystorm (Nerys)]
Nerys moved with the ease of long experience, both programmed and practical. She had been many things and many people, in the course of her so-called life, some more useful, some less, in the days when she had been under the control of one Nerys Arda. She had been even more, since she had been freed by the hunter who had become her husband. Perhaps it was the will of the force, and not simply canny timing on Kael's part that, at the moment of her escape from her programming, she had been left in the guise of one Nerys Arda, galactic explorer. Whatever the source of that lucky break, Nerys used it now, as she stalked one of the mercenaries walking the boundary of the encampment.
A flick of her wrist activated the baton, as she stepped out of the brush, all of her strength put into the smash of the metal rod across the woman's face. A second flick extended the baton into a spear as she half spun, driving the point up behind the chin strap of the merc's helmet, ignoring the spurt of blood that covered her hand as she drove the spiked end through the woman's brain, stopping only when it hit the resistance of the helmet's dome. A kick of her foot propelled the body off of the spear as she flicked it back down into a baton, the body ignored as soon as she was certain it was under enough brush to cover its presence. It was just meat.
Nerys moved on.
[ Jax Greystorm (Jax)]
With Nerys located and the gory bread trail she left. Jax wheels the speeder around and goes zipping through the jungle at break neck speed that would make a group of scout trooper on Endor 35 years ago jealous. He's whipping around trees and over down logs. He even jumps a stream. The whine of the engine so well the mercs are going to know there's incoming. "Hold on and prep yourself." The speeder comes skidding into he clearing containing the encampment. The mercs had heard them but they hadn't had much of a chance to react. They were brining their weapons to bear. One was at a small camp fire, another one was taking cover at the stolen cargo containers containing the bactera. There were several at their ship, an old Sentinel shuttle, and many more on patrol. Jax looks around, "I don't see her here. Hey you Sithspawn, you haven't seen a short red head about so tall? Probably been killing your people?"
[ Vhe Tenara (Vhe)]
Vhe is holding on has Jax whips them around and brings them closer to their target location. The stream hopped leaves her bouncing for a moment in her seat but as they slow she is rising up and climbing out to, a light splash of her feet upon the ground where a few dips have been filled with water by the humid climate of Nar Shaddaa. The same climate that is causing her wild hair to stick to her face in curls. She does not pull her saber right away though the hilt is in her hands.
"CAREFUL!" She calls this out to her comrades as her eyes catch the glint off the tripwires. "Watch your step, appears to be some traps....explosives..." what they are exactly is not clear but they are not a welcome mat.
Her hand lifts, the free left one as she grabs a rock off the ground and whips it in the direction of one of the three in the camp, slamming it towards his center to try to knock the wind out of him.
[ Ax (A)]
"You know how to play towards hearts and minds," Ax says with a grin, jumping from the truck at a force-enhanced speed towards the guy at the campfire, his lightsaber flaring to life during the move. A blur of motion, and pure offensive actions seems to be Ax's modus operandi.
[ Kael Greystorm (Kent)]
Kael steps off the speeder as it comes to a stop his blasters whipping up into his hands the LL-30 barking off a pair of shots hitting the Scum Bag merc dead center with one powerful bolt the other wizzing off into the woods and the Sentinel IV coming up for a final shot the report of the blaster firing easily heard throughout the camp but the solid thunk from the bolt as it hits the merc even louder, "She's nearby and they're dead." He looks around at the mercs, "They just haven't realized it yet."
[ Zelo Parrai (Zelo)]
Grabbing onto the speeder just before it speeds forward, Zelo is incredibly thankful for the hooks and textured features of his armor as it always finds new and useful ways to save him. When it lets up, the blurs of trees have turned into a lovely little camp. Full of Mercenaries. And then Vhe warns of trip wires, so add that to the list.
The momentum of the dismount already has the E-11 swinging on the sling, and it takes little effort to swing it up and bring it to bear. <"I've got stun, in case we need one of them to answer questions."> The Mandalorian turns away from the campfire, enemies populating on the combat display of his visor. Planning to clear out the patrols that might swing in behind them, the first shot snaps out, stun energy lancing the scummy-looking mercenary right in the chest and sending him off his feet. The follow-up shot leads to a frightening, ear-splitting RAWK as a Thyferran Shriekowl swoops low for a small rodent and intercepts the stun energy meant for another patrol. <"There's one down, will wake up later, probably... Why is it always birds?"> The Mandalorian drops to a knee, taking cover and trying to shift the inert bird out of harm's way.
[ Rune (R)]
Talk about making an entrance, Rune was at home in a ship or a speeder... when he was controlling it. As a passenger, it's a whole different story. When the speeder suddenly went from a crawl to lightspeed the young Ysannan grabbed for a handhold to stay upright, the g-force of the acceleration yanking hard against his form. He managed to hold on and prepared himself as best as he could, this to say he took the lightsaber hilt from his belt and held it ready in his grip.
Thankfully the transport slid to a stop, the engine ticking, the vehicle resting in the middle of the merc encampment, the group of foes ready to light them up after they recovered from their surprise.
It was this moment that allowed the Jedi and friends their chance to gain the upper hand, leaping from the speeder to engage the enemy.
Rune's lightsaber was ignited, the verdant blade extending from the hilt to cast the area around him in a light green glow, but the weapon was primed for defense of the others. Instead, he too summons the Force to manipulate their surroundings, whipping a small boulder toward the same baddie that Vhe plunked with her rock. The second stone collides with the already stumbling fellow, causing him to spin about in the opposite direction. The injured mercenary may not be down but he certainly has more than his fair shake of aches and pains from the attack of the pair of Ysannan.
[ Sesti Greystorm (Sesti)]
As the speeder raced through the forest and jumped the streams, the armored figure kept low, head ducked lower than Jax's to make sure no branches whapped them off the speeder. As they skidded into the clearing, and Jax called out to the mercs, there's a brief snicker under the helmet at his words as they jump over the edge. There's a momentary pause at Vhe's warning, but then the blade begins to hum, and it's clear as the dark colored steel whips around to slice through the midsection of the nearest tazer face that it's a force pike. As the body falls, the helmeted head turns, looking for attacks coming their way and for the next person to attack.
[ Nerys Greystorm (Nerys)]
'Looks like we have company.' So spake the ID10 droid still strapped to Nerys' back, the binary that floated over Nerys' internal comms replied to in kind, as the sound of battle exploded ahead of them. 'If someone is trying to steal my ship, I'm going to kill them.' As if this was entirely different from the rest of the killing that Nerys had been doing. Which, in a way it was. This was personal. And then, Nerys perked up, as keen ears caught the sound of a familiar one-two blaster punch, 'Kael!' Beat. 'Yes, I'm fairly sure he probably brought Jax too.' Bitty, who was under the grand delusion that she was, in point of fact, the Knight Greystorm's droid and was only doing Nerys' bidding as some sort of punishment, chirped cheerfully as they moved on. Her favourite Greystorm surely had come to rescue her!
The pair took off at a run, as Nerys moved to get to the center of the camp, She pulled up short. "Intrusion countermeasures. Quaint.' Nerys took a knee, moving to disable the perimeter defenses closest to her. 'Let's get to work, clear us a way out.' She could not see, yet, how Kael and company had gotten in. But she knew how they were getting out.
[ Jax Greystorm (Jax)]
"Sometimes my Aderanne genes kick in. What can I say?" The Corellian spins the utility speeder around and catching sight of Nerys and her disarming the weapon, "Found her. Lets get out of here. That's the mission. Not what ever these guys are doing."
[ Vhe Tenara (Vhe)]
Zelo is struck, Rune is struck....there is a great deal of damage being dealt to them and Vhe is turning around to move towards Zelo when Jax calls out that Nerys has been found.
She reaches out and with a grunt, the Force finally answering her fully she helps him keep his feet under himself. "I have you...I promise. It is time to go and we can take a look at that wound." She expresses with a greeat deal of worry writ across her brows. "Everyone else good!?"
She calls back to check on them and as the Ysanna, colorful as she is she hurries the armored figure around the tripwires, taking just an extra moment to not hook her foot on one. "Nearly there." She has not had a chance to check the extent of his damage but she can tell by how he walks that he's jnot doing well.
Once back to the vehicle she helps him in, securing him as she waits to help the others in.
[ Kael Greystorm (Kent)]
Kael's pistols return their holsters as the rocket system in the armor starts to spool up and the heavy power armor rockets off towards Nerys before thudding into the ground next to where she's running, "Care to head home darlin?" He gives her a moment falling back into the old Irregulars tactics they had before rocketing back towards the Speeder, <"Jax once everybody's on just go we'll be coming in hot.">
[ Zelo Parrai (Zelo)]
Zelo Parrai, having tucked the bird away in such a place that... Hopefully... It will be able to safely come to on its own. The Mandalorian straightens, his eyes back on the field just in time to see down the barrel of a blaster rifle not very far from him. Just before it discharges, his body does two things: black pool eyes turn towards one of the Ysanna, as if to make certain that she is not also in trouble, while the rest of him tries to leap to the side in irregular enough of a fashion as to not take the shot right in the neck. Unfortunately, it's too late. Even the whirling green blade that tries to flash between seems not to intercept something that feels unfortunately meant to happen.
Red plasma lances just along the side of the helm, his dodge almost having worked. But with the positioning of the Nautolan, the plasma punches through and cracks the plate off. His right cheek is deeply scored, but the worst of the damage is further back as the plasma sears horizontally along the line of the Nautolan's head, doing damage as-yet unseen. The scream could have been heard, without the vocoder, as red light begins to dazzle across Zelo's skin - at least, the unburned parts.
Struggling to rise, the Nautolan has no words, only pain and anger as the combat display of his visor glitches with some pieces of it missing. Stunshots lance out for the mercenaries as he tries and fails to scramble the few yards back to the speeder. Not until Vhe is there, and then he has a touchpoint. An anchor to hold to as the world starts to spin with the pain. In his left hand, something shakes a little as they make those precious steps to the speeder, with him leaning on Vhe's words as much as her frame. When he's in, his left hand holds unsteadily out, offering the Ysanna the item clutched within it: a long, slender gray feather.
[ Rune (R)]
There are moments in his life Rune wishes he could turn back time. His youth, for example, warning his family about the strange grey object that landed near their village, when he recently crashed his beloved ETA-2c ship on a mission by not looking where he was going, and now when the blaster bolt slipped by his spinning lightsaber to strike Zelo firmly in the head.
He had hoped that the Mandalorian was wearing beskar there, but with the sound of the hit and the reaction from the Nautolan, he was fairly certain he did not.
Rune didn't have the chance to muse on the situation with the blue armored man, instead he takes a blast in the leg and grimaces in pain, dropping nearly to his knee before he was able to recover. The Padawan turns around to face his attacker, expression contorted in frustration, when the rest of the team starts beating feet and making their way out of the area. The young Jedi attempts to do the same, attempts to call to the Force to help him escape with the rest, but instead only trips over his own feet and stumbles for a few yards as the group piles into the speeder.
[ Nerys Greystorm (Nerys)]
"I was wondering what took you so long." Deadpan. "I see you brought the cavalry." Over Nerys shoulder, Bitty's head poked up and one of her wee droid arms raised to give Jax a coquettish little wave, as Nerys, once again, showed how she ended up with the Irregulars callsign 'Jetpack' as she hopped up, wrapping her arms around Kael's neck and shoulders, which left her hanging on his back, yes, like a jetpack, so that she could be carried back to the speeder. "We lost one!" Nerys pointed towards Rune, knowing that Kael would dip down far enough to grab the young jedi by the robes and get him to the speeder as well. "Incoming!"
[ Sesti Greystorm (Sesti)]
Thankfully, the armored one doesn't have to look long. There's a shout from Jax, and as they spin to look, instinctually going a little lower with pike poised, the blaster shot aimed at them flies over their head. Turning for the speeder, they bump into Rune, trying to help them along as they slip in the mud. Then, with feet under them once more, they turn off the forcepike, tossing it into the speeder ahead of them and swinging themselves in. They sit on the floor of the speeder with their back to the side as it starts moving again, pulling the med pac out and looking at the folks on board. The scream of Zelo was heard, but he's strapped in and secure, and she can't see how damaged he is, or is not, at this point, and taking a helmet off an injured head while Jax is driving the speeder is not the best idea. As Nerys and Kael bring Rune in, they help him land and steady him as they check his wound. They can manage to slap a patch on it to prevent infection from dirt and debris, and communicate that when they get back, they'll bandage it properly.
[ Jax Greystorm (Jax)]
Jax pulls out a heavy pistol and start to fire at the mercs to provide cover for those running towards their exit. <Alright Kael, driving it like I stole.> As his passengers gets onboard, "Mysterious Stranger that I just let get on my ship without any questions, that my family sometimes lives. Do we stop once we're clear or get back to the ship and a functioning med bay?" Then he turns around and hits the throttle flying through the trees and looking for the nearest clearing for Kael to make a tactical landing at.
