Log:Tatooine Escort Duty

Tatooine Escort Duty

OOC Date: August 23, 2022
Location: Tatooine
Participants: Pilha Aino (GM), Fjord Alden, Fshmaw, Xyomara, Kohnner

The mountainous ergs of the Dune Sea melt into craggy valleys, cliffs and mesas. Nestled in a valley is a traditional Tatooine farmstead. Two conjoined stone huts with rounded rooves cover the entrance. The courtyard, storage areas and living areas have been hewn out of the golden-hued rocks and the interior walls whitewashed then decorated with geometric patterns in ochre paint. Off to one side of the stone huts the multi-segmented entrance to the garage is set into the desert at ground level. Thin, needle-like vaporators are scattered between the hillocks and on the open desert pavement, although most are broken down.

Old Merrie, the owner of the moisture farm, has received a threat from one of the swoop gangs - pay protection money or expect trouble. So Pilha Aino, Old Merrie's trusty farmhand has put the word out quietly in Mos Espa and Mos Eisley. Escorts are needed for the next run taking water from the farm to Mos Espa. Meet at midnight to complete the run in time for dawn. Money is offered this time, not just food and the esteem of your peers.

The night is dark and cool, a soft breeze whispers through the air. It's a full moon, so the night is almost as bright as day as the moons of Tatooine hang like lanterns in the sky. Pilha sits in the passenger seat of a speeder truck driven by a grizzled Rodian, waiting for the escorts to arrive. The truck has several spaces and is loaded with the water canisters already.

There is a click-clack of polished brown boots as a Chiss enters the speeder. A chiss in... a beige Safari shirt, matching plus-fours and... a giant, floppy hat. A word is at her side, as is her blaster "Ai-Mi-Pilha. Do you have an idea what resistance we are expecting?" she asks, trying something like a smile. It... doesn't look too inviting. The teeth are all wrong. But... Pilha might tell a certain somebody Xyo smiles.

Enter on CHON KOHNNER, no stranger to tatooine and the many jobs it had to offer. Finding trouble could be rewarding and it never hurt to get out of the cold of space and the boredom of running Cargo to and fro. He wore his VOID armor per usual, the Low Light Vision of the Augmented Reality System inside its helmet helping now that evening was approaching. Klatooinian's came from a similar planet and also had fantastic low light vision naturally. The breeze blew a worn white hooded cloak which he wore over the armor and he walked with a slight limp, the soft whine of servos coming from the leg he favored the most indicating a robotic replacement.

With a bit of a grunt in greeting to the others he hefted himself up into the speeder without any preamble, adjusting the sharp blade sheathed at his side. Fshmaw's purple satin tuxedo is less reflective than one might assume. It's that or he's simply accustomed to making himself beneath notice, as there is little fanfare announcing his participation or armament. He simply leverages himself into the bed, easing into one of the rumble-seats with a *grunt.* A nod suffices for greeting, not wasting words on a language no one else would understand without assistance.

Fjord Alden arrived early enough to make his way to where they were told to meet. He arrives wearing his CNG Specialist Armor under a black cloak with the hood up. On his hip a vibrosword and a handgun. On his face, a fashioned gas mask with the covering of an ONI mask. He sees Pilha and he gives a bow of his head. He grabs the side of the speeder truck and leaps up to the back seeing the others already there. He grunts quietly to them as he gets to his knees and looks at the horizon on his side of the truck. Xyomara Stares at Kohnner's armour, deciding to say nothing, before turning towards Fshmaw "Isn't it a bit hot in that?" she decides to ask "A tuxedo seems ill-suited to a dessert."

Pilha's CNG void armour helmet is in her lap. She lifts it up as she gives Bob the grizzled Rodian the nod to move out. Pilha sighs as Xyo addresses her. "Yeah, I ran into the gang a few times. They're mean but not well armed." When Fsh enters she does a double take then shrugs and puts her helmet on. She tips her head to one side to greet Fjord. Addressing the crew as Bob moves out, she glances at all of them again. "I'd appreciate it if you could all keep an eye out for trouble. I appreciate it's dark, but try your best."

Fshmaw nods. "tearh ghitiety saerigiwie ghevaethie etaetutov rhaefer. lae ovi daevoogiw eafek adorh-- ewew wefufea atyfoo adorh rhaefer aapophet jygol." [Language: aqualish] S3-P0Y (3P0 Unit 20936) repeats after Fshmaw, "I am going to get out. Do not leave without me-- nourish yourselves with my corpse if necessary."

The Klatooinian is silent as the speeder starts to move, his head continuiously scans the changing horizion. It's not long before something is spotted. His head stills as a line of dust and a few lights to the east catch his eyes. <<"There.">> Kohnner points with his gloved finger. <<"We could be premptive or draw them into a trap. Find an area to bottleneck them.">>

Fshmaw lofts himself over the side, disappearing silently over the edge and... that's it. He's gone. How a tubby walrus covered in tattoos and blaster-scars in a purple tuxedo makes himself invisible is... well, it's a mystery for the ages. Or a frell of a question for 'later, after the murders?'

Fjord Alden has dust in his eyes or something but he's not really seeing anything. Could be that he's looking more at Pilha than the horizon but he doesn't make it too obvious. Though he does turn as Fshmaw speaks and listens. Though Kohnner's words cause him to turn to look at him. <<"We are the trap.">> The deep voice vibrates from beneath the Oni mask.

Xyomara stares, before moving to jump out herself, to hide "Well, you are the trap. We are bringing it to perfection. Though, the perfect trap would be a starfighter, ready to fie..." Bob the Rodian brings the speeder-truck slow enough for Xyo and Fsh to jump out before moving off again. Pilha, following Kohner's direction, looks around but even in the low-light can't see many likely spaces in the rocky terrain, "Can't see any good spots, Kohner," she tells him in that weird Nar Shaddaa/Corellian accent of hers.

Still, Bob brings the speeder-truck to a grinding, bumpy halt that looks very similar to a speeder breaking down with a cluster of boulders 1-2 metres high and 3 metres long between the truck and the speeder gang. He even flashes the lights a few times before leaving the engines to idle. "Let's see if that fools them," he says with a grin to Kohner.

<<"Good.">> Kohnner responds to both Fjord and then Xyo just as the latter jumps out to attempt to hide. His gaze follows the rolling ball of sentience before turning back ahead of him, head shaking. There is a glance to Pilha as she informs him of not seeing an good spots, but Bob takes the initiative and brings them to a stop. <<"This shall do.">>

With a slight grunt, Kohnner stands and hops out of the Speeder. He moves away from it, his back to the vehicle. He stops not too far away, waiting, his cloak swaying slightly in the breeze.

The whine of the swoop gang's engines can be heard like keening wails through the still Tatooine night as they head toward what they believe is the stricken speedert-truck. Three speeders head for the truck. They're within range of the speeder-truck itself. Bob barrels out of the truck and crouches near the enginer block. Nonplussed, he sits down and sighs as he waits for the shooting to be over, mentally counting his credits.

Pilha follows Bob quickly and takes a defensive position between two boulders. She pulls out her dl-30, takes aim and fires at one of the riders of the swoops...

Fjord Alden glances around and lifts a brow slowly as he leaps in front of the transport and he lifts his Theed pistol. He aims and shoots, one, two, three. He shakes his head as two of his shots miss by a minimal margin and the last one does what he hoped three do. There is a little nod of his head and he levels his blaster up and aims the next shot, waiting quietly.

Xyo.... well, the girl just fell down a hill, lost her pride and barely got her pistol out. But she can shoot, as she stretches her arm out, closing an eye and firing towards one of the shapes everyone else is firing at. She misses one shot, but hits the others, not noticing her sleeve is all frumpy and torn past her trip now.

Fshmaw pops up from, of all places, beneath their truck. He was (it appears... ?) holding onto the exhaust the whole time, and slithers out to fire at the injured thug. *zzat,* his aim appears sound enough to put the would-be thief down for good.

Bob the Rodian driver jumps with all the blaster fire, but otherwise seems content to stick to what he was paid to do.

Swooper 1 draws a weapon and fires wildly at the woman in void armour that fired at him.

Swooper 3, hit by Xyomara, is knocked clean off his swoop. Dead before he reaches the ground with a charred black smoking chest, his body thuds into the ground and he stares up at the moons with sightless eyes. His swoop carries on, before crashing into the desert in a fireball.

Swooper 2, dispatched by Fjord and Fshmaw, is hit and slumps to the ground. The multiple shots make his body jerk and the smell of burned flesh rises in the still night air. His speeder cruises off into the night to come to an end in a fireball a few hundred metres away.

Kohnner stands there as the swoops become louder and louder. He doesn't flinch or move. He is a sturdy as the rocks which the speeder had parked up against. The blasts from those who had jumped out earlier and hid to get the long range drop on the gang begin. He watches the the third swooper get knocked off by a blaster bolt. The swoop veers not to far away before exploding. Fire rains down on the Second Swooper, his fate much the same as the Third.

Their leader, clearly, the first swooper is locked in a shoot out with Pilha. As soon as he opens fire on her, Kohnner moves. He's fast, his robotic and Canine legs gripping into the desert ground to carry him across the distance towards the Swooper. He draws his blade in a flash and strikes out, slashing across the rider's midsection and sending them flying off and onto the ground. THe speeder explodes as it veers off into a hill.

Kohnner stalks forwards, the gang member rolling over and attempting to crawl away. Blood smears across the desert.

The Large Klatooinian steps on the swooper's back with his robotic leg, adding pressure. They screams in agony. Then raising his blade, He plunges it deep into the upper midsection of their body. The swooper slumps, dead. Kohnner rips his blade out and flicks the blood from its edge.

Xyomara makes her way over from down the hill, her outfit tattered from her fall "Those... were the only three?" she asks, looking around "I... expected more of a resistance from the description."

Pilha ducks as the shot at her goes wild over her head. Seeing Kohner take her target down savagely, she tips her helmetted head at him in acknowledgement and then holsters her DL-30, then heads to where Bob the Rodian driver is crouched taking shelter near the truck-speeder loaded with water canisters. She looks down at him and proffers a gauntleted hand to help him up. "All ok?"

Bob nods and grunts as he gets up. "Gettin a bit stiff in my old age," he grumbles. "Sure thing," Pilha responds with a grin in her voice.

Pilha shrugs as she looks around. "Seems like it," she responds to Xyo.

There's been a bit of a shootout here. The remains of three burnt-out speeders and dead swoop gangers can be seen scattered around. Fshmaw wriggles out from underneath the cab, lifting himself into his former position in one of the flatbed's temporary seats. With one fur-trimmed flipper he gives a sort-of-a-ok-sign.

Fjord Alden lowers his blaster and glances around to all present. He does a quick scan of everyone and it seems no one lost a limb. Bonus. He walks over to Pilha and Bob and shakes his head. "It's not stiff... it's wisdom tax." He speaks softly to the older man. He nods his head to Pilha and grins. "That was pretty well done everyone." He holsters his gun and then glances over to Kohnner. He grins from under the mask and takes a deep breath.

Xyomara nods, moving towards the flatbed "At least it is good there weren't more. Probably for the better, or there might have been casualties on our side." she muses, before taking her seat "Now, is it far with the water?"

"I'll agree to that," Pilha says as Bob the driver gets into the speeder-truck as well. "Ok, everyone, let's head out. We've a long way to get to Mos Espa."

Fshmaw reholsters his weapon, tapping into his wrist-chrono: "iekoove... eavi ghitiety. tood... raekaa." [Language: aqualish]

S3-P0Y (3P0 Unit 20936) repeats after Fshmaw, "Buy... more ammo. Weapon... gamma."

Fjord Alden leaps back into the truck and settles in, still looking at the horizon, just in case more baddies show up. Kohnner takes a moment to listen and feel the desert. There was nothing but wind and the scraping of dust across his Helmet's audio sensors. Reaching into his utility belt he pulled out a cloth and started to clean the blood from his blade. He turns, cloak swaying a bit with his movements and fluttering in the light breeze, and starts to had back towards the speeder. As he reaches it, he sheaths his blade running the blunt edge across the wooded scabbard before sending it down to rest inside. He presses his thumb down on the square cross guard, locking it into place.

<<"I suggest we get moving, leave the bodies for the wamp rats and the wreckage for the Jawas.">> Pilha seems to agree so he hefts his large frame up into the speeder and takes his previous seat.