Log:The Irregulars - Live Warm or Die Frozen

Live Warm or Die Frozen

OOC Date: March 29, 2019
Location: Hoth
Participants: Dyannah Nerus, Zian, Rial Het and Atrel Katah

The ship is working, generally, it's being held together by Zian, and able to get itself about three meters off the ground, the repulsors are generally shot, and are mostly good for keeping the ship from plowing into snowbanks or worse - but the engines work at least. There have been no tauntauns, nor wampas since the ion cannon have been running, but it has gotten colder, the strained ship systems having some trouble keeping life support functioning in the heating section.

Zian has been toiling away at the starship since their disastrous run in outside of it. The engines have been repaired fairly well, and though the life support is struggling, everything else seems to be at an acceptable level by now. Today, he seems to be messing with the shield generator, moving a number of circuits from one side to the other for who the hell knows what reason. "If Dyannah can fly us to the base, keeping it positioned on our port side, I have repaired the shields well enough to block incoming fire from that direction." he Chiss explains, replacing the covering on the circuit bord he'd been messing with an turning towards the others.

"With the shields up, Atrel can lay down in the hold with the hatch open and fire on the enemy position with her sniper rifle. I can operate the ion canon to try to take out any larger defenses they might have available, and Dyannah can assist in keeping the ship steady and out of the heavier fire." Placing his hands on his hips, it seems he's been quietly thinking about this for the past couple of days. "Rial, do you have anything that could assist in that sort of situation? Longer ranged blasters?"

Zeltrons are tougher than the pink skin would lead anyone to believe. Double livers, metabolism to make most of the galaxy jealous, an ability to withstand pain that just comes with the show but Dyannah is beginning to succumb to the cold and the shock of being shot. Blood loss is blood loss no matter your species and she is a much paler pink than her team mates have ever seen as she sags in her seat. With an effort that she does not want seen, she flips switches to bring the ship online and bring her up to hold it steady. "We are green here," she says, forcing her voice. "Hovering, awaiting orders."

The safety of the ship is taken advantage of and the time needed is spent helping Zian or patching up those that were shot. Rial got lucky. Atrel is giving a particular focus upon Dyannah's heavy wound, doing what she can to help it along its way. But now as they are hovering she look amongst them. "If we go inspect the old base ZIan may be able to find some additional items to help fix the ship...if he thinks we need it." She glances to him and then is checking her rifle and its ammo. She's needed help to patch her own wound and now her armor is back on, resting against the heavily bandaged area. She frowns a moment, glancing up at Zian's insistence at her sniping. A slow nod is given to him.

Rial Het gives a bit of a terse exhale and a grimace at Zian's question. "M'afraid not, me lad. Damn near useless on a longarm, and not much better on ship's controls, am I?" An apologetic shrug. "Bout as useful as a bloody fish, unless they get up close, and then we're up a whole fresh mess of problems, aren't we?"

Zian gives a nod to Rial as he offers his explanation. "That is fine, we will need you when we get closer to the base. For the initial portion you may be best served keeping a watch on our surroundings and shipboard sensors. We will all be somewhat distracted." Inhaling slowly, the Chiss nods as the repulsors come online, and makes his way over to the internal ion canon controls. "They will detect us no matter what, so let us be sure the ship comes in at the correct angle, as the starboard side will be unshielded. I say we go ahead to the smugger's base and deal as much damage as we can from a distance. If it is significant enough, we move in. Is that agreeable?"

Hands moving over the screens, Dy is slightly ahead of the game with a hologram of the smuggler's base slowly revolving in front of her to give an angle of attack. The starboard vulnerability will have them flying at a particular attitude into the base. Not wasting her breath, Dy grunts assent and repeats after double checking the boards, "We are green to go." The whine of the repulsors powering up fill the cabin and the ship slowly turns in place before taking on enough altitude to clear the low hills.

"I will do what needs to be done to get off this pit of a planet," Atrel remarks as to the attack plan. She slams the cell into her sniper rifle and shifts, pulling out her plates, "I have a small window of remaining unseen," she says and glances then aside at the others. "I will do what I can to cover all of you." It is said simply enough as she flexes her fingers and watches the front viewport as Dy takes off.

Rial Het nods to Zian's instructions, slipping into the co-pilot's seat and reacquainting himself with the sensors. A look goes aside to the too-pale Zeltron at the pilot's station. "Must admit: ye make 'near death' look fashionable." A nod to Atrel's sharp statement, and he reports, "Sensors online."

Dyannah's piloting, weakened from injury or not, is apt at keeping the U-Wing from slamming into snow or flat out slamming into the ground and exploding killing the lot of them. So that's a good thing. Their transit takes them past a place with blotches in the snow where bodies were, and a cold weather adjusted speeder has been battered and torn to shreads by massive claws. Another half kilometer brings them to where they've been looking to destroy.

The base is simple construction, built into an ice bank, made from cargo container panels welded together and likely sandwiching insulation material. A quad turret as one might see in a dorsal or ventral ship turret is sticking out of the snow on top and along the ridgeline there are a number of sensor whips and a few cobbled dishes.

Zian pulls himself into the gunner's position more firmly as they get on the move, turning his head to flash Atrel a smile once everyone else is in the cockpit, then turning his attention back to the controls. He straps himself into place, then leans forward, gripping the yoke of the ion canon controls. The big defenses are the main priority, and almost as soon as the U-Wing crests the ridge the turret gives a shudder, turns in the proper direction jerkily, and opens fire with a stream of ionized energy onto that gun in the distance.

It's almost like a replay of the time the Empire blew up that shield generator not far from here, and the turret, overcharged with ion energy, proceeds to half-explode into the snow and base around it. "Air defenses are down." Zian calls back to the others.

Leave it to Rial to make Dy laugh even if it hurts. A quick glance and an empathetic reach to him brings a faint smile to her lips. Laughter and bacta patches through the good doctor's ministrations allow her to forget how she is feeling and turn her focus on the approaching target. She watches the targeting solutions on her own screens as she maneuvers the ship in low for their best shot.

"Boom," she whispers. "Boom!" She repeats louder. "Zian, you are a keeper! That they are indeed!"

Not her turn yet to shine, Atrel watches as Zian rains hell fire down upon the enemy. THere is a tick of a smile, pleased so it would seem as she pushes herself up and reaches for hand rails. She comes over towards him and grips the side of the hull, her rifle slung forward and ready. "Going to keep on these when we land or are you going out to mow them down with that?" She glances at his pistol and then back up.

"Ha ha!" Rial crows from the sensor station, "Got em good with that, you did!" he congratulated Zian. "Perimeter defenses down our facing shields holding; hammer the lads," he bids aloud. Then he pauses. "Eh, drek- I'm reading three life signs on approach, carrying anti-vehicle payload and torpedoes! Drop them lads, Doc! Zian, hit them three before they can shoot us!"

As the quad-ion gun is blasted to pieces, sending up a plume of smoke like a marker flag, three figures appear from within the base. Lugging heavy, obviously from their 'cargo' collection of weapons.

One of them is lugging a massive T-21 repeater, the other an A-280, and the luggiest of lugs, a Trandoshan, is carrying a man-portable proton torpedo thrower. The 21 and the 280 are opened up with, energy darts stabbing at the U-Wing's shields, causing little crimson lightning storms to crawl across the shields. The torpedo operator though is setting up his launcher and grinning as only a space lizard man can at the ship

"I have not shot a gun this frequently in ages. It is thrilling." Zian calls back to the others, a faint grin spreading across his features as the muscle memory starts to kick back in. Obviously, there was a reason Zian wanted to stay with the ship. "We will kite them from here before we move in on the base. Hopefully blow up some more aliens before they can become a nuisance." the Chiss responds to Atrel, grinning slightly at the woman and promptly winking at her before he returns to the gun.

Rial calls out the threat of approaching combatants, and it doesn't take much to zero in on the largest threat to the ship. Personal weapons? The shield can handle those. It cannot, however, handle that torpedo thrower. The ion cannons jerk back around and Zian engages, firing round after round of ionized charges at the lizard man with a THEW THEW THEW THEW from the gun. It's almost like there wasn't even anyone there a few seconds ago. "Prioritize long ranged weaponry."

The wink is what catches her off-guard before she does a double take. "Right.." Atrel says but does not seem as off put by the notion as she moves to get into place, lowering to her knee and pulling up that sniper. As ZIan lights up the trandoshan she focuses on the next target that draws her attention. As she gets a bead on him she catches her breath, holds to steady and then depresses the trigger with. slow steady pull back of her finger as the bolt sears across the distance and connects with the one holding the repeater.

"I got good news and bad news, Zian, me lad: the good news is you're bloody brilliant. The bad news is that I doubt many more are gonna come running out and tempt you, after that, aye?" Rial chuckles over the shuttle's intercom.

Their compatriot gone... just gone, and now the one with the 21 is hit by sniper fire, forcing him to stumble back and fall over on the ground. They could turn to run, and be gunned down as they fled, or they can try to get lucky.

The Nikto with the repeater grunts and groans, laying on the snow with the T-21 on its bipod and he begins firing as the human in full winter armor joins in, the heavy single shots of the A-280 splatting hard on the shields, opening a hole that allows a spray of crimson darts into the ship, singing Atrel's hair but missing her due to their not being able to see her. The ship though, has holes on the inside now - and has begun making interesting sounds.

"That might be an advantage!" Zian calls back to Rial, the Chiss still grinning slightly as he takes the controls of that ion canon and zeros in on the one with the sniper rifle. Atrel is handling the other, after all. In a showing remarkably similar to the Trandoshan, the ion pulses fire rapidly from the canon, obliterating the human sniper before he can so much as think about taking another shot. "Dyannah, can you move us in? Anyone up there see anything else on the sensors?" he asks, the turret turning again in the other sentients direction, just in case Atrel doesn't manage to finish the job.

The low thrum of repulsors coming back on line rumbles through the ship. Sensor holograms show the three on approach and then they were two. Heat signatures remain though one is rapidly fading as the deadly wind of Hoth moves over the body. The cold in the cabin is nothing compared to what they experienced walking back to their ship, nothing compared to what their adversaries are facing. Despite her empathy being open to scan their attackers with all the inherent risks that brings with it, the shot that opens a hole in their shield startles a yelp out of the zeltron. The reply from their ion cannon silences the 'voice' she listened to. Steeling herself, she uses the port rudder to move them in sideways and squeezes the throttle to give them some forwards movement. "What are you seeing, Rial?"

As the bird's side is torn open and fire zings past her head, Atrel leans towards ZIan to be sure the return fire misses her. But she stabilizes quickly with the smell of singed hair filling the inside of the U-wing. Lifting the sniper she focuses down the sight and does not leave her first intended target. The next shot gets him a little more squarely in the chest and watching him stagger and finally spill brings a smile to her face. "Good.." she mutters below her breath. "I have more charges, lets get this finished."

"Th'first three are done," Rial answers, cursing to himself as a moment's static comes up in place of a deeper interior scan of the base. "Can't get more, just yet.. scanning- come on, will ye?" he complains aloud as he muddles ineffectively through the attempted scan.

They wobble, they wobble like a spinning plate losing all of their speed but the despite the dip they do first to port then to starboard the ship rises into the air like some great snowbound behemoth being born from the ice.

They wobble, they wobble like a spinning plate losing all of its speed, but the despite the dip they do first to port, then to starboard, the ship rises into the air like some great snowbound behemoth being born from the ice.

Dyannah's compensation of the ships port lateral thrusters trying to cut out and then half of the starboard side giving up does not seem to be a problem. A snowbound behemoth indeed.

The ship remains level, smoking, the internal systems whining and alarms going off, but the ship is still functional, and the doors of the smuggler base is there, open and inviting.

The last combatant goes down, and Zian's grin retracts into a general smirk. A darker, more malicious smirk. The plan is going much, much better than the last! "Just a minute." he calls up to the cabin as they seem to be having sensor troubles. It's no wonder, really, judging by the way the ship is reacting to the fire it took. Stumbling slightly, he grips one of the handles next to Atrel, nearly falling before he makes his way to the back of the ship and pulls the access panel off of the sensor array. One of the fuses having fried, he proceeds to bypass it by moving a connection and some primary operation through another, providing Rial the sensor report he needs. "I agree with Atrel. Let us prepare to end this. They should have supplies I can use to repair the ship once we are done."

There is a stutter in what should be the steady thrum of the repulsors. The ship wallows but they move towards the Smuggler's Base at what feels like a leisurely pace. Dyannah looks grim listening to the engines, grimmer as she feels the lack of response from the stabilizers. She handles the ship like a newborn baby and settles them in a puff of snow blown upward next to the entrance. A sudden breath and she remembers to breath, "Well, we are down. But I don't know about the up part happening soon. We have a lot to repair."

"I am tired of this place and these scum. I am not running this time and we got this." Even if it means leaving the boat. "Come one.." she says and the plates make her shimmer as she rises, still invisible but they have to adjust for her new positioning. Her head turns slowly to look at Rial and Zian, waiting to take pot shots at incoming from her vantage point.

"Lotta tibanna gasses leaking up, aye?" Rial reports from the sensor station, once the ship is settled. "Brilliant flying, luv: any landing you can walk away from, aye?" Standing up he nods to Atrel. "Highly combustible stuff in there, innit? We might set it off just by shooting if'n we're lucky."

"Would that work?" Zian asks Rial, reaching to his holster and removing the Thunderer there as the ship comes down near the base. "I have honestly forgotten why we were here, however I should have no problems repairing the ship at this location. Let us survey the area." Stepping past Atrel, as she has a sniper rifle, the Chiss jumps out of the U-Wing, his boots crunching in the snow as he stalks forward towards the base. "Perhaps they were in possession of shelter we might use for the duration.

"Let's walk away from this one, Rial. I want to go home and rest for a bit after this." A wince when she rises from the console, "I'll stay with the ship and protect it," she announces to the others.

"In case, we missed someone. Rial, would you set the scan up to help me keep a look out? Be careful," she says, locking eyes with him. "All of you, be careful." After retrieving her gun from where Atrel had tended to her wound she settles back into the pilots chair.

A nod is given to Dyannah as Zian slips past her to take point. Atrel lifts her rifle into position and holds back so she can keep some distance as they approach. Her own footsteps are long, slow strides as she looks across the open area to see if they missed anyone or anything, watching some smoke still rising from their first victims. She glances back to Rial and then forward to Zian.

Rial Het gives a grin and wink to Dyannah as he programs the ship's abused sensors as best he can as Atrel requests. Drawing his heavy pistol he mutters, "Nice long rest on a beach, next," before stepping to follow Atrel outside. To Zian, "Not sure, really. Tibanna burns hot, but that there's an engineer sort've query, me lad."

Once inside of the base, the first difference is its warm. Its soooooo warm. Eighty degrees farenheit (26.6ish Celsius...) roughly. There's a tibanna fueled furnace in the middile of the hollow, accounting for some of the readings. There are crates of various things stacked against one wall, a few look like they contain wookiee fur coats, meats from rare or nearly extinct species.

There is also a battered old YT model, one of the smaller ones, an ancienct - heavily modified, 1000 possibly, with parts.

And then there is a massive pen... well, massive compared to the beasts inside. It's about 2 meters by 4 meters and easily 1.5 meters tall, containing half meter tall Fwits...

"Poachers." Zian states as soon as he gets a look at that cargo over against the wall. "We seem to have stumbled upon poachers. That explains the... The lizard creature." That he got a vague glance at in the viewport before it exploded. Keeping his pistol at least at a relaxed position, still in hand, he steps past the Fwits to get a better look at that old ship. "This should assist greatly with the repairs. I could likely cobble all of this together into a functional U-Wing." The heat here actually makes the Chiss sweat a bit, but it's likely due to the change in temperature.

A querulous voice crackles over the coms. "You promised me updates! What's going on in there?" Dy keeps switching views as she waits impatiently for them to get back to her. She especially is watching their back trail.

A querulous voice crackles over the coms. "You promised me updates! What's going on in there?" Dy keeps switching views as she waits impatiently for them to get back to her. She especially is watching their back trail.

"Nothing. Just a ship and some wildlife. Looks like we got them all," Atrel says blandly. She sounds disappointed even. She lowers her sniper down and starts to walk over to the creatures in the pen and get a look at them. Her gaze narrows. "That was not nearly enough retribution." She gives the cage a rattle and then steps back to watch Zian hunt.

When the pen is rattled one of the Fwits yips and squeeks before hopping up to the metal cage, tail whipping back and forth. It's fur a steely blue, and one eye has been lost leaving one little red eye remaining. Staring up at her, little sharp teeth apart, tongue lolling out of its mouth as it stares adoringly towards her.

It is otherwise quiet in here, just crates of horrors - there are even a few portable bacta tubs with organs attached to purloined Corporate Sector medical sensors, a crate of bionic parts, and piles of datapads listing various art exhibits and news readouts of planets having shortages of various luxury goods

In all honesty, none of this really seems to bother Zian all that much. Not that anyone ever really asked about his prior employment, or really much of anything about what he did before he got picked up by the Irregulars, but you know. He's at least good at engineering! Right? "Looks like your run of the mill shady criminal operation." the Chiss murmurs, his pistol being holstered again as he comes over the comms. "Dyannah, looks like it is safe, you can likely come inside at this point. It is warm." Because that's clearly important, and likely some good reasoning for coming in from the cold!

"No," the zeltron says adamantly though the cold gives a tremor to her voice. "I don't want anyone coming over that ridge while you all stick your fingers into the pie. Hurry up!" She crosses her arms and glares at the scan like it has done something to her.

Atrel pauses her step and rocks back onto her heels. The Arkanian is having trouble seeing much in the heat but as she gets closer she notes what looks like crates that were meant to look like part of an ad-hoc hinge. Her gaze narrows and she lifts her voice. "Hey...I think we have something." She lifts the lid on the first one an pauses. "Armaments.." Torpedos to be exact, quite a few and probably a 100 or so if they count. "Well then, it looks like they had plans."

Atrel pauses her step and rocks back onto her heels. The Arkanian is having trouble seeing much in the heat but as she gets closer she notes what looks like crates that were meant to look like part of an ad-hoc hinge. Her gaze narrows and she lifts her voice. "Hey...I think we have something." She lifts the lid on the first one an pauses. "Armaments.." Torpedos to be exact, quite a few and probably a 100 or so if they count. "Well then, it looks like they had plans."

One of the Fwits yips and squeeks before hopping up to the metal cage, tail whipping back and forth. It's fur a steely blue, and one eye has been lost leaving one little red eye remaining. Staring up at Atrel, little sharp teeth apart, tongue lolling out of its mouth as it stares adoringly towards her.

It is otherwise quiet in here, just crates of poaching horrors - there are even a few portable bacta tubs with organs attached to purloined Corporate Sector medical sensors, a crate of bionic parts, and piles of datapads listing various art exhibits and news readouts of planets having shortages of various luxury goods.

"Armaments?" Zian asks, lofting an eyebrow as the Chiss walks back out to gaze at what Atrel found. "It will take me at least a day or two to repair the ship, Dyannah, we will need time." he calls back over the comms. Approaching the trapdoor type crate, he crouches down, gazing down at the torpedos with a thoughtful gaze. "This should bring a hefty sum. Especially with a war on." is apparently what he comes up with after a few moments of thought. "It should not be difficult to get them off world. Good find."

Atrel gives a warning glare back at the Fwit who keeps looking at her. She stares it down as Zian inspects the crates and she stands over him. "Good, we can move them while you are repairing if that will work?" Meaning the rest of them and likely meaning Rial and her considering Dyannah is still recovering from that nasty wound.

"What are those things and why is that one looking at me." She takes a step closer and lifts the barrel of her rifle to sight down. "Kill it or are they worth anything?"

The Fwit in question makes a sort of 'Yyyyeeeh!' sound and winks its one eye at Atrel before waggling its hips back and forth while its front legs bat at the air, as if it was dancing suggestively.

Zian nods as he stands back up from the edge of the storage and gazes about the facility. "There are likely hover trays around for transport, you should be able to utilize those." Turning his attention to the Fwit, he watches the creature quietly, nose wrinkling as he tugs his own weapon from its holster and turns it on the little things. "They cannot be worth more than the torpedos. Best to kill them, do not want any unknown elements while repairing the ship." Like gizka. Ew. And she wonders why he shot that taun-taun?

"You have stopped checking in with me. And what am I picking up in there?" Dyannah very rarely makes any comment about her abilities, they might misinterpret and think she has something on scanners but this is something sentient that she feels. Nasty, too. "How much longer? I just might come in and set the scanner to give us an alarm."

"Shoot them," is all AK says to Zian before she lifts her head and walks way. "If you can fly the bird here, bring it in. It will be easier for Zian to fix inside this place and there is enough room. We also found some extra cargo for a bonus.." She boots the top of the lid a little and nods her head before she moves towards the entrance to direct Dyannah.

"Will have a look about, aye?" Rial notes to Zian with a short nod at mention of hover carts. Opening his comlink as he starts walking, he signals Dy in the ship, <<We're alright. Got a little old Corellian junker in here, should have all the parts we need, even if it doesn't run on its own anymore. All's finally looking up for us, innit?".