Anyway You Want It

[Sol Damerin]

Planet: None
Location: Somewhere in CIS controlled space

The CIS had a minor job that needed doing, a few convicts had managed to escape from one of their holding cells. The five criminals were deranged, dangerous and had holed up in an old mining station attached to an asteroid. They weren't a high priority so the CIS put out a call for some mercs to head into the station and take down the escapees, dead or alive.

The first three to respond were in order: A tough Mandalorian woman who went by Ocampo, a gungho human by the name of Hudson, and a red skinned Twi'lek who went by Ol'Son. After that another two were hired on, the first was Sol Damerin. The grumpy old human mercenary was as stone-faced as ever as he sat in the back of the shuttle they would take to the station.

The last person had yet to arrive, all they had so far was a name @Nyx. Beyond that, no one knew what to expect. They were late though, so that said something. Sol spent the spare time doing a gear check. Two pistols, his vibroblades, battle chest piece, and pouches filled with various random things that may come in handy. Yup, he was good to go.

Up front, he could hear the three others talking. "Man what is taking them so long." Complained Hudson as he kicks the console with one leg, not hard just an absent nervous gesture. "They were the last person hired and it was a last minute thing, cut them some slack." Ol'Son says as he plays absently with a knife. "It's unprofessional." Is Ocampo's response as she sits in the pilot's seat ramrod strength and ready to go as soon as their last party member arrives.

 

[Nyx]

Sometimes, being unable to read sucked. Because that meant trusting what other people said, and Nyx was not a fan of trusting others at all. So when she was very, very late, she had to blame the transport, and her inability to accurately understand how far away the trip was. It was a job, a welcome respite from studying the ways of the Force with her fellow Mandra. . . whatever the word was, it was long and complicated and she could never quite understand it. She had outfitted herself for the job, long grey coat, grey jacket underneath, her lightsaber at her belt, and two large revolvers holstered at her hips. She didn't really need much more than that, did she?

When she finally made it to the shuttle, she took a deep breath. It had been awhile since she had gone out and killed for a paycheck. It was both exciting and nervewracking. She stepped onboard, surveyed those gathered in the vessel, and grunted.
"You'll do."
Then she sat, crossed her legs, set her arms behind her head, and waited for this heaping pile of metal to take off, already.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Nyx finally made her appearance and it was... an interesting entrance to say the least. The final member of the group choosing to just casually saunter in and take up residence in the shuttle without a word of introduction. Simply declaring that the rest of them would do. Even more startling was her appearance, unarmored and openly carrying a lightsaber the rest of them knew that she was some kind of Jedi or Sith, something that most of them were unsure how to deal with.

Ocampo's move turns into a tight line as she clicks a few buttons making the boarding ramp close and the ship rumble to life. Hudson mutters something rude about the newcomer under his breath and Ol'Son, well he was the friendly one. "You must be Nyx, glad to have you on board. I am Ol'Son, our piolet is Ocampo, and the pouting one is Hudson we've all worked together before." He gestures with the knife in his hand at Sol. "He is Sol, I don't know much about him or you but I look forward to working together." He gives her a toothy grin as the ship floats up into the sky and out of the atmosphere of the planet.

Sol was sitting in lotus position on the bench and he appeared to be meditating. He'd shown no reaction to Nyx's arrival beyond briefly cracking an eye to look at her. Other than that he just sat with his legs folded, hands in his lap, taking deep even breathes.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

She glanced at the person speaking to her, raising an eyebrow. Was he speaking to her? Why, exactly?
"See, I don't really give a chit who you are, or how often you've worked with each other."
She adjusted her seat slightly, now horizontal, feet reclined on the seat next to her, head resting against the armrest.
"I don't like you. I don't like your face, I don't like your voice, and I don't like your pretty words. We're mercs. Our alliance is temporary, and if you die, I'm taking your pay, and vice versa. If I saw you on the opposite side of a firefight, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot you down, even if you're 'glad to have me onboard'. Go be nice to someone who's dumb enough to buy into your pretty words."
She glanced across at the guy meditating, and smirked.
"How about you, quiet guy? Trying to find inner peace, or balance out your energies or something?"

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Nyx's response gets Ol'Son to turn away a scowl dominating his face as he mutters. "What I get for trying to be friendly." Ocampo, Hudson, and Ol'son take to talking to themselves mostly to complain about Nyx's obvious attitude problem. They are quiet enough to perhaps be pretending not to be trying to be overheard, but loud enough that she'd know the words Karking queen was said a few times.

Sol cracks an eye looking at Nyx. His expression is utterly neutral and his tone utterly deadpan. "Really, going to tell him to kriff off then ask me questions? Considering what you just said I would think you'd rather not get to know us. Easier to think of the rest of us as cannon fodder that way." He closes his eye again and takes a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. The ship jolts slightly as they slip into hyperspace it wouldn't be long before they arrived.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

She laughed, closing her eyes, relaxing.
"At least someone on this ship has some sense."
And she lay like that, contemplating. Had she wanted to come back? No, not really. But when her father, Darth Metus, had come asking for her to join him on yet another damn fool adventure, well, who was she to say no? He always had some way to convince her, didn't he? And she fell for it, every time. Still, it wasn't all bad, she supposed. At least she was getting paid, this time.

But, now wasn't really the time to think about her father. No, now was the time to think about this job. Five criminals, five mercs. Experienced ones, at that. She was getting the feelings things weren't quite as they seemed, and she was ready for a hell of a fight. When wasn't she, after all? Now, she just had to wait until they got to this station.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The ship shakes as it comes out of hyperspace. Through the front view screen the shape of the asteroid and the attached mining station loom large. It was a big place, made for a crew of about a hundred so the five criminals couldn't cover all of it but they didn't have to. Ocampo, the default leader of the three who knew each other and therefore, in her mind, the leader of the entire expedition turns her chair around.

"Alright, we don't want to alert them to our presence until we are all on board. But that means we need someone to extend the docking tube. Who wants to go for a spacewalk? I need two volunteers." She wasn't going to send someone on board without back up. Standing up Sol rolls his neck and heads to the back where there was a storage locker. "I'll go." He says as he starts tugging on an exo suit. He wasn't a fan of space walks but he also figured he had the highest chance of surviving next to Nyx. None of the criminals were force sensitive so it put him and her at an advantage. Even if his ability to sense things was slightly dampened when he used Force stealth.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

"I've always been a sucker for dangerous tasks. I'm in."
She didn't like taking orders, but this would have to do. For now. She moved to put herself into an exo suit. Since she was a child, she was always the one volunteering for the most dangerous tasks. Did she have a deathwish? Maybe. Was she an adrenaline junkie? Definitely. There was something about risking her life that made her feel so. . .alive.

Of course, now she was going into space. Which was not as good. She hated space. There was just nothing she could do if she got into trouble. If something came around that wanted to kill her, and knocked her off course, she was dead. Simple as that. Well, hopefully this guy at least knew what he was doing, unlike these jokers. She examined him. He seemed capable. And capable was as good as she could hope for.
"You ready, tough guy?"

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Giving his partner in this a look over he shrugs and steps into the airlock. Once she joins him he sets it up to cycle as Ocampo got them into position. Once the airlock is position to face the external access of the station Sol opens it up the exterior door. Air bursts out into the vacuum of space and only Sol's hand on a bar attached to the side of the ship prevents him from being swept out with it.

The artificial gravity in the airlock turns off and Sol places his legs against the back wall. With a great push, he shoots out of the ship and goes floating through the void towards the station. He has to make a few minor adjustments as he gets closer and closer with the built-in thrust packs on the ship. He hits the exterior door and searches for and finds the manual override. Flipping it the exterior airlock door begins to cycle.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

She always got nervous when she had to go out into space. Happened every time. She focused on inhaling and exhaling as the oxygen and the pressure let out, and the vacuum let in. Her exo suit protected her, but she still felt nervous, still felt unsafe. No matter, she supposed. She had volunteered, she was out here, nothing to do but do it.

So she followed her fellow mercenary, using the thruster as he did, to land safely next to him, eyes roaming the cold blackness of space, looking for danger and finding none. For now. So, she simply waited for this damned airlock to open, so she could get inside, and not have to worry about flying off into infinite nothingness. And hopefully shoot some guys, too.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The airlock opens and Sol slips inside, once Nyx he hits the button so it cycles once more. The door closes and the room pressurizes as the artificial gravity snaps their feet back to the ground. The door cracks open and Sol leads the way into the station drawing his blaster pistol.

He moves quickly and silently heading towards where the docking controls should be according to the schematics he'd gone over beforehand. It isn't long before they are in the control room and he starts to work on extending one of the docking tubes. About several seconds before that finishes a burst of light comes from the station and hits their ship. It explodes. It appears as though the criminals had spotted them and had repurposed some mining equipment.

"Well, that's not good."

He says calmly as their three fellow mercenaries die in a single blast.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

If Nyx had believed in a higher power, she would have thanked it as her boots hit solid ground. She swallowed, breathing in and out deeply, but followed her new companion, drawing both of her revolvers. She kept close behind, ready to start laying down hot lead at a moment's notice. For now, it wasn't happening.

Then she was standing in the control room, watching their ship blow to pieces.
She shrugged.
"More pay for us. Any idea where they're hiding out?"

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

"You're the one with the lightsaber, why don't you tell me?" Sol says as he cracks his neck tracking the line of where the beam emerged. "Probably at the central control module, at least a few of them. That would be the best place to wire the repurposed mining lasers through. However, we have to be careful if they escape not only do we lose the bounty but we will be stranded here until a rescue can arrive."

Pressing his right fist against his jaw he pushes cracking the knuckles and his neck. Then he starts moving the blaster is put away in favour of a single short vibroblade. It was a better stealth weapon than his pistol. As he makes his way to through the corridors he eventually hears the wounds of two people talking in a strange hissing tongue. Two of the criminals were brothers and trandoshans, it appears they were having an argument in what was once a dining hall. Big, mostly empty, and well lit. Sneaking up on them would be a problem but if they shot them then it would be loud and alert the others. Not an ideal situation.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

"Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's kill some fools."
She cracked her own neck, readying herself for a fight, her favorite part of life. There was nothing better than the thrill of a fight, in her opinion. Her brown eyes were practically aglow, and she had a smirk.

As they stealthed through the halls, she was getting antsy. She hated stealth. It sucked, and she sucked at it. She didn't have a subtle bone in her body. But she recognized the sound of Trandoshan, and she frowned. Lizards were tough, and mean. Bullets weren't going to take care of them, not these guys. So she put away her revovlers, and drew the lightsaber hilt at her belt, holding the black cylinder with three emitters tightly.

"I ain't sitting here while a fight can be had."

She stepped into the open, igniting her lightsaber. A long violet blade came out the top, then two smaller blades at the grip, forming a sort of crossguard. She twirled it in her hands expertly, and gave the Trandoshans her middle finger, beckoning them forward for a goddamn fight, not this sneaking around chit.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The Trandoshans look up as Nyx enters. They take one look at her, one look at her lightsaber, and then they sprint out of the room one of them making a call on its comm link as it goes. With a burst of Force Speed she'd be able to catch one of them before they were out the door and slamming the blast shielded thing in her face. These were crazy deranged criminals, however, they weren't fool enough to go up against someone with a lightsaber. Especially since they were only lightly armoured at the time. You didn't survive long doing what these guys did by picking fights you couldn't win.

Sol watches the entire display in blank amazement. Honestly surprised anyone would listen to what he'd just said and decide the best course was to announce themselves. However, he does react whipping one of his short vibroblades with amazing accuracy at the one with the commlink, serving its hand before it can warn the rest of the criminals. Then he sprints out of the room intent on making it around to the other hallway before they can get to the rest.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

She could have cut through the door. Eventually. But they did not have time for that, at that moment. As the blast shield came down, she swore loudly, and de-activated her saber, drawing her revolver again.
"Fething cowards!"
There was nothing she hated more than someone who ran from a fight. She could accept a murderer, could accept a thief, could accept any crime, but she could never accept cowardice. There was a reason she had so many scars in her twenties, after all, and it wasn't running from fights. To her, if someone challenges you to a damned fight, you damned well fight them.

She looked behind her, and found her partner was missing once more. Chit. She could hear his footsteps, and followed, both revolvers cocked and ready to fire at a moment's notice, itching for a chance to spill some blood, today.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Rounding the corridor he spots the two Trandoshans, the one whose hand he severed already has the beginnings of a new one growing. Gross. They look surprised to see him but he also isn't blocking the way they need to go, however, he doesn't have a lightsaber. One of them decides to stand and fight while the handless one keeps going. Sprinting forward with his other virboblade the stalwart Trandoshan levels a blaster and fires. Sol drops to the ground and slides under the shot springing to his feet grabbing the trandoshan's arms and whipping him down the corridor a few feet knocking him off balance.

Leaving that one to Nyx he continues to pursue the other one, legs pumping as handless flees.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

She was directly behind him. Both revolvers were out, the hammers cocked and ready. She came in time enough to see the Trandoshan whipped down the corridor. She gathered the Force in her hand, and knocked him on his ass. Her boot came on his chest, and she aimed her pistols directly at his head. She pulled the triggers until they went click, nine rounds each, eighteen in total, point blank range. Ignoring the blood on her boots, she opened the revolvers and began to pop out the speed reloaders to be replaced as she took off down the corridor again, feeling purely alive. There was nothing like a good fight to get someone's blood pumping.

Now she was racing after [member="Sol Damerin"], revolvers reloaded, and ready to unload on the next target, eager for another taste of blood that day.

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol catches up with the Trandoshan who has just enough to time to pull a blaster before Sol slices his head off. The merc ducking under the raising arm, getting ahead of the criminal spinning in the same movement to bring the sword around like a whip at his neck. Never turn your back on an enemy, that was a basic tenant of combat. If you were going to run, make sure that you didn't do so in a straight line, that was another.

Then the deafening sound of eighteen shots ringing out in the confine of the corridor sounds as Nyx comes down the corridor. He was wearing a pair of electronic earplugs mitigated noise over a certain decibel level, however, he'd still heard that. Everyone on the station had heard that. "Stealth is a foreign concept to you, isn't it?" He turns and starts running they didn't have long. The convicts would either be arming up or fleeing, either way, this was going to get messy.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

"Stealth is for cowards."
Her opinion on stealth and running away was made clear as she scowled at the back of the man she had accompanied. He didn't expect her to be quiet, did she? Nyx did not do quiet, no sir. She was loud, proud, and rambunctious, and that was the way she always had been. Stealth was for cowards, and the people who didn't have the gall to engage in a straight up fight.
She followed him once more, ready to unload some more hot lead on some convict fools.

[member="Sol Damerin"]