Dominion Forcenite (ORC Dominion of Praesitlyn)

[Krenis Skirata]

He'd found the staircase and the youths lurking at the bottom quickly cleared away after seeing Krenis' heavily armored form. The clone paused for a moment to calibrate his sensors and comms to patch into the broader Coalition network. There was significant chatter all across the channels, but he didn't have the big picture of what was happening. Something crazy, that was for sure.

Krenis considered for a moment and shoved his way up the stairs. The duracrete rang beneath his boots and he loosened the blaster pistol in its holster. The tricky part was which room. He was on his own, which meant nobody to cover the exits. He would have to take them all in one swoop.

First room first. Krenis idled in, this one was some sort of side dance-floor and his visor sorted through the faces in the room, running them against known Guild postings. None of the marks were in here. He turned from the room and met the gaze of a startled looking human turning to run from the room.

 

[Janick Beauchamp]

Objective 2: The Revolution Will Be Televised
Allies: Candez Stoon Riimaurus
Enemies: Rogue ICC staff Jin

Now that emergency maintenance checks on the alarm systems were underway, it was now time to finally do what she and her colleagues came here for: getting the broadcast of a hope and resistance message out. Here it was to be done and she then proceeds to fill up all discretionary advertising slots left for today and the next day with that message. Those spot slots that the ICC set aside for time-sensitive advertisements or emergencies. This meant there would not be just one opportunity for would-be resistance fighters to actually see the call to action. Now that the message was, in fact, broadcast for the first time, the security guard seemed to have spotted a prospective holoacting star for the ICC's future. And then the discusson with the mind-tricked security guard went back to Janick's so-called idea for a new show. Certainly Janick was a convincing slicer to his mind, but before he could lead her to executives that held some power over the decision to approve or reject show concepts, he wanted more details over the role of slicing in the show.

"Just how important was slicing to your show's idea?"

"They'll be using several dimensions of asymmetric warfare, and slicing is just one of them"

 

[Atlas Drake]

"Whatever their motives are," Atlas gritted his teeth and kept firing, "Its bad news for us."

He was not an expert marksman. Most of the coilgun's shots flew wide but every once in a while Captain Drake would perforate one of the few creatures with a lucky shot from his gauss pistol. If it hadn't been for [member="Kaia Starchaser"] he would have likely been felled several times over by crude arrows or junk blasters. He tried his best to return the favor, cutting down those scavs senseless enough to charge their position. Some of them at nearly point blank range.

"Anytime now, Q!" he roared into his comm link over the cacophony of battle.

As if in answer to his prayer autoblasters whined to life across the Wretched Hive's hull. It began to cut down scavs dangling from Kaia's freighter with the kind of precision that could only be accomplished by the ship's point defense targeting systems. Jorus Merrill's phantom shimmered into life at their side, grinning triumphantly and flourishing a conductor's stick with each salvo. In less than a minute the ferals were in full retreat. Atlas and the others were left to sort through their wounded.

"I love the smell of faulty sensor nets in the morning."

"Sorry about the chilly reception," he apologized to Kaia. Ignoring the AI's boasts and taunts, Drake crept out from cover, "Maybe some of our supply requisitions make a little more sense now."

They had requested more than basic supplies and scientific equipment from the Coalition. Starchaser's convoy was also packed with small arms, defensive emplacements, floodlights, and everything else they would need to make the hangar and base camp safe from local incursions. He followed Q over to Kaia's freighter which had suffered worst under the scav's cruel ministrations.

"Good news is she'll fly again," Q nodded solemnly. His general's uniform was already replaced by the mechanic overalls he tended to favor, "Sorry Starchaser. Looks like you're grounded for now."

"We'll put you up at base camp while Q patches up your ship. Its more than an hour's walk but with the landspeeder in your cargo hold it shouldn't take us long."

 

[Krenis Skirata]

The human broke into a run and shoved through the crowds. Krenis sprinted after, his heavy boots pounding on the floor. Drunken and otherwise inebriated partygoers flung themselves out of the way. At his side, the tracking beacon beeped wildly. He had found the mark. His helmet computer locked onto the man, tracing him through the crowd. Others jostled into him, but the ARC trooper let their momentum flow and out of himself, weaving to evade the impact.

One hand unhitched the blaster from a thigh holster. "Stop!" Krenis called. The helmet amplified his voice to call across the crowd. "You are wanted for war crimes." The man didn't stop. Instead, a few bodyguard droids hurried in, ushering the other marks towards the back entrance. They'd have a speeder there, or a ship. Either way, they would escape for now. And he couldn't allow that to happen.

He clicked a button on his gauntlet and the repulsorpack soared to life and carried him above the crowd. A handful of clubbers dropped and covered their head as he soared above them, keeping his feet up to avoid kicking anyone in the head. They would probably be fine, but civilian injuries were unacceptable. That, and it would throw his balance off. A blaster bolt seared past his head and he rolled to one side. The bodyguard droids had taken up their blasters and were firing back.

 

[Zak Amroth]

"Good luck kid."

It took Zak a few seconds to realize Davin Kal'Bith was talking to him. Usually when he rescued someone there was a lot more cowering and tearful gratitude but his fellow competitor seemed to have a mind of his own. He broke into a jog until he was pacing the mandalorian and loudly inhaled as if he were taking in real forest air.

"Marshal huh?" he interrupted Davin before the other man could tell him to beat it, "I'm a lawman myself. You've probably heard about the Hero of Terminus."

Zak was a local celebrity in the Terminus undercity for leading a coalition of street gangs against First Order pacification squads. Naturally he assumed this meant he was like holofilm royalty.

"So you're lost then. Good thing you just ran into the best tracker this side of the Western Reaches. I'll have us both out of this preserve in no time."

 

[Jin]

Objective: The Revolution Will Be Televised
Status: Getting rich on the games and making a clean getaway (OOC Opposition

Reports of weapons fire and eneny forces were now making their way to Jin in the control room, the Coalition was here, not just slaves in the games anymore.

"Feth, looks like the poodoo is about to hit the fan. Time to go, Tony transfer all bets to off planet accounts, we can claim they were all conficated by the Coalition. If we can see their agents dead, we can at least make a quick credit off them."

As his slicer began the transfer he radioed to a go fast that was docked near control center.

"Jonny, warm up those engines and ready counter measures, we aren't going down with these stooges."

With that he grabbed all the remaining coins he could fit into a chest and slung it over his shoulder.

"Well it has been fun but time to run, have fun taking the fall suckers!"

 

[Fulcrum]

One of the bodyguard droids erupted in a shower of scrap and sparks. Agent Deacon stepped out from behind the fallen protector. Until he made his move he had been just another civilian in the crowd. During his time the rogue operative had thwarted FOSB and Sith agents. Spoofing a robot's proximity threat systems was child's play by comparison.

Behind his shades Deacon's artificial eye implants analyzed the quarry's flight pattern and isolated their destination speeder. Heedless of the panicking crowd around him, he elbowed a few passing civilians out of the way and leveled his arc light blaster at the idling vehicle. Toggling the ion weapon's highest power setting the hapan emptied his power cell and left it a smoking ruin.

Now the hunter's mark was truly trapped with nowhere left to go.

Instead of confronting Krenis Skirata or rushing him to his prize however the Underground agent simply held his ground and waited. It wasn't every day that someone handled his job for him and Deacon knew better than to interfere with a Guild contract. But this man had a lot to answer for and the Coalition wasn't about to take any chances that a bounty hunter would finish their job.

 

[Krenis Skirata]

Deacon

One of the droids exploded. Krenis marked the source briefly in the helmet, but paid no more attention when the source of the shot made no move to capitalize on the moment. Another burst from his pistol and the next droid went down. In the distance, he could just make out the sound of the speeder exploding on the balcony. The quarries detected it as well and they stopped, gazing around the room.

Krenis deactivated his repulsorpack and his boots landed heavily on the floor. The rest of the crowds scattered and ran for cover, leaving nothing but the marks, one remaining bodyguard droid, and his unexpected ally. One more blast from his heavy pistol and the droid dropped, a sizzling hole in its central processing unit.

"So," Krenis said after a moment, eying the three. "Care to reconsider?" His hands rested lightly on the pistols as the three looked nervously between each other and himself. Their shoulders slumped as they began to realize they were trapped. One by one, small holdout blasters plopped to the floor and skidded towards them. "Much better."

He pulled some restraints from his utility belt and tossed them over. "Cuff yourselves. And remember, your bounty allows me to bring you in dead." Another sullen silence and the three restraints locked shut around their wrists. "Finally some sense."

The man tilted his helmet towards his ally. "What's your stake in this?"

 

[Fulcrum]

"Peace, brother."

Deacon raised one hand and slowly holstered his arc light blaster with the other.

"Bounty is yours if you want it," he sniggered at Krenis Skirata, "Ones who issued his puck pay me by the hour. This whole rock's gonna be Coalition turf soon. Saw some Underground already moving tech in for their resistance radio."

They controlled the HoloNet now across most of the Outer Rim and that was no small thing. Praesitlyn was a world just as valuable as any military shipyard. He couldn't tell Krenis any of this however because simple space trash wasn't supposed to know so much. Fulcrum agents needed to be completely invisible even from those they might call friends. This was a dangerous game and Deacon never took any chances...

"They call me Red Blade," the hapan flashed Krenis an aurodium toothed smile, "Freelance privateer. The movement offers me work as a fixer every now and then. Looks like you've done my fixing for me so drinks are on the Blade."

 

[Krenis Skirata]

Deacon

Krenis relaxed slightly as the man holstered the gun and slid his own blasters back into the holsters. He nodded as he rounded up the three quarries and connected their restraints. "Appreciate your generosity." It struck him as odd that this freelancer, even on retainer, wouldn't want a portion of the bounty, but he wasn't about to argue. He did this for more than money. And if he did, so did others. Perhaps odd, but they were all a bit eccentric.

"Well then, glad to see somebody's moving in here and bringing some semblance of justice." He pushed the button to inform the client that the hunts had been successful. Directions would come for their delivery in a but, but for now there was time. Already, he could see some Partisans coming in from their missions, either in response to his beacon or the successful mission, he wasn't sure. It gave him a decent enough sense of comfort now that there was a small band of them in the room, all on the same side. "Certainly would appreciate one of those drinks."

He wasn't sure what it was he would do next. No more hunts were ongoing for him. The Coalition didn't need his assistance at the moment. The Mandalorians were scattered and divided. For the time being, he was drifting. Unless a second Clone War broke out, nobody would really need him. It was an odd sensation, but also fairly liberating.

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

They were going after her ship. That was not something that filled Kaia with a good feeling, at all. But she was a part of the Coalition, whether by choice or circumstance, and sometimes being a Jedi meant putting yourself and your belongings on the line for others. But was one of the Wardens of the Sky, that made her dreadfully uncomfortable that it was her ship. Still, she was here, and she had per people to defend.



As the Scavs kept incoming, Kaia was hoping that either Atlas or Q had something up their sleeve, and when the autoblasters began firing? That was the most welcome sound. Holding her ground for a moment until she felt the retreat wasn’t a feint, she nodded and extinguished her blade. As she stepped back towards Atlas and the injured, she looked to Q first, with an eyebrow raised.



“Oh, its not your fault, Captain. I didn’t even feel them… coming. But it makes sense. WE definitely need to get a handle on the situation here, don’t we?” Her eyes went back to her ship. Her YT was a tough bucket, but it was going to need some work.



“It may be good I’m grounded. Can assist aboard the Port for a bit. As long as I won’t be a strain on the resources. And… is there a way I can contact my mission commander?”

Atlas Drake

 

[Bacu Topol]

There was that building. It may have had any kind of receiving tower. If he was just dropped on this world like he was? Someone had to be watching, right? Betting, and observing. Frak, someone was keeping score and putting money down. The worst thing? They could be make it so Coalition folk were fighting Coalition folk.



Blast, the man he had taken down could have been someone who was supporting the same cause he was? Well, mostly the same. He cared for the Fringe and the wilds of space. The fact that the Coalition made life a bit easier for the people out there? Well, that was enough for him to support it, even if he was preferring.



As he made his way closer to the structure in question, he kept his eyes up to the sky, and the area around him. He didn’t need someone sneaking up on him and taking him down. But if there were camera drones… seeing one would go a long way to making him feel like this was some game, and that would not end well.

 

[Atlas Drake]

"Now that is interesting," Atlas glanced over at Kaia Starchaser , "None of our original expedition has the gift. It seems there is more to these natives than meets the eye."

With Kaia's help the captain unpackaged two compact speeder bikes from the grounded transport's hold. Both engines purred to life and Drake felt the exhaustion in his legs as soon as he straddled his new ride. At least the days of hiking everywhere were behind them. With this kind of mobility at their disposal his scout parties could finally begin to recon more than a fraction of the space artifact.

"We're tied into the Hive's comm array back at base camp," he had to shout to be heard over the revving bikes, "Should be able to put you in touch with the right people."

It was a short ride to where the expedition was set up in a massive outer atrium. Unfortunately the trip was not entirely uneventful. Atlas thought his speeder was malfunctioning until he realized he was feeling the telltale vibrations of an ancient hyperdrive slowly spooling up. He accelerated without checking to see if Kaia would keep up.

"What's our status on the resupply?"

The prefab tent where his team conducted all their high level planning was a madhouse. Eventually Atlas managed to pull someone aside and repeat his question with a quick shake for emphasis.

"Offload is only two thirds complete..."

"That'll have to do," Captain Drake grimaced, "We got the Lighthouse on board, that's the important thing. This ship is about to jump whether we like it or not."

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

There was a lot of ship to cover, and that meant a lot of exploring and research to understand what in the Nine Hells was going on. She was definitely happy to help, and when she did look at it, this ship was massive and when she did reach out to it, she knew it was ancient. She’d have to see if maybe Q would be able to give her some more background on it. “I mean, it could be… that I didn’t really look for them, but still, they were… difficult. Vong? Do we know where this thing is from?”

She was fairly certain that when he called it thee Gift, he meant the Force, but she’d let it lay for now. The Starchaser kid was getting the swoops unloaded. Watching the Captain, she nodded. “That’ll be fine, just to get the affairs in order before we jump… wherever we’re going.” Her probe droid ‘Drifter’ started floating out from her freighter and following. It wasn’t the Imperial style, well, not the big ones. Drifter was more a personal scout than anything.

As soon as they arrived at the base camp, she was shown the communications station and looked over at Atlas as he was getting his information. “Want me have my ships return to their docks? Or land aboard the Port? Don’t want to stress our resources…” She looked back at the commander on the holo. “Move the freighters away.”

“I need you to help run the operation while I’m out of touch. Keep the scanners hot, and make the move when we pop in again. Will do my best to be in touch.” The half-mirialan smiled at the blonde woman on the other side. When she felt she had no one look at her, Kaia touched her lips, and moved her hand to the screen, and signed off, knowing that another burst would be sent to shake the freighters off.

Atlas Drake