Dominion Gotta Be Sumpthing | First Order Dominion of Sump

[Caio]

The battle for the processing facility now turned into a grim struggle fought with fists and knives as much as blasters and grenades. The First Order had the initiative now, seizing it with a vengeance. One by one, the various enemy strongpoints were singled out and subject to withering firepower while other sections moved in to assault.

"ROOM CLEAR!" Caio bellowed, crouched to the left of the doorway. He'd drawn the lucky card, no resistance. The previous pairs hadn't been as lucky, Eoin had left the building on a stretcher. Three freshly dead pirates were sprawled on the floor. Somhairle tapped his shoulder and he rose warily, moving half hunched over back into the corridor. The air still stank, the respirators dragged the smell in through the filters.

"Fresh mags coming through" came the yell. One of the gun bunnies hurried up, carrying a bag full of blaster packs. The soldiers crowded around it eagerly, grabbing the fresh ammunition. That was something you could never have enough of. Caio took the chance to slam back another energy gel. He wasn't looking forward to defecating later but he needed the calories. "Gods above, I'm knackered" one soldier said aloud. No one disagreed. They'd been fighting less than an hour but it seemed like a day.

"At least it's second platoon's turn"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mirante's platoon fanned out, fireteams moving from cover to cover, fingers on triggers. This part of the complex was quiet, something that had them all on edge. Smoke trailed across the ruins, there were fires all over the processing plant. A soldier paused to kick a blaster rifle away from a gunman's corpse.

"Section Two closing in on the building" breathed an NCO into the comm. His lead man was nearing the doorway when the front wall came crumbling down. Soldiers began to yell in panic, scattering left and right as the grav-tank lumbered out, crumbling masonry bouncing off the shields. Mirante's pointman went splat against the shield and multiple of tonnes of armour barrelling forward.

The gatling laser opened up, scything down the rest of the advance fireteam. A moment later, the main gun fired.

 

[The Major]

Purification Plant 1019K
MORALE: LOW
TAG OPEN TO ALL
SIX HOURS FROM FACILTY INTRUSION

After a series of fights with low functioning but extensive automated defenses the former training facility had finally been secured. Corridors lined with expired nerve gas and crisscrossing fields of turret fire had taken their toll on the reclaimers, and after the rest of reinforcements present had to be deployed inside to help with the domination of Plant 1019K.

Numerous KIA and wounded agents occupied a former cafeteria now serving as a temporary medical area, since the actual medical bay had been lost to fire during the fighting. FIMS, usually accustomed to working on civil populations, had been called in to assist.

In the meantime, the Director was working from a server room, covered in scrapes and bruises, as was her custom. While here, she monitored the effort to get the old servers up and connected to the larger network serving command back on Dosuun.

 

[Virginia Schnapp]

After being treated for minor nerve gas inhalation and a minor blaster wound to her arm, Ginger was cleared for a few minutes of R&R. She went into the makeshift caf and got a cup of caff. On a whim, she got another and a handful of creamer and sweetener packets and wandered the halls. Virginia found The Major in a server room, looking like she was engaged in some kind of effort to restore connections to Dosuun for the network. She rapped on the door jamb and cleared her throat.

"Hey," she said simply, her lightly accented voice still somewhat hoarse from the ordeal. "Want some caff?" she asked softly, venturing into the room. She placed a cup of caff on the table near Shepard, then pulled up a nearby chair and took a seat on its edge. "I don't mean to intrude, so tell me to bugger off if you like. But -- just wanted to let you know I've been cleared for duty if there's anything you need from me."

She took a sip of her coffee and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Pretty crazy, what went on back there, huh?" Virginia said conversationally. Her eyes searched Shepard's face for a few moments before she took another sip of the caff. "Are you OK? Do you need anything? They've got some bacta patches back in the cafeteria, or -- you know, whatever."

 

[Vakim Duval]

Objective 1:

Location: Sump, Entering the bioweapons lab
Troops: 48 Stormtroopers of the 12th Unattached 'Storm' Platoon
Equipment: F11D-Blaster Rifle, SE-44C blaster pistol, stun grenades, Swamptrooper Armor
With: First Order Allies, 105th Legion, Calran Bard Ariel Yvarro
​

Duval and his men were back into action. Sump wasn't exactly paradise, but after the nightmare that was the mission on the Resurgent, and the long period of leave he and his men had received afterward, they were happy to be back into the action. Sump was hot. Sump was humid. Sump was everything awful that one could have in an environment. The planet was one giant swamp. It was a planet though and not some giant ship. For that Duval was thankful. Based on the happy chatter on the transports and dropships on the way into their LZ his men were fairly cheerful as well. Good. High morale lead to effective fighting.

The 12th Storm Platoon was to enter the bioweapons lab from the opposite side of the 105th Legion. The plan was that the double-pronged attack would limit the chance of escape and increase the chance of the destruction of the lab. The strategy seemed sound enough to Duval and he had not voiced any objections to the plan when it was proposed. He had objected to the 10km hike he and his boys had to endure to get to the lab. The high command had ensured him that the distance was necessary to preserve the stealth of the mission. The element of surprise would hopefully be on his and his men's side.

It seemed true that the majority of the enemy forces had been tipped off to the 105th's landing to the opposite side of the lab as large amounts of chatter confirmed the sounds of enemy contact coming from that direction. As Duval and his men made their way closer to their target the laboratory itself would come into view. Now large tracks would come into obvious view as well as markings on the doorways and outsides of the lab. Something wasn't right about this place. A familiar chill ran down Duval's spine as they approached the door and placed their charges to breach.

The door blew open and his men rushed the entryway. They spread out quickly. Preparing for a fight with whatever was within the lab.

He activated his comlink.

"This is Lt. Duval of the 12 Storm Platoon, we have breached the lab, status update requested. over."

Duval hoped that the coordination of the Stormtrooper corp was on display regardless of the troubles the 105th had ran into. The plan was for them to enter the lab at the same time. Hopefully, Calran Bard and his men were already inside.

 

[Calran Bard]

The traversal through the hallways was tense, as the Stormtroopers spanned out and began to secure the doorways and side rooms of the passages they moved through. White armor gleamed, the plates made soft clacks, their boot tread squeaked on the tiles. For a large group of twenty, the 105th moved as quietly as anyone could, despite the armor and weaponry. Something about the atmosphere in the facility seemed to demand... a subtle approach, at least for the moment. From behind, the demo team returned and gave a warning commlink click sequence to remain silent, to which Bard nodded with his helmet covered head as they approached from the rear.

Feels like a horror holo.

A distant thump of an explosion. The frequency opened up and the 12th commander spoke. Lieutenant Bard heard the update from the 12th - Storm Platoon - and confirmed with a click of his comm. <"Copy that, Lieutenant Duval, welcome to the swamp show,"> The commander responded. <"One-oh-fifth are inside the complex, front South entrance. Working Eastward toward the main labs now... see you there.">

With the other half of the pincer formation now in position, that meant it was time to get the job done. And with a motion of his hand to move the section of Stormtroopers forward, the 105th continued down the dark and barely lit corridors. They had lost sight of the Mandalorian, but that was immaterial, as the mission was to handle the mutated Nuknogs - and any other weird creatures that had been developed through experimentation by the arguably insane Warlord Sokolov...

<"You hear that?">

One of the 105th brought up a distant scratching; something sharp on metal...

<"Unfortunately I do. Eyes open, blasters ready.">

______________________________

Vakim Duval | Rolf Amsel​

 

[Vakim Duval]

Objective 1:

Location: Sump, Northern interior of bioweapons lab
Troops: 48 Stormtroopers of the 12th Unattached 'Storm' Platoon
Equipment: F11D-Blaster Rifle, SE-44C blaster pistol, stun grenades, Swamptrooper Armor
With: First Order Allies, 105th Legion, Calran Bard Ariel Yvarro
​

"Affirmative, 1-Oh-5, we are going to cut towards to the main lab in the center of the building. It seems you boys are having all the fun. Hopefully, we can get the jump one whatever the hell these idiots created in here."

Duval let out a sigh after he closed off his commlink. This is why the galaxy needed the first order. Too many rogue governments and rogue entities creating monsters and sowing chaos throughout. It was time to deliver some orders to Sump. Their part of the mission was the destruction of this lab and the monstrosities within. The Platoon had been briefed on the mutated nuknogs that were terrorizing the planet. Still, the long scrapes in the metal of the facility didn't seem like they came from the hands of a nuknog, mutated or not. A shiver ran down the lieutenant's spine. He looked around as his men spread throughout the corridors and began to move towards the main lab at the center of the building. The silence of their footfalls indicating the elite nature of his unit.

The 12th Storm Platoon was well equipped and well prepared to fight reptiles at the very least. The unit had spent years fighting the Ssi-Ruu and that experience had lead Duval to ensure that his men had brought some very important equipment. Every squad of Four Stormtroopers had one D-93 Incinerator Flamethrower. These weapons were devastatingly effective against all reptiles, and Duval was certain they would come in handy here on Sump.

Duval and his men broke down into their squad assignment and moved with confidence and silence deeper into the laboratory. The scrapes on the wall were becoming much more frequent. Obviously whatever was leaving them lived inside the lab. Hopefully, it wasn't still inside. Duval grinned inside his helmet. Knowing his luck, the beast was almost certainly inside.

A dead stop. The entire Platoon stopped in their tracks.

A loud horrible scraping sound reverberated straight from the direction they were going.

Duval checked his information panel in his helmet. The sound seemed to be coming from the main lab section. His men now fanned out into three primary groups as per their briefing and began to approach their objective point. Of course what seemed to be the epicenter of the horrifying sound. They raised their weapons to the sound. Duval estimated they were only one major junction away from the main lab. He clicked his commlink. Whispering in a deadpan tone to make as little sound as possible but still be heard.

"Duval here, My men and I are approaching the main lab now. We are spreading out to enter from multiple points along the Northern side....

A pause as Duval struggled to find the right words.

Screw the right words.

Uhh... are you guys hearing that big kriffing monster that seems to be tearing this place apart?"

Calran Bard

 

[The Major]

MORALE: LOW
Virginia Schnapp

Dated encryptions and failure states plagued forward progress, and the woman improvising behind the monitor had to restart multiple times. Keen on not asking for help from anyone present in order to specifically appear as though she was not guessing at every juncture, the Director had chosen to work from here to afford a measure of secrecy. A continual series of jinxed outcomes dogged her as Shepard trudged from mission to mission: getting people hurt, losing people, and reducing her social profile. All of it was severely wearing out her spirit, cindering the emotional tethers that kept her glued to this world.

Sybil began to realize it herself; contending with the realization that she was a battered and spent husk compared to the person before the Fall. She had less and less in common with those persisting despite their trauma, and more in common with the poor fools wrapped under sheets a floor above. Sometimes things just fell apart in this way regardless of the circumstances. And how to recover or move forward from this ever growing torpor: see a shrink? Buy a friend? A long holiday? Self medication? No, none of these were appealing, especially as the poignant notion of her life being over grew to occupy her mind. She wasn’t dead, yet. But the end was sensed all the same, as burnt through and played out as she was.

Another error log flashed across the screen, and the Major would have probably punched down on the keys had the door not opened to reveal a plucky agent holding two drinks. She vaguely recalled barking out orders and dodging plasma blasts with this particular person —Shepard found herself distinctly making an effort not to personify these specialized personnel anymore than necessary. Too often they were cut down before long.

She listened to Agent Schnapp without glaring directly, focusing the chagrin of the day at the monitor in front and clearing the latest error screen while the junior operative politely and kindly offered her assistance.

“. . .” Sybil inadvertently caught and held Virginia’s eyes as the agent verbally probed.

“It’s fine,” she replied at the mention of bacta patches, “feel free to rest or extract: everything should be stable now.” Shepard wasn’t sure if the old her was mostly about posturing and setting an aura, but some latent instinct dictated that it was best to show absolutely no weakness or mental trepidation.

 

[Calran Bard]

The confirmation from the 12th told Bard to continue on, as both groups were now well on the way to forming that pincer maneuver with the main lab toward the center of the facility. It doubled the chance of success, really, especially if the Stormtroopers managed to catch Sokolov by surprise and finally end his efforts in the regions around First Order space.

<"Copy that, we're not far from the main lab ourselves,"> Bard said into his comm, as he continued to walk slowly ahead with his soldiers. <"See you there.">

From the front, one of Alpha motioned for the Lieutenant to come forward. Bard moved along the line, as the soldiers in the white armor stayed against the walls on either side of the corridor, allowing him easy passage. When the commander reached the front of formation, he paused and frowned inside the helmet. Ahead was a more open area, with duraglass cages and cells, most apparently empty.

<"Looks clear, sir,>" Said the Stormtrooper beside Bard. <"But that scraping is louder.">

And so it was. Each scratch of whatever ripped along the metal of the walls or doors in the area sounded louder the closer the 105th section got to the main lab. By this point it was loud enough to pinpoint the position, as Bard's eyes focused across the way, and stared at the thick blast doors behind the lab tables and equipment areas.

<"There,"> Bard said through his helmet vocalizer. <"We move in, secure the cells and then get the demo team covered. Hopefully by that time, the Twelfth will be here to assist with clearing up whatever... is left...">

From behind, the distant thump of explosions sounded.

"Enemy to the rear, enemy to the rear!" Shouted one of the Stormtroopers in the back of the line. Blaster fire started, as the soldiers turned and started to fire. "Two dozen or more Nuknogs incoming, they're flanking!"

Bard turned and shifted into the middle of the corridor, as the other Stormtroopers closest to him did the same. They create a cone formation, with the Lieutenant at the top point. It allowed a clear firing angle for all troopers, with no one being caught by stray blaster bolts.

<"This is Bard, come in Twelfth,"> He called over the comm, as he squeezed the trigger on his weapon, sending red bolts down range toward the approaching horde of enemies. <"We're being flanked, we'll hold this position, push into the lab. We are positioned on the south entry, repeat we are on the south entry - do not fire into our hallway.">

With teeth gritted, Bard continued to fire along with his squads, as the mutated and horrific-looking Nuknogs continued to charge into the hail of red bolts...

______________________________

Vakim Duval | Rolf Amsel​

 

[Virginia Schnapp]

Virginia observed Shepard for a few moments. She seemed unwell. Shaken, perhaps, from the assault that had been required to recover the facility. Perhaps from other things. In any event, Shepard was Schnapp's superior and it would have been apparent to anyone in a three-kilometer radius that the former didn't want the latter in her presence, so it was time to make tracks. "Understood," she said stiffly, and turned on her heel to beat a hasty retreat. "Buggering right off," she muttered under her breath as she retraced her steps through the facility's twisting corridors.

She finished her caff on the way and, upon disposing of the cup in the recycler as she entered the cafeteria-cum-makeshift field hospital and command center. Seeing that Virginia was empty-handed, a commander called her over. "You know how to fix a generator?" he asked, thrusting a toolbelt into her hands.

"Not especially," she said.

"Take an engineering bot," he said, flicking a floating circular object towards her. It rotated, showing its photoreceptor, as if giving her a cold appraisal. "It'll walk you through the process. Need the auxiliary power back up in section Aurek Seven Seven."

"Where -- "

"Follow the signs," he said impatiently. "Aurek's that way. Hey!" He'd moved on to the next thing, looking over Virginia's shoulder as a twi'lek entered from another passage. "Great work on that shield array. Got another throwing errors in Cresh Two Six. Can ya handle it?" He looked back at Virginia. "What? Get going already."

Virginia gingerly wrapped the belt around her trim waist and followed the directions towards Aurek. The signs directed her deeper into the facility, the droid bobbing placidly beside her.

 

[Adrian Cassidy]

In scene with: Virginia Schnapp

They had wanted to keep him for a few more nights.

Understandable, but Adrian could have come up with a few dozen things he would have preferred than staying in that room one more night. Not being able to do chit was infuriating. Which was odd, because usually Adrian wouldn't have minded slacking off and just relaxing. But there was a difference between a 6-star hotel penthouse and a clinical private hospital.

The fact they all fussed over him like a score of mother hens was part of it.

"You know." A voice pipped up over Virginia's commlink as Cassidy rendezvoused to her location. "...you'd think catching a bullet for Graham would have given me the pick of elite duty."

From one of the hallways? Out came the Agent, sharply dressed, eternal grin plastered on his expression. Almost like the last month or so hadn't been spend in agony in the hospital. "But here I am, fixing up generators and computer processors. It's like... what's the point of Motherland duty and Fatherland love, hm?"

A wink there.

"Glad to see you again, Frost, ready to get to business?"

 

[Rolf Amsel]

- - -
​

FIV Lady Silence | Desolator-Class Star Destroyer
Commanding Officer | Lt. Col. Rolf Amsel
_______________________

A terse expression had gripped Rolf's features as his eyes darted from one bright indicator to the next, the holographic readout revealing a consistently worsening situation on the ground. The Ninth Imperial Battlegroup, or at least part of it, had arrived in system only minutes ago but due to some bureaucratic mix up they'd been unauthorized from being able to deploy their troops. Thanks to a few little favors Rolf had acquired over the years however, they'd cut through the red tape. All left to do was to get his troops prepped for the drop.

It wasn't by any means a new method of deployment but one that had been long underutilized in favor of assault landers and landing shuttles - Rolf found those often took too long and were easy to track. It was one reason why they'd taken the Lady Silence instead of the Erebus. Drop Pods. She boasted a complement of around twenty thousand troopers - of course the logistics didn't allow for simultaneous deployment of those number but it was a force multiplier. The ability to drop behind an enemy, the ability to aggressively counter enemy flanks, both tactics that Rolf saw great potential in.

:: Attention. Attention. Clear Pod Doors. Prepare for Drop. ::

An automated voice cut through the din of troopers stowing gear and getting settled in their pods. Rolf gripped the metal handhold above his head, lifting his legs and slipping into the pod he would be taking to the surface. Adding to the chorus of instructions echoing in the comms Rolf spoke to his team leaders. :: This is your commanding officer. Make landfall and proceed to your assigned sectors. Our boys on the surface are in trouble and we're here to bail em out. Expect dangerous conditions - remember your training. If you find yourself submerged or embedded, take a breath and follow protocol. To the hilt! Amsel out. ::

 

[Virginia Schnapp]

Ginger stopped when a familiar voice patched into her comlink, her stomach performing a swooping flip in response. It was Agent Queen -- Adrian Cassidy to those who knew him (though Virginia herself knew him by a few other nicknames) -- and no sooner had he announced his presence did he appear from a side hallway. She felt her temperature notch up a few degrees. Virginia was surprised to see and hear from him; she hadn't known he was on this assignment, or even cleared for field duty yet. The last time she'd seen him he'd been in hospital, entirely worn out.

"Queen," she said with a relieved grin. "It's about time they let you out of that place. We both know you were back to fighting fitness weeks ago. I mean, why would you want to sit around in a luxurious private clinic, almost like a spa, when you could be out here, knee-deep in whatever the hell those things we fought were and engage in such glamour as menial electrician jobs?"

Virginia paused in the intersection, not sure if it would be right to embrace him when they were both on duty. She settled for a clap on his shoulder -- the one not shot up by the terrorists on Cantros -- and a smile. "It's good to see you," she said quietly. "Have you seen Aurek Seven Seven? Apparently there's an auxiliary generator there that's on the blink and me and -- whatever this thing is -- " At this, she hooked her thumb at the floating engineering droid. " -- need to get it back online."

Once they had set off again, she glanced over at him. How did he manage to look so put-together? She was slightly shabbier: her stealth fatigues were slightly scuffed, her cheek scraped, a sleeve burned away to expose a bacta patch beneath, and her black hair slightly disheveled under a duty cap. "How are you feeling, really?" Virginia asked quietly. "Have you heard from Graham yet? I'd have thought you'd be up for a commendation, at least."

Adrian Cassidy​

 

[Adrian Cassidy]

​

"You're absolutely right, luxurious private clinics are entirely overrated." As she clapped him on the shoulder his hand nonchalantly brushed her hip. "Good to see you too, yes. And no, I only just arrived, it had been a whole fight to be assigned here in the first place." It amused him that Virginia Schnapp seemed to struggle between professionality and something more... intimate, before landing on that shoulder clap. The gesture of friendly familiarity without any heat behind it.

So... frosty, so to speak.

He didn't blame her, it was probably for the best to compartmentalize these sort of things. Probably. Adrian was never good at doing that however.

"But it was a while since our last... get-together, so I insisted." He smirked there, before drawing his attention to the drone. "Well, I am not great at fixing things up, much better at breaking them, but I am sure that together and with the drone we will get our chit together."

Once on the way Adrian linked up his comm-device with hers and the technician Virginia had left behind.

Schematics were already being fed into their combined network.

Seemed like a standard power generator, but what did Adrian really know about that? Besides how to blow them up. "Oh, I am good, really. Graham was the one who tried to keep me off the assignment. I think she got a soft spot for me now. I am up for a medal, how does that sound? Impressive or should I demand a promotion on top of it?"

Teasing her there as they rounded another corner and went down the corridor to that generator they were supposed to fix.

 

[Vakim Duval]

Objective 1:

Location: Sump, Northern interior of bioweapons lab
Troops: 48 Stormtroopers of the 12th Unattached 'Storm' Platoon
Equipment: F11D-Blaster Rifle, SE-44C blaster pistol, stun grenades, Swamptrooper Armor
With: First Order Allies, 105th Legion, Calran Bard Rolf Amsel
​

Of course, the 1-Oh-5 was pinned down. No luck for the bold today. Duval spoke into his commlink, again being as quiet as possible. "Copy that, Lieutenant. We are moving in now. I'm detaching two squads to come down the West corridor and hit that force of Nuknogs attacking your flank. For the Order." Duval signed off.

Now that the 105th was engaged outside the hallway into the main lab commotion could be heard coming from within the Main Lab area. People were obviously moving around in a panic. Not Ideal. The scraping and the sound of metal being torn off the walls continued as well, of course, it now seemed to be increasing in frequency with the commotion clearly stirring it up.

As the two squads that Duval had attached made their way to support the 1-oh-5, The rest of his men took up positions outside the entryways and prepared to enter. They now displayed a peculiar technique that Duval himself had mastered and implemented for breaching building with mass force. Three groups of twelve would line up on the three main entry points on the Northside of the lab. Four would stand straight onto the doorway, preparing to rush in once the word was given. The other Eight would be split on either side of the doorway into two lines of four. Each man stationed on the doorway pulled a stun grenade from their pack.

Duval then gave the order through his helmet link. "Breach the building. Capture the Target. Liquidate the Rest. For the Order."

With almost robotic precision his men now began the routine. The man in each line of four closest to the doorway activated his stun grenade and launched it through the doorway. Then taking a step back, he would move in a circle towards the back of the line. The next man in line stepping forward and activating his grenade and throwing it through the doorway moments after the first. Once the lines had completed the process, which took a total of 5.5 seconds. The four men straight on the door rushed the entryways, looking to confirm targets. Using this technique the 12th would deploy 24 stun grenades into the room as they breached. This caused mass chaos. Cages, with creatures, still inside flew about the room. Tables, chairs, and lab documents would in pieces and flying everywhere. At least two of the stormtroopers who had rushed the room with him had taken shrapnel wounds from the chaos inside. One looked fairly serious. No matter now, focus on the mission at hand.

Duval scanned the room. His men were taking down lab assistants and guards as quickly as they could. Most were in total shell shock and were easily liquidated. Some managed to put up some resistance and seemed to be retreating towards the Southern hallways. Duval couldn't see the target, Sokolov, anywhere. He presumed he was in the bunch retreating towards the 105th's position.

What had happened to the scraping sou-

The thought hadn't even finished crossing his mind when he heard several of his men shout in panic, one screaming as he flew over Duval's head, stomach slashed open, entrails exposed.

Duval dove for cover. His men following suit and doing the same. "Get the kriffing flamers up here now." "NOW"

 

[Caio]

If the screams over the comm hadn't alerted them then the high velocity shell of super heated tungsten did. Caio hit the dirt, debris and dust crashing down around his section. Outside the warehouse they could the sound of blaster rifles firing in panic with the shriek of a gatling laser in response. The main gun fired again, at a different target this time.

Caio was moving robotically, not even fully aware of what he was doing. His breathing was hoarse in the respirator and he could barely manage to see straight. He blundered out into the open, half collapsing behind a stack of crates. Somhairle dived down by him. His eyes were wild behind the respirator visor. "Where did that fething yoke come from?"

Caio shook his head wordlessly in response. The tank veered left, swerving with as much grace as a sixty tonne vehicle could manage. The grav-tank's shields sparked from the futile impact of blaster fire. A private in second section had time to scream before he was pulped by the marauding behemoth. Two soldiers lobbed grenades from behind cover. One blasted harmlessly against the shield, the other bounced back and nearly took out its thrower.

The comm was chaos. Kaza was trying to regain control but it was hard between the panicked requests for aid, prayers to higher powers, and some having a complete breakdown on the platoon net. They'd expected to wipe out a processing facility, not this shit. They were light infantry, not tank hunters.

"We got to try for it" he said. Somhairle looked at him like he'd lost all sense. "Us?" "Well can't do any worse than they are"

Somhairle hesitated only a moment before following Caio in a doubled over trot towards the next clump of cover.

 

[The Major]

SERVER ROOM
MORALE: LOW
♫​

As the operative left and the low electric beeps from half decade old equipment dominated the room once more, the Director let out a noiseless huff of air —itself a confusing mixture of relief and regret. Sybil was cognizant enough and not so shoved up her own rearend to realize that she was being unnecessarily icy towards the junior agent. To pretend to maintain a glacial stoicism leveled at the surviving fighters of the Security Bureau was hardly an effective strategy, especially for so desperately lonely and cracked a person as the current Shepard was.

But what else was there to do? It was, had to be, already past the point of redeeming progression, and the Major was too oddly blistered with this tremendous, stupefying wart of emotion. Nasty it was, bubbling with dust and pus, packed in such pressure as to pop. It was, had to be, safer to be alone. Better than risking the squirt her own spiraling internal miasma upon an undeserving soul.

The Cybernetic Huntress, a splintered spade, reached over to the caff gingerly and poured an excess of cream before downing as much as possible without choking.

Once that was done, she focused again on the terminal, rebooting the system for yet another attempt at a bypass.

 

[Aurelian Dash]

-
​

"Allow me." A firm hand found itself set upon the Major's shoulder, the voice behind her one she'd likely be familiar with. Taking a knee next to the enigma that was Sybil Shepard he retrieved a small datapad from the inner pocket of his signature black trenchcoat. "I've done this a time or two." Shifting his weight to his other knee, he input several commands, linking his device with the mainframe - or at least, the infrastructure of the mainframe. Getting past any latent firewalls, traps, or electronic defenses was another matter. It wasn't like the First Order to make it easy to get into their databases, information systems, or networks. Of course they'd moved away from the archaic - code cylinder - instead opting for integral security rather than physical security. Though, that was nothing to sneeze at either. "Might I see yours for a second?" he nodded towards the terminal the woman had been working on.

After eyeballing the screen for a moment a slight upturn appeared at the edge of his lips. "You were close." he remarked. "I suspect you missed this part, no shame in that either lass. It's a relatively old protocol but even the best slip up on it. Ask me about this scar sometime over a drink." he tilted his head, revealing a large scar across the base of his neck where it met his shoulder. Inputting a few more commands into his own datapad he scratched his head. "That can't be right." he mumbled. Another few inputs and he breathed a sigh of relief. "That was weird, there was a secondary..." Before he could finish his thought, the datapad in his hands sparked, a violent discharge of energy arcing from its surface though his hand and into the floor. A garbled exclamation escaped his lips as he fell to the floor, writhing.

It only lasted a few moments but it felt like a lifetime, energy dissipating almost instantly but the ache remained. "Hell, that hurt." he stated flatly. "I missed the secondary security protocol - nasty little surprise there." He shook his hands out before holding them in front of his face. A disgusted expression crossed his features and he shook his head. "I won't be able to hold steady enough. You'll have to remove the panel and bridge the connections manually. I can walk you through it."

The Major​

 

[Calran Bard]

<"We'll handle this flank as quickly as possible, Lieutenant,"> Bard replied as he pulled the trigger on his rifle and sent more deadly blaster bolts sailing toward mutated attackers. <"Then we'll be there with you. Bard, out.">

With his focus down the hallway on the masses of Nuknogs, Bard didn't really anticipate the degree of chaos that the 12th would unleash in the main area of the facility. The sudden eruption of a lot of stun grenades caused the 105th commander to wince, before his helmet nullified the sound in response, and he was left with a slight ringing in his ears for the moment. There was a decision to be made, and quickly, as things just literally exploded with activity and panic and shouts and screams from the main lab.

<"Beta squad, lock down this hallway, do not let the mutants through,"> Bard commanded, as he pointed to his second-in-command and nodded to her. <"Use whatever you have to. Alpha squad, we're moving into the lab, maintain a wide formation when we're inside, mind the corners and do not fire on the Twelfth. Any lab assistants or scientists, we stun and takedown for questioning, okay let's go!">

Bard turned with a swivel of his hand above his head, as the two sections of Stormtroopers got to it. The Lieutenant moved quickly, Alpha squad in his wake, as he rounded the last end of the hallway and saw what had caused all the commotion. The main lab was... a whirlwind of a mess. The other group of troopers had done a big impact, but that was the least of Bard's concerns as a group of lab workers rushed his position--

<"Incoming, blasters set to stun!">

--and with a toggle of his rifle setting, the 105th commander began to fire blue rings toward the scientists. He caught two, as they were engulfed by the neural disrupting beams, while others in Alpha began to fire as they took up positions near Bard. It didn't take long to drop the group, before the 105th commander walked forward and began checking the unconscious individuals. He was looking for one in particular, one that would be worth a lot to the First Order, if brought down and captured.

<"Check for Sokolov,"> Bard said with a grunt, as he pointed to more of the downed lab workers. <"If he's here, we do not miss this chance to end his efforts in this region. Go, check, double check.">

From behind, explosions sounded, as Beta squad used some low-yield detonators on the packs of attacking Nuknogs. Enough to do some damage, but not enough to bring the building hallway down. Blaster rifles continued to fire, as comm chatter filled the airways. It also seemed help was incoming, in the form of the 9th Legion - shock troopers. Bard activated his comm, as he sighed with another false identification of Sokolov.

<"Twelfth, looks like we've got some... more... help..."> Bard's voice stopped, as he looked toward the main lab area, and saw a literal hulking monster with sharp clawed spikes and numerous legs and sharp teeth and beady eyes. <"Kark me... is that a mutated Acklay?">

The creature was tearing through the area ahead, easily double the size of a usual specimen, with a metallic gleam to its exoskeleton.

<"Alpha, open fire, open fire!"> Bard shouted, as he blinked back to combat state and began to unleash with blaster bolts following a switch back from stun mode. <"Pull back, Lieutenant Vakim Duval , get into the hallways - it'll be harder for the thing to move!">

With a curse, Bard continued to fire, though he felt like his rifle was grossly ineffective. At least the other troopers had flamethrowers, which would hopefully work... and just then, the 105th commander heard another screech, as a second mutated Acklay exited the large holding area across the way.

<"We have another one, another Acklay mutant!">

______________________________

Vakim Duval | Rolf Amsel​

 

[Virginia Schnapp]

"How convenient that you managed to avoid all the dirt and blood," said Virginia with a smirk. They wound deeper into the facility, following the signage that directed them towards Aurek Seven Seven. What that was was not clear to her. An office? Some kind of storage room? A maintenance room? Probably the latter, but the rooms they were passing weren't labeled clearly. Perhaps it was deeper down in the bowels of the place.

"I'm not very confident in my technical abilities either," Virginia confessed. "But it didn't seem like the a qualification that was necessarily required when the duty chief sent me out here. They really just looked like they wanted someone with legs and arms and hands. Which... I mean, I'm overqualified. I've got two of each of those." They paused at a corner and took a left at the direction of the signs. The droid blipped neutrally behind them.

"A medal, huh?" said Virginia. "I'm not surprised. I wouldn't expect that to come with a pay rise, though. You know how tight Graham can be. The Director is here, by the way. I don't recommend talking to her though. Seems to be in a bit of a mood." Virginia glanced over at her colleague, raising her eyebrows. "I brought her a caff from the mess and she acted like I'd kicked her dog. And you know me. I'd never kick a dog. Although, you're the golden boy at the moment, so maybe you'd be all right."

She took another corner and then pointed at the large rusted sign at the end of the corridor. "Ah. Aurek Seven Seven," Virginia said. It turned out to be a maintenance room, dominated by a large power generator. "Run a diagnostic," she told the droid, then opened her datapad to check the plans that were sent over. She muted her microphone and looked over at Cassidy.

"When's the next time you're back in Avalonia?" Virginia asked casually. "If we overlap, wanna come over? For dinner, maybe. Or dessert?"

The droid spat out a diagnostic report to her datapad and she frowned. "Be easier to replace it," said Virginia, holding the datapad out for Cassidy to read. "But let's see what we can do, huh?"

Adrian Cassidy​

 

[Karisa]

Sump, Sump System
Koradin Sector, Outer Rim Territories

​

After the landing zone was secured, the transport carrying Dr. Vekshi of the First Order Department of Sciences along with members of the First Imperial Medical Services and a survey team touched down on the toxic marsh world. They were warned that conditions could be dangerous, but security measures and safety protocols were in effect that should allow the surveyors and researchers to go about their business undeterred to a manageable degree.

They were there to collect specimens and take samples of the environment and compare their findings with those reported some years ago by ATC/PharmaTech when the planet was under the First Order. That was before the Ssi-ruuk invasion. Now the Imperials had another opportunity to correct the toxic marshland. But first, from a scientific and medical perspective, they needed to know what their starting point was in present time.

Brask'ari'sabosen put on her rebreather, then grabbed her medical bag with the testing supplies in it from under her seat before following the others down the landing ramp out into the humid, rusty-colored landscape. Gods how she would trade this for the frigid cold and ice of Csilla.

"Go forth to your sector on the grid chart and begin your collection process, but be mindful of your surroundings. Danger still lurks out here," the Chiss doctor stated, then she walked over to a marshy area to take a sample of the water and that of a plant nearby.

Tag: Any​