In the Bowels of Bespin

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn chuckled and managed to not fall down after the herglic patted him on the back. The two grenades would be sufficient for now, he figured. As it was, he imagined he'd end up stuck with a section of the first order troopers, which meant he could simply steal *their* grenades when it was needed. If it was needed? No, he felt.. oddly certain that he'd need at least a few explosives.

Then again, he was a bit of a pyromaniac when it came to them, so perhaps that was just him. In either case, he pocketed them away and got prepped, having been the only one with need of a pressure suit. Though thankfully the helmet was spacious enough that he could keep his mask on, and obscure himself from view further. Tradition to hunt with his mask, after all.

<One hour later>

Good Lords this place was a mess, honestly. He stepped over a puddle of blood and bent down to examine some of the marks. He ran his fingers along some of the less clean cuts, and mused to himself. "Whatever it is, I'd much rather see it before it can get close. Keep your eyes open, and watch the ventilation systems. We've no idea exactly how big we're talking about with these things." He stood up straight and followed behind into the main entrance.

"Remind me again if there will be a point I can take this pressure suit off? There is no way I'm going to be able to operate to the best of my capability with this thing in the way." That also wasn't mentioning that he looked somewhat ridiculous in it. He had kept his lightsaber hidden for now, but with the suit that wouldn't be the case for long. And he was quite fond of keeping his weapon hidden until needed. "And I'm still taking a squad through the lower levels right?"

[member="Hyori Tal"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I'm not sure Ghorua. But I don't think we're going to like it." That was an understatement. "But maybe it could be that someone just had pressure sickness. It's hard to tell who would be susceptible to it. Generally it starts with the shakes, followed by slurred speech. Then they start to lose their minds. If anyone starts to get the shakes, let us know immediately."

She looked over to [member="Darlyn Excron"] . "You can take your suit off now that we're inside. Though you should probably wait until you are at the lower levels. I didn't see any breeches in the hull, so we should be okay. You'll need it again when leave."

She eyed the claw marks again before looking to [member="Ghorua the Shark"] . "I'll need you up on the top level. Agent Tal will have my back. But if I need you, I'll call. And if you need me, or if you get hurt, I'll come and help you, alright?" Kay hoped that Ghorua would get the meaning of what she was trying to say. He knew that she could heal, but he also knew that she had kept her Force Sensitivity a secret.

Agent [member="Hyori Tal"] was set to go with her. "We have the labs and living quarters. If anyone's alive, they could be there. So....shall we?" Kay started off ahead, her eyes darting everywhere, still not used to the readouts from her helmet. It was almost comforting to have the troopers there for support. It didn't matter that they were enemies. At this moment, everyone that she brought down was on the same side.



Further inside on each floor, there'd be more signs of struggle and fighting. Broken glass, panels, doors. Yet most of what was needed for life support and to run the platform were in tact, as if whomever or whatever attacked the scientists and engineers wanted to keep the platform operational.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua nodded as [member="Lady Kay"] spoke to him, telling him to go up. Alone. The seemingly abandoned mining facility was scary enough as it was, even with the Force-Users at his side. Now, he was told to go off by himself, without the help of any troopers, or Kay herself. But he knew he wasn't needed here as long as his charge was protected.

"Fine," Ghorua said, trying to mask the fear that had begun to build up in his stomach. Her wording had not been lost on him. "I'll keep my comms on."

With a hefting of his blaster cannon, the Herglic tromped his way around the compound, until he found a repulsorlift. More blood. The glass surrounding the lift was shattered, as if something heavy had been slammed against it. Ghorua tried not to breathe in the scent of gore as he drifted upward. The elevator had to work to carrry his massive bulk, and Ghorua was slightly worried that the weight would be the end of him. Finally, it shuttered to a stop, the door half-opening. The Shark had to place his hands on the door, and push them open. A metallic shrieking sound penetrated the silent area as the doors begrudgingly let Ghorua pass.

Most of the top floor seemed to be storage for the ores they dug up. Ghorua stood in a large room, crates stacked all along the area, creating a sort of labyrinth of boxes. The place was eerily quiet. Ghorua steeled himself as he walked into the maze of crates. Almost immediately, he saw a couple of turned over boxes, their contents spilled on the ground. Ghorua couldn't see it, but he could smell the blood in the air. It was maddening.

He went over the comms, a tinge of fear recognizable in his voice. "Well, whatever did this wasn't interested in the rethin..." Ghorua the Shark felt claustrophobic in his helmet. Lifting it from his head, he sat down on the turned-over crate, and massaged his forehead. He just needed a breather.

- [member="Darlyn Excron"] - [member="Hyori Tal"] -

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Agent Tal listened to the steady, rhythmic sound of her breaths echoing in her helmet, and the words of the others coming in over the comm channel. It seemed to her that the others were a bit unsettled traveling in their suits, wearing a helmet was a bit cumbersome, but it did not bother her. She came up to stand alongside Lady Kay as she gave instructions to Ghorua to move to the top level.

“Lieutenant Vulen,” She said, and the Trooper came up to meet her. “Take two men and accompany Mr. Excron.”

The remaining four troopers would follow behind Agent Tal as she went along with Kay. Once the other woman had moved in the direction of the living quarters and labs, Agent Tal followed along, just a few paces behind. Hyori’s deft hand waited patiently at her side, poised but ready to act at the first sign of danger. As they wound their way through the halls, there was additional evidence of struggle, including more claw marks along the walls.

As they came up towards the stark white laboratories, it was obvious that something had gone terribly wrong there. The door to the first lab was open, as if someone had simply walked inside and then let loose some terribly fury upon all that occupied it. The lights were flickering; a few of the fixtures were dangling from the ceiling. Agent Tal stepped over the body of a male scientist, his remains quite battered and bloody. She had a seat at a computer station and attempted to access the system, but it was offline.

“Lady Kay, do you have knowledge about what these scientists were working on?” She turned her chair to face Kay, “Anything out of the ordinary?”

Hyori fell silent as Ghorua’s voice came through, a note of fear in his voice. Their adversary had clearly been out for blood. And that was never a good thing.

[member="Lady Kay"], [member="Ghorua the Shark"], [member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Oh good, I'll keep it nice and tidy then. Would hate to be stuck with a laundry bill after this." He chuckled to himself, heading off when it was his time to go down a level. Giving a small wave over his shoulder, he took the three troopers with him to the lift down. After stepping inside with them, he addressed Hyori through the comms. "Oh and, call me Darlyn would you? Mr. Excron is so formal, I feel like I ought to put on a suit." The doors shut, and Darlyn with the three troopers went down to the maintenance level.

And moments after stepping out of the lift, Darlyn found himself in a pool of blood, with what seemed to be the remains of at least two engineers. He bent down and rolled one of them over, taking their ID card from their pocket. He turned it over with a hum, and stood up. He flashed it over to the LT with a bit of a smirk. "Identichip, didn't know people still used these. Should help with doors and computers if they use scanners as well." He pocketed it and continued on, looking for any breaches in the hull as he went through the halls. Eventually they came to a computer, and he sat down at it. It took a few minutes, but the system eventually turned on, though it was struggling to do so. He opened the diagnostics to check the station's status.

Looking it over, he activated his comm system. "Found a diagnostic station down here, barely operational. Life support is operational, and there are no breaches in the hull. In fact I can't seem to find anything wrong with the station at all. The computer might just not be able to detect everything, but it's not shouting about problems either." He took off his helmet, letting the pressure suit loosen around him without his helmet. He set the helmet down and fixed his cloak, which had been stuffed inside the suit. With everything fixed for his personal taste, he pulled his lightsaber out from inside the suit and clipped it to his side, hidden from the trooper's view.

He glanced around and noticed a pack on the ground, and after emptying it out put the helmet inside, slinging the pack over a shoulder for safe keeping. With his little wardrobe change completed, he glanced back in his mirrored mask to the LT. "You ever just have a bad feeling about everything?"

[member="Hyori Tal"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay didn't really consider [member="Ghorua the Shark"] would go by himself. She had thought that a couple of Troopers would go with him. But maybe they were too intimidated by his size. She heard the fear in his voice and worried for him. It was odd, worrying for the well being of one that had beaten her. But he had showed his honourable side and gained her respect. "Ghorua, if it's all clear up there, could you come back down to our floor?....Please?"

Without waiting for a response, she turned to [member="Hyori Tal"] to answer her question. "No. Just simple tests on the ore, and of the difference in pressure and it's effects. At least....that's what I was told." Kay tried to ignore the bodies and carnage on the ground, though it was tough. She moved to proceed to the living quarters. If anyone was alive, they could be there. She knocked on one of the doors and waited, all the while listening to [member="Darlyn Excron"] .

*********************************

As Ghorua sat there taking a breather, he would start to get the feeling as though he was being watched, and not in a good way. It was more like the feeling of prey being stalked by a predator. He would see no movement, but for a light mist down at the far end of the storage room.

As for the lower levels where Darlyn was, he too would start to see a bit of the light mist, followed by strange screams that echoed quite easily through the boiler rooms.

https://youtu.be/7N5ETT-Rb48

((OOC: No, there won't be raptors. I just like their screams ))

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua the Shark, with a shaky sigh, heard [member="Lady Kay"]'s voice go over the comms in his helmet. The headpiece was still at his side, leaned up against the crate. The behemoth had pushed back the Frenzy, ignoring his feral side for now. He knew he was right on the edge of snapping, however. He would have to tread lightly. He had heard the Lady's insistent tone to him leaving, and wondered briefly if she worried for him. That would be quite the change.

Ghorua felt something... uncomfortable come over him. It was a feeling he got often; the feeling of being watched. "Yeah, nothing new up here. I'll come back down," he said, same fear present. He tried so hard to keep his fearless visage, and it was slipping away, all over a bit of blood. One would think a big guy like Ghorua wouldn't get spooked so easily, but he had his share of fears.

As he stood from his rest, Ghorua saw something from the corner of his eye. He turned quickly, preparing for an attack of some kind. When no attack came, he let himself relax. He noticed what had spooked him; a viscous, cloudy smoke that had materialized at the other edge of the storage room. "Uh, scratch that, Kay, there might be something here. I'm looking at a gas of some sort, could be deadly. I'm gonna check it out."

Gathering his courage, the Herglic planted his helmet back on his head, and switching to his own oxygen reserves, in case it was a gas. Ghorua breathed a sigh of relief as the smell of blood was no longer present. The Shark began to stalk towards the mist, blaster cannon raised. He talked into his comms as he walked, more of a nervous tick than anything. "So, who wants to go out for drinks after this? I could use that. I'm really under a lot of pressure right now..." Thin lips curled up into a wide smile.

- [member="Darlyn Excron"] - [member="Hyori Tal"] -

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Agent Tal listened to the exchange between Ghorua and Kay; it seemed that all was quiet on the top levels. And now that the Herglic was moving back to meet them, they would be able to cover ground in and around the labs and living quarters quite easily. She nodded as Kay answered her question; unfortunately, it yielded little to explain what had happened here. Surely the bloodshed had not been the result of simple tests.

It seemed that Kay did not want to linger in the lab; Hyori stood up and moved to follow her towards the living quarters.

She heard Mr. Excron’s voice next, stating that he had picked up an identichip. It was not much of a clue to go on, but it would let him and the troopers move about with ease. Hyori rolled her eyes slightly upon hearing him posing irrelevant questions to the Lieutenant. And she noted the lack of a response from Vulen, he was a man that cared little for small talk. But, she did hear his voice speak up “Do you see that? Is it smoke?”

Almost at the same moment, Ghorua came over the comm as well, mentioning the presence of a gas. Whatever they were seeing, it was likely from the same sources. Agent Tal looked to Kay, who was knocked on a door, and was waiting patiently for a response. This was no time to be polite. Just as Hyori stepped up beside Kay, about to pop the cover off the security keypad to reveal the wires beneath... there was movement.

“Agent Tal,” Said one of the troopers, “Look!”

There was mist at the far end of the hall, back in the direction they had just come from. The white-armor clad man began to walk down the hallway to investigate. He rounded the corner a few moments later and disappeared from view. Agent Tal waited with the rest, silence thick and charged around them.

And then the eerie quiet was broken by the trooper's scream.

[member="Lady Kay"], [member="Ghorua the Shark"], [member="Darlyn Excron"]

Spoiler

Hope you don't mind that I threw in some action for us too lol

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn was about to speak again, when he noted the mist off in the distance. The comm system confirmed both Ghorua and likely the others would be seeing similar phenomenon on their levels. Darlyn cursed under his breath and drew his blaster, just as he heard two unsettling sounds. The first was the scream of, whatever it was, down in the boilers, echoing to his position. The second was a scream from a trooper, broadcast over their comm systems. Immediately upon hearing the second scream, Darlyn stopped caring about secrecy and unclipped his lightsaber, holding the inactive weapon in his right hand as he took a few steps from the computer console.

"Systems are operational, damage is minimal. Minus whatever killed the workers being down here with us. I highly suggest everyone gets ready for a fight. We've got company, and it doesn't sound like it wants to have a cup of tea with us." Sarcasm, the greatest of coping mechanisms. "Oh and Ghorua, you're buying this time." Did he hear footsteps? claws clicking against metal? Darlyn was not exactly willing to find out too quickly, and took stock of the room they were in at the moment.

It wasn't particularly large, but it was by no means cramped. They could probably have a proper gunfight with another five or six individuals here if they had to. Though if the claw marks gave indication they'd be on the move to avoid getting clawed in half more than hide behind barrels and tables. There were three hallways, the one they came down, one leading to the north end, and the hallway leading to the boilers they heard screaming from. Down the boilers' hallway was the mist, the lift hallway was pretty pointless, and the northern hallway lead to what looked like a bit of a labyrinth of hallways. Peachy. "Lieutenant, I hope you're a karking good shot."

[member="Hyori Tal"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] was right to be on edge. The heavy mist grew, though it wasn't poisonous. It just began to build and build until it was all around him, heavy and thick.

And then they came, almost materializing out of nowhere.....

.....It seemed as though they were staring at him, however through the mist it didn't appear as though they had eyes. They were tall and thin, heights reaching over 7 feet, yet still Ghorua towered over them. Even so, their stealth, look and silence seemed to draw more fear from their prey. At least the ones that are now pieces on the floor.

Ghorua, however was special to them. Very special. His fate would not be the same as the others. While he was busy standing there with the three that had materialized before him, one of the four-armed beings jumped onto his back, two arms getting a firm grip around his arms while another arm gripped around his helmet, using the last to dig it's clawed fingers into the nape of the helmet, trying to release the catch so that it can be pulled off.

In the mid level, the same type of mist continued to grow. [member="Hyori Tal"] 's trooper didn't even see the attack that stole his life. It too came from behind, dragging him back as his helmet was torn off, his throat slit by sharp claws. His blaster rifle was taken as well. Nothing was left behind but a trail of blood. And still the mist grew. It started to snake behind them as well so that soon they would seem trapped in a fog.

Kay looked to Agent Tal. "I guess we know why we lost contact with the team...."

Down in the lower levels, [member="Darlyn Excron"] and the troopers with him were already getting surrounded by the mist. More of the screams echoed, edging closer to them until finally their source appeared....

Their numbers were unknown as the further one tried to see through the mist, the blurrier it got. But their hide looked tough. The one in front seemed to stare Darlyn down for a moment before letting out the high pitched scream a mere second before the heavily muscled monster lunged to attack, with the others following in behind.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua the Shark had edged into the fog, careful to keep his blaster cannon up. Then, almost in an instant, the cloud surrounded him, disrupting his view of the area. The white mist surrounded him, enveloped him, trapped him in it's embrace. The behemoth tiptoed further and further into the mist, relying on the Spinster for comfort. Ghorua held onto it like a child's blanket.

Then the beings sprang out of the mist all around him. This was the moment Ghorua was truly thankful for his genetic modifications. As the clawed individuals rushed forward, the one trying the grab his arms was severely disappointed. The Shark turned quickly, inhumanly so, and wrapped a hand around the creature's neck. He squeezed with enough force to crush durasteel. Ghorua didn't know how much these guys could take, but he assumed that would be enough to kill the creature.

Unfortunately, Ghorua had turned his back on the other, which had climbed the mountain of armor and muscle, latching it's claws under the locking mechanism of his helmet. The Shark had the sense to speak into his comms, realizing what was about to happen. "Contact! Multiple individuals! Get to safety!" That's all he got through before the helmet was rent from the rest of his armor, sent flying through the fog, away from sight.

Ghorua felt fear. True fear. All of his paranoia came bubbling to the surface as he faced these creatures. He began to fire the Spinster at them, a barrage of red blaster bolts cutting through the smoke. Each shot was precise, but desperate. The Herglic wanted to live. He felt all his emotion seep into his voice, until it came bubbling to the surface.

The Shark opened his toothy maw, and released an eardrum-battering roar. The sound rattled the entire platform, an unholy expression of terror and desperation, the rotary blaster cannon in his hands adding to the cacophonous blast of sound. This wasn't his frenzy. Not yet, anyways. If the Frenzy came bubbling to the surface, Ghorua feared for the lives of all on the facility.

- [member="Lady Kay"] - [member="Darlyn Excron"] - [member="Hyori Tal"] -

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Hyori’s dark eyes were focused in the direction where the trooper had disappeared; she saw two of the others begin to move to avenge their fallen brother. But she was sure that they would surely meet the same brutal end. She did not want to risk losing any more of their number, not yet.

“Do not move,” She said sternly, her voice cut through like a blade. “Hold your ground, men. Stay alert.”

Ghorua’s voice broke through the comm system next; he had apparently made contact with whatever being was responsible for the bloodshed. And by contact, it seemed that he was most certainly being attacked. She did not wish death upon the Herglic, but she would not be able to help, nor would she try. Not while they had their own safety to look after.

As the mist began to fill the halls behind them, the troopers moved in towards Kay and Hyori. The hallway was not that large, and the mist made it seem all that much smaller. The agent’s hands had found her blasters, and she held the weapons steadily in her grip. Hyori was normally the one stalking and pursuing, but now the tables had turned.

“Lieutenant, report.” She said in a low tone, knowing that his men and Mr. Excron were also in the mist.

“There’s movement, Agent Tal.” He replied, his voice just above a whisper. “But I can’t-” He had been about to say that he could not see the source... but that changed.

Hyori looked to Kay, barely even able to see the woman standing next to her now through the thick fog. The agent had no idea whether or not Kay was able to defend herself, or if she even had a weapon to do so. Her dark eyes did not show fear, even now appearing almost blank, but their sharpness remained.

“Can you use a blaster?” She removed the spare from her back and held it out, “You may need it.”

Their hallway grew silent again... the quiet before the storm.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"], [member="Lady Kay"], [member="Darlyn Excron"] - PS... Feel free to NPC your troopers and the LT!

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Contacts down here as well. Least I'm not gonna get bored." Darlyn leveled his DL-18 at the first creature, releasing a wild flurry of bolts the moment the thing seemed to attack. The DL-18 was a powerful weapon, though nowhere near as sluggishly brutal as the DL-44, and the recoil and spread of the bolts was monstrous. Yet still the bolts would find their mark, though to what effect he wouldn't know for certain. Regardless of if the bolts worked or not, the thing was still going to fly at him through the air, and he needed to deal with that problem. To that end, he relied on his senses, ducking under the leaping thing and blasting its underside with force Push. When he got back up, he surveyed the group as best he could through the mist..

The troopers and the LT spread themselves out as the things began to come in, leveling their blasters from one to the next in their attempts to take them down. Fortunate, for their blasters provided just enough low light to confirm what Darlyn was sensing whenever he spotted one of the creatures. They were definitely rather tough. He cussed again, forgetting he had his comm system on still, and put his blaster on his hip again. However tough their hide was, it certainly shouldn't be perfectly resistant to this...

With a loud hiss and the resulting low hum, Darlyn's yellow blade ignited into existence, This was something of a desperate decision of course, He would've much preferred to keep it down longer, but circumstances didn't allow for it. He moved swiftly, coming up to one of the creatures and making a wide sweeping swing at one of it's legs. He followed it up with a single, strong bolt of electricity, created in his left hand and aimed at its head. "If you're in the labs still, I'd suggest seeing if any chemicals in particular are dangerous to these things. If not well, how many blaster bolts you think it'd take."

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Hyori Tal"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

The Spinster hit it's mark, yet the unknown being's hide was tough. It took a few hits to knock the creature down. Their thin size and quick movements made them a harder target to hit, yet at close range it was easier. The neck of one of them that he caught snapped, killing him too. But it didn't matter. They outnumbered [member="Ghorua the Shark"] with more on the way. And his actions just made them more in awe of him. His roar gave them the opportunity that they needed as one of them released a canister of knock out gas towards him, their voices echoing as they chanted, "Consecration...Consecration...Consecration..."

Meanwhile on the mid level, Kay took hold of the blaster from [member="Hyori Tal"] . "Thank you. I'm an okay shot, but shooting in this is almost shooting blind."

Just as what had happened upstairs, the creatures almost materialized in the mist before them. They stood there silent and still with an air of superiority over them. The one in front tilted his head to the side as if waiting to see what they would do.

Kay had never seen such creatures before. Not being quick to violence, she thought she'd attempt a diplomatic route. "Hello? Do you understand basic? This is my mining platform. If we intruded on your territory then it was a mistake. It wasn't on purpose. There's no more need for bloodshed. Surely we could come to some kind of agreement...." Her words were met by high pitched laughter from behind them, before they were rushed from both sides.

Down in the lower levels, the tough hides of the creatures protected them from some of the blaster bolts, but repeated hits began to burn their flesh, causing them to yelp in pain. But still they pressed forward, lunging at the troopers. One bit down on the blaster rifle and shook hard, tearing it from the trooper's grip, while another jumped on him and bit into his arm. Powerful jaws crushed the armour, breaking the troopers arm before he too was shook like a rag doll.

[member="Darlyn Excron"] 's lightsaber was something that they had never seen before. The light gave the creature in front time to pause it's attack. Only when the blade struck it's leg and cut into it, did they realize that it was a weapon. The creature screamed in pain, forced back from the bolt of lightning.

Safety in numbers. That was their thinking. Half a dozen of them ran up to flank Darlyn and attack almost all at once.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

As both blaster and wielder roared in unison, something was tossed in Ghorua's vicinity. A metallic thunk, followed by a hissing. Ghorua knew a gas grenade when he heard it. The Herglic quickly inhaled through his blowhole, and immediately felt the effect of the gas. He felt the pounding in his head stop, his entire system beginning to slow. He didn't know if the gas was deadly or not, but he did know he didn't want to get any more of it into his lungs. Thankfully, Herglics can hold their breath for a long time.

Ghorua saw more advancing shadows, and fired the Spinster in their general direction, a few bolts hitting their marks. But before the Shark could fell another of the assailants, one came streaking out of the shadows, slamming into his chest, his precious breath escaping him in a painful hauum. Ghorua had no choice but to take more gas in through another breath. He was weakened further by the vapor, but obviously the gas wasn't created with a being so large in mind. Ghorua, woozy but determined, threw the Spinster to the ground, and pulled something off of his bandolier. extending it into a two meter long pole, the Shark ignited his saberpike, the sky-blue blade illuminating the fog around him.

The hunter had acquired the crystal for Trident from Lady Kay, and she would not be happy to know he had it. Kay was under the impression the weapon of her deceased husband was lost to the Aether, and that was partly true, but if she knew he still had the most important piece of her husband's lightsaber... that wouldn't be pretty. Which is why Ghorua had kept it a secret on this mission, until now.

The long reach of the pike did well in incapacitating and tripping up the assailants' assault. It whooshed through the air, cutting through whatever was too slow to escape it's wielder's power. Limbs were slashed, attacks were warded off, and Ghorua had begun to build up some confidence, but more came, and Ghorua couldn't hold his breath forever. The Shark had also lost track of which way he had come from. He couldn't move without the risk of walking into a deadly ambush.

C'mon, Kay, I could use your help.

- [member="Lady Kay"] - [member="Darlyn Excron"] - [member="Hyori Tal"] -

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Hyori only offered Kay a slight incline of her head to acknowledge her response, but she was pleased to hear that the former senator could handle herself well enough. Kay was right, the fog was so thick that it was difficult to see anything; Hyori could scarcely see the heavy blaster that she held up in her hand. In the moments of silence that followed, she focused on her breaths again, just listening to the steady sound in her helmet.

And then her eyes grew wide as beings appeared before them, seemingly spun out of the air and fog.

A quick appraisal of the beings told her that they were cold and calculating. They had most certainly been watching their teams before they chose to reveal their presence. The way their eyes seemed to look down on them showed intelligence and even an attitude of superiority. Hyori’s gaze had also found the slender, clawed fingers at the end of the creature’s thin arms. While they did not look terribly strong, she had seen the aftermath of their attacks, looks were deceiving.

The agent’s blaster came level with the eyes of one of the creatures, but just as her finger began to close around the trigger, Lady Kay began to speak. Hyori’s eyes shifted to the side for a split second, of course, the diplomat in Kay would try to reason with the beings... but it was of no use. A ringing laughter suggested that they did indeed understand, but they cared little for what she had to say.

Movement came from all sides then, the agent’s reflexes were sharp and fast, her blaster sent a volley of three bolts at the nearest alien. The bolts hit their mark, burning a deep hole into the chest of the creature, knocking it to a knee, but not disabling it completely. They were resilient. Like most living things, their necks appeared to be a weak spot. Hyori’s next volley was sent just below the alien’s jaw, and she watched as it fell back motionless, disappearing into fog.

The troopers seemed to be holding their own, their blaster rifles firing quickly and efficiently. She could see aliens stumbling back due to the force of their hits, but she did not see as many falling dead as she would have liked.

“Concentrate your fire on their vulnerable areas!” She shouted, just as the body of a trooper went flying into the wall. He moved for a moment or two before his body became still.

Now they were down to two troopers. This was not looking good.

[member="Lady Kay"], [member="Ghorua the Shark"], [member="Darlyn Excron"]

 

[Darlyn Excron]

This wasn't going well at all. They didn't seem to like electricity, and their hides were tough enough to give blasters pause. Though it seemed his lightsaber was more than effective at this. He just had to keep moving, keep fighting, and figure out a plan. Something that would let him get out alive with his employer, and whoever he could manage otherwise. The troopers were doing well to keep back after the first got bit, but it was only a matter of time before retreat was the only option. There were more of these things than he cared to fight, six of them already attacking him at once.

Annoying. He turned to face them and blasted them with Push, both hands, before turning to the bit trooper, still held in the thing's grip. He moved over and stabbed the thing in the leg, to get it to howl in pain, then grabbed his blaster and fired several shots down its throat. The insides were never as strong as the hide, after all. He moved the trooper to the wall to check his vitals, which didn't look very promising.

"Got some... dog like things down here.. They don't seem too fond of electricity. We might have to retreat further into the labyrinth of hallways down here before the troopers get killed off. I highly suggest you do the same Kay, Agent Tal." It was at this point he shut off his communications, and picked up the trooper, holding it up under its safe to hold arm. "We're moving LT. I think I can slow their assault but we can't do it here." Then the group moved further inwards, to the north where there was naught but a maze of halls. A labyrinth, even. And upon reaching the first cross roads he moved the trooper to the LT's shoulder, instructing him to check on the arm and see if it had to be removed, before turning towards where the creatures would be.

With deft fingers, He pulled free the first of the two stun grenades and tossed it towards the oncoming beasts, hoping it might have some effect. Then he mustered all his strength he dared, and with both hands outstretched overloaded the conduits to the left and right with force lightning. He pumped enough energy in to cause both to burst, spilling it into a wall of electricity, and perhaps a temporary barrier. But it left him somewhat drained of energy, and his hands stung from exertion. Darlyn fell to his knees and watched a moment, taking in deep breathes as he waited to see if his idea worked.

[member="Hyori Tal"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Lady Kay"] <... Heh, I had an idea. ^^">

 

[Kay-Larr]

The volley of blaster fire from [member="Hyori Tal"] and the remaining troopers made Kay jump. It had been a long time since she was on a battlefield. She opened fire, with her back towards the Agent. Instinct caused her to release her hold on her Force signature and allow herself to become open to it. Using the blaster shots as a distraction, she summoned the Force around her and sent a wave of it towards the alien creatures, forcing them away from her. The fog parted from the energy, only to close up again. Uh oh. Kay didn't want her secret out, especially to the First Order.

An idea came to mind. "Cover me!! I have an idea!!" Kay made a break for it and ran towards the creatures blocking her path to the lift. She fired her blaster to hide the fact that she was Force pushing them out of her way too. She skidded inside, slamming her body against the back and then punched the button to make the door shut. [member="Ghorua the Shark"] was up there by himself. His roar gave her all the clues needed to let her know that he too was getting attacked. She only hoped to get up there in time.

The alien creatures continued to press their attack on Agent Tal and the remaining troopers. One of them grabbed her arm with one hand while she was distracted and attempted to take her mask off with the other.

Meanwhile on the upper level, the alien creatures, those that still lived, held their attack and moved away from Ghorua. They kept their attention fully on him, sending yet another cannister of knockout gas towards him. The saber pike was enough to make them try a new strategy of capturing their prey, afterall, he was the one that they wanted alive. As the lift reached his level and the door opened, one by one, the lights on the upper level began to go out, washing them all in darkness outside of the glowing pike. The last light to go out was the one inside the lift as it too lost power.

On the lower levels, the creatures' numbers shrank while [member="Darlyn Excron"] attacked them. As the Sith and troopers headed further into the platform, so too did the creatures. But then Darlyn created the electric barrier. As it blocked their path, one of them paced back and forth along it, while the others ran in a different direction. Like the pack that they were, they worked at their goal of corralling their prey. So far, it was working. They knew the platform inside out, afterall.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua's chest burned, longing for another breath. The Herglic felt his head pulse, the stench of blood, mixed with his current duress, brought him dangerously close to the tipping point. The air around the behemoth was clouded, all visuals reduced to vague smudges. The lights above blinked out of existence. Only the sky-blue silhouette of the Shark remained in the smoke.

Dimly, Ghorua was aware of a second hissing sound accompanying the first, which had died off as the gas exited the canister. The fog around him thickened. Soon, he could see nothing but the blue-tinged gas in front of his eyes, the metallic scent of blood his only companion. It was too much. The Hunter had pushed his brain to it's limit, and it had taken enough. Ghorua's entire body shivered as his pupils grew wide, teeth sliding from behind his rubbery lips. Even though he was no Force-user, waves of anger and pure rage emanating from the frenzied monster, sending ripples throughout the Force. In his state, Ghorua took a big breath to roar, and immediately sank to one knee.

The enraged Herglic tried to take in another gulp of air, and fell down on his hands and knees. In the back of his mind, the more rational side of the Shark wondered if this was how he was going to die; alone. The irrational beast tried in vain to stand, but only succeeded in sinking completely to the floor, head pressed against the cold metal beneath. Trident's soft blue glow dissipated as the saber-pike left the Herglic's hands. A weak whimper was all that could escape Ghorua's throat. Dimly, he had one last thought before losing consciousness.

I wasn't strong enough... I wasn't strong...

- [member="Lady Kay"] - [member="Darlyn Excron"] - [member="Hyori Tal"] -

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Hyori barely had a moment to spare a glance in Kay’s direction, and she did not do so until she heard the woman’s voice call out. She turned slightly as she heard Kay asking for cover, and then broke into a sprint towards the lift. The agent had little time to question the former senator about her plan, for there were more pressing issues. So far, the remaining troopers were fairly well, their blasters finding their targets easily. But as one alien went down, another would assume its place. It seemed utterly endless. Her dark eyes shifted towards the lift again, Kay was nowhere to be seen, and there was a curious amount of bodies left in her wake. Perhaps the woman was far more skilled with a blaster than she had let on.

An alien came forward with surprising speed, grabbed her arm with one hand, while his other scratched relentlessly for the latches of her helmet. She fired her blaster at close range, but it hit against the alien’s armored chest with little effect. The agent’s foot came up swiftly, kicking the alien just under the shoulder, attempting to throw it back. She let out a yell as his claws found her left shoulder, her eyes shut tight as the searing pain shot through her. With her opposite hand she fired two last shots into the space between the alien’s eyes. It released her from its grip and she fell back against the wall, blood dripping from her wound and marking the floor with red.

“Fall back!” She managed to choke out; “Defend the lift.”

Together with the troopers, they fired their blasters, holding the aliens back for the moment. The fog was still thick around them, but at least they knew that the lift and a wall stood behind them. She had little clue whether Kay and Ghorua would make it back down. For a moment she thought of Mr. Excron, and a thought struck her.

“Soldier, do you have charges?” She asked the nearest trooper.

“A couple, Agent Tal,” He nodded, “But they don’t pack much of a punch.” He fired off a couple rounds into the fog before them.

It would do little good to send their limited charges out into the fog, it would be best to save them as a last resort. For now they would hold... for as long as they could.

[member="Lady Kay"], [member="Ghorua the Shark"], [member="Darlyn Excron"]