Intervention | FO Dominion of Zaadja & Gannaria

[Samka Derith]

Objective 3 - Hive Mind
Allies: [member="Kyrel Ren"] | [member="Kirie Ito"] | [member="Konstantin Makarev"]

The burst of flame which followed from behind had to be avoided with a spectacular leap from the small girl, landing some way away from the action. She watched as the fire hit the emerging aliens to see almost no immediate affect on the bugs. They continued marching, slumbering through the flames, utterly fearless and unfeeling of pain. A few of the burning Geonosians raised blasters and opened fire back at the troopers, their clumsy shots more like blind fire than anything resembling precision.

A few of their own were caught by friendly fire but the Geonosians were utterly undeterred. Only now did a few of them collapse to the flames, their bodies ignited to such an extent that they simply could not support their own weight and crumbled apart.

A group of five broke off from the main bulk of the swarm and advanced towards Samka. Unarmed, they shambled towards the girl who twirled her blade in an elegant display. As they drew closer, Samka could see just how awful they looked. Their carapaces were pales and twisted, wings broken and deformed while their eyes held no sign of recognition nor awareness. No sign of life. They didn't chatter to each other, they merely gurgled or moaned as they lurched onward, unnaturally swaying as they did so. The Ren hadn't had much experience with the species beyond a few minor encounters with individuals but she knew enough that this wasn't right at all. She cut through the closest one, severing the grasping hands from the body then swinging the blade back down to sever the creature by the thigh. It fell to the ground in pieces. A second one leaned towards her but Samka was far too quick for it, jabbing her Lightsaber through the Geonosian's thin neck and popping it off with a small flick.

It was only now she appreciated the depth of the problem. The enemy they were fighting was already dead.

 

[The Major]

Post 6, Obj 1: Spice of Life​

Allies: Security Bureau and its constituents​

Enemies: [member="Zyrias Pax"] [member="Zef Halo"]​

In Sight: [member="Zai Avery"]​

Oh, melodrama; oh, strife. What started with beauty, grace, precision, and fortitude had devolved into this rambling mess with sweat, spittle, and drug addled nonsense. It was the kind of day that had the Major pining for a shower to clean off the excrement that came with dealing in scum: thier smells, their schemes, their appetites.

For a Fallanassi, illusions were the name of the game. Though she balked at making use of such tricks there was no other choice. Or rather, she felt too annoyed to undertake any proper, true mediation. What she needed was information. And she wasn’t about to risk her own neck even more to get it. Thus, as her flashbang went off the good representative conjured up a doppelganger next to her person. Giving it a once over she nodded approvingly, thinking, Yes, I do look good today. The copy agreed, and crossed into the cantina. Through this means of the White Current the illusion was more of an extension of the Major, a new, fun limb that could separate and go on its own provided that concentration could be maintained.

It walked in, gloved hands held up, and spoke.

“I only want to ask the owner of this ear lobe...” She produced a bit of meat for effect, “A question. Get that? Don’t care about your bounty, or your wounds, or your little gang here. I should remind you that you’re cowering in a cantina. A cramped cantina. Fighting in a bar presents a number of tactical disadvantages: namely, you’re fighting in a bloody bar.” It was uncanny how much like a person this copy acted, even going so far as to wipe the sweat off of her brow.

“What’s it gonna be, Friend? You answer willingly, or do I need to vaporize your legs first?” Any moment now, the first shot would sail right into her chest.

 

[Luther Lewis]

​

​

Location: Gannaria - Spice Den.
Objective One: The Spice of Life - Survive.
Allies: [member="Zef Halo"], [member="Zyrias Pax"]
Enemies: [member="The Major"]

​

The rush of adrenaline was enough for him to focus, and push away the pain. For now. The promise of further agony lurked on the edge of his consciousness.

He was startled, badly, when a mercenary rounded the table. He'd nearly let off a shot when she'd identified herself as friendly. "You don't shoot me, I don't shoot you. Bkoha biw?" she said. Her hair was braided and she was short, shorter than him. "Sounds good to me" Zai replied, smiling weakly. The woman had gotten the jump on him easily, and he would be dead if she was hostile. He needed to focus if wanted to survive more than five minutes.

"They want me. If you give me time to get away, they should leave you alone" Zai said. Mercs didn't like to fight if there was no profit involved, which was why Zai was surprised to find anyone remotely friendly. He couldn't get these people involved however, he didn't want their blood on his hands. He glanced around, noting the exits. There was the way he came, which wasn't an option. There was a door behind the bar, but who knew where that led. And finally there was the entry to the cantina, a big set of double doors, and his best bet at escape. It was also halfway across the cantina floor and was completely exposed. As his head spun with a dizzying tumult of risky plans, his antagonist did the exact opposite of what he expected. She walked into the cantina.

Zai peeked from his cover of the upturned table, leveling his gun at the intruder. A bemused look crossed his face as he saw her raised hands. She was unarmed, which should have caused Zai to relax. Yet he felt more wary than ever. Something wasn't right, this situation didn't make sense. His head pounded, halting his train of thought.

The newcomer was tall, much taller than Zai and his temporary ally. She showed no fear (or any concern for her well-being), instead focusing on making a pretty little speech. A fresh chill ran up Zai spine as she produced what vaguely looked like part of his ear. She wasn't part of the normal mercs, that much was clear. Was she a professional? An assassin of sorts?.

She was expecting some kind of answer clearly. Zai paused, painfully aware how pitiful his cover was. "You have thirty seconds to explain before I fry you" he shouted back. He showed his gun to the merc next to him, flicking off the safety and motioning his head to the assassin. Hopefully she'd understand he was about to open fire.

Because he wasn't about to give his enemy thirty precious seconds. He was going to give her five, before he shot her and made a dash for the exit.

 

[Zef Halo]

[member="Zyrias Pax"] [member="Zai Avery"]​

[member="The Major"]​

​

If anything surprised him - it was Zyrias actually listening to him and charging towards the other kid laying almost dead behind a table while Zef kept firing from wherever he thought the 'nade had came from. The moment she reached him, Zef ducked back behind the bar and reloaded as fast he possibly could. He popped back above cover to see the kark was happenin' out there and where was the spook with the grenade.

Like a ghost, a person entered the cantina with their hands up. The smuggler felt his finger itch on the trigger.

The feth was this girl thinking she was doing. Talking looney crap the scoundrel couldn't really decypher but if his gut told him anything - he didn't like that weird as feth woman that came out of nowhere.

Why the feth was she threatening when she was walking in the middle of a cantina where all the remaining three of its patrons were locking aim at her.

The trigger finger itched and itched and Zef was barely withholding the urge to blast the damn weirdo out of existence but then the scoundrel within him spoke up in a deep, husky voice:

"You didn't even ask your fethin' question, kid."

What answer could be given to a question that remained unasked?

 

[Kirie]

Objective: 3
Post: 4
Enemies(?): [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] | [member="Konstantin Makarev"]

They had been overrun in seconds. The two warriors Kirie had first thought were First Order officers ignited shimmering crimson blades and revealed themselves to be dark side Force users. The blaster fire was intense, and Kirie, after barely blocking a stray bolt with her bondar saber, was forced to duck behind a bulkhead. She pressed her body flat, flush against the smooth metal behind her, and her hands by her side.

Great. Excellent. This was just perfect. She was an unarmed, pacifist diplomat trapped in a corridor between rampaging droids and a group of Stormtroopers with a pair of Sith. It was like the start of a bad joke.

"Perhaps if you stopped complaining and actually learned to protect yourself."

Kirie ignored it. Something was happening. The Stormtroopers were fighting next to her began to withdraw slowly. A new, noisome odour assaulted her noise. It was musky, with an unpleasant sweetness that signalled rot. She felt a twinge in the Force. She was in danger, terrible danger. She spied long and intricate shadows on the floor and walls, illuminated by the stark red of blaster fire still streaming down the hall. The voice chimed in again, impossibly, from behind her. As if the strange being was lodged inside the wall itself, leaning out to whisper into her ear.

"Move. You have to run now."

She didn't. She stayed put, trembling in fear. The smell grew stronger, and for a moment, she caught a glimpse of a wing, and an extended insectoid limb.

"I said move! You have to GO NOW"

The decision was made for her. A mighty shove came out of nowhere, from the wall where she was pressing herself. She was push away, back into the corridor, just in time to come face-to-face with a pair of towering Geonosians. Wide-eyed, she turned heel and ran, the lumbering brutes following after her with ease. It wasn't far up to where the main group had withdrawn, but it may as well have been the other side of the Galaxy, as one of the beasts grabbed her bun, taking a fistful of the hair, and slamming the slight girl into the floor.

Kirie yelped when she hit the ground, and rolled around winded. Desperately she fumbled for her sabre, igniting it and swinging in a wide arc up to the Geonosian above her. It bounced off harmlessly, hitting with no more force than a wooden stick and without even stunning the target. The thing looked down at her dumbly, and Kirie gazed back, out of options.

"This is bad."

Kirie was inclined to agree.

 

[Kyrel Ren]

Objective: 3 Hive Mind
Allies: [member="Kirie Ito"] [member="Samka Derith"] [member="Konstantin Makarev"]

​

The Droidika's had proven no match compared to the two Masters of Ren nor the might of the First Order. Nothing usually was, even though he had misgivings trying to defend the group with the aid of a Jedi who how she could wield a saber he had no idea. Even though they had defeated the Droidikas the horrors of the Clone Wars did not end there. Geonosians, he had always thought that the Geonosians should have stayed extinct, having a particular dislike for the species. The Geonosians let out vicious cries, and like the insects they were they swarmed. Kyrel could only deflect so much of their sonic blasts, green sonic waves often meeting the end of his crimson blade.

His anger was only increasing, as he had to defend more than attack, having no choice lest he is hit by the blasts that their weapons held. What had grown worse was when the Jedi that was close to him had wandered off. His anger grew to rage to think if the woman had wandered off like a coward. He had grown tired of the bugs very quickly, and as they had kept coming from all sides, with the power of his fury he launched a violent shockwave towards his enemies. The blasts quickly stopping and the Geonosians brought from mid-air crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.

Searching for the woman who had stepped not too far from where she had wandered from. Down a corridor where she had fallen on the ground, preparing to meet her fate at the hands of bugs. Kyrel scowled and spoke to no one but himself. "No, she is mine." And with a flick of his wrist, his blade was launched from his hand towards the beings before they could fire, the fiery blade letting out a hum before decapitating them right in front of the girl. Stepping forward slowly recalling his weapon to his right hand, he spoke her in a mocking way unlikely detected through the electronic voice processor of his mask. "Watch your step Jedi."

 

[Konstantin Makarev]

Allies: [member="Kyrel Ren"] | [member="Samka Derith"] | [member="Kirie Ito"]

"Hold the line lads!" Konstantin bellowed, "Hold the line and let nothing pass!" The officer barked. "Concentrate fire on the targets drawing closest!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs. Before this, the stormtroopers shots, slowly disintergrated the advancing geonosian menace. Now, with concentrated fire, and support, the geonosians, one by one disintegrated beneath the withering heat of hot plasma. Konstantin kept himself at the front, using his pistol and aiming for the limbs, causing some of the geonosians to stumble, and even fall. But this situation wasn't tenable long term. What were they to do if they were outflanked, or worse? Makarev looked at his signals officer, a young private, "Get word to the surface!" He ordered, "If we don't make it out of here, or make contact within the next hour, I want them to blow the entrance!" He growled, "We can't let these things get up!"

Makarev then resumed firing. Beads of sweat, becoming a torrent, as fear, and concentration fuelled him. His eyes darted to the Ren, who were doing busy work, and then to the Jedi. Oh gods. She'd stumbled, and now the beast was bearing down upon her. Konstantin's jaw clenched, and his fists tightened. "Cover me!" He barked, before running at the Jedi, and darting through the lumbering horde of undead insectoids. He reached the deaf, mute, and opened fire, at the Geonosian. Three, heavy laser bolts penetrating the base of the skull, and disintergrating its head. A moist, mouldy smell, came over the two, as it collapsed, its head still smoking. Beneath the laser fire, Konstantin's face glowed a distinct red, as he leaned down over the Jedi. He grabbed her by the arm, and hauled her onto her feet.

"You alright?" He inquired, before turning around and blasting another Geonosian. The beast continued to press forward, and Makarev shoved the Jedi forward, which was technically behind him. He began a slow retreat, firing in rapid succession, as he attempted to walk back on his position. He gave Kirie friendly jabs in the ribs. Warning to keep moving.

 

[Zyrias Pax]

Location: Gannaria - Spice Den.​

Objective One: The Spice of Life​

Allies: [member="Zef Halo"] [member="Zai Avery"]​

Enemies: [member="The Major"] [member="Kailari Selanno"] [member="Kael Garick"]​

Post: 5​

Zyrias was so tense that her arms holding the rifle trembled uncontrollably. Every noise from the airy tinkle of glass to the stomp, stomp of a boot made her trigger happy but somehow she managed to keep her finger on the trigger without squeezing it.

At the voice of a woman casually strolling into the damaged cantina, the teenager lifted her head. She sure had some cojones walking in here in the middle of a carbon flush like this one. Zyrias was almost impressed.

"They want me. If you give me time to get away, they should leave you alone"

“You so sure about that?” Feth, the girl was wanted in at least three star systems if not more. If she were rounded up in this sting, she’d be sent off to Coruscant again and this time it would not be as cushy a detainment facility as Detective Reese’s apartment. She heard old Zeffers gravely voice shout out from the other end of the cantina. Why he was so damned curious about the popo’s question gave her a sudden burst of irritation.

“Do you have early alzheimer's or something, man? Shoot her!”

Zyrias fired a warning shot, but with the rotten aim of someone unused to a pump rifle, she missed and connected with a mirror on the far side of the cantina, shattering more glass.

 

[The Major]

Post 7, Obj 1: Spice of Life
Allies: Security Bureau
Fire and Movement: [member="Zyrias Pax"] | [member="Zef Halo"] | [member="Zai Avery"]​

Hostility from criminals was one thing, but these scum proved to be little more than jittering beasts. Here she was: a dignitary and noble —here among the trash, willing to grace them with something besides vile ineptitude or the dirty continuation of their antics; yet they nigh but spit at the attempt. She expected such nonsense from the hounds of the Spice Den, which would no doubt be filled with the hollow vagrants who sprinted head first into dead ends. But for the slumsucker hiding behind a cheap table which could be easily shattered with a shotgun blast, who had the drive to survive despite the odds, despite the bounty placed upon his head, to instead seek solace in fellow ruffians while bleeding out instead of glimpsing upon a chance to escape this meaningless life. Even if he would have been little more than the subject of an interrogation before being disposed of and shoved into an incinerator: wouldn't that at least had given him a purpose?

The semantics, or intentions, were irrelevant. The million credit question was never asked because one the addicts fired off in the general direction of the illusion. The aim was bad, but it served as the trigger to devolve this group into more violence.

The Major, from her perch, couldn't see it as a warning shot, but instead expected them all to begin opening fire —even with her generous attempt to show them a figure with her hands up, willing to converse and communicate. Instead these dogs wanted more shots and killing.

Not a problem. She could oblige them. They were the ones inside a bar in cramped quarters.

And so, the illusion poofed and vanished, though unharmed by the spray of pellets. It whispered soft curses and fell apart into mist like a wisp of conjured magic. Against the doorway the real article poked her parasol and held it like a rifle. It actually was, and now it thundered all pink and pretty from the end of the barrel. !BANG BANG BANG! Designed as a blaster shotgun, plasma bolts screeched throughout the space, presumably forcing the inhabitants to duck and cover or risk a mouthful of searing gas. Damning them to the rancors, the Major followed up her trio with a primed thermal detonator thrown towards the center of the cantina. Let the criminals figure out what came next.

She didn't stay to appreciate her efforts, using the roar to disengage from combat and sprint away. Her rationale was that there was nothing useful to gain from trying to work with them, and that the gamble of following the target with the bounty was a failure.

No matter. Maybe the strike team taking the kingpin would be more successful. With this small comfort she moved down streets and away from the hostile zone, later vanishing into gathering crowds who had come to observe the commotion from the factory.

[EXIT]​

 

[Samka Derith]

Objective 3 - Hive Mind
[member="Konstantin Makarev"] | [member="Kyrel Ren"] | [member="Kirie Ito"]

Another of the Geonosians cut to shreds and Samka was clear for the moment. The rotting bulk of the moving corpses focusing on the others. It gave her a momentary pause. At first, the girl looked for an opening to dive into the fray and assist her allies and yet.. Kyrel was powerful, he was a warrior capable of holding back the horde alone, perhaps more so than her. The man's tank-like bulk and strength being more suited to facing such a horde than her own fragile agility. The others were disposable if it meant accomplishing their mission. If she could reach the heart of the enemy while the others were occupied, she could snatch victory.

With the undead insectoids converging on the others, Samka Derith darted into the chamber they came from, following the Dark energy she'd sensed earlier. The room was much more Geonosian than the rest of the complex, the architecture resembling an insect hive. Dark browns and dusty reds covering the walls, floor, ceiling and pillars. Dotted around were more dead Geonosians and heaps of Battle Droids. At the back was a throne and slumped over it was another corpse, this one far larger than any other.

The Geonosian Queen.

Samka drew closer, her light steps made no sound. The silence only broken by a muffled yells from the battle outside occasionally making themselves heard. The Queen was indeed long dead, the decay of the body delayed for centuries by the sealed catacombs and frozen planet, and yet something was alive. The Queen wore a crown of iron atop her head, a device which looked distinctly un-Geonosian in its design. A jewel in the centre glowing blood red. The more Samka stared, the more a feeling of power and Darkness welled up inside of her. Joyous, familiar Darkness. The Ren girl's face cracked into a demented half smile. This is what they had come here for and suddenly it began to make sense.

As she was growing up, Samka's father, the man who was so obsessed with the Confederacy of old, had told her a legend once. That the tyranny of the Republic was so great that the Geonosians rose up again once struck down in death. It hadn't seemed relevant at the time, more fantasy stories from a man blinded by his love of a short lived, long deceased nation, but now the Ren wondered how much truth could be in that. What if the Geonosians really could raise their own dead and what if... the soldiers of the Dark had experimented with that?

Extending her fingers, Samka stood before the mighty figure of the Geonosian Queen as, finally, it began to move.

"A body without a mind, fuelled only by the Dark Side's rage," Samka spoke softly as the Queen began to twitch. The dead alien's arms reached out, grasping at nothing, jaw opening and closing as she began to elicit primal gurgles. Around her, the bodies of Geonosian warriors too rose once more to protect their Queen, beginning to shamble towards Samka. It was all far too late.

"You're time has long since passed," the Ren muttered coldly and yanked the crown from the dead Queen's head. The jewel seized to glow and with it the corpses of the Queen and her warriors slumped over once more. As dead as could be.

Outside too, the horde plaguing the others simply fell over at once, they were lifeless bodies, it was all they had been.

Now holding the crown in her hand, Samka stroked the jewel in the centre with two fingers in a loving, almost reassuring way. "You're safe with me," she whispered to the Dark Artefact. "We're going to have so much fun."

Another precious device retrieved. Another mission complete.

With a triumphant grin, Samka skipped back out to join the others, cradling her new possession as she did.

 

[Luther Lewis]

​

​

Location: Gannaria - Spice Den.
Objective One: The Spice of Life - Escape.
Allies: [member="Zef Halo"], [member="Zyrias Pax"]
Enemies: [member="The Major"]

​

The merc shouted to her companion behind the bar, and that was enough for Zai. He let out a barrage from his blaster pistol and leapt from the cover. A glance back showed the figure disappear into a cloud of mist. Zai had little time to consider the fact, instead running closer to the door. Blaster bolts sizzled through the air as another unknown adversary opens fire. He reaches the door just as a familiar clink of metal is heard behind him. Just on the edge of the blast radius, the force of the explosion sends Zai crashing through the doors, spilling onto the landing outside. The heat sears his back, but he bites back the pain, focusing on escaping.

This district of the city could be confusing, unless you knew where you were going and planned your routes. Zai, more wounded animal than human at this point, heeded no such direction unless it was away from the factory. He ran deep into a maze of alleys and shacks, until his legs collapsed, and he fell into a sprawling heap. He felt numb, in shock. He thought of those who helped him, hoping they had managed to escape. Then the pain returned.

He'd never been in so much agony. His back, his face, the cuts along his scalp; they all competed to scream with the loudest voice. There was nothing left of the world, only pain. Too weak to even cry out, Zai collapses behind a bin. He mutters and groans, until the pain is too much, and blacks out.

- - - - -​

​

He was cold. He shivered, unable to shake of the feeling of death's icy grip on his shoulder. His eyes open slowly, blinking in the change of light. A silhouette moves on the edge of his vision, prompting him to sit up rapidly. The pain causes him to yell out and bite his tongue. The warm, salty taste of blood fills his mouth. He looks up as the shadow falls over him, a feeling of unease creeping through his body. He stares into the newcomer's eyes and feels himself sink into further into despair.

"Good evening, Avery" Red says, a smile upon his face.

[Exit]