Skirmish Part 2: The Mirror Looking Back [Darkwire & Mandalorian Union]

[Daiya]

Objective: Infiltrate the factory
Equipment: Phase I Powderpunk Armor, Phase I Powderpunk Facemask, Raven Knife, 434 Blaster Pistol, Deactivator Hold-Out Blaster, JH-70 Glitter Grenades, View Masker, Interference Box, Holojournal
Allies Nearby: Zo'i Prihm
Enemies Nearby: Mig Gred , Tamar Gred

[Post Soundtrack: "Your Star" by Evanescence]​

Daiya made her restive way through the vents as she followed Zo'i, glad for the chance not to be in the lead. As hot as her blood was running, she didn't relish going into a job like this when the stakes were so high. When she was running on such little sleep. When she was alone.

The shuffling sounds of the Zeltron girl ahead of her belied the fact that Daiya was lacking her most valued companion, Tawrro.

His absence was sorely felt with every meter her tired limbs crawled through the byzantine ventilation systems. The Wookiee was too big to fit inside those pipes, but even if Daiya went ahead like this on another job, he would always be there over comms. Or providing a distraction. And always at the ready to reassure the girl, or at the worst, rescue her.

The girl was acutely aware of her own breath as they navigated the ducts. Every sound seemed magnified, which only heightened her own anxiety. The guard on the outside was tacit confirmation that this factory was not as empty as she, and the other shadowrunners, were led to believe. Daiya couldn't be worried about them right now, it was her own fears and her own safety at the forefront of her mind.

That Daiya was preoccupied was putting it lightly.

She tried to push back her thoughts as the rising fear settled as a knot in her throat again. There was no time to worry about how others were faring. There was no time to worry about the numbers she would be facing. And there was really, definitely, absolutely no time to worry about whether or not Tawrro was actually a Corpo.

If he was, Daiya wondered, did that make everything here a waste of time? Surely Tawrro already knew where she was, through Shenn by way of Cichei. He could have easily warned someone, the girl often felt like the Wookiee had more contacts than even she did. Maybe he was even the reason this factory had gone from defenseless to guarded in such a short time, causing her to jump at every little sound that came from outside the ducts.

That didn't seem right to her. Tawrro had always been her fiercest protector, defending her even when she found it smothering. Yet according to her double, her guardian had been pretending the part of her guardian for almost a year now. As much as she wanted that to be a lie, Daiya was instead expecting a hailstorm of blaster bolts to rip through the vents where the girls crawled at the moment. And her biggest fear was that such a violent death would be the doing of her dearest companion.

A creaking, groaning of metal echoed through the vent. If Daiya hadn't needed her hands to keep her balance inside ducts that were not made for occupants, she would have clasped them to her ears. The girl bit her lip to keep from making a sound, every nerve inside of her set on fire by the screeching noise. Then a shudder ripped through the ducts themselves, and she imagined that she was falling. But it was only her imagination, the duct was intact, keeping Zo'i and Daiya together and safe.

From the distant crash she heard, and the cacophony resulting from it, the girl knew that wasn't going to last long. She crawled quickly forward, using her head to butt into Zo'i's rear end. Her voice barely above a whisper, she urged the Zeltron girl forward, "Hurry, we need to get out these vents."

There was no further grace that would come from sneaking, whoever was inside the factory was wise to their presence now. Daiya nudged her friend forward, quickening their pace until they reached somewhere...else. She couldn't describe it exactly, the place just felt right. The girl wasn't exactly about to argue with herself at the moment, though.

Daiya grabbed the other tool she had taken from the toolbox, a handheld plasma torch, handing it forward to Zo'i as she instructed the other girl in a low voice, "Cut us out of here. It doesn't have to be pretty, just fast!"

As if to illustrate the gravity of their situation, a sound rang out through the duct and it chilled the girl to the bone. A knock on the metal of their duct, reverberating just as violently inside Daiya as the incident from just moments ago. Her scattered mind drummed up an image of an angry Wookiee on the other side, furious after having ripped out the wrong section of the vents, just waiting for a reason to do the same to theirs now.

Instead of Wookiee growls, a woman's voice came through. It startled Daiya, causing her to bump back against Zo'i in the tight space of the ducts. There wasn't time for apologies, though, and as the girl moved back away to let her friend work she also pulled out the 434 blaster from her satchel.

The girl dialed up the power setting, and then placed the muzzle of her blaster against the duct wall that the knock had come from. However sweet the woman's words, Daiya wasn't about to be duped tonight. She glanced back at her friend, waiting until the cutting job was almost done. They were going to have to move fast after that, so the girl had to time things just right.

Daiya pulled the trigger, sending a bolt from her blaster through the duct wall and out the other side.

Then she tumbled out of the ducts after Zo'i, hoping that the her friend's first look had spotted them a spot for cover.

 

[Zo'i Prihm]

Objective: Keep friend from doing anything stupid reckless. Figure out what the heck was going on with these lookalike things. Keep head attached to shoulders. Not necessarily in that order.
Equipment: A silly, little holdout blaster, tucked into a silly, little girl pocket (because, really, aren't all girl pockets silly? Ugh!).
Working with: Daiya
Allies Nearby: Cartri Keswoll
Adversaries Nearby: Mig Gred | Tamar Gred

Lame.

Why did sneaking always involve crawling through small spaces? Why couldn't sneaking happen in, like, a big field of tall grass? They could come upon all sorts of cute, little critters. They wouldn't have to get crooks in their necks. And things would smell less like chemicals and metal and more like daylight and dirt and water and nature and life. Yeah, that sounded like a much better time. Instead, they were stuck in a vent. Sure. Zo'i understood. They were sneaking. There were people in armor with blasters. People in armor with blasters were less likely to also be crawling around in the ducts. But her neck was not appreciative.

And then came a shuddering. And then a banging. And then Daiya started getting worried. And then Zo'i wanted to get sarcastic but she bit her tongue and took the plasma torch and started carving out a hole in the wall of the duct. And then came a crashing and her annoyance turned to fear very quickly. Their position was compromised and they needed to get out of the vents and fast.

"Come on. Come on. Come on." Her voice was a whisper as she cut through the metal panel as quickly as she could. And then came a knocking. And then a woman's voice echoed down through the vent. She looked at Daiya and then down the duct towards where the voice had originated and then back at the plasma torch and metal duct wall.

"Hey!" she whisper-shouted at Daiya to get her attention. As she did, the two girls broke through and the resistance of the plasma torch became nothing. The cutter switched off automatically and they tumbled out of the vents. Zo'i quickly looked around and saw some shipping crates to duck behind. "You go that way! I'm gonna go this way." Zo'i pointed in the direction from where the voice had come from. There was something about it that seemed... off. And off was Zo'i's kind of bag. At the very least, the Zeltron teen would be a good distraction for Daiya, the real combat specialist, to get things done.

She hugged the duct that they had just exited, creeping along, pausing behind crates where she could and speeding past open spaces where there was nowhere to hide. Zo'i stopped when she spotted a woman looking down the insides of the vent shaft.

Zo'i cleared her throat quietly. "Ahem. Um. Hello. Hi. Yes. I-I'm a child. I came out of the vent. Sorry. I got lost. Can you help me? Do you have any food?"

 

[Mig Gred]

Equipment: Lightsaber Trayc'kad, Echani Vibrosword, Mandalorian amor, Slick Anti-Acid Coat, Sith vibroknife, Nightbrother Fighting Knife, a pair of Taak'tabi

The Gred was really surprised by the sight of some kid came out of the vent. Then he tried to say he was up there fixing the vents. This was rich. Mig ignited the saber blades of his Trayc'kad. He wasn't going to attack. It was just to scare an honest answer out of him. Even under his helmet the fact that Mig didn't believe what Cartri was saying was clear.

"Ad (kid), I have a ten year old daughter at home who lies better than you. Now who are...?" Mig stopped. Something didn't feel right here. He looked at Tamar, realizing that there was more going on then he thought. Then he heard it. A blaster charge. Poodoo!

"Tamar look out!" For once Mig half wished he was a Jedi so he could throw up a shield or something, but he was at least quick. Mig couldn't deflect a blaster bold with his blade, but it was wide enough to act like a little shield. He cut off the saber edges and turned the breaker weapon all at once, putting it to where he guessed the bolt would go. It worked, but it did also knock the Mandalorian weapon from his hands. Osik.

Mig stepped back, pulling out his vibrosword quickly before seeing everyone there. They.... They were all so young. He looked around, sighing a little.

"Well, color me intrigued at what the heck you're all doing here?" He rolled the sword in his hand, quickly bringing it to a ready position.

Tamar Gred Cartri Keswoll Daiya Venku Bralor Zo'i Prihm

 

[Venku Bralor]

Engaging: Xan Deesa
Allies: Zephyr Krayt Tamar Gred Mig Gred Kovhorn Sera Sen

Smoke clogged the hallway, snaking down his throat burning against his eyes. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t see he couldn’t see he couldn’t see. And then he couldn’t hear. And the bomb went off and he was spared only a moment to wonder how there’s smoke before the bomb.

A blaster presses into his side, and though he couldn’t hear the words he knew the threat they must contain. His elbow slammed back. The gun went flying, away from his ribs and off into the smoke. His lungs burned as he lunged, vibroknife in hand, towards his foe. His face is twisted into a snarl and though he cannot hear it a feral hiss escapes his lips. In the smoke and the shadows and the burning ruins of the city, their bright colors are a beacon. If he can just hold them off long enough, one of his men will see them and shoot them.

Survive, survive, survive. The mantra beat in time with his increasing heart rate. It burned through his veins, over shadowing the burning of his lungs. It drove the knife forward, towards the throat of his enemy.

The smoke swirled around him, slipping past his limbs. As he moves he catches glimpses of his men, fighting against their own foes. Though the bomb still rings in his ears, he can barely hear their shouts and cries.

His ears could hear nothing but the ringing of the bomb and he knew that past the smoke, past the fires that must have caused them would be Sundari, burning and burning and smothered is smoke and death. And he was alone. He was alone, seperated from all except his enemy. His men fight around them but he is lost in the smoke and a faceless neon foe, with garnish colors that warp into a sick parody of a buy’ce, stands before him. Venku snarls, and follows up his strike to the neck with a blow to the side, aiming not for the ribs but for the armpit, planning to hamper mobility - and if he was lucky, if he cut deeply enough, he would hit a major artery he knew existed there in humans. Perhaps he could even reach the heart. The image of Kreslin, arm wrapped around his throat as Venku lays bruised and bloody on the floor comes to mind. He had tried the same technique there and it had failed. Still he doesn’t dwell, and brings his second arm up to send a jet of fire towards his foe.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

The Mandalorian remained in position, ready to fire again with a less hurried aim but became preoccupied when music started playing through the comms in his helmet. "What the-" He began, flicking one of the switches that controlled it through his vambrace to see if it had any effect before ultimately turning it off to focus on the person below.

However, it seemed there would be no respite for the Mandalorians who were soon barraged with another attack. Zephyr could feel the low whirring of the jetpack as it started up and judging by the previous attack he knew he would have no control over it so with quick reflexes he pulled it off of his back and ducked to allow it over his head where it collided with the opposite building and exploded into a small ball of flames.

Zephyr switched his comms back on but was greeted with the same music as before so turned them off again. He and his allies were in the dark about the situation around the factory but it was no matter, they knew they were being attacked so they would do what they did best: fight.

As he peered over the edge of the building, he was met with blaster fire, one of which pinged off of his helmet. It was unsurprising given the amount of time he had been distracted for. If their enemies had access to their equipment then they were in for a very dangerous and interesting night.

Now too close to make good use of the sniper, he ditched it in favour of one of the blasters which he pulled from the holster on his leg but remained on the ground for now as it allowed him the most protection from below. If there was a gap in the blaster fire, Zephyr would lean over and return fire, his vision enhanced by the infrared visor function.

Cassus Akovin

DARKWIRE:
Daiya Gray Venasir Spark Cartri Keswoll Zamas Nall
Xan Deesa
Zo'i Prihm Ruby Jaxx
MANDALORIANS:
Aerith Krayt Venku Bralor Kovhorn Sera Sen Mig Gred Tamar Gred
ENGAGING:
Zephyr Krayt

Cassus, or rather, his Mark II copy took cover behind an exterior building wall. The simulated Bounty Hunter pulled out a blaster rifle of his own, but did not break cover yet. After all, he didn't come alone.

The spitting images of Gray Venasir , and Jorj Kell came descending into their own positions some distance away on either side of him, each behind their own cover.

"What was that, Cassus?!" The Venasir copy dropped the camouflage, pointing in the direction of the sniper, and speaking through a secure comlink. The replicants face said frustration, even as the eyes said all was going according to plan. Jorj's ears on the other hand perked up.

"Do you guys hear music?" Jorj said before the androids did, in fact, hear music. Then, their Repulsor Packs engaged unexpectedly, silently moving upwards and quickly out of cover. Jorj and Cassus were still Camouflaged as they began to crest over their cover.

"Time to adapt!" The Cassus clone shouted as cybersecity protocols began to quarantine and purge its system of foreign signals, the temporary reboot cutting off communication. The Mark II outstretched a hand and a classic grappling line hooked itself around an antenna line, allowing the mechanical marksman to alter his trajectory in a wide arc as he unleashed automatic blaster fire with the other hand towards the last know position of the sniper his audio recepticals triangulation.

It was hoping the suppressive fire would allow the other replicants time to recover while they were exposed in the air, particularly the uncamoflaged highly visible Venasir.

Other copies of the Shadowrunners, such as Xan Deesa and Cartri Keswoll began an infiltration of their own, together coordinating a cyber-assualt on the facility sub-systems to start processes like activating forges without proper shielding, or diverting too much power to lighting, causing some of the fixtures to blow. All around the facility, it felt as if it was being attacked at once... nothing a Mandalorian wasn't already used to.

Meanwhile, the Mark III replicant of Cassus Akovin got into a comfortable position that Gray Venasir suggested he be in for the infiltration team. Holding a carefully calibrated slugthrower rifle, with an Argus Sight connected to about nine different surveillance drones feeding him footage from different fields of fire, each one helping him to calculate the best shot when be needed it or giving him general battlefield awareness, Cassus waited for further instructions from the Shadowrunner. Then the night got more interesting for them, as jetpacks and blasters went off in the night, as engines roared to life and lights went out.

The assault was underway to glorious music.

Mark II Cassus swung in a wide arc attached to this antenna, sending a flurry of blaster bolts towards their collective adversary. There wasn't much sense in maintaining the camouflage since it was clear they could see them anyway, but the android had higher priorities to handle than whether or not a function should be on or off. Like the rogue repulse packs for instance. The cable connecting him to the antenna began to retract, pulling him against the trajectory of his repulsor pack before the droid felt it was necessary to temporarily release his weapon so as to discard that faulty equipment.

Meanwhile a faulty-flying Venasir attempted to make use of his advanced elevation and covering fire to control his ascent closer towards the factory, and eventually timed his dismount from the Repulsor Pack such that he fell on the roof from a reasonable height. It wasn't the entrance they were looking for, but it was the one they got. Immediately the corporate machine went prone with its weapon to mask its profile and hopefully prepare for any unseen adversaries nearby, before making a hasty crawl towards an opening when feeling secure enough to move.

The flying Jorj took a different approach. It was lazy, but it was calculated: drop it as soon as possible before he got to high. Now, the real Jorj probably wouldn't have made a choice like that, most likely would have panicked not sure what button he pressed to cause this terrible conundrum, but the mechanical bits and corporate programming came into play and gave him the wherewithal to act accordingly. Where Cassus's copy sought to resolve the problem with a technical and tactical flourish, and Gray finding an optimal use of a bad situation, the Jorj droid was already in the process of translating a panicking personality and to actively removing the Repulsor Pack long before he was as far in the air as either of his companions. The result, while Jorj definitely hit the ground a bit more than an organic aught to be able to handle, it was on the ground long before either of the other Dopplegangers.

After a staggering a moment, the Jorj copy started to lay down suppressive fire of its own as it saw Cassus discard his repulsor pack. There was a brief moment of vulnerability for the other android, and it sought to cover it before it was exploited, though whether or not its reaction was quick enough is hard to tell.

​

In a different corner of the installation, the Mark III Cassus was providing overwatch for Gray Venasir and his crew, nine little probes scouting out the perimeter and finding alternate ways into the facility, feeding all the information into his Verpine Sniper Rifle. Of course, given its ulterior motives, the eyes he sent in weren't just for the Mandos, they were watching the real members of Darkwire too...

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Cartri couldn't help but step back a few steps when the Mandalorian ignited his sword, sending a wave of unease through his spine as his eyes darted around the room for an escape. The bounty hunter had obviously saw through his lies and didn't seem to be messing around with his aggressive stance on him. Just when he was about to question him further a sound of a blaster fire rang around the room and forced his aggressor to jump into action. With haste, he managed to protect the woman who was now examining a vent by deflecting the blaster shot. Cartri ducked slightly and tried to make a break for it, but to his luck the Mandalorian was standing in his path.

The boy came to a screeching halt in front of him and backed away once more, keeping a close eye on his now drawn vibrosword just in case he decided anything extreme. While he gazed at his surroundings something caught his eye, two girls had now exited the vent and were hiding behind boxes away from the pair. Although, it was sure the Mandalorian had seen them both at this point "You're not as dumb as you look Mandolorian..." he said bravely, considering he was the one brandishing the weapon "We're just here to put a spanner in the system of corruption, nothing more, nothing less" Cartri explained with confidence, his stare looking coldly into his helmet "Yet, you're here to make a few credits instead of thinking about the bigger picture" the boy said in a more serious tone this time. He was confident the man behind the armour wouldn't dare to use his weapon against a bunch of kids, considering he had a kid of his own at home. So it was only right to use that against him in the hopes of escaping.

He shot a quick look to the girls who were still by the boxes and indicated something with his eyes, indicating them to sneak out as he distracted the armoured figure. Hopefully, if they did that the woman would follow after them in pursuit. Even if it was a small chance he was still willing to give it a try "Now, why don't you just let us get out of your hair? I don't think a few harmless kids would make an impact would they?" he said, attempting to distract the Mandalorian as Cartri began to get closer to the right side of him. The only problem was that his heartbeat was getting faster by the second, as well as his nerves which seemed to only increase when he looked at the sword getting into touching distance

Mig Gred Zo'i Prihm Daiya Tamar Gred ​

 

[Xan Deesa]

Venku gave her what she wanted. A reason to break him after the stunt he pulled. There was no argument to be made that he didn't know. They were both on this case. He knew damn well what the corpos were doing... yet he still took a job to defend their facility. His arm slammed her gun away and she let go of it as she turned to face him. He could get the first move. He was going to need it.

Her face was emotionless and cold. Even her mask didn't register much of an expression from her lips. Her golden eyes solely focused on him but she kept an awareness of her surroundings. She didn't want any interruptions for this. He lunged at her with a vibroblade and she took a step to the side to parry his blade. As he pulled back for another stab at her, she could see in his eyes that something wasn't right. He was a borderline feral animal with his hissing and movements. She reached out with her open right hand and grabbed hold of his wrist to stop the blade. Her grip was like a hydraulic press clamping down between his vambrace and gauntlet. She was about to deliver a strike when she saw his other arm come up and the familiar hiss of a flamethrower reached her ears.

Still holding on, she dropped down to slide past him as her blade came up in an attempt to slash at his exposed thigh where there was merely a layer of armourweave. In an instant she was behind him and the flames erupting from the flamer, darting around to stay behind him. She kept moving around, taunting him and tiring him out as she focused on avoiding his attacks. She wanted this fight to last. She wanted to see him strain himself mentally and physically before she made a move. She didn't care about her copy running around now, she could find it and Cartri's later. Right now her focus was to ruin the housecat. "I offered you friendship, and you spat in my face." she spoke with an empty, emotionless voice as she moved with inhuman precision and speed.

Engaging: Venku Bralor
Tag: Daiya Gray Venasir Spark Cartri Keswoll Zamas Nall Cassus Akovin Zo'i Prihm Ruby Jaxx
Zephyr Krayt Aerith Krayt Kovhorn Sera Sen Mig Gred Tamar Gred

 

[Daiya]

Objective: Survive a Mandalorian
Equipment: Phase I Powderpunk Armor, Phase I Powderpunk Facemask, Raven Knife, 434 Blaster Pistol, Deactivator Hold-Out Blaster, JH-70 Glitter Grenades, View Masker, Interference Box, Holojournal
Allies Nearby: Zo'i Prihm , Cartri Keswoll , Tawrrowaldr
Enemies Nearby: Mig Gred , Tamar Gred

[Post Soundtrack: "Promise of a Lifetime" by Kutless]​

From the moment the girl had heard about this factory, back in Shenn's bar, nothing had gone right. It should have been obvious to her. A CorpSec representative, just giving out information about a Corpo factory where the doppelgängers were being produced? It had been folly for her, and the others there from Darkwire, to think that the information was just being handed out on a silver platter. Now it was their folly, and their mess to get out of. If they could.

If she could.

Crouched behind the closest crates, Daiya's eyes rapidly sought other avenues for cover within the factory. The machinery was laid out in such a way that left it open for maintenance, and too open for cover. There was a control room of some sort, up on the second floor, but at least two other guards stood between her and the heart of the factory. One of whom was armored head to toe in a distinctive style that could be none other than Mandalorian.

Not CorpSec. Not private security. Not a fearsome Wookiee. Mandalorians. Her breath quaked with that realization. The galaxy's most hardened warriors, legends that made even the Jedi leery about going to head to head against. And Daiya was no Jedi. She couldn't hope to match up with a Mandalorian. Her only chances were to sneak past him, or distract him long enough to rush out.

The girl huddled, her back to the crate, as she desperately sought ways to survive this encounter. Why did she think this was a good idea? Shooting up a Corpo factory wasn't worth getting killed over! Tawrro would have told her that, would have held her back. He was the smart one, the strategic mastermind. Even if he entertained her dumb ideas sometimes, he never went in without a plan or a way out.

Tawrro would have known what to do now.

From the first moment he had met her, Tawrro had been on her side. His contract to kill her had been quickly tossed aside once the Wookiee had discovered who his target was. And for some reason, an eleven-year-old little girl, lost and alone on the streets, just trying to eke out a living even if it interfered with the business of a mobster, softened the old soldier's heart. It seemed there was nothing he wouldn't do for her, no lengths he wouldn't go to help her or to keep her safe. Even if she had dug herself into a colossal mess like this one.

No, Daiya told herself. Tawrro couldn't help her here. She had gotten herself into this mess. And if it was a lethal mess, Tawrro was probably just waiting to hear the news of her demise, relieved of his burden at last. The way her doppelgänger had framed it, this was just the perfect opportunity for him to let herself get killed and take care of his little Human problem. He would be free of Daiya, and probably make a tidy little profit for himself. Then he could go back to...whatever it was the Wookiee was doing before he'd met her.

It seemed like a lifetime ago when she could count on his protection. Now, Daiya felt exposed, and hurt, and alone. Every instinct made her want to curl up against herself, to hum soothing sounds until the Mandos ended her. At the very least, she would die knowing there was one person who was on her side, even if the girl had failed to live up to her double's hopes and dreams. Perhaps DoppelDäiya would be what she couldn't.

Her death was taking a very long time to arrive. Daiya pulled herself back up, looking through blurry eyes at what was holding up the Mando. He was brandishing a sword, but was still meters away from her, talking with the shadowrunner who, judging by the debris around him, had fallen out of the vents. They were just talking for some reason. She wiped back tears from her eyes, wondering what possessed the shadowrunner boy to be so emboldened in the face of certain death at the hands of the Mandalorian.

Some brash remarks, apparently, which in any other situation Daiya would have probably heard coming from her own mouth.

But his words were all wrong, a bluff to convince the Mando to stand down. Stupid boy. The Mando was probably just playing with him, waiting for the moment to strike. Like the moment when he was distracted, making eyes at her about something. The girl nearly rolled her eyes, this was no time to flirt!

This was no time for conversation, either. Daiya readied herself, checking her blaster again before she used the edges of the crate to bring herself back up to a crouch. Lurching once, twice, the girl launched herself forward, her mouth open in a battle cry.

A Wookiee roar came out instead.

Stunned, the girl missed her shot, sending a blaster bolt wild across the factory instead of at the Mandalorian's helmet. Daiya turned to look, watching as an enraged Wookiee barreled into the scene, his automatic shotgun blasting at the Mandalorian with the sword. She didn't have time to process any sense of relief or confusion, there was only time enough to press the advantage and join in with shots from her own blaster.

Despite all her fears and expectations, Tawrro had arrived to save her.

Like he always did in her time of need.

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

There would be no more cover from the roof as soon as the targets were at roof level so rather than being a sitting target on the roof, the Mandalorian got to his feet but as he was doing so he felt a blaster bolt ping against his helmet which then ricocheted off in a random direction. He was quick to react though and aimed a blaster in the direction it had come from, leaving his other hand free to access his vambraces if needed. He didn't know what these people were capable of in a fight and though he assumed the Mandalorians would have the physical edge, it seemed their opponents had a prowess for splicing which complicated matters.

He began to return fire, crouching to use the cover of one of the protruding air vents on the roof but after a few moments his vision was obscured by a looped video of some kind and he stopped to try and address the problem but knew he needed to do so quickly as such a stunt was rendering him temporarily blind and removing it was not an option as it would leave one of his most vulnerable areas exposed to attack and wouldn't offer much useful vision to the Hapan anyway who relied on the HUD function to see in lighting as low as the dawn.

To avoid being a sitting target again, especially if those on the roof knew what their side had done to the Mandalorians HUDs, he stood up and fired in the direction he had been previously, covered half by the air vent which provided little protection. He was torn on whether to sacrifice protection for what little vision he could have but hoped someone could disrupt the foreign signal soon enough for him not to make that decision. The danger was to move around too much and lose his bearings as there was no jetpack to back him up should he fall over the edge.

Soon becoming frustrated with the lack of vision, he crouched to return to the cover of the air vent momentarily to remove his helmet and toss it on the floor. He activated the shield emitter in his vambrace to offer more protection from the bolts and left the safety of the protruding air vent to quickly advance on where the blaster fire had come from as he needed to be close enough for his vision to allow.

Cassus Akovin

 

[Mig Gred]

Equipment: Lightsaber Trayc'kad, Echani Vibrosword, Mandalorian amor, Slick Anti-Acid Coat, Sith vibroknife, Nightbrother Fighting Knife, a pair of Taak'tabi

Mig continued to eye Cartri. "Well," was all that came from him in a questioning tone. He waited, but soon a shot rang over him, and roar from somewhere. Then a wookie came running! Well that was just great! Mig quickly jumped to cover, pulling Tamar along before quickly hitting his comms.

"Venku you bantha! What did you get us into!?" There was a lot Mig figured he could handle as a Mandalorian, but a Wookie with a shotgun wasn't one of them! He wasn't sure where the heck they'd even come from either. They just showed up! He took a breath, quickly checking his armor. He could fight, but wookie's weren't an easy foe to fight one-on-one.

Mig would take a breath, placing his hand on the floor before causing it to ice up. Cryokinisis. Great trick for a time like this, and hopefully just the edge they needed right now.

Tamar Gred Cartri Keswoll Daiya Venku Bralor Zo'i Prihm

 

[Daiya]

Objective: Let Tawrro finish off the threats
Equipment: Phase I Powderpunk Armor, Phase I Powderpunk Facemask, Raven Knife, 434 Blaster Pistol, Deactivator Hold-Out Blaster, JH-70 Glitter Grenades, View Masker, Interference Box, Holojournal
Allies Nearby: Zo'i Prihm , Cartri Keswoll , Tawrrowaldr
Enemies Nearby: Mig Gred , Tamar Gred

[Post Soundtrack: "The Rescue" by Kutless]​

Hours before, the factory had been filled with the noise of machines running, parts moving, and beings going about their tasks.

Now it was filled with the roar of a Wookiee and the blasts of a blaster and an automatic shotgun.

Emboldened by the appearance of her rescuer, Daiya leapt forward into the fray. The Mando avoided her shots somehow, her blaster bolts ricocheting off of the metal surfaces of the factory machinery and lodging themselves into walls. The girl let frustration creep over her face, she was a better shot than this! Yet her opponent just kept proving her wrong, taking his companion and diving for cover without letting a single blast touch him.

She growled, and then grinned as Tawrro answered. Shouting back, the girl told him, "I'm okay so far, I'm just trying to land a hit!"

A curt growl was all she got in response, drawing a frown across her face. Daiya wasn't one to just let stay put and Tawrro have all the fun. But as she stepped forward again, the Wookiee roared once more, directed at her. Stunned by her guardian's ferocity, the girl stood stock-still. He never treated her this way. The Wookiee's words left her unsettled, and she stayed put.

Tawrro was more right than she cared to admit, for the Mando proved his danger to them all in the next instant. She watched as he placed a hand on the floor, and frost spread across the floor like liquid. Ice followed it, expanding in a circle from the Mando Forcer's hand, and she wondered if he was about to freeze himself in place.

Eyes widened in shock as Daiya realized the danger to Tawrro and herself, and she opened her mouth to shout, "Tawrro, look out! He's icing the floor somehow."

Daiya was glad, now, that she had stopped her approach, she would likely be caught in the ice by now. Tawrro moved past her in a blur, taking to the elevated layers offered by the factory's equipment. Conveyors became floors he could run across, the solid sides of machines became walls to push off from, and hanging cables or debris from the vent were like vines to swing off of. The girl rarely had the opportunity to be reminded of a Wookiee's natural environment on Kashyyyk, but now Tawrro demonstrated, with exceptional prowess, how his species made the wroshyr trees their home and highways.

The girl watched in awe as the Wookiee navigated the factory space by parkour, avoiding the slippery floor that crept outwards from the Mando. Machines and equipment crashed to the floor as Tawrro kept up his inexorable approach to their enemies, and eventually they, too, were caught in the spread of cold. From what Daiya saw, Tawrro barely heeded them, letting the chaos around him enhance the intimidation the Mando no doubt already felt.

She felt a satisfied grin creep over her face, raising her weapon once more to try helping. Still, the Mando had chosen a good place to make his last ditch counterattack, and the girl found that she had no clean shot. The young shadowrunner tried to move, duck and climb to get a better angle, but the equipment crashing down kept ruining what few shots she managed to fire off.

Eventually, Daiya realized that was Tawrro's goal. He had wrought a swath of destruction on his way towards them, dropping machinery and pulling down hoisted equipment from the walls and ceiling to create a sort of 'scorched earth' approach. There was one final tower, a massive machine that must handle pretty heavy products, in between him and their pair of enemies. Grabbing equipment from the ceiling and perches off walls, the girl watched him climb higher until he had nearly reached the top of the factory.

A full-grown Wookiee had to weigh hundreds of kilograms. Apparently Tawrro didn't think that would be enough. As he climbed, the Wookiee aimed his shotgun at the base of the tower, shooting out supports and weakening the metal around the base of it and up its sides. By the time he assumed the height of his climb, the huge machine was already ready to collapse. It just needed a little push.

Two hairy feet crashed against it as the Wookiee slammed into the machine, knocking it off balance enough to start collapsing. As it fell, other parts of the tower could no longer bear the stresses, and they gave way, breaking it into pieces that claimed a huge zone of destruction as they toppled to the floor. Twisted metal and heavy chunks would have cut or crushed anyone who stayed in the vicinity, but Daiya couldn't see if anyone had immediately. The collapsing tower coughed up a cloud of dust, a heavy particulate that obscured her view and swallowed her dearest companion in its midst.

"Tawrro!" Daiya cried, rushing forward on instinct. The girl slipped almost immediately on the icy floor, hitting it hard against her shoulder. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and that kicked her back into action. She scrambled to her feet, and for purchase on the slippery surface until she found the right way to step forward. Slowly, far too slowly, Daiya crept forward toward the cloud of destruction until she was close enough —and the dust settled enough— to see the results.

The Mando was gone, and with it his partner, too. Tawrro was in a half-crouch, ragged breathing fettered his chest and a long gash along his leg dripped blood. But he was alive! Daiya made her way forward as quickly as she could, flinging her arms wide to grasp the Wookiee in a reassuring embrace. She buried her head in his long hair, shutting her eyes as the rescued girl wept blissful tears of relief.

"You're okay, Tawrro. Oh thank the stars you're okay!" Daiya muttered into Tawrro's thick coat between her happy sobs. After a moment, she felt one of his meaty hands rest against her back, and she took in another heady gasp of air as the emotions washed over her. "I couldn't bear to lose you. Not like this, and not like...well, it doesn't matter."

He was here.

Their enemies were gone.

She was safe in his arms again.

And that was the way it should always be.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

He was half expecting the Mandalorian to retaliate with something harsh, but unexpectedly he wasn't able to mutter a single word from behind the helmet. Instead, a loud roar from a wookie echoed around the room as he charged in shotgun in hand. Daiya and the walking carpet sprung into action and began firing on all cylinders at the lonely Mandalorian, who seemed to be holding his own against the two of them combined. Cartri could only stand still and watch was going on in front of him for now, almost shocked from the destruction that was going on before him.

Although, after a few seconds he finally snapped out of his dream state gaze and suddenly ran forward to the right where the Mandalorian wasn't looking, kicking his legs to try and make a swift escape past the pair. Yet, what he didn't seem to think about was that the mandolorian was a strong force user. While he was running at top speed, the floor suddenly turned into a slippery hell that prevented him from skidding to a halt. Cartri stumbled all over the place like a bambi on ice, but as soon as he touched the icy material it wasn't long until his legs faltered. Without warning, the boy slipped to his back with a thump and at the same time hit his head on the unforgiving ground below.

His body continued to slide along until it eventually came to a stop near a wall, leaving him motionless for a few seconds until he was able to catch his wits again. When his eyes opened his vision was blurry from the impact, while a stinging headache began to ring out through his head "Ughh..." he groaned before putting a hand to back of his head, which luckily showed no further injuries.

What he didn't notice was a rampaging Wookie above him ripping away at the equipment, trying to crush the mandolorian below or provide a safe escape for Daiya. None the less, dust was going everywhere and the structure that was keeping the whole stuck together was starting to collapse, until the inevitable happened.

The whole tower fell down into the factory with a large crash. Luckily, Cartri wasn't in the thick of it but still close by to be worried about falling parts. He was working on getting up until a large metal beam was falling straight towards him with speed, forcing the boy to act fast. In a kneeling position, he lifted both of his hands into the air to make the force get a grip of the falling metal. Due to it being heavy the beam was beginning to slow down but not fast enough. Cartri let out a determined yell as it slowly came to a halt close to his face, hovering peacefully above him as he put a lot of his strength into keeping it there alone "Arghhhh!" he yelled when he suddenly forced it upwards to give him a few seconds to roll away, leaving the beam to land on the concrete floor roughly.

Cartri took deep breaths and looked at his surroundings tiredly, reeling from the destruction that lay dormant around him. His body was covered in another layer of dust like before, making it look like he had been rolling around in the stuff all day. Using a nearby box, he got to his feet and peered around for the mandolorian, who was thankfully no where to be seen for now. He slowly put a hand to the back of his head and slowly began to walk over to an exit "Thank god I'm not allergic to dust..." he groaned to himself

Daiya Mig Gred Xan Deesa​

 

[Xan Deesa]

Things quickly started to go south for every part involved. Daiya's hairy companion swooped in and wasted no time in tearing the place apart. Before she knew it, he was toppling machinery and threatening to tear the entire building apart. Xan didn't have an issue with that... but she still needed information and this fight with Venku was becoming a liability. In one swift motion she wrapped her arms around him and jumped upwards onto a catwalk. Her arms shifted around his neck and held him tightly until he stopped moving. When he was finally unconscious, she turned her attention back to the rest of the facility. The tower collapsing was a great way to get her head back in the game.

As she scanned the facility, she noticed Cartri barely evading a pillar, covered in dust and looking horrible. She wasted no time in running and jumping over towards his position. Landing beside him, she wrapped her arms around him and leapt up to place him onto a catwalk. "Last thing I expected was for you to square off against a Mando face to face." she quipped as she looked him over. "Take the emergency exit out back. I got some other stuff I need to sort out." she instructed him before she turned and sprinted along the catwalk towards the control room. The information as well as her copycat was in there.

To her delight, the droid was still lying on the floor beside the terminal she overloaded along with Cartri's. Her vibroblade was drawn and shoved into their necks. With a few swift slashes she had both their heads and was off towards another terminal. There were a number of warning lights along other consoles about structural integrity but she ignored them. She sliced into the company's systems and copied every single file onto her datapad. She didn't care about what they were right now, all that mattered was that she got the information on the droids as well as who was behind it. To her dismay the files didn't show names but they did give company registries which was a good enough lead for her. Only question now was whether the Chiss was speaking the truth or not. When she was done, she picked up the heads, dropped a thermal detonator in the room and made her exit. For good measure she dropped another one on a bunch of important-looking machinery as she walked along a catwalk towards an emergency exit.

She activated her commlink as she looked over the battlefield from the shadows. "Darkwire, let's pull out. No need to square off against the chrome domes any longer than we need to. We got what we came for. Feel free to drop some 'nades on the way out if you got any." she spoke as she looked around.

With that done, she exited through the emergency exit and hurried to catch up with Cartri. "You did good, Kes. And I saw that stunt you pulled with the pillar. Good job." she commended him with a tired smile. "I need a drink... and by the way, here's your mirror." she quipped as she handed him the head of his copy.

Engaging: Venku Bralor
Tag: Daiya Gray Venasir Spark Cartri Keswoll Zamas Nall Cassus Akovin Zo'i Prihm Ruby Jaxx

 

[Zo'i Prihm]

Zo'i was learning a lot about combat without actually doing all too much on her own. The most important thing she was learning was that everything happened ... so ... fast. Before she even had a chance to speak with the Mando lady that was calling out, the Mando lady got scooped up by some other Mando and off they rocketed like that was just a thing that normal people did. Maybe rocket packs were normal for Mandos, Zo'i didn't know. But it definitely wasn't normal for her. Then Zo'i heard Daiya's Wookiee friend howling his brains out, as Wookiees do. And all the while there was crashing and banging and gonging as metal fell or got shot or crumpled when something or someone slammed into a wall or floor or whatever the kark was happening.

And Zo'i was pretty much missing out on everything. She had to do something. Her friend was out there getting shot at by a dude who thought that jetpacks were normal and that was not ok. Sure Daiya said she could take care of herself but the girl wasn't fooling anybody. And the mood of her fellow teen at the meeting earlier had been a prime example of that.

But what could she do? The Zeltron teen looked to the little blaster in her hand. She was pretty sure that even if she could hit a person who was flying around all over the place, the armor that the person was wearing wouldn't even get a scorch mark from the pitiful gun, let alone do any significant damage. She tucked the blaster back into her pocket (because carrying things in pockets is normal and she actually had worn some girl pants that had pockets and she was going to use them!). Looking around at her surroundings, she mostly saw metal, metal and more metal. Zo'i squinted and tried to give context to the metal and had an "A-ha!" moment.

Spotting a ladder, she climbed up the side of what she knew was a huge constructor droid. The droid was deactivated, but Zo'i knew that the giant machine could work autonomously or be given directions by an operator. After what seemed like forever climbing, Zo'i finally reached the top. The control panel was pretty easy to spot as an entire counter was filled with more knobs and levers and switches and indicators and screens than she could ever possibly know what to do with. But she just started twisting knobs and flipping levers and switches and watching the indicators go from black to red or yellow or green and screens go from off to flashing. And then the droid moved. And then it slammed into something. And then it started doing things on its own. And then Zo'i figured that was a good time to get the kark out of there.

As she slid down the ladder, a voice crackled to life in her ear from someone she didn't recognize about how they should get out of there and the teen couldn't have agreed more. Metal grates and panels from nearby buildings were being torn to shreds by the droid which was acting far more like a deconstructor than a constructor. But she couldn't leave yet. Daiya and Daiya's Wookiee friend were still back there at least. She found a spot of sturdy-ish looking cover and called out.

"Daiyaaaaa!!!"

Daiya Cartri Keswoll Xan Deesa
Mig Gred Tamar Gred

Spoiler: OOC

This is my last post for the thread!

 

[Daiya]

Objective: Deux Ex Machina
Equipment: Phase I Powderpunk Armor, Phase I Powderpunk Facemask, Raven Knife, 434 Blaster Pistol, Deactivator Hold-Out Blaster, JH-70 Glitter Grenades, View Masker, Interference Box, Holojournal
Allies Nearby: Zo'i Prihm , Tawrrowaldr
Enemies Nearby: DoppelDäiya

[Post Soundtrack: "Goodbye" by Apparat]​

Every instinct in her body sought relief from the passing danger. Wrapped up in Tawrro's arms, even in his injured state, even in the midst of a raid on a Corpo factory, the girl felt safe. Her head nestled against the tawny hide of the Wookiee's belly, his thick coat was her shield against the wrongs of the world.

Wrongs that she needed to help right.

His closeness filled Daiya with that sense of home she once had. Tawrro was no longer just a replacement for that broken family. He was family to her, the only family she wanted to have. It was a childish instinct to linger, to hold tight to him and shut out all her worries and cares. Once upon a time, she had been happy to let someone else take on those burdens, and for a while that had been Tawrro.

The teen pulled away, her heart fighting every movement her body made. She was no longer a child anymore, she couldn't escape into the arms of her protectors. Daiya had come to the factory to do a job and to hurt the Corpos.

Now that she knew Tawrro wasn't one, it was time to get back to it.

Daiya looked over her Wookiee partner, a look of concern etched over her face as she surveyed his injury. She turned away for a moment, looking around to take stock of the situation. The Mandos they had fought off were nowhere to be seen, and other shadowrunners in the factory seemed to be having the same outcome. Whoever other shadowrunner boy had been, he was being lifted up to safety by a woman the girl recognized. Good, that just left one more person.

The girl heard her Zeltron friend calling out for her, and she spotted Zo'i ducking behind cover. Daiya brought up her blaster, ready to use it against the next threat facing them. She was shocked to find a giant constructor droid moving slowly, but systematically, through the wreckage of the factory, performing its customary day job in reverse. Her eyes grew wide at the impending problems, whoever had signalled them to get out over the comms was more right than they knew. Anyone who stayed in this factory was going to be droid-meat.

"Come over here," Daiya beckoned to her friend, eyeing the droid from the edge of her vision. It was far enough away, giving the Zeltron girl a clear path to come across for now. She turned away to glance back at Tawrro, "How bad is your leg?"

The stiff growl she hear in response made the girl chuckle, his soldierly stubbornness striking off one more thing she had to worry about. It was a laugh that opened a door she had forced shut days ago. Then, it had been too painful to think too much about Tawrro. Now, she was afraid of succumbing to the wave of emotion summoned by his presence. To avoid any more than she could handle at the moment, Daiya turned back to see how Zo'i was doing.

Zo’i was lucky to see Daiya’s motioning as metal panged off of the floor between them. She looked up to see if there was any more impending debris falling from the sky but the air looked clear. She sprinted for where Daiya and her Wookiee caretaker were hiding. As soon as she made it, she put a hand on Daiya’s arm. Somehow, her friend seemed more at ease than she had at the briefing before. The presence of the Wookiee maybe? The Zeltron teen wasn’t sure but she was glad that, despite the fact that the sky was falling, Daiya was better.

”Not to rush this heartfelt reunion of ours but... well let’s just say that someone messed with that constructor droid and that someone might not have known what she was doing and also has no idea how bad it’s about to get. So sooner would be better than later for our departure time!”

"And would that someone be a blushing, pink Zeltron?"

”If you want to give credit where credit is due, well then, I can only take responsibility for pushing buttons. Not for what those buttons do!”

"I think we should listen to Miss Button Pusher here and get the feth out!" Daiya agreed, exhilaration causing her voice to raise in both pitch and volume at those last few words. She waved off Tawrro's chiding remarks about her language to point out, "Okay, but more importantly, can you walk on that leg?" His barking growl said more than the Wookiee was willing to admit, that soldierly stubbornness acting up again. The girl windmilled her arms like a flight attendant, "Okay, then let's go. Let's go!"

The constructor droid was still a ways off, but it was better to get out early than be stuck learning just how bad it was going to get. Taking up the rear position for once, Daiya ushered Zo'i and Tawrro toward what looked like an exit.

"Thank the stars you're alive, Tawrro. She didn't hurt you, did she?" Daiya stiffened at the sound of her own voice, and peered around Tawrro to watch herself walk into the factory. A version of herself, at least, the doppelgänger was even dressed like her today! Where the double had gotten a copy of Daiya's custom armor, much less the outfit she was wearing, the girl had no idea. The double pointed right at Daiya as she announced, "Stay away from her, she's not real. That girl is a machine made to look like me and fool you both."

"What?! Daiya cried, looking from her duplicate then back to her friends to see how they were taking it. She was the real one, not this doppelgänger. They couldn't possibly believe this lie. "That's not true, I'm real not you. Don't lie to them."

"I would never lie to my friends. I don't need to deceive them, and I don't put them in danger," the other girl gestured around them. As if the whole raid on the factory was somehow Daiya's fault. The girl gaped at her double, her jaw dropping open as DoppelDäiya pulled out a familiar looking datapad from her identical satchel. "See? The duplicate can copy everything about me, but she can't copy this. My art, my visions, everything."

While her double showed off the holojournal to Tawrro, Daiya searched her own satchel. She withdrew a datapad, but it was blank. A mere flimsiweight. The girl stared up at the doppelgänger again, who now had Tawrro nodding along to the narration the other girl was providing as she flipped through the saved pieces. The double even had explanations for the drawings Daiya had made after Parcellus Minor, she must have switched the datapads sometime before Daiya got inside the factory to have enough time to look at them and come up with those fake stories.

Zo’i stared dumbfounded at the duplicate version of Daiya that stood across from them. She looked back and forth between the two girls. Sure, she’d heard about these “doppelgänger” things but she’d yet to see one. ”Weird...,” she said under her breath. But as the other Daiya started proclaiming herself to be the real one, Zo’i couldn’t believe her ears. Just by looking, there really was no way to tell. But that wasn’t right… She’d been with Daiya all night and into the terribly-early time of morning that it had become.

”No way!” proclaimed Zo’i. ”This is definitely the real deal right here,” she said pointing at the girl next to her. ”We’ve been together since earlier today! And she was sooooo depressed and cranky. There’s no way a machine could be that depressed and cranky.”

"Depressed and cranky? Zo'i, when have you ever known me to be depressed or cranky?" the double said, taking one of Zo'i's hands and beaming a grin at the Zeltron girl. It was a patented Daiya grin, toothy and a little goofy, and exactly what the girl wanted to act like before her duplicate showed up. The other girl played her Daiya part with aplomb, knowing far too much of how to act and what to say to make others believe her. "Don't you remember the fun we had on Frego, Zo'i? We wore those a-mazing dresses, and you convinced half of the party to leave the dancefloor, and we got away with tooooonnnns of secrets. That's me, Zo'i, not Miss Bitter Pill over here. She's trying to manipulate you, but it's just programming. Really, really good programming. She knows what I know, that you have a really good heart, and you'd try to help someone in need. I know she's really convincing but please don't get tricked."

Zo’i grimaced as the other Daiya grabbed her hands. But she listened to the words of the double anyway. Her hands were warm, like a Human’s hands should be. Her gaze was caring and thoughtful, like a friend’s would be. She kept looking back and forth between the two identical people, trying to get some sense for reality. She could tell something was wrong. But what? Who was real? Were they both real? How could she be so convinced one moment and so confused the next. ”I… uhhh. Oh, I don’t know. Erhm, this is so weird,” she mumbled as she tried to come to some kind of understanding.

Daiya seethed at the unmistakable betrayal unfolding before her, and she saw red.

"How did you get that datapad? Give it back, that's mine!" Daiya screamed, launching herself at the double. She heard a shriek as the other girl lost her balance, and they both tumbled to the ground. Hair and limbs flew as they scrambled for dominance. Daiya felt as if she was in a fight for her very life. She pulled at the datapad, clutched in the stolen hands of her double, clawing at the other girl as she tried to fend off attacks as well. Daiya felt nails raking her skin, fists bruising her limbs, hair pulled by the roots as her double fought with all the dirty tricks she knew herself, but none of it would stop the girl. She wouldn't stop until she had her life back in her own hands.

"Help me stop her, Tawrro!" the girl cried.​

"Get her off me, Tawrro!" the other girl cried.​

"You know I'm the real Daiya!" they both cried.​

Hairy paws grabbed onto her, pulling Daiya up and away from her double. She sobbed while trying to hang onto the datapad, tears leaking from her eyes at the thought of it being ripped away from her again. But the double was too strong, as was the grip that Tawrro had on her, and the girl shrieked as her holojournal left her fingers again. Separated by the span of a Wookiee, Daiya stood perched on her toes, her chest heaving as sobs wracked her body, staring in bewilderment at her double and at Tawrro.

"Please, Tawrro, you know it's me. She's lying to you, and she stole that to try to convince you." Daiya pointed at the holojournal.

"Don't listen to her, Tawrro. She's trying to manipulate you." The double told Tawrro, talking over Daiya now. The other girl still had the datapad in her hands.

Daiya didn't care now, the doppelgänger could have the device. The girl just wanted Tawrro to trust her. "It doesn't prove anything. Tawrro, please, I'm me."

"She did it to me, and she tricked me. I...I killed someone I shouldn't have, all because of the things she said and did. It was so easy to believe her, she's so convincing." Daiya watched her double say the things she wanted to say, confess what she wanted to confess. It should have been freeing, but the words only reinforced the bonds of her nightmare cage.

Tawrro showed no signs of choosing one of them over the other, his head turning back and forth between them. Sounds and motion from around them carried on, but the two girls seemed oblivious to it all. Only the Wookiee appeared to be taking note of the ticking clock of disaster headed their way.

Daiya put her hands on her heart, on top of Tawrro's hand that covered it. Her palms, side by side, barely spanned the width of it. She pressed his hand to her, wishing him to feel her heartbeat and to know the truth. Daiya pleaded again, "Please! You have to believe it's me."

"Look at her, the tears, the emotion, that's all of me. That's exactly what I'd be doing." DoppelDäiya was just as impassioned as she was, it was only her advantage that kept her from the tears that governed the girl at the moment. An advantage that she easily pressed, seemingly bent on nothing less than Daiya's destruction now. "Except that she's fake underneath. She's a machine, Tawrro. She's trying to get between us, to drive us apart forever because it helps the Corpos. She's working for them, Tawrro, and she wanted me to think you were, too. Please don't believe her, I'm me. I'm Human, I'm real, and I'm not going to be manipulated by her anymore."

Tears were blurring her vision, yet Daiya's jaw was still working, mouthing Please! over and over again. She couldn't tell which way Tawrro was leaning until he let go of her, and the girl's knees sank to the floor for a moment. Another moment, she felt herself picked up by the Wookiee, and her heart lifted as she looked up into his eyes.

A hard expression met her gaze. Tawrro considered her as he would a stranger. She could see pity in his expression, but no warmth. No recognition anymore. Her vision blurred once again as the tears surged forward, and Daiya felt him pin her against one of the still-standing beams of the fallen tower. He pulled the girl's arms behind her, and with no other object of restraint, the Wookiee picked up a broken length of metal piping and bent it around her wrists to secure her there. The girl looked up at the face of her long-time companion, the one she had trusted her life and secrets to time and time again, but Tawrro had nothing else to say to Daiya before he turned away.

Her doppelgänger did, just moments before joining her newfound companion. "I hope you enjoy your last moments of my life," she said cheerily, and the girl was astonished at how familiar the sentiment felt to her. How, in the double's place, Daiya would have eagerly said the same cruel words. She trembled as the other girl leaned in to whisper one final message to her. "I'm sure going to enjoy living yours from now on."

Sobs consumed her body while Daiya watched, helplessly, as her partner and her replicant double walked off. DoppelDäiya was as affectionate and giddy as Daiya would ever be after a victory, and the more that the girl watched Tawrro buy her double's act, the more her heart broke apart.

Daiya couldn't stop them.

Daiya couldn't move.

Daiya couldn't speak.

Daiya could barely even breath.

Indecision froze Zo’i in place as she watched the Wookiee pin one of the Daiyas to a wall and bind her there with metal piping. She watched as the other Daiya and the Wookiee left the two behind. The Zeltron couldn’t tell who was real and who wasn’t, but she did know that no one deserved to die in a crumbling factory. The anguish on pinned-Daiya’s face was evident and Zo’i moved over to try and free the girl from her prison.

”Come onnnn…,” she muttered as she pulled at the bar holding her maybe-friend. ”How. The. Kark. Did. That. Damn. Walking. Carpet. Bend. This. Karking. Thing!” The metal wouldn’t budge. It didn’t even creak from Zo’i’s efforts. She looked at Daiya’s dumbstruck face with sadness. So what if this person was a copy. Did that mean she had to die? She was real enough, wasn’t she?

Daiya gasped for breath, hyperventilating as her body battled against her own mind. A fading consciousness made the world dim around her, just as her thoughts began to form a clearer picture. It all made sense now, what was happening to her, it all made sense.

"He's coming back for me," Daiya remarked suddenly between breaths. The girl turned, her eyes unfocused as they looked toward the Zeltron girl. "Tawrro would never leave me. He'll always come back. He'll always come to save me."

The Zeltron teen ignored the struggles and ramblings of the other girl. She couldn’t make sense of what Daiya was saying and right now, none of that really seemed to matter. Her only job was getting the two of them out of there.

Think. Think. Think. Zo’i searched around them for some tool to help pry the metal off. But nothing seemed appropriate or fitting. Even as the building crumbled around the girls, no solution seemed to present itself. Time ticked away and Zo’i didn’t know what to do. Save herself? Keep trying in vain to save Daiya? Would her armor protect her from the crushing weight of a building collapsing on her head?

"It's okay, Zo'i, you can leave me here. I'm usually alone when I need saving." Daiya told her friend, who seemed to be fretting around about something silly. It would work better if the Zeltron girl wasn't here, she was sure of it. Then Tawrro would surely come back. "Tawrro would never abandon me. He'll come back and it'll all be fine."

Wait! Armor! Tools! That’s right, Zo’i remembered the plasma cutter she had seen Daiya use earlier. ”Please still have it, please still have it,” Zo’i repeated over and over, searching the girl’s armor. ”A-ha!” The torch was still neatly tucked onto her delirious friend’s toolbelt and Zo’i set to work cutting Daiya free.

Her hands were getting sore. Daiya wiggled them in the restraint, feeling the cold metal biting back at her wrists. The bent piping was getting warmer somehow, causing the girl to wiggle her hands even more. "Taawwwwrrrrrroooooo" she whined, feeling her knees on the floor again. She wasn't sure how she got down to the floor, but it made it much easier for the girl to breath. As she drew in deep gulps of air, Daiya could feel the metal turn hot as Zo'i applied the plasma cutter, threatening to burn the flesh of her wrists. She was just a little bit more sober now as she pleaded, "Faster, please? It hurts..."

”I’m going as fast as I can...” Zo’i wasn’t exactly skilled with the cutter. The concept was simple but she didn’t have the feel for knowing exactly how long she needed to spend to cut through the metal. She had to rely on her eyesight but without protective goggles, she found herself stopping and starting to check her progress. The destruction in the background was becoming ever more present, threatening to enter the foreground. ”Come on…”

Aaaaaand,,,

Kpa! The metal popped and snapped and from its embrace tumbled the freed girl. ”Ha!” Zo’i exclaimed, just in time as the constructor droid started to draw near. Sirens were blaring in the distance. There was no time. It was time to go. ”Come on, Daiya! We need to go! Now!” She hooked her arm under her maybe-friend’s shoulders and tried to lift her up off the ground.

Daiya's face had planted itself straight into the factory floor the moment that Zo'i's efforts freed her from the makeshift restraint. It was actually kind of nice, the duracrete ground was cool on her cheeks, and there was a constant vibration that had something of a calming effect on her half-lucid brain. It was not to last, though, as the girl felt herself picked up by the shoulder and turned to look at the Zeltron girl. She grinned, even as she struggled to focus her eyes and keep her body rigid enough to go...wherever Zo'i was wanting her to go at the moment. "Well, you're a sight for sore eyes. Is Tawrro back yet?"

Zo’i wasn’t sure what bug had crawled into Daiya’s ear and had taken over her brain but there was definitely something in there. ”Listen you dope. I don’t know what planet you’re living on. But on this one, your Wookiee friend just tried to kill you. Now snap out of it and let your Zeltron friend help you get the kark out of here before neither of us see anyone else ever again.” Zo’i started taking them both of them through a circuitous path around fallen debris and away from the slowly crumbling facility.

Strangely, Daiya found her feet moving under her as Zo'i guided them through the ruins of equipment and parts of the factory itself. She kicked at some pieces idly as they went, still not entirely sure where the Zeltron girl was taking them. Something to do with Tawrro, who was going to be very confused if he got back and Daiya wasn't where she was supposed to be. "No, wait," the girl tried to pull away from her friend. Something about this wasn't right. "I have to go back. He won't know where to find me..."

Alright. Enough. Zo’i distanced herself from her friend just enough to wind up and smack Daiya cleanly across the face. Even with the world coming down around them, she heard the slap echo satisfyingly off of the metal surfaces around them. ”Stop it. He’s not coming back. Get it through your thick skull. Snap out of it, Little Miss I-Can-Do-Everything-Myself!”

"OWW-WUH!" Daiya moaned, clapping a hand to her burning cheek as she jumped back from Zo'i's physical, and then verbal, assault. Her eyes danced around the scene, blinking and squinting away from the dust that was quickly becoming thick inside the factory. The noise drew her gaze to the constructor droid's ominous approach, and the girl stepped close to her friend again to clutch Zo'i's arm. Her voice was throaty and rushed, "Oookay, so thanks and all, I probably needed that, you're totally right by the way, but maybe we should get out of here."

The timing of Daiya’s words were accompanied by more falling metal debris around them. While that may have been convenient timing to prove a point. Except that the whole place was falling down around them at this point and the sentiment was definitely overdue. ”Duhhhh,” Zo’i said as she started booking it for the exit.

The young shadowrunner didn't think twice about following her Zeltron friend out from the impending zone of destruction. Her legs pumped while her heart pounded, her desperate mind thinking forward to what she would discover beyond the factory's walls. Fear renewed its hold on her as Daiya realized her 434 blaster was missing, misplaced or discarded somewhere before her fight with the double.

Absentminded thoughts distracted her, and when a piece of the ducts overhead dropped nearby Daiya let out an abrupt shriek. She jumped back and clutched her heart, feeling as if it had stopped for a second. She shook her head, then moved quickly to catch up to Zo'i. There was little time to lose, the inside was becoming as dangerous for them as the droid's chaos was growing far too close, and the girl feared outside was becoming just as deadly for Tawrro. Whatever her doppelgänger had in mind, giving her free reign with the Wookiee was almost certainly not a good idea.

Once outside under the dawning Denon sky, Daiya found herself coming to a halt next to Zo'i.

The area immediately outside of the factory was clear. There was no sign of fleeing Mandos, sneaking Shadowrunners, or a glimpse of Tawrro and the doppelgänger. The girl scanned the walkways for a minute, mostly empty ahead of the day's pedestrians, before she caught a sign of her endangered Wookiee partner. Daiya could only spare a momentary thought to gesture for Zo'i to follow her before she took off.

Rushing headlong into the problem. That was what Tawrro constantly lectured her against, that Daiya simply acted, heedless of any danger to herself. She was more worried about the danger he was in now, worried about how she would find him again. If she would ever find him again. Terror gripped the girl as grisly images flashed in her mind. They were driven not by the Force but by herself. The Force was holding back on her, but her imagination needed no such help this time, she had seen enough nightmare fuel in past visions to provide the rest.

Daiya had to stop and clear her eyes when she finally spotted the pair, double-checking just to make sure it was real. Her heart jumped to her throat, even from a distance away, the girl could see some of her worst fears coming to fruition. Tawrro was beset by the replicant double, who had only waited long enough from the factory grounds to seal her victim's fate.

Not this time.

The girl crouched, quickly stopping to free her last resort weapon from her ankle holster. The deactivator hold-out blaster was meant for droids, not for replicants, but she hoped that distinction wouldn't matter as she launched back into a final run. Daiya could feel what she couldn't see, that the doppelgänger had stopped holding back against Tawrro.

Every wound he took felt like a blow to her body, every drop of blood another tear shed from her eyes. Daiya ran as fast as she could, screaming his name into the wind. She was either too far away, or he wasn't able to respond yet.

"Fight back, Tawrro!" Daiya cried, straining against sore muscles and winded lungs as she tried to get close enough to have an effect. "She's not me, fight back!"

She wiped at wet eyes as the girl grew close enough to see the fight distinctly. Daiya could hear his growling pleas now, reasoning against the unreasonable machine posing as her. She could see the charred holes in his hide now, the singed fur that marked where the double's blaster had landed its hits. The Wookiee was agile, but he was still a massive target for an opponent who had not only a small size and close distance, but also a cherished appearance on her side.

Her guardian was steadfast until the end, Daiya could see it in his eyes now. He truly wished that this was all just a mistake. A teenage rebellion. Something that he could resolve without resorting to violence. Daiya had seen him taken on opponents twice her size, and even grapple with a Houk. The only reason Tawrro hadn't disabled her double had to be because he was holding back, because he wanted her to be the real Daiya.

"I'm here, Tawrro," the girl said, loud against the shots of DoppelDäiya's blaster and Tawrro's hopeful growls. They both seemed to notice her, though it didn't stop the pace of their fight. "Stop holding back! She manipulated you, like she did to me, but she's not me!"

Zo’i got out of the way as the fight unfolded. Once again, her inability to help in a combat situation held her back and she felt useless. She was pretty sure by then that she had made the right choice by helping Daiya out of the bent metal cage. But now that they were away from the havoc of the crumbling facility, and the scrap was only between Daiya, her droid double and a Wookiee, all she could do was watch as her friend fought for her guardian. She knew that feeling. The Zeltron teen was quite sure that she would fight for Rhé if the time ever came.

The girl was getting nowhere by appealing to sense, so Daiya raised her blaster arm. Her double was moving fast, but the machine didn't have her advantages. Their skills might be matched, and the replicant might somehow have the ability to use the Force, but she lacked the most important thing that Daiya brought to the fight. The one thing that the girl hoped would spell the end of her duplicitous copy.

Daiya loved Tawrro as if he was her own father.

The first deactivator blaster shot missed. Daiya gritted her teeth, trying to track the dashing blur of blonde hair, while still avoiding Tawrro in all the mess as well. Her exhaustion and emotions were making the task almost impossible for the teen gunslinger to manage. She wept, fear and rage and fatigue all driving her past her limits. Yet the girl's arm still moved in concert somehow with the doppelgänger, and she fired again.

DoppelDäiya twitched as the deactivator blast hit, but she brushed it off as if was no more than a sting. The double spun, expanding her target list to Daiya, forcing the girl to dodge as a blaster shot came her way. Tawrro seemed to take notice of the distinction for the first time, though he still seemed intent on avoiding, not engaging, the double.

"Help me, Tawrro. She's going to kill you! Help me stop her!" Daiya could barely manage the words, moving as she tried to follow her double again. The doppelgänger wasn't showing any sign of concern yet, or anything beyond sheer glee at the way her plan was proceeding. The double beamed as the girl's third shot missed again, cackling as she danced away from it to aim again at Tawrro.

"I don't know why I ever held back before, Tawrro," the machine version of her gloated. Tawrro was still managing to avoid most of the shots from the double, but Daiya heard him bark in pain as one of them connected. DoppelDäiya cackled at the Wookiee's pain, "You're pathetic. You can't even protect yourself. Just like you couldn't protect your own son. I should have done this when we first met and saved myself all the fuss. How could I ever stand a fighting chance at survival with someone who won't even fight back?"

Daiya let out a scream, trying to move between her dearest companion and the machine. The double danced beyond her, but the girl got off another shot at the replicant. It hit, and this time the replicant seemed to twitch a second longer before coming back under control.

That second was all she needed.

Daiya fired two more shots into the doppelgänger, causing it to jerk back and finally freeze. Blue arcs of energy jumped across the outside of the replicant's body as it was paralyzed by the deactivator blaster at last. The girl turned to Tawrro, as if to say, "See?"

The Wookiee barrelled past her, however. Now revealed as an enemy, he wasted no time in setting on the duplicate with a howl of rage. Palpable relief in Daiya turned to horror as she watched Tawrro unleash his pent-up fury on the machine whose appearance copied hers down to the last detail.

It was her limbs she watched the Wookiee tear asunder. Her flesh she saw him rip and slash at. Her blood she watched flow freely until the machine's innards were exposed. Metal and wire did little to stem the terror that gripped Daiya once more, she could only watch helplessly as a nightmare vision unfolded before her. The more she witnessed Tawrro ravaging her doppelgänger, the more her heart broke apart once again.

Daiya couldn't stop him.

Daiya couldn't move.

Daiya couldn't speak.

Daiya could barely even breath.

When he was finished, long after the replicant was a threat to either of them, Tawrro collapsed onto the ground. The sun's rays were beginning to reach down to the walkways, gently illuminating the stillness of the scene. It was only after a minute in their glow that Daiya reacted, looking up as a gentle hand moved around her shoulder. She looked into the eyes of her friend, and once again Zo'i helped Daiya past the shock of the moment. The girl stood up, slowly moving to the side of the prone Wookiee. She moved calmly, checking him for a pulse and then rifling through her satchel to pull out her comlink.

Zo'i pulled it from her hands to call for help, and Daiya could only look on with a distant expression.

Her cheeks were dry now.

Her heart was empty.

The last thing she made sure to do, before a medical team came for Tawrro to carry him to the closest clinic for aid, was to retrieve her datapad from the satchel her double had carried. The back was scratched now, and it flickered as she turned it on, but the device was still in reasonable condition. Daiya picked up the duplicate's discarded 434 blaster and placed it in her own satchel before using the datapad to signal Darkwire over the CryptNet.

Someone would be interested in the pieces of her doppelgänger.

Not Daiya anymore, but someone.

She wanted nothing more to do with doubles or replicants or duplicity.

Daiya visited Tawrrowaldr once at the clinic, just to make sure he wouldn't leave with a sizeable bill. The last of her bounty credits, from her role in ending the hostage affair at Sakedo Tower, made sure that the Wookiee would receive the best care until he was healed.

Before she left, the girl approached the bacta tank where the Wookiee was suspended in the healing gel. He was still sedated, and she didn't ask if it was due to his injury or otherwise. She simply put a hand on the glass of the tank, one last wordless gesture to her steadfast friend.

Before she left him behind forever.

— A F T E R —​

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Every limb in his body seemed to ache as he tiredly walked to a door, unknowing or caring about where it lead too. All he wanted to do was get out of this place and jump into bed for the next week "I've had enough of this du- h-hey!" he yelped out with surprise as someone landed beside him and wrapped their arms around his waist. For a second, he thought it was the Mandolorian coming back for revenge, but it was soon apparent his mentor had come back to aid him. Xan quickly transported him to a catwalk above them, as well as a emergency exit that was only a short walk away. He smiled exhaustedly to her good timing, and was slightly relived she wasn't hurt from the conflict "The mandolorian didn't stand a chance against the likes of me" he quipped, knowing full well he was lucky to escape alive.

With his humour still intact he followed Xan's orders with a small nod and staggered his way out of the emergency exit, providing him the stank air of Denon. He slowly wiped away a layer of dust from his fast and lowered himself against the wall in a sitting position, reminiscing on the feat he just pulled. Cartri was more than pleased by how far he had come, mainly due to Xan taking him under her wing and showing him the ropes. In due time he would fully thank her for what he did for him, but now clearly wasn't the time.

Not long after Xan reappeared with something unexpected, a robotic head of himself. His eyes widened in surprise as he grabbed a hold of the head, curious as to how and why the corps had done this. Carefully, he used the wall to get up and stood beside his mentor, the head under his arm for now while he looked up to Xan "I think I'll put sleep before drinking" he joked with another small smile as they both began to make their way out of the facility together, with a pair of new heads to study in due time.

Xan Deesa​