Shadowlands are not Fun Lands

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Mutton Fist"]

Shaking his head as he looked up at the towering figure of the wookiee in front of him, the Republic Commander of the 102nd Task Force pushed his glasses up as he waited for the torrent of roars and bellows to cease so he could have a say in the conversation. "I'm telling you the Republic is not ignoring the issue. Togoria just collapsed and cut the Republic in half. Reorganization takes time and policing matters cannot be focused upon in just one region in the meantime or else crime across the Republic would rise dramatically. However-"

As more howls filled Dallen's ear when the wookiee bent over him and the two troopers of the 102nd behind to share his frustration, the officer tried not to let his impatience in his eyes show while he adjusted his glasses and tried to ignore the fact other wookiee dock workers had moved over to their argument. Well not really an argument, since Dallen certainly had no negative feelings toward the wookiees. After all, who wouldn't be angered over a slaver group striking their world. However, Dallen found the wookiee in charge of the landing pad in the center of the area where the slavers seemed to be operating around to be overly emotional.

It wasn't a large criminal organization like the Hutts or Black Sun or even a major Trandoshan raider party. From the reports it only seemed to be a pair of freighter class ships operating with some very violent mercenaries looking to make a quick credit while the Republic's patrols and fleets were adjusting to the loss of territory and previously normal location assignments. Thus it wasn't enough trouble to spark the mobilization of an entire Battlegroup to hunt them down.

All the same though, Dallen wished the Wookiee would stop being angry over the fact a flotilla hadn't arrived so he could explain that the Testament, a cruiser under his command attached to the 102nd, had been dispatched to investigate and take care of the matter. All the Republic Commander was trying explain was that he wanted to gather information before deploying his men after the slavers or even attempting to setup an ambush for the criminal scum. Instead an unreasonable wookiee was becoming angry he was even there and not just aimlessly flying around looking for the troublemakers.

It looked like trying to get a word in to make the landing pad chief understand was going to take a while.

 

[Mutton Fist]

[member="Dallen Thayne"]

Kashyyyk. What a terrible place to move to! The land was hot and dry, every tribe seemed to only speak in a strange growling language, and there was no visible signs of where to eat from what Mutton could tell. Just as her mind wavered the thought, her stomach growled and brought the image of fresh cold soup resting in a pot belly, waiting for her greedy hands to get into. Small frowns filtered into the perfect fit for her face as she let out a groan.

Her boots crunched on some fallen leaves as she passed, looking at the ongoing wookiees curiously. They didn't seem to find that she was a visitor, or just perhaps she was too small to be considered noteworthy. She thought with her fur and attire, she would stand out more. Not all things were such, she guessed absent mindedly.

Finally she found a large bench to sit at, which took only a large jump to get onto. There she felt like an ant in a giant's chair, viewing something that was normally unsure to her unknowing eyes. A new smile crept up her lips while her vision gazed the platforms of the small station, trying to make the need for hunger to disappear.

 

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Mutton Fist"]

While Dallen attempted to reason with the landing pad's owner so he and his men could get started on conducting the investigation and search for the slavers so they could be brought to justice, the Republic Commander noticed one of the troopers behind him turn away as they appeared to look up at the sky. It was at that time that he also heard a loud whining whistle in the breeze, just barely audible because of the howling wookiee who nearly drowned it out with their voice demanding attention. Although in the end it was their voice that was inevitably drowned out, and silenced, as an explosion rocked the landing platform and the twisted limb of the wroshyr tree burst into hell and flame.

The next thing the officer knew he was on his back, pulling himself up to his knees as he caught sight of the trooper who had been beside him. Rather than responding to the events unfolding around them the republic soldier had a piece of debris lodged in their side, their combat armor pierced by what the explosion had thrown about. A stinging pain in his head made Dallen reach up to feel a wet stream drip down his face, causing him to blink as he wiped it away to discover the blood. The realization he likely had a slight concussion made him frown as he blinked away the dizziness only to see that what had been the source of the explosion had been his shuttle, and that the whining noise from before was the slaver's transports as they now hovered over the landing platform, an open bay door on its side allowing one of its crew to man a blaster turret that was firing away at the landing pad's occupants.

As the ringing in his ears ended Dallen found he could hear several things at once as sound was restored to him. The first being the howl of the wookiees as several attempted to flee the landing pad under heavy fire while the port chief and a few others rallied bowcasters against the threat. After that the voice of the other soldier accompanying him snapped Dallen out of the daze as the trooper helped to hoist him to his feet. "We should leave the vicinity sir and link up with the cruiser. There's an elevator that goes all the way down nearby, but it connects to others that also go down that far." Nodding to the trooper as he accepted the arm offered to him so he could groggily make his way over to the turbolift along with the soldier, Dallen didn't question why they had to take the lift that went the whole way down.

It wouldn't surprise him after all that the pirates messy attack had damaged the controls to the other accessible lift.

Especially when another explosion caused the pad to shudder as the slavers craft destroyed another freighter on the pad and sent the wookiee chief and defenders sprawling, some with their fur on fire roaring in agony while others lay still. "Everyone left to run make for the turbolift! Hurry before they land!" Gritting his teeth, the Republic Commander flinched as the trooper set him down inside the lift and moved to stand by the lift controls waiting for as many of the landing pad's surviving occupants to make it inside as they could allow.

 

[Mutton Fist]

[member="Dallen Thayne"]

Everything rushed before her eyes like a motion film. She couldn't change anything, she couldn't avoid what was happening. Worst part was, she was in it. Front eyes, feeling the heat, feeling blood splatter where it could, seeing and hearing the deafening cries and groans. Her eyes trembled like wide shakey orbs. After a moment of frozen firmness, she got off the chair and ran for the destruction. Surely, there were injured people... Surely, she could help.

Her legs gave up under her as she found one of the first victims of the crash. Through the dance of bolts, she tried to reach out and take his hand, only to find his head suddenly caved in with a black spot of a laser shot. Without waiting to see how long it would take for them to shoot her, her legs ran for the lift as quickly as they could. Speedy hops and trembling shakey movements provided just enough to let her get past, and into it, without delay.

 

[Dallen Thayne]

[member="Mutton Fist"]

While waiting for whoever was still alive to make their way to the turbolift, Dallen groaned and propped himself against the back of the lift as he tried to give himself a closer inspection and check for any further injuries besides the glancing blow to his head. Over the roar of the wounded and the fire it was hard to tell if anyone was coming to the lift for safety. The Republic Officer was certainly taken aback by the events unfolding around him. It hadn't struck him that the scum behind the recent string of slave raids had the audacity or were brazen enough to attack a landing port of all places when they surely had to have noticed a Republic cruiser in orbit.

Regardless as he coughed into his sleeve, Dallen knew their little charade wouldn't last long. The trooper at the lift's door had likely called in the incident and they simply needed to fallback until another dropship deployed to take care of the slavers. The problem was surviving of course until the matter could be settled, while keeping as many others alive as possible. Even from where he was, the Republic Commander could see several of the landing pad's occupants trying to flee, several being blasted down by stun bolts now as the slavers ships lowered to the landing pad. Now they were going to take prey after destroying so much, and they were intent to take whoever was left.

With such in mind, the officer feebly moved to draw his blaster pistol at his side while the soldier of the 102nd leveled the P-7 Carbine they had managed to hold onto in the chaos. Both unleashing as well targeted blasterfire as they could in their conditions. One of the slavers dropping to the ground as a blaster bolt burned through their chest while others scattered to the side. Unfortunately, Dallen could see that most of the landing pad's survivors were dead or stunned and only a lone Lepi was making her way toward the lift. Covering for her, Dallen grimaced as the trooper at the lift controls staggered back, a scorch mark along his side where his armor was struck by the slavers blasters. Stumbling forward to catch the soldier and slide him to the side, Dallen slammed his fist against the door controls once the he saw the Lepi enter, plunging the lift to the depths below.

 

[Mutton Fist]

[member="Dallen Thayne"]

One hit. That's all that it took. One stray bolt. The Lepi felt the shock enter her body with a rapid success. She didn't have a single chance to respond to the terrible filtering pain spreading across her back, making her fall forward and go limp. Some type of bolt had went into her backside, making no more than a black scorched mark, and still causing more pain than she ever felt in her life. It was like electricity shocking her every movements.

Soon, Mutton couldn't see. Her eyes slid shut, and steadily she lost consciousness. The last thing she saw was the moving elevator disappearing from the chaos that created the madness that forced her to flee.