Sunburns & Hyperdrive Troubles

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

"Yeah," Kaile would say, nodding her head, biting her lip. It was easy to tell that both weren't feeling quite up to snuff. Yet both were actively trying to comfort the other. Trying to put up a front and think positive. It was all they had. If they managed to simply give up, it let themselves become psyche'd up, then that's when they would make mistakes. That's when they would basically work themselves into a self fulfilling prophecy.

She offered him a weak smile, feeling a bit more secure after that little talk. It might have been small, but having that out there felt good. It allowed the Lorrdian to set her shoulders, get a bit more pep. Yeah. They could do this. This is what she did. What she trained in.

"We can do this,". She repeated, and rose to her feet. A quick kiss to his bristly cheek relayed her gratitude. As did the slightly warmer smile she shone him after. All she needed was her Morp blaster, and after that... Well, a few more minutes then they'll see how well they could play their roles.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He nodded, squeezing her hand gently before he shifted his gaze towards the exit of the ship.

They would be done soon. He could hear the clattering of metal, the sound of cutting torches, the grunts of labor. They were getting close to removing the last remnants of it all, getting rid of what Kurt had brought down earlier. He frowned slightly, looking at Kaile and then back at the cockpit. Was it too late to try and make a break for it? To simply fly away.

Yes.

A sigh escaped his lips, and then slowly he began to straighten the uniform. "We let them come to us."

They would no doubt search the hangar, but part of being an officers was staying cool and calm. The perfect place to do that was here, on this ship. They would be able to set the stage, and the stormtroopers would be the one that would have to enter. It was a ploy, a game, but at the very least the game would be set in their direction. They would have control of the pieces.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

“We got this.” Kaile would echo, sucking in a breath between her teeth. Cool air filled her lungs, her chest rising under her borrowed jacket. Truth be told, she couldn't help the slight trickle of sweat that would bead at her temple. A quick wipe with the back of her had took care of it, but the thundering of her heart would not seem to stop.

One last squeeze of his hand, and Kaile soared a brief glance over to Kurt. She saw him there, standing, the bright blue of his eyes stark against his lightly tanned skin. There were a few scratches on his face, a small bruise along the left cheek. His hair was a bit of a mess, always on its’ own program, a wild tuff here and there, almost as if a tangible representation of the courier at his core.

“Sec,” the Lorrdian would murmur, her hand coming up to briefly try and tame as much of his forelock as she could. Her fingers dove into the silk of his dark locks, smoothing down as much as she could. It wouldn't completely take care of the tousled strands, but it made due.

“There,” she said, just as the thud of footsteps suddenly echoed down the hanger. The tiny hairs at the back of her neck rose, a shiver of ice going down her spine. Kaile couldn't help the squeeze of her fingers, a jerk of digits in growing suspense.

Pulling her hand away desk the courier, Kaile straightened her back and set her shoulders

“Okay,” she whispered, slipping into the role that she would have to play. It was easier now, but there was no going back. This was it.

There were hurried steps outside the Messa, and that sense of trepidation only grew. Until finally, the thud of approaching footfalls darkened the threshold of the cargo bay.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Kurt shifted slightly.

This was it.

There was no going back on the plan and there certainly wasn't a way to stop the ball from rolling. The troopers had likely fanned out by now and searched the hangar, the Darktroopers had likely already been threatened, and the stormtroopers were already on their way up the ramp. Kurt let out a heavy sigh, shifting slightly and moving away from Kaile so that he could appear more aloof and stately, his face shifting into a frown and his eyebrows moving to an even level.

He tried to model himself after photos he had seen in the history books, straining to remember pictures of grand Admirals of the past.

Half of him wanted to burst out laughing as he saw a reflection of himself in the mirror, the other half wanted to burst into tears. The resounding clatter of boots striking metal sounded out behind him, half a dozen troopers storming onto the shuttle, their weapons only half raised as they quickly recognized just who, or rather what was standing before them.

Without a word Kurt rounded on them, his face a stark expression of disapproval and discontent.

Wordlessly he looked to Kaile, his eyes filled with anger, as though he expected her to do all the screaming.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

The change was uncanny.

A narrowing came to the Lorrdian's eyes, the way her skin seemed to pull across her bone structure to draw it taunt. There was a pursing of her lips to match the ramrod straight of her spine. Unyielding and bleeding out an aura of authority. It was almost palatable, the amount of disapproval that seemed to radiate from the woman.

"You dare raise your weapons to a Grand Admiral of the Empire of the Hand?" her voice was curt, sharp, relentless. A hand gesture directed over to Kurt, the Grand Admiral in question. A sneer curled across her upper lip, staring down at the clone troopers from her nose despite the fact that they were taller than her. It was unnerving to say the least, enough for the Troopers to drop their weapons to the ground. They were blanks, subject to commands by superior officers. Kaile practically bled that.

"He is most displeased. As am I." she continued, her chin lifting, eyes glittering with a cold wrath. "You are all a disgrace to the Empire of the Hand."

"Stand at attention!"

The Troopers suddenly stood at the ready, heels clicking tightly. All the while, a tiny bead of sweat collected at her temple, the hairs at her neck standing on end. Feth, please work. Please work!.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

They moved almost as if they were droids. It was the odd, almost synchronous way that the stormtroopers linked up that really unsettled him, and for a moment he didn't have to fake the odd frown on his face. They all stood at attention, their blaster rifles held tightly to their chests, their helmets pointed forward, those dead eyes staring directly at Kurt. They did not waiver, they did not even move, it was as if they had suddenly turned to statues.

Briefly he wondered if he'd ever looked that way.

"Get me your commanding officer!" The yell boomed from his chest, his voice carrying through the shuttle bay.

The courier had to fight a look of surprise and a glance at Kaile as he spoke, not really expecting it himself. Perhaps it had been Kaile's own charisma taking over, her drive and sudden change. It was an odd feeling, but he simply felt it...fitting. The Adrenaline coursed through his veins, his chest thumped with a heavy heart, his head hurt and the hairs on the back of his head threatened to simply detach from his skin and fall off with how much they stood up.
To say the moment was tense was an understatement.

The Stormtrooper on the far left turned on his heel, half running down the ramp.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Okay! So Kurt got a handle on it!

There was no time to react to it other than simply play along with it. Kaileann felt the change in aura within Kurt; there was a bit more presence to him, certainly more to indicate he was not a man to be crossed. The Clone Troopers were able to sense it, and it was that that the duo would have to continue to feed.

Kaile set her hands at the small of her back, right over left. It not only kept her back straight, but also allowed her to hide the faint tremble in those digits. Both were feeling the effects of adrenaline pumping through their veins. It was a wonder the clones were not able to hear just how loud her heart was beating.

A heavy footfall of steps indicated the arrival of another; the Commanding officer. He was of the same standard template as the rest, but had been flash trained to fit an officer capacity. He was still a blank much like the others, just less so.

"Report!" Kaile curtly shot out at the clone trooper, the sneer still lingering upon her lip.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

The red mark on the man's shoulder pointed him out as an officer.

"Admiral."

The Stormtrooper made a half salute, his voice dead even and turned half robotic by the modular inside of his helmet. Kurt watched him for a moment, working hard to keep his eyes level and his lips perfectly thin. Part of him wanted to scream, to just open his mouth start yelling random words and run between the soldier. The Impulse struck home almost as strongly as the idea of simply turning around and walking into the cockpit never to be seen again.

Somehow, though, Kurt managed to do neither.

"Two fugitives were reported in the base. They either made it into the hangar or were vaporized in the blast that sealed you inside."

Clearly the troopers thought that Kurt and Kaile's arrival had been what had awoken them, not their poking around.

That was good.

Kurt allowed himself a spare glance over to Kaile, as if he was silently asking her opinion on the matter at hand. His lips twitched slightly, his eyes shifted towards the troopers. Both he and Kaile knew exactly what they had to do and how they had to do it. They didn't really have many options, but the central point of this entire endeavor was to get to the Officer's quarters located in the middle of the Bunker, once they got there they would be able to operate in privacy again.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]


“Secure the perimeter.” Kaile’s curt voice would snap out at the Commanding officer. “I want that rubble cleared immediately.”

If anything, they could make the stormtroopers work for them. “I want a report within the hour.” she ordered in a clipped tone.

“Grand Admiral,” came the gesture of invitation towards Kurt. Their eyes met for the first time since the game began. There was a twitch by his jaw. A subtle nuance of query.

“With your permission, we may continue the inspection.” An inspection of the bunker would be the best cover they had for getting to the officer’s quarters. They just had to continue the game out in the open now..

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He offered her a nod, the stormtroopers lingering for just a few seconds before they stepped to the side.

It was creepy, almost robotic. They moved perfectly in sync with one another, their legs even mimicking the odd sort of stutter that the others held. Kurt watched them as they parted, the four of them moving so that there were two to each side. He tried to make his face look like he was observing their motion, as though he were assessing them, judging them and not staring in fear. A part of him wanted to run past them, to just book it and sprint as fast as he could, but he knew that would get them shot.

One last glance towards Kaile, and Kurt began to walk.

There was no hesitation to his step, no stop, or even a lingering glance towards any of the troopers. His hands were clasped behind his back, his spine stiff, and his eyes facing forward. He gave none of the troopers any regard, at least not anymore than they 'deserved'. Instead he began to wander down the ramp of the ship, heading directly towards the now half cleared rubble and the bunker's inside.

He ignored the wash of stormtroopers searching The Messa, ignored the Darktroopers at the end of the hangar, ignored everything but what was directly ahead of him.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Just keep walking. Just keep walking.

That was the on going chant that went through Kaile’s head as she briskly would walk just off to the side of Kurt. Her leg was still a bit stiff from her injury, but she worked her way through it. Had to in order to keep up appearances. If any of these Stormtroopers managed to catch on…

The sound of their clipped footfalls went echoing throughout the internal hanger. Truth be told, the sight of so many of those stormtroopers in rank and file around them was rather intimidating. A few were already enacting the orders of securing the perimeter and getting ready for their ‘inspection.’

All we need is to get to the officer’s quarters. Here is to hoping what they needed to open up the external blast doors was there.

There were brisk salutes to them as both she and Kurt headed into the bunker. Kaile kept her focus straight ahead, her expression stoic. Up the stairs, to the left. Both already had a mental map of where they needed to go.

A chirp of a comm was barely heard, [ Levels Ten to Fifteen clear. All others processing to full combat readiness. ]

Oh this wasn’t going to be good. The entire place would be crawling with stormtroopers.

Just one step at a time. Then we can finally get out of here.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

It wasn't a big deal, they had this. For far everyone believed their story, so far no one even suspected a thing. The thought alone reassured him, put it firmly into his mind that they could not only do this, but they could do it well. He made sure to keep his back stiff as they walked, his face passive and his eyes straight ahead. There was a part of him still that couldn't quite believe any of this, that was still stunned at what was happening, but the greater whole of him, the piece of him that bowed to logic knew that they were doing the right thing.

As they stepped into the empty stairwell, Kurt allowed himself a small smile.

It quickly disappeared however as he heard the tromp of boots just a few flights below them, half a dozen stormtroopers rushing up the stairs. He caught sight of them briefly through the gap between the stairs, seeing that none of them were carrying blasters. Instead they all held toolkits, several of them carrying entire backpacks which Kurt assumed contained some sort equipment.

He frowned slightly.

They were really going to work on this place.

It made sense. As far as they knew The Empire of Hand was going to use this bunker as a base of operations for invasion, that's what the place was for after all. He frowned slightly, shifting his weight as he moved closed to the edge of the stairs and then began to descend. Waiting would have meant showing deference, it would have meant acting submissive, Admirals were never submissive.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

He didn't wait, he kept moving, walking down the stars. For a moment, Kaile was actually impressed. The Lorrdian had known that Kurt was fairly flexible when it came to whatever sort of trouble came his way. He wasn't one to be put out; instead, he would bounce back and try to come at things with a different solution. Was that just due to his experience as a pod racer? Or maybe his time in the Republic Navy? They certainly had to react in a short burst of time, to trust their gut instincts.

Whatever it was, Kurt was moving along better than either one of them had expected. Maybe it was because they had to do this to save their skins, or maybe it was just revealing that there were avenues of Kurt that could get things done regardless of where his head was. If anything, it made Kaile wonder if perhaps Kurt would do well playing more roles in the future. If they got out of this, would he want to learn?

That was a subject of conversation they would have to have later when they weren't afraid of having charred holes in their skins.

Their clipped footfalls went along the stairwell ,and just like she expected, the Stormtroopers gave way and parted to let them through. Kaile kept her expression impassive. She had to keep up a far more gruffer front.

Down the corridor, to the left. Three doors down.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He frowned slightly as he passed the last trooper his head beginning to spin. The implication of what they were doing, of where they were going and just how many people they had to fool in order to achieve what they wanted was finally beginning to hit him. His stomach was already upside down, his throat filled with more bile then he cared to admit. Nerves were beginning to fray, his eyes flicking towards the signs on the wall as though they would provide him some sort of answer.

There was nothing.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to sprint.

He wanted to run.

Somehow he maintained control of himself. Somehow he managed to keep that even step. It took all of his concentration, all of his power to make it further down that stairwell, to make it one floor lower. They moved and moved in silence, his eyes fixed firmly on the sign ahead of him. "Two floors."

His words were barely a whisper, more said to himself then to Kaile.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Two floors.

They could do this, Kaile told herself. At least, until she caught the pale color of Kurt's face and the subtle nuances that contained a measure of panic within. The Lorrdian wished then that she had some sort of power to be able to comfort Kurt, to reassure him, much like the Jedi healers or other empaths were able to do.

Her skillset was pretty fixed, there were only certain things she was able to do. What she did, however, she did well. Yet that didn't stop her from desiring to have something she could do for Kurt here. None the less, she was proud at how the courier was digging deep and doing his best to continue the charade.

Just a little bit more, Kaile thought to herself, and if she had any skill with telepathy, she'd been keen on relaying that to Kurt -- if it wouldn't have frayed his already shot nerves. Taking the steps up were hell on her stiff knee, but Kaile did her best through it. A small nod, and the duo maintained course. That first flight of steps had more stormtroopers giving them salutes and rendering proper greetings.

A curt nod, and then a turn. Here was the second floor. Then to the left.

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He wondered what the stormtroopers thought, if they thought at all. A part of him wanted to believe that they were just blank slates, clones, no, droids doing what they had been programmed to do what they were supposed to do. They were made of flesh and blood...but could they think? Could they think for themselves? Could they make decisions. He frowned slightly, his face going half white as another patrol slowly parted before them.

His eyes flickered towards one of them.

The black eyes of the helmet stared back at him, emotionless, broken, cold.

It was easy to believe they were droids. Easy to believe that they couldn't think for themselves. He supposed that the Empire had meant it that way, that the Empire had designed Stormtroopers to seem as unthinking and as merciless as droids. He suspected that some of them perhaps were, that they didn't care to think out of what they had been told or didn't even try to fight the system, but he knew, he just knew that there were others that did.

As he stepped onto the landing he half turned towards the troopers, out of the corner of his eyes seeing one of their heads move. His lips thinned.

Had the trooper been staring?

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

He had.

These clone troopers were created off a single template. While blank, they were fabricated to follow a specific set of protocols and orders. All predetermined in the event that they were released from cryostasis and had to secure and ensure the bunker was at peak efficiency.

That didn’t mean that they couldn’t learn.

Granted, a few hours out of their makeshift prison for however many years did not suddenly give free thought so quickly. Yet the potential was there.

The ache was starting to return to Kaile’s knee. While the bacta patch was doing its job to heal her, the aggravation from the movement was hindering the speed of the healing process. As it wasn’t synthflesh, a bit of blood began to soak that patch. In time, it could very well saturate the fabric.

They had to hurry.

Kaile lead Kurt - the Grand Admiral - towards the left, where the clipped turn made her give just the slightest grimace. A subtle twitch at the corner of her lip.

Was it two doors down? Or three?

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

It was three.

He remembered the number, he had drilled it into his own head. Where they were going had been just as important as how they would get there. The map that they had was exact in it's detail, nearly a perfect blueprint of the bunker. It was that reason that Kurt knew where they were going, more importantly how they were getting there. He stepped forward, moving ahead of Kaile for just a split second so that he could take the lead and she would follow along.

There weren't any stormtroopers here.

That was the first thing he noticed.

The second was the thin layer of dust over everything.

That wasn't too unexpected given what they were looking at and where they were looking, but...it seemed different somehow then what they had encountered before. Perhaps it was the smaller space, the more personal aspect, or perhaps it was simply the knowledge that this particular section had been meant for life, not machines. He frowned slightly as Kaile spun around and suddenly pressed a button, the door to the officers chambers suddenly sliding closed.

They had an entire floor to themselves now, hopefully.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

Kaile acted swiftly.

With a grimace that now was able to break free, she headed towards the small dataconsole at the desk at the far center of the room. Her hobble revealed that she had been holding herself stiffly, and that the journey to get here had been hard on her. A breath sent particles of dust swirling out in front of her, tickling her eyes and nose. Her sneeze was not far behind.

"Search what you can," she instructed. They had to move fast. "Whatever may be useful here. I'll try slicing in and see what I can find to get that blast door open." she told Kurt, giving him a parting glance as she rounded the desk. Spots of blood were now starting to permeate around her knee, coloring the uniform faintly. Good thing it was a dark color.

"Might be some weapons." there was a closet of some sort to the right. Another Lshaped desk all covered with a layer of dust. Booting up the system, she murmured to herself. "Here's to hopin' we can get something."

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

His natural inclination, in truth his only inclination was to head towards the biggest room that he could find. The officers quarters weren't super expansive, as had honestly been expected, but there was enough to see that it would take them at least thirty minutes to search through it all. Kurt's room, or rather the one that he had chosen to explore was. He stepped into what appeared to be the Admiral's quarters, likely the very same man whose statue was downstairs.

"Shit." Kurt said quietly to himself.

To say that the suite was decked out was really underselling it.

For a military room the place was really decorated quite well, not with riches or gold or anything of the sort, but Art. There were paintings, sculptures, beautiful holo-portraits that were still lit all around the walls of the room. The Courier let out a whistle, smiling slightly as he moved along the side of the room. There was a fancifulness to the place, a sort of air of aristocracy that Kurt had really only experienced while delivering packages to places like Cloud Nine.

This was incredible.