Tales from Teth - Part 1; Running the Guns (PM for invite)

[Toni Nova]

Teth.​

[SIZE=11pt]In the galactic scheme of things, it was little more than just a blimp, riddled with crime and all but completely covered in forestry. From her ship the Moth [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]in far orbit, the entire planet looked like a dark purple washed swirl of clouds and storms. There were no real mineable resources, exceptional technology, or advanced races, but the planet was poor and covered with cheap land. And cheap land with weak law enforcement always meant that you could consistently grow high-quality crops for the highest buyer.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]“Here is the mission,” Toni said swinging her chair around. The purple planet behind her was backwashed as a vibrant, if not cosmically conflicted background amid the black and twinkling stars. “It’s a simple gun run. Our contact is a man who goes by The Mole. He’s a simple man, a leader of the local resistance.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Toni tapped the datapad on her console, illuminating a blue hologram of a completely forgettable man’s face. He would likely have been indistinguishable from another poor farmer in his mid thirties across the galaxy. “You know, they are the typical type when it comes to this kind of job; they are a secret sleeper cell kind of resistance. Aside from a few rusting hunting carbines and a few sharp sticks these guys don’t really have any weapons. They meet in huts and in the dirt roads. Sounds fun right? Well this is who we are up against.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Toni flicked another switch, the man’s face was replaced with a different, more striking figure. He was a paragon of martial manliness. His mirror glasses, snub cigar, and neatly trimmed moustache showed that he was definitely a man in charge. The pressed khaki uniform of his was pressed perfectly without a wrinkle. Even his black hair was perfectly manicured under his crimson beret. “This is the local warlord dictator. His name is Erique Deglacias. He owns the central continent in the northern hemisphere including every building and every being on the surface. He runs a massive plantation where he grows pretty much anything and everything. His army of guns, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t too great but they are strong enough to hold their own and suppress any uprising. Erique’s hobbies are the typical dictator things; taking every woman, skinning any resistors found alive in front of their families, and forcing his peasants to live in abject poverty.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Toni pressed a button on her console, bringing the lights up in the Moth once more. “The job is simple; get in, drop off the merch and get out. Our buyers are willing to spend one hell of a lot, and considering how crap-poor they are, it’s even more for them. Their sensors and patrols cover most of the continent, but there is one small mountain range on the beachside cliffs that are uncovered, mostly because only a small ship like ours filled with desperate maniacs like us would be the only ones to hop on there. Once we land, it’s a trek through the jungle to our rendezvous point. A speeder will attract way too much attention, so it’s all on foot overland. Any questions? Good, go suit up, we land in 5.”[/SIZE]


[member="Candez Stoon"]
[member="Dinar Sullux"]
[member="Drogh"]
[member="Gray Venasir"]

 

[Gray Venasir]

Teth looked pretty from space. That is what Gray thought while he was watching it from a window on the Moth, the ship of his newest employer. He'd never been to the planet, nor heard much about it. It was a little too far out in the Galaxy for his taste. But a jobs a job, even if on does not like where it takes Place.

It was an interesting bunch that [member="Toni Nova"] had gathered for this mission. A duros, a nautolan, a human, and Gray who was part echani. Gray guessed it would be an interesting mission, even when one didn't think of the crew. Thier employer turned in her Chair, and started the briefing of the mission. When she told about and showed their contact and the ones they'd help, Gray let out a quiet, but annoyed, sigh. Farmers. Great. This job was never easy. And their enemies: what seemed like some kind of militia. Just great.

He was a little relieved when he heard their real mission. It seemed easy enough to just drop off the merch. Even if they had to land far off, and walk through the jungle. At most it would be boring and a bit tiresome. Toni told them to go prepare to land, so Gray did. He went over to where he had sat, picked up his hat and put it on his head. It was a broad-brimmed hat, which he for some reason liked to use on his missions. Then he checked both his blasters, and made sure he had enough ammo on them. When he was done, he put them in their holsters, and waited for the ship to land.

[member="Toni Nova"]
[member="Candez Stoon"]
[member="Dinar Sullux"]
[member="Drogh"]

 

[Drogh]

Drogh stared out of the window from the Moth. Looking at the nuastating purple lump of a planet they called "Teth". The very name itself sounded dismissive. Drogh didn't know very much about the planet, neither did anyone else apparently. Other then it was pathetically poor, a forgotten backwater world, not worth remembering. Perfect for criminal activity. However, Drogh was cut short from his thoughts as the womens voice cut through the air. Toni Nova, if that was her real name. The accent was distinctively Commenroi. Commoner a planet that had the galaxys undivided attention for so long, being a place of great culture and learning (or rather was), and it showed in their people. Yet she didn't look very Commenori. It was small and subtle but there was something rather different, something that Drogh didn't like. Perhaps what was more interesting was the small strands and strings of the force that lingered around her, trying to grasp at her. He could feel the force around her, a subtle burn, a small hum of energy that coiled around her. Was she sensitive? It wasn't strong, not by any means but enough to give Drogh slight pause. All these things, these small peculiarities built onto one another making Drogh quite uneasy around the women, she wasn't what she seemed Drogh had judged.

Then his mind was stolen towards the hologram, first showing a rather poor looking individual, a sullen farmer to be sure. Yet there was something rather interesting, the palpable desperation in his eyes showed. These were the people who had little to lose and everything to gain, Drogh could relate, as much as he wished it wasn't so. Then a far more interesting figure came to show, the "Warlord Dictator", what a title. Drogh couldn't help but wonder if this man was compensating for something, all the show of brutality and "manninless" Drogh wondered if he lacked one or two things in a certain department. A small amused smirk began to curl it's way to his lips, only to be shattered as something was mention about slugging through a jungle, on foot. As usual Drogh was wearing a heavy dark cloak, ideal for looking creepy in an alleyway but not so much in a tropical jungle, he'd be a wet black soaking towel by the time they got to their destination, Drogh shuddered slightly at the thought of his sweaty skin being stuck like glue to his rather filthy cloak. That was a feeling he did not enjoy. He would of let out a bitter complain rather then a question but he was soon hushed into silence as apparently everyone was leaving soon. So he let out a spiteful sigh and waited to be deployed to that purple little hell.

[member="Toni Nova"] @Candex Stoon [member="Dinar Sullux"] [member="Gray Venasir"]

 

[Toni Nova]

Toni pivoted in her pilot's seat to once again face the controls. There was no point in giving the local drug forces a chance to somehow ping them. This far out of orbit, it was highly unlikely their scanners could pick them up, but Toni wasn't about to take any chances. She flicked the engines live and soon the Moth was in a full-sprint forward towards the surface. The Navigation computer on her console helped the gunslinger chart a winding arc that passed them just outside of the scanner's range, but just close enough to make it into atmosphere.

The Moth did a near-nose dive towards their LZ, a crag just large enough for the ship to rest its props between the sheer fall of 400 feet and the upward reaching mountain peaks. The loading ramp descended with a hiss, Toni stepped out surveying the two to three feet of space they had before the death fall downward. She gave a low whistle as she surveyed they drop, "Mind the footing, boys, or you'll buy yourself an early retirement without benefits."

She adjusted the pack on her back, the guns had been equally distributed into packs for each of them to carry. Sure there was almost guaranteed to be a few casualties between here and there, but that's why she brought extra hands. She considered it free labor.

"Remember," the gunslinger said pulling a rappel line from her belt, "I don't give a crap how you get down there, if you wanna just jump and die, I don't give a damn," the gunslinger tossed the line's magnetic hook onto the Moth's hull, it clamped down with a low thunk. "Just don't scratch the merch or its coming out of your paycheck."

Hooking the durasteel line through her belt, the woman jumped down, backwards and began catwalking her way down the sheer faced cliff.


OOC:

Spoiler

We have landed, there is a cliff to descend to the bottom. Make it down however you would like in 1-2 posts. Jumping strait down is almost certain death since the drop is about 400 feet. Cheers!


[member="Candez Stoon"]
[member="Dinar Sullux"]
[member="Drogh"]
[member="Gray Venasir"]

 

[Dinar Sullux]

Dinar snapped awake as he heard the Moth's loading ramp descend. He yawned and stretched as he saw the rest of the crew preparing for the mission. "Looks like I overslept a little on this one." Dinar stood up and grabbed his pack that he was supposed to carry as well as grabbing the remainder of his personal equipment. He watches Toni make her last snide comment before rappelling from the ship. He looks at the other people on the ship and gives a sly smile. "Real charmer that one is." Dinar strapped his piton rigs to his feet and wrists. He created them to scale up things, but there's no reason they shouldn't work in reverse. Dinar cautiously approached the edge of the cliff, dangling his foot over and activating the piton, which began to drill into the cliffside. Once he was sure it was secure, he put his other foot in. Then one hand, then another. He repeated this process over and over as he descended, making sure to keep one foot and one hand attached at all times. It wasn't quite as fast as rappelling but it got the job done.

As he scaled the cliff face Dinar began to think about the job ahead of him. He had heard of Teth a few times. He used to have a contact or two based out of the planet, but they left when things started to get complicated. Dinar had never been himself. There hadn't been any money in it until this job. Personally, he would have preferred a crew he knew a little bit more. One that he was more convinced wouldn't backstab him, but money was tight and a job is a job. "Maybe I can use the score from this job to finally give the Maiden the tune up she needs." Dinar fantasized about all the uses he had for the credits. As the bottom of the cliff became visible, Dinar shook himself back to reality and focused on the task at hand, making his way through the last stretch of the climb.

[member="Toni Nova"]
[member="Gray Venasir"]
[member="Drogh"]
[member="Candez Stoon"]

 

[Drogh]

As Drogh descended from the landing ramp, the heat smacked him in the face. The air was thick and heavy, not in the soot infected way, of which he was custom too in the lower levels of Coruscant. But more so, hot and humid, as if the very air was like thick honey. It wasn't very enjoyable but tolerable, even familiar to an extent. The air was fresh, although quiet and still, no merciful gush of wind to alleviate the heavy air. Humidity had a stench, the sort of sweaty sticky smell, as if it was clinging to his nostrils refusing to go away. Or that might have been him self, as under the heavy cloak his skin was starting to get very hot, he'd commit genocide for some shade right about now. Out looking against the rocky crag was a great sea of tall trees, the distant squawk and scream of strange birds and animals echoed across the land, even from up here they could be heard. Growing up in the tightly packed streets in Coruscant, Drogh was most comfortable squashed against some old urban rock and felt very exposed out in the open, as if eyes were something digging into the back of his skull. Perhaps what Drogh hated most was the almost psychedelic , and yet eerie hue of purple that choked the entire planet. The rocks had this slightly off setting colour of pale purple, which Drogh found disturbing. The purple ruined the planet Drogh considered, making it seem somehow unnatural and oddly grotesque. He was beginning to hate it even more then he thought he would.

Yet all of this was the last of his worries, as he found him self hauling a backpack filled with guns and then informed that they were going down this crag. The way the women informed Drogh made him considered dropping the backpack on top of the girl as she was descending, as he shot her a rather vicious glare. Yet before he could say anything two people were already descending and Drogh let out a rather depressing sigh. He didn't know what he was doing, and he felt almost sick as his mind comprehended just how high up they was, a frown formed on his face. "There better be equipment in that ship for this or I'm dropping this on some ones head." Drogh said, loudly enough that everyone could hear this threat as they were descending down. As he marched back to the ship, with snarling frustration.

[member="Dinar Sullux"] [member="Toni Nova"] [member="Gray Venasir"] [member="Candez Stoon"]

 

[Candez Stoon]

Candez Stoon had fallen asleep in the ship, around the back of it. He hadn't even felt the ship land. Being so comfortable on board vessels, there was little he felt when it came to turbulence and the like. Even if it wasn't his ship. In fact, he was dreaming of being on his ship, being with his crew, making new weapons designs when he finally stirred awake from one of them exploding in his dream. "Don't blow up!" he shouted out, sitting upright.

Quickly, he checked himself and let out a sigh of relief. No explosions, no holes...and not his ship. Where was he again...oh yes. He was on a job. Snapping his goggles over he headed out, spying someone coming towards the ship. One of the others. "Well howdy there...what is i-" He asked before seeing the drop. And he smirked. He remembered well enough the climbing gear given to him years ago by an old friend of his. And with the combo of jet boots and grapple hooks fixed into his gauntlet fixture..."I'll see you down there."

Candez latched his grapple at the top once he got there, and began to descend the cliff face. Sending a greeting to the others as he did so, slowly as the jet boots wouldn't save him from the drop this high. His coat that he had brought with him billowing around from the wind, while he kept one both hands on the grapple line.

@Drogh @Dinar Sullux [member="Toni Nova"] [member="Gray Venasir"]

 

[Gray Venasir]

The landing Place could have been better. But it was not for Gray to decide. He just had to go With it. Everyone elso on this crew had come out, and were picking up their backpacks and listening to Toni. When she had begun descending, he heard one of the others, the nautolan Dinar, Call her a real charmer. "We were the fools who signed up for this job," Gray said back, With a small laugh.

Gray picked up his own backpack, and took out his main blaster; an S-5. He had modified it With a grappling hook when he got it, although he rarely used that function. But now it came in handy. He shot the grappling hook on the ship, like Toni had done With her rappling line. "We shouldn't let the lady wait, should we?" Then he began descanding himself. He had strapped the blaster hard to his hands, knowing that one slip could mean Death.

[member="Candez Stoon"] | [member="Drogh"] | [member="Dinar Sullux"] | [member="Toni Nova"]

 

[Toni Nova]

[SIZE=12pt]Toni reached the base of the rocky cliff, her boots finally on solid ground once again. She unclipped her durasteel grapple line from the utility belt across her waist. She looked up, watching as more of her gun runners made their way to the base.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]One of the other hired hands got a little too confident in his rappelling ability, he bound too far, landing on his ankle the wrong way. It gave way under the pressure with a sickening snap. He howled in pain, twisting. He bounced off the rock wall, but the line pulled the man back in, snapping his left arm.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Oh god, oh god!” he shrieked as the bone protrudes from his sleeve.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]He jerked again, crashing into the rockwall head first before sliding to a halt. His forehead split open. The man was concussed but still alive, judging by his screams and pleas for mercy from every god there could be.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Son of a queen,” Toni muttered unholstering her disruptor pistol. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]On any Core or Midrim planet getting him down, setting his bones and stitching him up would have been a cinch. But this far out in the Unknown regions, even at this distance Toni knew he was a death sentence. And in these conditions, lugging his damaged body around was just putting everyone else at risk too.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She pulled the trigger once, his body went lip, suspended from the end of the line like a marionette puppet and his blood curdling shrieks were snuffed.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Someone get the merch off that corpse,” Toni shouted holstering her pistol. “We are on the clock here.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The stone cold hired gun turned on her heel, making her way into the jungle around them. All they had with this were good old fashioned Compasses and maps to get through this mess. Anyone who got lost was a dead fool for not keeping up. She hoped the display on the cliffs would sober everyone up to the real dangers out here. Its not like it was her fault after all, the kid knew what he was getting into when he signed up. And if he didn’t, well that wasn’t her problem. Toni nodded. That’s right, she assured herself, it’s the system’s fault, just back on Dorin 9 or out on the Stye Cluster when--[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Suddenly Toni realized that she couldn’t take another step. She looked down at her boots. She was knee deep in quicksand and descending deeper. The gunslinger was too deep in her inner dialogue to notice she had just lead her crew strait into the sand.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Son of a queen,” she sighed, “Ok, everyone, stay calm. We can get out of this.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]OOC:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]

Spoiler

[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]We reached the base of the cliffs, we are minus one NPC after a tragic and horrible death on the cliff side. We are now in the jungle en route. But we’ve run straight into quick sand! Everyone find a way out in the next post or two. Have fun~[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]

[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt][member="Gray Venasir"] [member="Candez Stoon"] [member="Drogh"] [member="Dinar Sullux"] [/SIZE]

 

[Gray Venasir]

It was a shame With the kid that got hurt, but better let him die now than have him hang there in pain. Gray swung over to his lifeless body and took his backpack, and closing his eyes. Then he got to the bottom, and unclipped the grappeling rope he had used. He now had to carry for two, probably not getting any more pay for it. He grunted in annoyance to it, but he fastened the backpack comfortbly anyway. Then started the march.

Gray wasn't used to teks through the forest like this, especially With only map and Compass. He was more used to a speeder With GPS. But one had to make do With what one could. Gray fell a bit behind theothers, thanks to his extra load of weight. But he would soon come to be thankful for it.

Suddenly he heard their leader curse loudly. Apparantly she had led them into quicksand, and was deep in it. But since he had fell behind the others, he hadn't yet gotten much in it, and could easly step out of the quicksand around his feet. "Well, well, well, what is this then?" he said to the others, a bit mockingly. It wasn't badly meant, as it was easy to walk into quicksand if one didn't pay attantion well. With a grin on his face he said: "You want me to get a stick to pull you out?" He hoped they would be too proud to want that, as the extra weight had made him too tired to pull them out, and continue to walk after.

[member="Toni Nova"] | [member="Candez Stoon"] | [member="Drogh"] | [member="Dinar Sullux"]

 

[Drogh]

"Kark!" Drogh cursed out as he felt him self slam against the hateful stone a third time. He was fortunate enough not to land with enough force to break his bones, just annoying slams as he fumbled his way down the cliff side. He had no idea what he was doing, grappling down a massive mountain was not something he had trained for. What was even more annoying was the burden of the merch weighing down on his back, which certainly didn't help every time he would hit the rock. He wanted to do nothing more then get of this god forsaken crag and down onto some where you could stand up straight. Then something rather horrible happened, a sickening snap filled the dry air, in response a blood curdling cry of pain. Then like some grotesques rhythm , the snap and the cry was matched with a bludgeoning splatter, and to end this song the hiss of a blaster. Drogh looked down and saw a broken corpse hanging like some deformed puppet, as blood gently trickled down. Was it even an hour since they deployed? Already some one had died, Drogh then decided he really didn't want to be on this cliff side.


As Drogh rather clumsy grappled his way down the cliff side, finally landing on solid ground, something he would never take for granted again, he began to realize he was starting to shrink. Then looking to his feet, as they were slowly consumed by the ground. Drogh heard a yell to remain clam, as Drogh felt a slow mixture of dread and annoyance fall on him as he sighed flatly, staring off into the jungle with a rather dull look on his face. Although he sneered to him self as he stared at the idiot who was carrying the extra weight. Drogh then began to think of what to do, the merch was weighing him down, although he didn't quite like the idea of the lady shooting at him if he decided to throw it, it would be embarrassing to get shot by a women that small. As he weighed his options he deiced the best course of action was to let someone else decided what the hell they were going to do as they all slowly sank.

[member="Gray Venasir"] [member="Toni Nova"] [member="Candez Stoon"] [member="Dinar Sullux"]

 

[Candez Stoon]

Candez looked up just in time to see one of the crew blasted. All he could do was offer a shrug. He waited for the others to catch up that were behind before descending himself. Watching up or occasionally over to the others. "Already things are getting fun and adventurous here, right?!" he called out, grinning to himself. Slowly moving down the cliff face backwards, he kept an eye on the others. These were hired people. And he knew well enough not to trust anyone fully. Then again, Candez was the type to never trust as far as you could throw him. With him, you should keep him that far. Perhaps further even.

As he lowered, he tried taking a step. Looking to [member="Toni Nova"] feeling one of his boots couldn't move. The other boot was still above the sand. "Well, seems we are in a sticky situation..." He looked to the one not stuck in. Candez tried lifting his foot that was out of the sand. If he could just tap the heel...

[member="Gray Venasir"] [member="Drogh"]