Tango Prime

[Vanya Lyekova]

Tango Prime
"The Belsalvas" - Imperial Class II Space Station

Following the raids in old Fringe space, the Galactic Empire had taken a bold step forward. Not only had they secured the much needed fleet supplies? They had secured an infamous reputation as well. Galaxy spanning Empire or not? The remnants were a devastating fleet presence to be sure. Which. Already had it's advantages.

Tango Prime was a wet and backwater mining world that needed protection. Their exports were raw industrial metalworks and that had it's uses too. So when they approached the GE about signing on some new protection? They got much more than they bargained for. The 502 dropped a whole Garrison Base into their mountainous northern peninsula. Now the GE practically owned the planet. The Imperials were under no suspicion otherwise either. Even from her office in the Space Station above the planet, Lt. Colonel Lyecova knew this whole operation was overkill. She was just a thug playing hardball for easy money. But? Every bodies gotta start somewhere I suppose.

"Ma'am. Your schedule for the afternoon. Your 5 o'clock canceled so I slotted in Captain Taggert's request. Just as you asked."

"Thank you Cass. You may go now."

"Just three more weeks, eh Colonel? Then it's back to La Casa de Worldship again, hm?"

"Mm hmm. Well. No. Not really. We'll be out of this system in less time than that Cass. Don't worry. Even if I have to bomb the whole planet myself to do it. Bleh."

"I'll hold you to that ma'am. And good luck today. Tucker's on the rampage. Hmph."

Vanya let her assistant leave with a smirk and watched the door slip closed behind her. Returning her eyes to the datapad before her. She had a busy day ahead of her. It was true. And a backwater outpost to escape with all her great haste too. What a terrible posting. She was about to sigh again when her com beeped twice with new messages,

~ Colonel. It's Tucker. The Doctor. You remember me yes? Um. Can you come down to Recruiting for a moment. Brisban is having some trouble with the Wookiee again. I've got paperwork that needs signing too. For the tranquilizers, of course. Um. Right. And the new recruits too. ~

Ah. The Stormcommando thingy. She had forgotten all about it.

"Sure thing Doctor. I'll be right there."

She killed the com and tucked the datapad back into her desk. Already thinking about how soon she could take a lunch. Ugh.

[member="Razelle Breuner"]

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Oh how the mighty had fallen. When last Razelle had stepped on territory claimed by a "Galactic Empire," it was truly galactic. The dominant force in the whole of the accessible universe, able to create both fear and awe with simply a mention. Sure, it may have been run by heartless maniacs driven mad by their own inflated idea of power, but the core, the nation, the empire? It had been grand. Razelle had been glad to call it home.

Now look at it. This is what her precious "empire" had been reduced to sans magic-slinging lunatics. Conquering a minor world with overwhelming military force just so they had a physical foothold in the galaxy. This wasn't even an empire. This was a mercenary company playing up the "military" aspect. It would have been heartbreaking if this was Raz's home.

It wasn't. But it was a start.

It had taken Razelle a surprising amount of work to get her ear close enough to the ground to actually hear about a space station in the middle of unclaimed territory, looking for a single word that still held value in the old soldier's heart. "Storm commando." Who recruits commandos fresh from the outside? Not even half the people who would reply would even survive a live fire exercise, let alone a field drill. Bunch of kids who thought the title sounded cool, or egotistical ex-corporals who were convinced it wasn't that hard to run through mud and climb a wall.

When Razelle walked onto the station's training field and looked over her competition, though...it became much more clear exactly what kind of result this was going to have. Yes, there was the standard allotment of starry-eyed kids and self-absorbed idiots, but then there was a whole slew of "else." Pirates looking to go legit. Mercenaries missing their old jobs. It might not have been more than a couple dozen, but that was one helluva turnout for a small-time operation like this. Who knew how many more just like Raz were in this room? This might well have been the safest area on the entire station.

Flicking her jacket closer around her shoulders, Razelle looked for a place close enough to the door to make a bolt for it if necessary, but close enough to the rest for her (appreciably sharp) hearing to pick up on anything suspicious. Unsurprisingly, it was already occupied by two other people. A huge man with a shaven mohawk and arms covered in tattoos nodded in acknowledgement as Raz took her position against the nearby bulkhead, and a heavily scarred woman in a sleeveless vest with bright pink hair offered a grunt between scrapes of her knife on its sheath. The blonde met both of their reactions with a shrug, then returned her eyes to people who she hadn't just entered into a silent M.A.D. pact with.

Now all they had to do was wait.

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

Lyecova walked into the waiting room scratching her nails. Doing her best to looked bored and unamused. It was full of all kinds of rifraff. Some useful. Some not. She let out an audible sigh and pulled at her trench coat's sleeves. Now. Where was the that crazy Doctor?

Ah. Speak of the devil. The back door burst open and a half-crazed Wookiee came tumbling out. The creature was butt naked except for a blue apron and a wild-eyed look of pure terror. Which pretty much covered all the bases. Lyecova stepped to one side and let the scrambling creature dash past her. Screaming and howling as it went. Vanya looked at [member="Razelle Breuner"] and just shook her head. Surely this was a recruiting station and not some mad scientist's workshop, yes?

Mm. Maybe not. Tucker came tumbling out the same doorway soon enough.

"Damn it all! He got away again! ...Colonel. Kriff it all! There you are! You should have stopped that mangy beast when you had the chance. Now I'll have to run down to the sub-level again and capture him. Again! ...Blast it all. I told you I need industrial strength tranquilizers for my work. But no..."

"Doctor Tucker." Vanya gave with a slow sigh, "I do trust you are still recruiting for the Stormcommandos Super-Soldier Project, and not simply experimenting on the new patients, yes?"

Suddenly everybody in the room got kinda awkward. Even that dude with the mo-hawk started to fidget a little. Did... Did she just say? Experimenting upon? The crazy Doctor waved away the comment with a huff and a puff.

"Of course my dear Colonel. I am a master of gene manipulation and strength augmentation. The Wookiee was simply meant as a pet for my dear beloved daughter. All I needed was to implant the control chip into the back of his spine and..."

Lyecova cut him off by pulling out a blaster pistol and aiming it at his head,

"Enough games Doctor. Finish the project or your dear beloved daughter will be getting nothing at all for her birthday. Not even you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Gah! Yes. Yes of course. ...My apologies. I'll get right back to work. ...Um. Next patient. ...I mean. Next recruit please."

Lyecova holstered her weapon and sighed. She would kill him. Just. Not today I suppose. She touched her sunglasses and looked back to [member="Razelle Breuner"] .

"You. You and you. Mm. Yes. I sense actual talent might be present in you three. Not the mere redneck kark that our doctor loves to 'augment' so much. ...I strongly recommend you leave this station immediately. Least you become just another factory reject like the rest of these poor fools are bound to become. Super soldiers my arse."

The Colonel shrugged again. It was the ugly truth. This, Stormcommando recruitment was just a farce. Nobody actually makes it into the SC. They don't even get the recruitment bonuses. Just the probing machinations of Doctor V. C. Tucker.

She pointed to the exit from whence the Wookiee had escaped,

"And if any of you actually manage to return to me that furry creature I'll not only pay you his bounty. I'll triple it. 15,000c for a single days work. Think it over Mercenaries. I'll be in my office upstairs."

Vanya looked back at Tucker's door,

"What is this Empire coming to anyways? Bah! ...These Crina eccentrics will ruin us."

 

[Razelle Breuner]

It was always amusing how simple it was to figure out exactly who was in charge. It couldn't have been more obvious if she had been wearing formal with decorations. Raz watched the whole ridiculous scene like it was some kind of sitcom, then bent down and stretched her thighs, crouching to the deck as she looked back and forth to the other two nearby. When the beleaguered and possibly psychotic blonde had moved on, the other possibly psychotic blonde stood back up and spoke softly enough that only the two near her could hear. "Are you two looking for a payday, or steady work cracking skulls with legal protection? Because this can be a competition, or it can be an audition."

The large man crossed his tattooed arms and raised one dark eyebrow at Razelle, while the other woman snapped her knife back into its sheath and leveled one cybernetic eye at her. "You sound like you have a plan, princess."

Raz couldn't help but smirk. "Maybe. What kind of modes does that eye get?" They wouldn't need terribly advanced tracking to find a rampaging Wookiee, but knowing every asset was important when formulating an effective plan of action.

The woman stood with a cautious stare, then stepped forward, looming a good four inches over Razelle. "Plenty." The tattooed man stood silent and raised an eyebrow. Razelle's expression didn't change in the least.

"Svetlana Vladimitri over there is looking for something to separate soldiers from chaff. Soldiers work together and achieve objectives." Turning, Raz motioned with her head to follow her. "First thing we're going to need is an ops center. We passed a surveillance station on our way in. Help me get set up and I can feed you information over some borrowed comm equipment."

"Her offer intrigues me," the large man said, finally breaking his silence. Each footstep he took seemed to create a localized earthquake, and he stopped to turn back to the pink-haired woman after a meter or two. "I will follow the small one. What will you do?"

With a quick grunt, C-Eye-Borg fell into formation behind them. "Alright, but if I miss this payday, we're having words, blondie."

--

Surveillance duty was normally extremely boring. Today there was at least something to break the monotony. That Wookiee was causing quite the stir, and the best part was TK-885 couldn't get reprimanded for amusing himself watching the rampage, because it was literally his job. The only thing that would make this day any better would be if freakin' 903 got back with that caf he'd gone out for. Another five hours of this shift would not be easy to pass if they didn't have-

The door hissed open. "Well it's about time. What the hell took you?"

There was a clatter of flesh on durasteel. "Sorry. He got a little held up." That was a woman's voice. TK-903 was not a woman. 885 spun in his chair, hand on his blaster, ready to strike at whatever had just walked in that door...but the moment his body made half a turn, it connected with a set of knuckles expertly placed into the temple of his skull. A second strike followed almost immediately, crushing his trachea like it was so much cardboard, and before he could choke out a gasp into his commlink or reach for an alert switch, a small blonde woman's elbow collided with his forehead. Darkness found him almost immediately.

"Pink, they carry binders. Stack them in the corner. I'll see if-" Stepping forward, Razelle rested one hand on her hips and grinned. "Oh, that's convenient. This poor sap was already watching. Alright. Tats, Pink, they have communicators. Set to frequency..." She sat at the station, spinning the chair back around so she could face the console. "...2.33.04. I can loop silence over this comm station easily. That'll keep me safe up here."

Tattoos bent down to retrieve the small communicator from one of the soldiers' belts, but Pink took a moment to scoff. "And why are we attacking military personnel aboard a station that we're allegedly trying to get hired by?" She followed instructions anyway. This wasn't the kind of woman that one just ordered around without respect. Raz would have to fix that.

"Remember, this is an audition. We'll get our money, but what's more enticing? Fifteen now, or ten a month until you die?" Razelle's fingers danced across the keyboard, setting up a quick and dirty program she'd learned centuries ago to loop audio transmissions, making a station seem silent to outside observation. "And this competition isn't against each other. It's against the soldiers who are looking for that furball. We catch it, we get the money. We don't, then whoever gets caught for this is going to be in some serious trouble."

Turning her chair back around, she gave a much more mischievous smirk than before. "Better hurry."

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

The Captain was already waiting in her office when she returned.

"Busy morning?"

"You have no idea. That damn doctor will be the death of me."

She passed the handsome Taggert and slumped into her seat. Fingers on her frowning cheeks already.

"We could space him ya know? I doubt even the Crina Nobles will miss the crazy prick."

"Oh. I've thought about it. But not until he finished that serum of his. It could single-handedly get us off this barren assignment and back to raiding the Fringe. God knows I could use another good conquest."

The Captain smiled as her secretary returned through the door. Cass was her name.

"Hello Captain. Welcome back. ...Oh, Colonel? Security is reporting a rampaging wookiee heading for the sub-levels. He's smashed many a setup running through the market already."

Taggert shrugged at the announcement,

"Wait. This station has a market district? I had no idea."

Vanya waved him away,

"More like a junkyard. Shut up Taggert. Cass... Call the guards. I'd best send somebody after it."

"Bah. Don't bother. I'll handle it." The Captain tapped his chest. He was just as bored with his assignment as she was.

Lyecova seemed to perk up at the comment,

"And doesn't the Captain have a Garrison to be looking after? How did you get away. ...Thank you Cass. We'll handle it."

"Of course ma'am. Adieu."

Captain Taggert grabbed his helm and checked his carbine,

"Get away? Nah. I just told that old Intelligence Officer that he could watch the base. Poor fool loved the idea. I think he's fond of finding some locals to interrogate. Usual Intel guy. You'd hate him."

"So now it's on to Wookiee hunting then? Ugh. What a dignified position for an Imperial Captain to pursue so gleefully. Do try and be careful dear. I think the bounty is up to 5000c for the poor creature this week. Bound to be mercs hunting him already."

"Pfft. Like these backwater rednecks could handle a tame gorilla. ...Sure you don't want to come? We could sneak away after and turn the fuzzy beast into a sexy carpet?"

"Spare me your hobbies Taggert. I'm reconsidering our relationship already. Ugh."

He just smiled and holstered his weapon. She was such a queen sometimes. Hot. But damn. Don't get on her bad side. Everybody knew the Lt. Colonel was as like to shoot you as compliment you. Sheesh.

"Fine fine. Save the sexy stuff for the Moff's palace, right?"

"Has Cass been yapping again?"

"Pfft. Like a Crina woman could ever keep a secret."

"Ah well. So much for professionalism. Maybe I'll have her transferred down to the Garrison. See how she enjoys bucket work for a day or two. That aught to shut her up."

Taggert rolled his eyes and headed for the door,

"You're such a people person Vanya. You really are. ...Ah well. Cheerio. I'll be back with our new sex carpet. Try not to die of boredom up here before I get back. Heh."

She took out her pistol and aimed it at the back of his head. The office doors closing with as crisp whoosh. Just in time for her to rethink blasting him. Mm. She'd get him back for that. Somehow. Hmm.

[member="Razelle Breuner"]

 

[Razelle Breuner]

"He's heading for the market," Razelle said very plainly into thin air. Fortunately, the comm panel picked it up and relayed the message immediately to her two grunts in the field. "Take a left into Engineering 17, just down the hall. It cuts through into an access shaft that'll get you to the market faster."

Profanity was easily translated no matter the languge, and this pink-haired woman had quite the colorful tongue. When she had stopped swearing, the more level-headed man running with her spoke up instead. "Door is closed. In use light is on."

With a quick hum of thought, Raz tapped a key and brought up- "Alright, then two doors down. Straight corridor right on through. No security clearance needed, but it seems to be underused. No markings." She was having a bit of trouble adjusting to being the op for this mission, but like hell was she going to trust two people she'd never met to be her comptroller.

The Wookiee crashed through the crowds in the depths of the station much faster than her allies were going. Raz, of course, didn't really have time to worry about that sort of thing, because one of those crashes had woken up the first soldier she'd slugged. By the time Pink spoke again, Raz was on the floor administering a sleeper hold. "Narrow corridor. Probably for droids. Where's the target?"

Right. Finish. Reply. "Moving past you shortly, but you've closed on him. Treat any soldiers in your way as competition, not allies. We want that Wookiee."

Fortunately, it seemed Tats had a unique way with people. As the two of them exploded from the exit of their tiny corridor, his huge frame easily toppled the Stormtroopers chasing after a two-meter arboreal. Rather less fortunately, the Wookiee was moving faster than any of them. Raz tapped her comm again. "Pink, ideas to slow it down?"

There was nothing for a second. Then... "Herd it. Find a locked area. We can take it from there."

Razelle immediately tapped her keyboard, bringing up the local map again. "...Kitchen in the hall on your right. Redirect him that way, I'll meet you there." She didn't even wait for a response before bolting out the door. Across the station, Pink acknowledged Raz's directive by drawing that knife she'd been playing with and sending it spinning peerlessly past the left side of the Wookiee's head just as he came up on a junction. He dodged right...and was immediately met with about three to four hundred pounds of muscle and mohawk.

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

Taggert leaned down and examined the two Stormtroopers lying on the ground. Clean clocked and knocked out. Except this wasn't from the Wookiee. His prints lay elsewhere. No. These boot prints here did not belong to a beast. But a very large someone-else. Thank goodness for dirty floors then. I guess there really were mercenaries down here after all.

He tapped his Stormtrooper helm,

"Cass. It's Taggert."

"Bagged the Wookiee then?"

"Uh. Not quite. Just tell the Colonel that I'll be a bit late getting back. It's a bit crowded down here."

"Shall I request an escort then?"

"Uh. Yeah. I'll probably need a hand getting the carpet back upstairs. Good thinking."

"Alright. I'll give security a call and..."

He hug up quickly to avoid bruising his ego. He really didn't need the help. But cautious was cautious. Besides. These two morons would do nicely.

"Okay boys. Up and at em'. Nap times over. We're got us a carpet to hunt eh?"

Time to rouse the troops.

___

Vanya looked up from her desk as Cass entered the room. My my. The distractions today. Ridiculous.

"Yes?"

"Security down on level 33 is not responding. Niether are the teams we sent after the Wookiee just now."

"And Taggert?"

"Still doing his thing. We just..."

"Nevermind him. Get Marcus down the on the Flight Deck. We'll send the pilots."

"Yes ma'am."

"Oh. And Cass?"

"Colonel?"

"Go see about the security station personally. Take Jacobs if you have to. I don't want you interrupting me until supper. Understand?"

"Yes Colonel."

Lyecova gave a wave and let the poor girl leave. Hopefully this whole affair would keep her busy for hours. Ugh.

[member="Razelle Breuner"]

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Tackling a Wookiee was one thing, but disabling one was much more difficult. On its own, a Wookiee would have given even a huge man like Tats some difficulties. Pumped with adrenaline and chemicals, it was easily able to throw him off in seconds. He seemed to be a pretty good sport about it, shaking dust from his head and standing to resume the chase. Pink seemed to have half a dozen knives on her, and her perfect aim once again corralled the fleeing creature towards the kitchen...

Where he immediately went on a rampage. Pots and pans flew everywhere. Counters fell over, spice and storage racks clattered to the ground as the half-crazed creature tried madly to escape. Pink and Tats ducked out of the main door in an attempt to not get hit by flying equipment, and also to glare at Stormtroopers. "We've got this one, white hats. Best just keep your distance." On her own, Pink seemed capable of intimidating people just by glaring at them. With Tats nearby? Trained soldiers actually shrunk away. That man was terrifying.

Razelle hadn't noticed. Instead, she barreled through the crowd of assembled station staff and stopped outside the kitchen. "Didn't know we'd sent out invitations." She peeked inside with a quick tilt of her head, then returned her attention to the two standing outside the room. "Anyone get a good grip on him yet?"

"Tackled him into a wall. He got back up." In his normal terse manner, Tattoos almost seemed impressed. It likely wasn't a terribly common occurrence for anyone to walk away from him when he set his mind to it. Taking a look at the man in front of her, then to the Wookiee inside, Raz came to the quick conclusion that as the Wookiee had been turning right, and Tats had been chasing it, he would have collided with his right side. Its right arm would be weaker. Maybe the ribs...

Razelle simply nodded and stepped inside with her patented smirk. "Thirty seconds." Tats once again raised an eyebrow in interest, Pink once again scoffed, and Raz once again acted overconfident. Status quo achieved. The short, slender blonde's boots picked through the clattered debris in a moment of peace while the Wookiee was distracted with something. It was tricky to find places to put her feet that wouldn't smack something that would clang or clatter, but Razelle had practiced doing something very, very similar for decades.

Her approach was silent, calculated, right in the panicked creature's blind spot. Emotional stress led to unpredictability, which meant that Razelle would need to end this without any possibility of reprisal. The second she was in position...no more stealth. She bolted forward two, three, four steps, collided with the furry creature's spine using one palm, then reached up with her left arm, catching its throat in the crook of her elbow. Her forearm and bicep constricted around the vessels in its throat, immediately cutting off blood to the brain. To force an even more favorable outcome, Raz's free right hand grabbed and twisted the Wookiee's arm behind its back, threatening to break it with just a bit more applied force. She took a step back to force its considerable weight onto her chokehold...and then stepped away five seconds later when the unconscious escapee dropped to the ground.

Raz just fixed the collar of her jacket and called out quietly. "Hey. Either of you got anything we can restrain a Wookiee with?" She paused for a second, then added "If we're short, commandeer something from the StatSec standing out there. They're not using it." A few more seconds and one shocked gasp later, Pink tossed in something that looked like industrial-sized binders, intended to force one's wrists and ankles into an X position and prevent all leverage. "That'll do it, thanks."

There was a click from within the kitchen, and seconds later, Razelle Breuner walked to the doorway, crossed her arms, and smirked at the stormtroopers, station security, and other staff who'd apparently come for the show. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call a successful operation."

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

Taggert pushed through the crowd and looked back and forth in disbelief. Guess he wouldn't be needing to catch the walking carpet after all. He pulled off his helm and spit on the ground. Eyeballing all the Stormtroopers with distaste,

"Cute."

He frowned and approached [member="Razelle Breuner"] ,

"Okay merc. Nice job. My boys will take it from here." He gave a wave to the troopers, "...So. Payday then. What company you with? Talon? Warpigs?"

Taggert shook his head as the Stormtroopers edged past to grab the bound creature. What Pink, Meat, and Blondie had done with three? It would take eight troopers to finish hauling away. Embarressing. The Captain could only shrug. What a mess. He was about to say something else when his com buzzed,

~/ Taggert. Bring them to my office. We need to talk. ~

"Uhh. Yeah sure."

He seemed baffled at Vanya's timing. She must have been a mind reader or something,

"Okay. Nevermind. Payday is apparently upstairs. Follow me."

Taggert frowned again and turned to leave. Pushing at least two of his troopers against the wall as he did so. He was pretty steamed. So much for his hero complex.

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Razelle's expression tempered a bit initially, when all of that hard work had apparently only landed them the aforementioned ffiteen grand. Pink, on the other hand, grew what looked to be the most sinister grin in the galaxy at the mention of money. Their reactions swapped when the soldier who came for them changed his story. Upstairs was exactly where Raz hoped this would end up...and probably exactly where the one-eyed mercenary and/or pirate had hoped they wouldn't be going.

Rubbing her knuckles a bit, Razelle fell into step behind him. "No company. Impromptu alliance. We had a chance of failure alone." Plus, one person doing a job on their own was just exemplary. Three people working together was uncommon. Raz had wanted to get attention, which necessitated setting aside her ego for a few minutes...and assaulting military personnel, "borrowing" military equipment, and slicing a military watchstation.

Oh, speaking of which. As the three of them followed their little escort through the station, the blonde turned back to her new friends and tapped her ear, then held out her open hand. It had been her idea to use Imperial gear to keep everyone in contact, and it would be her taking the blame for it. No reason to start throwing others under the bus now...and the commander is always responsible for her troops.

She pocketed both commlinks and returned to walking in silence. This was either going to be very good or very bad, but she'd escaped worse before.

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

The door to the Colonel's office swished open as Taggert lead the motley crew into the room. He saddled his helm against his hip and gave a wave at Vanya's expense,

"Here ya go. Three non-company mercenaries who managed to catch the carpet. Just like you asked for."

Lyecova glowered behind her desk. Gods, was he a sarcastic bastard sometimes.

"Thank you Captain."

She wanted to say more but her new company forbade her mannerisms. One does not show weakness or emotion in front of the troops. Nor the rabble. Lyecova stood up and straightened her trench coat. An outfit of luxury and pride. Surrounded by the trappings of a backwater posting. Ugh. Tasteless.

"It has come to my attention, mercenaries. That you took my Imperial space station for something of a joyride today? Disappointing."

Taggert perked up. Was this a congratulations speech or was he going to have kill somebody already? Jeez. He shifted his posture to match even as Vanya held up her hand.

"But color me impressed with how you handled the situation. My own troopers have disappointed. Something which we will never speak of again."

Taggert nodded. Yep. He was killing these three. He just knew it.

"...Now. Tell me what reward you would demand at the hands of your Empire. I am not so ruthless as to deny you that."

Taggert he... Um. Well, now he was kinda confused again. So? She was going to pay them? Then, he would kill them? Was that the plan?

"Taggert."

"Uh. Yes ma'am?"

"Please leave us. And tell my secretary downstairs all that we have accomplished. She'll be in Security Station 33."

"But?"

"Now Captain."

"Yes ma'am."

The handsome fellow put his helm back on and shuffled out the door with a grunt. He was starting to really hate not getting to kill anybody today. Vanya sighed at his absence and returned to her "guests".

"Now then. Rewards, yes? ...Name your price. 15,000 was it?"

[member="Razelle Breuner"]

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Right. Russian SvetRussian, just like before. Razelle stood at something akin to relaxed attention, though the other two on either side of her seemed to lack as much discipline...or simply not care. That was honestly pretty likely. Pink probably wanted her cash and a quick out. Tattoos...Raz was having trouble reading him. He seemed to have come along for amusement at first, and now he stood silently, as if waiting.

So Razelle took the initiative for the second time today. "The reward for the Wookiee was fifteen thousand, yes," she started, hands behind her back as had been drilled into her six hundred years ago. "And for some...that reward is probably adequate. I'll let these two choose for themselves; I simply supplied an idea. I don't control their will." There was a snort beside her. Pink was obviously already tired of Raz's theatrics.

Very obviously, Raz wasn't. "It's not adequate for me. This 'recruitment drive' may have been a sham, but I want what it was allegedly offering." Her grin became a bit more...assertive, and she brought one hand forward, holding both confiscated commlinks. "I came here looking for a job. I received orders, assessed a situation, formed a response team, acquired resources in the field, disabled resistance, avoided unnecessary casualties, formulated a plan, utilized individuals under my command to their fullest extent, and brought down a Wookiee in close combat."

Stepping forward, the shorter blonde placed both comlinks on the woman's desk, then straightened her jacket again. "That's my price."

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

Right. Blondie. Hm... Vanya squinted hard behind her dark shades. Sunglasses that doubled as a complicated battle HUD. A legacy from an older time. The Lt. Colonel seemed to nod at Razelle's request. Then held up her hand snapped her fingers. The door to the office swished open and eight Stormtroopers entered. Guns drawn at less than five meters.

Firing squad.

"I accept your offer mercenary. Now? Let's see if you know how to save your Empire money, yes?"

She turned over a palm and pointed to her companions with little fan fair. Pinky and What's-his-face,

"Kill them. And your hired."

Just as eyes started to bulge even wider, Vanya touched her belt. A shimmering blue energy shield arose around her slender form. Just in time to compliment the click of Stormtroopers aiming their carbines. Russian VladRussian, wouldn't even be in the way of the crossfire should Razelle decline her offer of employment. Her, ultimately, lethal choice.

Times change. The Empire does not.

[member="Razelle Breuner"]

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Of course. Empire. The ability to follow orders, to put your duty above your emotional attachments, was one of the most important qualities they looked for in their soldiers. Razelle had been a perfect match once upon a time, not because she was naturally inclined to cold, emotionless bloodshed...but because she had been conditioned into it by these same people. Centuries may have changed the power and face of the Empire, but its disgusting soul still remained.

Razelle's mind moved faster than she could possibly have kept track of. The soldiers behind her, blasters armed, line formation. The woman before her, energy shield, taking personal pleasure in watching someone suffer. The large man to her right, enigmatically silent as always. Still as a mountain, and at least as large. His muscles would make for an impenetrable outer layer, and she didn't have the drop on him. The pink-haired cyborg on her left-

Knife.

Raz fell backwards in barely enough time to avoid getting hit in the throat by a knife. How many blades did this psychopath have? A blood-red gash opened along her right shoulder as the knife flew past, but Razelle's reflexes were faster. She reached up with the very arm that had just been cut, caught the knife before it hit her giant (former?) companion, and flipped it around in her hand. Proper CQC grip. Pink had decided a preemptive attack was the best defense. A wise decision.

The blonde's arms fell into the close box stance decades of K'tara had drilled into her soul. Pink already had another two knives in her hands, and a cautious glare in her eye. "You know what? I don't think I'm going to be getting out of this room alive. Between you throwing me under the bus and that psycho's twisted idea of an audition, chances are I'm already dead." Her grip tightened. "So I'm taking you with me, princess."

Raz's own eyes narrowed in a perfect mirror. "Y'know, you're making my decision a lot easier, Pinkie." Her left hand flexed open, elbow bent closer to he face. Right hand forward, backhand knife grip. The tattooed man behind her was moving, too, and perhaps the only reason Raz didn't pick that moment to attack was because of how calm he looked.

He took a seat in front of the military woman's desk and crossed his arms, as if watching an opera.

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

Lyecova squinted hard at the disappointment occurring before her. Had she really surprised Blondie so? After such a well thought out display of cunning and tactics below. Did this scenario really play no part in her plans. Vanya had almost thought she'd found a peer there for a second. A singular woman of deadly skill with enough sense to judge any situation to her advantage. Alas. Now all she saw was a brawl. ...A perfectly executed brawl in CQC, yes. But a brawl non-the-less. Le sigh.

She raised her own hidden weapon and dropped the opera watcher in one bolt. Stunning the big guy so good, he was on the floor before even the blue flash had faded. The Stormtroopers seemed not to know what to do at this point? Having presupposed that they would have been blasting people by now. Typical. Just like their moron Captain Taggert. Their hesitation was her advantage. Lyecova sent another bolt into the melee. Pinkie slumped over with a jab to the gut. Ouch. And who says Stun bolts don't hurt.

"Not here, damn it!" Vanya almost shouted to [member="Razelle Breuner"] , "If I wanted blood on my walls I would have just shot them myself."

The troopers raised their rifles. A bit perplexed. But then again. The Lt. Colonel was crazy. Everybody knew that. So this must just have been business as usual. Or, something.

"Guards. Take these two sleeping beauties down to the cell block. They've made enough of a mess around my station. I'll not have them as floor decoration's either. Huff to it."

She turned to frown at Breuner. Her patience starting to fray,

"Yes. You may decide their fate later. Given their spunk, you might actually have some use for them. Maybe. ...Now. This audition is over. I'm quite finished with mercenaries today."

The belligerent Doctor Tucker squeezed in the door just as Vanya deactivated her I-Shield,

"Tucker. Stop your sleuthing over there. This is the woman you wanted. The one who captured your pet. Now. Take her outside and have her fill out all the paperwork. She'll make a useful soldier yet."

The Doctor seemed baffled in the extreme at her comment. Did she mean? A real recruit?,

"You mean a recruit? A real recruit? For the Stormcommandos!? Why, Moff Addles would never hear of it. She's not even qualified, or... Been through my program yet?"

"And let us all be thankful of that, yes." Vanya quipped. Her office had now become a zoo. Ugh. "...Now. Outside. Everybody. I've other business to attend to. That's more than enough theatrics for one office."

"But Colonel!?"

"Someone has to pass the recruitment Tucker. Your experiments have failed us. Or do you want me reporting to Addles that you've had no success whatsoever? Thrown all her money to the wind. Oh. And I could add in the part about the Wookiee too, if you'd like? Would that settle it then?"

He seemed stunned. However, eventually complying with a shrug.

"Very well. I suppose if we must have some fruits to show for our labors. Bah. Follow me dear. ...And, do try not to bleed all over the place. Would you. Ugh. ...This way. This way."

Vanya could shake her head. So much for clean kills. Always complicated. Always survivors. Bleh. ...Maybe she was turning into Taggert after all. Lyecova needed to get off this station before she really killed somebody. Ugh. The drudgery of it all. She should have joined Intel long ago. Then again. Hindsight was always 20/20. Warriors push forward.

Taggert and Cass stood outside by the door as everyone was hauled out. Stopping to look at each other with a mild shrug. Gone for 2 seconds and It appears they had missed the party? Go figure.

[member="Razelle Breuner"]

 

[Razelle Breuner]

Razelle blinked at the whole...exchange. Her death-grip on that knife that had been thrown at her took several seconds to relax. Her shoulder was still bleeding, and Josef Mengele was apparently in charge of paperwork around here. Sighing, she slipped the knife into her belt and followed him out. These people were insane. What happened to professionalism? Psychotic Wookiees, mad scientists, murderous commanders with bipolar disorder...it was no wonder this barrel of nonsense had been kicked to the corner of the galaxy.

Whatever. She'd survive. She always survived.

Idle comment about blood. "Don't worry about that. It'll seal up soon enough." For another person that would mean hours, or days. For Raz it would happen in minutes, as long as she wasn't doing anything stressful with that arm. Doctors just like this wackjob had ensured she was a cut above the rank and file, though some of that seemed a bit stunted. Probably because clone. "Is the colonel back there always so unpredictable? I've worked for Sith, so it's hardly a deal-breaker. Just wanna know what kind of shrink's nightmare I'm signing on for."

Like Raz could talk. She would have had absolutely no problem gunning down the two people she had worked with for maybe half an hour for a job, even if the dreams would keep her up at night. The tip of a very big, complicated, generally unpleasant iceberg. In retrospect that was another reason she needed to get a job far, far away from Fable. Even after spilling her life story, she was still unstable as all hell.

[member="Vanya Lyekova"]

 

[Vanya Lyekova]

Tucker came to stand beside Taggert and Cass, just outside the office. He waved away [member="Razelle Breuner"] 's words with a huff of pride and vanity.

"Nonsense. The Colonel is just frustrated that my experiments are not resolving as quickly as she would like."

Taggert shrugged and coughed,

"Or that maybe you're little science project is two weeks over-schedule? Maybe?"

"Bah. As if science can be so well contained Captain. The Empire will need to learn patience if she is to succeed. My labors shall exalt us. You'll see. You'll all see. My Omega-Class Stormcommandos will be the fiercest fighting force in the galaxy. All in due time."

Cass reached over and grabbed the datapad from the mad scientist's hands. Eager to have the crazy fellow on his way.

"That's enough Doctor Tucker. I'll handle this woman's registration. You may see to your patients."

"And your new carpet." Taggert snickered.

"Ah yes. Thank you my dear." Tucker looked back to Raz and nodded. "You'll do fine, I trust. Even if your recruitment is just to pad the paperwork. Hmph. Good day all."

Cass just shook her head and tapped her docket,

"Alright now miss? We'll skip the science projects for today and jump straight to the Intelligence Recruitment. Just give me an hour of your time and you'll be all set for the Corps."

Taggert sighed and looked Raz over. If not for her rapidly healing scar, he didn't see much use in the woman. Even if she could tackle a wookiee and knife fight like a vet. ...Well. Maybe he just resented the Commandos. After Bakura, they seemed to get all the cushy jobs.

"All right Cass. She's all yours. I'm going to make sure the Security Stations she smashed get back up and running again. Laters."

Cass nodded and waved Breuner over to her desk.

"Nevermind him. Let's get started. Shall we?"

...

Hours later, and a quick trip down into the cells to visit her accomplices, Razelle's journey into the Empire had only just begun.

___