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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
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Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Dec 8, 2010 23:00:29 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Dec 8, 2010 23:00:29 GMT -5
((I dedicate this post to My Chemical Romance for bringing me out of my funk with colors flying.))
Dozens of times had he felt the sting of words. In the face of men and women, human and alien; all of whom could kill with them or commit treason by their misuse. These were the moments he felt like a sergeant, not only feeling the pain of a stout admonishing but delivering it as well. This was a situation that he feared may result in both. Sam may have been different, not being able to kill with a word but certain things stung just the same and, as he awaited her own comments and opinions on the issue at hand he found himself preempting that sting just as if he were staring down a colonel. His former wingmate, however, would have a hard time budging him from this mindset.
When she spoke every word had a weight to it. It almost felt to him that she had fallen back to the old standby of talking as to the point with him as possible; as she had in the Sevens out-ranking her meant something.
But those days were over.
Sighing he hefted himself to a seat where he could listen to her properly, giving her the attention and listening intently, taking every point with meaning and a grain of sand. First off he realized that some of his concerns were unfounded, that she had never really thought to bring Shine into this mess. If anything now she thought to utilize a resource, one that was going to be here anyway. It still made little sense to the sergeant that such a young kid would mix themselves up in this so early... Money, adventure... sounds like the army pitch.
”You know the rookies, gotta give ‘em something to do so you know where they are and what they should be doing, if only to keep ‘em out of our way.”
Sev gave her an honest smile toward that, the reference not only expected by his own words but almost encouraged. In ways he did think of Shine like a rookie, a green private out to prove himself. In others it was like an overenthusiastic child but, well, should he? He looked on as Sam tried to restrain her wild blonde hair, only partially managing.
Aye, as long as 'e understands th' danger... tha's a start.
His own voice was strong enough to interject briefly before allowing Sam to continue. Risk was something that he had to deal with on a daily basis, both in the Sevens and today when he was on assignment. Many times folk would die because they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. With a sigh he shook his head, trying to understand this Shine more through her words. Her final few words were the only ones that brought a sting; "you can’t guarantee." And that was true. There was no way to guarantee that everything was going to go right but, if nothing else, he had to try.
Sev was a micron away from speaking before his wingmate caught him off-guard, showing her lighter side once more.
"You’re not a deity of some kind…right? If you are, it would make everything considerably easier…though I might have to shun you later on for not telling me sooner.”
To this Sev gave a chortle, honestly caught off guard by the levity in the serious situation that had been laid before them.
Ye can certainleh break th' tension, lass. Nae, ah'm no' a deity. T'would be tae much work.
Leaning foreword he reached out and laid his hand on her armored leg, a knowing smile still lingering on his face. Though he was not happy about everything that was going on he was willing to try this one time if Sam was willing to face the consequences if something went wrong. Slowly the smile faded.
Remember Xavier? A quote fer every occasion? Well ah've one fer thus one; "prepare for the worst, hope for the best."If'n thus goes south ye gottae be ready fer pain.
Standing he turns on the spot and sits down next to Sam on the spartan-like bed.
Ah dinnae 'ave tae like et but e'll be yer responsibility. Keep an eye oan 'im an if'n 'e proves tae be too big ae risk ah'll cut 'im loose. Politely.
If e' can hold is own liek ye claim... 'e might jus' live through thus.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Dec 9, 2010 19:21:16 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Dec 9, 2010 19:21:16 GMT -5
Even as she’d spoken the datapad in her belt pinged quietly, signifying another message from Shine. She’d have to look at it in a little while since her discussion with Sev took priority. He was, at least, a polite listener, showing her the respect she’d shown him of not interjecting (except for once) while she made her intentions clear. At least she’d managed to make him smile with some of the things she’d said. That was always a bonus. To be honest, she couldn’t exactly say she didn’t see Shine as being a bit of a greenhorn. After all, he was here in a Hutt palace (if that didn’t prove him as green, she didn’t know what would), but she wasn’t going to hold that against him. They could really make use of the extra set of eyes, and if he was going to be here anyway…
“Ye can certainleh break th’ tension, lass. Nae, ah’m no’ a diety. T’would be tae much work.”
His amusement had bubbled forth even before that comment with the rich sound of his laugh and she couldn’t help but chuckle in return. With just that little bit of laughter the room felt like it had opened up just a bit and she breathed a little easier. The weight of his hand on her leg caught her a bit by surprise, but it made her smile and pat his hand in return. It was good having him around, she was glad he was, especially for this task the Bha’lir had set for her and Athar. Even knowing how badly things could go wrong, she felt just a bit more secure, just a bit more confident, that it would work out in the end because Sev had decided to help.
”Bah, you should be used to the workload. After all, you’re still dealing with Archer…he’s gotta amount to at least half of any diety’s troubles.”
“Remember Xavier? A quote fer every occasion?”
Yes, she remembered all too well. The gut gnawing feeling didn’t show on her face, but she certainly felt the bite. Captain Xavier…such a good leader. She missed him too.
“Well ah’ve one fer thus one…”
Oh dear…
“…prepare for the worst, hope for the best.’ If’n thus goes south ye gottae be ready fer pain.”
Not a sound came from her, not even when he stood, turning to sit beside her on the bed. Instead, grey eyes simply followed his motions as another, more irritating, sort of pain slowly started to stretch along her right shoulder and upper back. Ugh…not now. Ah well…
“Ah dinnae ‘ave tae like et but e’ll be her responsibility. Keep an eye oan ‘im an if’n ‘e proves tae be too big ae risk ah’ll cut ‘im loose. Politely.
If ‘e can hold ‘is own liek ye claim…’e might jus’ live through thus.”
Reaching up with her left hand, she carefully rubbed the irritated section of her trapezius muscle just to the right of her spine near her neck. Sighing she wasn’t certain if she was pleased by the fact that it was slightly numb there now or not…at least it was nothing out of the ordinary. Dropping her hand again, she finally replied to him. ”I'm fully aware of the possible consequences, Sev. I don’t like them any more than you do but…” The datapad chimed again to remind her of the message and she finally pulled it out and read it. After looking at the attached file, then flipping back to the message, she’d hand the datapad over to Sev to read. ”As you can see, he’s already here, he already knows something’s up, and he’s already inserting himself. There’s a higher chance of survival for all if he’s involved and given something specific to focus on instead of randomly meddling and possibly getting himself, or us, into worse trouble than he would be if he were with us.”
Samantha may have seemed to often act out of gut instinct alone, and at one time she had, but she had learned young that doing that sort of thing got you in hot water…or a pirate’s prison cell as the case had been. While she didn’t often show the business side of herself (at least not while speaking, unless she had to), she was certainly all business now. Resting her right hand on Sev’s shoulder, she turned just enough to look at him straight. ”I know he’s my responsibility, you are also whether you want to admit it or not, and believe me…I'm taking this very seriously, Sev. This is no more a game to me now than it ever was with the Sevens, maybe even less so. I have too much at stake here to think or act any other way, so please…just trust me.”
When she got the datapad back from Sev, she’d key in a simple reply.
=Thank you. Will speak to you about this soon. Chances are high you can help us, but there are going to be conditions and you’ll have specific assignments to carry out so that you aren’t seen as one of us should we be discovered. Until we have a chance to talk don’t do any more than you already have.=
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
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Dec 9, 2010 21:56:41 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Dec 9, 2010 21:56:41 GMT -5
Shine was just about done his adjustments on the hyperdrive when his data pad pinged, an indication that it had received a message. So out of the blue was the sudden ding, cutting through a deep silence that had settled over Shine as he worked, that Shine jumped in response. And considering he was under a giant metal drive, he didn't twitch far before his head dinged against the bottom of the drive, followed by a second thud as his head snapped back to hit the floor. A few "choice" words, both in Basic and Olys Corellisi, echoed around his silent engine room as he slid out from under the drive, rubbing the front and back of his head. Frelling piece of a rancor's behind did that hurt. Good thing my head is about as thick as my ego at times or I might be in real trouble. Not that he really had a huge ego per say, but he was Corellian after all. They were born with a bigger ego than most; hence why they never liked to be told the odds. There were no odds they couldn't beat henceforth why should they be told them?
Rubbing his still throbbing temple, Shine dragged the pad over to him with the heel of his foot, picking the device up once it was within reaching distance. A few quick clicks and Sam's return message was glowing back at him; short, sweet and to the point. Hs scrolled through the tiny message quickly, his golden cat eyes shining in the light from the pad as they took in each word in detail. When he got to the end, he reread the thing one more time, then leaned back against the hyperdrive.....and sighed in relief.
Whatever rancor nest Sam was planning to jump into, he was being allowed to jump right in there with her. Well, maybe he wasn't exactly in just yet, but from her words, so long as he followed what they told him and did what he was given, he was a part of it. He had no problem with that, especially the part about him not being discovered. Don't get him wrong, if by getting himself discovered could assist or save them at any point, he would do it in a heartbeat. But given the option and some really hopeful thinking, he would rather remain unknown when they did whatever they had come here to do. Of course, he still needed to know what the frell was going on, but he figured that could wait. For now, just being given the chance to help would do for him.
He quickly keyed in a quick response, even shorter than hers was. =Can do. You know where to find me and how to contact me when your ready. Stay pretty and safe till then. *wink*= With that, he set the pad down again and leaned back to finish the final adjustments on the hyperdrive. As an afterthought, he turned down the pad's "incoming" message volume. He didn't want to knock his head again because the thing startled him after all. With that, he slid back under the drive, found the wrench he had been using and went to town. He still had more work to do after all.
A short while later, he clammered back into the Cat, covered head to toe in grease, oil and sand. The piston had been harder than he thought to replace; never mind the damn oil leak that had emptied all over him, the sand had made it harder to get the piston in there. It was in there, he'd made sure of that. But it had been a bigger pain than he could have ever expected. As such, his first destination in the Cat was the refresher. Black coated the floor of the small shower as he scrubbed his hair, face and body hard to get the various substances that coated him out. After about twenty minutes of that, a refreshed and squeaky clean(mostly) Shine headed to the galley, gathered up a basic meal and devoured it as he looked over other possible jobs for the future. Yea, he was getting ahead of himself seeing as this job wasn't done yet, but there was no harm in checking right?
Bookmarking a few messages for later, Shine shoved the last of his food down, cleaned up his dirty plates, and headed for his quarters. He was bushed from the events of the day so far and when Sam came a calling(physically or via messages), he wanted his brain and body to be at their best. Tossing the data pad next to his small bed, Shine collapsed onto it, not even bothering to shrug off his boots. Within seconds, he was soundly asleep, a half grin on his face as a dream of a certain girl took over his weary mind. If only dreams could so easily come true.....
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
0 likes
Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Dec 12, 2010 15:49:16 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Dec 12, 2010 15:49:16 GMT -5
It was not resignation that had found him, then. Despite the reassurances from his former wing-mate there were a great many unsure thoughts revolving around Shine. Sam had not silenced his doubts, his niggling worries and concerns about this kid that had gotten in way over his head. If it were left to Sev he would have put his boot to the kid the moment he'd laid eyes on him, get him off planet before this mess went down. But now, begrudgingly he had agreed to allow this risky outside help.
Sev shook his head against the thoughts in his head realizing that pining would get him nowhere. Data-pad in hand he perused one comminucade after another, the responses from Sam and Shine drawing a deep sigh. Maybe it was her mentions of him as Six-Lead, his perceived reaction to Shine's impertinence, and the discussion as to why they were there. He was glad Sam had ensured the security of the com links. He handed the pad to Sam once more, not enjoying the situation any more than he had to.
As she took the pad Sev glanced up into her bright eyes as they glistened even though the room was dimly lit.
Et's never been a game, lass. An' ah believe ah'm more responsible fer yeh then th' ooth'r way 'roond. Ah didnae 'ave tae come tae thus blasted dust ball, ah didnae 'ave tae do anehthing. But ah care fer yeh enoogh, ah couldnae see yeh go alone. A couldnae bear th thgouh o' yeh gettin' hurt fer thus an meh not bein' there.
Sev felt his words may have been selfish... but perhaps they were. It was true, however. If he didn't care enough he wouldn't have met Sam on Umgul much less saved her in a bar room brawl. Sadly, this was bigger than a bar room brawl. Sentients were going to die.
He looked on as she keyed a brief message to Shine on the pad catching a few of the more important bits before it was sent on its way. Again he felt the tug of concern but he exhaled against it. Sev would have to get used to the idea of a fourth man even though he didn't like it. At least she was being careful...
A squad... I'll think of it like a squad. The idea dawned, his mind finding it much easier to accept.
Ah dinnae think we can sae much moore on thus, there are things tha' need tae be don'! Forts tha' need breechin'.
He reluctantly stood, gathered up his things, and turned, looking at her in the eye. His mouth quirked a small grin.
Ye wanna be in control o' thus op? Ah'll beh behind yeh all th' way. He gave his wingmate a sharp salute. What're yeh're orders, Sam?
Before she could speak, and before his over-blown sense of self took over control again he squinted at her.
Ye're "responsible" fer thus, lass. Let's see where ye take it.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
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Dec 12, 2010 20:01:30 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Dec 12, 2010 20:01:30 GMT -5
Sighing at his first words, she wondered if everything she said was misinterpreted. Shaking the thought off, she let it go and remained quiet. Sev…always thinking he was responsible for everyone. Maybe it was just his personality, perhaps it was the years as a wing leader, she couldn’t tell…it could have been a combination of the two. That was likely the case. For a moment she entertained the thought that the reason she felt responsible for his safety was the fact that she cared so much about him, yet she’d managed to get him tangled up in this mess. Sure, he’d come willingly, but as he said it was because he cared about her so…logically…she had still been the cause of his being here. Hence her responsibility.
Leaning over she’d wrap her right arm around his side and give him a squeeze. ”Well then we’ll just be responsible for each other, since we obviously can’t decide who’s more responsible for whom. You may have come on your own because you care about me, but that still means I'm the cause making it partially my fault as well. Not to mention I don’t want you getting yourself hurt either. So, with that decided, we’ll move on and get this done, shall we?” With a smile she pulled her arm away to reply to Shine.
To be honest, it had taken her off guard, what Sev had said. It hadn’t really seeped into her mind, however, until she’d replied to him. Foggy flickers of her…their…past colored her thoughts for a moment and she gave Sev’s shoulder a gentle pat as she stood and brushed at some of the slowly collecting beads of sweat along her hairline. Goddess she hated this planet. Warm was nice, but hot was just bad when in heavy cloth and armor. Sweat was not her friend. Despite the heat, she chuckled at his comment about forts needing breeching and nodded with a grin and a thumbs up. Of course, his next statement…the salute…and his final question earned a loud smacking sound as she slapped her palm to her forehead and laughed.
”Well if that don’t take all…” she mused, a hint of Brathos echoing in the words as she muttered them quietly. Looking back at him, she’d nod. ”Right. Get back to Athar, let him know we’ll meet back up here after dark. 2200 hours, providing the worm is asleep. I’ll get hold of Shine and have him be here as well and we’ll solidify the plans. In the mean time you two keep low, get a room or two, and keep an eye on the guards if you can to see if we can’t start timing shift changes up here. I’ll be out there soon.”
Sam paused slightly, mulling her words over once more swiftly. She’d only ever given part of a mission briefing once…she’d known the area and the possible threat of explosives and she’d made it a priority of hers to do research, so the brass had decided to give her the chance. It had save a few people’s lives, certainly…but that didn’t mean she was highly experienced in giving commands. Yeah…no pressure, Sam. Thanks for pointing this out, Sev…”I won’t let you down.” With that, she’d let him out and get to work.
It was blessedly cooler at this time of day, and the mask was much more tolerable as she stood at the end of the hall, leaning casually against the corner of the wall…watching. The optics in the mask had been set to see in infrared during the night, giving her the same ability the Hutt had in the lighting they so often used in their palaces. If she was fighting a Hutt, she’d had to think like a Hutt and so she’d come prepared.
With the Hutt fast asleep, the wanderings of the guards were up to her to watch in her vicinity…and watch she did. The silent, almost brooding, statue that was Sam waited in full Ubese regalia, eying the comings and goings of the little porkers and their more human sized counterparts (few of them as there were). She trusted Sev and Athar to get to her easily enough, even Shine (to a degree), but she was ready anyway, her comm on just in case anyone got into trouble. This would be the first test, she supposed. If they could get to and from this meeting without too much trouble there was certainly hope for later on.
Thankfully she didn’t need to worry for long.
Shine arrived first, his room not being far from her own, and she motioned him back toward it with a nod of her head down toward the end of the hall. The room was unlocked since she was keeping guard on the hall, her ear pieces amplifying the sounds around her so she could keep better tabs on the happenings. Sev and Athar appeared not much later, having come from a little further off and again she nodded to them, motioning them past her before pausing a moment to look around the perpendicularly running hall, then following after them silently.
Slipping through the door behind them, she’d lock it with a touch to the pad and raise the lights slowly as she pulled off the mask with her other hand. Hopefully this would keep them all from being blinded. Pulling the ear pieces from her ears as well, she smiled to them. ”Good, everyone’s safe enough it seems. Shine, you’ve partially met my companions, Sev and Athar.” Shutting the HUD of the mask down again, she’d put it down on the small table in the room before moving to lean against the wall near her pack. ”Alright, Shine, you’re working with pros here and…I’ll be blunt, we’ve got everything covered except for a few basics. You wanted to help; you get to do grunt work. Since you’re a pilot by trade, we’re going to count on you to get us out of here fast by speeder. It’ll keep you from being pegged as part of us so long as you keep your head down. We’ll also need you to watch the shift changes for some of the guards and keep track of them. Again, something you can do without being pegged, so long as you keep your head down and your guard up.”
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
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Dec 13, 2010 10:06:41 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Dec 13, 2010 10:06:41 GMT -5
The dream was always the same.
Well, no it wasn't. It rarely ever was, minus a few kye points here and now. This time, it was set against the shadowy mists of Umgul. The blistering lights of the city peeking through the mists, the proof that life did exist within the confines of that planetwide barrier. A single figure among many perched upon the corner bar stool, away from the masses but bathed in a pale glow from the fading light above. The woman in his dreams changed constantly but as of late and for this one, it always was the same one. Her was perfect, at least he thought so, not too thin, not to thick just...right in the middle. She was always in that serape Shine had met her in, although it was open, allowing him full view of her amazing body. Her blond hair moved slightly in the breeze, and whenever he came, she would turn to him and smile.
Shine always approached the figure, sat with her, laughed with her, silently conversed with her, words lost to the shadows. His hand would touch her cheek, she would touch his hand and he would offer her a look at the Cat. She never said no. So that's where they would go and in the warm and bright confines of the cockpit, he would lean in for kiss. To his mind, her lips were soft, gentle and sweet. He knew on some level that it was a dream but it didn't matter; he could not control it so why bother overthinking things? Dreams could become reality if one tried hard enough. And when their lips parted, silent words always slipped from thos gentle lips. And they always seemed to say... "beep beep beep." Wait.....that wasn't right? Beep beep beep? What was...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shine shot awake at the sound of his datapad going off, quickly shaking sleep from his eyes. Years in the military had taught, heck, burned into his body the ability to wake up on the fly at the smallest noise his mind remembered was important. The blaring of alarms to signal all men to battle stations, the warning alarms from the Cat...and in this case, the beeping indication that his data pad had recieved a new message. Well that's probably the most pleasant sound to wake up to. Yawning, he rolled to the side of the bed, leaning his feet down to touch the floor as he picked up the pad. A quick glance at his chrono told him he'd only been asleep for about half an hr. Despite this, he felt more alert than ever; another lovely thing to being drilled military style was that you learned to run with less gas. And he could go a while with little.
Quick was his taps to the pad and rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his golden eyes, he quickly read over the very brief message. A small smirk creased his face as he darted over the words. Well, now it was pretty much official; whatever was going down, Shine was a part of it. When that thought hit his mind, the smile faded as the rest of his face turned into a mask of serious. As playful as Shine was at times, he knew when it was time for his witty side and when it was time for his business side. Right now, he could retain some of the wit but when he met with them later, more of the serious side would have to be visible. He had gotten his wish, a chance to spend more time with her. And he wasn't going to mess up the chance that he could see her again later on friendly terms by screwing up whatever they had planned.
The meeting time was scheduled for 2200 hours, which was still a far bit away. That was perfect. He could use a little more rest and after that, he would have some work to do. Like making sure that map was as detailed as he could make it. He looked back to his bed for a moment.....then sighed. Rest in the bed would only make him more inclined to sleep longer; the cockpit would do and he could work on the map in the meantime. Heading out from his quarters, Shine grabbed a few snacks and a drink before heading into the cockpit and sealing the door behind him. It was time to get to work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darkness had covered the desert planet when Shine's speeder slid up to the others parked outside the Hutt's place. Hopping from the vehicle, the keys firmly stashed in his hidden pocket(one of them), Shine tugged the cloak he wore over his light clothes closer around him. As night had fallen, so had the temperature, a light cool taking the place of a blazing heat. It was still fairly warm in some respects but Shine didn't sweat immediatly upon exiting the cooled interior of the speeder, so that was a start. The cloak had been an afterthought as he was leaving the city, something that would stay the cool breezes that came now and then along with keeping the sand off him when it came along for the ride. Better than ringing it out from his clothes every time he returned to the Cat.
The two Gamorrean guards, one different while the other was the same from earlier, stood firm at the palace entrance. Despite the coolness of the night, neither of the chubby pigs seemed bothered by it. Chalk one up to body fat. Or there's a fate worse than death if they leave their post to get warm. Shrugging beneath the cloak, Shine pulled it closer once again before shouldering his way towards the giant metal gate. He nodded to the guard from earlier, which snorted in return. At least the frelling pig had enough brainpower to remember seeing Shine before. The other squeeled at its counterpart, who snorted and grunted in return, speaking in a language Shine never wanted to understand. It seemed that they reached an agreement, as the one from earlier rapped on the door twice. The same eye from before shot out, took one look at Shine, then hissed in a poor form of basic.
"I've come to make use of a room I ordered earlier. Early morning business with your boss and all that made easy by being on location rather than having to dash across the desert to be here on time.
Part truth, part lie. He did have to see the Hutt in the morning and he had gotten a room for that purpose. But it wasn't THAT early and he could easily have come back the next day on his own. The eye snorted, retreated inside and after a moment, the familiar groan of the doors broke the silence of the night. Shine gave a smile to the guard who had let him in, waved to his counterpart, then headed inside as soon as the door was wide enough. Sam have given him a location for the meet which, after some reading of the map he'd made, he'd located and pinpointed the route to get there. Through the winding and twisting hallways he went until he noticed a familar Ubese standing next to a door. He gave her a quick nod, then darted inside.
Athar and Sev joined him shortly after, quickly followed by Sam, who sealed the door behind her. He gave them all a curt nod, especially to Sev and Athar when Sam introduced the pair, then settled in to listen to Sam, who was quick to put him in the spotlight. And as she spoke, he contemplated his duty. Watchdog and getaway vehicle; simple tasks yet in the long run, just as important to any op as the actual insert itself. If you didn't know where the patrols or guards where, you could run into them at the wrong time and any delays could be costly. And of course, being able to get away as fast as possible was also something that would factor into how the finale went. Shine had the first part covered mostly; he could easily tour the palace, locate the guards and learn their shifts, then add them to his map as points of interest. As for the getaway; well, his skills should suffice to handle that. Though he would need to get a better speeder. He waited till he was sure she was done, then grinned a little before nodding seriously.
"Watch some of the ugliest things in the galaxy and get away really really fast. Doesn't sound too hard. Though just because it doesn't appear to be difficult doesn't mean its any less important or couldn't become tough, so you can count on me to put all my skill into both tasks. Here's the completed map by the way, at least the basic version. I'll update it later once I get the guards times and patrols added in.
Now, I know this isn't any of my business but......mind letting me in on why your doing this? I mean, you obviously know what happens if you mess with a Hutt. You've been telling me all along that this is a bad place to be. I would like to know, if possible, what reason would compel you to do the one thing your telling me not to do? Can I at least know that?"
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
0 likes
Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Dec 20, 2010 21:29:51 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Dec 20, 2010 21:29:51 GMT -5
Stubborn yet honest. That was the only way he could describe Sam's reaction to everything he had just said. The tense attitude seemed to drain away as the sergeant realized that, though concerned he was, Sam was quite capable of both thinking orders through and giving them. Sev wanted to be in the command of one he trusted to make the right decisions; Sam was that someone. His comments, his own sense of sizing up capabilities for a job lopsided though they may have been had proven that his former wingmate was more than capable. It may have been superfluous in his mind even as he organized his thoughts but only Sam would have made such a compromise; ”Well then we’ll just be responsible for each other." That was a mark of a true commander; one that not only looked out for themselves but hatched plans that could work around protecting their soldiers as well. With that truth established Sev felt that he was finally ready to dedicate to this mission. For if command was blinded, be it by greed or ambition or arrogance, so were the troops. With that the formalities ended. Sam made her orders and Sev, ready to do his duty to the best of his abilities nodded. They would gather, all of them, when the hutt wasn't conscious to plan and to plot. They would meet later that evening when the Hutt was asleep in Sam's cramped room. Sev was given a task, to find a room for himself and Athar and hunker down, resting before the fact. The sergeant waited until she had slipped the helmet back on before stepping from the room, nodding and smiling at her final words. ”I won’t let you down.”Ah know ye wont, lassie. Ye nev'r 'ave.Hesitating no longer he turned from the door and strode with purpose back the way he came, the hard rubber of his boots drawing marked replies from the duracrete. Soon he stepped back into the main room and, snagging a slave/waitress by the arm he roughly caught his attention (but not too rough. Didn't want to draw too much attention). Ah need a room for two. Bunks if you have them an' a full glass.The slave nodded shakily and ran off. Sev watched her go and silently apologized. Maybe their actions here would release her. Takign a quick breath he reshuffled his priorities. Athar then the room; he would explain everything to the Nautolan then. A few strides later he had slid back into the table across from his partner in this, snagged his newly full drink and downed it. He would need it for the mission to come. Ah got us a room fer th' night. Ah think we go' thus job solid. Sev's eye twitched, indicating hopefully that everything would become clear later. The moment the slave arrived with the keys Sev stood and took them; moving off toward the rooms, his stride loosened by the alcohol. **************** A beeping rang through his headset and Sev's eyes opened. He saw the room through the light amplifying solar shield though while not powered had enough illumination to allow him to see the room before him. Athar lay stretched out on the single twin bed while Sev sat propped in one corner. Slipping the helmet off and replacing it on the belt hook he snatched his gun and moved toward the door, nudging Athar on the way past. In a moment the Nautolan stood beside him ready to move. Gently he opened the door and, finding nothing with a glance either way, moved quickly and quietly in the direction of Sam's room. Athat was at his six when they reached the door, only a few dozen yards up the tunnel in the Hutt's massive palace. Catching her gaze unwittingly through that ubese helmet he nodded at her and moved toward the door which was unceremoniously opened and he and Athar moved quickly inside. Everything quickly became business and, with a brief introduction Sev finally met Shine face to face. He could barely repress the scowl that etched its way around his eyes as he appraised the new meat; I hope you are right about this, Sam.Sam's speech that followed was outlining Shine's duties; simple guard watching and driving the getaway; good. And as Shine began to speak Sev maintained his silence, simple watching how the rookie spoke, how he held himself. The sergeant recognized something of that aire of confidence, something of what he thought he knew, from Archer. The cocky attitude that had yet to be squashed. The senior soldier remembered the time but didn't yearn for it. He was older now... he was more cautious. Though the preliminary map of patrol routes was a nice touch. When Shine finally asked his question Sev fielded it before Sam had the chance. We're breakin' a being oot of th' worm's prison. A wookie supposedleh turned madclaw. Bollocks. Tha's a smokescreen tae mask th' truth, 'is innocence.Sev simply nodded and returned to his silence. Talking had to be kept brief here; if one of the hutt's sharper-eared patrols walked by when they were saying something incriminating they would be on a platter. Besides, Sev didn't need to talk to get the full measure of the green addition.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Dec 27, 2010 20:45:28 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Dec 27, 2010 20:45:28 GMT -5
Athar had posted himself in one of the corners of the room, both apart from Sev and Shine…watching them both through large, black, unblinking eyes. As he leaned his back against the sandstone wall, he debated which one of the two was the worst of the evils. Even just his short interaction with Shine previously had him guessing the younger man was the headstrong and overzealous type…well, at least the overzealous type. The very fact that he was here and that they had even part of a map showed that much. Samantha could be overzealous enough on her own, she didn’t need help from someone else. Sev, at least, seemed to bring around the more sensible side of the girl. For a moment he actually allowed his eyes to slide shut, focusing on the scents his head tresses brought him instead of focusing on his sight or what Sam was saying. For once Sev’s attraction to Sam wasn’t catching his attention as much as the man’s mildly raised adrenaline…there was just a scent to the stuff, or rather a scent people got when they were more tense than anything else. The odd part was, the man ‘smelled’ as if he wasn’t just concerned or focused, but also rather unhappy. A mental tick-mark was placed in favor of the soldier. With another breath he filtered through the ‘scents’ in the air once again. Sam was exuding a mixture of ‘anxiety’ and ‘attraction’…in that order. At least she had priorities straight, but he hadn’t been particularly worried about her priorities. That didn’t mean that he was happy about the latter, but he couldn’t exactly stop it…just live with it and try to curb the emotions before anything happened that would make him need to use the heavy blaster pistol on his hip, or the blaster rifle he had stored in the speeder. One last inhale with closed eyes had him searching out the new ‘scent’ of this Shine character. A few of those tresses curled or twitched just slightly. What was it about this girl that brought all these men around? A better question, perhaps, would have been: why had her father asked him to make sure she stayed out of trouble and heartache should anything happen to him?! So here he was, faced with two completely different men, both interested in her, and both more than capable of getting her into all sorts of ‘trouble and heartache’ whether they tried to bring it on her or not. Shaking his head slightly he opened his eyes again, tuning back in as Shine spoke, then Sev. Sam gave him a sidelong glance and nodded almost imperceptibly. He returned the favor before looking back to Shine and speaking quietly. ”Ya evar hear of a group called da Black Bha’lir?” He’d shrug slightly as Sam nodded once, this time enough to be easily seen and understood. Stepping forward, Sam would motion to the foot of the bed, the small armchair and the wooden table chair that she’d previously placed close by. She took a knee herself and waited for the others to join her in the makeshift huddle, after all, it was best if they didn’t speak across the room if they could help it…even if it was a small one. Producing a small holo-projector from her belt, she clicked it on allowing a 2-D blueprint of the Hutt palace’s upper level appear before them all. ”This is, as of now, all we have mapped of the palace, thanks to our contact. We’ll have to try and map the lower level, at least in part, and find the dungeon corridors. There are typically several of them…four or more, but each palace is different and I’ve been unable to dig anything up on this one. Athar or I will be best at searching the lower areas tonight or tomorrow night for obvious reasons…”She paused a moment, glancing up at Sev. Sam doubted he liked the idea one bit. Glancing over to Shine, she made sure she especially had his attention. ”Hutts light their palaces with infra-red light…they can see in that spectrum easily, so don’t try to sneak around…especially if you don’t keep that, and the fact that they’re damn near resistant to everything short of the Reaper himself, in mind. My HUD picks up infra-red and Athar can see in this low light fairly easily making us the best choices. If you have any qualms, keep them in mind and tell me in a moment.” She had brought her eyes back over to Sev with this statement, cutting off his ‘complain option’ for now. With another click of her thumb on the holo-projector, several lengths of wall on the blueprint blinking several times before highlighting and staying that way. ”These are the support walls of the upper palace, as well as some strategically optimal places to for Sev and I to plant our charges. We can do that before our target day, but the others…we’ll likely have to plant them as we go or save them for if we get into a pinch.” Nothing we haven’t done before, at least. She couldn’t help a slight smirk curling one corner of her mouth before she was all business again. ”As we gather information I’ll add it and update your own information. Athar has a projector like this one and I’ve already sent it to his datapad, Shine I can send yours to the Cat and your datapad so you can mark sentries on it and update the rest of us, Sev…I trust you have something? We’ll cover more ground, and be less suspicious, if we move individually while the Athar and Shine pin down problem areas.” Pausing, Sam mulled over what she’d covered, ticking things off her check list in her mind… Sighing, she knew there was a problem…a fairly big problem…and one that Sev wouldn’t like her confronting. ”This brings me back to the problem of the lower level. We don’t have any clue what’s down there and we can’t go wandering blindly when we’re going to be crunched for time with a potentially weak or injured wookiee…and I can only think of a few solutions to the problem. 1) One of us, Sev, Athar or myself need to learn to use your mapper, Shine, and do it ourselves. 2) One of us…likely myself, through the HUD…streams video feed of the lower level. Or 3) one of us accompanies Shine himself down there and do things that way.” Looking over to Athar and Sev, she fixed them with her grey gaze steadily. ”Opinions are welcome.”
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
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Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
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Dec 27, 2010 22:26:03 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Dec 27, 2010 22:26:03 GMT -5
Shine hadn't expected a warmer reception from either of Sam's companions, so Sev's stiffness to him was no surprise. He didn't openly express his displeasure with words, something Shine would have actually preferred so it would be clear and in the open. But the memory of how Sev had responded to him in the Hutt's main audience chamber was still as clear as if it happened moments ago. They hadn't known each other at the time, so for all intents and purposes, Sev had been acting as what he expected the others around him would act no doubt; but Shine was no fool. He had heard the discontent behind his words at the time; there was some truth to how he had responded to Shine. The man had some kind of issue with Shine and his eagerness to learn why they were here and to join them in this probably didn't help. Oh well. I'll just have to do my best to prove myself worthy of some respect. Not that I came here to get that, I came here to help. That would just be a bonus.
While his attention had been on Sam following his question, Shine was still watching Sev out of the corner of his eye, noting that the man was watching him too. The man's eyes were hard and analytic, more than likely noting everything he could about Shine. Shine's eyes weren't much different, other than the fact that they weren't boring holes into Sev. His were casually light, hiding the fact that they were taking in everything about Sev and Athar as well. If one got to know Shine, they'd be able to tell when he was being serious and when he was being playful; this was one of those times that he was being mostly serious, yet that air of cockiness was still there. You couldn't blame him for that; his job required him to do what he did best. Find out what needed to be known, then getting away very very quickly. He realized as he waited for his answer that he would need a better speeder; the one he had now was just good enough to get him around. They would need something much faster.....and come to think of it, there were several speeders outside that looked to be of a higher class. Maybe it was time to do a little shopping.
Before Sam could answer his question, Sev took it upon himself to do it for her. During this time, Shine watched how Sev held himself. Sev's stance was firm and unmoving; Shine knew that kind of standing. It was the stance of a military man, which meant that Sev was or once was a soldier. The way he spoke backed that thought, as his words were direct, straight to the point, before Sev returned to his silent contemplation. The thought that Sev might be an active soldier was an odd one, especially considering he was here aiding Sam, who as far as Shine could tell, was a smuggler herself. Then again, the two of them seemed to have a past acquaintance with each other, so he chalked his reasoning for being here to that. He had to put those thoughts to rest though, as Sev's answer his question had given him something new to mull over.
The first thing Shine responded to was that this operation was to save someone locked in the Hutt's dungeons. A friend perhaps, an ally they owed a debt too was also there. It didn't matter either way to Shine; the simple fact that they were here to free this being brought a smile to his face. It gave him almost a menacing look when coupled with his eyes, which had narrowed a little as complete seriousness took over their stare. Whatever he thought about Sev or Athar was, for the moment, put aside. They were the kind of people who would jump into one of the most horrible nests in the galaxy just to save their ally. That alone earned them Shine's respect and attention, even if they didn't want it. And it brought a even greater admiration and interest in Sam herself; he was glad he had ran into her on Umgul, glad he had ran into her here. Now all he had to do was not mess up.
The fact that their friend was a wookie made Shine whistle in his mind. He had heard the stories of what wookies could do, had even heard a little about what a Wookie going madclaw meant, but had never met one in person himself. They were pretty rare to run into outside of their home world of Kashyyyk after all. Well, look who has some pretty interesting connections..... Sev assured him that the madclaw bit was a lie, something they were using to keep the truth hidden, though Shine wouldn't have any clue about that unless they told him more. He could only take Sev's word for it; if Athar and Sam backed that claim, it would make it even more easier to believe in. He made a mental note, however, to ask Sam about it at greater length later. He had something else he wanted to ask her, but considering the situation, it would have been grossly out of place. He'd have to wait till this ordeal was over to ask anything not related to the mission at hand; asking her now would only make him look like an idiot.
Athar, who for the most part been sitting in complete silence at the back of the room, finally picked a moment to add in something. Shine had been paying attention to the Nautolan as well, but aside from those large black eyes watching the scene before him and the twitching of his head tresses, the man had remained quiet for the discussion. Shine didn't know much about Nautolans, less than he knew about wookies, but he did know that those long tendrils hanging from his head had a purpose....he just didn't know what that was. What Athar had to say was as direct as Sev had been, but it was a question rather than a statement. Shine rose an eyebrow to it, running through his mind where he had heard the name Black Bha'lir. They sound familiar.......but...no wait. I got it! Turning his head to Athar, Shine quickly answered his question, knowing that things needed to keep moving.
"Aye, I know the name. Their basically the gentleman's club for smugglers. A good bunch, or so I hear. Can't say I've had much contact with them.....I'd have to say my first direct encounter with any of its members would be, and I'm guessing here, but you guys."
His eyes indicated only Sam and Athar when he spoke this; Sev didn't seem like he was one of them but who could say. Either way, he left the matter at that, instead moving to follow Sam's lead as she moved to the base of the bed. By some form of luck, he was the closest to Sam when they sat, taking the wooden chair she had been leaning near before she knelled before the bed. Sam then produced a small holo projector, flicking it to life in her hand. A 2D model of the Hutt's palace, or at least a part of the Hutt's palace, took shape before them, its light mirrored in all their eyes. At any other time, he might have chuckled at the fact that the image was almost clearly seen in Athar's big black eyes. But the mood at the moment kept him from doing that, instead locking his eyes on the image before him. He wondered silently to himself if his work had been added, but since he had only given them the full map now, he doubted it. Hopefully it would be added later and contribute, even in the smallest way.
Silent was Shine as Sam gave the briefing, letting his mind wrap around the matter and look at it from different angles. The lack of information on the critical dungeon area was a fault, but it was an area that he wouldn't have been of any help. Shine was an unknown to the Hutt and Sev was more or less a simple bodyguard. Athar had some kind of previous connection with the Hutt, which meant he had the highest chance of moving about without being questioned. Sam could do the searching as well, he mulled to himself, but it would be a little risky. Still, he didn't know as much as he wanted to know about Sam yet; who knew what skills she had aside from being an amazing pilot? Shine's response was a curt nod to that, then he noticed that she was looking at him. The second he did though, she continued with her speech; obviously she wanted to make sure he was listening to this part. And when she spoke...Shine had to wince, remembering a full things he had done under the belief he was hidden in the shadows. He would have to remember that in the future....which hopefully wouldn't be a long future with the Hutt.
The rest was relatively simple in direction. Sev and Sam were going to start planting charges hopefully in advance and baring that, do them on the run. It was a good idea; should things go to frell, the charges would make a good distraction to cover their getaway. Maybe the Hutt would end up suffering an untimely end as a result......true it would put Shine out of a job, but then again, he'd asked for half at the start for a reason.He had no love for the Hutt, not one bit. As far as he was concerned, only the thought of death for screwing the Hutt was gonna keep him on the task now. The rest of the money was an added bonus of living. The mapping thing was simple enough; Shine had his data pad on him and with a flick of a finger, that data could be on his pad and also back on the Cat's database. And the moving individually wouldn't be a problem either; even he had to admit it would look way to off for any of them(save Sev and Athar as a pairing) to be mingling together.
This brought her to ask what to do about the lower levels. Though her eyes looked to Sev and Athar after listing off the possibilities, Shine was still mulling them over in his mind. Despite not being directly asked for his opinion, Shine intended to give it anyway. He had too. What he had to say would narrow down their options, at least by one for sure.
"Pardon me for throwing this out there, but let me put in some input of my own. It should help narrow down the choices. Now, I can't speak for Sev or you Sam, but I know the device won't fit to Athar. Sorry mate, but your hair won't allow it. You might be able to get it on under your mask Sam, but it could mess with your HUD in the long run. And Sev.....it should fit you, but as Sam said, her or Athar would be the best choice to do the scouting down there. I agree there; they would be able to move about with the least amount of resistance.
Now, three sounds like a plan; you could accompany me Sam or Athar could, as you both have the needed gear and traits. And Athar has ties with the Hutt from what I've seen, which could allow him some measure of flexibility in who he takes with him. But it would raise the question why I'm with you and could ultimately serve to be the downfall of the plan. Sev and Athar could go however, while I focus on learning the upper patrol routes with Sam or whoever doesn't go down there. They came in together, so it won't look as out of place.
Not that two doesn't have its merit as well. If you stream the video to me, it wouldn't take me long to take the footage and turn it into a working map. I did the upper part of the palace in an hour or so, the rough design anyway. Wouldn't take me long to add in the additional items either, especially if you tag point of interest at the same time. The only fault I see with this is that it's likely you that has to go Sam. And while I'm sure your good, I'm not so sure how much that Ubese costume will grant you in terms of freedom wandering the dungeons. More than me or Sev for sure; it depends on how cautious this Hutt is.
That's what I have to say on the matter. In the long run, I say that we go with option three. It has the best chance of success. Sorry for butting in when the table was to Sev and Athar; just speaking what I felt needed to be said." With that said, Shine sat back a little to let the people she had actually fielded the question to speak their mind. And to start wondering how he could do that wiring thing if it came to it.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
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Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
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Dec 29, 2010 22:12:59 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Dec 29, 2010 22:12:59 GMT -5
The first thing that struck Sev about the new recruit was not, in fact, his demeanor or the way he respected the orders of another figure but his reaction to Athar. The sergeant had barely heard the comment the nautolan had made but knew it had something to do with the Bha'lirs, likely an attempt to make Shine put two and two together in this case. However the rookie took the question and ran with it, speaking in a full voice for all to hear; the act made Sev flinch. He made the connection between Sam and Athar audible and not in a low voice.
Hold yer tongue, rookie! If'n ye really knew th' situation we were in ye'd know tha' the walls have ears! Sev hissed, his voice low enough so that they all heard it but likely no one else. Even if they were listening.
Button yer lip.
As Sam began their debriefing session Sev settled in beside his nautolan partner. Very quickly Sev realized that this little mission was more complicated than he had at first supposed. With the lack of knowledge of the lower level they would be going in blind, deaf, and dumb to any possible threats that they would face. Not only did they not know the lower levels but patrol routes were still unmapped; there could be any number of tangos in those lower hallways. Slowly Sev's eyes worked their way over the small holographic projector that displayed their only known information. The main audience chamber was recognizable, the guest-room section, the main entryway... and that was all.
At least they knew something, the structural supports for the upper palace. That would likely mean they extended into the subsurface but little more could be extrapolated from it. However, there were many things that didn't make their lives any easier; the infra-red light, the likelihood of guards, hell, perhaps something even more monstrous in the basement. Who knew... Well, they would have to in order to pull this mission off properly.
Next Sam gave her run-down on what they all had for capabilities; her infra-red ubese HUD, Athars low-light vision, Shine's datapad and data processing unit for the holographic map, and so on. The thought of Infra-red gave Sev a start and he ran his free hand down to finger the scope of his rifle...
Thats right, the new scopes... A small smile spread across the sergeant's face; he had an ace in the hole for this little adventure. Finally Sam got to the mapping of the basement and she gave a trio of options, each viable put potentially risky. As Sam finished, asking for opinions Sev sat straighter and pulled his rifle to his lap. He was just about to speak before Shine interjected, offering input of his own. A scowl formed on Sev's face as he leaned back, hoping the kid had something useful to add.
He spoke of his mapping device, a useful concept but in Sev's experience such a device was obvious and, in this kind of situation, obvious meant lethal to the users. As Shine carried on Sev leaned foreword again looking at what they had interpreted to be the entrance of the Hutt's underground. Immediately he saw the inherent beauty of a second opinion. Whereas Shine gave them the mapper, potentially putting them at even more risk, the sergeant thought he saw a better way. The entrance to the dungeons was off the beaten path on the opposite side of the palace from the visitor wing; in fact, just off the cantina. Finally Shine finished and sat back in his seat. Pulling his rifle to his lap again he began unfastening it from the rail-system. His voice was low but loud enough for those gathered to hear him.
Sorry, lad. Ets too risky. Ah dinnae know what mapper ye' have but ets likely no' either compact or discrete... they aren't built tae be. Ah have a second option, et won't get th' best data from th' dungeons bu' et will give us guard numbers, shift changes, an', if'n we interpret the data reight, a broad sense of the general area. We dinna need a true map, jus' an idea of where everythin' es.
Smiling Sev finally unfastened the attachment and pulled the scope off his rifle, the blocky thing resting easily in his hands.
Thus is new Republic tech, called SNARL. Aside from bein' ah full scope an' sight et identifies pheromones in th' air an' transmits tae mah headset. Ah've followed a criminal just by "scent" through a crowd with thus. Ah think et'll work here, too.
Leaning foreword he placed it for the other three to see on the closest surface.
Give meh a day an' ah can built ah patrol schedule, shift change, an' number of guards down there along with how long et took them tae go down an' back if they appear close enough taegether. All of it es stored in th' helm.... Sev puts a finger on the component-rig on his helm. an ah can send et tae the rookie fer processing intae a true map.
Sev, immensely pleased with the tech, simply looked around and waited for the news to sink in. His face was completely passive as he looked from Sam, to Athar, to Shine all in turn.
Thus will let ye three tae busy yerself wit' logistics on thus floor without risking folk actually goin' downstairs.
He was just sitting himself back before an idea struck him again. It was the most crucial concept that they had to deal with and one that may make or break the entire concept of using the SNARL in the first place.
Oh, ah got a good look a' th' masonry close tae those passages; plenty o' crumblin' plaster an dark shadowy recesses tae place et.
Nodding to himself that he thought everything was in order he leaned back into his chair and waited for the others to speak. Everything was suddenly looking up for the first part of this op. The Hutt had seen him in his full flight gear near the bar, he didn't have to carry his rifle, the SNARL would gather the data he needed, and he could be drunk from sunup to sundown; what wasn't there to love?
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Jan 1, 2011 7:55:05 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 1, 2011 7:55:05 GMT -5
Calmly Athar had let one thumb trace the designs along the hilt of his scimitar, the heavy weapon smelted from a combination of beskar (a small amount that could have fit into the palm of his hand, which he received as payment for a job), a cortosis alloy (again, no more than would have fit into the palm of his hand), and steel. Some of the design on the hilt had been worn down from his handling it as he thought, or in his using it as a sort of worry stone. In this instance he was thinking…though that swiftly ended as Shine replied to his rhetorical question from across the room and with seemingly little care about who might be listening.
Sam had paused, tense and silent, her ears perked for sounds that might come from outside the room her thoughts temporarily derailed as she attempted to decide how to deal with the new situation. Athar’s hand had clamped down on the hilt of his blade and his black eyes narrowed, partially lidding themselves as those smooth features hardened into stone. He too was attempting to decide how to deal with the situation…the problem was, they didn’t have anything to cauterize the wound with after he cut the tongue out. Luckily Sev came to the rescue right as Sam took a breath to do the same thing.
“Hold yer tongue, rookie! If’n ye really knew th’ situation we were in ye’d know tha’ the walls have ears! Button yer lip.”
It was certainly more civil that either Sam or Athar were thinking at the time. Running a hand over her face, Sam went on with setting things up, grousing about the situation in her mind...grey eyes hard and unforgiving for a several moments. Her breathing was still shallow and tense because of the possibility that someone might have heard. As Athar stalked up, he glared at Shine, taking the moment to loom over the man who was now sitting near Sam. ”Pray ta whatevar diety ya believe in dat no one heard dat, or she an’ I are dead by tamorrow. Dat worm’ll stop at notin’ ta find us if ‘e hears we’re here.” With that he forced himself to sit in one of the seats, his hand still gripped so tightly around the hilt of his blade that it was bleaching the skin of his knuckles.
Sam couldn’t blame him.
The thought that someone had heard was…terrifying. For generations the Bha’lir and Hutts had been at each other’s throats as they both struggled to destroy or harm each other at every opportunity. If they were discovered…if the Hutt actually went witch-hunting for them and revealed them…not only would the operation be a failure, Athar would be killed, Sev would either be imprisoned or killed, and she would either be enslaved (again) or killed. Suppressing a shudder she’d tried to shake off the stigma of the incident and proceeded to give them the information. By the time she was finished she was not only feeling slightly better (she’d been concerned she might not remember everything after the mess just previous), but she was also feeling the need to shift. With a slight groan she switched knees and rolled out her right shoulder a bit as she let the projector rest on the knee she had up while she listened to the other options they presented.
Honestly, she hadn’t been asking Shine for his opinion…especially not after earlier, but she took it anyway. Yeah, she’d thought he might suggest that course of action. She’d also liked it least, and she could tell Sev wasn’t about to let it stand if he had a choice, but something in his posture…the way his hand moved just enough to glide along the scope of his rifle…he had something else in mind. Unfortunately, what he had in mind would take too long to get accurate readings that they could use. Something they could really sink their teeth into and feel comfortable with what they were going into. Not only that, but…”I need you working on other things, Sev. Even if you think you can just sit back and let a scope, of all things, do the work we don’t have the time to let it gather information then have Catman here make a map…if that would even be possible from the info obtained from a stationary object that might or might not look out of place.”
She paused a moment, looking up at him seriously. ”What kind of mess would we be in if it was found, hmm? You’d be out a weapon, and someone would likely recognize it as yours if it was brought up here. Hells, the slug might recognize it.” Sighing, she shook her head slightly. ”There’s got to be another way then…we’re just not seeing it yet.”
Finally Athar spoke again.
He’d been thinking for quite a while on the topic, his eyes closed as he let his mind mull over the possibilities. They needed something that moved…it needed to have video feed to help make the map and get guard positions…this SNARL scope thing might help, but…it didn’t move and didn’t take video feed. But if it did…His eyes had opened then, gazing at the others for a long moment before finally putting his thoughts to words. ”If dat scope can take video feed as well as ev’ry ting else ya say et can…let’s take da ting off da rifle an’ stick et on a droid dat goes down dere? Let da droid do da work for us. If da scope don’t take vid, it’s easy enough ta get a mini-cam an’ use it enstead. I might have one in my pack still. We can transmit da feed ta Shine’s ship an’ ‘e can make da map wit dat.”
For a moment they all seemed to consider it before Sam smiled and nodded slightly. ”So far I think I'm in favor of that one…if we don’t use the scope to attach to the droid, then we can still have Sev set it up and get readings…but I want to cover all our bases as much as possible, the cam would certainly help with that. If it’s one of the Hutt’s droids it won’t be given a second look anyway.”
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
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Rocking from the Great White North
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Jan 1, 2011 12:57:47 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jan 1, 2011 12:57:47 GMT -5
Athar might as well have plunged that scimitar he was so tightly squeezing into Shine right then and there when he and the others spoke their words. It probably wouldn't have hurt as much as the words themselves, or the looks he got from all of them. Shine may have been an idiot for answering what was obviously a question not to be answered(how was he supposed to know that), but he had answered in the hushed tones that they had all been speaking in. Obviously that didn't matter. He should have known that the question was merely one to make him understand who they were, should have read that in the way Athar spoke it. But he hadn't, had been stupid enough to answer and now.....well now whatever trust he had been building from the three in the room was probably gone. Even Sam, who had been his only defense against her comrades, had given him a cold and unforgiving look.
He knew that look, and he knew the tone that came form Athar's voice as he hissed his words. The tattoo or burn, a little of both actually, under his clothes still burned from the day he got it. And that wasn't the only thing that burned at the words...his memory decided to plunge itself through the years, back to the day his foolishness had resulted in the death of so many of those he knew. Some have forgiven him, others had said they would have made the same mistake and didn't blame him. But it was the unforgiving words and glares of those who had lost people they cared about because of his mistake that burned brightest right now, the situation before him mirroring those days. He doubted any of them were giving him any second glances now, probably focusing on the matter at hand rather than him in order to avoid venting their rage, but if they did, they might have noticed the air get sucked clean from him. Oh yes, he had felt the implications of their words and stares.....it was only to his credit that he wouldn't leave now that he knew the situation that he didn't just excuse himself and left the whole matter behind. If anything, he not only had to help with this matter, he felt obligated too. Maybe then he would also redeem himself a little....but that was probably a dream.
He wasn't so far gone that he didn't hear the words of the others though, even if he had dropped his head down as matters sunk into his head. He again felt himself sink a little, but only because he realized that his vote had gone to the one that was actually the least likely to succeed. That fact snapped most of him back to what needed to be done, this time with hopefully more focus than before. He did have other reasons for making sure this ended well now after all. The mapper, in fact, was small enough to be discrete, if one knew how to use it and ha a quick hand. Something he was sure all of them would be able to do. But it was true, he wasn't likely going to be going down there, even with one of them escorting him.
Sev's idea did provide them with the best way to accurately pinpoint where all the guards were, but the problem with it was immediately found when Sev suggested how long it would take to make a complete scan. Shine didn't know exactly how long they had to pull this off, but from the sound of it, not a lot. And Sev hadn't answered whether that day meant of him merely scanning and then the time needed to actually build the map, or if the day was a collective total of both tasks.....Shine hoped it was the latter. His eyes looked to the rest of them to see if what they were thinking could be read on their faces, though he was again reminded that he wouldn't be looked so nicely upon for a while. Sev was impassive as he had always been, although he swore the big guy was just a little more pleased than he had been before. Sam and Athar both simply stared at the device, pondering in their minds like Shine was doing now.
Sam's words broke the silence that followed and with a sigh inside, Shine went back to musing. He didn't let it show that he was a little happy that Sev's idea wasn't much better than his own, mainly because that still left them with the problem of what to do. Gears were clicking in his mind as he tried to figure out what could be done, taking into account all that had been said and offered. The scope was useful but like Sam said, risky if the thing was found. His mapper was a good idea, but they had no way to get it down there. They needed a final piece of this puzzle.....but if it had been shown, Shine couldn't see it. He was wondering if they couldn't rig it to something when Athar pulled the final piece they needed out of his pocket...so to speak. The idea worked its way through Shine's mind like good oil, helping the frozen gears to begin moving again as his mind quickly added in this new information before he dared to speak again. In hushed tones of course.
"That sounds like the best plan yet. You wouldn't need to send it to my ship though, I can do most of the work from my data pad if we're pressed for time. And if its possible to stream the data live, as it's being taken, I can make the map twice as fast. I'd say give it half a day at the most, just in case our "walking radar" decides to stop for any prolonged period of time. Should give us the best chance at getting a complete map.
I'm assuming we want to get on this as fast as possible, so we'd have to stick the droid soon. I suggest Athar do it; I doubt any of the droids would think twice if it was someone who's known to the Hutt gave them a pat on the back. Aside from that, I'm left to your guidance to where and when you want me. I'll need a little time though, to either buy a new speeder...or acquire one, since the one I got right now....well it won't be outdoing some of the stuff I saw outside. And a way to keep in contact with you if possible. I hope that sounds better than anything else out of my mouth today."
He realized he had to say something regarding earlier, only this time, he didn't say it with words. To both Athar and Sev he tapped his head and mouthed the words Sorry, I didn't mean to put you in danger.. Sam probably saw it too, but he had a form of communication to her that he didn't have to them, at least not yet. Carefully, he tapped a few keys on his data pad and sent a very, very short message to her, coded so many times he'd be surprised if anyone that lived in this cesspool knew how to get past the first layer. =Sorry= Now all that was left was to keep his mouth shut and see what the others made of the new plan and if anything else was left to add.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
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Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Jan 8, 2011 18:39:17 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Jan 8, 2011 18:39:17 GMT -5
His suggestion was one that the seargeant honestly hoped would work. He could stand for a drink, a moment off before they spilled blood and saved an innocent being. Sadly, such a perfect dream would not come to pass; not here anyway. Though his concept was a good one there was one if that could not be overlooked; if it was spotted. Both Sam and Athar made valid points and, as their goal was to devise a way to accomplish their ends without getting any of them killed, Sev had to concede the point. Aside from the obvious he couldn't lose his SNARL. The Republic would get suspicious when he returned to his post without a brand new piece of tech he received just before taking leave.
Sev listened to each of them in turn, intently, and knowing full well what business a Hutt meant when lives were on the line.
It was Athar that put a proper idea forth, though. "If dat scope can take video feed..." The SNARL could indeed take real time video feed and transfer it to the computing device on his helmet via an encoded channel, or so it said in the manual. This way if they could find a method to attach it to a droid that was inconspicuous, Sev could do other duties for this op without drawing attention; if its a Hutt's droid no one would dare mess with it. No one sane, at least. Sev's voice was low, limited but forceful. He didn't know if the rookie had set anything off thus far but he wasn't about to take chances.
Aye et takes video feed. Ah've nev'r tried a' any range oth'r than th' end o' meh rifle but ets worth tryin'. Even if th' qualiteh falls off aft'r a few dozen meters ets better than goin' in blind. No' tae mention th' appearance would mesh well wit' oen o' the' clunkers flyin' aboot thus place. After th' footage es taken ah'll send et tae th' lad oan mah pad.
His reference to Shine was almost forced, his better mind suggesting to call him green, rookie. Sev had to correct himself though; he never called his squad-mates green or rookie and, for the time being, Shine was in his squad. Something else, something that made him smile, was the fact that this was not his squad at all but Sams. He never doubted her resolve or tenacity but this would truly put her character to the test. Sev had no doubt she would do well.
At least she had the nautolan. For all his attitude, for all his over-protectiveness; there was no one better to help Sam.
As the trio finally completed their conversation Sev could feel Shine radiate with a desire to speak. Much like Archer, Sev noticed the strange-eyed lad seemed to get a touch more fidgety when he had something to say. When the lad spoke this time around his voice was more appropriate, hushed and limited. Sev hoped he had made their situation more than clear.
It appeared that Sev had. Speaking softly, Shine confirmed the map-making could be done through his datapad. Though Sev did have one he only rarely carried it; it seemed that this time around it would be necessary. Briefly Shine spoke of obtaining a speeder, something to ensure their getaway and deferring to Sam and Athar, the true brains in this situation, as to where he would be assigned. A small smile broke over Sev's face as Shien went silent once more. He realized that he would have to ask the same question. Sam's former commander asking her for an assignment... it still felt odd.
Well fer wha' we know ah think we've said all we can fer data gatherin' 's far as ah know. We're gonnae use thus scope system, He held up the SNARL. and plot the basement liek tha'.
Pausing Sev sat straighter and gave Sam his undevided attention. They may only get one chance to say this out loud. The Sergeant wasn'y about to mishear something. For in this situation, as he knew all too well, something missed could get them all killed.
Now, lass, ye said ye had somethin' fer me tae occupy mah tiem. What'd ye 'ave in moind?
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Jan 9, 2011 22:15:44 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 9, 2011 22:15:44 GMT -5
“Aye et takes video feed…”
She had to admit, Athar had come up with something that would keep them all out of the fire, hopefully, and allow them to perform other tasks simultaneously. Nodding slightly to herself, or maybe it was to the room at large, she tried to assemble a possible map of what would be down there from what they already knew in her mind. An animal pit below the Hutt’s main chamber, no doubt some store rooms, some rooms to pump and process the water as well as heat or cool it, the cells themselves, no doubt a guard room or two…the question was: where were they all placed?
“That sounds like the best plan yet. You wouldn’t need to sent it to my ship though, I can do most of the work from my dada pad if…”
”Our speedar will work fine. I’ve made sure et’s up ta par an’ bettar dan most o’ da tings dey use ‘round here. Et’s da tan enclosed one wit da black stripin’. I’ll have Sam send you my data pad code.” With that Athar made a mental note to unbury his ear piece from his pack tonight and link it to Sam and Sev’s. It would only do in getting messages to him, but at least that would be one less thing they needed their hands for. ”As for da scope…it’ll take me a little time ta jerry-rig sometin’ up ta attach to a droid swiftly, bu’ I can do et. Especially if I pick da droid tanight,” he rumbled quietly, blinking once (slowly) at the younger man’s mouthed words.
For a long moment Sam gazed intently at the holographic blueprint of the upper level of the palace as if it contained the meaning of life (which, by the way, was 42). Unfortunately, 42 was nowhere on the blueprint so she was, instead, contemplating their next moves. Through the silence her datapad pinged softly, but she ignored the sound. Everyone she needed to speak to was here in the room, so there was no point to checking it as far as she knew. Grey eyes narrowed slightly as she mulled over the best possible times and places to set up the charges so they would cause the most confusion (and destruction) in their favor.
“Now, lass, ye said ye had somethin’ fer me tae occupy mah tiem. What’d ye ‘ave in moind?”
For a moment she didn’t seem to hear him, her eyes still locked on the blueprint emanating from the holoprojector on her knee.
”Oi Sev? Feel like having a drink tomorrow…?” A slight smirk formed on her face as she finally looked over at him. ”I think I can let you do a bit of drinking on the job, might even make it a requirement…you too Shine.” Pausing a moment she looked back at the blueprint pointedly. ”This area here, at the end of the guest rooms, is the cantina. I checked it out earlier today for a moment. There are some good views of the main hallway leading to the back from in there, as well as providing the SNARL better range between the scope and receiver on Sev’s helmet. Sev, you’ll have to go without either for a bit…after you’re done with your drink you’ll leave your helmet beneath the table, there’s one here by the wall closest to the hall with a ‘window’ in it. Shine you’ll need to take that table immediately and keep it. You can work there to time the guards and process the map.”
“In the meantime, Sev I need you to plant charges as discretely as possible. This wall here, just past the cantina, indicates the limit for guests…no one’s allowed past there without a good reason. As such we don’t know much about these back rooms. This one, off the main room, is the Hutt’s bedroom. We’ll have to collapse this wall to block any possible attempts to get through to us from there should anything go wrong. The two rooms above it are believed to be the slave quarters, male and female separately…let’s try not to harm them if possible. Across the hall from those is an unknown room and the guard bunk at the back as well as one stairwell. We know next to nothing about this large room here, except it seems to be open air on one side…it may be some sort of recreation area for the Hutt, I'm not sure. The two rooms below that are believed to be storage rooms of some sort, likely contraband or goods used on a daily basis.”
“We’ll have to do a bit of snooping if the droid can’t get the information for us swiftly enough, and plant our charges accordingly. Our best bet is to collapse walls here near the guard bunks to at least buy us time…and here, near the cantina to cause confusion and further hinder intervention on their part. It helps that this wall is also a supporting structure, much like the one that makes up the southern wall of the bedroom and main room.”
She’d let that information sink in for a moment as she looked back at Shine, then Sev, and gauging their reactions to everything she’d just said. Athar narrowed his eyes just slightly and she knew already what question was forming in his mind. She decided to cut it off before he, or anyone else, could ask it. ”We won’t be able to go through the front door. Too much trouble, too much time, so we’ll have to plan ahead and make a hole here in the southern wall of the hall, since it’s closest to where the speeders are. That means more explosives, but I brought enough for a small army, soooo…” She shrugged slightly and smirked impishly. Sam hadn’t earned the nickname ‘bomber’ for nothing; the woman certainly didn’t limit herself to missiles and bombs, she had a fascination for just about anything that required some form of combustion.
”Athar, I need you to rig up that scope ASAP and try to get it on a droid tonight or tomorrow morning, then see if you can’t find anything out about the wookiee and that back room or any other useful information.” He nodded just slightly, they had already talked at length about each other’s duties before Sev had ever gotten involved…and more so after the fact. No more was needed. So, with that said she looked between the other two. ”Questions? Clarification?”
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
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Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
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Jan 10, 2011 9:16:27 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jan 10, 2011 9:16:27 GMT -5
Aye et takes video feed. Ah've nev'r tried a' any range oth'r than th' end o' meh rifle but ets worth tryin'. Even if th' qualiteh falls off aft'r a few dozen meters ets better than goin' in blind. No' tae mention th' appearance would mesh well wit' oen o' the' clunkers flyin' aboot thus place. After th' footage es taken ah'll send et tae th' lad oan mah pad.
Shine visibly grinned when Sev said this, his mood regarding the earlier moment lifting a little. If his SNARL could pick up the video, it made it all that much easier for Shine to map out the basement in a way that it could be used. So long as the droid they attached it too went about its business and went far enough, they might actually have a chance of getting a good clear picture of where they would be going and what to expect down there. Well, whoever was going down there anyway; Shine was going to be up top preparing the get away.
Athar's mention of the speeder that his group had brought covered one angle of that part of the plan. If it was better than most the speeders around here, then Shine wouldn't need to find a new one, although he did want to transfer a few things into it just in case. And of course, his backup plan for making sure pursuit would be impossible for the Hutt's men would still come into play; you never did know what custom jobs had been done to those speeders after all. Heck, one of them could have the power to outrun a swoop racer and still not be going top speed for all they knew. Course the chances of that were about as nil as the Hutt ever smelling clean.
Shine was still pondering how he was going to put his backup plan into effect when Sam was given the table again. Putting his thoughts aside for the moment, Shine brought his full attention to bare on the woman. He had to admit, she was doing a really good job of laying the groundwork for this mission and giving them an incredibly detailed briefing for what they would face, what they needed to do and how they were going to do it. She had never told him what rank she had been before leaving the military, but there appeared to be a few moments when he could swear he saw shades of a commander in there. Small memories of the man who commanded his squadron back in the day passed through Shine for a moment, a nostalgia he briefly held for a moment before letting those feelings pass. They wouldn't help him today and he needed to focus now more than ever.
There was a lot for her to say. Which was good and bad; good because it gave Shine a lot to work with for the maps, bad because as Sev and Athar had made clear before, there was the chance they were being listened in on. Still, since they were all talking in hushed voices now, most eavesdroppers would get is bits and pieces if they didn't just get mumbling voices. His fingers and brain weren't idle as she talked, his hands dancing across his data pad as he marked exactly what some of the rooms on the map where. The cantina was clearly marked and he didn't need a sign to guess what the biggest chamber was, marking that as the Hutt's audience chamber. The Hutt's bed chamber was marked(although the thought of what was in there made Shine almost retch) The slave quarters were marked, his mind pondering if the bombs used on the Hutt's room would effect them. The back rooms Shine tagged as Sam suggested for what they were, but he left question marks due to the uncertainty she had about them. The only one he really tagged for sure was the guard's room. Finally, he flagged the back room as Sam believed it to be, a recreation room for the Hutt but left a question mark there. Again, Shine cringed.
He brought his mind to think about what she needed him to do in the cantina. Surely enough, the place gave a very nice view of people coming and going. And even Shine could linger around in there without worry of too much suspicion as long as he played the part well. Of that at least they wouldn't have to worry about; he knew how to act like any other man having a good time while working at the same time. Frell, most Corellians did that without even thinking. And considering how much work lay ahead of him, a good drink or two would be nice, although he wasn't going to drink up a storm when something this important was happening. Even though he could hold his liquor well, he wasn't going to chance it, especially when he had to drive as well. Well, work and play combined are never a bad thing. So long as I remember which I'm supposed to really be doing. Which is work.
When Sam smiled after mentioning how many bombs she had brought, Shine had to keep his grin from turning into a laugh. That would have been a bad idea at this point in time, so he opted for his amused smile to handle the job. Guess the name bomber wasn't just for show. You can never be over prepared Wan had always told him, its called having insurance. Better to have more than needed when you only need a little than have less than needed and find out you need more. This applies to ammo, plans....and sometimes a good woman. After a few more words to Athar, Sam turned her attention to Shine and Sev and after a moment to let all the information sink in, she asked if they had any questions or needed clarifying. Shine pondered this for a moment before answering; there actually were a few things he wanted to ask, though he tried to ask as discreetly as possible and in the hushed tone like the others.
Just a couple of things from me, otherwise I'm peachy. This door we plan to make, are we making it from the inside, the outside or a combination of both? And if you want to help keep a fan club from following you, would it be possible to leave a few toys laying around that could be triggered by someone who may be watching via someone's head cam, provided the feed is live?
And I guess you want to keep pursuit off you as much as possible so I an idea that may or may not work. You may not be going out the main door, but they surely will when blasters start going off or bombs start blowing. If we can disable it, then use a well timed bomb in the path to the door we're going to make, that'll slow any real pursuit save those that are already outside. With the door down and their way blocked by rubble, they won't be able to give real chase. Like I said, it's just an idea and if its too far out there, pay it no mind. Though I think at least the blocking of your followers is possible.
That's all I got. I'll need the SNARL for a few moments before Athar takes it to make the connection to my mapper; that way it can do its job while I do mine as effectively as possible. And a way other than my datapad to keep in contact if that's possible, so I can focus on working with it and keeping updated real time. He went quiet after that for a moment, watching their reactions to his questions and suggestion, hoping that for once he hadn't gone too far in his inquires. And if its not too much trouble....I'd like a look at your speeder. Like any pilot likes to do before taking something into the deep frier." And with that he went completely silent again, his hands still working on this data pad. His eyes though, never really left those around him.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
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Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
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Jan 14, 2011 21:35:36 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Jan 14, 2011 21:35:36 GMT -5
When he asked the question, simple as it was, he almost found himself floored by the answer he received. Bloody hell, this trip might not turn out so poorly after all. That was, of course, after the gunfights, explosives, and rescuing of a poor hairball from his dank, damn confinement in the cellar of the worm's palace. The sergeant would not look a gift gundark in the mouth; a chance to drink at all during this mission would at least serve to settle his nerves. He would remain cautious, concerned about what may happen if they were to fail of course, but knew he could at least enjoy a Corellian whiskey while they gathered information.
A win was a win.
It was when she said that he would have to be without his helmet and scope for a short time that Sev's eyes narrowed. The concept of what they wanted to do with the helm itself was sound but in the Sergeant's mind warnings began to sound. Trying to shake off the feeling of unease he cocnentrated on Sam again as she used her small holomap projector to indicate several places where he needed to plant charges while he was drinking. A small smile crossed his face as an idea how to discretely arm the indicated walls occurred to him. Sev could hold his liquor but the guards didn't know that.
The subject changed again and Sev couldn't help but smile much more openly about it. Sam had been sixth-squad's primary demolitionist back in the Sevens. It was no wonder or coincidence that her squadron handle was Bomber. He would have been surprised if she hadn't brought enough explosives to bring the entire palace down around them. The nostalgia wore off slowly as her briefing ended, correctly asking if everything was A-OK with the instructions they had all just received. Sev did have a point to make but Shine beat him to speaking, again. Sev shrugged; there was no rush.
The rookie's first suggestion was not likely to happen without serious problems. Sure they could leave traps and explosives around but it was important that they have the element of surprise for as long as they could; too many explosives meant they would be found out and the Hutt would be alerted. It was a quick way to the noose more than a viable option. Disabling the door would certainly buy them time if they could seal off their "portable exit" and, in the shadowy entrance it was much more likely for them to set a charge and not be seen; Sev nodded at that point.
The request me made sat Sev straighter in his chair. Though the soldier knew he had to part with his SNARL for a time he was quickly reminded of why something had to be done about him losing his helmet. Setting his rifle against his chair he reached to his belt and undid the strap, slipping the helmet into his grasp so he could look at it properly. The SNARL's computational system was obvious on the beige head protection and, grasping the edges Sev slid it from its clasp with a click, slipped a small switch, and set it on the table. Setting the helm down he snagged the scope of the configuration again and depressed a button. By the time he had finished with his tinkering Shine had quieted himself.
Ah think et'd be best if'n ah hold ontae meh helmet. Th' SNARL system when linked tae yer pad'll look more like a holonet receiver than a piece o' military gear.
Giving Shine the barest of grins Sev slid the pieces over to him.
Jus' set yer pad tae accept broadcasts an' then flip th' switch oan th' helm component an' ye'll be connected.
Nodding he turned back to Sam before glancing at the holomap.
Ah think tha' Shine's go' th' roight idea aboot disablin' th' door ifn' our exit es gonnae be less than customary. Reaching toward the map he identified what he thought would be their best exit; the wall closest to the speeders. Ah say blow tha' wall in two places to give us a door an' weaken th' structure. We can drop a detonator on the way oot tae collapse et fully.
Sev paused and sat back. He knew a few things about demolitions himself.
But th' more charges we place, the more chances th' tossers 'ave tae see one an' sound th' alarm. Cannae hae tha'. Oth'r than tha'... Sev paused, thinking if he was missing anything. When he was satisfied he wasn't he leaned foreword again.
Nae questions from meh, lassie. Ah think we're ready tae hae ourselves ae blast.
The sad thing was, Sev wasn't sure if he was being humorous or sincere.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Jan 16, 2011 22:17:25 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 16, 2011 22:17:25 GMT -5
Facial features, slight movements of the body, the subconscious tensing or relaxing of muscle…subtle hints and cues that many people didn’t even think about sometimes spoke louder than any words could. Sev wasn’t happy about having to leave his helmet behind, but as far as she knew the reader for his scope wasn’t something he could just detach. Shine obviously had something on his mind; Sev hadn’t been the only one to recognize hints of Archer’s ‘antics’ in Shine’s behavior…it made him a bit easier to read, anyway. He seemed pleased, over all, and in the end so did Sev. It was a bit of a relief that the latter wasn’t showing overt distaste for the ideas and information she put forward.
Quietly she listened to both men before sighing a bit as she realized there had been something she…hadn’t made quite clear. A couple of things, perhaps. She was still learning…and learning on the fly at that. Sheesh…I have to hand it to Sev, he makes this look easier than it is. She allowed herself a small smirk at the thought. ”I agree that we’ll need to do something about the front…an EMP might work to stop the systems that open it, but most of the gears are either up out of reach or inside the walls themselves, so we can’t go straight for them. Athar, you can handle the front, you lurk around there enough they won’t think twice about you. Sev, you can work on our way out since you seem to have something in mind. Also…the charges being seen won’t…exactly…be too much of a worry…”
For a moment she would rummage about in one of the pouches on her belt and draw out a narrow, palm length, block of what appeared to be putty and gave it a little toss. ”Have plastic explosives, will travel. I have enough C4 to…re-plaster…all the cracks and door-jams we need in this place without them being overt…especially if we brush a bit of sand across the outside edges of it where it would be visible. Also, just in case we’re not all on the same page, tonight and tomorrow are just our surveillance and preparation days. We shouldn’t make our move until we’re certain we have everything in place…because we won’t have much time once everything starts. We must know as much as possible before we head into the lower levels, and Sev will need his scope and attachment for that as well.”
She’d pause and look at Shine then, shaking her head just slightly. ”And that’s a no-go, Shine…what would people think if you and Athar suddenly started acting buddy-buddy and checking out the speeder if you two are supposed to be rivals?” Shifting, she’d click the holo off again and put the small block of C4 back into her belt pouch. Shifting her pack over to her, she’d wince slightly and then seem right as rain again as she ignored the sharp pain that etched through her shoulder and back with the motion. Opening it, she’d shift a few things inside around as she spoke. ”Sev, Athar will need your scope to attach to the droid, and tell me what you may need for your demo., I likely have…something…to fit the bill. Other than that we’re done here. We meet again tomorrow night, same time. We need the charges planted, the scope back, and map done before then, Shine. We’re counting on you.”
She was looking up at them by now, one hand in her pack as she knelt there, grey eyes boring into each of them in turn. Heh...so much for no pressure...
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Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
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last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
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Jan 17, 2011 1:29:31 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jan 17, 2011 1:29:31 GMT -5
As soon as Sev had placed the device down on the table, Shine had taken it into his hand and leaned back in his seat, drawing his data pad to his lap. He examined the device as Sev spoke, nodding silently in agreement. The device did look much like a holonet receiver, just a tad bit more compact than some of the one's you'd find on a backwater world. Still, he could always tell anyone with questions that he'd managed to swindle a man in the core worlds for it. He spun it once more in his hand, admiring it, before placing it on his lap and setting about linking the device to his data pad.
That turned out to be easier then expected, especially when Sev told him a way to connect to the thing. A few adjustments on his pad, a quick tuning to the frequencies it would accept, as per Sev's suggestion and a final program altercation later, Shine had the pad networked to the device. Or at least, in theory he did. His pad said that the connection was good...but he had to be sure. Turning the device on, he panned it around the room once, then checked the video on his pad.
Surely enough, it was receiving the video. And after a brief double check, Shine figured out that the pheromone sensor was sending data as well, the four of them clearly detected and marked. Shine set about putting a small image of the room on his pad and marking the four of them with a tag that would indicate who was who. As tuned to his task as he was, he wasn't ignoring the conversation around him, so when both Sev and Sam agreed that doing something to the main door was a good idea, a grin slid across his features. Finally, he'd suggested something that they didn't just shoot down. True, it would be tricky to do anything to that door without being seen...but the EMP idea was a nice touch.
"If you guys don't have a device that'll create the EMP charge, I can build one. While I was shopping earlier, I saw plenty of stores with just the things we'd need. I could collect them on my way back here from collecting some stuff from the Cat.
The sight of adhesive C4, often deemed "blast putty" by some of the folks he knew, had him wishing he could whistle. He settled for leaning forward a bit to look at it, the expression a child gave when they found a toy they liked sliding across his features. "Bomber indeed. I think you just made my heart skip a beat there Sammy." Settling back in his seat, he went back to work on the pad, nodding in succession to the remaining info she gave them. So he had the rest of tonight and most of tomorrow to make the map, learn the guard's locations and patrol routes, make sure the get away route was clearly known, gather anything else he needed from the Cat and have a few stiff drinks to settle the nerves. Good thing I'm used to going long hours without sleep or pay. At least I get to drink and spend some more time with Sam. That'll make up for not sleeping this time.
When she told Shine that seeing the speeder probably wouldn't work, Shine sighed in disappointment. Okay, he'd flown stuff before on the fly, so it wasn't really that big a deal. But considering the weight of the situation, she couldn't blame him for wanting to be sure the craft would do what it needed to do. Both her and Sev could appreciate that....at least, if he figured them to be like other pilots he knew and their commitment to their craft.
When Sam winced, Shine lifted his head from his work to watch her for a moment, noting the movement she made that brought the wince. A shoulder injury perhaps....he hoped it was nothing serious. Even if it was though, the way they had spoken and worked on his mission told him that it wouldn't stop her from doing what she felt needed to be done. You had to respect a stubborn will like that; especially when the package it came in did a wonderful job of concealing it. Picking the device from his lap, Shine gave it one last look over before lightly tossing it to Athar. He made sure that even if the Nauto didn't catch it, the item would land on his lap instead of the floor.
He saluted Sam with two fingers at her final statement when she looked at him, a reassuring smile gracing his face. "Tonight and tomorrow? Excellent, I can put some nice touches to the map with that amount of time. Gather up a few things myself as well, even if I'm only a driver. And if you guys need anything, I'll be glad to pick up any missing items on my way back.
If you got some of that putty to spare, I wouldn't mind having some of it on hand. You know, in case something arises that might require a more personal touch. Otherwise, I'm all set and ready to play some ball." He silently added a message via his data pad to Sam as he sat back, waiting for the others to finish. Nothing fancy, just a simple "you gonna be alright with what ails your shoulder for this?" As soon as they all agreed though, he was ready to double back to the Cat to get to work.
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Latus
May the Quartz be with you.
850 posts
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Ain't got time for this. (?°?°??? ???
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last online Jun 27, 2014 19:37:36 GMT -5
Guardian
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Jan 22, 2011 0:36:30 GMT -5
Post by Latus on Jan 22, 2011 0:36:30 GMT -5
Plastic explosives. A chuckle welled up in Sev's chest as a hand moved to his forehead; how could he have forgotten. This was Sam, was it not? If there was one thing about Sam that always surprised him in the Seven's it was that she was never found wanting when it came to explosives. Want a doorway in a duracrete wall? Done. A building brought down? Child's play. A tank disabled at 100 yards? Give her enough time and done. The brick of plasti-boom she was tossing to herself was certainly one way of coping with bulky or obvious explosive systems. It was just a matter of mashing a glob of it into an opening with a detonator in it. The one problem with C4 was that it was unpredictable; too far one way or another resulted in the effects fluctuating dramatically. He would have to be careful, more so than usual. A Hutt's palace... who knew where the weak points in the walls were? Thankfully Sev was also a man who knew his way around explosives; he had an idea that might just work.
Aye, tha' ought tae handl' th' job jus' fine. As fer th' exit ah think th' far wall, aboot... there, He pointed out the wall in question, could be breached wit' three, four charges. Nae more.
Sev sighed as the rookie opened his mouth again, speaking in a tone that was far too casual for this mission. Sammy? Ach, no Seven called her Sammy. Sev had to mentally shake the thoughts off to get himself past it. Even so and somewhat pleased with the small contribution he sat back in his chair, foot tapping as Sam continued on. Her following comment disallowing Shine's idea seemed like it would be for the best; the less the hutt or anyone saw them together the better. For this to work they had to maintain anonymity, act their parts, and be very, very careful. That care was not evident when Shine threw the scope to Athar causing to Sev wince both internally and visibly, he shook his head.
Throughout everything, however, the sergeant could not help but feel a distinct sense of pride. Sam, someone he had practically seen grow from a rookie to the confident woman she was today, found it hard to suppress the feelings and keep his thoughts on the task at hand. As Sam returned to rummage through her pack he shot her a smile that let her know exactly what he thought. As he watched Sev saw a distinct jolt and a wince run through her; this stopped him in his tracks, his eyes immediately shifting to a look of concern, fear at something he thought would never assert itself again. Oh how wrong he was.
Her shoulder... the accident... bothering her.
It had been a long time since Sam almost died in her Firehawk, the day the Sevens almost died. As he understood it she still got pains occasionally but, for the first time in the preceding days, he began to wonder if it would hinder her in what they had to do.
No... He allowed the edges of his eyes to crease. I can't let the fear of that day, of this minor thing spoil what we are doing. Nothing happened in Umgul, nothing happened on the way here... as long as its limited to that range of motion everything will be fine.
When she continued as if nothing was wrong Sev's pride returned but in a different light. He knew of her pain, of her trials with her injury; she could and would overcome it. That was what mattered. Watching her eyes she looked up at all three of them from a knee, her final comment about the scope and the map weighing on their final thoughts. Sev was about to move again, give Athar the scope and be done with this meeting when Shine spoke out again. This time it started as exclamatory, his final plans and intents to retrieve a few things on his way back from the main settlement; not a big deal.
His second statement however set Sev on edge again. He requested for some of the C4, an odd thing to do, and whats more added "in case something arises that might require a more personal touch." Sev eyes and head turned in the direction of the rookie and the sergeant scoffed, shaking his head. He did not know the kid's experience in the army but he somehow doubted that they would leave any kind of explosive in his care. His thoughts from earlier immediately conflicted, his personal view of Shine returning so something slightly less than favorable.
Lad... Sev paused, trying to phrase what he was about to say in the least abrasive terms he knew.
Ah doubt ye have much experience wit' thus kind o' explosive. If no' set right, if'n th' detonator es no' connected reight ye could get misfires, delayed explosions, er even accidental detonations. Ye'd best leave th' explosives tae us. Oh, an dinnae be throwin' aroond technology tha' esn't yers. Ye cannae buy tha' scope a' yer local armory.
His annoyance and frustration certainly played on his words but he covered them as best he could with the forceful tone of a sergeant. There was so much more he could have said but it would not do to cause friction between members of a squad so close to an op. Nodding now that his point had been Sev turned his head back to Sam.
If'n ye can supply th' detonators ah'll show ye some o' mah handiwork, lassie. Should be jus' like th' good ole days. With a smile he turned to Athar. Jus' a rail system; ets all you now.
When he turned back he noticed Shine typing something on his data-pad but paid it no mind. There were other things that needed to be done and sleep tugged insistently at his eyelids so he straightened himself and stood.
Ah think thus operation es ready. Howev'r, th' sack es callin' meh. G'night folks, ah'll see ye all en th' mornin'. Ets gonnae be a big day, get lots'a rest.
Taking his weapon he patted Sam on her good shoulder, gave her a look of soft concern, edged around Athar and stepped to the door. In a single motion he nodded then slipped out, closing the door quietly as left. As he walked back to their room he glanced down one end of the hall then the other, the palace dark, silent, and foreboding. Gingerly his hand reached out to touch the door knob and he paused, taking a deep breath.
This place is gonna light up so bright in the next couple of days...
With that he opened the door and stepped in. Quickly removed his boots, set his rifle beside his chair, sat down, and was asleep several minutes later.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
Master
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Jan 24, 2011 19:36:33 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 24, 2011 19:36:33 GMT -5
Sam had glanced around at all of them, narrowing her eyes slightly as Shine twirled the receiver in his hands. Something in her from the Sevens rose up once more and bristled, but she didn’t allow it to show as anything more than a flick of her eyes over to Sev that swiftly returned to the group at large. As he used the scope to pan around the occupants of the room, she continued on. Athar, on the other hand, gazed unblinkingly at Shine through large black eyes. The swirls on them, to any other nautolan, would have indicated well enough that he was not appreciating having the scope trained on him for any length of time. For those who weren’t of nautolan descent, the minor tremors in his head tresses would be a signal as the tips flicked or curled slightly. Sam merely ignored it.
She tended to do that a lot when he got miffed.
”Well, that would be great, if I could even rig one. I don’t know what they teach navy pilots about demolitions, but…well I have something. It’s a little bulky, but isn’t all new tech? Anyway, I'm sure Athar can find a place to put it the day of so it isn’t sitting around for long.”
Athar simply nodded to her words.
Sam winced again not moments later…but this time for a completely different reason than her shoulder. Shine had tossed the scope to Athar and, while the man had caught it easily, it bothered her that it had happened at all. Scopes like that just didn’t grow on trees, they weren’t toys or junk, that was a good scope, she could tell just by looking at it. Shaking her head, she debated saying anything, but Shine was talking again and she waited.
He was requesting some of the explosives and she turned her eyes immediately to him, concerned. Sev, however, beat her to saying anything, his annoyance showing in his tone. Sure he tried to hide it, but she knew him and his voice better than that. She sighed quietly before glancing up to Athar, then over to Sev. Athar simply shrugged slightly in return. If the kid wanted to blow himself up, let him. Glancing back to her nautolan friend, she gave him a ‘you aren’t helping’ look. Again he shrugged.
Finally she stepped in, laying things out on the table (so to speak) in as diplomatic a way as possible. Hopefully it would ease some of the potential stress Sev had just decided to add with his tone, well meaning though he may have been.
”Look Shine. The point of the tasks I’ve assigned you is to keep you from being discovered as part of us. Because of that, and because I don’t know your experience with handling explosives, it would be irresponsible of me to give you any of this. Also, you shouldn’t need to put any ‘personal touches’ on anything. Remember, we’re asking your help yes, but this is something we’ve been planning for a while now and you’re a new factor…it was in all of our interest to bring you in so that you could both help us, and be out of the danger zone that this place is going to become, so please…don’t go looking for things to do that could put you more at risk than you already are.”
Rummaging through her pack, she pulled out several bricks of the explosive material and enough detonators to get the job done (plus a few), handing them over to Sev in two goes. ”Here then, this should be more than enough for your plan and the others we need. I’ll leave our exit to you.” She’d flash a grin at him and move on. He’d never really had much of a need to practice his demolitions training with her around in the Sevens, but the times she’d seen had impressed her well enough. She certainly hadn’t been expecting it the first time she’d seen it, but Sam knew better by now and she knew she could count on him to get them out.
When Sev stood, talking about sleep, she nodded. It certainly sounded like a good idea. His friendly pat and his look were both met with a smile and a slight nod. She’d caught his look earlier as well…the mixture of emotions that had etched their way along his face and posture…the shift in his eye color. His concern touched her, even though (to her, anyway) he needn’t have been concerned. This sort of thing came and went and most of the time it just left her be.
Her data pad pinged.
Once again she ignored it to be read later. ”He’s got the right idea, we all need to get some sleep…”
”An’ I’ve got dis scope ta find a vict…carrier for.” With a small grin he too would leave the room. Sam would stand and see Shine from the room before locking her door and shutting off the light, flopping into bed and falling asleep.
Athar had no trouble finding his way back to the room he and Sev were sharing, and the walk alone was welcome. It gave him a bit of thinking time, his hands moving along the scope, turning it this way and that as one part of his mind worked on how to attach the thing to a droid while the other part filtered through the events and observations of the night. Slipping into the room he glanced to the man asleep in the chair and huffed softly as he moved over to his pack and shifted through it quietly.
Sev was more military than anything else, but he had to hand it to him...at least he had brains. That, and he seemed to genuinely care about Sam. All the tension between the two of them was proof enough that he was at least honestly interested for Athar. Typically anyone who wasn’t honestly interested, didn’t honestly have some sort of investment in Sam, would back down and the tension would fade or the person would vanish altogether. The interactions between the two…from the aftermath of the brawl on Umgul, to the looks he’d given the girl tonight with her shoulder…told the nautolan that it was an emotional investment.
Admirable, at least, he mused as he pulled out a small tool kit and clipped it to his belt as well as a few small pouches that went with it. Dis Shine on da uddar hand…’e’s impulsive. Too impulsive maybe. For a moment he looked at the scope through large black eyes, studying the rail. This wasn’t going to be easy. Sighing, he stood again and slipped out into the halls again to search for the ‘proper’ droid to hijack. Truthfully it didn’t take long. He knew, more or less, where to look as he crept into the narrow passage created by the back wall of the cantina area and the wall that formed the hall where Sam and Sev would be working later that day.
Picking a particularly blocky looking droid, Athar carefully popped open the side panel and swiftly pulled two wires free. Pausing, he glanced up and down the short line of droids, his ears straining to hear any movement. None. He let out his breath with some feeling of relief and pulled the droid out of the line and carried it down to the dark end of the corridor. He would be there for almost two hours, working on different ways to attach the scope so it could be easily removed, stay fairly hidden, and not slip out of his position (or off completely). Finally he managed it, easing himself up onto tired and stiff limbs from sitting so long on the floor and the time of night (morning), and brushed the sand off himself. Quietly carrying the droid back to its place, he’d carefully lean it into the space it had come from and take hold of the two wires he’d disconnected earlier. With a careful hand he reconnected them and closed the panel.
Another tense moment of waiting to see if he was caught and no disastrous results…thank the force. With that he switched the scope on and hoped it would last the duration they needed…he wasn’t entirely sure how the thing worked, or what its power source was. With those foggy thoughts, he crept his way back to the room. A swift working of the key card and the door unlocked, opening into the darkness of the room. Creeping in, he didn’t even bother to remove the tool kit from his belt (much less anything else from his person) as he locked the door again, moved to the bed, sprawled across it face first, yawned once, and fell asleep almost instantly.
That was actually how he’d stay until Sev woke him up, or the alarm on his wrist-chrono went off around ten…whichever came first…either way he would be grumbling about it. After that would be some manner of clean up and off to lurk the corners of the Hutt’s palace and see if he could find out anything useful from anyone there.
Sam, on the other hand, was up early.
Did she like being up that early? Hells no…but it was the best time to get some of her work done without there being a lot of activity. This Hutt was notoriously lazy, and accounts all pointed to the fact that he enjoyed lounging and sleeping in late…something she’d mentioned to Sev on their way here as being potentially useful. I’d like to lounge around and sleep in late…but no, I have a wookiee to save and a palace to blow up.
She sighed softly as she poked her head around a corner, eying the hall in the dim light before adjusting the light enhancement of the HUD optics to give her just a bit better view of the area. Cripes, it smells back here even through the filter! Ugh…Hutt sleep smell…Via, please, never let me have to smell this again. It’s worse than Hutt awake smell. Didn’t think there WAS such a thing. Then again, maybe it was the smell of whatever was down stairs mixed with Hutt smell? The thought made her stomach churn. Pausing beside a wall, she glanced around, listening, as she rummaged in her belt below the Ubese cloak. With practiced skill, she eyed the thin crack and chipped piece of wall pulling off a suitably sized chunk of C4 and carefully pressing it into the niche. Checking the number she’d labeled on the underside of the small detonator, she brought the map up on her gauntlet and marked its placement before pressing it into the ‘putty’ and covering it slightly. With a bit of sand to disguise the whole thing, she moved on.
Pausing before one of the unlabeled rooms, she glanced around again. No one in sight or sound really…wonder what’s in these rooms. For a moment she debated the intelligence of checking, to trying to check. Curiosity nearly got the better of her before she decided it was best not to tempt fate by poking her nose into places the Hutt might have alarmed, or otherwise protected. It was a good thing she hadn’t stayed, anyway. One of the guards came trudging down the hall, forcing her to seep backward into the open ‘hall’ of the largest room in the back, sinking into the lingering shadows and dipping her head down to become little more than what looked to be a table or crate. She was passed by easily enough, but her heart was in her throat the entire time she listened to the human (or was he Epicanthix?) come and go before finally fading out into the distance. That was too close…I need to hurry up and get out of here. Come back when Sev’s about. She did, however, take long enough to get a look at what was just past the open end of the hall and into the room.
Now this is a surprise…interesting…so maybe we have a back-up exit, she mused, slipping in and planting several charges around the room, as well as one near the top corner of the room where the metal latticing met the wall. Just in case…it was always nice to have a backup plan. Finding her way out of the room once more she placed two more charges on the ‘unknown’ room walls and very carefully made her way back to her room, sending the updated map (the one with markers for her charges and a name for the large room in the back) to all three members of her team…and a note to Sev…once she got there.
=Sev. Just in case, I set a charge that could give us another route out of the palace in that lounge/garden. Also, when you’re out with you work in the back, we should both be back there. Anything back by the guard bunk will need a look out, and we should try to find out what that room off theirs is. I have a guess, but I'm not sure it’s right or not. If I am, it could be more than useful to us.=
With that sent, she was about to flop back onto her bed when she finally remembered the other two messages she’d gotten last night…this morning…whatever. The first one was short enough and she simply chose to ignore it. No point in replying at this point in time, really. The second one she blinked at quietly for a moment before deciding to reply to him as well. =Yeah, Shine, I’ll be fine. Old injury just acting up a bit. I'm used to it.=
Now…
Yay for more sleep!
Four hours more sleep, to be exact. She woke at ten, her datapad chiming at her annoyingly. Sighing heavily, she pulled it out of her belt and promptly made it shut up. Eying any new messages she may (or may not) have had, she was up once again and immediately went off to scrounge up some food from the cantina. Glancing around she didn’t see anyone she cared about just yet. That was good anyway, meant she had time to take her food back to her room and eat it. After all, having a mask on was not conducive to eating. Something she did swiftly enough once she got back.
It seemed that in almost no time things were picking up again and she was using the thin crowd around the cantina to slip back into the back halls and toward the hall that led off to the guard bunks. Her skin crawled with the memories of being ‘slave for a day’ to the Hutt as she glanced down the opposite hall. Moving swiftly while there was no one about, she slipped into the dark hall between the unknown room and the guard bunk. Sev was already there and seemed pleased as punch about something. What he told her he’d found had her grinning beneath that mask and nodding. Yes, she’d thought so…a veritable playground of a weapons cache, and a brilliant place to rig to blow. He seemed to have a plan for it already, so she let him take the task and kept a close watch on the comings and goings of the guards from the darkest shadows she could find. Once he was done, she’d swiftly give a check to the surroundings and slip out of the hall, check the main and then head back toward the cantina.
Stopping a droid on its way back into the back hallway, she immediately occupied it with about as pointless an argument as she could think of…something about bathing facilities, or lack there-of…until she saw Sev move past behind the protocol droid. With that she gave a short growl, told the droid it obviously knew nothing of the needs of sentients, and swept off back toward the main room. This was where she’d spend the rest of the day.
It was night once more and this time, she didn’t bother to meet them at the top of the hall. Instead she settled herself against the wall near her door until they were all safely inside the darkened room. Once they were, she would follow inside, lock the door and bring the lights up. Pulling the cloak and mask off she beamed a grin at all of them, motioning to the seats again. Moving past Shine toward the bed, she gave him a light pat to the shoulder and dropped the two articles of ‘clothing’ onto it before joining them in their small grouping once again. ”Alright, well…we’re all here and in one piece…no alarms have been raised and we’re not running for our lives or being fed to the beasties, so I take that as a good sign. What’s the progress?”
Once again she was trying to tame her hair as she spoke quietly to them, pulling it out of it’s previous ponytail and combing her fingers through it to try and get all the frizzy bits back into some kind of order before tying it off again. ”My charges have been placed and marked on your upper level maps, as well as some of the ones I know that Sev placed. What other updates do we have?”
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