Clean Up & Cash Out

[Rugs]

Zarkan | Dire Wolf | CaptainBonkers

Brun-Tak leaned against the wall inside a small room at the small, backwater little spaceport he’d set as the rendezvous point. It was easier this way. He only had to pay an arm to get the place cleared out for the day, instead of an arm and a leg at one of Ylesia’s larger ports. With that damn Mandalorian’s asking price, there was no way this side of hell he’d be paying more than he had to for anything else on this job.

But if this job paid off... Well, a few hundred thousand creds to get the Mandalorian’s help wouldn’t be much of a problem.

It would be a problem if the Cartel decided to fortify the Weeping Falls lab’s security after that bungled break in with his last team. Brun-Tak shuddered. Everything had gone perfectly until it hadn’t. Maybe, with any damn luck, this second team would do better.

---

Io’an put a hand up to shield his eyes against the sun as he stepped Jayec’s ship. There didn’t seem to be much of anyone at this tiny spaceport, which squatted atop a cliff overlooking the Gachoogai River.

“Well, it’s a lot different than Nar Shaddaa,” he muttered to no one in particular as he looked around. He picked up a black, nondescript duffle bag at his feet — filled with some slicing gear and that armor he’d worn on the agri-station raid with some modifications — and wandered off from the ship. Jayec would follow, surely, once everything was secured.

The Sephi couldn’t sake some trepidation at coming on the mission. Not only was it dangerous, but on a world teeming with so much natural energy...

He inhaled and could nearly smell it. It wasn’t the same as the all-encompassing, suffocating crush of life on Nar Shaddaa--it felt more real, somehow. More untamed. More powerful. Io’an’s lips pressed to line as he walked toward the terminal, where they were supposed to meet for a quick briefing. Just gotta keep it under control.

And then there was the job itself. Who knew the Cartel ran a lab on Ylesia, of all places? A door hissed open and Io’an stepped from the hot, humid outside air to the cool, recycled interior air. And what’s with all the crystal jobs on the HLS? he wondered. It seemed to sudden to be a coincidence.

“Ah, I was wonderin’ if any of you were gonna start showing up.”

A gruff voice greeted him as he walked into the meeting room. A Weequay leaned against the wall. He was wearing armor with some symbol Io’an didn’t recognize emblazoned on the chest. A long, curling scar marred his face. It was bright and pink. Fresh. “Have a seat and keep to yourself. We’ll get started when the rest show up.”

Io’an hesitated, then exhaled heavily through his nose and set his bag down near an old, off-white repulsor chair. He sat down with an internal groan.

Something told him today was gonna be a long day.

[Dire Wolf]

Heavy steps brought the girl down from the belly of the unsightly ship she'd been running on for the past few weeks, since her master's untimely demise. The crew had been good people, and accepting of the competent mechanic that they'd hired. It hadn't even taken the smugglers a lot of convincing to travel to Ylesia for a spice pick-up; dealing in drugs didn't exactly sit well with the young Warden, but it was their Force-given right to buy and sell it if they chose. What had taken a bit more convincing was for them to land in such a deserted space-port. They'd wanted a bigger place to offload their goods, yet she had managed to persuade them with credits. Quick landing, quick exit, and maybe head for another space port on the other side of the planet. Depending on how safe the young Warden felt staying in hutt space after the job went down.

A black stylus meant for her datapad danced between her fingers in an arc while she wandered the station. While hardly anyone milled about in the port, life crushed in at the fringes of her awareness. So much of her life had been spent out among the stars that any significant signature managed to stagger her, for a moment. Thankfully she hadn't explored her ability to sense nearly as hard as others, else she'd find herself debilitated. Instead she continued to wander the station for a few minutes longer, attention focused on flipping that pen until the suffocating, claustrophobic feeling ebbed away.

After a trice, the Warden slipped out of her leather jacket only to throw it over her shoulder; damned heat and humidity had begun to force beads of sweat to well up at her forehead. She also drew her hair back into a loose ponytail for equal parts utility and a reprieve from the heat. A heavy sigh ripped past Ava's lips as she stepped into the designated room, the conditioned air immediately coaxing a happy little noise from her before the sight of a Sephi and a grizzled Weequay. "Hey," her eyes instinctively fell to the Sephi who sat back in a repulsor chair with a black duffel nearby. Force user. Recent events had her wary of anyone with a significant presence in the Force, and this guy had it in spades. Rather than make her observation vocal, however, she found herself a seat on the opposite side of the room of the slender guy. If he went crazy, she'd at least have plenty of time to react before being cut in half.

[Zarkan]

Groans from the wore out undercharge shook Karos awake as the ratty old courier ship he'd chartered to take him to this backwater piss hole settled onto the ground. He grunted at the Echani who stuck her head through the hatch separating the small makeshift passenger cabin from the cockpit before standing up while stretching out the kind of kinks one only gets while sleeping in a moth-eaten seat haphazardly welded to the floor, before straightening the long coat he'd thrown over his armor and reaching down to grab the heavy green duffle that held the majority of his equipment. He waited long enough for some tweaker and a woman who stank of cheap perfume to clear the aisle before making his way off the ship.

Ignoring the shifty-eyed merchants darting around the large man made his way through the maze of bays towards the terminal. The truth was Kell was rather hoping the job would go a bit sideways he was itching for a good fight and so far the jobs popping up on Nar Shaddaa had been rather disappointing even after he'd lowered himself to debt collecting he only got one who was willing to scrap and a thundering left hook left him toothless and senseless. He ran his finger over one of his prized trophies stashed in the breast pocket of his armor. His face curled into a cruel smile as he remembered pulling the five-inch tusked out of the mountain of a Gamorrean that it once belonged to well, the half that was left of him at that point. He fondly remembered that bounty and doubted that anything on this job could compete, but he supposed skewering a few guards would be better than nothing now that most of the bar-goers in his normal haunts were smart enough to avoid his agitation now.

The mercenary came to a stop just in sight of the terminal and scanned the sparsely populated area quickly spotting the armored Weeqauy. Letting out a low whistling sigh from his janky nose, Karos let his face drop into a blank mask through his scar kept his mouth in a perpetual half snarl, before making his way over to the group lounging about. "Well, at least one of you looks like they can bloody well handle themselves in a good scrap." He said as he walked through the middle of the group to lean against the wall a few feet from the male Selphi. "I take it I'm mostly getting paid to keep the waif and the squirt from geeting themselves knocked silly, aye?" The large man let the duffle rest at his feet before giving a wheezing snort. "How long 'til we get this show on the road?"

[CaptainBonkers]

If it hadn't been for the Hutt influence, Jayec would have liked Ylesia. Sure, it was hot and humid, not to mention the freakishly short day-night cycle that messed your perception of time real bad, but it's wilds had character that spoke to the hunter in him. He had been to a reek safari here a few times in the past and always enjoyed the trip as soon as they had made it out of the urban environment. There was something in Hutt architecture that seemed to suck the life out of everything around them, with their massively looming palaces bearing over the surrounding squalor of their servants' and slaves' homes and utterly dominating the skyline of the city. Jayec wasn't usually too bothered by slavery, anyone willing to suffer their existence in slavery without rising up trying to escape ultimately deserved their fate, but the way the Hutts often seemed to relish in parading their mastery over other beings that rubbed him the wrong way. Hopefully the day would come when Mando'ade would descend upon the rotten structure of Hutt space and make something worthwhile off it. But that day still loomed in the distant future when Mand'alor once again led their people to war against the rest of the galaxy.

Today’s agenda was good old fashioned mercenary action. Go into some secret lab hidden in a jungle, shoot up the place, recover some sciency shit, get paid. Not the most complicated job he had ever accepted. And as bonus he got the kid, Io’an, tagging along. The lad might not have been the most formidable of fighters but more than made up for it by being damn handy with all manner of technologies. It was handy having someone whose first instinct for opening a locked door wasn’t to look for a bag of explosives.

Of course, the kid wasn’t the only one tagging along. A couple of others with whom Jayec wasn’t too well acquainted with were also coming along for this ride and they were the ones Jayec was the tiniest bit worried about. Strangers brought their own baggage to a mission and incompatible personalities could cause tempers to flare. Yet, here he was, going in with people that had been mostly thrust upon him and hoping none of the ones he didn’t know weren’t complete nutjobs. Well, unlikable nutjobs. Crazy Jayec could live with as long as the lunatic was likable; it was the combination of crazy and unlikability that caused friendly fire.

Well, he thought as he exited the ship, at least I have the squad on standby in case shit went really sideways. It was a bit shame that the client wanted to rely on this collection of random operatives that had responded to the ad but what could you do. The gig had sounded too lucrative to pass up, so Jayec had sent most of his unit on another job under Kenna’s watchful eye and brought along only a small group as potential back up. If shit hit the fan it was good to have people you could rely on on call.

By the time he arrived at the meet up most of the others had arrived too. It was quite the mixed lot to say the least. However, looks could be deceptive and one couldn’t really get a feel of people just by their looks. Hopefully the client had had the good sense to hire professionals instead of a budget squad.

He gave Io’an a nod and proceeded to lean on the wall, waiting for the briefing to begin and evaluating the others in the room through the T-visor of his helmet.

[Rugs]

Dire Wolf | Zarkan | CaptainBonkers

Brun-Tak regarded each new arrival with a cold, borderline-hostile stare. A hacker that looked like he couldn’t handle anything rougher than nerf milk and rice pudding for breakfast, a girl who claimed to be a Sky Warden or whatever-the-fuck, a giant brute and the Mandalorian that asked for way too much godsdamned money.

The things I do for money.

“Well you ain’t my old crew, but you’ll have to do,” he said once the Mandalorian was in. “Then again, the old crew didn’t make it out, so I hope for all our sakes you not bein’ them is a good thing. Anyway, we got shit to do so let’s get to it.”

The lights dimmed, as a holoprojector lit up. A heavily-forested hill, far away from civilization took form in the middle of the room. The rolling greens of the trees and river blues flickered with a ghostly light as the map slowly turned in the air. A stretch along the hill’s souther side gave away to a sheer drop, where a broad river had cut away the earth and given way to a massive waterfall.

“These are the Weeping Fall,” Brun-Tak said. “And behind ‘em is the Weeping Falls laboratory. Just about impossible to get in if ya ain’t supposed to be there, but uh,” he flashed a card and a smile featuring several broken teeth, “I got that handled.”

“Now the problem is what happens once we get in the damn place. It’s a big facility. Got security outta the ass, and it’s probably gonna be worse after my last break-in went to shit faster’n an Echani eatin’ at a a Gamorrean cafe.” Brun-Tak frowd for a moment. “Rumors is the Cartels work on all kinds of crazy shit in there. That may be true but frankly I don’t give a fuck if it is. We’re here for this.”

The map vanished in a mist of holographic particles. A large crystal took its place. It was violet, over the natural blue tint the projector lent it. “Now I dunno what the fuck my client wants this big damn thing for, but they’re offerin’ a shit ton’a money for it. I don’t know why the Hutts are keepin’ in it a damn fortress. But we gotta get it, so we get in, grab the damn thing and get the fuck out. Oh, and try not to die. Simple.”

Brun-Tak scoffed at the team. Honestly, it felt like a suicide mission. But these days he didn’t have much else to do. And if he could avenge his fallen crew by getting that damn crystal, well... It would be a start.

“I’ll be givin’ maps with an optimal route in and out before we head out. We’ve got a getaway ride lined up. Any questions?”

---

Io’an glanced at the other two as they came in. The first, a woman. A Force user. She sat on the far side of the room, and seemed to have some trepidation about something. Io’an just nodded at her. No need to pry. He still wondered if it’d be wiser to return to Jayec’s ship.

The extremely large man followed. He seemed... grizzled. Reminded Io’an of Jayec in some ways. Mostly in that it looked like he’d seen a hell of a lot more than Io’an had. Still, he frowned ever so slightly. “I can take care of myself,” he said quietly. “If I need to.”

Jayec came last, and Io’an offered a genuine smile.

The briefing was to the point. The Weequay was grating but got the point across.

“Um... I’ve got one,” he said. “What’re the security systems like? I imagine they’re all internal to the base of course, but if I can get access to them before we stir up too much trouble, I might be able to help make things easier for us.”

The Weequay frowned in thought. “I think we’ll pass a terminal pretty early, kid. I don’t know what the hell it does, but if you wanna try your luck, go for it. Anyone else?”

[Dire Wolf]

Ava hoped that her svelte acquaintance had no ill intent towards their little outing; money had a good way of nudging others into amiability. Even so, until she'd gotten a better grasp of the man the girl thought it best to stay on the opposite end of the room. A curt nod was quickly followed by the Force User's, however no sooner had she acknowledged the man than a gigantic man strode in. Waif? Ava's brow quirked in spite of the bristling in her chest. She was no waif; Ava was a Warden of the Sky. Or, had been one... but that was beside the point. Really beside the point, and it hadn't muddled the sarcasm that dripped from her tongue, "my hero." Besides; he'd see just how useless she was in a scrap when she crumpled a durasteel helmet with a fist.

Fact was, Ava was pretty sure the big guy was in some sort of strength enhancing suit. Barring that, he was freakishly tall and built like a shock-boxer. While she could utilize a few separate schools to enhance her striking power the likelihood of overcoming such a big man was slim. However, it was Iago who taught her that simple brute strength wasn't all that there was in a fight. Another appraising eye drifted over the armored mercenary, however she gleaned little more information before another big guy stepped in. Mandalorian, from the look of his armor. A heavy sigh pushed past Ava's lips; she was liking this lucrative job less and less. And less.

Of course the lights had dimmed shortly after the slightly less big guy stepped in to reveal a bird's eye view of the surrounding forest and a river that wound into a waterfall. Beyond, apparently, a really secret security compound sat. Yet, as she waited for a better layout of the facility none came. Rather, the rotating map reformed into a large crystal. Their prize. As though they wouldn't immediately recognize their quarry upon seeing it. Her eyes flashed over to the Weequay, who gave suspiciously little in the way of briefing. Of course, he mentioned handing out maps.

She thought for a moment, trying to come up with a question that hadn't already been covered. The only one that pertained to anything was to be handed out later on, with optimal routes. She would certainly be comparing them with another to verify that they were the same; probably the Mandalorian. They didn't seem to like Force Users, but it was between him and the mini giant and the svelte Force User. She'd take her chances with the vicious marauder every day of the week.

[Zarkan]

Karos let out a croaking chuckle as the small man spoke out before turning to look at him and folding his arms. "That'd be rather more convincing if it was loader that a Correlian rat's dying screech." he said in reply before giving the small woman a crooked smirk in response to her sarcastic quip. She at least he reasoned had a fight in her maybe there was still hope for this disaster or at the very least if he still needed to ring a little more "fun" out of the job she seemed a good target for goading into a fight after they were all paid up. The glint of light scattering of dull metal caught his attention and he tensed his muscles as the Mandalorian strode into the midst of the group. Nevermind the girl he thought to himself as his mouth twisted into a wide toothy grin that displayed more than one yellowed, crooked, broken, or missing tooth he would the best if more blood was needed Mandalorians were always good fights and always easy to goad into a scrap. Still, if their piggy bank though he needed someone who charges as much as mando's typically did this base was likely to give more than enough blood and cries for him.

The large mercenaries grin didn't change throughout the briefing he even started springing slightly on the balls of his feet almost like a small child waiting to be handed a much-desired toy. Cartels? Heavy security? Fortress? This was about as good as it could get for him when he couldn't toy with his kills. Though he thought as his face fell into a tight predatory smile there may still be a few opportunities and besides as long as they couldn't fight back surely his team wouldn't mind if they kept screaming for a while. As the short briefing closed and the Weequay asked if they had any questions the young Selphi man quickly blurted one out. Karos couldn't help but roll his eyes, of course, the slicer wanted to be quiet. Oh, well he thought he could always set an alarm off by accident if he got too bored.

[CaptainBonkers]

Jayec was beginning to have bad feeling about this whole job. A bad feeling that was not at all helped by the people the weequay had decided to bring along, apart from Io'an. The lad not might have looked like it but he was more handy in a fight than you might have guessed and had a reasonably sound head on his shoulders. The other two mercenaries on board of the job on the other hand gave Jayec some doubts. The lass seemed nervous and a bit lauduur while the big guy, while formidable looking, was smiling in a way that set off some alarm bells in the Mandalorian's gut. He wasn't letting that one spend much time behind him, that was for sure.

The weequay's plan, or rather lack there of, wasn't calming his bad feeling either. There were simply too many variables that the weequay hadn't brought up that made Jayec worried that the so called plan was based on positive thinking and can-do attitude, also known as bug-eyed self-delusion. "I've a bunch of questions alright, so lets start with the easy ones. What's the estimate on enemy strength and what's their equipment like?" he inquired once Io'an had voiced his question. "If you'd happen to know their patrol schedules and routes that would also be appreciated. Would make reaching the place without blowing our cover that much easier." 

[Rugs]

Brun-Tak grinned toothily at the Mandalorian’s questions. “Alright, at least one of ya can ask a question worth a damn,” he said. “So, they’ve got a private Hutt security company that keeps the place locked down. Pretty good, highly-paid — gotta be to keep their damn lips shut about the place. They ain’t pushovers, but we should be able to handle ‘em once we’re in. They’ve got some automated systems in place too, but most of that deal with denyin’ access to intruders.” He nodded at the blonde Sephi — I figure hacker boy there can deal with that.

Brun-Tak folded his arms over his chest, eyeing the group. “As for that other shit, yea I got all that handled. Got one of the lab’s shuttles we ‘borrowed’ from a scientist who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time after the first break in,” he said. “We’ll be slippin’ in between the their aerial patrols, and that, with this,” he held up the card, “will let us walk right in. Little sucker has got all the passcodes and security clearances we need to land at the place.”

It was fortunate to have kidnapped that scientist after the failed break in. Otherwise, Brun-Tak would’ve needed a team to blow the damn doors open. Possible, but much more expensive.

“Now don’t get me wrong, this shit ain’t gonna be easy.” His expression turned serious. “I’d bet my own damn mother they’ve beefed up security since the last time. That’s my fault. This is gonna be a hostile operation, so the goal is to get in, get to the crystal as quick as possible and get the fuck out before we all get our asses fried.”

---

Io’an felt worse and worse about the job as the Weequay spoke. So they were supposed to ride in on a stolen ship, and then what? Get shot at as soon as they stepped outside? He gave Jayec an uneasy look, wondering what the Mandalorian thought about all this.

Was that last crew the Weequay tried this with his first crew? Io’an couldn’t imagine he had a good record of keeping people alive if this was how he planned things.

“If I can get into their systems, I might be able to shut down any communications going out,” he muttered, half to himself. “Might buy us some time if before they can send any reinforcements to the lab.”


“Look kid, you do whatever you think will help,” Brun-Tak said. Io’an felt his cheeks reddening.

“Anyway we got a schedule to keep, people,” the Weequay said again. “Flight there is gonna take a while, so we can iron out some more shit on the way, but before we go, we need to do some ice breaking.” There was that toothy grin again. Something about it made Io’an uncomfortable. Something about the Weequay in general made Io’an uncomfortable. He could pry, with the Force, but...

No, he told himself, closing his eyes, not now.

Brun-Tak prattled on. “Team ain’t gonna fuckin’ work if we don’t all know what we’re workin with so come on,” he said. “Give us some damn names and what you can do that’s worth a shit and gonna help us get outta this in one place.

“I, as you all know, am Brun-Tak,” he said. “Explosives specialist, master gunman, and tactician extraordinaire.”

At the last bit, Io’an gave a look that said what have I gotten myself into? to the rest of them team.

“Well...” Io’an started slowly. “I’m Io’an. I’m a slicer. I’m an alright shot with a pistol, and...” he eyed the other Force user, remembering the reservation he’d sensed earlier, “I can use the Force.”

[Dire Wolf]

"Brush your teeth, man," Ava released a heavy sigh and found her gaze averted from the disgusting grin that the big metal man flashed. While she hadn't the pleasure of traversing the Outer Rim proper thanks to her somewhat sheltered training regimen, both she and Iago had both run into their fair share of Bounty Hunters while zipping around the galaxy. The big creep was a dime a dozen, regardless of whatever he thought. Bounty Hunters were a colorful sort, and the good ones could be great. The bad ones were terrible. She hoped that this guy wasn't just another bloodlusted bantha looking for cheap thrills.

Her gaze flicked over to the Mandalorian, who'd managed to keep a professional aura in spite of the obvious mismatched personalities within the room. No surprise there. Mando Mercs were an impressive bunch, if the stories were to be believed. While the Weequay elucidated on most of what the Merc had said, he hadn't given a good estimate on enemy strength. More than last time wasn't exactly a concise estimate. "Just how many were there last time? And how long ago did the previous team try to break in?" She caught the uneasy glance from the other Force User to the Mandalorian. Yeah. This was weird, and she was getting less and less excited about it as time went on. And she was new to this.

Ava could only imagine how uneasy the vets were. Except the crooked toothed giant who was grinning like an idiot.

Her look grew even more uneasy when the Weequay called himself a master Tactician. Part of her wanted to ask after the Mandalorian, and attempt to convince the team to put him in charge. However, that wouldn't get anywhere. Instead, she merely glanced over to the Sephi who'd introduced himself as a Force User. Had her apprehension been foolish? There wasn't darkness in this one, not like the other guy. After a second, and a few more where their eyes locked, her stature relaxed into the chair. Io'nan didn't seem aggressive.

"Me too. I'm Ava; I'm fast and I punch things. Really hard." Her eyes flicked between the final two members of their party, particularly the gigantic metal clad jerk who had an over inflated opinion of himself. Maybe his condescension would change when he watches as her bare fist punches a hole in durasteel. Maybe.

[CaptainBonkers]

Two Force users that weren't jetii or dar'jetii on a same mission? The odds had to be fairly small for that happening. Also explained why the lass appeared so nervous. Stuck on a gig with a Mandalorian and another forcie, led by less than inspiring crook and accompanied by a big guy with an off kilter smile on his face? It was a wonder that she hadn't bolted by now under some excuse. Hell, even with the specifications their genius of a leader had given as answer to his questions, Jayec too was considering beating a hasty retreat. However, he had accepted the contract and received the advance payment. Canceling now would be bad form and worse, bad for his professional reputation. He would just have to stick it out, if for nothing else then to make sure that Io'an made it out alive. You didn't leave a buddy behind. However, he would still be using his right to add a mir'osik aruetii fee on the weequay's bill if shit hit the fan because he hadn't bothered to plan out a real heist.

"Jayec Veth." he began curtly. "No ability to use the Force whatsoever, but I'm a mandalorian and I have survived almost thirty years in this business as well as a galactic war. I know a thing or two about tech but making people dead is what I'm paid for."

One more reason to dislike the gig. He didn't like to work with people he hadn't had the chance to train with. Sure the others might claim expertise in various skills but without a chance to test them Jayec couldn't know whether or not they were honest, humble or delusional and speaking out of their ass. In their "leader's" case Jayec was fairly sure that column C was they likely answer but held his tongue. He'd give the bloke a chance to prove his boasting to more than just hot air before calling him a damned idiot out loud.

[Zarkan]

Karos' smile shrunk into a crooked lopsided sneer at the smaller woman. "'pologies Ma'am, I'll get right on that after my three O'clock pedicure." he said with a slight snicker before he turned his head as their vaunted leader began speaking again and narrowed his eyes his face turning into a hard mask as the man mentioned the hired guns. Out here he knew that could be mean anything from trumped-up crooked cops, half-crazed gangers, to hardened mercenaries all of which came with their own particular types of fuck you and strategies or lack thereof. "What kind of security? there is a big difference in what we need to expect from hardened mercs or balls high gangsters."

Karos' wheezing snort could probably be heard from the other side of the port when the man called himself an tactitian. "You're an extraordinary blowhard I'll give you that." He growled out. he never had much patience for trumped up fools and this Brun was an arrogant one at that. The large man's left eyebrow twitched as the squirt and waif introduced themselves giving the woman a longer more appraising scan before shrugging. He supposed they would know fairly soon if they were legit or like so many on the fringe of the universe just throwing around the term as a way to earn cheap clout they hadn't earned. Karos folded his arms before introducing himself. "Karos Kell, Officially I'm a bounty hunter." He rolled his shoulders before scanning the group. "Mostly though I'm just paid to kill idiots who've wronged the sorts you don't wanna be on the bad side of via the age-old method of stabbing and cutting."

[Rugs]

Two Force users, a bounty hunter, and a Mandalorian. “Well, I’d say this is a good set up,” Brun-Tak said. The old crew didn’t have any Force users in it, and if Force users were as powerful as the tales said, well, they just might pull the damn thing off.

But first, to answer those nagging questions. “Last time there was about a dozen,” he said. “Problem came when the damn security system got us trapped for a while in a dead-end standoff til we could break free. Cut through most of ‘em, but by the time we got out, they’d called out more to help.” Brun-Tak pointed to the still-pink scar on his face. “I barely got out my own damn self. It was a mess.

“For an estimation, I couldn’t tell ya, but I’d guess they’ve got at least double that. Lucky for us, the place is huge, so the odds of facin’ em’ all at once are low, especially if we’re efficient. I got some things in my bag of tricks to help deal with that too.” The Weequay motioned at a container by his foot. It was full of explosives. His expression turned grim for a moment before he settled back into his easy air.

“As for you,” he said, looking at the big bounty hunter with the big mouth, “maybe it’s just me, but when I hear ‘private Hutt security company,’ my mind doesn’t exactly drum up a bunch of dumbasses hopped up on dreamdust. So maybe adjust your expectations accordingly, hm?”

The big guy was mouthy. And Brun-Tak wasn’t blind. He could see the looks of doubt the blonde boy gave the Mandalorian and the general unease in the air. That was fine. They seemed to be a good crew. He glanced at the explosives on the floor. My last, if we can pull this shit off.

He stood, clapping his hands together with a magnanimous grin. “Alright, now we gotta hit the damn sky if we’re gonna get to the place in time. If ya have more questions, ask on the way. We’re wastin’ daylight.”

---

The Weeping Falls laboratory was, in a word, huge. Io’an wondered how he’d never heard of the place — or how the Hutts managed to keep it secret — as their speeder flew under the massive waterfall that hid its entrance.

He’d changed into his light armor from the agri-station raid before the group left the spaceport. Now he sat, next to Jayec, nervously drumming his gauntleted fingers on his helmet. Up front, Brun-Tak flew the speeder and was muttering something about the automated security clearances.

“I don’t like this,” told the Mandalorian quietly. “Not one bit of it.”

The Weequay yelled “Aha!” from the front, and Io’an looked up to see a massive chunk of the rock wall in front of them swing open to admit their vessel. He caught a glimpse of metal paneling beneath the rock facade as they passed into the hanger and the doors swung shut behind them.

The landing pay was brightly lit, with smooth, curving white metal throughout. It was, to Io'an's eye, surprisingly tasteful for a Hutt lab. A handful of speeders, identical to their own save the numbering on the side, sat in various spots throughout the place. Heavier, rougher looking speeders were clustered near the far end.

Io’an sighed and put his helmet on. The suit’s HUD flashed to life after a moment, and Io’an quietly initiated the recording system as they landed.

But even as the speeder doors hissed open, he was distracted by something that felt off about the whole place. Crates were scattered around the hangar, and he thought he saw some tools that looked like they had been hastily dropped.

Something about the Force felt off here, too. He couldn’t quite place it, but it was impossible to ignore with his sharp senses. Like an odor in the air.

“Do you feel that?” he asked Ava.

The strangest thing didn’t strike him until Brun-Tak, standing out of the speeder, gave it voice.

“Where the fuck is everyone?” the Weequay wondered loudly.

[CaptainBonkers]

"Keep the engines warm, Farla, I'm getting the feeling that this is going to be a real shitshow." Jayec muttered to his comm in Mandalorian. Disheartened by the lack of common sense and leadership abilities of their employer, he had left his warriors on standby. When the shit inevitably hit the fan they could sweep in within ten minutes and perform a Mandalorian extraction. Essentially they'd roll in on a ship and start shooting at everything from dandelions on upwards and keep shooting until everything had stopped from moving. Then they'd just stroll out.

What awaited them at the landing site did nothing to allay his uneasiness about the mission. This is the second damn horror holo plot I've been inside this year... what was it with gigs that turned out to have massive variables lately. Sure, things never went as planned but usually it was smaller things than the whole damn base seemingly deserted. Stuff like this made you miss simpler things like an enemy patrol being where it wasn't supposed to be or a changed door code. Shit that annoyed you but didn't make the alarm bells go off in the back of your head.

"I don't know what the hell happened here, but I suggest that we don't stop here to wonder about it. Let's press on while no one is looking at us."

[Zarkan]

Karos simply shook his head at their illustrious leader. His experience was that often the half-mad were more of a threat than the well trained still he supposed all he could do was square his shoulders and expect the worse. Karos spent the journey to the site of the labratory getting his weapons ready and affixed to their varied positions across his armor. As he stepped out of the speeder he lifted his skull painted helmet over his head and locked it into place.

The big mercenary scanned the outside of the facility as Brun explained in surprise. "Well, there isn't a sign of an assault or fight so if their dead it happened in there." He turned his head to their leader as he shifted his lance weapon to his left hand. "I don't suppose your handlers gave you any idea about where this crystal came from or what it does?" He continued squinting at the entrance. "If this thing spawns monsters or some shit, I'm charging you extra."

[Rugs]

Io’an swore he could hear his footfalls echoing in the empty hangar. “I don’t know,” he said aloud, “but Jayec is right. Best not to linger until trouble comes to find us.” He started to turn to the only way out of the hangar, but hesitated, looking down the way toward the cluster of heavier-looking ships. Why would those be here? They were arrayed haphazardly, rather than in neat rows like the rest of the lab’s speeders.

I don’t like this at all, he thought, not for the first time.

The rest of the hangar was, generally speaking, unremarkable. Some mechanical equipment lay stacked by their speeder, near some crates of medical supplies. The entrance was easy enough to locate, and Brun-Tak had jogged ahead to a console, where he was using his clearance card to access some system.

“This’ll get us in, lads,” he shouted.

Io’an shook his head and trudged along with the rest of the group.

“Monsters?” Io’an couldn’t help but notice the yellowing on the Weequay’s teeth as he laughed at the big man’s question. “No way, it does any of that shit. What, you been up watchin’ too many holo-films?

“Far as where it comes from?” Brun-Tak looked over his shoulders and shrugged as the door hissed open. “My employer’s a secretive type. Rumor is, these things have been poppin’ up all over Hutt Space. Your guess why is as good as mine.”

Io’an followed the Weequay into the brightly-lit corridor beyond the hangar. It, like the hangar, consisted of finely-made white metal, with gentle curves and flowing lines. “I didn’t know the Hutts had this kind of taste,” Io’an muttered.

“Trust me, if you put as many damn creds into the place as they have, you’d make sure it looked fuckin’ nice too,” Brun-Tak said as they walked past a room lined with slightly-tinted windows. Some plants Io’an didn’t recognize were in potters arrayed in the middle. The room was empty.

They reached a large, circular set of doors. They rumbled heavily open, revealing a large atrium with two floors above them and four below. The path joined a large courtyard in the middle and split to the left and right. Straight ahead, water roared over a water feature that imitated the falls they flew through on the way in.

The atrium, was, like the rest of the place, empty.

Io’an thought he saw some faint traces of cleaned-away carbon scoring on the door as they walked in.

“Computer’s over there if you wanna try a crack at it, ace,” Brun-Tak said, pointing to a console behind what looked like a reception desk. Io’an pressed his lips together. He doubted there’d be much to glean from that but it was better than nothing.

“As for the rest of ya,” Brun-Tak began. “Place we’re lookin’ for is on the bottom floor. Midway down the right wing, which is facing south, for those of you who like cardinal directions. Now, there’s a lift down that-a-way that’s the fastest route...”

Io’an zoned out as he focused on breaking into the system. It was easy enough, though his suspicions about the limited use were quickly affirmed. Wait, what’s this? His eyes narrowed as he saw something about a lockdown.

“Hey guys,” he called out. “Something’s going on here.”

A turbolift on the far side of the courtyard pinged and opened. A quartet of heavily armed, heavily armored guards stepped out. Some fine powder, light in color, dusted their armor in spots.

“Who are you?” The lead one spoke, raising a blaster. “No outsiders have been authorized to enter this facility. Identify yourselves.” The others lifted their weapons. “Now.”

[CaptainBonkers]

Seeing the guards appear from the turbolift was something of a surprise to Jayec considering how there had been none guarding the landing area or any other observable section of the lab so far. By now he had been assuming that if they ever ran into any form of security, it would be either automated systems or droids. But fortunately, the first resistance they met were organics that did not seem too trigger happy, seeing how they had asked questions instead of just opening fire. Maybe it was because they were out numbered or else hoped for an answer that would mean they did not have to start a firefight. Time to try provide them with one...Jayec thought and stepped forward, his hands clearly visible.

"Who are we?" he inquired, his voice full of irritation. "Who the hell are you and why the fuck are you the first security we ran into? There should have been at least one patrol by the LZ, you know, in case someone tries to just fly in."

The guards glanced at each other quickly, their eyes full of confusion. Clearly they had not expected to be subjected to berating demands by a man dressed from head to toe in beskar. The barrels of their blasters dipped momentarily but were quickly pointed back at the group, though now focused on Jayec who in turn began slowly, and as nonthreatening as possible, approach the guards.

"Again, who are you?" the probable leader of the squad demanded, though with slightly more hesitantly than before.

"Off site security. We were called in when your boss lost contact with this place. We're here to fix up your damn mess and judging from the gaping holes in your security it seems we got here just in time. What kind of amateur show are you guys running here? Mall security?" 

Once again the guards gave each other confused looks, though no one opened fire yet, even as Jayec drew ever closer to them. That was a positive development. Jayec couldn't see his teammates from this angle but hoped that they were not wasting this time just standing there. If they were smart, they would be trying to get in better positions while the guards were focused on him.

"What off site security? Why weren't we informed about this?" the leader demanded with a hint of indignation creeping into his tone.

Jayec let out an annoyed sight. "What part of the 'lost contact with the lab' didn't you bumblefucks understand? We're here because your boss doesn't have a bloody clue of what the hell is happening and would really, really like to change the situation. You know what, get your supervisor, captain or lord dunderhead the supreme or whatever the hell you call your direct superior officer, on the horn and I'll square this up with them since you seem to have trouble understanding simple words. And point that fucking thing away before you shoot someone."

The lead guard gave him a long look and then, lowered his gun and reached for the comm on his belt. That was all the opening Jayec needed. Before any of the other guards had a chance to react, he covered the remaining short distance between him and the lead guard, disarmed him by quickly grabbing the guard's hand holding the rifle and giving him a swift kick in the knee. Jayec then drew his kinife and placed it on the squad leader's throat while maneuvering his new hostage carefully between him and the rest of the now very alarmed guards. 

"Drop your weapons. Now!" Jayec said, emphasizing his words by pressing his knife firmly against the unprotected neck of his human shield. 

[Dire Wolf]

Big dumb eyes surveyed the scene before her in silence, her heart thrumming at a furious pace that grew with each passing step. Things were much too quiet. Overlarge knuckles covered by gloves popped and crack with an errant flex, a nervous habit, but one that did little to quell her raging pulse. Though her sixth sense lay undeveloped compared to her mastery over other schools a level of her subconscious brought the hairs on her neck and arm to a rise. A glance to the other Force User was followed by no words, but rather a haunted expression that had been written across her brow and the curl of her lip.

Uncharacteristic silence fell over her after that, as the team strode through the hangar and through to a long, sterile corridor of flowing lines that looked hideously out of place when compared to the facility's bankrollers. Hutts weren't known for elegance or sterility such as this. Disgusting slug creatures barely knew the definition. Yet, her eyes still caught some glimpses of rot beneath the facade. Carbon scoring left behind from errant blasterfire was destructive and difficult to clean. Especially on white. Part of the reason why her master had taught her martial arts was so that their actions wouldn't endanger the ships they sailed on. As the team walked, she stepped over to one such mark to drag her gloved fingers over the mark. Difficult to tell.

Could have been a thousand reasons for the mark. If it had been from a firefight, it could have just as easily been from the previous team. But so close to the hangar? Ava shook her head at the thought. Uneasiness met her belly before she turned to meet the rest of the group in the atrium, her brow furrowed at the beautiful sight, and her mouth grew slack. "Are we sure this is a hutt facility? It's awful pretty for anything commissioned by them. Everything I've seen has been... basic. And dirty."

No sooner had she spoken than a chime from the turbolift door rang to signal the arrival of a turbolift. Ava's form became a blur of black synth-leather as she ran to the wall beside the turbolift door, adroit and acrobatic movements placing her behind a set of tables as four heavily armed and armored private security stepped through into the room and began a somewhat awkward exchange with the Mandalorian. Who bluffed, rather than fought. A wild smirk filled the girl's expression in spite of the overall weirdness before she rolled to a better position; no way the bluff would work long term. Not if the guys were professionals.

Best thing to do was just watch. And wait for someone to make a move.

After a few moments, when Jayec lunged forward, so too did Ava. Though more distance had been placed between her and the group in comparison to the mandalorian mercenary, they arrived to their targets at relatively the same time. A closed fist and fell down on the rear mercenary's blaster rifle. The steel and plastoid receiver shattered under the woman's powerful telekinetic strike; the parts had barely begun to scatter when her form twisted to send a powerful kick into the man's chest. A strained gasp fell from his lips before he was thrown backwards along with shards of his shattered plastoid breastplate. Whether or not the man rose after he struck the ground, Ava didn't know or care. Instead she spun to face the others just as Jayec issued his command. "Best do what the man says. Hate for things to get violent, yeah?"

[Rugs]

Io’an ducked behind the counter as the mercenaries—were these the normal lab security or the extra hired muscle Brun-Tak had hinted at, he wondered—confronted the group. Fearing the worst, he dug a data stick out of a pouch at his suit’s waist and stuck it into the terminal.

With a few hurried keystrokes, he started transferring everything he could from the terminal to the stick. Security camera footage, increasingly-frantic logs from the head scientists that were joined by distressingly-unsure medic reports.

Why were three of the files labeled with “QUARANTINE,” in big, bold letters.

It’d take time to look over all the shit, and time was not on Io’an’s side, since the lab’s guards had conveniently decided to show up.

He still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong in this lab. The strange feeling in the Force hadn’t lessened as they pressed in. It’d grown only worse — sickly, almost, but in some strange, foreign way that he couldn’t put his finger on.

His team’s action set the Force to stirring before he heard the commotion.

Io’an poked his head over the top of the desk to—to his horror—see Jayec and Ava lunging at two of the mercenaries.

They struck before the rest of the group could act, Ava putting one on the ground as Jayec took the leader and held him as a shield while demanding the others stopped.

Io’an glanced anxiously to the terminal. It was about halfway done. He didn’t want to risk a shootout ruining it before he finished pulling the files from the computer. Neither did he want his teammates to end up hurt, or worse.

He delved into the Force, pushing aside the naseous, alien tint that clung to it like oil to water’s surface.

Io’an’s awareness of his surroundings dimmed as he reached to the minds of the other two guards.

“Listen to my friend there if ya know what’s good for ya,” Brun-Tak was yelling as he shouldered a blaster carbine at one of the other guards. His voice seemed oddly distant,to Io’an’s perception, focused outward as it was. The guards hesitated, seeming unsure of what to do.

It was a simple thing, to penetrate the minds of the other two guards. They were focused on the Jayec and Ava, and without the Force, they’d never know what Io’an was doing.

Even if they did, it wouldn’t have mattered.

They were scared. Not by their current situation—though they worried for their captain. This fear was something deeper—something strangely primal despite the cool faces they kept as they half-raised their weapons.

”Stop,” he said, impressing the weight of the word upon them through the Force as he spoke. ”We are not your enemy.”

It felt wrong, to impress his will on those of other sentient beings. He felt no small regret for doing so. But it was better than killing them.

The two looked at each other, briefly confused, and lowered their weapons. “Alright,” said one, a dark-skinned Kiffar with green tattoos lining his face. “You want to know what’s in that damn hell room, be my fucking guest. But let the boss go.

“Quarantine is falling apart anyway,” the other, a Duro with a large scar across his forehead said. “Anyone with half a brain is getting the fuck outta here. You all would be doing the same, if you’re smart.”

[CaptainBonkers]

The guards had lowered their weapons but had not yet dropped them. Perhaps they were still hoping they would be allowed to keep them if they just let Jayec and his current comrades to pass through without trouble. They'd better think again then. Basic rule of warfare number 3: you don't leave armed hostiles in your rear if you can avoid it. "Let me repeat since you didn't seem to understand the first time. Drop your weapons."

The guards looked around, both at each other and the group now fairly well posed to resist them, most likely wondering whether or not they should try to resist. Ultimately, though, they realized that math was against them. And you couldn't argue with math. "Fine. We'll drop them."

With clear dislike, the guards dropped their weapons and stepped backwards, their hands held up in air. "So what now? You gonna shoot us or something?" the Duro demanded with tone so venomous that you could have killed small animals with it.

"I'm not paid extra per dead body, so no. You, lass, gather their blasters and comms. Then we'll bound and gag 'em and throw them into the nearest cupboard or something." Jayec replied calmly.